embodied speaking
This developing curriculum is a laboratory for the application of somatic and expressive movement modalities to the communication of thought. Having engaged in research and practice of such work for several years now, specifically applying them to theatrical performance, I am eager to explore how they can support performers and non-performers alike in integrating body, mind, and voice in holistic self-expression.
The curriculum is built for both actors and non-actors, and therefore in many ways adjacent to a Public Speaking workshop. But rather than offer tips and tricks for speaking up in front of a crowd, we will experiment with ways to bring the whole body into the voice, in turn using that voice to clearly express thought and intention. Non-verbal exercises heighten participants’ somatic self-awareness, and then we ask, how do we bring that newfound awareness with us as we speak aloud to listening ears?
Participants will bring in some form of text, whether theatrical, poetical, journalistic, narrative, or even something of their own creation, to experiment with, moving through physical and vocal warm ups, group exercises, and individual work, receiving feedback and engaging in discussion with both myself as the instructor as well as their peers.