As part of The Ark's Theatre-Maker in Residence: inspire new theatre for generations, The Ark and Louis Lovett, in association with Theatre Forum, presented a unique training opportunity for actors in April 2010.
In an eight-day workshop led by The Ark's Theatre-Maker in Residence, Louis Lovett, twenty actors were introduced to physical theatre as applied specifically to theatre for children and family audiences, based on Louis' own unique style of physical theatre which embraces the spirit of play. The training included games and improvisation.
As a group, I wanted the actors to experience "finding the game" within scenes or situations we may have improvised. That is to say, finding moments of interaction where we could tease or provoke one another, how we could pitch a moment towards uncertainty or unpredictability. Out of this can arise a lovely playfulness, said Louis Lovett. Over the course of the training I concentrated on notions of stillness, openness and awareness.
I also emphasised and pursued our ability to "hide the game" to pull the wool over our audience's eyes so they are left wondering "how did they do that?" or "what are they going to do next?" We looked at ways of drawing the audience in, ensuring their attention was focused in on the action lest they miss what was about to happen. If the actors looked unsure it was because they were hiding their certainty, added Louis.
Again and again, we worked muscles that facilitated our ability to react. Firstly reacting to our fellow actors and developing the split second awareness so vital to working in front of an audience of children. I spoke about "pinging" our energy into the natural moments of calm or spaces that occur within "the background noise" of an energised audience of children. I like to talk about surfing our audience's energy and never forgetting our audience.
The attending actors were enthused by Louis and his approach. Participant Paul Gibson said: Throughout the exercises and tasks that Louis set us, he stressed the importance of a number of themes. He emphasised among these: having 'complicity'; a heightened rapport with the others in the group, developing a playful readiness and inventiveness; and the importance of always being 'switched on'. This was a key concept in the workshop and related to being energised in a contained way.
A highlight of the workshop, continues Paul, was at the end of the first week, when we performed for thirty senior infants and two teachers from a school in central Dublin. The actors were split into small groups, which were each to present an improvised piece. It was exciting and nerve-wracking to be faced with such a young audience. The response from the children was wonderful. They were really enthusiastic and determined to involve themselves vocally.
The opportunity to participate in an eight-day course led by a practitioner like Louis in a space like The Ark felt like a luxury. For me, this was much more than a workshop. With The Ark, Louis is engendering a standard of theatre practice for children and young people. I feel this course really helped me to develop as a performer and will continue to influence my practice in the future.
For more information see the article Spotlight on The Ark in association with Theatre Lovett published in the Summer 2010 Newsletter of TYA Ireland - the national centre in Ireland of International ASSITEJ.
The workshop was also featured in an RTÉ Nationwide special report on Louis Lovett, The Ark's Theatre Maker in Residence 2010, on the 31st of May. Click here to watch the clip.
In an eight-day workshop led by The Ark's Theatre-Maker in Residence, Louis Lovett, twenty actors were introduced to physical theatre as applied specifically to theatre for children and family audiences, based on Louis' own unique style of physical theatre which embraces the spirit of play. The training included games and improvisation.As a group, I wanted the actors to experience "finding the game" within scenes or situations we may have improvised. That is to say, finding moments of interaction where we could tease or provoke one another, how we could pitch a moment towards uncertainty or unpredictability. Out of this can arise a lovely playfulness, said Louis Lovett. Over the course of the training I concentrated on notions of stillness, openness and awareness.
I also emphasised and pursued our ability to "hide the game" to pull the wool over our audience's eyes so they are left wondering "how did they do that?" or "what are they going to do next?" We looked at ways of drawing the audience in, ensuring their attention was focused in on the action lest they miss what was about to happen. If the actors looked unsure it was because they were hiding their certainty, added Louis.
Again and again, we worked muscles that facilitated our ability to react. Firstly reacting to our fellow actors and developing the split second awareness so vital to working in front of an audience of children. I spoke about "pinging" our energy into the natural moments of calm or spaces that occur within "the background noise" of an energised audience of children. I like to talk about surfing our audience's energy and never forgetting our audience.
The attending actors were enthused by Louis and his approach. Participant Paul Gibson said: Throughout the exercises and tasks that Louis set us, he stressed the importance of a number of themes. He emphasised among these: having 'complicity'; a heightened rapport with the others in the group, developing a playful readiness and inventiveness; and the importance of always being 'switched on'. This was a key concept in the workshop and related to being energised in a contained way.
A highlight of the workshop, continues Paul, was at the end of the first week, when we performed for thirty senior infants and two teachers from a school in central Dublin. The actors were split into small groups, which were each to present an improvised piece. It was exciting and nerve-wracking to be faced with such a young audience. The response from the children was wonderful. They were really enthusiastic and determined to involve themselves vocally.
The opportunity to participate in an eight-day course led by a practitioner like Louis in a space like The Ark felt like a luxury. For me, this was much more than a workshop. With The Ark, Louis is engendering a standard of theatre practice for children and young people. I feel this course really helped me to develop as a performer and will continue to influence my practice in the future.
For more information see the article Spotlight on The Ark in association with Theatre Lovett published in the Summer 2010 Newsletter of TYA Ireland - the national centre in Ireland of International ASSITEJ.
The workshop was also featured in an RTÉ Nationwide special report on Louis Lovett, The Ark's Theatre Maker in Residence 2010, on the 31st of May. Click here to watch the clip.
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