Title

Laban Movement Analysis: cultivating physicality in young actors and directors

Workshop description

This workshop will offer teachers an in-depth look at the principles of Laban Movement Analysis, in particular the ways movement and the body reveal both overt communication and subtext. Participants will explore how analysis of movement can help actors, directors and audience members recognize the needs and the attitudes of characters. Come ready to move and explore.

Target audience

Middle and high school theatre teachers.

Learning outcomes

Participants will:

• Gain an understanding of how LMA can bolster physical confidence;
• Analyse how objectives lead to physicalized movement actions;
• Investigate their own physical tendencies and learn to make new choices; and,
• Be able to apply this work in their own theatre classes and productions.

About your workshop leader

Jillian Campana is a Professor of Theatre at the American University of Cairo and a Professor of Integrated Arts Education at the University of Montana. She studied at Cal Arts and NYU and holds a Ph.D. in Theatre and the Social Sciences. Her work looks at how drama is used as a tool to build community and identity and is informed by years of studying with Boal. She developed a programme at the Swedish rehabilitation facility, Framnäs Folkhögskola, where theatre is now used in the rehabilitation of brain injury survivors, at IMJ in India for victims of human and sexual trafficking and in the US with military veterans who have PTSD. Her work has been honoured at the Kennedy Center and her book, Acting Successful: using performance skills is everyday life, is used as text at several universities.

She has done a TEDx talk in Mumbai, where she ran a theatre company that focused on cross-cultural work and where she taught acting in Bollywood’s Film City. She is the director and producer of the film and PBS documentary The Puzzle Club and recently performed in the play Dream Hope Wish Desire, which she co-wrote in Egypt.

Jillian has been involved with ISTA since 1993 when she began her career as an IB teacher. She has taken students to many events, but recently observed the power of the ISTA creative process when her daughter participated in a high school festival. She uses Laban to help actors gain confidence in using their bodies to tell stories.