Dana Berger - WHAT'S UP

Where To Find Monologues For NYC High School Auditions

9/17/2023

Autumn is upon us, and that means it's time to begin preparing for the LaGuardia, Frank Sinatra, PPAS and Talent Unlimited high school Drama auditions. Every year I coach students for these auditions and they require a lot of work, focus, and passion. I am very pleased that in 2023 I had

3 students accepted to LaGuardia Drama
1 student accepted to Frank Sinatra Drama
2 students accepted to Talent Unlimited Drama

The first step to preparing is finding the right monologues to perform.

Each person is different, and monologue selection is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Students need to choose material that shows off their unique strengths and abilities, and suits their personality. But where do you look for monologues? Check out the video below for some helpful tips!

LaGuardia Coaching Successes

7/11/2022

This was the second year that all the New York City performing arts high school auditions were virtual (self-taped at home), and most of the coaching I did was also virtual using Zoom. Despite not being in the room with my students, we had a blast and they turned in some amazing work. We had some stellar admission results!

4 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO LAGUARDIA DRAMA
2 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO PPAS DRAMA
1 STUDENT ACCEPTED TO FRANK SINATRA DRAMA
2 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO MURROW DRAMA
1 STUDENT ACCEPTED TO PPAS MUSICAL THEATER

I do not know if the auditions will be virtual for a third year, but in the event that they are, here is a video going over how to self-tape your high school Drama auditions at home:

Jake's coronavirus video

3/14/2020

As you probably know, in addition to being a traditional actress I also have original characters and make videos as them. One of my characters is a Trump supporter named Jake, and I recently made a video about the Coronavirus. The video went viral on Facebook and Twitter (on Twitter because an account found it, thought it was real, and posted it without saying I was an actor). This resulted in many comments and tweets expressing either horror that such a person could "exist" or laughter because they realized it was a parody. See the video below, as well as some of the amazing tweets in response!

Another successful Trump University graduate... ?‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/TGuE2Zu5qK
— Hear Me Roar (@Stop_Trump20) March 6, 2020

Coronavirus update #VoteBlue pic.twitter.com/1rDBXaIpxB
— Dana Berger - Actress (@DanaMerylBerger) March 4, 2020

NYC PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL AUDITIONS

3/18/2019

Some of you know that in addition to being a professional actor, I'm also an acting coach who specializes in coaching children and young adults. I coached a wonderful bunch of students for their performing arts high school auditions this year, and I love being able to shout their successes from the rooftops. This fall there was a lot of talent and competition for the NYC arts schools. I'm beyond thrilled to report the statistics for this year:

7 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO LAGUARDIA DRAMA
2 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO PPAS DRAMA
2 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO TALENT UNLIMITED
1 STUDENT ACCEPTED TO FRANK SINATRA DRAMA
2 STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO PPAS MUSICAL THEATER

Many of my students watched my informational videos before beginning our coaching sessions together and found them to be very helpful, so I'm posting them here. I share some important information in them about how to begin the preparation process for these performing arts school auditions. I recommend checking them out.

"Dana is, without a doubt, a superb coach. Her talent, dedication, patience, true understanding of what makes a winning audition, along with her sense of humor and compassion make her the ideal audition coach."
- Jessica Genick, Broadway Producer

"Dana is the real deal. Many of my families have used her with great success, and I recommend her wholeheartedly!"
- Maurice Frumkin, NYC Admissions Solutions

"Dana is a funny, talented, and kind person who not only helped our 8th grader prep for her LaGuardia audition, she also gave invaluable advice about how to navigate the high school application process. As a parent, I also appreciated that Dana was able to help my kid manage her stress around the multiple auditions, interviews and tours the kids have to endure. Having gone to LaGuardia herself, Dana was able to speak from experience which I know my kid listened to - in a way she'd never hear if it came from us. When attempting to solicit a quote from our daughter about Dana, all I could get out of her was "She's the best ever, how's that?" This pretty much says it all. If you are looking for an audition coach, Dana is the best ever!"
- Carol C.

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

8/23/2018

Over the course of five months I had the amazing opportunity to play inmate Crystal Tawney on the new season of Orange Is The New Black. It's currently streaming on Netflix. Check out some stills from the show or watch my scenes here.

LaGuardia High School Auditions

12/1/2017

Many of you know that in addition to being a professional actor, I'm also an acting coach who specializes in coaching children and young adults. I coached a great group of students for their performing arts high school auditions this year and I'm so very proud of all of them. We've had great wins and I'm amazed at how far we've come, and at their continued commitment and bravery. Because the audition process is just coming to an end this month, and we won't know who is accepted until next year, I can only share our callback statistics, which are FANTASTIC.

This year so far eight of my students have received callbacks at their LaGuardia Drama auditions!! Of the students that auditioned for Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS), four of them were called back for the Drama program there!!

Many of my students watched my informational videos before beginning our coaching sessions together and found them to be very helpful, so I'm posting them here. I share some important information in them about how to begin the preparation process for these performing arts school auditions. I recommend checking them out.

Looking forward to finding out who is accepted when Spring rolls around!

STREEPSHOW!

6/26/2017

Season One Trailer:

This month I had one of the greatest experiences of my career performing STREEPSHOW! Episodes 1-4 at The Connelly Theater with an insanely talented group of artists. The entire experience, starting with our first workshop of Episode 1 three years ago at Ars Nova, has been nothing short of exhilarating and full of so many laughs I thought my belly would burst. I'm so proud of my fellow Streeps and honored to have shared the stage with them. I'm in awe of playwright Jay Stull's genius, and director Andrew Neisler's endless creativity. Our entire design team was fantastic, as well as our stage manager, Kristy Bodall, and our crew. Basically, this was the hardest show I've ever had to say goodbye to. Here are some fun photos and videos (and the official Streepshow! Buzzfeed Quiz) from both the month long run this June, as well as the various workshops we've done over the past 3 years leading up to this production. Hopefully this is just the beginning. Love to all my Streeps.

STREEPSHOW! EPISODES 1-4

Featuring:
Preston Martin, Claire Rothrock, Kristine Haruna Lee, Chris Tyler, Dana Berger, Joe Castle Baker, Todd Dakotah Briscoe, Sam Bolen, Emily Marro, Benjamin Pelteson, Andrew Farmer, Storm Thomas, and Jessica Frey

The StreepBand:
Nicholas C. Williams
Sam Lazzara

Written by Jay Stull
Directed by Andrew Neisler
Costume, Hair, Wig, and Make-Up Design by Daniel Dabdoub
Scenic and Prop Design by Noah Mease
Lighting Design by Kate McGee
Sound Design by Ben Gullard and Jay Owen Eisenberg
Video Design by Stivo Arnoczy and David Tennent
Choreography by Ben Hobbs
Stage Management by Kristy Bodall
Assistant Directed by JB Douglas

The cast sings Happy Birthday to Meryl Streep at curtain call on her actual birthday (June 22nd):

Take The Official Streepshow! Buzzfeed Quiz Here

One Slight Hitch!

4/21/2016

This month I played Courtney Coleman, the confused bride, in Lewis Black's play One Slight Hitch at the Human Race Theatre Company. It's set in the 1980s and I had a blast with this incredibly talented and hilarious cast.

From left: Rita Rehn, Me, Alex Sunderhaus and Cecily Dowd. Photo by Scott J. Kimmins.

Lewis sent us bouquets and champagne on Opening Night, and came to the show on April 20th!

From left: Brian Dykstra, Alex Sunderhaus, Alex Curtis, Lewis Black, Kyle Nunn, Me, Rita Rehn and Cecily Dowd.

The audiences were fantastic and we got some awesome reviews.

"Dana Berger is the bride, Courtney, more than a brainless babe... Courtney, like the mom, rides an emotional roller coaster. She has a fine grip on the ups and downs and takes possession of the stage. It’s a further display of this talent-laden cast."
- Dayton City Paper

"There's terrific chemistry among the seven-member cast"
- Dayton Daily News

"[Margarett] Perry’s energetic cast doesn’t contain any weak links... The hilariously fussy Berger gives credence to Courtney’s frustrating dilemma."
- Most Metro

And here are some fun backstage photos and shots from our time in dayton:

JANUARY, 2016

2/3/2016

CLUBBED THUMB:

I performed in a workshop of Jenny Schwartz's play As Far As The Day Goes, directed by Jay Stull, as part of Clubbed Thumb's Directing Fellowship Program. My awesome cast mates were Sam Breslin Wright, Ella Dershowitz, Ean Sheehy and Keaton Tetlow.

FRENCH KISS:

I guest star as Tatiana, Russian "side-bitch", in Cannibal Milkshake Comedy's new web series FRENCH KISS, which was an Official Selection of the 2015 NYC Web Fest. Watch my episode here.

Diggin' Dorset

7/18/2015

I'm currently performing in the Dorset Theatre Festival's production of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily by Katie Forgette, directed by Margarett Perry. We've been getting great reviews and audiences have loved the show.

"What makes this all work is Dorset's taut and sophisticated production that takes you to late-19th century London and doesn't let you alone for a moment. You simply remain on edge - when you're not laughing."
- Times Argus

"Berger! Doubling up as Holmes' housekeeper Mrs. McGlynn, she came across as a spitfire, a smoldering Cockney wench cloaked by the niceties of society in which Mrs. Tory had to operate. We could swear she actually hissed at times - nicely done!"
- The Manchester Journal

"Still, one of the two funniest portrayals was by Christopher Edwards, who managed to take Dr. John Watson's earnestness to new heights. The other was Dana Berger who beautifully mixed physical humor and droll wit as the evil forger/actress Kitty Dupree. They were ridiculously funny."
- Times Argus

Check Out These Fun Backstage Photos and Scenic shots From Around Dorset, VT: