Friday, September 7, 2007

Commedia Workshop in NYC with Laughing Gravy

Laughing Gravy Theatre Company is a company based in the UK that has recently moved to Brooklyn, NY. They aim to utilize the principles of Commedia dell' Arte to create both masked and unmasked theatre that is accessible to modern audiences. (and if you don't know, their company is named after a great Laurel and Hardy Short. You can see a scene from the movie on Youtube

The founders of the company are Laura Rikard & Paul Attmere. Paul most recently performed in the UK and Europe in the Commedia play Mozart's Music to a Carnival Pantamine with Antonio Fava and in Ur-Hamlet with Eugieno Barba's Odin Teatret in Denmark. He studied at the Desmond Jones School of Mime and Physical Theatre and with Antonio Fava in Italy. He was recently seen in Spacedog's Production of Sinster and The Haunt (nominated Best in Fringe at the 2006 Brighton Festival) and performed in and helped produced Scavenger with Wildstep Theatre for New Zealand Fringe in 2004, which won Best in Fringe.

Laura just returned from touring with the Chamber Theatre Company and was in NYC's first ever Sonnet Walk. She is currently rehearsing the role of Lady Macbeth for New Perspectives Theatre Company. She graduated from the graduate program at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where Paul and she have taught Commedia workshops for the past two years. She trained in Commedia with Antonio Fava. She has also taught acting and Commedia for theatres and schools in NYC, South Carolina and Florida. She can be seen in Magnolia Pictures upcoming film The Great World of Sound.

They are offering their first Commedia workshop in NY on September 30 and October 1, 2007. The class is a one day intensive for beginners designed to guide students through the physicality and motivations of all the basic stock characters from Commedia dell' Arte. Students will also work with authentic leather commedia masks. Attendance in the class may possibly lead to future performance opportunities.

The workshop will be from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a one hour lunch break. The cost of the workshop is $50, and will be held at Playwrights Horizons,
416 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th avenues,
North rehearsal room, 5th floor.

For more information, please contact Laura at commediaworkshop@gmail.com
or call 347-689-4907.

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