Laura Valpey (not pictured) narrated a scene in which a Baker has to fight off her zombie mother-in-law and his/her zombie pal. (The zombies ended up in the potato soup.)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Family Improv at the Gallery Players November 2012
In a scene between a Turkish merchant and a heartless tax collector, Ian O'Keeffe and his young partner speak gibberish, while Andrew O'Shaughnessy and another audience volunteer "translate" what they say from offstage.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Family Improv at the Gallery Players, October 2012
We call it Family Improv, rather than children's improv, because adults enjoy it as much as kids do. In this Little Orphan Annie inspired scene, Annie AND Daddy Warbucks (the grown up in the hat) are both enthusiastic and talented volunteers from the audience.
Family Improv at the Gallery Players, October 2012
Another adult audience member, enjoying Nikki & Ian's dramatization of her life's story.
Family Improv at the Gallery Players, October 2012
Here's an example of the team work you have to have to do improvisation: Ian O'Keeffe & Nikki Plyem are working with two audience members, who are moving them around as if they were giant pose-able action figures. Ian & Nikki have to move the way the kids want them to, but the girls are also listening to what the adults are saying, to get ideas of how to move them.
Family Improv at the Gallery Players, October 2012
Another teamwork example: Bones, from the opposite team, jumps in to help Nikki & Ian's scene.
Family Improv October 2012
Our newest player, Andrew O'Shaughnessy, takes the stage with Bones Rodriguez.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Family Improv Sept 2012
This is a great game, invented by Kenn Adams. We call it Biography. The audience volunteer (Henry) is helping Laura Valpey & Mike Durkin improvise the story of his life. When they get something right (or when he just likes what they do) he rings a bell. When it's wrong, He honks a horn. We do this game a lot in our school shows. After leaving Freestyle Rep, Kenn has gone on to, among other things, write a book based on a show he created with us, "How to Improvise a Full Length Play, the Art of Spontaneous Theatre, " which you can find at www.amazon.com/How-Improvise-Full-Length-Play-Spontaneous....
Family Improv at the Gallery Players, September 2012
An audience member (about 9 years old) suggested "The Toilet" as a title. Laura Valpey created a wonderful situation, a homeless woman living in a subway bathroom, where her only friend is the toilet (played by Mike Durkin). The girl playing the old woman studies improv with us at PS321. Her portayal was terrific, nuanced, she moved the story along. The boy played a tranist cop, who demanded that the woman clear out of the bathroom. Then he fell on the subway tracks! After the homeless woman recues him, he comes up with closing line we'll all remember. "You saved my life. You can sit on the toitlet as long as you want to."
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Theatre classes start at Spoke the Hub
People have been asking us for years. They came to see our family improv show at the Gallery Players. Their child had a Freestyle Rep residency at school. We did an auditorium show at their school. Somewhere, somehow they got a taste of theatre ala Freestyle Rep. Their kids got excited, got interested, wanted more. And the question would always come, "Where can my child do more of this? Where do you teach?"
Now we have an answer!
Mike Durkin and Laura Livingston are teaching theatre at Spoke the Hub Re-creation center in Park Slope, Brooklyn, for children 8 years and older, on Fridays at 4:30. We're doing improvisation, of course. But we won't stop there. This class will introduce serious young thespians to the world of the classical actor's training and trade through stage movement and vocal exercises, scene study, character development, theater games and much more! All we ask is that kids come equipped with a desire to learn and a sense of fun and adventure. This will be a theatrical experience they won't want to miss!
For more information and to sign up, go to www.spokethehub.org/classes/schedule/ and scroll down to "Friday." Or call them at 718-408-3234.
See you there!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Theatresports at the Gallery Players, May 20th
Bones is making up a story about a taxi driver. His teammate Nikki and two audience volunteers are playing the cabbie and his terrified fares.
Theatresports at the Gallery Players, May 20th
Diego & Laura, creating a story by alternating the words.
Theatresports at the Gallery Players, May 20th
The two audience members are helping Diego & Laura in this improvisation, by moving them around as if they were giant action figures.
Dayanara is a student at PS124, where she has studied Shakespeare with Freestyle Rep's artistic director for the past two years! She rang a great alarum bell in their recent performance of the Scottish Play.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
April 29th at the Gallery Players
Our Gallery Players co-producer, Dominic Cuskern, helps us get ready.
April 29th at the Gallery Players
Bones Rodriguez & Laura Valpey ask for audience volunteers
Bones & the volunteers get ready while Laura gets a suggestion from the audience
This is going to be fun!
April 29th at the Gallery Players
Bones Rodriguez & Laura Valpey ask for audience volunteers
Bones & the volunteers get ready while Laura gets a suggestion from the audience
This is going to be fun!
April 29th at the Gallery Players
Bones Rodriguez & Laura Valpey ask for audience volunteers
Bones & the volunteers get ready while Laura gets a suggestion from the audience
This is going to be fun!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
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