This workshop has now finished.
Gary Schwartz is coming to Sydney in June 2016 for two very special and unique workshops exploring the methods and work of Viola Spolin, who is often called the mother of improvisation. Gary began working with Spolin in 1977, is one of the few remaining people who have worked extensively with her, and is the only teacher endorsed by both Viola Spolin, and her son Paul Sills, founder of the legendary Compass Players and The Second City.
Viola Spolin’s work is often greatly misunderstood as just a bunch of theatre games, so Gary has developed for us an initial 3 hour workshop covering the core principles, techniques and methods of Viola Spolin’s work, followed by a full weekend intensive for those who wish to continue exploring her work in more detail.
- Spontaneity & Transformation: Exploring the work of Viola Spolin
Where: TBC, Alexandria
When: 7pm, Friday 24 June 2016 (3 hours)
Cost: $70 INC GST - Excursions into the Intuitive: Further Exploration of the Spolin approach to Improvising
This workshop follows on from the Spontaneity & Transformation workshop above, which is included in the cost of this workshop.
Where: TBC, Alexandria & Newtown
When: 9am-12pm, 1pm-4pm, Saturday 25 June and 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, Sunday 26 June 2016 (12 hours)
Cost: $350 INC GST (cost includes Friday night workshop)
Apply for these workshops at the bottom of this page!
Viola Spolin’s work includes her ground breaking 1963 book Improvisation for the Theater, and many other books on acting, directing and improvisation over the following 30 years. If you’re an actor or improvisor, then you would have used her exercises in acting, improv or team building workshops or played her games on stage or with Theatresports. She made a huge contribution to acting and directing techniques that are used and taught in most acting schools around the world, and many schools even have curriculums based purely on her teachings.
These workshops are a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the next best thing to Viola Spolin herself, along with Gary’s unique take on his almost 40 years of Spolin training. They will include work on spontaneity, awareness, transformation, point of focus, freeing tension, dealing with subjective preconceptions, relationship, character, concentration, being in the moment and more.
Both workshops are for all levels of experience, from no improvisation experience through to veteran players.
About Gary Schwartz
Gary Schwartz is an award winning TV and film actor, director, and a master improvisational acting coach. His coaching work has helped transform the lives of many, both on and off screen. His long association with Viola Spolin, led to Gary co–founding The Spolin Players in 1988. The group still performs to this day. The Spolin Players were winners 1989 DramaLogue Award for best ensemble and the L.A. Times called their work “brilliant and exhilarating” and “improv as pure and unpredictable as you’ll find.”
He’s a successful long time director and actor of both scripted and improvised works, with performances in the Oscar award winning film Quest for Fire, and 65 episodes of the Emmy winning TV series Zoobilee Zoo. As a voice actor, Gary has worked with directors Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Tim Burton, Kenneth Brannagh and many others, as well as voicing hundreds of video games, TV series’ and film.
Gary maintains Spolin Games Online a free internet video library of Spolin’s exercises, a resource for teachers, players and students. Gary’s acting career is detailed on IMDB, and his full bio can be found on his website.
Applying for the workshops
To apply for Spontaneity & Transformation, we require the full $70 INC GST to be paid in order to reserve your place. For Excursions into the Intuitive, we require an initial $70 INC GST deposit to reserve your place, with the remaining $280 INC GST to be paid by 1 June 2016 or your reservation will be cancelled.