TheatreCenter

We were thrilled to welcome the fabulous actor/director Greg Ashton (Ash to his friends!) back to theatrecenter after an absence of about 3 years (this man is SUPER busy!), where he brought us a great session on Imagination – And How To Use It! After a fun filled (and strangely informative) warm up, including Truth & Lies, Call and Response and States of Energy and Tension our students showed that really do have imaginations and indeed, know how to use them with an exercise entitled ‘I Know You… You’re The One From The Paper…’ In pairs, the students must create a character for their partner based around the fact that they recognise them for some kind of amazing act that was featured in the local news. The first that their partner knows about this creation is when they are introduced to the rest of the group and then have to answer questions about this heroic deed from the floor… You really have to think on your feet  in this particular exercise and I was astounded but just how brilliantly everyone did just that!!

Random Word Theatre this week produced 5 pieces of quite unexpected drama: ‘Always’ (a world run by levers), ‘Yesterday’ (featuring a time machine and a desire to change the future), ‘Distance’ (a short but brilliantly effective ‘shoot out’), ‘Old’ (an incredible piece of satire from some of the younger members of our team) and ‘Violence’ (another satirical take on how in one breath we abhor it; but in another, glorify it). Particularly impressed with our students this week – well done, all of you!

Unbelievably, next week is our last session of 2011! As ever, we will be holding a very informal presentation demonstrating some of the skills and techniques that we have been developing over the last 12 weeks. For this week only we are asking ALL students (Junior AND Senior) to arrive at 1pm for rehearsals. The performance will begin at 3.45, will run for approximately 45 minutes and then students will be released for the Christmas holidays at about 4.30pm. Our presentation is FREE (a rare event in this day and age!) so please feel free to invite as many friends and family as you wish! We hope to see you there..!

Pip will be your superviser of superviser-iness this week! She will be on site from 12.30 and can be contacted on her mobile: 07957 641 210

Yes! Just in case you hadn’t spotted it (!) our lovely Jo-Jo is expecting her 3rd baby and as her due date is our last day of term she is now officially on maternity leave. We all send her our love and very best wishes and look forward to welcoming the new member of the theatrecenter team! Go Jo!!

Melody Roche and James Weisz were our fabulous workshop leaders this week and our students were put through their comedy and improvisational paces using (amongst other things) some of the Meisner techniques that they have been developing over the last year or so. The groups worked on a variety of different scenarios culminating in the creation of some weird and wonderful game shows! I’m A Theatrecenter Teacher – Get Me Out Of Here..!!!

The delightful Melody Roche is back in the supervising seat this Saturday and will be on site from 12.30pm.

Melody can be contacted on her mobile: (07867) 563 437

Stunt Action Specialist Jeff Baker joined us for an awesome combat skills session, which started with a big bang! Both Juniors and Seniors were treated to various levels of Jeff’s hand combat and sword fighting routines, all carried out most convincingly by both groups. We had a super session and greatly enjoyed the kicks, punches and head bangs!

Jo is supervising again this week and can be contacted on her mobile (07979) 222 140.

The awesome Mr Ryan Laight joined us for more of his amazing animation, puppet making and stop frame filming. The Junior group made moving hands, mouths and puppets which the seniors helped transform into moveable puppets to film. The seniors created a fantastic superhero floorscape and filmed a brilliant stop frame rescue scene.

Two reasons to celebrate this Saturday – Bonfire Night and the return of theatrcenter after our 2 week half term break!! Jo will be wearing her supervisor’s hat this week; she will be on site from 12;30pm and can be contacted on her mobile 07979 222 140