Celebrating Your Weird: Citizen Theatre Workshop for Performing Artists
What is it?
Critically acclaimed independent theatre company, Citizen Theatre, are sharing their secrets with Melbourne performing artists hungry for a chance to reconnect with their own creativity, body and voice. Led by Artistic Director of Citizen Theatre Jayde Kirchert, this exclusive workshop is for curious artists who want to fully embrace and embody the things that make them unique. Artists will be guided through a range of physical theatre, breath, voice, sound making, movement, improvisation and devising activities created specifically by Citizen Theatre - the same activities that have enabled the creation of experimental, exciting and viscerally engaging performance work, for which the company has become renowned. Spaces are strictly limited - don’t miss your chance!
These workshops are made possible by the support of Gasworks Arts Park, where Citizen Theatre is Artist In Residence for 2022
Image by Stu Brown
Who is it for?
Performing artists who are:
Actors, physical theatre performers, dancers, circus performers, performance artists
Curious, collaborative, open-minded and kind-hearted
Adults (18+) who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (you will need to provide proof of vaccination)
Two class types offered for different experience levels:
Open is for artists who have not been through professional performing arts training, but keen to deepen their creative practice through body-based exploratory work. This workshop is also ideal for those with professional experience in another artistic medium, but who might be newer to physically based, actor-led or storytelling practices.
Professional is for performing artists who have completed professional performing arts training, looking to re-connect with and reinvigorate their artistic practice. Experience in physically based, actor-led or storytelling practices is essential.
Citizen Theatre warmly welcomes all artists of all abilities, ages, gender identities and cultural backgrounds
What do I get out of it?
Maximum class size of 12
Experienced teaching artist, who is an acting and movement teacher at VCA
Introduction to Citizen Theatre’s unique training, created specifically for devising and making innovative, experimental performance works
Training and devising exercises that can be applied to your existing performing arts practice
A supportive environment where weirdness and creativity is encouraged and celebrated!
An opportunity to reconnect to your artistry and creativity, to prepare you for 2022
Meet like-minded artists
Supporting Citizen Theatre artists - all proceeds go towards the development of our next show, Ego Machine
When and where?
Saturday 16 April, 2022
Open level 10am-1pm
Professional level 2pm-5pm
Gasworks Arts Park, Albert Park (further details provided upon registration)
How much?
$75 (+$2.19 booking fee)
Teaching Artist bio
Jayde has more than a decade of professional experience in the performing arts, having completed a Bachelor of Music Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and working in professional music theatre as an actor before pursuing directing and writing. In 2014 she completed a Post Graduate Diploma of Arts majoring in Anthropology (University of Melbourne) and is currently undertaking a PhD at VCA (University of Melbourne).
Photo by Giulia Mcgauran
She has directed and written multiple critically acclaimed productions through her company Citizen Theatre, of which she is Artistic Director, having started the company in 2013. More recent Citizen Theatre works she has led as director/dramaturge include Forgotten Places – an immersive experience at Chapel Off Chapel and Kingston Arts Centre (supported by City of Stonnington and City of Kingston) and When The Light Leaves at La Mama Theatre (supported by the City of Melbourne) and Gasworks Arts Park. As a writer and director she has created Ascent for Theatre Works’ 2018 Melbourne Fringe Festival program (supported by ShowSupport), Nude for the 2014 Melbourne Cabaret Festival and remounted in 2015 at the Alex Theatre and in 2021 premiered her sci-fi feminist play with songs, Mara KORPER at Theatre Works in 2021 (supported by the City of Port Phillip and Faculty of Fine Arts & Music, University of Melbourne).
Jayde was the grateful recipient of the 2020 Monash University Jeanne Pratt Artist In Residence commission, along with Peter Rutherford, to create a new feminist Vaudevillian spectacular, The 100 Year Revue.
She is a lecturer and teaching artist at VCA. As part of this role, she recently created new biennial event "Music Theatre Futures: Best Practices for Leaders & Makers in the 21st Century" aimed at connecting industry and promoting greater inclusion in professional music theatre.
She has also been a director and dramaturge for many new Australian works for the Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Poppy Seed Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival and at VCA, as well directing VCA Music Theatre’s Morning Melodies concert at Hamer Hall in 2019 and 2022. In 2021 she directed VCA Music Theatre students in Sweet Charity, working with students to embody an intersectional feminist reading of the classic show. She has also previously been movement director for Opera Scholars Australia and choreographer for Kingston Arts.
Jayde’s extensive background in dance and physical theatre converges with her training and research in music theatre and intersectional feminist dramaturgies, giving her work a distinctly elegant, yet playful and at times subversive aesthetic, and a consciousness that allows her work to speak to pertinent social issues of our time.