workshops – a field of crowns

Spring Clown Training x Red Nose Remedy

The bunnies are hopping, the redwing blackbirds are claiming local trees and starting to get really annoyed at any human presence, and it’s that wonderful time of year before the lake flies emerge and fill the skies – and my beard and hair – with their delicate little bodies.

SO I’ve taken the opportunity to lead a duo of clown training workshops at Sweet Action Theatre in Toronto. How is all that related? I don’t really know stop questioning me.

First off, on April 27th from 6-9pm, we have EMOTIONAL HYGIENE for the clown.

In this workshop we will focus on physicalizing our emotions while playing with levels of intensity. 3 hours, open to all.

No, this isn’t therapy. One of the clown’s main tools is their elastic control over emotion and ability to share it with others. In this workshop we will focus on physicalizing our emotions, finding our emotional shapes, i.e. the gestures of our emotions, while playing with levels of intensity. Let’s ring out the damp towel of our emotions together. Through gameplay. Again, not therapy. Also not “method” so please don’t traumatize yourself here. We’ll work from an outside-in approach.

This 3-hour workshop is open to all. A basis of clown is helpful but not necessary. This work will be firmly rooted in the world of theatrical red nose clown but has wide ranging application.

$35+HST | REGISTER HERE

And then again on May 18th, from 6-9pm, we have SOFT SKILLS for the Clown

In this workshop we will train the physical technique of the clown. 3 hours, open to all.

In this workshop we will train the technique of the clown. Clown technique often seems invisible, or hidden, but there are very specific storytelling and physical skills the clown employs, gently and naturally. This workshop will focus on drilling these skills, giving each participant ample time observing and being observed.

This 3-hour workshop is open to all. It will be firmly rooted in the world of theatrical red-nose clown.

$35+HST | REGISTER HERE

I really had a blast running these workshops last summer and I hope they attract new students and returning performers who are interested in unleashing their inner fool. The techniques in these workshops are widely applicable to other performance styles and even to public speaking and presentation, or to those with a relational practice.

Hopefully I’ll see you there!

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.

myth, n.

myth

A person or thing held in awe or generally referred to with near reverential admiration on the basis of popularly repeated stories (whether real or fictitious).
– from OED definition, “myth”

Myths are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience.

While the outline of myths from a past period or from a society other than one’s own can usually be seen quite clearly, to recognize the myths that are dominant in one’s own time and society is always difficult. This is hardly surprising, because a myth has its authority not by proving itself but by presenting itself.

[…]it is clear that in their general characteristics and in their details a people’s myths reflect, express, and explore the people’s self-image.
– from Encyclopaedia Britannica entry, “myth” (emphasis mine)

—

With this in mind, I’ve assembled a diverse collective of artists (teacher/actor Michael Reinhart, dancer Colleen Snell, musician/writer/performer Alex Eddington, actor Ximena Huizi and myself) to lead two workshops this Saturday, Sept. 26th as part of Etobicoke Lakeshore Culture Days.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOUR STORIES! YOUR STORIES OF LIVING, WORKING AND PLAYING IN ETOBICOKE.

The goal of the day is to take these stories, extract their essence and form them into the contemporary MYTHS of your town.

The day will culminate in a FREE PERFORMANCE at (around) 2PM @ the HUMBER HOTSPOT (Lakeshore and Kipling).

So please, come on out; take part in our FREE WORKSHOPS from 1am-1pm and check out what kind of thing we’ll have made with your help @ 2pm. You can also participate from afar by using #mythsofmytown on twitter or instagram!

Myths of My Town: Etobicoke

poster iii

I’m pleased to announce Myths of My Town: Etobicoke to be happening at this year’s Etobicoke Lakeshore Culture Days headquarters!

Myths of My Town is a drop-in series of workshops designed to interact with the public and bring them directly into a quick and dirty play-creation model. We want to turn your stories into the myths about living in modern day Etobicoke and we need your help!

Sept. 26th / 10am – 3pm

Find us at the Humber Hotspot at the corner of Lakeshore and Kipling in Colonel Samuel Smith Park and jump into our open workshops:

10-11:30am Story Gathering Workshop

11:30 – 1pm Scene Building Workshop

1 – 2pm Open Rehearsal

2 – 3pm* FREE Showing of “Myths of My Town: Etobicoke”

*check the location on the day to find exact performance times

See you there!

ETOBICOKE-LAKESHORE-1024x391