Student Workshop Experience

Book a workshop and a behind-the-scenes tour for the 2022–2023 season!

Teachers are invited to enrich their students’ educational experience with Arts Club workshops! We offer a variety of workshops that explore the performing arts and enhance life skills such as confidence, teamwork, and self-expression through theatre practice.

Workshops can be offered in person (at an Arts Club venue or in your classroom) or online.

You can also book a behind-the-scenes tour at each of our stages: the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, Granville Island Stage, and Newmont Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre.

For more information or to book, contact Hila Graf, Education & Community Engagement Manager, at hgraf@artsclub.com.

THIS PROGRAM IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

OPTIONS	FEES*
• 1-hour workshop	$150
• 1.5-hour workshop	$185
• 2-hour workshop	$250
• 3-hour workshop	$350
• 1-hour behind-the-scenes tour	$75

*Does not include GST; full payment is due two weeks prior to workshop/tour.

To book your workshop, contact Hila Graf, Education & Community Engagement Manager, at hgraf@artsclub.com.

We are happy to offer a variety of workshops exploring a diverse range of theatre practices. Can’t find what you’re looking for in the list below? Reach out to us and we’ll plan a tailor-made workshop for your students needs. To book your workshop, contact Hila Graf, Education & Community Engagement Manager, at hgraf@artsclub.com.

BODY AND SPACE—ENERGY, LEVELS, AND RHYTHM
Grades 7–12
Instructor: Julio Rod Marín
Explore the relationship between the body and the performing space. How does the performer’s energy change the environment when entering or exiting the stage? How does it affect other performers? During the workshop, we'll play with moving through space, using levels and types of energy, and create short movement pieces. All this by using the elements of Etienne Decroux’s Dynamo-rhythms and other physical theatre practices.

MUSICAL THEATRE DANCE: THE ART OF STORYTELLING THROUGH MOVEMENT TO MUSIC AND SONG
Grades 7–12
Instructor: Krystal Kiran
Jump into the world of choreography to communicate a story set to the backdrop and rhythms of some of the greatest musical theatre hits! Styles offered include the dances of old Hollywood and the Broadway-style jazz of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and the Nicholas Brothers; classics such as Chicago, West Side Story and A Chorus Line; and more recent phenomenons like Hamilton and the growing genre of Bollywood musical theatre. Choreography can be designed to songs upon request as well. As famed choreographer Bob Fosse once said, “Dancing without acting is nothing more than animated wallpaper.”

SAFETY, STORY, AND STYLE: AN INTRODUCTION TO STAGE COMBAT
Grades 7–12
Instructor: Mike Kovac
Jump into the world of stage combat with this energetic, accessible, and engaging workshop! Focusing on safety through partnering, clear communication, and accurate technique, participants will be up and moving throughout as they explore and learn. Ever wanted to know how stage combatants and stunt performers simulate violence without getting hurt? Join up and find out!

BREAKING DOWN A SONG: MUSIC AS BEHAVIOUR
Grades 8–12
Instructor: Peter Jorgensen
Learn to break down a musical theatre song to understand the dramatic intent behind compositional choices. This process provides simple ideas to explore with students, who will work on song interpretation to help integrate the worlds of music and drama into a unified expression.

CONNECTING WITH THE CLOWN
Grades 8–12
Instructor: Aidan Parker
Whether you’re interested in performing, curious about connecting over Zoom, or wanting to find some play in your day, this workshop on clowning fundamentals will encourage you to step beyond your comfort zone and goof outside the box. Open to all skill levels, students will engage in a series of exercises and games that will get them out of their seats and inspire them to discover, connect, and have fun!

FAIL FREELY
Grades 8–12
Instructor: Aidan Parker
Students and educators will learn to foster an environment that encourages risk-taking and pushes students to rebuild their inner relationship with failure. Through a series of fun and challenging games and exercises, the group will be given the tools to build a culture that embraces failure as a stepping-stone to growth, rather than a detriment to success. Whether you want to build trust within a team, increase the positivity and productivity in your workplace or classroom, or bolster your own self-confidence, this workshop will get you on your feet and shooting for the stars in no time.

LEARNING LECOQ: MATERIALS—AN EXPLORATION INTO RELATIONSHIPS
Grades 8–12
Instructor: Ming Hudson
Dive into the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq. By exploring characters, relationships, and stories hidden in everyday materials, students will be challenged to embody abstract concepts to create new work based on physical movement. What stories can we find in two magnets attracting and repelling each other? Or in a sugar cube dissolving in water? Take this workshop and find that out and more!

ON THE SPOT
Grades 8–12
Instructor: Camille Legg
This workshop teaches students the basics of improv through games and exercises. Students will have the chance to access their impulses and imagination, while also learning how to establish strong platforms for improvised scenes. There will be an emphasis on saying “Yes” and having fun. This workshop is suitable for teachers of all subjects, with a special focus on drama.

TABLEAU VIVANT—MAKING PICTURES COME TO LIFE
Grades 8–12
Instructor: Susan Bertoia
Using naturalistic and abstract paintings as the springboard for creating new worlds of play, this workshop is an engaging way to reimagine the static tableau. Students play with the dynamics of stage pictures (silent/non-speaking narratives), then through their imagination begin to devise new and authentic theatre pieces. Text and spoken word can be added to these tableaus to further increase and support the pieces. Suitable for teachers of all subjects, with special focus on drama, english, and social studies.

FROM STAGE TO CAMERA
Grades 10–12
Instructor: Raugi Yu
Stage acting or camera acting—in the end it’s still acting, right? Yes, it is, but the difference is in technique. This workshop invites students to learn industry-relevant techniques that will help them translate the power of their stage acting to fit into the lens of the camera without losing energy, dynamics, and authenticity.

POEMS BY PLAYWRIGHTS
Grades 10–12
Instructor: Monice Peter
What story is being told in a poem? What history lies between the lines? How is poetry connected to theatre? Delve into the poetic journey of Afro- and Caribbean-Canadian and American playwrights and discover how their culture and experiences are layered within the devices of their poetry.

TEXT ANALYSIS FOR ACTORS
Grades 10–12
Instructor: Raugi Yu
Create the unshakable foundation on which to build a truthful performance. Using a very specific, tried-and-true system of breaking down performance text and focusing on the facts of the written word on the page, identify the rhythms of text and how the characters breathe. You will be ready to move on to interpreting the text after this first crucial step of analysis.

Students

"Probably the best workshop I've had in a long time."

"As an actor, I don't think about who makes the signs, and who does the tickets sales and all that but we got to meet all those people and there was a face to that."

"It opened my eyes and I would really like it if someone recommended it to me."

Teachers

"Our grade twos were blown away! They had such a great time and they loved how they got special treatment getting to meet the people behind-the-scenes, getting a sneak peek at some of the costumes, and learning about all the ways the stage can transform. Many of them expressed excitement to their parents, who are now looking forward to also visiting the theatre to see any upcoming shows. So, thanks for putting together the tour and making it really special for the kids."

"100%. I would love to do it again!"

"We took a group of actors, and tech kids and orchestra members and it met all of their different interests."