Workshops

Starting Right Now
This fun, practical workshop explores rehearsal technique, ensemble building and methods for devising within a collective. Working on our feet, we experiment with, ‘How do we form an ensemble? How can we work so everyone’s heard, valued and contributes? What techniques do performers need so that they remain excited yet also share the attention and space? How do we support the visions of others and sensitively propose our own ideas?’

​In this workshop we’ll imagine we’re creating a joint performance of Journey to the Centre of the Earth. In that story a party discovers a passage under an extinct volcano, travels down having thrilling adventures, sails across an underground ocean, reaches the centre of the Earth, gets pulled into a whirlpool, swept into an active volcano and finally, erupted back to the surface. We’ll use this ready-made plot as our testbed.

Using games, movement, drawing and improvisation, the participants will determine a shared vision for the performance. Aligned with that, the ensemble will devise and act out invented scenes from the story. The workshop is not about the quality of the performance but how well we work together. The philosophy is that each actor must find within every scene, at least one thing they are excited about performing. Maybe it’s the characterisation, or working with the other actor, or the costume, or something as small as a single gesture. It is the ensemble’s responsibility to invent, adapt and compromise to make sure that this happens.

Enabling individual and collective excitement is the key to a good production. It creates the buzz an audience can feel and makes classwork, rehearsals and performance, more productive, enjoyable and creative.

This workshop has been conducted for both adults and kids. It’s length is adaptable from 2 hours to a full day. It stands alone or can be a great way to kick off a new class or even used as a ‘rehearsal for the rehearsal’ and offered before a production begins.

Workshops for Teenagers
We have a 'Lab Rats' a mask making and movement workshop especially for teenagers at Such As They Are www.suchastheyare.com