PLAYING MASKS WORKSHOP
WITH JAMES CARNEY
How performing with masks can develop essential comic and dramatic skills and unlock expressive range.
James Carney leads a workshop on the principles of masked performance. Starting with the traditional techniques and approach of the Commedia dell'Arte, this workshop focuses on the aspects of movement, improvisation, characterization, audience connection, and stagecraft which are particularly highlighted by masked acting.
Masked performance stretches from modern theatre and current Folk traditions through the Commedia dell'Arte, all the way back to ancient Greece and beyond to the origins of the mask in rituals and religions. It holds an important position in a huge range of cultural heritages worldwide and the symbol of the mask is a potent image that pervades many disciplines and traditions. The mask has a mysterious power which can seem almost supernatural. For theatre, it is an exceptional tool for unlocking creativity.
The theatre tradition which is anchored in the Commedia dell'Arte is deeply connected to Shakespeare's theatre and its legacy continues into all modern theatre, but also through the music hall and vaudeville it finds its way into the traditions of cinema, sit-com television and cartoons. By working with masks with the techniques and structure of the Commedia dell'Arte, certain principles emerge that form a rock-solid foundation for performing in any style, with or without masks.
In this workshop we will meet the traditional archetypes of the Commedia dell'Arte and explore some of the traditional movement techniques and dramatic forms associated with each one, and the performance principles which are common to them all. Building on the fundamentals of playing the mask, we will develop improvised scenarios and explore their function.
James Carney has developed his approach to working with masks after several years of study with the authorities in the field (Antonio Fava, Ecole Jacques Lecoq, Carlo Boso, Giorgio Bongiovanni), and alongside creating the masks themselves (again trained by the foremost authorities - the Sartori museum, Stefano Perocco di Meduna). Performance and craft inform each other and James has refined and developed his approach into something which is nourished by history and heritage without being restrained by it.
DATE & TIME - 10AM - 1PM, 7th Jan 2025
LOCATION - The MAC, Belfast 10 Exchange St West, Belfast BT1 2NJ
COST - £25
BOOKING - Limited places available. Please email admin@amadanensemble.com to reserve a place