Category Archives: workshops

Get back into the Swing of things!

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There are a few workshops coming up organized by friends of ours which will help you get into shape for the upcoming slew of productions coming to town. Check it out:
This August we’re offering two amazing short intensive workshops, to expand your skills, refresh what you know, or try something completely different.

Commedia dell’Arte
August 14-19th. 3 evenings and 2 full days at the weekend.
Cost 3500kc (2800 concessions)

Historical fencing/stage combat
August 21st-25th (26th) 3 evenings and a half day (working on full weekend)
Cost 2900kc (No concessions)

Discount price for both courses

Commedia dell’Arte
First up, a commedia dell’arte workshop with the superb and quirky talent of Olly Crick.
Olly has over 30 years experience as an actor, teacher, director, musician, writer, clown and creator of wacky organised chaos on stage.

I have the pleasure to say I worked on three shows with Olly, so I am glad to be able to offer 28 hours of workshop time for people in Prague.

We will cover the basics, history, characters, mask work and physical characterisation in 3 evenings, and follow up with 2 full days at the weekend, where we will devise and perform a small show.
No previous experience is required.
A deposit is required to ensure a spot. Please check out the facebook event.
https://www.facebook.com/events/655802241438204/

Historical fencing/stage combat
Second up, I have contacted some of Prague’s best and most renowned theatre and movie sword players at A.R.G.O. They run an historical fencing school AKA AKA – akademie rytířských umění

We are offering again short intensive. Three evenings and a half day Saturday.

The course will cover basic footwork and techniques for beginners, and present students with some experience more advanced techniques and basic sparring. Aspects of stage combat will also be explored.

The sword styles/schools covered will be Italian rapier and Hungarian sabre.

Presently we’re in negotiation of extending that to a full weekend at their base in Tabor. An incredible historical location with an amazing armoury.

The cost of the course includes hire of equipment: weapons, masks and basic body protection.
No previous experience is required.
A deposit is required to ensure a spot. Please check out the facebook event.
https://www.facebook.com/events/798993097158095/

Gary Condes Meisner Workshop: July 10 – 14, 2017

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Gary Condes teaches in Prague July 10 – 14, 2017

We are very pleased to be hosting the wonderful acting teacher Gary Condes July 10 – 14, 2017. Gary will be working with students from 4-10pm on techniques stemming from his deep knowledge in the Meisner training. Gary writes:

My teaching is deeply rooted in the principles and techniques pioneered by the great Sanford Meisner, but also inspired by selective practices from Stella Adler & Constantine Stanislavsky. Standing on the shoulders of these acting giants, I train actors to work from the personal passions of the heart not from the dry intellect of the head, to create acting that is alive and kicking and truly present in the moment. I train actors to be bold and fearless and yet specific and precise in their expression. Artistry combined with technical discipline to create performances that are full with meaningful behaviour is the goal.

It should be a very exciting week of work! To sign up, please email info@acting.cz. Space is limited! The price per student is 6.200 Kc.

Feedback from Nancy Bishop’s 2-day on Camera Workshop

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Here’s what some students had to say about the recent 2-day on-camera workshop from Nancy Bishop:

The workshop was amazing and working with Nancy is so much fun. She’s smart, easy-going, and mostly knows the business and what the directors want. I learned a lot from her and she made me believe that that I really have what it takes to audition, play roles in front of the camera and show the casters that I can do it. And if I don’t get a role, I still know that someone might be interested someday 🙂

Her positive attitude gave me the courage to go and audition today in Prague Film School in front of the camera and many people. I did so and I wasn’t expecting anything. I went there just to enjoy the casting and I did enjoy every bit of it though I was a little bit nervous 🙂

On camera workshop with Nancy was fun and mind-opening, especially for a beginner actor like me. I have a different approach now on how to analyze scenes before going to auditions, also understood how important it is to ask the “W” questions to really understand what’s going on in the text. Scanning through her book ‘Secrets from the Casting Couch’ between the 2 workshop days was also supporting and helped me to get the most of it in such a short time. The book is a must-read for every actor who wants to learn how to act effectively in front of the camera as well as learning how to self-promote yourself as an actor. I would love to have another opportunity to work with Nancy in the future, which would be a great way of honing my acting skills.

The workshop with Nancy was a great experience because she guided us through all the stages of casting, she showed us individually our pitfalls and she provided valuable feedback on each and everyones performance !
With the book as reference and the personal training from Nancy I think each actor improved his/ her changes hugely to being succesfully cast !

Nancy Bishop’s Workshop was amazing and I had a great time learning from her! It was really interesting to work with talented international students on different kinds of acting exercises and than watch our performances on TV. We could not only see what we’d done, but we also could hear a comments and advices about our work from the view of the great casting director. I learned a lot about actor’s archetypes, actor’s little acting secrets, and how to make a good impression while auditioning. All the information I learnt at Nancy’s workshop is very important for every actor who wants to know more about the craft and improve his/her skills at auditioning.

I found it out very helpful, a lot of things I used in my monday shooting immedietly and it worked just great. I can recommend it to every actor, who wants to go/be in fron of the camera one day, but I think it can be useful for theatre actors also.

I am very excited about the workshop with Nancy. It was GREAT, AWESOME and threre was very pleasant atmosphere. I am really interested in next workshop with Nancy. It is amazing experience.
It definitely helps you in audition. You get bigger confident if you stand up before a camera next time. Thank you for this!!! I had great time.