Tag: workshop

Winter & Spring Clown weekend intensives with Red Nose Remedy

As the Executive Director and a Therapeutic Clown Practitioner with Red Nose Remedy, I’m leading two weekend Clown 1 – Presence & Play intensives this Winter and Spring.

These intro level clown weekends are open to all. It’s a perfect place to get back into the studio and experience red nose clown training at a fundamental level.

The Winter/Spring Clown Intensive is 2 days of presence work and le jeu. Before we put on the clown nose we start with ourselves, more specifically, ourselves in front of others. Together, we’ll uncover those wonderful things that make you you and entice people to love you. Exploring through presence and play, and taking ‘turns’ on stage we will start to see the beginnings of your clown persona. By the end of this intensive, students will walk away with an understanding of the tenets of the clown and the soft skills used in clown performance. 

This intensive is open for those new to the practice, those who are currently practicing and also for those who want to jump back into the fundamentals of theatrical red nose clown. 

an advert for a winter clown training weekend in February

Winter Clown Intensive – Clown 1: Presence & Play
@ The Railpath Arts Centre (35 Golden Ave, Toronto, ON)
Sat, Feb 21 | 5 – 9:30pm
Sun, Feb 22 | 1 – 6pm
$250 + HST – only 10 spots!
Click Here to register

Spring Clown Intensive – Clown 1: Presence & Play
@ The Railpath Arts Centre (35 Golden Ave, Toronto, ON)
Sat, Apr 18 | 5 – 9:30pm
Sun, Apr 19 | 1 – 6pm
$250 + HST – only 10 spots!
Click Here to register

There’s a certain kind of humanity that comes with clown training. It’s hard not to fall in love with everyone who puts themselves out there with such a level of joy and humility. It’s hard not to feel connected with one another when we play games to the best of our ability, when we revel in the win and equally in the loss. It’s not hard to celebrate those flops when they happen (and oh boy do they happen). Clown training makes better actors, but it is also my belief that it makes people better people. I hope to see you in the studio! – AG

Workshop: Physical Approach to Character

In this 3-hour workshop we will explore movement tools to help you give external and internal shapes to your characters.

Since 2018 the tools I’ve gravitated towards to create characters, or to approach performance in general, have become consistent. I keep revisiting my understanding of certain approaches, trying to form them to my own usage, be that for clown, puppetry or the character-driven dance pieces I often dramaturg for Frog in Hand. I’ve been curious about how these approaches can talk with one another, to build on our own understanding of our bodies and the way we move our instrument through space and time. I have taught some of the elements separately, and as I’ve done so have really noticed how each one complements the others. Which brings us to today, where I’m attempting to bring these elements together into a single workshop. This workshop will be part class, part solo exploration and part workshop with analytical prompts. And if that sounds too thinky, I assure you my approach is one of embodiment so expect to MOVE.

PHYSICAL APPROACH TO CHARACTER

November 2nd, 2024
2-5pm @ the Art Shelter

There are many approaches to character and most of them are intellectual and text-based. These approaches are wonderful for understanding your character’s story and empathizing with them, but often they don’t touch on a character’s physicality.

In this workshop we will explore character from the outside in, inspecting the body and defining its architecture while taking time to relax into our choices to allow the actor to live.

Together we will build a physical vocabulary inspired by Laban, Bogart & Landau and a variety of contemporary clown, puppetry and mask teachers.

The majority of this workshop will have you up on your feet, exploring through a series of exercises and prompts. The workshop will begin with a warm-up and will have breaks throughout.

Things to know:

Bring comfortable clothes and layers as the dome is warm on sunny days but cooler when it’s been overcast for longer periods of time.

The Art Shelter is an off-grid dance studio run by solar power. It is not heated nor does it have air conditioning. We have batteries onsite and it is quite comfortable but we are also in the middle of a field so plan accordingly (especially if it rains). We have water and a small kitchenette with some coolers to store foodstuffs and the ability to make coffee/tea and a microwave to reheat food.

REGISTER HERE

Clown Training x Red Nose Remedy

It’s the summer of clown!

Alongside Red Nose Remedy, I’m hosting a series of 3 one-off clown workshops, each focused on a different set of tools the clown utilizes in performance. They are happening at Sweet Action Theatre and are on the 2nd Mondays of June – July – August.

In June we’re working on soft skills of the clown, including pointe-fixe, up and out, repetition, the puppetry of the body and more. In July we’re diving into our emotional landscapes and playing with articulating and crafting emotion as gesture. And in August we’re taking it all away and focusing on one-thing-at-a-time.

Check out the images below for more information and for registration:

Pre-registration is encouraged but Drop-ins are available as well!