CHILDREN'S CRUSADE

Voice and Chorus workshop
Led by Laura Pasetti
7 days - April 2006

:: RETURN TO PRESS GALLERY ::

A week of intensive, five hour sessions saw the development of "Children's Crusade"; by Bertolt Brecht, from a ballad on paper to a living, moving sculpture.

Working with the physicality, the body, as the source of true expression, participants were encouraged through exercises to find their own individual physical expression of selected words, phrases, then sections of the text. They discovered how the same text can produce vastly different bodily 'sculptures'. Working in pairs and then in groups, they discovered how these individual 'creations' interact and inter relate, to transform into moving, group sculptures. At each stage the text was used to form and to fill the body.

Having researched their own truth in the text, students were then led to discover and experience the difference between the first and third person in acting, how to 'represent' the actor's 'truth' to the audience.

Along side this research were specific exercises for the voice, some for the group, some individually prescribed by the teacher to meet individual needs. Similarly development of group rhythm was researched.

In the second half of the week students began to string together the different parts of the text, creating a central 'stage' area into which improvisation could be 'offered' at appropriate places in the text. They experienced how everyone, inside or on the edge of the circle maintains the energy of the whole event.

Towards the end of the week, certain elements of the improvisations were 'fixed' to bring together a small presentation of the work to invited friends and peers.

Additional photo gallery

Please click here to to open a new window displaying a gallery of more photographs. Note: Viewing of the gallery requires the Flash plugin to be installed for your web browser.

 

Participant feedback

Teaching was professional, supprtive and constructive. Organisation was excellent. Highlight for me was the realization that I was FINALLY breaking old habits and techniques that no longer serve me. This is due to my having attended all previous courses. - Clare

Teaching highlighted my problems positively and made me want to work on them. - Lynn

Laura is simply the most amazing teacher.Somehow she always gets me to do things that I dislike willingly. - Natasha

Laura’s intuition is profound. I absolutely trust her. Her passion and commitment is infectious . A timely inpiration. Thank you. - Lucy