WORKSHOPS WITH BROOKE DEBETTIGNIES

Improv

Students will learn to think on their feet and build unique characters while playing in the magical world of "yes, and . . . . " Following these improv exercises will be a discussion of why improv is relevant and how it can be used in day-to-day life.

Puppetry

Students will get an overview of the different styles of puppetry and its history. Focusing on tabletop and found object puppetry, they will create puppets of their own and exercise their power as a puppeteer. After paired performances, we will discuss how puppetry can make certain themes more accessible to audiences.

Dialects

After viewing clips from popular movies paired with interviews that demonstrate the actor's dialect work, students will join in a discussion of the relevance of accents and dialects (and their differences). They will then get an overview of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and how it is used in the industry to give characters more detail and accuracy.

Commedia Dell'arte

Traveling back to the 16th centry, students will take on familiar characters (e.g., Pantalone, Capitano, Arlechinno, the Innamorati, Dottore) and break off into troupes to create their own street performances. Following these street performances will be a discussion of tropes and where they can be seen in modern entertainment.

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Park Tudor Puppetry Workshop

Brooke DeBettignies, Instructor

Theater Department, Park Tudor School, Indianapolis

January 2016