Written in the Body
SESSION I - February 11-13 (€75)
Sunday - Monday 7pm - 9pm UK; Tuesday 7pm - 9.30pm UK
SESSION II - March 3-5 (€75)
Sunday - Monday 7pm - 9pm UK; Tuesday 7pm - 9.30pm UK
SESSION III - April 21-23, 28 (€90)
Sunday - Monday 7pm - 9pm UK; Tuesday 7pm - 9.30pm UK; Sunday (April 28) 6pm - 8pm UK
This journey will lead you through interdisciplinary movement, writing, drawing and creative tasks that will invite you into the vast creativity of your subconscious and your memories, to share your inner world through your work.
In this dynamic workshop series, we use embodied movement practices to train your subtle creative muscles to connect the dots between physical, cognitive and artistic processes, and to reconnect to the creative source of your lived experience.
Each workshop will culminate in the creation of an original piece of text, physical score or performance.
An online workshop to transform your artistry as a performer, actor, creator, and for those embarking on a path of self-discovery, reconnecting with the potential of the body and mind.
You can sign up for one of the workshops, each of which will focus on a specific aspect of performance making. If you come to all 3 workshops, you will be able to build on the learnings and materials developed in each session, which will build up to the creation of an original piece of performance (with a text/subtext, a visual identity, physical actions), that can be documented on video.
We will concentrate on three main avenues of engaging the body in creative tasks: through movement, writing and drawing. Each of them are forms of physical expression (afterall, writing and drawing are like small intricate dances performed by our hands). Each time, we will rigorously train your subtle creative muscles to connect the dots between physical and cognitive processes. We will impart skills and practices that will enrich your spontaneity and craft as an actor, performer and maker.
Sign up for 2 workshops for a 15% discount, and for all 3 workshops it would be €200.
Research has shown that the site of learning and creativity is within our body.
Our focus is not on a specific aesthetic or form, but rather on enhancing the integration of your imaginative, physical, and mental instruments.
SESSION 1 TEXT/SUBTEXT
Facilitated by Matej Matejka and Elisabeth Gunawan
February 11-13 (€75)
Sunday - Monday 7pm - 9pm UK; Tuesday 7pm - 9.30pm UK
In this workshop, we will focus on the early part of creation, by disarming and preparing you to discover stories from your embodied experience. Text, whether it is spoken and performed, or silently planted as subtext, is a crucial and essential tool for creating performative physical actions and captivating stories.
Drawing inspiration from a wealth of ‘stories’ (including poems, essays, letters and songs), we will return to foundational questions of how humans communicate their experiences with words, and how shared meaning-making happens between the speaker and the audience.
Each session will begin with a physical warmup and exploration to loosen the body and the creative muscles, and eventually transition into free drawing and writing, journaling and prompted writing exercises. At the end of the three days, you will have the opportunity to share your original (work-in-progress) writing and receive feedback.
This workshop is for anyone with a desire to create original performative work or autobiographical work, even and especially 1) those who want to integrate the process of writing with movement research & physical devising, 2) ‘non-writers’, who feel lost in a traditional writing class and would like to gain exciting approaches into working with text.
SESSION 2 ACTIONS
Facilitated by Matej Matejka
March 3-5 (€75)
Sunday - Monday 7pm - 9pm UK; Tuesday 7pm - 9.30pm UK
This workshop will focus on movement research, exploring exercises and tools for creating performative actions based on text, subtext and story. Drawing from Matej’s experience and research in physical theatre—deconstructing beyond a Grotowskian lineage to incorporate multiple contemporary movement, dance, martial arts and well-being practices—we will explore presence, tension and release, improvisation and various tools to shape and develop visceral performative actions.
Taking advantage of the online format of the workshop and the privacy of your own space, we will go deeper into self-led and reflective individual practice, which are crucial for any physical practitioner or performer.
As a starting off point, participants will bring in text and a visual moodboard to explore throughout the practices. Each session will lead you through physical warmups, into different exploratory and creative tools for developing a physical language that is unique and authentic to the narrative worlds you are inhabiting and the stories you are telling.
Each participant will have the opportunity to create short physical etudes, and to receive individual feedback on how to continue developing the piece and their own skills.
SESSION 3 CREATIONS
Facilitated by Matej Matejka & Elisabeth Gunawan
April 21-23, 28 (€90)
Sunday - Monday 7pm - 9pm UK; Tuesday 7pm - 9.30pm UK; Sunday (April 28) 6pm - 8pm UK
Building on the tools and skills from previous workshops, we will challenge you to go further in your individual journey through a process of creating, shaping and integrating:
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Physical actions
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Text and subtext, whether it is self-written or adapted/drawn from existing work
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Costumes and performative objects
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Visual style and genre
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Your autobiography and point of view as an artist
We will hone these details to build up to creating a rough draft of a short film/video of performative actions, and give feedback along your journey of continuing to develop this piece.
Although most of the work is individual, there will be opportunities for collaborative discussions and to connect with other creators and performers in the cohort.
You can take part in this workshop even if you haven’t done the first two, but you would get the most out of this session if you already have some performing/movement research experience.
About the Facilitators
Matej Matejka
BIO:
Testimonials:
"It’s an intense and even transformative experience of pure pleasure though movement and attunement to the others; the vital forces take over. Matej Matejka proves himself to be an excellent workshop lead, a daring and resourceful artist of profound sensibility, with great passion and care for the work he’s doing.“ -Dr. Diana Serbanescu
Elisabeth Gunawan
BIO:
"Betty takes artists through a really gentle and simple process to tell stories that are true to yourself. She draws from a variety of influences and cultures and has built a practice that is unique and beautiful." -Nishad More, actor
Questions?
What is an online workshop like?
Just your human presence, a readiness to work and good internet connection. If you have wireless earphones or a good sound system, that will enhance the experience even more. Each class (2 hours long) will be different and surprising, but it will always start with a physical warmup to make the body available for our cognitive and imaginative processes. We will then venture into different imaginative journeys and creative exercises involving moving, writing or drawing. There will also be opportunities to discuss and share your experiences in forums, and to collaborate with others in the group.
What practice is this built on?
We are movement practitioners and theatremakers, and our work is derived from over 10 years of experience in performer training research internationally and at The Grotowski Institute in Poland. Our artistry is driven by the question “Who am I?”—the conscious individual is consistently engaging in a profound questioning to live their lives with self-awareness and creativity. We also draw from our body of work in life coaching and yoga, always honouring the wholeness of the mind and body in approaching creative work. We are also constantly making connections between the intuitive research in a theatre studio with the latest scientific research about creativity. Throughout the course, we will share relevant resources for further reading to support the participants’ learning
Is this workshop for me?
This course is for anyone who uses creativity in their lives, which is to say everyone! Our experience so far has shown that these processes can be applied to any discipline, whether you are an actor, a dancer, a visual artist, or an entrepreneur—and whether you want to use creativity to create a solo show, deepen a role or to make some transformative changes in your life.