Website Testimonial…

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From Charlotte Hiller, www.charlotteswebofwellness.com :

“Whew…. I put this off long enough! That is, getting onto my new website and actually putting words on the pages. Thank you to Andrea Bertola for creating such a great site. If you’d like her help in setting up a website, please call or email me and I’ll be happy to give you her email address. She’s incredibly talented!
-Charlotte”

Are you looking for a New York Website Designer? Contact me!

Teaching Philosophy Statement

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“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy,
And we should treat it with the same status.”
–          Sir Ken Robinson

As a creative arts educator, I aim to support the growth of imagination and creativity in our youth by fostering a learning environment where it can blossom. My goal is to inspire students by teaching theatre through the use of creative drama which encourages students to engage their imaginations. The use of creativity and imagination makes drama a fun way to motivate students to learn while generating developmental synapses that simultaneously occur during creative play.
I believe that fostering creativity is the essential ingredient to the foundation of learning. Much of my teaching philosophy is based on the lectures given by New York Times best selling author, Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity. In 2003 he received a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth the II for his services to the arts and education.  I agree with many of his sentiments when he speaks of how the value of the creative arts is greatly underestimated in many of our public school systems. If we are supposed to be preparing our youth for their future roles in society, I can not think of one profession where creativity does not play an essential part; considering professional careers such as: business management, architecture, advertising, marketing, public relations, science, engineering, and teaching.  Creativity cultivates problem solving techniques used in all of these occupations; it is an essential part of innovation and invention.
The most influential benefit of educational theatre is its unique ability to cultivate student’s personality growth while promoting self confidence. When students step into a role and learn to think as their character would think, they learn how to be empathetic. For example, a student learns these important skills about empathy and relating to other people, not only through recreating character relations in scene work, but through the theatrical collaboration process as well. For a student to be successful at his craft he must be socially aware and in tune with his own emotions, because acting is based on reenacting human impulses and behavior. Through this increased social awareness students can gain perspective of interactions between people and the impact that their actions have upon others. Theatre also has the potential to develop other important skills in its students such as: language, motor skills, memorization, and communication abilities through the study of playwriting and re-enacting the text. Students learn body control, coordination and discipline by learning how to express themselves using voice, hands, face and body.
From the standpoint of teaching core academics, I aim to use drama to teach the art of theatre while expanding the learning in my students other areas of study. The method I use to achieve this is to require my students to research all aspects of the piece and its author when preparing to perform scene work.  Students will study the biography of the playwright to determine the message that the author is trying to convey.  They need to study the time period in which the play takes place; historical events that may effect a character’s actions; geographical and cultural influences on the characters; and any other significant symbolic references. The objective being that by reenacting pieces from a different time, place or culture, students will better understand the importance of the lessons on these subjects. For example if students are studying American History, it might help them to better understand the signing of the Declaration of Independence if they got to act out a scene between John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson from the musical: 1776. In essence, they will feel as though they have “lived” through the experience putting themselves in the shoes of these historic figures.
Beyond understanding the core academic and developmental benefits of theatre and the creative arts, one of my greatest strengths as a theatre arts educator is the fact that I have an extensive background as a working professional, fully integrated into the theatrical industry. While teaching is my passion, I am also a Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) eligible actress and Off-Off Broadway Producer. It is evident in my teaching style that I hold a high level of respect for the craft, and I demand that my students are ambitious with their work. I’m passionate about creating an engaging learning environment that teaches theatre appreciation and the fundamentals of various acting techniques. 

Custom Christmas Card

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Are you looking for custom christmas cards this year? It’s not too late! Did you know that Website Designer NYC also offers graphic design services? I’ll use my graphic design skills to make a custom christmas card that is unique! No one will have a card like yours!! Check out this project that was just completed. The client provided me with a professional photograph taken of her children this past summer. The challenge was “winterizing” the image to make it seasonal for a holiday card. Here is the original image:

(click image to view larger version)
The first step was turning the green grass into a blanket of white snow. The next step was changing some of the details to add a bit of the “Christmas” feeling. The slide was changed to red, the details on the baby’s shirt were also changed to red. The most difficult part of this project was changing the rainbow colored lollypops to Christmas colors. Finally, some falling snow was added as well as a festive holiday greeting! Viola! The finished product:

(click image to view larger version)
Are you looking for a custom holiday card?
Contact Andrea: Andrea@thewebkey.com

Custom Christmas Card

Posted on by Admin
Are you looking for custom christmas cards this year? It’s not too late! Did you know that Website Designer NYC also offers graphic design services? I’ll use my graphic design skills to make a custom christmas card that is unique! No one will have a card like yours!! Check out this project that was just completed. The client provided me with a professional photograph taken of her children this past summer. The challenge was “winterizing” the image to make it seasonal for a holiday card. Here is the original image:

(click image to view larger version)
The first step was turning the green grass into a blanket of white snow. The next step was changing some of the details to add a bit of the “Christmas” feeling. The slide was changed to red, the details on the baby’s shirt were also changed to red. The most difficult part of this project was changing the rainbow colored lollypops to Christmas colors. Finally, some falling snow was added as well as a festive holiday greeting! Viola! The finished product:

(click image to view larger version)
Are you looking for a custom holiday card?
Contact Andrea: Andrea@thewebkey.com

Websites for Singers

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Websites for singers! Are you a singer in search of a custom made website? Your website needs to be as unique as your personality. Laura Parker came to me after reading positive reviews on my Yelp page. She is a professional opera singer that was looking to promote herself with her own custom made website.
Laura wanted to be able to post pictures, resumes, videos and audio clips on her site. Being that I have my masters in Theatre and a background in acting, I knew EXACTLY what Laura needed to be able to market herself in the performing arts. (Websites for actors, websites for singers, and websites for artists are my favorite websites to design!)
We talked about incorporating a blog into her website, so that she could post current news and general “musings”. I also mentioned that a blog is the best tool she could use to help her with her search engine rankings! As far as the “look and feel” of her website, Laura wanted a clean, feminine design. Check out the finished product: http://www.lauraparkersoprano.com.

To make it a full-circle story… Laura posted a great review on yelp for The Web Key: Website Design.


She said, “I looked at all of the yelp web designers, and after talking to Andrea on the phone, I knew we would be a great fit. Her intuition is absolutely incredible; she was able to capture my personality and my vision as if she’d known me forever. She’s fast, efficient, and so easy to work with for a great price. I would recommend her to anyone, especially fellow artists and those in creative industries. I adore my website!”

Thank you, Laura and best of luck with the launch of http://www.lauraparkersoprano.com

Websites for Singers

Posted on by Admin
Websites for singers! Are you a singer in search of a custom made website? Your website needs to be as unique as your personality. Laura Parker came to me after reading positive reviews on my Yelp page. She is a professional opera singer that was looking to promote herself with her own custom made website.

Laura wanted to be able to post pictures, resumes, videos and audio clips on her site. Being that I have my masters in Theatre and a background in acting, I knew EXACTLY what Laura needed to be able to market herself in the performing arts. (Websites for actors, websites for singers, and websites for artists are my favorite websites to design!)

We talked about incorporating a blog into her website, so that she could post current news and general “musings”. I also mentioned that a blog is the best tool she could use to help her with her search engine rankings! As far as the “look and feel” of her website, Laura wanted a clean, feminine design. Check out the finished product: http://www.lauraparkersoprano.com.



She said, “I looked at all of the yelp web designers, and after talking to Andrea on the phone, I knew we would be a great fit. Her intuition is absolutely incredible; she was able to capture my personality and my vision as if she’d known me forever. She’s fast, efficient, and so easy to work with for a great price. I would recommend her to anyone, especially fellow artists and those in creative industries. I adore my website!”

Thank you, Laura and best of luck with the launch of http://www.lauraparkersoprano.com

To make it a full-circle story… Laura posted a great review on yelp for The Web Key: Website Design.

The SMUT Show

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The S.M.U.T. Show: 
Scandalous Mayhem Under Tinseltown
@ COMIX COMEDY CLUB
NEW YORK CITY, NY
NEW YORK, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- What happens when you mix tabloids +
 sketch comedy? S.M.U.T (Scandalous Mayhem Under Tinseltown) announces its
 red carpet opening night at Comix, Thursday, March 6th, 2008 in an
 unlimited engagement.

     Let's face it, celebrity scandal is EVERYWHERE and we're
 hooked-celebrity pregnancies, meltdowns, rehab visits, Hollywood DUIs and
 of course the never ending public fascination to fuel the drama. Previewed
 in December to sold out audiences at Comix, S.M.U.T is a first of its kind
 parody based on celebrity culture that provides the same fix of Hollywood
 gossip in theatre form, with a twist.

     S.M.U.T was produced by Ei8ht 22 Productions
and written by a group of seven NYC twenty and thirty somethings
 obsessed with celebrity culture. The production follows a fast-paced comedy
 sketch style similar to that of Saturday Night Live and each week, the team
 meets to update the show with the very latest developments in the tabloids
 and must-see material. The show features a hugely talented cast including
 Lorraine Bracco's niece Lindsay Bracco, playing the roles of all the usual
 suspects.

     The 25 sketches that makeup the show include skits such as: Sex Ed with
 Paris and Nicole, A Moment with the Cruises, Perez Hilton: Gateway to Hell,
 On The Playground-celebrity offspring sharing the woes of having famous
 parents, to name just a few. Musical numbers include "I Think I'm A Clone
 Now", "Oops I f'd Up Again" and "Maternity World".

     "I wanted to lure generation Y back to theatre again and what better
 way than through their everyday obsession," explained Steve Shaw, director.
 Writer/Producer Andrea Bertola conceived the idea for the show and
 explained, "We're all obsessed with the unraveling of Hollywood lives! We
 all wake up in the morning and log onto Perez Hilton everyday... so we
 decided to have a little fun and take our obsession to another level."

     Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door (plus a 2 drink minimum
 purchase) and can be purchased online at www.comixny.com or by calling 212-
 524-2500. Show times are as follows:

     3/6, 3/19, 4/10, 5/1, 5/22 at 8pm. Further dates to be announced.

Ode to “SMUT”
“I hate you, my friend”
Brangelina in “Couple’s Therapy”
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie
Avril Lavigne
Brad Pitt
Brittany Spears
Brittany’s famous UMBRELLA attack.
Tom Cruise and Suri
Gwen Stafani and Perez Hilton
Back Stage!
Read more about this production: click here