Testimonial 9

I absolutely loved the  Theatre of the Oppressed Workshop and I hope we will be able to make it an annual event.

Dr Fiona Macaulay, FRSA, Senior Lecturer

Peace Studies and International Development

University of Bradford

Physical Theatre Training – intermediate course

Physical Theatre training - Intermediate course

Weekly sessions from 1st May to 19th June

Tickets 

 

This course will continue to build on the main aspects of performer training, developing your physical and spatial awareness, sense of rhythm and interconnection with fellow participants.

We will take a deeper look not only at the physical work, but also at using voice, objects and text in physical theatre. We will also explore the notion of ‘abstract’ and the crucial role it plays in performance. Each week, Judita will introduce different strategies of putting short scenes together, which will be created by the participants and presented in a safe, friendly and encouraging environment.

This acting course will focus on:

- The body, its sensitivity and expressiveness: the course will make the students highly conscious of how their own bodies can move. Students will be introduced to bodily and spatial awareness, exploration of truthful expression and personal creativity, the importance of observation of the world and its movements as well as ensemble and solo improvisation.

- The poetry of the movement: the body will be trained to transform life into poetry. By using the poetry of the body students develop creative possibilities. Stories go beyond realism into another stage of imagination. By the end of the course, the students will have acquired a broad palette of physical theatre techniques.

- Voice: in physical theatre, voice originates in the body and the two are inseparable. We will look at the expressiveness and possibilities of using voice in performance, vocal improvisation and using text in physical theatre.

For Anyone with basic experience in acting or physical theatre

This acting course is the continuation of our Spring course, however this experience is for anyone! Actors and non-actors with basic experience in acting or physical theatre aged 16+ interested in exploring the expressive possibilities of their bodies and developing their acting skills. Physical Theatre has a big potential when it comes to working in the community, so this training can be interesting not only for theatre practitioners and acting lovers, but also for social activists, teachers, community workers, charity representatives and youth workers. Acting experience is not required.

Physical Theatre

Physical theatre is a genre of performance which makes use of the body (as opposed to the spoken word) as the primary means of performance and communication with an audience. Physical theatre can be distinguished from dance in that it tends to focus more on narrative, character and action. Acting Now uses the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq, one of the finest teachers of acting in our time. As Lecoq’s puts it “the body knows things about which the mind is ignorant”.

About Acting Now Physical Theatre School

Acting Now is an applied theatre company established by Artistic Director Marina Pallarès-Elias in Cambridge. We are committed to bringing about change in communities and participants from all walks of life, especially those who experience disadvantage.

We have developed our very own methodology through working with these communities by drawing on the ethics of applied theatre and the aesthetics and principles of physical theatre. We call this Raw Theatre (or Theatre of Yes). Alongside this, we run physical theatre courses and training programmes, which bring together theatre practitioners, educators, community organizers, charity representatives, social workers, activists and many others who are interested in exploring and developing their acting skills and using theatre as a tool for communication, empowerment and debate.

Book your tickets here.

Language and Others

Marina to take part at Cambridge University Event "Language and Others":

Diversity and Humor in Catalonia and Ukraine

18th March 12.30 pm at The Pitt Building, University of Cambridge

Today Marina will take a part in the event “Languages and Others: Diversity and Humour in Catalonia and Ukraine” at the The Pitt Building, University of Cambridge.

She will share her experience directing “Polyphonic”, a devised theatre performance about language and identity that was presented at Cambridge Festival of Ideas last October 2018.

Polyphonic was the result of an ongoing project in partnership with Polygon Arts and Cambridge University in which we aim to bring stories of everyday multilingual lives to a wider audience. Acting Now has been working with community groups and individuals drawn from a dozen linguistic backgrounds to explore how speaking more than one language affects their lives. Through workshop and rehearsal, we devise intimate and interactive portrayals of the many identities the participants perform at home, at work, with friends and with family.Today’s event will bring together practitioners, activists and academics in order to engage the cases of Catalonia and Ukraine as platforms of enquiry for the interaction between languages and other modes of diversity such as race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity and class. The participants will also explore how cultural works have deployed humour as a way to engage these modes with respect to language use, solidarity and Othering.

TO workshop at the University of Bradford

Theatre of the Oppressed workshop at the University of Bradford

23rd & 24th March, Peace Studies and International Development department, University of Bradford

Marina will teach a two-day workshop on Theatre of the Oppressed in Bradford. The workshop will be held on 23rd and 24th March and is aimed at staff and students from the Peace Studies and International Development department at the University of Bradford, UK.

WHAT IS FORUM THEATRE

Part of the ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ and created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal, Forum Theatre is an applied drama technique and participatory theatre practice created to empower audience individuals to determine social change. Lead by an oppressive political and social background, Boal’s efforts consisted in establishing a dialog between audience and stage with the aim of exploring the real needs and issues of his community. The theatrical act by itself is a conscious intervention, a rehearsal for social action based on a collective analysis of shared problems of oppression.

THE WORKSHOP

Suitable for all ages and abilities, this introductory workshop is designed to strengthen community activation and trust-building through interactive exercises developed from the fundamentals of creating Forum Theatre images. In this workshop, participants will hone their storytelling and image building techniques and explore how different styles of presenting multiple perspectives can aid positive problem solving.

MARINA PALLARÈS-ELIAS

Marina Pallares, Acting Now's founder and Artistic Director is a professional actress and applied theatre practitioner, with over ten years of experience working across Europe and South America using theatre as a tool for social change. She has developed exciting theatre projects with traveller communities, ex-offenders, adults with learning disabilities, people with mental health challenges, women, teenagers and refugees all over the world.

Check this video to know more about our Theatre of the Oppressed workshops: