If you’re a performing artist who lives or works in Brunswick or nearby then you are invited to dinner!

Kimberley Twiner of Melbourne Physical Theatre School is hosting a night of sharing, listening and eating. The Brunswick area is full of creative people at various levels of experience. Performing artists have a lot to say and sometimes it can feel like there’s no one listening. The invitation is to come, connect and eat. You can meet Tim, your local member for Brunswick as well as connect with other local artists. The goal is simply to be listened to, so if you have something to share about the struggles or triumphs, questions or confusions then you must come.

What is a performing artist? An artist/human who engages in the practice of performing either for love or money, for both or beyond.

“Politicians focus so much on the serious stuff, like healthcare, education and employment, that it's easy to forget that we need things to look forward to, to live for and to discuss. Performing arts add meaning to our lives”. - Tim

You can read more about Tim Read, Brunswick’s first Greens MP in Victorian Parliament here.

Date: Tuesday, July 22nd

Schedule: 6.30pm arrival, 7:00pm dinner, 7:45pm listening starts

Cost: Free

For catering purposes it is important that you reserve your place.

All food will be vegetarian. There is an opportunity to flag other dietary requirements in the reservation process.

RESERVATION LINK

https://www.trybooking.com/DCGVB

Lead teacher: Beth Twentyman

Co-teacher: Daryl Pellizzer

Produced by Melbourne Physical Theatre School

Come and play in the larval mask world! A 3-day introductory workshop for people interested in mask characters and the poetic space they live in.

What is a Larval Mask?

Larval masks, derived from Basel carnival traditions, were adopted by Jacques Lecoq for actor training. They are simplified, unpainted white masks used to explore physical and emotional expression in the body calling for gestures before words. In the Lecoq pedagogy of mask, mime and movement theatre, these masks are central to making the students aware of physical expression and embodiment of character. They are a silent mask therefore the need for physicality is heightened.

How to play in Larval Mask?

Larval masks create a space of sensitivity and deep naivety. Beth Twentyman will guide participants through breath, movement and play exercises to activate subtle communication skills and gestural language. Through the amplification of movement the Larval mask will introduce participants to a world where characters really come to life. Students will see ‘the beginning’ of character expression, gesture and emotion. Inside all of this the group will learn techniques of playing masks eg. fixed point, mime, projecting space, action + reaction and sensitivity to the audience. Larval masks both tragic and comic, thus have an incredible power for storytelling.

Who is it for?

Performers, artists, physical theatre and movement practitioners. It is open to people with a little or a lot of theatre experience. Adults of all abilities are welcome. If you are a human interested in humanity you will probably like this work a lot!
The work will cover:

• Grounding into the body, space, the mask
• Cultivating a balanced and energised physical movement preparation
• Movement analysis - how does each mask move?
• Creating characters through movement/embodiment
• Mask playing techniques
• Improvisational mime
• Play/spontaneity in theatrical space
• Non-verbal communication/action based theatre
• Getting out of the head and into the body!

When:

Fri, Sat, Sun

9.30am - 5.00pm

June 27th, 28th, 29th

**It is compulsory to attend all classes as this is a strict learning continuum aka one class leads into the next. Students will not be allowed to arrive late or leave early.

Where:

Donkey Wheelhouse, 673 Bourke St, Melbourne CBD, VIC, 3000
Prices

Super Early Bird Price (EXTENDED UNTIL June 25th): $300.00

Normal Price: $375.00

**Your fee contains a non-refundable deposit of $150.00. The deposit secures your position in the course.

Minimum participants: 8

Maximum participants: 20

**Minimum number of participants must be enrolled by June 13th for the workshop to go ahead.

BOOK NOW

Beth Twentyman - Lead Teacher

Beth is a mask-maker, movement teacher and performance artist based in Melbourne. Physical communication skills, body language, creativity and play are foundational blocks that shape Beth’s work. Discovering Giovanni Fusetti’s approach to theatre and the therapeutic benefits of play, led her to study at Helikos International School of Theatre Creation, Italy in 2013. Alongside a rigorous training in physical theatre, movement and devising, she trained in mask-making with Matteo Destro and then Advanced Pedagogic Theatrical movement with Giovanni Fusetti and has continued to hone this craft ever since.

Darryl Pellizer - Co-teacher

Daryl is a performer of drama, dance and has trained in Ideokinesis and Aikido both of which he continues to incorporate into his work today. He has worked performing and creating theatre within Australia and toured internationally. As a teacher Daryl has worked in Australian primary and secondary schools, tertiary colleges and universities and in various community and arts contexts. His Interest in storytelling and physical theatre led him to workshops with Monika Pagneux and Phillippe Gaulier. In 2011 he intensified this training by enrolling in Helikos, International School of Theatre Creation with Giovanni Fusetti. He graduated in 2014 and continues the work with his colleague, Beth Twentyman.

Melbourne Physical Theatre School X PO PO MO CO

Lead teacher: Kimberley Twiner

A fun, short workshop where we will create characters from wigs!

We can create characters from so many inspiration points. This workshop will use wigs as the starting point. Bring your own wig or use one of the many wigs from my collection. That wig of your choice will have a certain dynamic, a particular way of moving. We will do movement analysis of the wig and see how we can transform that dynamic into a heightened character or masked state.

Participants will focus on:

• Physical theatre and physical comedy through the Lecoq pedagogy of Mask, Mime and Movement theatre
• Movement analysis aka Mimo Dynamiques
• Humanizing abstract movement patterns into characters
• Being consistent in a character
• Performance skills and presence

Date: June 10th

Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Location: Pascoe Vale South Uniting Church, 10 Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale, 3044

Cost: Prices start at $55.00

*There must be a minimum of 10 participants enrolled by 1 week prior for this to go ahead

BOOK NOW FOR WIG TIMES

Lead teacher: Kimberley Twiner

It’s really, really easy to play together if we are working towards the same thing.

This day-long workshop will share a whole bunch of 101’s on how to improvise together through the lens of physical comedy. We will draw on classic techniques and exercises that support people to drop in to play very quickly with each other. The work will be grounded in physical theatre and physical comedy through the Lecoq pedagogy of Mask, Mime and Movement theatre. The Lecoq pedagogy is a highly embodied method of devising for the Actor-Creator.

Students will learn about:

• Physicalizing a ‘yes’ energy
• Performance skills that allow you to focus on the present
• What to notice when working with a partner
• Technique on crescendo aka developing a game/theme
• Working emergently aka what is happening now rather than controlling or driving a scene
• The roles present in us that can hijack our capacity to improvise

Date: June 17th

Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Location: Pascoe Vale South Uniting Church, 10 Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale, 3044

Cost: Prices start at $55.00

*There must be a minimum of 10 participants enrolled by 1 week prior for this to go ahead

BOOK NOW FOR PLAY TIMES

Lead teacher: Kimberley Twiner

SPEAKING IS BANNED!

What happens when we ban spoken text from our improvising and our games? Most of the time we get seriously good physical comedy!

This one day workshop will be a dive into physical comedy in all its purity. The participants are invited to not speak during the games and improvisations. During the day the teacher will speak to explain the exercises but once the participants are in they will play in silence.

This workshop will be great for beginners who want an introduction to physical comedy and also great for experienced performers who want to return and refine the practice of playing non-verbally. Also, it will be great fun for any people interested in how humans can connect and play non-verbally.

Participants will focus on:

• Physical theatre and physical comedy through the Lecoq pedagogy of Mask, Mime and Movement theatre
• Mime, gesture and clearly articulating the body
• Projecting dramatic space
• Finding ‘themes’ to play without words
• Games and improvisations
• Micro devising tasks both solo and ensemble
• Presence and connection to stage partner and audience

Date: June 24th

Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Location: Pascoe Vale South Uniting Church, 10 Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale, 3044

Cost: Prices start at $55.00

*There must be a minimum of 10 participants enrolled by 1 week prior for this to go ahead

BOOK NOW FOR SILENT TIMES

Autumn 2025

Bouffon: Studies in Mockery, Satire and Grotesque (8 weeks) - by Kimberley Twiner

Shakespeare's Voice (4 weeks) - by Rob Meldrum

Summer 2024

Pedagogic Supervision Group (2 days) - by Giovanni Fusetti

The Greenhouse of Fools (5 days) - by Giovanni Fusetti

The Politics of The Fool (5 days) - by Giovanni Fusetti

Conversations with The Fool (5 days) - by Giovanni Fusetti

Winter 2024

Bouffon: Play Fuels the Fire (5 days) - by Kimberley Twiner

A Clown is Born (5 days) - by Kimberley Twiner

Summer 2023/24

Australia Dell'Arte (2 weeks) - by Giovanni Fusetti

Clowns Life (2 weeks) - by Giovanni Fusetti

Winter 2023

Melodrama: More is More (3 days) - by Kimberley Twiner

Character: An Embodied Way In (3 days) - by Kimberley Twiner

Physical Theatre Conditioning: Invigorating the Poetic Body - by Kimberley Twiner

Mimodynamique Training: Animal Drives - by Kimberley Twiner

Autumn 2023

Physical Theatre Conditioning: Invigorating the Poetic Body - by Kimberley Twiner

Mimodynamique Training: Animal Drives - by Kimberley Twiner

Summer 2023

Mimodynamique of The Colours - by Kimberley Twiner

Bouffon (5 Days) - by Kimberley Twiner

Summer 2022

The 20 Movements - by Giovanni Fusetti

The Red Nose Journey - by Giovanni Fusetti

The Neutral Mask in Nature - by Giovanni Fusetti

The Spirit of Commedia dell'Arte - by Giovanni Fusetti

Winter 2021

Abbotsford Convent Pivot Residency Project - by Kimberley Twiner

Autumn 2021

Bouffon 2 Day Workshop - by Kimberley Twiner

Clown Play 2 Day Workshop - by Kimberley Twiner

Flock Fit in the Park Series - by Kimberley Twiner

Winter 2020

Outdoor Physical Theatre Conditioning Series - by Kimberley Twiner

Summer 2020

From the Neutral Mask to Red Nose - by Giovanni Fusetti

The Pedagogy of Bouffon - by Giovanni Fusetti

Bouffon and the Ecstasy of Mocking - by Giovanni Fusetti

Spring 2020

Drag 101: Performing Skills - by Kimberley Twiner

Character Charge Up - by Kimberley Twiner

Copeau: Texts on Theatre by Jacques Copeau

The Archetypal Artist by Mary Antonia Wood

A History of the Dance by Curt Sachs

Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord

The Dance Cure by Dr Peter Lovatt

Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreich

The Poetic Body (also known as The Moving Body) by Jacques Lecoq

Women Who Run With The Wolves by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The Empty Space by Peter Brook

Why Is That So Funny? by John Wright

True and False by David Mamet

Every Little Movement by Ted Shawn