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Monday, February 2, 2009
Fwd: Don't miss Improviso! by Dell'Arte's first year students
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Dell'arte Goes to Bali 2009 Feb 9-March 12, 2009
Check out the Bali Blog 2007
by School Director Joan Schirle
Since 1996, Dell'Arte International has invited students, teachers, designers, directors, and artists to immerse themselves in the traditional arts of Bali and encounter the profound spirit of the Balinese people. In this unique and wonderfully successful program participants study traditional Balinese performing arts and crafts with village masters, as well as Dell'Arte mask and movement techniques led by Dell'Arte's Founding Artistic Director Joan Schirle and Dell'Arte faculty.
Bali is an extraordinary island where creativity is ordinary. In Bali, art serves the community, the religious practices, the economy and everyday living. This trip introduces students to Balinese performing arts in a way that allows them to experience how the Balinese live and create, and how family life and religious customs are woven into the creation of art. Unlike programs designed for art tourism, this program is designed for those who want to participate in the family life of outstanding Balinese master teachers as they teach.
Due to the sacred nature of most Balinese arts and the complete intertwining of daily life with ritual, this trip can be an opportunity to deepen our internal connection to our own artistic practice, as well as to take inspiration for creative projects.
The program begins with a relaxing traditional Balinese buffet dinner, followed by three days of orientation to the language, customs, and ceremonies of Bali, as well as informal meetings with Balinese teachers to observe their work. Orientation will include a symposium on masks with famous carver I. B. Anom, visits to the studios of several mask carvers and puppet makers, and attendance at the famous kecak, or monkey-chant dance by firelight.
During the three and a half weeks of formal study, classes meet five days a week. Sometimes our study will take place in a classroom setting, sometimes outdoors, and most often in its traditional setting at village and temple ceremonies.
All along there will be time for recreation such as mountain hiking, beaches, scuba, nightlife and shopping, including guidance on how to buy Balinese crafts. Massage and revitalizing body treatments are available at extremely low cost.
• Mask Carving
• Mask Carving/ Balinese Dance (topeng)
• Shadow puppetry (wayang kulit) / Balinese dance
MASK CARVING
Learn from a Balinese master carver how to work with the wood, the traditional tools (axe, chisels, knives), and the paints to create traditional and contemporary masks. You may order and bring home their own complete set of tools for under $40. Students will spend 4 – 6 hours daily in the home of their teacher.
For a lively account of one man's encounter with mask carving, visit this link for interview with design Professor Ron Naverson (S. Illinois U, Carbondale), who was on our '03 trip.
MASK CARVING/BALINESE DANCE
Your morning will include one hour of Balinese dance. Topeng is the name of the masked dance form performed at most Balinese ceremonies. You will work in the studio of a Balinese master teacher, learning the basic walks, postures, arm and head movements in the mask. Topeng is based on stock characters like the king, minister, clown, and you will have the opportunity to see it performed at village ceremonies during your studies. Your carving program is the same as that described above, except that you will have a break after dance, and be carving in the afternoon, spending up to four hours daily with your teacher.
Your morning will include one hour of Balinese dance (see above). Your afternoon will be spent at the home of a shadow puppet master, or dalang, who will instruct you in the art of leather puppet making: design, using the metal punches, painting and rigging techniques. You will observe how the traditional shadow screen is used and develop a short shadow play. Those who are interested in learning Balinese music may elect to spend some time learning the gamelan instrument, the gender, which accompanies shadow plays.
For students who wish to study more dance, we will arrange for other teachers depending on your interest, at a small additional cost.
FOR MORE INFO: EMAIL OR CALL info@dellarte.com 707.668.5663
or visit http://www.dellarte.com
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Voice workshops-- Patsy Rodenburg
Patsy Rodenburg Voice workshops, Los Angeles--Aug 15 - 25
Sent by: Joan Schirle
Wed Aug 6, 2008 1:27 pm (PDT)
All:
Patsy is a superb teacher who only comes to the US a couple of times a year. I worked with her last January in LA. In order to do any of her advanced workshops you have to do one of her introductory workshops first. Her first intro workshop is full, but she's doing another one of those focusing on Shakespeare, followed by two advanced workshops.
*Patsy Rodenburg's workshops offer an in depth exploration of voice and breath. Students will experience one of the greatest acting and script analysis classes available. All workshops are rooted in the works of William Shakespeare.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS and DATES:
Friday 15th August (10am -6pm) & Saturday 16th August (10am - 6pm)--THIS ONE IS FULL*
*Three Circles of Energy (2 Day Workshop)** **- *In this workshop, Patsy will introduce her unique method of working with the 'three circles of energy' that provide the basic tools for everyone to develop their 'presence' on stage, in auditions and interviews and in all areas of their personal and professional lives. Topics of discussion will include her books and her history of working with some of the world's leading actors and directors. Students will learn Patsy's techniques to free their natural voice. They will focus on releasing their "energy of denial" - not being fully connected with the language and their audience.
* * Open to all students. Those who have studied with Patsy in the past and would like an intensive review are encouraged to take this class!*
Monday 18th August (10am - 6pm) & Tuesday 19th August (10am - 6pm)
Introduction to Performing Shakespeare in a STATE OF READINESS (2 Day Workshop)
This workshop is open to anyone who has not worked with Patsy previously or who wants a refresher on approaching Shakespeare. This is a foundation workshop for people who are interested in understanding and performing Shakespeare. Students will work with both group and individual exercises.
Open to all students. Those who have studied with Patsy in the past and would like an intensive review are encouraged to take this class!
Thursday 21st August (10am - 6pm), Friday 22nd August (10am - 6pm) & Saturday 23rd August (10am - 10pm)
*Circle Intensive- Performing Shakespeare in a STATE OF READINESS (3 Day Workshop)
This is an advanced workshop in focus and energy. Incorporating the tools learned in her past classes, participants will learn how to use Shakespeare's words while being fully alert, living, breathing, listening and reacting. Patsy will teach her groundbreaking techniques of forming an acting ensemble ready to perform a Shakespeare play. Each student will have the opportunity to work individually with Patsy. *Only students who have completed the Three Circles of Energy workshop or the Introduction to Performing Shakespeare workshop or have previously studied with Patsy can apply. You may apply to both workshops at the same time.
Monday 25th August (10am - 6pm), Tuesday 26th August (10am - 6pm) & Wednesday 27th August (10am - 10pm)*
Circle Intensive- Scene Study - Intensive Advanced Workshop on Shakespeare's As You Like It and Macbeth (3 Day Workshop)*
This is an advanced workshop which will include practical performance work focusing on two of Shakespeare's plays. Enrollment is limited and those participating should be familiar with both plays prior to beginning the workshop. Students should come with a scene from each play that they would like to work on. Students may also enroll in pairs or groups if they would like to work on a scene together. All those enrolled should be prepared to form an acting ensemble ready to perform a Shakespeare scene.
*Only students that have completed a previous workshop or have previously studied with Patsy can apply. You may apply to both workshops at the same time.*
WORKSHOP LOCATION:
All workshops will be held at Electric Lodge in Venice
*WORKSHOP FEES:
2-day workshops - $395;
3-day workshops = $525 *
**APPLICATION PROCESS ** *
TO APPLY TO THE PATSY RODENBURG WORKSHOPS, PLEASE SEND:
1. -- PHOTO/RESUME (Please send via email)
2. -- A BRIEF LETTER OF INTRODUCTION if you have not worked with Patsy before. (Please send via email)** *
3. -- CURRENT ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBERS and EMAIL address required from ALL APPLICANTS (Please send via email)*
4. - Workshop applied for along with dates (Please send via email) **Please include how you heard about the workshops or any referrals you have.*
*Please email all above information to: catieleorisa@sbcglobal.net and please cc to atlanover9@aol.com *
*An email reply acknowledging receipt of your request to participate in the workshop DOES NOT automatically constitute an acceptance and no spot will be reserved on that basis.
IF YOU ARE ACCEPTED INTO THE WORKSHOPS - AN ACCEPTANCE EMAIL WILL BE SENT TO YOU. *
*Upon receipt of an ACCEPTANCE email you will need to CONFIRM your place by forwarding the TOTAL FEES for the workshops by check or credit card for the full amount.** *
CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Atlantic Overtures, 3549 North 47th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68104** *
CREDIT CARD DETAILS TO: atlanover9@aol.com or by phone (402) 453 3872 *
Please note if you withdraw from any workshop 2 weeks before the beginning of the workshop, any fee paid will be refunded EXCEPT for a $50 withdrawal fee per workshop. Within two weeks of the beginning of the workshop the entire fee is nonrefundable. PLEASE NOTE that no places are confirmed until receipt of the entire fee. Once a workshop is filled we will keep a waiting list and notify you if a place opens up. Please note all correspondence for these workshops will be conducted by email. If applying, it is your responsibility to check your email regularly.
PRIVATE COACHING SESSIONS WITH PATSY: Patsy will have a limited number of privates coaching sessions available during August. All sessions are arranged on an individual basis and fees are payable in advance of the session and nonrefundable. To schedule a private session please contact Catie at the address below.*
*
If you have questions or need more information: Please email: Icatieleorisa@sbcglobal.net, patsyworkshops@aol.com or atlanover9@aol.com or call (402) 453 3872.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Arne Zaslow Classes in Seattle
Seattle Clown Classes with Arne Zaslove
Classes will be held at [SANCA] The School for Acrobatics and New Circus Arts – 674 S. Orcas, Seattle. The class is a very reasonable $133.
Arne Zaslove is a director, teacher, mask specialist and physical theater consultant. As a Fulbright scholar, Arne was the first American to study at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris. There he absorbed a deep understanding of masks and of physical theater. He later apprenticed with commedia dell' arte master Carlo Mazzone-Clementi (who went on to found the Dell' Arte School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake).
Arne's method of training actors was synthesized through years as Artistic Director of the National Theatre School in Canada, co-founder of the University of Washington PATP program, and Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia. His approach focuses on freeing the individual's body and imagination through a carefully devised sequence of physical exercises, mask work and improvisation. His students have gone on to varied and successful careers, from the circus to Stratford and Hollywood.
To find out more about the class, contact Tara Jensen at SANCA 206-652-4433 or visit the website listed below:
http://www.sancaseattle.org
To find out more about Arne Zaslove, follow the link below:
http://www.zaslove.com
Friday, June 27, 2008
July Class in DC-- Body-Motion-Gesture
center for movement theatre
actor preparation of the body
the imagination
and the art of collaboration
www.thisisthecenter.com 202 462-5810
BODY · MOTION · GESTURE
Taught by Dody DiSanto
JULY 1 – 29 Tuesday nights 7 - 10pm 5 Weeks Tuition - $250
Class location: The Center 4321 Wisconsin Ave, NW
METRO: redline Tenleytown
This class will work from the roots of classical pantomime and progress to a fast-paced style of gestural language that develops both micro and macro image building. We will also investigate spatial dynamics through the use of a reduced playing area. Strong ensemble training.
Dody DiSanto
TRAINING: Diploma, teaching certificate, Laboratoire Etude de Movement from Ecole Jacques Lecoq, where she received a private pedagogic apprenticeship; Etienne Decroux: corporal mime; Ecole Nationale du Cirque: wire, juggling, acrobatics, tap under the direction of Annie Fratellini; George Washington University: Fine Arts, Dance; Corcoran College of Art and Design. Nationally Certified for Massage Therapy and Bodywork.
TEACHING: Faculty at The Academy for Classical Acting for The Shakespeare Theatre at The George Washington University, The Yale School of Drama, The Catholic University of America and at The Center for Movement Theatre in Washington DC; Corcoran College of Art and Design: Dynamic Studies in Space, Gesture and Structure; Theatre of Creation Festival: assistant to Jacques Lecoq; Ringling Clown College and many years of residencies, workshops and coaching in various settings from academia to the curb of life.
PERFORMANCE: Off-Broadway at LaMaMa E.T.C., Lincoln Center Serious Fun Festival, Theatre for the New City, the Avignon Festival and for television and film. Founder and artistic director of Membrane Theatre Ensemble, and a member of several ensembles, including Chantier Theatre, Present Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre and Barking Rooster Theatre. Dody also created, owned and managed internationally acclaimed music venue, Nightclub 9:30 in Washington DC from 1980-87.
INFORMATION – REGISTRATION – WWW.ThisIsTheCenter.com
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Commedia Workshops in L.A.
[via]Corpora & John Achorn Announce
Ongoing Worksessions in Commedia dell’Arte
Stage II – A six week intermediate/advanced class exploring character, selected lazzi, & scenarios ~ exploring how to apply commedia to the 21st Century
Monday evenings 7:00~10:00pm @ [via]Corpora Studio
Beginning Monday, June 16 ~ thru July 28
Stage I – A six week introduction to the essential elements of the commedia
style: mask, mime, improvisation, character, physical routines, ensemble.
Saturdays 10:00am – 1:00pm @ [via]Corpora Studio
Saturday, June 28 ~ thru August 2
Cost: $210 ~ Early Registration Discount (before June 9th): $180
Payment information at www.viacorpora.com
Contact: 310-396-3314 or jachorn@yahoo.com
[via]Corpora: 6575 Santa Monica Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90038
John Achorn is a master teacher in commedia dell’Arte, having studied with Carlo Mazzone-Clementi; he was an original member of the Dell-Arte Company and was instrumental in the founding of the renowned Dell’Arte School in Blue Lake CA. Mr. Achorn has taught workshops and classes for over 35 years at such institutions as UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, University of Redlands, UC San Diego, USC, The Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, ARTEL and the Antaeus Company here in Los Angeles. He is an actor, director and writer.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Ko Fest & Workshops
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Artistic Associates,
- JULY 11 & 12 We will indulge our palates and awaken our senses with "SEASON" a DARK-DINING PROJECTS a multi-course banquet/performance installation where local foods will be served to BLINDFOLDED guests, set in an olfactory, tactile and sonic landscape.
- JULY 18 - 20 we will think about the politics and pleasures of eating as raised by LightBox's MILK-N-HONEY, a piece that is the result of three years of research and interviews with flavor scientists, farmers, dumpster-diving "freegans," diabetics and many others. All performances will be followed by the AFTER SHOW CAFÉ, a dynamic discussion forum with invited experts.
- JULY 25 - 27 with HEARTS AND TONGUES we will join Temple Crocker & Annie Kunjappy in contemplating humankind's relationship to the natural world and the role the senses play in this sublime, contentious and ever-evolving exchange.
- AUGUST 1 - 3 we will experience the power of song to give us a visceral experience of the control our desires and appetites have over us in SONGS OF HUNGER AND SATISFACTION, a new cabaret by Belle Linda Halpern that will be a funny, intriguing in a profound Jewish-American take on our constant hunger for food, sex, acceptance, and fame – and for true nourishment.
- JULY 13 NANABOZHO, our annual all-ages event with the beloved Mettawee River Theatre Company, performed outdoors with live music and giant puppets
- AUGUST 8 - 10 2/3 - two short plays (Me and Bobby McGee and Lugnuts of the Soul) for three actors by Amherst College's Peter Lobdell.
- July 7 - 12 THE ART OF COLLABORATION: devised theatre and ensemble practice
with Temple Crocker and Barbara Lanciers
- July 14 – 19 FINDING THE THEATRICAL SOUNDSCORE: with voice and non-traditional instruments
with Katie Down
- July 21 - 26 PHYSICAL & EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO CLASSICAL TEXTS
with Ellen Beckerman
- July 28 - August 2 CREATING CABARET: styles, stories & songs
with Deletta Gillespie
- August 4 - 9 FUNDAMENTALS OF PUPPET PERFORMANCE: performer, instrument & score
with Robert Smythe?
In spite of efforts to eliminate duplicates, some of you may have received more than one posting. Many of you are highly networked individuals who appear on more than one listserv, or have multiple e-mail addresses. Please, let me know by return email if you would like to be removed from this list, if you have email address updates, or if you would like to receive a festival brochure or weekly email reminders of our performances during the month-long festival. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THESE EVENTS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.kofest.com
All best wishes,
Artistic Director
Ko Festival of Performance
Authentic Dynamics Workshop in July (NY)
Authentic Dynamics: momentum and change for actors and clowns
Join Under the Table's Matt Chapman on Saturday, July 5 in Brooklyn for a unique physical investigation of the dynamics of the performerThis world works on certain undeniable dynamics. To perform with authenticity, the actor must have the ability to identify and navigate them. In this workshop, a few fundamentals of the stage will be explored, including johakyu ( beginning/middle/end, or how things grow, break, and resolve), minimum-to-maximum, evolution, and the rhythms of comedy. W
This workshop is appropriate for actors, clowns, and directors of all levels. Learn to see human action and comedy onstage more clearly.
Dress to move and bring water.
When: Saturday, July 5, 2008. 1-6:30 pm
Where: Triskelion Arts: 118 N. 11th St, 3rd Floor. (L to Bedford,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Cost: $75 (Limited scholarships are available)
To register, reply by email. Payment holds your slot.
us@underthetabletheatre.org
Note: Class size is limited. If it gets filled up, they'll add a repeat section on Sunday the 6th, so if you're interested in that, let Matt know quickly.
______________________________
Matt Chapman is a performer, director, and teacher of physical theatre and clown. He is Artistic Director of Brooklyn's Under the Table, a physical theatre ensemble. He also tours as an actor with Dell'Arte International (California).In the US, Matt has taught Clown and Improvisation as adjunct faculty at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattanville College in New York, and has taught workshops at New York University, Vassar College, Sarah Lawrence College, Towson University, Luther College, the University of Iowa, the University of North Dakota, the New York Fringe Festival,
and the Carolinian Shakespeare Festival, as well as working in public schools and with the mentally ill in New York care facilities. He has served as an assistant to Ronlin Foreman, Clown master and Director of Pedagogy at Dell'Arte International.
Matt teaches abroad as well; his workshops in the last year have included South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England.
This past winter and spring, Matt directed "Circus Life," a contemporary circus work about HIV/AIDS in Durban, South Africa, toured the US teaching workshops for Dell'Arte International through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and taught Clown workshops in Denmark with the other members of Under the Table while
on tour there. He attended the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre
and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas.
To find out more about Matt's work, please visit the websites listed below:
http://www.underthetabletheatre.org
http://www.clownnosefactory.com
Monday, May 12, 2008
Daniel Stein workshop July 21-Aug 7 Berkeley, CA
I took this workshop 10 years ago at Dell'arte and it was fantastic then-- I'm sure it's gotten even better now.
More information at http://www.berkeleyrep.org/school/adult_index.asp
====================================
generating new material: heart of a poet / mind of an actor / body of a gymnast
Instructor: Daniel Stein
Give your imagination a whack on the side of the head! Discover concrete ways to get beyond "STUCK" when you're creating new work. Practice ways to think, see and create without the auto-critique shutting you down. This is a hands-on course in generating new material dealing with the emotions of shape, the excitement of rhythms (tempo, architectural, dynamic) and finding ideas from untapped and unconventional sources. Otherwise put: it's training in juggling the juxtaposition of the physical world on stage and the metaphysical world that the audience will eventually take home with them. You, the artist, will go back to your studio with concrete ideas and a running start at building your next project. This work is great for performers, directors, teachers and anyone else looking for freedom and empowerment in their own creativity.
Daniel Stein studied in the Professional Actors Training Program at Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked with Jewel Walker. He then studied with Etienne Decroux in Paris, becoming M. Decroux's translator, and began his professional career as an actor with the French National Theatre—a relationship which lasted 20 years. His solo performances have toured in more than 30 countries, and have been seen in the US in venues such as the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. He has taught master classes throughout the world at institutions such as Juilliard School and The Institute of Dramatic Arts, Tokyo. Daniel has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. Daniel served for five years as Dean of Students and another five years as School Director, of The Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre. The fall of '08 has him slated to direct in Philadelphia and act in Clown Show for Bruno Shultz in Israel and Germany.
Books published that talk about his work:
- Le Theatre du Geste by Jacques Lecoq, Bordas–Paris
- Modern and Post Modern Mime by Thomas Leabhart, Modern Dramatists
- The Origins and Development of the Art of Mime by Annette Lust, Scarecrow Press
Monday–Thursday, 7–10PM • 7/21–8/7 • $500
Friday, May 9, 2008
origins of Columbina
All you commedia heads: I wanted to call your attention to an article in the March 2008 issue of THEATRE JOURNAL, on the origins of Columbina:
"Caterina's Columbina: The Birth of a Female Trickster in Seventeenth Century France" by Dominica Radulescu, pp 88 - 113.
Joan
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Augusto Boal Workshop NY May 15-17
I got this email from TOPLAB. If you are able, please check it out.
I took a workshop with Augusto about 10 years ago and it was fantastic.
Adam
===================
Please forward or repost
The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory (TOPLAB)
451 West Street
New York, New York 10014
(212) 924-1858
toplab@toplab.org
http://www.toplab.org
Because a few registered participants had to drop out of the Aesthetics of
the Oppressed workshop that is to be facilitated by Augusto Boal, a small
number of places have opened up for those sessions.
The first workshop, Rainbow of Desire into Forum Theater, remains
completely filled and registration is closed.
If you would like to be considered for one of the places in the Aesthetics
of the Oppressed workshop please fill out the application form that is
appended below and return it to us at toplab@toplab.org.
The workshop takes place from Thursday, May 15 through Saturday, May 17,
2008 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, all three days. Tuition is $550. No
scholarships or tuition discounts are available and tuition must be paid
online upon acceptance.
We expect that these workshop places will be filled quickly and, while
acceptance is not guaranteed, they will probably be given to those who
apply the earliest.
The workshop will take place at the Brecht Forum, 451 West Street, New
York City.
A description of the Aesthetics of the Oppressed workshop follows.
And don't forget about the public performance/demonstration with Augusto
Boal on Tuesday, May 13 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at The Riverside Church,
91 Claremont Avenue, New York City. Online reservations can be made at
http://brechtforum.org/node/1613?bc=
========================================================================
TOPLAB is pleased to announce that Augusto Boal has been nominated for a
Nobel Peace Prize!
========================================================================
The Aesthetics of the Oppressed: Games, Techniques and Dialogues
facilitated by Augusto Boal, with assistance from Julian Boal and TOPLAB
facilitators
Thursday, May 15 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm,
Friday, May 16 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and
Saturday, May 17 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
This workshop will combine basic and advanced Image Theater exercises and
techniques with theoretical and practical dialogues and discussions with
Augusto Boal on aspects of Theater of the Oppressed principles, praxis and
facilitation. This is the integrated arts approach used at Boal's Center
for the Theater of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro and consideration of
Boal's new ideas and recent formulations concerning the aesthetics of the
oppressed will be included in this workshop.
Image Theater is designed to develop individual skills of observation and
self-reflection, and cooperative group interaction. Leadership-building
and consensus-building games and techniques explore relations of power
and group solutions to concrete problems through "living body imagery."
Discussions begin through the language of images, offering a fresh
approach to power analysis and new opportunities for the exchange of
ideas.
Tuition: $550
*****
Application to the Aesthetics of the Oppressed:
Please fill out this application and return it to toplab@toplab.org
You will be notified as soon as possible about your acceptance. DO NOT SEND
ATTACHMENTS. EMAIL CONTAINING ATTACHMENTS WILL BE DELETED UNREAD.
Name
Address
City
State/Province
ZIP/Postal code
Country
Daytime telephone
Evening telephone
Cell phone
Email
Alternate email (if any)
Website (if any)
1. Please tell us what, if any, experience you have had with Theater of
the Oppressed, or with theater generally. (Note that theater experience
or background is not in and of itself a sufficient criterion for
acceptance. Similarly, lack of theater experience does not disqualify
anyone from being accepted. Most participants in TOPLAB workshops have
not had any theater or drama training.)
2. Tell us about your involvement in or work with social-change
movements or organizations.
3. What do you hope to get out of these workshops? Do you plan to use
the techniques in your social action work? How?
4. Are you a member of a labor union? If so, which one? Are you a
student? If so, where? Are you a teacher? If so, where?
5. Tell us about any foreign travel experience, especially in
underdeveloped or developing countries.
6. How did you hear about the Theater of the Oppressed and the Theater
of the Oppressed Laboratory?
7. Any other comments or info about yourself?
*****
======================================================================
"We must emphasize: What Brecht does not want is that the spectators
continue to leave their brains with their hats upon entering the
theater, as do bourgeois spectators." --Augusto Boal
======================================================================
The Theater of the Oppressed, established in the early 1970s by
Brasilian director and Workers' Party (PT) activist Augusto Boal, is a
form of popular theater, of, by, and for people engaged in the struggle
for liberation. More specifically, it is a rehearsal theater designed
for people who want to learn ways of fighting back against oppression in
their daily lives. In the Theater of the Oppressed, oppression is
defined, in part, as a power dynamic based on monologue rather than
dialogue; a relation of domination and command that prohibits the
oppressed from being who they are and from exercising their basic human
rights. Accordingly, the Theater of the Oppressed is a participatory
theater that fosters democratic and cooperative forms of interaction
among participants. Theater is emphasized not as a spectacle but rather
as a language designed to: 1) analyze and discuss problems of oppression
and power; and 2) explore group solutions to these problems. This
language is accessible to all.
Bridging the separation between actor (the one who acts) and spectator
(the one who observes but is not permitted to intervene in the
theatrical situation), the Theater of the Oppressed is practiced by
"spect-actors" who have the opportunity to both act and observe, and who
engage in self-empowering processes of dialogue that help foster
critical thinking. The theatrical act is thus experienced as conscious
intervention, as a rehearsal for social action rooted in a collective
analysis of shared problems of oppression. This particular type of
interactive theater is rooted in the pedagogical and political
principles specific to the popular education method developed by
Brazilian educator Paulo Freire: 1) to see the situation lived by the
participants; 2) to analyze the root causes of the situation; and 3) to
act to change the situation following the precepts of social justice.
Augusto Boal
Augusto Boal is a political activist and major innovator of
post-Brechtian theater. He served as Artistic Director of the Arena
Theater in Sao Paulo from 1956 to 1971. In the 1970s, he came under
attack by the Brasilian government, resulting in his imprisonment,
torture and subsequent exile. Boal has lectured, conducted workshops,
and mounted productions throughout North and South America, Europe,
India and Africa, and has written a number of books, including Theater
of the Oppressed; Games for Actors and Non Actors; and The Rainbow of
Desire. An activist in the Brasilian Workers' Party (PT), he presently
resides in Rio de Janeiro. In 1992, he was elected to the City Council
of Rio, a post he held for four years. Once installed in office, he
adapted his theater techniques for use in city politics, with some
hilarious--and sometimes rancorous--results. Members of the Center for
the Theater of the Oppressed became Boal's City Council staff, and
created seventeen companies of players practicing "Legislative Theater"
throughout the city. Currently, Boal continues to work with the Center
for the Theater of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro and is researching
and formulating a theory of the aesthetics of the oppressed.
The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory (TOPLAB)
The purpose of the Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory, founded in New
York City in July 1990, is to provide a forum for the practice,
performance and dissemination of the techniques of the Theater of the
Oppressed. TOPLAB is a group of educators, cultural and political
activists and artists whose work is based on extensive training and
collaboration with Augusto Boal since its founding. TOPLAB conducts
on-site training workshops on theater as an organizing tool for
activists in neighborhood, labor, peace, human rights, youth and
community-based organizations. We work with educators, human service and
mental health workers, union organizers, and political and community
activists who are interested in using interactive theater as a tool for
analyzing and exploring solutions to problems of oppression and power
that arise in the workplace, school, and community˜problems connected to
AIDS, substance abuse, family violence, homelessness, unemployment,
racism and sexism.
Since 1990, through the auspices of the Brecht Forum, TOPLAB has
initiated and organized intensive workshops led by Augusto Boal in New
York City. It has also planned and led hundreds of training workshops in
the techniques of the Theater of the Oppressed at the Brecht Forum and
elsewhere in New York City, as well as throughout North America and
internationally. In this capacity, TOPLAB has brought together people
from diverse backgrounds, occupations, and organizations, and functioned
as a resource, information, and networking center serving individuals
and groups interested in theater for social change. Each year, TOPLAB
offers a series of public workshops at the Brecht Forum in New York.
In addition to facilitating training workshops, TOPLAB members have
worked in various street theater projects around the themes of
globalization, neoliberalism and international solidarity, and to
protest United States aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and
its members and associates are involved in a wide range of progressive
and radical political and cultural groups and movements.
TOPLAB will neither facilitate workshops for, nor accept funding from
for-profit corporations and similar enterprises.
========================================================================
"The Marxist poetics of Bertolt Brecht does not stand opposed to one or
another formal aspect of the Hegelian idealist poetics but rather denies
its very essence, asserting that the character *is not absolute subject*
but the object of economic or social forces to which he responds and in
virtue of which he acts...
"In Brecht's objection [to idealist poetics], as well as in any other
Marxist objection, what is at stake is who, or which term, precedes the
other: the subjective or the objective. For idealist poetics, social
thought conditions social being; for Marxist poetics, social being
conditions social thought. In Hegel's view, the spirit creates the
dramatic action; for Brecht, the character's social relations create the
dramatic action....
"Brecht was a Marxist; therefore, for him, a theatrical work cannot end
in repose, in equilibrium. It must, on the contrary, show the ways in
which society loses its equilibrium, which way society is moving, and
how to hasten that transition.
"Brecht contends that the popular artist must abandon the downtown
stages and go to the neighborhoods, because only there will he find
people who are truly interested in changing society: in the
neighborhoods he should show his images of social life to the workers
who are interested in changing that social life, since they are its
victims. A theater that attempts to change the changers of society
cannot lead to repose, cannot re-establish equilibrium. The bourgeois
police tries to re-establish equilibrium, to enforce repose: a Marxist
artist, on the other hand, must promote the movement toward national
liberation and toward the liberation of classes oppressed by
capital...[Hegel and Aristotle] desire a quiet somnolence at the end of
the spectacle; Brecht wants the theatrical spectacle to be the beginning
of action: the equilibrium should be sought by transforming society, and
not by purging the individual of his just demands and needs....
"I believe that all the truly revolutionary theatrical groups should
transfer to the people the means of production in the theater so that
the people themselves may utilize them. The theater is a weapon, and it
is the people who should wield it."
--Augusto Boal, The Theater of the Oppressed
===
The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory (TOPLAB)
toplab@toplab.org
http://www.toplab.org
"My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the
battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
--George W. Bush, May 1, 2003
"...I told the American people that the road ahead would be difficult, and
that we would prevail. Well, it has been difficult--and we are
prevailing."
--George W. Bush, June 28, 2005
"Our cause in Iraq is noble and necessary....America is engaged in a new
struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can and we will
prevail."
--George W. Bush, January 10, 2007
"Prevailing in Iraq is not going to be easy."
--George W. Bush, March 19, 2007
+U.S. military fatalities through May 1, 2003: 140
+U.S. military fatalities through June 28, 2005: 1743
+U.S. military fatalities through January 10, 2007: 3017
+U.S. military fatalities through March 19, 2007: 3217
+U.S. military fatalities as of May 5, 2008: 4071 (this figure exceeds the
number of people killed in all of the incidents that occurred on September
11, 2001)
+Iraqi deaths due to the US invasion, as of September 2004 (estimated by
The Lancet): 100,000+
+Iraqi deaths due to the US invasion, as of July 2006 (estimated by The
Lancet): 654,965
+Iraqi deaths due to the US invasion, as of May 5, 2008 (estimated
by Just Foreign Policy): 1,205,025*
*These figures are based on the number of deaths estimated in The Lancet
(the British medical journal) study through July 2006, and then updated
based "on how quickly deaths are mounting in Iraq". To do that, Just
Foreign Policy multiplies The Lancet figure as of July 2006 by the ratio
of current deaths reported by Iraq Body Count (IBC), divided by IBC deaths
as of July 1, 2006. The IBC numbers, considerably lower than those cited
by The Lancet, Opinion Research Business (a British polling firm which
estimated 1.2 million Iraqi deaths as of September 2007), and even the
Iraq Ministry of Health, are based on the number of fatalities cited in
various news reports and have been criticized, with much justification,
for not giving an accurate assessment of the real Iraqi death count. The
much more rigorous and statistically-reliable study, conducted by teams
from Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and Al-Mustansiriya
University, and published in The Lancet in September 2004, put the figure
at around 100,000 civilians dead. However, that data had been based on
"conservative assumptions", according to research team leader Les Roberts,
and the actual count at that time was credibly assumed to be significantly
higher. For example, The Lancet study's data greatly underestimated
fatalities in Fallujah due to the surveying problems encountered there at
that time. The second Lancet study, released on October 10, 2006,
indicated that 654,965 "excess" deaths of Iraqis have occurred since the
outbreak of the aggression and genocide committed by the United States
against the people of Iraq. The current figures provided by Just Foreign
Policy seem to be logically consistent with the increasing rates of death
from 2003 to 2004, and 2004 to 2006.
Sources: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html
http://icasualties.org/oif/
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
http://www.zmag.org/lancet.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1338749,00.html
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/Iraq_war.html
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php4?article_id=6271
http://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20041025/008279.html
http://www.thelancet.com/webfiles/images/journals/lancet/s0140673606694919.pdf
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Body & Song Workshop, May 24 NYC
Urban Research Theater presents:
- BODY & SONG WORKSHOP -
This workshop is a rare opportunity to explore the organic intersection of song, movement
and action.
Each session begins with the discovery of active silence, as the group follows its leader
through elementary movement explorations in search of the playful, the rigorous, the
dynamic, and the subtle. We then move into singing, using fragments of traditional and
original vibratory songs to unlock the freedom and vitality of the body-and-song, the
body-in-song, the body-of-song...
This workshop touches on all aspects of performance and is designed to serve the inner
and outer lives of dancers, actors, singers, martial artists, yoga practitioners, and anyone
with an interest in embodied practice. Every participant receives personal attention and
guidance, and is invited to encounter the present moment in a safe and open space.
Beginners and advanced participants are welcome.
LAST WORKSHOP OF THE SEASON:
- Saturday, May 24, 2008
- 2:00pm to 5:00pm
- Baryshnikov Arts Center
- Fee: $20 (paid in advance)
DETAILS AND PARTICIPANT TESTIMONY:
http://www.UrbanResearchTheater
QUESTIONS AND REGISTRATION:
ben@urbanresearchtheater.com
BEN SPATZ has has over ten years of experience as a director, performer, and leader of
theatrical research. He lived in Poland from 2003-2005, first as an ensemble performer
with the Gardzienice Theater Company and then as a Fulbright Fellow at the Grotowski
Institute. Ben has trained with Song of the Goat Theater, Rena Mirecka, Odin Teatret, and
the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards. In addition to leading the
practice-based performance research of Urban Research Theater, Ben is a doctoral student
in theater at the City University of New York.
MICHELE FARBMAN is a sixteen-year practitioner of chanting, meditation, and other forms
of internal yoga. She has lived and worked in New York City for sixteen years as a writer,
editor and teacher, and has been a full-time member of Urban Research Theater for one
year.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
FW: 6 Week Acting Intensive in LA May 19- June 23
6 week Acting Intensive
YOU ARE YOULaboratory Theater Work for the foundations of the actor's practice and the devising of performance
Based on Eastern European and Russian Traditions
Monday Evenings
May 19 – June 23
7 - 10pm
$240
limited scholarships available
This Workshop will approach the necessities of creating a foundational actor's practice and its application to monolog and scene work through the systematic isolation, coordination and development of the psychic, physical and vocal aspects of the performer's body thus allowing deeper expression and revelation of the self in performance.
[via]Corpora Studio
6575 Santa Monica Blvd Hollywood, CA 90038
Contact: bryan@viacorpora.com
213.249.1690
Necessities:
Clothes to move in
Text (chosen by participant and instructor)
You may want:
An extra shirt
A long sleeve shirt/sweatshirt (during breaks)
A notebook and pen (time for hunkering)
Water/snack
BRYAN BROWN has studied physical theater extensively in New York City, Europe, and Los Angeles. He has recently been invited to South Korea as Artist-in-Residence at Hooyang Performing Arts Centre. Previously, his last reconnaissance was 6 weeks in Wroclaw, Poland intensely working with instructors gathered by the Grotowski Institute as well as a profound worksession with Song of the Goat (teatr Piesn Kozla). For almost a decade, Bryan has researched with various physical theater investigators including Stephen Wangh and Raina von Waldenburg, Shinichi Iova-Koga, Mary Overlie and other Viewpoints practitioners, the members of Odin Teatret, Commedia dell'Arte instructors, Contact Dance originators, as well as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The deepest application has been the process of creating, leading and learning with various experimental ensembles culminating in the work with Artel.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
LA in May: Primate Cinema Workshop: How to Act like an Animal
Hi LA DA,
This is going to be a fun project. I hope you can participate. This is part
performance art - part science experiment.
-Alyssa '92 www.alyssaravenwood.com
Primate Cinema Workshop: How to Act like an Animal
What:
A performance workshop exploring primate communication and social organization
leading to a videotaped nature documentary, part of the Primate Cinema series.
Participants will watch video clips of animal behavior in the wild and in
cinema, learn about primatology, and engage in physical theater techniques and
improvisation.
When:
Meeting 1: Sunday May 4, 2-5 PM,
Meeting 2: Monday, May 5, 6-9 PM,
Two-four other meetings in May to be determined on May 4 meeting.
Live performance/shoot: May 24
Screening of completed video: June 11-22 at TELIC
Participants need not attend all meetings, but commitment is important.
Who:
Rachel Mayeri, artist and media studies professor, is organizing the workshop as
part of her research and video production at TELIC. Deborah Forster is a
cognitive scientist who has worked with primates at the San Diego Zoo, and has
studied wild baboons in Kenya. Alyssa Ravenwood is a physical theater director,
performer, and mask-maker. Biographies of workshop leaders are below.
How:
With video clips of wildlife documentaries and Hollywood movies, we will explore
media representations of human and nonhuman primate "nature." Forster will
discuss how primates and other animals perform social organization and
communication, covering a range of perspectives from behavioral ecology and
sociology to cognitive science. Ravenwood will show how commedia dell' arte and
other theatrical traditions have found animals a source of inspiration for
personality and movement. Performers will explore animal behavior and society
through warm-ups, group exercises, and improvisational games.
Why:
Participants will expand acting and social skills by learning about animal
behavior. This is a rare chance to be involved in an interdisciplinary project
creating dialogue around art, science and politics. Exploring alternative social
organization could lead to world peace...or at least to comedy. Participants
will be festooned with food and a DVD of the completed project. And you get to
act like monkeys.
Where:
TELIC Arts Exchange (Field Station Hollywood for the month of May), 975 Chung
King Road, Los Angeles, CA 90012;
Map and directions
How to Participate:
Free, open to everyone, performance experience is a plus.
RSVP Rachel.Mayeri@gmail.com if you are interested in participating and come to
the first meeting.
Workshop will be videotaped and used as part of completed nature documentary.
Biographies:
Deborah Forster
Trained in behavioral ecology and cognitive science at UCSD, Forster spent many
years studying wild baboons in Kenya and worked with other primates at the San
Diego Zoo. She has done design-context research and organizational development
consulting at Nissan Design America. She is currently teaching cognitive science
to architects at Woodbury University in San Diego, and is contributing to a
studio course led by Teddy Cruz at Harvard Graduate School of Design, to build
housing in Nicaragua.
Alyssa Ravenwood
An award winning physical theatre director, performer and mask designer.
Artistic Director of the new Los Angeles mask troupe, Ravenwood Performance
Group. A graduate of the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre. She also studied
Clowning with Sue Morrison at the Canadian Clown Institute and Commedia with Ole
Brekke of The Denmark Commedia School.
Rachel Mayeri
Los Angeles-based artist working at the intersection of science and art, her
videos, installations, and writing projects explore scientific representation in
topics ranging from the history of special effects to the human animal. Shown at
Los Angeles Filmforum, ZKM in Karlsruhe, and P.S.1/MoMA in New York, Mayeri is a
guest curator of the Museum of Jurassic Technology and Associate Professor of
Media Studies at Harvey Mudd College.
Friday, April 25, 2008
CUNY offers New Degree in Applied Theatre
 | |||
Building on the achievements of its partnership with the Creative Arts Team, (a group that has been working on Creative and Applied Theatrical Techniques since 1973) the School of Professional Studies at CUNY (City University of New York) is now offering the M.A. in Applied Theatre. The M.A. in Applied Theatre, the first of its kind in the United States, is a sequential, ensemble-based program for students interested in the use of theatre to address social and educational issues in a wide range of settings. The program stresses the unity of theory and practice and is linked to the professional applied theatre work of the renowned Creative Arts Team. Applied theatre is a specialized field that uses theatre as a medium for education and social development. It involves the use of theatre and drama in a wide variety of non-traditional contexts and venues - in teaching, the justice system, healthcare, the political arena, community development, museums, social-service agencies, and business and industry. Program Goal The goal of the program is to educate scholar-practitioners to become future leaders in the field of applied theatre. Students explore key theories in the fields of theatre, education, and community development, and acquire the skills and strategies necessary for creating and implementing the work. Curriculum The Master of Arts in Applied Theatre is a 36-credit program, which may be taken full-time or part-time. Students admitted to the program will be introduced to the history of the theatre movements and practices from which the field of applied theatre has developed. They will explore key theories in theatre, human development, learning theory, and community development, all of which help to define and support Applied Theatre practices. Students will be taught the skills and strategies necessary for creating and implementing the work, and they will be asked to think critically about the goals of the work in relation to different audiences, needs and community contexts. Apprenticeship opportunities are offered with CAT's professional outreach programs or appropriate programs elsewhere. All students culminate their studies with a Project Thesis in which they research, create, implement, and document an original applied theatre model. Faculty The faculty includes distinguished CUNY faculty members and visiting international leaders in the field of applied theatre, such as Dale Byam, Warwick Dobson, Tony Goode, Gwendolen Hardwick, Michael Rohd, Chris Vine, and Helen White. For more information, please contact the M.A. in Applied Theatre advisors at 212-652-2820 or email at appliedtheatre@sps.cuny.edu. | |||
Clown School in Norway June 24-July 20
First Week: THE CLOWN “STATE”-- Play, action/reaction and fun. From the Neutral Mask to the Red Nose.
Second Week: THE PLAY (le jeu)-- Playing with space, objects, hierarchy. Clown numbers and le bide (fiasco).
Third Week: THE SKILLS -- The actor’s skills in the service of the clown, The writing of a Clown Number.
Fourth Week: THE SHOW-- Devising a clown variety show, & public presentation of the show.
(a much more comprehensive listing is available on the website listed below)
Tuition is 950 euros, but reduction of tuition is offered to students traveling from
North America (-150 €), South America, Asia and Africa: (-200 €), and Oceania (-250€)
The official language of the workshop is English.
A basic understanding is required.
For practical and administrative information
please contact
AUDUN WEA
ROSEGARDEN THEATERHOUSE
post@rosegardenteaterhus.no
Telephone: +47 91648649
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 09:00 am- 4:00 pm
norwegian time (GMT+1)
For further pedagogic information and applications please contact:
Giovanni Fusetti
e-mail: giovanni.fusetti@tiscali.it
Telephone: (+39) 349 7130121
Or visit Giovanni's website and click on workshops
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
FW: Australia: The Deadly Serious Training Project
------------------
Subject: Teachers Training/NICA/ The Deadly Serious Training Project
Greetings all,
We would like to get the word out to as many people as Greetings all,
We would like to get the word out to as many peoplepossible, so apologies if you have already received this email. If there is a group, community or person you think might be interested in our upcoming project, please forward this email on.
NICA is currently Seeking Expressions of Interest from potential participants for: The Deadly Serious Training Project: Advance - Enhance.
After many wonderful discussions (and feedback) with the indigenous youth participants at the recent ACAPTA conference (and a number of years being partners in projects in various places around Australia), NICA is responding with a 2008 training project, 'Deadly Serious'. This one week project will train young leaders within the indigenous youth circus community, (16 yrs +) and will take place over a week in the National Institute of Circus Arts training space (in Melbourne), towards the latter part of the year. Participants will need to fund their accommodation, airfares and meals.
Objectives:
To provide an opportunity for leaders within the indigenous youth circus community to advance their circus and teaching skills
To raise the profile of Indigenous Youth Circus companies and projects
To enable indigenous youth leaders to make connections with an educational institute and in particular with professional circus trainers and tertiary circus students
To provide participants with the opportunity to create networks, collaborations and lasting partnerships
Deadly Serious: Advance- Enhance, will offer young, aspiring, indigenous circus performers the opportunity to:
Follow their passion
Dive headlong into a week of 'deadly serious' training
Enhance and advance current skills
Confirm previous achievements and extend them through new challenges
Create productive networks
Work with the dedicated and experienced multinational community of trainers at NICA
Please contact Andrea Ousley (aousley@swin.edu.au) or Matt Wilson (mawilson@swin.edu.au) by 23/05/08 to express your interest in this project.
Regards
NICA Social Circus Team
--------------------
Friday, April 18, 2008
International Physical Theatre Laboratory - August 1-7, 2008
From: Physical Theatre <europe.conference@googlemail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 6:09 PM
Subject: International Physical Theatre Laboratory - August 1-7, 2008
August 1-7, 2008
Malpils, Latvia
The Lab is open for performers from different countries and backgrounds inspired by Physical Theater as a bold, vibrant and multidimensional approach to contemporary theater performance. The Lab is putting particular emphasis on practical exploration of methods and techniques of group theatre training as the foundation for coherent rehearsal process, open creative atmosphere and efficient performance making. Practical sessions develop in the form of various exercises and progress from simple to complicated. Gradually the group is proceeding to group improvisations and structures. Every day is setting advanced creative tasks, developing the preceding steps and deepening into the detailed consecutive process.
PARTICIPANTS
Actors of physical, dramatic, musical and dance theatres, dancers, choreographers, directors, stage designers, playwrights, script writers.
REGISTRATION
Candidates should send a CV and a brief letter of motivation to globtheatre@gmail.com stating the title, dates and location of the event.
Clown Conservatory News for April 2008
Posted by: "The Clown Conservatory" jeffraz@aol.com
Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:38 am (PDT)
This is an e-mail from 'The Clown Conservatory'Message:
Dear Friends,
Hello from the Clown Conservatory! Read on for details and visit www.clownconservatory.org for up-to-date details on all of our events.
::::CONTENTS::::
UPCOMING SHOWS
- The next show for the Class of 2008 – Thursday, May 1st 2008 at 2:30
- Class of 2008 final showcase with the Professional Aerial Program June 13 - 15
APPLICATION DEADLINES
- First Year Program
- Advanced Program
WORKSHOPS
- Clown Therapy Workshop taught by Paoli Lacy May 24, 25, and 26th.
- Anne Marie Bookwalter ('03) offers Finding Movement Through Speech beginning in June. Auditions in May.
CLOWNS IN COMMUNITY REPORTS
MUST SEE SHOWS
- "The Government Inspector" at A.C.T. featuring Joan Mankin and Geoff Hoyle
- Circus Finelli
- "Happy Days" featuring Patty Gallagher
- PI - The Physical Comedy Troupe and Friends
- Circus Center Showcase
ALUMNI NEWS
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::UPCOMING SHOWS::::
The next show for the Class of 2008 – This show is the preparation for the Community Tour and promises to be wonderfully weird and surprisingly family friendly. Thursday, May 1st at 2:30 pm in the Circus Center Theater at 755 Frederick St., San Francisco, CA 94117.
"Pratfalls and Rising Stars" - A joint production of two professional programs!
The show will pair stunning aerial acts by the students of the Professional Aerial Program with the incredible comedy of the Clown Conservatory's graduating class. June 13 - June 15 in the Circus Center Gymnasium at 755 Frederick St., San Francisco, CA 94117.
:::::APPLICATION DEADLINES:::::
First Year Program:
The early application auditions have filled one third of the class of 2009!
The application deadline for the rest of the class of 2009 is May 15 with late admissions accepted after that if there is still space in the class.
Please check out http://www.theclownconservatory.org/ for application requirements and audition details.
Advanced Program:
The audition for the 2008/2009 "Alice" cast (see below) is Wednesday, April 23 from 10 – noon at the Circus Center; contact Jeni Johnson (rubyeverlast@yahoo.com) to secure an audition slot.
The Clown Conservatory is proud to present a wholly revamped Advanced Program. The Advanced Program provides two Circus Center Classes per term as well as ten hours of one-on-one coaching with Clown Conservatory faculty. In addition AP students can choose one of three tracks:
Clown Ensemble Performance
Social Circus
Independent Study
- Students in the Clown Ensemble Performance track will work with top professionals to create and tour a circus adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland" that uses Clowning, Acting, Circus, and Music. Audition and interview required (see above).
-The Social Circus track is for students who want to make social circus an important part of their careers. Students will receive instruction in three main areas of social circus: Teaching, Hospital Clowning, and Clown Therapy. Admission by interview only.
- The Independent Study track is for performers who desire additional training and one-on-one coaching to take their performing to a higher level. Candidates for this program must have professional performance experience and be highly focused and self-motivated.
Admission by interview only.
For more information and to schedule an audition or interview please contact Jeni Johnson (rubyeverlast@yahoo.com).
::::WORKSHOPS:::
Please contact Nancy Weiland to enroll in any of these workshops – 415.749.8123 or nancy@circuscenter.org
- Paoli Lacy, the godmother of Clown Therapy, is offering a two and a half day experiential, hands-on intensive that includes practical kinesthetic learning of Clown Therapy techniques and discussion of its use.
Memorial Day weekend, May 24th through 26th, 2008 at the Circus Center
Class fee: $175
- Finding Movement within Speech – CC grad Anne Marie Bookwalter will lead this two-week workshop using the work of Lewis Carroll to explore ensemble building and character development through the body and the text.
Auditions: From 12:00-4:00 on Saturday May 24 and Sunday May 25th 2007 at The Steve Silver Theater; 1101 Eucalyptus Drive, San Francisco
Workshop dates - June 25 – July 12
Class held at Circus Center
Tuition: $375 (scholarships available)
:::::CLOWNS IN COMMUNITY:::::
The class of 2008 recently finished their Clowns in the Community projects and have reported on their endeavors to bring Clowning and Circus arts to Social Organizations in the Bay Area. Students chose a not-for-profit to volunteer with for five hours, wrote papers and gave presentations based on their experiences. The students worked with a diverse group of organizations including the Araceli Theatre Project, Splash Circus, and the Medea project. An enterprising group of students pooled their time and organized a benefit for Clowns Without Borders that featured food, drink, and a show. The Clown Conservatory is dedicated to instilling a strong sense of social responsibility to its students.
::::MUST SEE SHOWS::::
- Joan Mankin and Geoff Hoyle play the bumbling Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky in A.C.T.'s production of "The Government Inspector" by Nikolai Golgol. Runs through April 20th at A.C.T. For tickets and more information visit http://www.act-sf.org.
- At the Climate, The Rogue Theatre's production of Samuel Beckett's "Happy Days" featuring Clown Conservatory grad and current faculty member Patty Gallagher will arrive some time in April. Check out the Climate website (www.climatetheater.com) for more information.
Critics rave about Patty "(she) is poetry in motion. The character never said a word, but we knew what she felt and what she was thinking with the shake of a leg or a shrug of the shoulder." "an amazing bundle of precision energy and high spirits."
- Come see Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe with Sexy Friends Alec Jones, The Magiclowns, and The Flying Heseds in a brand new show, "SEXY! " A night of magic, laughter, and something a little sexy.
The Shows are at the Boxcar Theatre in San Francisco on April 24th, 25th, and 26th at 8:00PM
Tickets are $9 - $20 at the door.
- Circus Finelli presents a slapstick spectacle with daring comedy and dangerous cutlery. All to the tune of European accordion and vaudeville ukulele.
May 2,3,4 8pm at Stage Werx, 533 Sutter St.
Tickets are $15 ($12 Students and seniors)
brownpapertickets.com 1-800-838-3006
- Circus Center Annual Showcase
Don't miss the annual showcase of the Circus Center's finest talent, including aerialists, clowns, jugglers, acrobats and Circus Center's own San Francisco Youth Circus. June 19 - June 22
::::ALUMNI NOTES::::
- Joel Baker (2002) is happy to announce his new contract with Cirque du Soleil, performing in "LOVE" in Las Vegas. He will move to Vegas April 28 and starts the show in June. His new address and telephone number will be posted on his website as soon as they are known: www.acroclown.com
- Jonas Woolverton (2002) just finished touring a 10 city tour in France with Cirque Eloize's "RAIN." In May he will begin performing his Cyr Wheel number in Cirque du Soleil's "ZUMANITY" in Las Vegas.
- Sleam (2007) got back from Guatemala and will be spending the spring teaching and performing in New Mexico and Colorado. She has started a new group called the Madrid Short Circus where new work can be performed. She is looking forward to her upcoming artist residency in Hawaii.
This E-Newsletter is from your friends at the Clown Conservatory
www.ClownConservatory.org
"A Clown cannot pretend or be artificial. In the circus, laughter cannot be faked any more than a somersault."
-- Jerome Medrano of Cirque Medrano, Paris
