2:00pm – 5:00pm: Introduction to Fitzmaurice Voicework with Lee Su-Feh
Fitzmaurice Voicework® is a whole-body approach to voice that, in founder Catherine Fitzmaurice's words, "explores the dynamics between body, breath, voice, the imagination, language and presence." The method integrates adaptations of classical voice training with modifications of yoga, bioenergetics and other body-centered disciplines to harmonize the voluntary and involuntary aspects of the nervous system and breath. This integration cultivates voices that can communicate intention and feeling without excess effort.
Fitzmaurice Voicework® supports the full spectrum of vocal expression—whether for performance, public speaking, singing, voice with movement, vocal rehabilitation, or simply developing greater presence and connection to yourself.
In this introduction to the method, we will mainly explore Tremorwork®, a series of dynamic efforts that utilize the involuntary tremoring of muscles to bring awareness to breath, sensations and habitual tensions in our bodies. We will practice coupling our voices to these physical experiences.
Please bring:
- A yoga mat
- A cushion or thick towel you can roll up (ideally a zafu or meditation cushion if you have one). This will be used to elevate or support parts of the body for greater ease and comfort as we explore different positions and efforts.
- A short piece of memorized text (about 8-12 lines) that you can play and work with.
6:00pm - 9:00pm: 殺陣 (Tate): Exploring the Japanese Performing Art of Sword Combat and Movement with Hitotose
Have you ever watched a Samurai sword fighting performance? Join us to learn this cultural performing arts! Our workshop focuses on a Japanese-style stage combat, known as 殺陣 (Tate), a traditional Japanese performing art. You may have seen these techniques in films or on stage. Unlike martial arts, 殺陣 is a choreographed blend of fighting and acting. We’ll share the unique Japanese movements, balance, and body control that make this art form so special. You’ll also connect with your partners through non-verbal communication, using vocal cues, eye contact, and expressive body language to enhance your performance. Even though it looks like we’re fighting, it’s really about teamwork. By the end of the session, participants will showcase their new skills in a group performance.
Hitotose is a group specializing in Japanese-style stage combat, founded by Haruno Niiyama and Yuki Kedoin.
Participants should wear athletic shoes/clothing and bring a water bottle.
2:00pm - 5:00pm: Devising Through Text, Body, and Image with Tara Cheyenne-Friedenberg
Using all of our resources as performing artists and creators to explore the practice of devising our own work. Through playful investigation, we will experiment with generating text, using found text, creating movement scores, using image as inspiration and creating image as catalyst for text and character. This workshop is about digging into methods and strategies for creation that resonate with you, and opening up possibilities you may not have considered.
2:00pm - 5:00pm: Monologue Session 1
In these sessions, a limited number of actors will work in-depth on Shakespeare monologues. Each actor will have approximately 20 minutes of one-on-one workshop time while the rest of the group is present to support their work.
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Improvising Shakespeare with Zach Wolfman
Learn the basics of Improvising Shakespeare from a member of Vancouver's premier Improvised Shakespeare Company. Brush up on your iambic pentameter, poetry, and rhyme in a safe and inclusive learning environment that will equip you with tips, tools, and techniques used by professional theatre artists to improvise in the style of the bard. This workshop is intended for performers of all skill and experience levels.
2:00pm - 5:00pm: Using Alexander Technique to Make Choices in Real Time with Gabriella Minnes-Brandes
In this session we will explore how principles of the Alexander Technique support performers. We will learn to observe our automatic and habitual responses to stimuli and try out new ways of responding. We will then learn to make choices based on efficiency and thought. We will work with daily movements as well as text to enhance our observation skills and our ability to make choices in real time. The session may include hands-on work, individual work, pair work and group work.
Bring a one minute text. Be prepared to move, speak, observe, reflect and experiment.
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Examining the Uta Hagen Technique with Damion LeClair
Using two of Uta Hagen's acting exercises, ( Object Exercise/Nine Questions) actors will delve into the world of their character and experiment through improvisational exercises, ending with a final culmination of what they learned through a performance of their monologue of choice.
Please prepare: A Contemporary or Classic 1-2 minute monologue, and bring a few simple objects/props for the object exercise (something to complete a task you do every day, for example: make breakfast, make coffee, picking an outfit, putting on shoes etc). We want to avoid pantomiming as much as possible!
2:00pm - 5:00pm: Complete Breath Support with Charlotte Herst
If thought is visible in your body through tension, how can you collaborate with your body instrument so that your breath impulse is free to respond without restriction, even in emotional scenes?
With the help of the alexander technique process, we'll explore the habits that keep us stuck, recognising moments where taking the breath or forcing the voice can limit our spontaneous connection to character, influencing movement, vocal health and well-being.
What is breath support? Through the lens of speech, classical voice and coordination in relationship to gravity, we'll deepen the foundations for breath possibility - supporting spine, emotions, voice and imagination. By clarifying our understanding of breath and vocal anatomy (body mapping), and experimenting with our breath's influence on our nervous system, we'll work with our design to get into step with our reflexive breath - surprising ourselves with the freedom to transform by being instead of doing.
Please wear clothes you can breathe and move in.
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Monologue Session 2
In these sessions, a limited number of actors will work in-depth on Shakespeare monologues. Each actor will have approximately 20 minutes of one-on-one workshop time while the rest of the group is present to support their work.
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Fights, Falls, and Friendship with Mike Kovac & Sylvie La Riviere
A dive into the world of Stage Combat. Gain confidence and experience as you grow from using your own individual physicality into telling stories involving other people and their own unique abilities. If all storytelling involves conflict, then there's a number of ways we can tell that - we can sing, talk, dance... but why not fight about it?
Wear athletic shoes/clothing and bring a water bottle.
2:00pm - 5:00pm: Consent-Based Rehearsal Practises with Lisa Goebel
Through movement-based exercises, this workshop will focus on communication, safety, and consent during the rehearsal process. Participants will explore open communication and how to advocate for themselves and fellow artists in a respectful way, creating opportunities for the work to become more dynamic and specific.
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Composing with Texture to Sculpt Sound
Join sound designer Anju Singh for an intro to sound textures. We will use found, recorded, and designed sonic artifacts to compose scores using dense textural walls to support stage based performance.
If possible, bring a laptop to this session.
2:00pm - 5:00pm: To Write a Lovely Sonnet is So Nice! with Christine Quintana
Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets throughout his life - 14 line poems in iambic pentameter. His sonnets span themes of love, longing, jealousy and mortality, and many have become some of the best-known poems in the English language. We will take a look at the structure and style of Shakespeare's sonnets, break down the literary techniques, and then write sonnets of our own! Participants may write on any topic they choose in any language they choose, as we adapt and remix the Shakespearean sonnet style to create our own poetry.
Come try your hand at writing like the Bard,
Perhaps you'll see it's really not that hard...
Please bring a pen/pencil and notebook, or a device to write on!
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Dramaturgy and Shakespearean Structure with Stephen Drover
This workshop will explore dramatic structure and how it can inform artistic process. Participants will consider well-known stories (as found in songs, movies, and plays) and how they are composed. We will then analyze the shape of a Shakespeare play and how his recurring and reliable dramaturgy can be used to inform directing a production, building a character, or speaking a speech.
If you own a Complete Works of Shakespeare, bring it to this session! If not, there will be copies available.
2:00 - 5:00pm: Drawing the Language of the Body: Exploring Portrait and Figure Through Charcoal and Gesture
This hands-on workshop invites actors to explore drawing as a tool for deepening awareness of physical and emotional expression. Participants will learn foundational techniques in figure and portrait drawing, with an emphasis on observation and gesture. Through quick and extended studies, we will examine the human face and form—our own and each other’s—using tactile mark- making. The focus is not on creating perfect drawings but on enhancing sensory and kinesthetic awareness. These skills can enrich performance by sharpening how actors observe, interpret, and embody movement and expression. Drawing becomes a way to visualize the subtle stories the body tells. Get your hands dirty, explore creative process, and connect with yourself and others in new ways. No drawing experience is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to look/listen and respond.
Please wear relaxed clothes that can get dirty! Charcoal is messy! 🙂
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Ensemble Thinking with Julie Lebel
With attention to lineages, attribution, and accessibility in improvisation practice, participants will explore Lower Left's Ensemble Thinking: a system of improvisational compositional group scores that increase capacity for collaborative creation. Dancers will explore Ensemble Thinking's principal scores to tune and refine the individual's ability to perceive, initiate, and support collective action and create a "Big Picture" to support articulated compositions. The facilitator welcomes contributions of diverse backgrounds, aesthetics, performance practices, or physical capabilities in this workshop.
Bring comfortable clothes to move, a book, water, snack and pen.