Physical Approach to Character with Andrew Gaboury

There are many approaches to character and most of them are intellectual and text-based. These approaches are wonderful for understanding your character's story and empathizing with them, but often they don't touch on a character's physicality.

In this workshop we will explore character from the outside in, inspecting the body and defining its architecture while taking time to relax into our choices to allow the actor to live.

Together we will build a physical vocabulary inspired by Laban, Bogart & Landau and a variety of contemporary clown, puppetry and mask teachers.

The majority of this workshop will have you up on your feet, exploring through a series of exercises and prompts. The workshop will begin with a warm-up and will have breaks throughout.

Things to know:

Bring comfortable clothes and layers as the dome is warm on sunny days but cooler when it's been overcast for longer periods of time.

The Art Shelter is an off-grid dance studio run by solar power. It is not heated nor does it have air conditioning. We have batteries onsite and it is quite comfortable but we are also in the middle of a field so plan accordingly (especially if it rains). We have water and a small kitchenette with some coolers to store foodstuffs and the ability to make coffee/tea and a microwave to reheat food.

About your teacher:

Andrew Gaboury is an award-winning performer, writer and educator based in Port Credit, Mississauga. The desire to bring a sense of wonder and joy to the everyday is central to his practice. As a performer, he employs techniques from theatrical clown, collective creation, dance, puppetry and community arts. As a writer, Andrew has explored a variety of mediums, including playscript, poetry, and most recently a video game. Andrew is a company member with site-specific dance-theatre company Frog In Hand. He was one of four co-Artistic Directors of hub14 art + performance works from 2013-19, where he and the team supported local and international artists with residencies, affordable studio space and ongoing programming.

In 2019 Andrew graduated from North America’s first Therapeutic Clowning Certificate program led by award-winning clown Helen Donnelly at George Brown College. He is now the Executive Director of and a therapeutic clown practitioner with Red Nose Remedy. In 2020, he joined Kathleen Le Roux‘s team of therapeutic clowns primarily serving elders in Long-Term Care and those living with dementia. During the pandemic, Andrew worked with MABELLEarts and Derek Kwan to bring a practice of social therapeutic clowning to their community.

Host or Publisher Frog in Hand