STUDIO CRAFT INTENSIVE
Friday 25th March 10.30 to 6.30 pm Practical Aesthetics with Mark Westbrook
Sat 26th March 10 -5 pm Movement Lizzie Ballenger
Sun 27th March 10-5 pm Voice Emma Woodvine
ONLY 18 PLACES
Total fee £180
Practical Aesthetics Workshop with Coach Mark Westbrook
Inspired by the late work of Stanislavsky and Sanford Meisner, David Mamet and Bill Macy developed a simple, highly practical approach to acting, designed to cut away the unnecessary and focus on the ability to improvise within the moment of the scene. Practical Aesthetics places rigorous scene analysis at the heart of a process that encourages a tremendous moment to moment improvisation. In Coach Mark Westbrook’s workshop, he will introduce you to some of the core elements of Practical Aesthetics. Using Meisner-inspired repetition games, combined with essential actions, tactics and powerful stimulating as-ifs, you’ll explore the spontaneous moment to moment work that makes acting written scenes a thrilling improvisation. Bring courage, an open mind and playfulness. Please note: Participants will be required to learn a short scene in advance of the session to make the most of the time available.
Mark Westbrook
Mark trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Atlantic Theater Company’s Acting School in New York. As a director, he has directed over twenty productions in the UK and Europe. He is the author of Truth in Action, The Twelve Obstacles and Shakespeare Monologue Audition Success. He is the founder and co-Principal of Acting Coach Scotland, where he runs three full time acting programmes and is also a lecturer in acting for the musical theatre department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Everyone calls him ‘Coach’.
MOVEMENT & VOICE
Lizzie Ballenger
Lizzie is a Movement Coach at RADA. She has taught pure movement and social dance extensively at LAMDA, GSMD, Drama Centre London, Mountview, MMU, Pennsylvanian State University and the NYT.
As a Movement Director and Choreographer, her theatre credits include The Winters Tale for Cheek by Jowl, Rhinoceros at the Royal Court, the National Theatre Studio, Watford Palace, the Soho Theatre and many others, as well as final year productions within drama schools and productions for the Vienna Children’s Theatre. In addition, she regularly works with the conceptual artist Anna Brownsted devising theatre in situ in association with the Cambridge Junction Theatre.
As a Movement Specialist, she coaches through her own company Lizzie Ballinger&Co. Lizzie is writing a book based on the work of pioneering movement specialist Trish Arnold and her mentorship with award-winning Movement director and choreographer Jane Gibson to be published with Bloomsbury 2022.
She also mentors movement practitioners, both online and in person.
To hear more about Lizzie Ballinger’s work, follow the link to a recently recorded podcast:
Emma Woodvine
Emma trained as an actress at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) and completed her MA in Voice with Patsy Rodenburg, also at GSMD.
Specialisms include: practical voice, speech, accent and dialect, RP and classical text.
She also works as a voice and dialect coach in theatre, film and television. Freelance work includes, among others: the RSC, Young Vic, Barbican, Royal Court, Almeida, Manchester Royal Exchange, Opera North and West End theatres.
She works privately on voice, communication and presentation skills with individuals and groups as diverse as actors, architects, GPs and ballroom champions.