Workshops and Movement Direction
Explore how to use the actor’s body, the space and start to see the movement in everything and everyone differently. Develop your creativity in a playful yet rigorous environment. Amoeba’s inspiration stems from the a mixture of many roots including Lecoq, Korean mask theatre and Helikos (Giovanni Fusetti). Ideal and adaptable for creators of all ages.
Amoeba Workshops that invite awareness of the body and form as it shape-shifts and creates through action. Explore a poetic path towards the discovery of creative impulses.
Create
Writing through inprovisation ahead of paper and pen as an ensemble through a truthful observation of the world and it’s movements we devise and discover what Lecoq meant by creating a ‘A theatre that moves’.
Space
Take the Space! Give the space! Move the space! Without space there is no theatre. The analysis of our own individual stories and personal habits and gestures is essential in order to create the larger stories around us. Breath begins with awareness.
Play
We bring the Actor's attention back to playing though rigourous improvisation. We aim to introduce dynamic a dynamic performance language which emphasises physical playing and a discovery of the importance of listening, action and reaction.
Perform
Residency Performance Lab
Change the space and become a movement poet.
Amoeba residency sessions and trainings can last from 1 day to up to 1 school year and can be customized to suit both students and professionals of all ages and levels of experience. A variety of the workshops below can be included and participants learn how to create contemporary theatre working towards a final performance.
The Neutral Mask (More details)
What is "the story" instead of "my story"? The Neutral Mask is a fundamental tool for every actor. It teaches us to watch, hear, feel, touch and experience a state of potential before there is a story. This workshop will develop a heightened sense of discovery, awareness of space, and give the actor a greater presence while focusing on movements, dynamics, rhythms, impulses. The neutral mask helps minimize physical habits, acting cliches and returning to a truthful experience of listening and awareness.
The Red Nose
With the tiniest mask in the world, we focus on the opening of a poetic space in which each actor discovers the essence of theatre clown while on a journey of self discovery. The clown finds poetry in a flower, a chair and even in a stone. Based on the pedagogy of Master teacher Giovanni Fusetti we jump head first into the ridiculous. In this world we discover the clown is an eternal innocent filled with wonder and surprise and is not a character, but rather an investigation into individual awareness.
The Larval Mask
Inspired by the carnival masks from Basel in Switzerland, Larval Masks were introduced to actor training by Jacques Lecoq. Their "naivety" encourages spacial and body awareness. This workshop focuses on the development of the actor/creator’s ability to clarify actions, simplify thoughts and make clear choices for character development. We use these masks to analyze fundamental theatrical architecture, fixed points, stillness, rhythm and the level of silence.
The Expressive Mask
Playing masks is an essential for actors. The full expressive masks explore theatre beyond words, whether it be a poetic space before the word or one after all words have been spoken. We explore the transposition of life that carries the actor and the text beyond the everyday, raising the level of play by shaping the body’s movements and gestures. These masks are more detailed in design then larval masks and gestures and movements are emphasized. Dramas are created through the discovery of the mask and counter mask.
The Storytelling Chorus
Fuse music, movement, narration. This workshop allows students to tap into their own culture and interests. Working with pantomime, live music and sound effects, narrators and classic storytelling structures, the workshop concludes with the creation of a short fully-realized presentation. This workshop varies in length and can be offered as a tool to devise a fully realized performance.
Tréteau
Commedia troupes relied on the virtuosity of the performers rather than fancy set pieces and elaborate productions to amaze and entertain their audiences. Following in that tradition, the tréteau is utilized to create a show based on the performers’ dexterity and skill. The reduced space functions like a camera lens, focusing the audience’s eye on a tight stage picture. The performers never leave the tréteau, but instead become shapeshifters using the small stage to tell the biggest stories.
Email & ask about "From the Neutral Mask to the Clown"
My Body and my clown versus the universal body of Neutrality.
The clown is the one who makes people laugh about themselves. It’s a really profound teacher and it’s a very ancient archetype.
This is a journey every human should take.
