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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.
t Slingshot, we champion the craft of the actor, or more specifically, the theatre artist. The theatre artist is the beginning and the end of all theatre, and while an entire solar system of other job roles swarm in and around the industry of live theatrical entertainment, at the core of it all is the actor, serving their audience, feeding them from the palm of their hand, controlling the rhythms, infecting the energy and facilitating catharsis.
Slingshot Laboratories were launched with a vision to provide actors with the space and expertise to hone their craft, and to rediscover their identity as the driving force of theatre. I am convinced that actors only learn in front of an audience. We provide that audience, but a safe audience, led by a guest artist of the highest renown. We learn from the masters of our craft, not the theorisers or businessmen, but from those who have trodden the path of the theatre artist for many years more than us, and who live to tell the tale. Drama schools sell courses, but we sell discipleship. A course gets me a piece of paper, but discipleship from a master gets me a new hammer in my toolbox.
We are a laboratory, for experimenters not for observers. Improvisation is our method and mentality, to learn whilst doing, rather than to die in discussion and hypothesis. We keep a strong focus upon the body and action rather than just the utterance. In a laboratory, scientists make experiments: sometimes nothing happens, sometimes there's an explosion, but nothing is prohibited and all can be explored. Furthermore, the results can be analysed, and a healthy pragmatic approach can be developed: “Did it work? Was it funny? Was I moved?”. Whilst other systems seem to obsess over the emotions of the actors, we are obsessed with the emotions of the audience, and how well we are serving them.
Over history we see that ruler after ruler has tried to suffocate the theatre into extinction, fearing the great power of live story. You cannot argue with a story, it lives inside of you, and once conceived it will grow into your soul. It contains all the power of the preacher, all the persuasion of a politician, all the justice of a law court and all the spirituality of faith. Theatre artists provide those stories. Not so much because they like to, but more because they have to.
Of course we cannot claim to provide this ability to actors, (who in their right mind would dare to claim that?!) but together we can dream of it, and walk towards it, and who knows maybe one day we might be living it. And walk towards it we must - we can't just blame TV & Cinema for the empty seats.
From Tuesday 10th - Saturday 14th April 2012, our annual training event for actors, creatives and educators in Renaissance Commedia dell' Arte returns for its third year. The course will be lead by Slingshot's Artistic Directors Christopher & Sarah, who both trained and have worked alongside Italian Commedia master Antonio Fava. The course will cover the fixed types, mask, improvisation, lazzi, acrobatics (non-olympic!), stage combat & comic violence and the modernisation of Commedia. The course fee is £250, and will take place in central London (venue TBC).
To book a place, please contact Christopher on 07811 567 017
or email christopher@slingshot-theatre.com
