IPAN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP EXCHANGE 2009

20 hr IPAN Weekend Exchange: 2, 3 May - 10:00-21:00

The IPAN Weekend Workshop is a 20 hour Intensive Theatre Program. Ten Workshop leaders will be gathered from around the globe to exchange specialized techniques in the form of 2 hour workshops. This Event will be open to a limited number of participants interested in taking these workshops & sharing in an Intercultural Theatre Exchange. 

Sat 2 May 

1 hr IPAN Introduction: Sama Ky Balson - 10:00- 11:00 

An introduction to the aims of the International Performing Arts Network (IPAN). We will discuss the creation & continuation of Intercultural theatre and meet all international workshop guests.

1 hr Sohum Yoga Warm Up: Michelle Timmins - 11:00-12:00

The first workshop will be a yoga warm up. We will enter simple yogic postures to connect us with breath and movement, to ground ourselves and arrive in a space of growth and openness. http://www.sohum-yoga.com

2 hr i.Q-Quantum Theatre: Ira Seidenstein - 12:00-14:00 

i.Q - Quantum Theatre applies a specific set of techniques based on a unique blend of Eastern & Western theatre practices, enabling the actor to clarify universal principles of acting regardless of previous training. http://www.iraseidenstein.com/

2 hr Psychophysical Training: Sajeev Purushothama - 14:30-16:30  

Psychophysical Image training is a combination of theatre actor training systems drawn from Kalarippayatt, Kathakali, Kootiyattam, Noh theatre and meditational practices.This workshop introduces physical exercises invoking awareness that produce a qualitative state of readiness.

2 hr Rhythm/ Voice: Johannes Steiner - 16:30-18:30 

We will learn to control our breath and resonance, find correct body posture while singing and speaking and play with rhythm patterns based on body percussion.

2 hr Comedia Del Arte/ Mask: Carlos Garcia - 19:00- 21:00 

Take mask play to new heights by exploring movement, metamorphoses and timing. By bringing life to each mask, we will discover the mask’s archetypal characters through improvisation and the interaction between actor and audience. http://www.solodellarte.blogspot.com http://www.teatropunto.net  

Sun 3 May

2 hr Extended Voice: Harlan Chambers - 10:00-12:00 

Explore the heights and the depths of your voice during this Roy Hart Voice Workshop. Search for the delicate balance between solid technique and imagination by grounding our breath and opening our bodies.

2 hr Improvisation: Caspar Schjelbred - 12:00-14:00 

In improvisation we plunge into the unknown and create drama from seemingly nothing . Explore how to create meaningful change on stage by drawing on character archetypes that we encounter on the Hero's journey of classic mythology. hhtp://www.improacademy.com

2 hr The Present Moment: Doug Howe - 14:30-16:30 

Through a series of physical and psychological exercises, this workshop will explore ways to become more present and ‘sense’itive to the moment. Combining various training methods from Grotowski to Bogart, participants will discover how to release expectation and embrace the present moment. http://www.theinternationalists.org

2 hr Red Nose Clown: John Beale - 16:30-18:30 

This workshop begins with exercises and games to wake up our child-like play pleasure. Then, graduate to Red Nose - the smallest mask in the world. The purpose of the nose is not to hide you but to reveal you.  http://www.rednoseclown.net

2 hr Bouffon: Eric Davis - 19:00-21:00 

In the world of Bouffon, the audience is the joke. Bouffons rejoice in making a parody of the audience’s values and flaws. Explore connecting with the audience, create complex physical characters, play upon contrasts of theme & rhythm, and be present & captivating. http://www.redbastard.com

THEATRE WORKSHOPS: PROGRAM WEEK 2- 10 MAY 

The Workshop program offers you a list of possibilities. Take individual workshops and select your theatre program “A la Carte” or the “Theatre Menu” options. See above for workshop descriptions.  

THEATRE A LA CARTE 

20 hr IPAN International Workshop Exchange 2, 3 May- 10:00-21:00 - 200€

03 hr Extended Voice: Harlan Chambers - 5 May- 10:00-13:00 - 50€

 

03 hr Rhythm/ Voice: Johannes Steiner - 5 May - 14:00-17:00 - 50€

 

03 hr Red Nose Clown: John Beale - 8 May - 10:00-13:00 - 50€ 

06 hr Commedia/ Mask: Carlos Garcia - 4 May - 10:00- 17:00 - 100€

15 hr Quantum: Ira Seidenstein - 4 May - 17:00-20:00 & 5, 6, 7, 8 May- 18:00- 21:00 - 250€

15 hr Bouffon: Eric Davis - 8 May-14:00-17:00 & 9,10 May -10:00-17:00 - 250€

*Please Note: Lunch breaks and pauses during longer workshops are included in time schedules.

THEATRE MENU OPTIONS - PROGRAM WEEK 2- 10 MAY 

Select from Theatre Menu options. Places are limited for these workshops.

MENU 1 - 65 hr PROGRAM - FULL THEATRE INTENSIVE: 650€ (300 € Savings)

Have it all! Book yourself in for all Theatre Workshops: 2-10 May.

1 A: 1 x 20 hr IPAN Weekend Workshops + 2 x 15 hr Workshops + 1 x 6 hr Workshop + 3 x 3 hr Workshops

MENU 2 - 45 hr PROGRAM - WORKSHOP WEEK: 450€ (300€ Savings) 

All the workshops, (excluding the IPAN weekend) 4-10 May.

2A: 2 x 15 hr Workshops + 1 x 6 hr Workshop + 3 x 3 hr Workshops

MENU 3 - 35 hr PROGRAM - IPAN WEEKEND + WORKSHOP(S): 350€ (100€ Savings)

IPAN Weekend Workshop 2,3 May + your choice of 15 hrs of Workshops May 4-10  

3A: IPAN Weekend Workshop + 1 x 15 hr Workshop

3B: IPAN Weekend Workshop + 1 x 6 hr Workshop + 3 x 3 hr Workshops

MENU 4 - 30 hr PROGRAM - WORKSHOP WEEK MIX: 300€ (200€ Savings)

Your choice of 30 hrs of Theatre Workshops. During week 4-10 May.  

4A: 2 x 15 hr Workshops

4B: 1 x 15 hr Workshop + 1 x 6 hr Workshop + 3 x 3 hr Workshops

INFORMATION

VENUE : SUDDEN THEATRE-14 Bis, Rue Sainte Isaure- Paris, 75018, France http://www.suddentheatre.fr/ 

NEAREST METRO: Jules Joffirin ( Line 12) View Map

IPAN CONTACT DETAILS:  

Host: International Performing Arts Network

Contact Name: Sama Ky Balson 

Phone: +33 (0)6 86 24 75 01 

Email: i.p.a.n@live.com

WORKSHOP REGISTRATION: 

Please send attached Registration Form completed with your contact details & workshop selection to email: i.p.a.n@live.com

Once we have received your registration form, you will be sent Workshop Payment Details. Your place in the Workshop Program will be confirmed once full payment has been received.

Please remember to record your Bank Transfer or Cheque Receipt number as proof of payment.

PAYMENT METHODS: Payments can be made by French cheque or by Bank Transfer.

*Please Note: International Bank Transfers carry an extra 20€ bank charge to be paid by participant. We look forward to welcoming you to the IPAN International Theatre Workshops 2009.

Billington Takes On Theatre Auteur-ism

Michael Billington of 'The Guardian' warns against theatre auteurs.

From cinema comes the idea of the auteur: the dominant directorial figure whose individual stamp is on every frame of a piece of film. But although the religious cult of the auteur has been widely attacked – not least by Gore Vidal in a brilliant essay called Who Wrote the Movies? – it is now in danger of spreading to theatre. Certain creative figures, whose endeavours I frequently admire, are in danger of acquiring auteur status. What that means, in effect, is that their individual style and idiosyncratic signature becomes more important than the work itself.

In Britain, the key examples would be Katie Mitchell, Emma Rice of Kneehigh and Simon McBurney of Complicite. Internationally, Robert Wilson also fits the title. And let me say at once that I have often been astounded and impressed by their work. Mitchell did the best production of Ibsen's Ghosts I've ever seen. Rice's famous version of Coward's Brief Encounter shifted the interest away from the tight-lipped lovers to the working-class subplot. And McBurney is a brilliant innovator as proved by Complicite's Mnemonic that explored the nature of memory.

What worries me is the awed reverence of their followers and the tendency of a highly personal style to harden into a rigid mannerism. Katie Mitchell, as anyone who saw Waves, Attempts On Her Life or her recent Dostoyevsky adaptation, ...Some Trace of Her, at the National will know, is fascinated by the interaction between film and live performance: an avenue she'll be exploring again this week in After Dido at the Young Vic. It is right that theatre should acknowledge the existence of cinema. What few people seem to be asking is whether Mitchell's curiosity is turning into an obsession and whether it illuminates the work in question. Rice has also forged a distinct identity by taking musical or movie classics – everything from Tristan and Isolde and Don Juan to A Matter of Life and Death – and jovially deconstructing them. Sometimes it works: sometimes it doesn't. But how much longer, I wonder, can Rice go on feeding off the classical canon?

The danger of the auteur theory is twofold. It creates idols who, to their acolytes, can do no wrong. In cinema this reached the point of absurdity when, as Kenneth Tynan once pointed out, a trivial escapade like Man's Favourite Sport? was treated as a masterpiece simply because it was directed by Howard Hawks. I see the same trend developing in theatre. The other danger is that the interpreter becomes bigger than the thing interpreted. Or, to put it more bluntly, that the director takes precedence over the writer. And, if you want an example of where that can lead, you only have to look at the sterility of post-war German theatre which is dominated by star directors and starved of great dramatists.

All I suggest is that we proceed with caution. In cinema the elevation of the director to cult-status, and the consequent downgrading of the writer, has led, most obviously in Hollywood, to a growing sense of artistic bankruptcy. Theatre, in Britain at least, is more level-headed and still places the dramatist at the heart of the creative process. I just hope that continues and that the director is seen as a necessary interpreter rather than as an icon to be devoutly worshipped.

Year of Grotowski: Lab of Creative Research

Year of Grotowski: Meetings with Remarkable Women

Laboratory of Creative Research

July 7-August 5, 2009 - Grotowski Institute, Poland

Application Deadline: May 15, 2009

UNESCO has designated 2009 as 'A Year of Grotowski' and this month-long intensive training opportunity features five advanced work sessions led by women from different cultures and generations who share a direct connection with Jerzy Grotowski.  The work sessions will take place in Wroclaw and in Brzezinka.  The total cost is 1250 Euros, which includes all work sessions and events.  To apply, email your CV and description of your experience here.

DasArts Master of Theatre Program

As part of the Amsterdam School of Arts (AHK), DasArts has transformed itself into an international Master of Theatre program.  They offer a unique training laboratory for professionals in the performing arts.  The curriculum consists of 4 semesters and defines it as a challenging environment that engages deeply with its students.  The deadline for applications is 17 April for the semester starting in September 2009.  All applications must be submitted in English here.  

Golden Mask 15

Check out John Freedman's article here in 'The Moscow Times' covering the 15th anniversary of Russia's Golden Mask festival.  

Russia's Theatrical Identity Crisis

Noah Birksted-Breen writes in 'The Guardian' about Russia's infighting over Gogol's national identity, and suggests instead of fighting over the who/what/where with the Ukraine, it should instead start promoting some of its virtually unknown classical theatre abroad, such as works by Platonov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Andreyev and Mayakovsky.  Read full commentary here.   

Boys Gone Wilde In Singapore

A current production of The Importance of Being Earnest is causing a bit of a stir in conservative Singapore.  The production has an all-male cast dressed as men, which has led the media regulator to demand an age advisory of '16 and above' on all publicity.  The director, Glen Goei, has said he recast the play to 'celebrate' Wilde, a man who 'dared to be true to himself and his nature' and 'remind people what he stood for'.  Read a full article about the controversy here.

Hamlet: the Musical

Will wonders new cease?  Shakespeare is sure to be rolling in his grave.  Broadway producers are now bringing a version of Hamlet: The Musical to the Great White Way, starring none other than Brad Pitt in the title role.  Other casting includes Robin Williams as Claudius, Goldie Hawn as Gertrude and Sarah Jessica Parker as Ophelia.  Michael Bay, director of Transformers, is set to helm the action packed spectacle, with Jerry Bruckheimer to produce.