There is crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
(Leonard Cohen)

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A SEMINAR

A Seminar is a playful epistemological banquet.

A Seminar is a space of reflection and intellectual elaboration: it creates a field of discussion, with analysis, examples, questions and synthesis. Experiential exercises are integrated by moments of discussion and intellectual, poetical and emotional integration.
A Seminar gives food for the mind, references, history of ideas, articulation of principles, awareness of awareness.


Etymology tells us that the word theory means something you observe, a spectacle. It is connected with the word theatre. They both contain the element thea = to look at, to see, to have visions.
A theory is a choreography of ideas and principles moving in the mind space and seen by awareness. An intellectual performance to attend and enjoy. A theory that can’t be performed in space is, most likely, not that good.


The seminar will include different ingredients:


• Lectures on pedagogic theory and practice
• Collective Exercises

• Improvisations

• Work in small groups

• Discussion on the questions from the participants
• Supervision of projects or scenes presented by the participants

THE THEORETICAL INPUTS

The lineage of the work and the political dimension of the body and the theatrical process:

• Movement Based Theatre of Jacques Lecoq: everything moves and to imitate the world is to know the world by playing at becoming it. The Poetic Body is the shapeshifting body of the actor-creator playing every form of nature and humanity as a Mask.

• Gestalt: being in contact with the here and now of the relationship with the world.
 Gestalts are figures emerging from the background. Awareness in the contact.
• The somatic lineage of Wilhelm Reich: what is not expressed remains impressed in the body. The cycle of embodiment of emotions: excitation, repression, impression, expression, amplification, play. The political body.
• Archetypal Psychology by James Hillman: our psyche is a community of roles, figures and characters. And so is society.
• Process Work by Arnold Mindell: the Dreambody and the shapeshifting nature of our psyche.
• Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal: theatre as political engagement.
• Elements of History of Theatre and its relationship with politics.

  • The Greek Roots: Tragedy, Satiric Drama and Comedy
  • The Indigenous Roots: theatre as a ritual of collective ecstasy and shapeshifting
  • Theatre as collective storytelling.

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THE PROGRAM

Day 1: Physical Characters
Characters: passions, urges and dramatic drives.
Creating and Playing with Physical characters.
Mask and counter-mask.
States of consciousness and states of awareness: play as a non-ordinary state.


Day 2: Clowns
The sublime stupidity of the Clown.
The individual clown as an amplification of somatic processes.
Laughing at oneself: Humor for Activists.
The Hero and the Clown: the fight and the letting go.

Day 3: Grotesque Characters
Levels of expression and levels of playing.
Amplification and grotesque.
Amplification as revelation of the shadow.
Using grotesque characters to mirror the roles of society.


Day 4: Bouffons
Collective Tragedies and the Collective Roles.
Playing with the wound: the excitation of the hurt.
From roles to games: the dynamic of mocking.
Mocking as knowledge. Mocking as compassion. Mocking as provocation.
Satire and paradoxical storytelling.
Death as a Trickster and an ally: the Fool and the King working together. 

Day 5: The Chorus
The Collective nature of Theatre
From the crowd to the chorus
Witnessing as amplified awareness
Marching as performance
Masks and political rituals

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PRACTICALITIES

The experiential part of the seminar will offer tools for self-awareness through the power of expression, embodiment and humor, as well as theatrical tool for direct action. Previous experiences and practice of movement based theatre are required. A strong and playful desire of diving in one’s own folly is required !


The seminar will provide a variety of insights, knowledge, exercises and tools for practitioners. All material will be shared for the common good of individual and collective awareness and as a celebration of pedagogic research and creation. 


SCHEDULE
January 20th to 24th
From 9:30am to 5:30pm

Each day includes a one-hour lunch break and two coffee-breaks.
Please note that the workshop is a learning continuum, so it is not possible to attend the class only in parts, or to miss any session of the work.

LOCATION
Coburg Uniting Church
19 Victoria St, Coburg VIC 3058, Australia

There are a limited number of diversity scholarships for people who self identify as being underrepresented in the physical theatre landscape, please contact Giovanni and Kimberley directly to enquire about this. 

Please note that tuition does not include accommodation and that participants will be responsible for organizing their staying in Melbourne.

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HOW TO APPLY
There is no application form.
To apply to the workshop please email a letter of motivation sharing the essence of your story, vision, dream, desire, fear or un-explicable intuition that leads you to this seminar.
Please note that a previous experience in Physical Theatre is required.
Please include in your letter:
– a brief artistic BIO
– two fundamental questions that you would like to be addressed during the seminar.

Giovanni will contact you after receiving the application.
Giovanni will select the students among the applications received, forming the group.
Priority will be giving to those who have previously trained with Giovanni over the last few years.
Once Giovanni has accepted 24 participants, the seminar is full, and a waiting list will be created.

For any question regarding the pedagogical content of the class and if you are interested in attending the workshop, please send your letter of motivation to

For enrollment and practical enquiries please contact

Once the seminar will be confirmed, participants will receive a message containing further practical details.

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