Physical Theatre and Devised Creation Workshop
August 10-22, 2015 | The Fredericton Playhouse | Application Deadline: July 10th, 2015
(Fredericton) Theatre New Brunswick has partnered with The Fredericton Playhouse to present an exciting, two-week training opportunity for emerging and experienced theatre artists, exploring aspects of physical theatre and devised creation.
Under the direction of TNB’s Artistic Director Thomas Morgan Jones and Ravi Jain, artistic director of Why Not Theatre, participants will train from August 10-22, 2015 finishing with a public performance on The Playhouse stage.
“In Fredericton alone there are over half a dozen independent companies creating invigorating, exciting, and impassioned new theatre,” said Jones. “Across Canada, too, emerging and established artists are creating their own work in physical or devised processes. This training is an answer to what is already happening. It is a laboratory where we can question why and how these processes work, how they can work, and to challenge ourselves to create with expertise, with abandon, and as an expression of our unique voice. We look forward to welcoming artists from across the country to enter into this conversation in workshop, in process, and to creating a stunning new interpretation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth.”
The first week of training will focus on approaches to physical theatre as well as the use of text in physical theatre. In week two, the training will move toward devising and presenting a physical ensemble creation using Shakespeare’s Macbeth as source material.
Guest instructor Ravi Jain will join Jones in facilitating this new joint training initiative.
“It is TNB’s great honour to welcome internationally acclaimed and award winning artist Ravi Jain as an instructor,” said Jones. “His work as an independent artist and educator and his creations and collaborations with his groundbreaking company Why Not Theatre have had an incredible impact on the Canadian and international theatre scene. He is one of the finest teachers I have ever met, bringing a combination of rigour and play, and always a spirit of questioning in service of the actor.”
Participants will gain experience creating and communicating with their bodies as tools to tell stories. They will learn how to create quickly, efficiently, expertly, and freely with other artists. They will be given the tools to then repeat and re-create with confidence.
This call is open to all actors, directors, and theatre artists in Canada. Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, and headshot. Applications will be accepted upon receipt of a $150 non-refundable deposit. Deadline for applications – July 10, 2015. The full fee for the two week workshop is $450+HST. For more details or to register, please visit www.tnb.nb.ca
Workshop Instructors
Ravi Jain
Ravi is a multi-award-winning actor, director, international producer and Artistic Director of Why Not Theatre. Under his leadership Why Not Theatre has become synonymous with innovative theatrical experiences which have toured the world. In 8 years they have created over 20 collaborations performing on 5 continents. Collaborations Ravi has fostered with Why Not Theatre include festivals such as Harbourfront’s World Stage Festival, Luminato Festival and Pan Am Games as well as international companies like Complicite and SITI company. www.theatrewhynot.org
His acting credits include the Dora Award-winning SPENT and A Brimful of Asha. Ravi was the 2010 Urjo Kareda Resident Artist at Tarragon when he began to develop A Brimful of Asha. His company was in residence at the Theatre Centre when he developed I’m So Close (winner of Spotlight Award at SummerWorks 2009, and toured to Dublin and Vancouver). He has assisted notable directors Daniel Brooks (Necessary Angel’s Hardsell), Richard Rose (Tarragon’s Courageous) and Jennifer Tarver (Stratford Festival’s King of Thieves), the latter as part of the inaugural Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival.
Select directing credits: Accidental Death of An Anarchist (Soulpepper), A Lion in the Streets (National Theatre School of Canada). For Why Not include The Prince Hamlet, I’m So Close, A Brimful of Asha, Greenland (winner of NOW Audience Choice Award and Best Production SummerWorks ‘09), Iceland (winner of NOW Audience Choice Award and Best New Play SummerWorks ’12). Ravi directed Nicolas Billon’s triptych of plays entitled Fault Lines which recently was awarded The Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. Consulting Direction: Sea Sick (Theatre Centre), BOOM! (WYRD/Mirvish), Much Ado about Nothing (Tarragon).
In 2011 Ravi was a member of the Diverse City Fellows program, which aims to diversify leadership across sectors in Toronto. Ravi is engaged in many different arts organizations and creations across the city and the globe, including the programming committee for the Daniels Spectrum as well as the Artist Advisory Committee for ArtReach Toronto. He was awarded the 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award and Ken MacDougal Award for emerging director. He was the inaugural Artistic Director-in- Residence at the Theatre Centre 2012-2015 and he is currently a part of the Artistic Director’s Cabinet at Soulpepper Theatre Company and was selected to be part of the roster of clowns for Cirque Du Soleil. Ravi is a regular teacher at the National Theatre School of Canada and regularly teaches workshops around the world.
Thomas Morgan Jones
Thomas is currently the artistic director of Theatre New Brunswick, and an acclaimed director, playwright, dramaturg, instructor, and movement coach. His productions have received eleven Dora Mavor Moore Awards and eight nominations, he received the 2011 Dora Mavor Moore Guthrie (Stratford Festival), and has been nominated twice for the John Hirsch Award (2008 & 2011) and for the Pauline McGibbon Award.
He has collaborated with companies including: Theatre Direct, The Stratford Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, Cahoots, Theatre Rusticle, Project Humanity/Theatre Centre, Buddies, Carousel Players, Theatre Jones Roy, The CULTCH, The Charlottetown Festival, Cia Enviezada (Brazil), and many others.
He holds a B.A. from the University of Guelph, an M.A. from the University of Toronto, and has trained with SITI Company in NYC, Madrid, and Paris, and SCOT in Toga, Japan. He is a former playwright in residence with Shakespeare in Action and Cahoots Theatre, an artist educator in residence with YPT, and is currently an associate artist with Theatre Direct.
As an instructor he has taught at The Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory (three seasons under the direction of Martha Henry, and a fourth upcoming), Sheridan College, The Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, the University of Guelph, the University of Guelph-Humber, CBC’s Triple Sensation, The Playwrights Guild of Canada, as well as with many theatre companies nationally and with Cia Enviezada (Rio and Barra Mansa).
