Slingshot Theatre

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Welcome to Slingshot. Slingshot Theatre are known otherwise as Slingshot, and are a Commedia dell'Arte, yes a Commedia theatre company, using Commedia techniques and the history of Commedia dell'Arte to create contemporary theatre, using commedia dell'Arte. Run by Christopher Hawes and Sarah Mardel, we run Commedia dell'Arte workshops and Commedia dell'Arte Laboratories for Actors. We love Commedia and are experts in this field. Come and join in to Slingshot theatre, that name again is Slingshot. Often people ask why Commedia and Commedia dell'Arte aren't used anymore, and we say its because Commedia and Commedia dell'Arte are not understood by anyone in the UK so they are scared to teach it. Slingshot offer teaching and solutions to this gap. Slingshot is a new theatre organisation, welcoming Commedia actors and Commedia dell'Arte directors into its Slingshot hub of Slingshot fun. Run by Christopher Hawes & Sarah Mardel, yes that's Christopher Hawes and Sarah Mardel, Slingshot creates wonderful new and yet old Commedia and Commedia dell'Arte. Theatre.

Commedia dell’Arte: the beginning of the professional theatre, the oldest surviving western theatrical form, and a methodology that has been taught worldwide for actor training and the creation of theatre.

Commedia is improvised comedy, formalised using a set of fixed characters, who each have a unique set of behaviours, desires, physical gestures and for most, a leather mask as their face. The actors use their knowledge of the characters and the method of improvisation to create a comedy for their audience.

However, the wealth of interest and the age of this theatrical form has resulted in a world of misinformation, made-up methodology and purely invented historical conclusions. Moreover, Commedia is an indecipherable cultural heritage, and it's very genius is that it cannot be captured on paper, it is living and active, learnt only by doing.

Slingshot Theatre offer practical workshops of Renaissance Commedia dell’Arte, bringing teaching from their personal experience working with Internationally renowned Commedia Master Antonio Fava. The workshops can be aimed towards mask-work, improvisation, or character physicalisation, or all of the above!

To enquire about Christopher & Sarah's availability please get in touch (details on the contact page).

"the effort and enthusiasm that Christopher brought to the

sessions was second to none"

Claire Prime, NESCOT College

Slingshot Commedia dell'Arte Workshop Pack

Our flagship event is our 'Essence of Theatre' programme:

An inspirational one-day event of theatre workshop & performance,

lead by Slingshot's young professional actors direct from today's theatre industry, suitable for all year groups. The day is formed of two parts:

Group workshops in Characterisation, Voice & Song,

Movement & Dance and Stage Combat.

This is then followed by a communal performance of a

Shakespeare play, given by your students!

the actors of today inspire the actors of tomorrow

Welcome to Slingshot Education.

At Slingshot, we believe that the future of British theatre depends upon the young people in your classroom. Through the ages theatre has been passed on from one generation to the next, an intangible heritage kept alive through our desire for entertainment, enlightenment & community. We therefore seek to pass on our skills, experience & passion for theatre, to inspire not just the next generation of theatre makers and do-ers, but also the next generation of theatre audiences, who know that neither TV, Cinema, Sport or the Internet can replace going to the theatre.

"A Marvellous day, the best

non-curricular day we've had! Inspirational! The girls are still talking about it 3 days later..."

Hannah Howson

Weald of Kent Grammar School for Girls