Free Theatre Education Programme
See below recent programmes and workshops we have run as part of our Education Programme.
See below recent programmes and workshops we have run as part of our Education Programme.
In July 2016-17, we have run KidsFest Free Theatre Holiday Programmes in The Gym. Throughout the five day programme, participants (8-12 years) explored: mask-making and performance; puppetry; circus and trapeze skills; voice and text work; sound and technical design. The week ended with a public performance for family and friends on the Friday afternoon.
Kidsfest 2015-2017
Children's Aerial Workshops - Wednesday April 2016Jenny Ritchie also ran children's aerial workshops, where children developed confidence and technique on a range of apparatus.
Primary Schools Puppet Workshops
Throughout the first two school terms of 2016, Free Theatre ensemble members ran puppet workshops for Christchurch primary school students. These workshops took place both in The Gym and at local schools. Thanks to the generous support of The Trusts Community Fund, a number of these workshops were provided at no cost to the schools or students.
Secondary Schools Workshops
In 2016, students from Waimate High School joined us in The Gym for a workshop that combined Laban's concepts of physical movement with Mauricio Kagel's ideas of Instrumental Theatre. The students devised incredibly imaginative performances and have given us lots of ideas for the next phase of The Mauricio Kagel Project!
Puppets in Canterbury Museum
We held a series of highly successful and fun Puppet Workshops in The Gym in 2015, in collaboration with the wonderful team from Whole House Reuse and Rekindle. The puppets were created and brought to life out of the salvaged materials of a red-zoned home in New Brighton and the results were amazing! The puppets featured as part of the Whole House Reuse Exhibition in Canterbury Museum (June - August 2015). As part of the exhibition, Free Theatre hosted an additional Puppet Workshop in The Gym (Saturday 18 July) and gave a live Performance Demonstration in the Museum (Sunday 2 August).
Here's a clip about Whole House Reuse and the Exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE0NkR-r3D4 |
Education Pack (Years 11-13) - FrankensteinAerial Workshop with Jenny Ritchie
As part of our 2016 Adult Education Programme, Free Theatre Christchurch ran a series of Aerial Workshops with internationally-acclaimed aerialist, Jenny Ritchie. Jenny focused on developing good technique and confidence on a range of apparatus. This workshop was aimed at beginners.
Having been a childhood gymnast, Jenny discovered her passion for circus in her early twenties and obtained a diploma in circus arts at Christchurch’s Circo-Arts training facility at CPIT. She has gone on to forge an international career in productions such as Robert Lepage's interpretation of Das Rheingold for the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Odysséo by Cavalia and Rigolo with Swiss Nouveau Cirque. Her talent and experience have also contributed to high profile New Zealand productions such as Tanemahuta Gray's Maui and the acclaimed World of Wearable Art. She has taught extensively for a diversity of ages and gets a major kick out of sharing her skills and experience with novices and advanced performers alike. Jenny recently returned to New Zealand to further her studies and worked with Free Theatre on our production of Frankenstein. 
Introduction to Free Theatre Training
Free Theatre regularly run introduction to Free Theatre training workshops where the Free Theatre ensemble guide participants through a range of our fundamental physical and vocal exercises. 
Publications and Symposia
As part of Te Puna Toi we offered a special workshop and symposium as in relation to the central performance - Footprints/Tapuwae, a bicultural opera.
'Instrumental Theatre': The Mauricio Kagel Project Workshop
In August 2015, we held a public workshop as part of our work-in-development, The Mauricio Kagel Project. The Project was part of the 2015 Christchurch Arts Festival and saw Free Theatre collaborating with composer Gao Ping, conductor Hamish McKeich, and local jazz and classical musicians to investigate the musical and performative provocations of the late Argentine-German composer, Mauricio Kagel. Kagel conceived an “Instrumental Theatre” that challenged the boundaries between music and theatre, comedy and seriousness, the avant-garde and the popular, by exploring the theatricality of musical instruments and the musicality of everyday objects.
In the workshop, we experimented with sounds, textures and movement, and created and built fantastical musical instruments out of a range of everyday materials. To read more about the development of The Mauricio Kagel Project, take a look at our blog: http://www.freetheatre.org.nz/blog1 |
