Physical Theatre course for beginners Jan – Mar 2019

Physical Theatre course for beginners. Introductory course (II)
Weekly sessions on Wednesdays between 6.30 pm to 9 pm
8 session course starting on 16th January 2019
Early-bird prices before 24th December
Tickets

A great opportunity to explore or continue exploring Physical Theatre Techniques. Our workshops are an alternative to conventional drama lessons and are based on body movement, freedom and creativity. Students will continue practicing physical exercises, improvisation and movement, and will be encouraged to devise their own short solo and ensemble theatre pieces, developing self-awareness and discovering the expressive possibilities of their body, gestures and voice.

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:
This acting course is the continuation of our Autumn course, however this experience is for anyone! Actors and non-actors 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”.
This Introductory course to Physical Theatre will draw on various approaches and techniques, including plastiques and corporeal mime, Viewpoints, Duende ball work and others.
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.

Meet the teacher

Judita Vivas is a Lithuanian actress and physical theatre artist. She is a Physical Theatre Practitioner with Acting Now, Associate Artist of DUENDE, and Research Collaborator on Icarus Performance Project (Malta). She is also Founder and Co-Director of Foxtale Ensemble (international female theatre collective) as well as Double Trouble (female theatre-duo with Miriam Gould).
Since 2008, Judita has trained with various international theatre practitioners, devised and performed in a large number of performance projects in Europe and the UK, and collaborated with theatre and multimedia artists. Her performances are physically and visually dynamic, drawing on real stories, mythologies and autobiographical narratives. Judita is passionate about socially engaged theatre projects and connecting with different communities. She regularly leads theatre classes and workshops where she combines somatic sensitivity with movement, ensemble work, storytelling and playfully experimentation with tangible materials.

DETAILS about the course:
WHEN: 8 sessions on Wednesdays 18.30 pm - 21.00 pm from 16th January 2019
WHERE: Ross Street Community Centre, Ross St, Cambridge CB1 3UZ
PRICES:
EARLY BIRDS PRICES Before 24th December 

General £118 / Concesion £102 (students, senior, unwaged)
General £140 / Concesion £120 (students, senior, unwaged)

Get your tickets here
For more information contact us at hello@actingnow.co.uk or 07879913576
Check some of our videos to see what our students are capable of after training with us:

Acting course Feb 2018:

Complicité (Acting Now Physical Theatre School Summer 2017 at Corpus Playroom Theatre, Cambridge)

 

Theatre of the Oppressed Workshop: An introduction to Forum Theatre

Theatre of the Oppressed Workshop: An introduction to Forum Theatre

Sat 10th February 2017, 12pm - 6pm 

Ross Street Community Centre, Cambridge CB1 3UZ

 

Once again, Acting Now is holding an Intensive Forum Theatre Workshop designed for artists and creatives from all sectors, for anyone who is going to benefit from a deep insight into applied drama techniques.

Participants will be equipped with solid knowledge of the Forum Theatre technique and participatory theatre practices. In addition, they will have the chance to explore means of devising dramatic content and narratives and learn tips in facilitating creative programs for education purposes.

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.

FOR ANYONE

This experience is for anyone! Actors and non-actors that are interested in using theatre as a tool for communication, debate and social change within their communities and a MUST for theatre practitioners, social activists, teachers, community workers, charity representatives and youth workers.

PRICES: 

General: £65 / Concession £50 

 Early birds: £60 / £45 (Before 18th Dec)

Get Your Tickets 

OTHER WORKSHOPS TO COME

Keep an eye on us if you would like to hear from other Workshops and Events organized by Acting Now!

Our next workshop will be: Theatre of the Oppressed, and Introduction to Forum Theatre, an intensive one-day training scheduled for 10th February at Cambridge. 

Other one-day workshops to be announced soon are: 

  • USE OF MASKS IN PHYSIAL THEATRE
  • APPLIED THEATRE - AN INTRODUCTION
  • TECHNIQUES OF STORYTELLING

MEET THE TEACHER:

a woman with a drum talking to a group of women who are standing around her

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.

N.B. Refund policy. In the event of cancellation, we will refund your payment in full if you let us know 30 days before the start of the course. If for unforeseen reasons, your availabilty changes while the course is running and you cannot complete it, we will be happy to discount the remainder of the sessions if you book another course, but refunds won´t be available.

Hector Aristizabal workshop in Cambridge

Hector Aristizabal workshop in Cambridge

Last weekend Acting Now proudly hosted and organized the workshop ‘From Action back to imagination’ by Hector Aristizabal in Cambridge. We sold out the capacity and received an amazing feedback from our participants.

Hector has been working all around the world sharing his wisdom for more than 20  years, so his name is enough attractive by itself to gather people from different countries. For this reason we wellcomed a very international group of 30 participants some of whom come all the way from Norway and France.

Some of the techniques we put in practice are:

  • Rainbow of desire
  • Theatre of witness
  • Cops-in-the-head
  • Storytelling
  • Ritual theatre

All together became a village and a human laboratory as we used our own stories and interests to explore diverse methodologies which helped us imagine alternatives to our common challenges. It was in esence a magical and emotional experience that cannot be summarized better but through but the feedback from the citizens of the colourful village we created together:

‘The experience was very inspiring and very intense on all levels - emotional, physical, and mental. A wonderful exploration of human situations with an open and deep view’.

‘Great experience not only as a facilitator but as a person. Full of compassion, love and healing. Social Transformation through Art and Theatre is possible!’

‘This workshop have been an amazing rewarding experience, I've been encouraged to find my own path in life and my own gift surrounded by wonderful people’.

‘I felt challenged, connected, expressive, surprised and filled with new methods, connections and inspirations to work with’.

‘Hector is a wonderful mentor. His stories, his way of sharing his skills and his knowledge, his sensitivity, his gentle but firm approach is what will stay with me, even more than the techniques and the practical hints’.