THE POETIC BODY
Intensive Physical Theatre Workshop Inspired by Lecoq Pedagogy.

For actors, directors, dancers, choreographers and movement lovers.

FOR UP-COMING WORKSHOPS EMAIL: rachel@vesselproject.org

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The underlying principle in the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq is the idea of the poetic body and the belief that everything moves, and everything can be translated into movement, even inanimate objects, like a sugar cube or a piece of glass.

Lecoq created a physical theatrical vocabulary and movement technique that allows performers to develop their own voice and theatrical language.

A large part of Lecoq’s pedagogy is exploring movement and silence before words and text. Everyone has a series of built in gestures and habits that are used everyday. In order to build a theatrical character, you need to erase those gestures and become neutral, a blank canvas.

Starting from a point of neutrality, we will do a series of improvisations that explore the poetry of the everyday. The exercises will explore the four elements, materials and animals as a source for movement analysis and foundations for building a character.

This workshop will give you foundational elements that will help you to construct a palette of skills and tools as an actor and performer.

COURSE OUTLINE [ADAPTED TO EACH WORKSHOP]
WEEK ONE
• Exploration of the neutral mask
• Journey of the Neutral Mask
• Becoming a neutral palette, a blank slate

WEEK TWO
• Physical Exploration of the primary Elements; Water, Fire, Air, and Earth
• Humanizing the Elements and percentages as foundations of character

WEEK THREE
• Physical Exploration of Materials; Porcelain, Crystal, Cardboard, Acid, Sugar, Oil etc.
• Exploration of decomposition/ decay

WEEK FOUR
• Physical Exploration of the animal kingdom; i.e.: Lion, wolf, chicken, monkey, whale, giraffe, vulture, mouse, and fly etc...
• Humanizing of Animals and percentages as foundations of character

WEEK FIVE
• Building the tragic platform
• Exploring the tragic chorus and the tragic hero

WEEK SIX: Bringing it all together
• Building an ensemble using the elements, materials, animals and tragic platform to create original work.

• Working with a chosen theme, we will begin creating small theatre/movement pieces in groups as a way of tying everything together.

*Please wear movement clothes that don’t restrict you in anyway. Please wear solid colors without logos or patterns, preferably black, white or gray. This is the first phase of neutrality. Also, bring a bottle of water and your imagination.

RECENT POETIC BODY WORKSHOPS:

HOW TO ACT Conference. Central School of Speech and Drama. London, England. Feb 2007. 3 Hour Lecoq Intensive.

Arizona Thespian Conference. Phoenix, Arizona. November 2007. 2 hour Lecoq Introduction.

Theatrikos Theatre Company. Flagstaff, Arizona. October 2007. 5 Hour Lecoq Intensive.

Performance Studies International #11. Brown University. April 2005. Three-Hour Lecoq Intensive.

Lower Eastside Movements Arts Program. 14th Street Y. New York City. March 2005.

Lower Eastside Movement Arts Program. 14th Street Y. New York City. September 2004.

New York Dance Affinity. 447 Broadway, New York City. October 2003.

ISTA: International Schools Theatre Association. Graded International School. Sao Paulo, Brazil. November 2003. [Three day workshop with 60 students and teachers from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Columbia, Peru, Mexico, England, USA and Italy.]

Actor Training: For production of The White Plague. Trained 16 actors from Subjective Theatre Company for six- weeks.

RASABOXES

TRAINING THE ATHLETE OF THE EMOTIONS

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

This is an introduction to the Rasaboxes training that combines classical Indian ideas about acting and emotion, contemporary theories of emotion coming from psychology and neurobiology, and twentieth century French theorist Antonin Artaud’s demand that actors be “athletes of the emotions.” The sanskrit rasa means juice, flavor, essence, and it describes the energetic transmission which is “tasted” both by actor/dancer and spectator in performance. Rasa refers to specific emotional states that are embodied and conveyed through gesture, facial expression and other codified modes of performance. The rasaboxes allow performers to develop unique ways to physically and vocally embody the eight rasas outlined in the Natyasastra: raudra (rage); bhayanaka (fear); vira (courage); sringara (love); bibhatsa (disgust); hasya (laughter); karuna (grief); and adbhuta (wonder) and to learn to apply the rasas to work with objects, texts, dialogues, and finally to mix and layer them, creating complex combinations of rasas. These modes become the basis not only for ongoing training but also for script analysis, scene and character work, performance composition, and performance preparation.

Ideal length of workshop: 3 hours

Ideal Space: A large, open rehearsal hall

RECENT RASABOXES WORKSHOPS:

MACHINAL Directed by Rachel Bowditch. One week intensive with ensemble. Arizona State University, Phoenix. September 2007.

EAST COAST ARTISTS Three Week Intensive. New York University, New York. July 2007. Co-taught with Michele Minnick and Fernando Cazadilla.

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Two Day Intensive for the MFA Acting Cohort. Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ . October 2007.

THEATRIKOS Theatre Company Five Hour Intensive . Flagstaff, Arizona. October 2006.

ARIZONA THESPIAN CONFERENCE 3 hour intensive . Phoenix, Arizona. November 2006.

EAST COAST ARTISTS Three Week Intensive. New York University, New York. July 2006. Assisted with Michele Minnick and Marissa Copeland.

PERFORMANCE STUDIES INTERNATIONAL # 10. Singapore. June 2004. Co-taught with Paula Murray Cole.

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Rachel Bowditch Ph.D. is an Assisant Professor in the School of Theatre and Film at Arizona State University. She has trained with Jacques Lecoq at the Ecole de Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France from 1998-1999, being part of his last class before his death in 1999. She is the Artistic Director of VESSEL and directs an ongoing performance installation TRANSFIX which has been seen at the New York International Independent Film/Video festival at Madison Square Garden, NYC; GenArt Summer Arts Festival, the New York International Fringe Al Fresco at Central Park and Grand Central (in collaboration with Timothy Speed Levitch), the Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2003, The Kitchen, the HOWL Festival 2004, the UnConvention and Performance Studies International #11 at Brown University.

Her studies at Ecole de Jacques Lecoq, Skidmore, the British American Drama Academy (BADA), Dell’ Arte Players Company, Suzuki and Viewpoints with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company and her recent studies with Richard Schechner and East Coast Artists at NYU, where she received her PhD in Performance Studies, have helped her move toward achieving her vision of theater. She also performed in Richard Schecher’s original adaptation of Yokastas at LaMaMa Annex.

She is an Artistic Associate and performer in Richard Schechner's company East Coast Artists Performance Exchange and an Associate of RoseLee Goldberg's Performa.