Workshops
The House
A weekly theater workshop led by Maximilian Balduzzi.
A group of people confined within a house.
Outside, a world reduced to ashes.
Inside, they begin a game.
Why do they play? To pass the time?
To train as warriors? To stay alive?
The first part of each session will be dedicated to rigorous physical training. In the second part, we will explore the theme of play in wartime through individual and group work on text and action. There will be regular public demonstrations of work.
[announcement]
Ongoing throughout 2010
Wednesdays 10am-1pm
$20 per session
Actors Movement Studio
302 West 37th St. - 6th Floor
New York City
To register or with questions, contact:
house@urbanresearchtheater.com
For announcements and cancellations
please see our Facebook page.
River of Song
Led by Ben Spatz.
This workshop is designed to introduce participants as efficiently as possible to a deep exploration of the mind-body connection through diverse traditions of song. No experience is necessary, but participants should be able to carry a tune.
To organize a workshop, contact Ben.
Physical Training for Actors
Led by Maximilian Balduzzi.
How should an actor train his or her body to be ready for performance? What is the difference between the ordinary movements of daily life and the same movements appearing onstage? How does the actor erase the gap between impulse and action? How can we elaborate a rigorous pedagogical method based or a precise technique without forgetting that the actor is always involved in an emotional way?
This workshop introduces a physical training for actors designed to confront these questions. Massimiliano's unique approach links the materiality of the human body with the associative and rhythmic work of an actor. Although designed specifically for actors, it has also proven useful for dancers and other performers, as well as for anyone who wants to use their body in an extra-daily way.
To organize a workshop, contact Maximilian.
Another City
Led by Ben Spatz.
Another City is a seasonal event, taking place at the peak of summer (August) or in the depths of winter (December). During an intensive period of between two and five days, participants enter into a completely different rhythm and experience of New York City. Previous experience with singing or performance is not required.
Previous Workshop:
Another City: Joyful Days
August 22-24, 2008
New York City
This event is a unique chance to rediscover your world through the techniques of Urban Research Theater. You will never experience your city or yourself the same way again.
Each full day begins at sunrise in the serene half-wilderness of Central Park's North Woods. Here we will slow down, breathe deeply, and step out of the busy rhythms of urban life as we walk, sing, and explore simple physical exercises among the trees and waterfalls. Afternoon and evening sessions will take place in and around the Chez Bushwick studio, where participants will learn to work with traditional and original songs as a basis for developing short performance fragments.
To register or with questions, email:
ben@urbanresearchtheater.com
Testimonials
There is some very strong evocation of something deep inside my spirit ... I can't put it into the words now, but following your voice I could feel something very archaical, old, essential in myself ... This kind of 'work' is very intimately and it was good for me to experience it in a small group. Michele was such a great 'wave' and invocation to move with freedom and joy. Opening inside - creating inner spaces and sharing its vibrations - that is the image which I have after your workshop...
- Tatyana Sehic
I want to thank you again, and this time in a more aware way, for the wonderful workshop that you guys led. It's been such an important time for me as actress and as human being . . . As I mentioned right after the end of the workshop, something happened to me that hardly happens: I felt that I could totally trust you and let you direct my work . . . And again I have to thank you for this. For the working environment that you've been able to create.
- Giorgia Zago
Thank you so much for the truly beautiful 'otherness' you sculpted with such grace. It was a tremendous gift. I felt like I was in another city, or even another country. I felt like a foreigner in this city where I have lived for six years . . . I am used to doing street theater that is very political and in-your-face. It's different when you're behind the mask of a message or image, or if you have costumes of any kind. Here we were just ourselves, doing this. I felt vulnerable in the city. Vulnerable in a radical way.
- Monica Hunken
It was very liberating for me, truly inspiring and I still feel a surge of energy. Thank you for creating that welcoming and encouraging space that allowed us to explore our voices and bodies and explore some of our boundaries. I amazed myself how quickly I felt comfortable expressing myself in public - both in the studio and in the streets. The use of song really succeeded in creating imaginary spaces and perceptions within the city.
- Eddy Shoeffman
From what I experienced, it seemed that what was at the heart of this method was that the actor gets to a place where they are feeling something, experiencing something within themselves that is also not shut off. There is an awareness generated that is apparent from the outside, and this visible internal awareness is what an audience or viewer would be drawn to and be able to connect with, as if they were experiencing the movement, the scene and the mental state of the performer through the performers eyes.
