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THE MOVING TEACHER

2 March, 2020  → 13 March, 2020 - Melbourne, AUSTRALIA


A seminar on the pedagogy of

Neutral Mask, Clown and Physical Characters

 

 

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Welcome to a unique event celebrating the art of teaching movement based theatre, exploring its roots in Physical Comedy, Mask Theatre and Somatic Psychology.


This seminar follows the pedagogic process of the journey from the Neutral Mask to the Red Nose, two essential polarities in the world of theater masks.


Through the Neutral Mask the actor discovers a state of physical presence, calm and openness to space. There is a web of "non-neutral attitudes" and physical and emotional "background noises" within each person's movement and physical presence. If observed through the reference of the Neutral State, this web appears like paintings/markings on a white sheet. They are “dramatic” in the etymological sense. They contain a drama: an action.

The Neutral Mask teaches the actor to unfold any individual physical drama in order to reach a state of engaged presence in space, in the silence of the present moment. It’s the basis for all theatre masks. It reveals the poetic body before the character.

While searching for Neutrality the actor discovers her unique way of being personally non neutral. The latin word persona meaning mask

If treated with the Red Nose this physical persona becomes a unique source of comedy.

The discovery of the Clown emerges from the analysis of the physical and emotional world of each actor, as revealed by her or his natural body, with the help of the Neutral Mask. The use of the smallest mask in the world, the Red Nose and the amplification and articulation of personal themes allow the actor to enter the Clown State. This leads to the unfolding of a unique clown, with a specific body, tempo, voice, costume, attitudes, emotions, and poetic world. The clown emerges from a state of playing where the poet has access to this key question: what is so funny about myself ?

 

 

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The personal Clown is raw, essential, personal, challenging, vulnerable, empowering, revealing... To discover one’s own clown is to reveal one’s own unique comic persona and turn it into a universal comic form.

As a theatrical territory, Clown has a unique poetic potential because it allows the performer to explore and play joining the naiveté and the vulnerability of the child, with the rigor and the technique of the adult, thus revealing the poetry of the ridiculous, and a unique poetic power.

 

After developing the awareness of the Neutral State, the actor can explore the infinite possibilities of creating characters, based on variations from neutrality. Each character development is based in an unbalance from neutrality. And the Poetic Body can explore the world and its infinite variety of forms and masks.



 

As the Neutral Mask reveals the mask of humanity, the Red Nose reveals the humanity of the mask.

 

During this training participants will use Neutral Masks by Donato Sartori, Abano Terme, Italy.

 

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A PEDAGOGIC SEMINAR

 

A WORKSHOP is essentially a practical exploration of an art. The focus is on the active practice, there is very little theory and it is always related to the unfolding of the exercises.

In a SEMINAR the practice is integrated with a strong focus on the THEORY that stands behind it. This creates a space of reflection and intellectual elaboration: a field of discussion, analysis, examples, questions and synthesis. It gives food for the mind, references, history of ideas, articulation of principles.

Etymology tells us that the word theory means something you observe, a spectacle, and it has the same root of the word theatre. A theory is a choreography of ideas and principles. An intellectual performance to attend and enjoy.



This seminar will include different ingredients:

- Lectures on pedagogic theory

- Core exercises

- Pedagogic analysis of core exercises

- Discussion on the questions from the participants
- Supervision of pedagogic cases reported for the practice of the participants

 


The Theoretical contents of the Seminar


 

- Jacques Lecoq: the Journey of the Poetic Body. The way of the Masks.

- Gestalt: Masks and characters as forms emerging.


- Reichian Analysis and Bionergetics: Characters as somatic impression of emotions and urgencies.

- Pedagogic analysis of Giovanni Fusetti’s approach to clown and mask.

  

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ADMISSION

 

The aim of this seminar is to explore the foundations of the pedagogy of Clown and Neutral Mask from the perspective of the teacher.
It is addressed to theatre practitioners
- with previous experience in Clown, Mask and Movement based theater;
- who are actively teaching theatre and/or with theatre;
- who wish to explore the theoretical ingredients of this work, as well as to develop their own teaching style and perspective.

Please read the page on Giovanni's Pedagogy as well as Giovanni's bio and the page My Roots, to review the essence of his approach to clown and theatre.
 


HOW TO APPLY



There is no application form. To apply to the Seminar please email
 a letter of motivation sharing the essence of your story, vision, dream, desire, fear or un-explicable intuition that leads you to this seminar. Please include in your letter your experience teaching movement based theatre, and for what purpose you apply for this seminar.
You need to apply directly to Giovanni Fusetti.
He will contact you after receiving the application.
Once accepted, to confirm the enrollment, a deposit of AUS$ 500 is due.
 Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.

Once accepted, places will be given in order of email submission.


TUITION

Early Bird registration: AUS$ 1.500 if full payment is sent by December 15th, 2019.

Full Price: AUS$ 1.700, if full payment is received after December 15th, 2019.

Giovanni will choose students from the applications received, forming the group. Places will be given in order of email submission. Once Giovanni has selected 16 students, the workshop is full, and a waiting list will be created. If you intend to participate, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
To confirm the enrollment, a deposit of AUD 500 is due.
Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.
The workshop will be confirmed as soon as the minimum number of 10 participants will be reached.

Please note that tuition does not include accommodation: participants will be responsible for organizing their staying in Melbourne.

The sum generated by the seminar will fund the Helikos School and the setting up of its new training program.


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PRACTICALITIES


LOCATION


Hotham Mission
2 Elm St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

SCHEDULE

Monday March 2nd to Friday March 6th
Monday March 9th to Friday March 13
9:30 am to 5:30 pm


Please note the worshop is a learning continuum, so it is not possible to attend the class only in parts, or to miss any session of the work.

The workshop will be taught in ENGLISH and requires a basic understanding of this language.

For further information about the content of the workshop, and FOR APPLICATION please contact Giovanni Fusetti

For  enrolment and practical enquiries please contact

KIMBERLEY TWINER

ktwiner @ gmail.com

Tel: 04 68664466

 

 

There are as many clowns as there are human beings.

There is one way to stand while there are infinite ways to fall.

Intelligence is limited. Stupidity is infinite.


                                                                            Giovanni Fusetti


  

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PHOTO CREDITS

Picture n.1: Helikos School, 2013  
Picture n.2: Red Nose Intensive, Melbourne 2018
Picture n.3: Giovanni Fusetti during a mask demonstration, 2009
Picture n.4: Red Nose Intensive, Melbourne 2018
Picture n.5: Red Nose Intensive, Melbourne 2018
Picture n.6: Helikos School, 2013

 

Design & programming : DomRadisson.net