Workshops
The Play's The Thing brings you some exciting workshops for 2009.
For all workshops bookings you can either contact Rosemary Hill on 01908 561627, or email Rosemary
or contact Carolyn Vale at Madcap on 01908 320179.
All workshops will take place at Madcap Theatre, Creed Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5LY.
Lunch will be provided. Please let us know of any dietary requirements when booking.
You are advised to book early for these workshops as places are limited.
A deposit will be required when you book. If you wish to pay in instalments please discuss your requirements with Rosemary Hill.
Don’t forget members of Pepper’s Ghost receive a £5 discount on all workshops.
Saturday 17th October 10am – 4pm
Intensive acting skills Masterclass
with actor Mark McGann
Cost: £65.00
Please wear comfortable clothing and foot wear
This is a fantastic opportunity for those who are serious about acting. Mark’s wide experience of working on stage, in TV and film, both in front of and behind the scenes makes this Masterclass a thrilling prospect.
Participants will be sent a selection of scenes from a variety of scripts, chosen by Mark which will give the session a specific focus. These will be posted out approximately one week before the Masterclass. This will give the participants time to become familiar with the pieces, ready to deconstruct and put them back together under Mark’s gifted eye. Depending on the range of participants, he may choose to allocate specific roles. If this is the case, you will be informed which roles individuals are to concentrate on when the scripts are posted. By focussing on these particular scenes Mark will be able to reveal some priceless trade secrets, at the same time as offering you an in depth professional view of best practice.
The more familiar you are with these scenes the more you
will get out of it.
Mark McGann Biography
Saturday 5th December 10am – 4pm
Film and screen acting Masterclass
with actor Mark McGann
Cost: £75.00
Please wear comfortable clothing and foot wear
This is a unique opportunity to work with a brilliant actor, director and teacher along with his equally talented cameraman on an intensive film and screen acting Masterclass. Mark and Ed will certainly put you through your paces, revealing the techniques of effective screen acting. You’ll be working on TV and film scripts and learning about how the best screen actors perfect their craft.
See Mark’s biography.
Saturday 12th December 10am – 4pm
Commedia Dell’ Arte with actor
and director Rebecca Clark
Cost £35.00
Please wear comfortable clothing and foot wear
Back by popular demand! After the feedback to the brilliant workshop last June and the request to do it again we are delighted to announce this one day introductory workshop exploring Commedia dell’Arte.
Through physical exploration, games and exercises you will gain an insight into the skills, characters and history of Commedia, and have the chance to use these techniques
in practice.
You will examine and play the stock characters, including Zanni, Arlecchino, Pantalone, and Il Dottore, explore how properties inspire scenarios and sample Canovaccio (Commedia ‘plays’) and Lazzi. Commedia provides an actor with a discipline for all forms of physical and improvisational theatre.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with director Rebecca Clark from Electric Cabaret gaining an insight
into the Company’s physical, improvisational and
creative approach.
In certain fiestas the very notion of order disappears. Chaos comes back and license rules. Anything is permitted: men disguise themselves as women, gentlemen as slaves, the poor as rich. Respectable people put away the dignified expressions and conservative clothes that isolate them,
dress up in gaudy colours, hide behind a mask, and escape from themselves. Octavio Paz
Mark is one of the acting McGann family dynasty. Over the last thirty years he has appeared in leading roles in many theatre, TV and film productions, including the BAFTA award winning “Shackleton” with Kenneth Branagh for C4 films. He also appeared as John Lennon for NBC productions in “John and Yoko”
and with his brothers in the award winning film drama “The Hanging Gale”. He has been nominated twice for a Lawrence Olivier award for best actor.
Saturday 31st October 10am- 4pm
Halloween Stage Combat Masterclass
with fight director Tim Klotz Davenport
Cost: £45.00
Please wear comfortable clothing and foot wear – an old white T shirt is recommended so that the blood will show up. Washable stage blood will be used, but perhaps it’s best to wear one which you don’t mind getting messed up!
In this exciting workshop Tim will cover basic fight moves plus the use if blood and gore! If you did the previous workshop Tim will help you build on your skills If you haven’t done any stage combat before Tim will start with the basics.
Tim Klotz Davenport Biography
Tim works internationally as a fight director. He creates fights for theatre, ballet, opera, film, video games and television. His approach is unique, and is best known for his cutting edge approach to acting a fight scene. Credits include Shakespeare’s Globe, Lyric Hammersmith, Royal Festival Hall, Haymarket Theatre Basingstoke, Nashville Ballet, Comedy Theatre London, and The Tobacco Factory Bristol, BBC, Channel 4.
Born in New York, Tim studied method acting in the US and went on to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he also apprenticed as a stage combat teacher. Tim is resident fight director at The Drama Centre; London’s leading Drama School for the methodical approach to acting.
Take a look at some of the photos taken
at our recent workshops.
