London actors: you’re warmly invited to my ‘Hedda Gabler’ workshop

Dates and venues
Monday July 25, 6.00pm – 9.15pm

Saturday September 3, 3.00pm – 6.00pm

The Rag Factory, 16 Heneage Street London, E1 5LJ (just off Brick Lane)

To book, just email Kati

How to Own the Stage – A Mildly Violent Workshop for Actors

Develop your stage presence using vocal and physical exercises developed by Patsy Rodenburg, Steven Berkoff and others. You’ll focus on key scenes from ‘Hedda Gabler’ (Ibsen), which Kati is planning to direct in 2012.

One of the challenges of playing a hero(ine) is that you’ve got to ‘own the stage’. You’ve got to give the audience the impression that you are physically and vocally in charge of the space in which you’re acting. If you can’t pull this off, the audience won’t believe in your character, your fellow actors will underplay their roles and the emotional power of the play can be lost.

Using the script ‘Hedda Gabler’ (Ibsen), you’ll use vocal and physical techniques to build your stage presence. You’ll try Patsy Rodenburg’s ‘breathing the room’ technique, you’ll do physical work in the style of Steven Berkoff, you’ll be a catwalk model, you’ll get rough with your fellow actors and you’ll play games in which you compete for the audience’s attention.

PS Feel free to wear something Ibsen-like to this workshop. Women: a long skirt and some hard-soled shoes? Blokes: not the skirt, just the hard-soled shoes and maybe some kind of fitted jacket or coat.

Recommendations for this workshop

“Fantastic workshop Kati – brilliantly conceived and executed.”

Gavin McAlinden, artistic director, Charm Offensive

“Just wanted to say what a great workshop I thought you ran. There was so much practical benefit to go along with the theory. A great actor’s workout.”

Olumide Akintoye, actor

“Thank you for yesterday, I learnt an incredible amount. In particular I thought the competitive games, like trying to out-do each other in pairs, and the catwalk game, were really useful because it really made you lose your inhibitions and called on your instinct. And thanks for the tip on exploring the set before a performance, will definitely be using that one! Hope to see you again!”

Emily Florence Blanchard, actor

“Excellent workshop, Kati Rynne – really got a lot out of it. Would love to be involved in further development.”

Kate O’Rourke, actor

About the director – Kati Rynne

Kati is staging her short black comedy Chopped Onion at the Cockpit Theatre and the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre (additional theatres tbc) in Nov/Dec. She has recently run playreadings and workshops on Hedda Gabler with Charm Offensive and Transmission Workshop and plans to stage the play in 2012. Kati was assistant director at York Theatre Royal and at the Trestle Theatre Company and has directed plays by Shakespeare, Beckett and Sophocles at the Drama Barn York. She has spent several summers performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and the London Fringe (Sadler’s Wells, Bridewell Theatre, Wilton’s Music Hall). Kati has won awards for choreography (dance) and has choreographed aerialists at the Circus Space. She trained at the École Philippe Gaulier and the École de Mime Corporel Dramatique and recently studied ‘Devising Theatre’ with Peader Kirk. She is a qualified teacher of English literature and drama (secondary schools) and has spent several years directing youth theatre.