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.