Contemporary
Commedia dell'Arte
As a founding member of the contemporary commedia dell'arte troupe Zuppa del Giorno , Jeff has over a decade of experience learning and adapting the genre. The troupe's performance and education initiatives have toured internationally, and incorporate a network of trained and talented artists who can be hired alongside Jeff to bring extensive, immersive commedia dell'arte training to your school or organization. Students will come out of it with a colorful perspective of the historical traditions, and a clarity and specificity to their acting, both comic and dramatic. This course requires at least three weeks' time, but can be adapted to up to a three-month comprehensive program.
Scratch:
Creating (a) Play through Collaboration
Few artistic mediums create a tightly-knit ensemble as effectively as the theatre. It's an environment in which people are uniquely positioned to make use of their conflicts, and help one another moment-to-moment in high-stakes circumstances. In this course of study, students learn to make discoveries through improvisation, then collaborate within the creative limitations of a very specific framework to develop, rehearse and perform an original play. Working between their creative and organizational impulses - moving between the rehearsal studio and the classroom, if you will - leads participants into better "multi-tasking" and clearer mental processes. This course requires at least four weeks' time, and can be adapted to up to a nine-month comprehensive program. A restrained mix of ages is best for this program.
