Tuesday 10 September 2013

Workshops #2

Improv for Beginners

The journey to the unknown starts off the discovery and exploration of improvisation with Nathan's focus of play and playfulness. Throughout the workshop we get to know the players and discover the unknown together and exploring what improv is and playing with this art form. Covering topics from Keith Johnstone, Viola Spolin and some from the infamous Nathan Keates (amongst others). By the end of the workshop you should have a good understanding of the basics in art form of improvisation and can stroll through the wonders that are your journey to the unknown.
We call the process the 'journey to the unknown' because no one can tell you how to improvise and everyone has a different 'journey' or process to finding their approach that suits them.

200e (3 hour Workshop)
350e (Full day 6 hour Workshop)

Musical Improv: A Cappella

Release the sensation of the highest quality through musical improvisation. Push your skills and get out your way, as spontaneous songs burst out of you. In the workshop, we discover the roots of creating astonishment in your audience with the explosive chorus, tender verses and brilliant bridges. The exploration of a capella urges the performers to engage in the utmost co-operation and group mind. In this way, the need to play with each other is highly important. The session covers creating an opening number into the story to a grand ending using wonderful spontaneous choreography and sublime songs. No need to be a singer if you just go for gold!

220e (3 Hour Team Workshop)

Shut-Up and be Silent: make everything from the nothing

In the quiet, there is the physical. In the scene, there is the tonality. In the air, there is the everything. This everything can be read, said without words and communicated thoroughly. Bodies are subtle and radiate more than words. Even the exaggerated has its form and utility. Showing a simple gesture, motion or stillness grips and gauges. The forms this leads to are clown, soundtracking, physical theatre forms, mindful scenework and more.

200e (3 Hour Team Workshop)


Youth Improv

Young people develop a loss of creativity or adaptability, rather, as they get older. To sustain the youthful playfulness, getting those ages into improvisation will manage to keep their growth and development to a more open and accepting nature.
Here is an article I wrote about this for The Sprout, a Cardiff-based online youth magazine. Click here.

200e (3 hour Workshop)
350e (Full day 6 hour Workshop)

Processworks: beyond your limitations and edge

People have opinions that we sometimes agree with and other times do not. Processworks is a system of exploration of our views and opinions that uses applied improvisation to find our personal limitations, our edge of capability and asks us to overcome them. It is a way of discussing that breaks-down and passed culture, society and self and allows us to fully express and discover. This is the maximisation of discourse through improv that will help people engage and fully realise themselves immersively.
Here is an article I wrote about this for The Sprout, a Cardiff-based online youth magazine. Click here.

200e (3 hour Workshop)
350e (Full day 6 hour Workshop)


The Magic of Wizardy

With mind, body and our verbose antics, we form the art. World creation through Physical aesthetics and the Embodiment of new universals focus the ensemble. In these Retrospective realities, the unexplored can be scavenged. The impossibilities are mobilised. Trance-based Improv

How about KJ's trance masks - without the masks? This is based on the ritualisation of masks and the hypnotic-like capacities that people have to be free within oneself. No hypnotism will happen. We achieve an altered-state of consciousness (ASC) through intensifying the flow state that we seek in improv, anyway. It can be crazy. It can be wild. It should be explores - so, lets! For the Main classes available, see here!

Tuesday 28 May 2013

The Show May Just Go [February 2011]

Past Articles were written for Ludus Ludius Improv.

#3: Improvisation (youth)

The Show May Just Go [February 2011]

Certain change is in the air. Ludus Ludius has an update. What is the news to tell? Theatre funding cuts are forcing many long-time survivors to now struggle. The air is thin and so will peoples hair line. Soon enough the high rocking musical, Hair will have to be called Bald. Still nonetheless after the cast causing audiences lung cancer from smoking onstage I think baldness is the least of the issues there.

Really now, change is most certainly about. We are focusing on less community or theatrical endeavours (if we can let some projects go) and more on youth and applied improvisation. However this means gathering improvisers together for a tighter network and community for performers. Ludus Ludius looks at what we can really do to overcome the depressive period of financial struggle to achieve the most. What I think is to combine minds and utilise everyones skill. If someone can juggle, can we improvise with it? If someone tap dances, of course we can improvise with it. If someone can milk a cow, we can definitely improvise with it. Any route into improvisation is said, a lot, to work better when you are not just a performer. I have once heard a group of scientists that started a group and there was a magnificent quality to the production that occurred. Ludus Ludius are on the search for more youngsters between the ages of eleven and eighteen years of age. In order to make this possible what the youth groups need is appropriate workshopping spaces for training young improvisers. Anyone who is able to help or wants to learn to improvise can get in touch in the usual manner, nathan@ludusludius.co.uk.
However, the show may just go. For most in the industry of culture or entertainment it has been and doubtlessly will be the show must go on. However, with cuts this is mighty troublesome and I think we should change the statement. For sure we can when it comes to the lovely art form of improvisation. We start a show and who knows what can happen. The format may alter as we go along, such as freeing the format that I have workshopped last year with some experienced players. For example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWBA-AsgNYI. In this clip we see the freedom of the players to improvise with whatever happens. Every poster I try to design for a new show turns out as this at the moment. (But that is the whole reason I began improvising). The show may just go also, because we may have one show, or it could take flight and we have struck the lucky bell of Tokyo and here we come. Either way after funding cuts and sad looks of vast amount of faces we turn to our youth society to seek the improvements. Get the opportunity for spontaneous workings to work and the future can look bright.

To see the bright light of the future that is on display ask your local youth centre to get Ludus Ludius Youth to perform their TV-style improvised comedy production, Shock The Geek. (We are yet to pilot it and test out the games that the humorous blighters play).

Thank you for your attention and don't forget to email anything to nathan@ludusludius.co.uk.

Mouse That Soared [December 2010]

Past articles were written for Ludus Ludius Improv.

#2: Improvisation (General)

Mouse That Soared [December 2010]

The article was in the Daily Mirror on Friday 12th November 2010. There I was sat in Chapter Arts looking for a interesting article. What I saw from this mouse was delightful. The article explained that the mouse was after food. This 'little fella' is just like an improvisation player, or improviser, as us little fellas are also after our food. Food being something we need and like.

Our little fella in this article was keeping his eye on the food and
climbed up an axe handle and soared through the air for the delicious reward. His leap was not based on the possibility that he (or she) may fail. The little fella didn't calculate or hesitate about how he (or she) may get to the other side. Therefore, our little fella risked without pause for what he (or she) desired.

Each time us little fellas climb up our axe handle onto the stage we do so by hurling ourselves into the unknown. If its just for a grain of corn that is enough. We risk failure and we do not hesitate and certainly we cannot calculate. (There has been times were we end up in a mathematical problem and then we quickly work it out and say it, but this is not what I mean). By all means there is no hurry, the little fella didn't rush up the axe and dive dive dive. Alike us we keep our eye on the food and steadily explore and soar. The air is our ground. The heights are the wonder. The sensation is our stimulus. The snapper (photographer) for the little fella that made it all happen for the mouse, he is our watcher too. They snap us every moments we offer. Our snappers make the show.

Our audiences like to see our risk. That's what they snap up. The offer, the building something together, the unknowing and risk. The photo caught a mouse soaring, This is just as delightful as if we saw it in person. This, thus, means that no matter how rapid fire the manouevre is there will still be pleasure from it. Same risk, same goodness. The snapper was Scott, 33 year old. He had taken other brilliant photographs too. The main reason he is worthwhile mentioning further is because he said, "it was a challenge." Risk is a challenge, we indulge it.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/12/the-mouse-that-soared-115875-22710497/

Young Spontaneity [October 2010]

Past Articles were written for Ludus Ludius Improv.

#1: Improvisation (Youth)
Young Spontaneity [October 2010]

It is human nature to be spontaneous. When we are young toddlers we are intrigued by a lot. This state of being is useful. We learn we discover and we dont hold any prejudice over what we discover or see. As adults it is remarkably the opposite. However we still have no choice to be spontaneous.
What changes the inquisitive nature of the child as we grow up? Keith Johnstone blames the education system. This could well be true, but what I see is more than that. Its the social implications of being seen as a bit too risky, a bit too wild. A person that can and will do anything at any point is too much to comprehend. In a romantic relationship its a common request that, I want my partner to be more spontaneous. Why is this a request? You play too safe and we get bored. What life can be when we are more spontaneous is therefore not boring.

Even as an audience in watching an improv show, if the players keep doing the safe games in the same roles in a classic format, then it does become more tedious and too safe. (Short-form improvisational comedy shows are classically formatted by various games played which have players in certain roles in the game  the scenes that are created are never the same; however the format can be).

We do not like feeling safe: What is a mid-life crisis? Is it someone who has lived their life without risk and change? If this is an agreeable statement, then perhaps our young community needs more spontaneity to allow this to continue through their lives. If its not an agreeable statement, then we can further the connection, but lets leave that to another time.

The reason that this article is written is due to Ludus Ludius Youth having been run for awhile now and the experience of the young improvisational players having sporadic imaginations or the polar opposite. We are in fact aiming for the more difficult task  not because of a personal choice, but as its the more suitable option for the players. Tight, restrictive rules are seemingly always too much. Freer scene work is preferable. Personally, every time that we explore something new, be it a new group or age range then we all learn and discover something new.

Young spontaneity in these days is highly interesting. Do you want to watch? Do you want to participate? Do you think we should keep spontaneity flowing through all our life, not just the very young?

Its easy to share your thoughts and get involved with this, email nathan@ludusludius.co.uk and join our mailing list or share thoughts and ask to part-take.