Workshops

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Resilience Through Laughter:  Red Nose Clown

“Only two things are infinite—the universe and human stupidity. And I’m not so sure about the universe.” —Albert Einstein, Genius.

In this workshop, we celebrate our stupid, exploring the playful, healing wisdom of our unique inner idiots.

Big Play, Small Stage:  Treteaux for Theater Creators

created with Nicole Quenelle

The tréteau (French for 'trestle') is a small, elevated stage that was used by traveling Commedia dell'Arte troupes in Renaissance Italy. Rather than relying on costly set pieces and props, performers used the constrained space of the tréteau to expand their physical vocabulary, creating space and images using only their voices and bodies. As a core element of the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq, training on the tréteau allows performers to compose stage images with the precision of a photographer--with the small space functioning like a tightly focused camera lens.

In this workshop, groups of 4-6 performers work together on the tréteau to build narratives with innovative storytelling techniques and precisely articulated movement and gestures. The small stage is the platform for telling big stories. 

Play for the Rafters: Commedia dell'Arte, Physical Comedy and Mime

Infused with play and imagination, the languages of gesture, mask and space can make a huge impact with few words. The exploration of archetypes and game through masked Commedia dell’Arte; of scale, repetition, rhythm and relationship through physical comedy; and of spatial awareness and articulation through mime all strengthen the performer’s ability to communicate with an audience, provoking laughter, connection, and discovery.