Don’t Act, REACT.
Physical comedy workshops
with Christine Lesiak
Part 1: Saturday March 24, 1-5 pm
Part 2: Saturday April 7, 1-5 pm
Find the pleasure in not knowing and spontaneous discovery!
Christine will lead the class in movement games and active exercises to rediscover the joy of play, the fun in failure, and the power of partnership – important skills for creating comedy and connecting with an audience.
PART 1: This 4-hour workshop is open to all performers of any level of experience; actors, clowns, dancers, burlesque artists, variety performers, puppeteers, improvisers… anyone interested in bringing more humour, and honesty to their work.
PART 2: Go deeper into the pleasure of play and connecting with audience. This 4-hour workshop is best suited for people who have taken Don’t Act, REACT, Part 1, or who have previous experience in physical comedy and feel comfortable jumping into new techniques.
Attendees should expect to participate in light to moderate physical movement.
WHERE: Westwood Unitarian Congregation, 11135-65 Ave. N.W., Edmonton
FEES:
Part 1: $50.00 if you register before March 18, $55 March 19 or later.
– REGISTER Part 1: https://swingtix.ca/boxoffice/reactcomedy2018part1,en
Part 2: $50.00 if you register before April 1st, $55 April 2nd or later.
– REGISTER Part 2: https://swingtix.ca/boxoffice/reactcomedy2018part2,en
CONTACT: christine.lesiak@gmail.com, www.smallmatters.ca. For more information, fee reduction information, or alternative payment arrangements.
Co-presented by Hit That Jive Productions.
STUDENTS SAY…
“[This workshop] was a complete blast! Christine sets a fun and safe space to experiment and try new things. It’s so freeing to be able to celebrate mistakes and play without judgement.” – Erin Hutchison
“To be in a room with Christine, practicing, playing, learning, and exploring, is a breath of fresh air that allows me to move through the rest of the parts of my life with a renewed sense of creativity and openness.” – Lindsay Ruth Hunt, Educator
“Christine Lesiak is a mentor that teaches with more than words. She also teaches through her actions and whole-hearted emotion.” – Jordan Sabo, actor, dancer with Man Up!
Christine Lesiak is an Edmonton-based theatre artist specializing in performer-created clown theater and physical storytelling. She is co-founder of Small Matters Productions. She is co-creator and co-performer of Small Matters Productions’ full-length touring shows Over Her Dead Body (2017), Fools for Love (2012), and Sofa So Good (2010). She is writer and performer of her one-woman shows, Ask Aggie (2013), and The Object of Constellations (2016). She has created and performed countless short clown-based works, and toured throughout Canada and to New York. Christine is festival director of Play the Fool, Edmonton’s festival for clown and physical comedy, artistic associate with Toy Guns Dance Theatre, and a frequent collaborator with Catch the Keys Productions. She has taught within the Drama Department at the University of Alberta, at Edmonton Digital Arts College, and Toy Guns Dance Theatre.
Christine holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Drama from the University of Alberta. She has trained extensively in the Canadian/Pochinko style of clown, extensively mentoring with Jan Henderson (Fool Moon Productions) and Michael Kennard (Mump and Smoot). Other key influences include clown with Aitor Basauri (Spymonkey), physical comedy with Hilary Chapman, bouffon and jeu with Adam Lazarus, improvisation (Rapid Fire Theatre, Keith Johnstone), immersive theatre (Punchdrunk), and puppetry (The Old Trout Puppet Workshop).
