André Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

WILLIAMS

The summer holiday is upon parents again, leaving them in pursuit of suitable activities to engage their children in. One such possibility is the Breaking Performance summer workshops in performance and public speaking, to be held at the Pantry Playhouse on Dumfries Road in New Kingston.

Breaking Performance is being conducted by playwright, director and actor Karl Williams and his business partner Constance Bell. The course is for children seven years old up to CXC level.

"I want students to leave with a better understanding of what performing is. When they leave, they should know what a Dahlia Harris or a Dorraine Samuels went through to get the finished product," Williams said.

Well-known practitioners

Starting July 9, the intense programme will kick off with its concentration on voice and speech, movements, props and costume and miming. To assist in the training, Madkow, the production company staging the programme, will bring in a few well-known theatre practitioners in different fields to direct. They include May-Lynne Walton, Anya Gloudon, Jermaine Rowe (Harlem Dance Theatre Company), Pierre Lemaire and, of course, Williams and Bell.

Williams said there is a general problem with literacy and, with that in mind, the workshops will include some of the literature students are now using in schools, putting them in creative form to make them more appealing.

"It is going to be intense and in-depth. We will be teaching all aspects, not just acting," Williams said.

The ideal situation for Williams would have been have a free summer programme. However, with zero corporate support, the cost will be $5,000 per week.

"It just did not happen, but we hope it will work that way in the future," he said.

Syllabus

Week one will be an introduction to theatre and the stage, how to move, position the body and theatre etiquette. The workshop will also seek to differentiate among the different types and styles of performance from television and radio to stage and screen.

Week two will focus on building on the foundation with vocal exercises, activities working the vocal range and simulation of electronic media broadcasts. They will also focus on movement of the body in dramatic or comedic situations, scenes, poetry and prose readings, in groups and individually.

The final week will be dedicated to refining what was learnt and infusing the students' own ideas. Critiquing from tutors and guided preparation/rehearsals with students will also be a heavy focus.