One-month work placement

The course explores the Russian theatre school as taught in Belarus, based on the principles and methods of Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov, Meyerhold and Tovstonogov.

All classes are taught by teachers trained at the Belarusian National Academy of Arts in Minsk. To enrich this artistic encounter with the Russian theatrical school, three masterclasses are also planned with associated Belarusian artists during the course.

Our aim is to offer trainees intensive, multidisciplinary training. Although essentially centred on acting techniques, this training also integrates various disciplines necessary to the training of the actor. Indeed, the art of acting, as conceived in the "Russian Theatre School", calls not only on the imagination, but also on the actor's body and voice, as instruments that the actor must be able to master in order to express his or her emotions with precision. These disciplines are approached not as 'specialities', but as 'tools' to help actors develop and hone their craft.

The subjects taught

Acting techniques, biomechanics, diction, classical and traditional dance, individual and group singing, combat/plastics/fencing, acrobatics, tempo/rhythm, Russian lessons.

Course

The courses are based on one concept: "From Act to Feeling". True mobilisation and correct actions naturally give rise to sincere feelings and sensations during the acting process. We apply methods based on the search for real processes designed to help the trainee experience feelings (sensations) during acting and to analyse the "psycho-physiological" processes that take place on stage. Several modules are proposed to enable the actor to put into practice all the stages in the construction of the character. The work is structured as follows:

Morning: Work on the body's availability, concentration, attention and listening, awakening the senses, imagination, the notion of the individual and the group, sensory memory, precision of movement in the form of exercises.

Afternoon: Practical application of the morning's exercises, with work on a sense of tempo and rhythm (cadence of movement and emotional intensity), coordination in space (balance, impulsion, centre of gravity, precision of movement), and analysis of the game (logic of action). All of this is punctuated by improvisations and the presentation of work based on personal exercises.

RTBD ( Belarusian Republican Theatre of Dramaturgy ) For the second year running, Demain le Printemps is counting on one of its partners, the RTBD, to host our intensive course. Founded 30 years ago, the RTBD's aim is to provide practical assistance to beginner Belarusian playwrights so that they can familiarise themselves with the demands and constraints of the stage. The theatre therefore works with playwrights on a one-to-one basis, reading plays and holding seminars with directors and other specialists. The theatre counts on the participation of great Belarussian masters such as national artist Tatiana Marhel, emeritus artists Igor Sigov and Valentin Solov'ev. Schedule