PhysFestNYC Workshop: Unlocking Play: Physical Game in Performance

Unlocking Play: Physical Game in Performance

Jeu (French for “play” or “game”) is an essential element of all performance. This fun workshop will help performers to be present, focused, open, energetic and curious in the pursuit of pleasurable "jeu" onstage; to play collaboratively and dynamically as solos, duos, trios and groups; and find “the game” through improvisation to develop composition.

Instructors - Arantxa Chavez, Michael "Dola" Amendola

Tenara Calem, Michael "Dola" Amendola, and Arantxa Chavez are artist-educators driven by a commitment to physical play and ensemble work. Collectively, these artists have over twenty-five years of experience in improvisation, physical theater, and writing with the body. These artists have taught at Philadelphia Improv Theater, Millibo Art Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, Pig Iron School, Trinity Repertory Company, InterAct, FringeArts, American Shakespeare Center, and Friends Central in Philadelphia. These artists are influenced and inspired by stupidity, failure, putting your body in the space without a plan, and collaborative trust. They believe that the language of play is a path to empowerment, discovery, and community and teach through a clown ethos in order to disorient power and nourish the curiosity of what is possible.

Michael “Dola” Amendola (he/they) is a Philadelphia & NYC-based performer-creator, and educator with a strong interest in the personal, creative and social impact of “play.” He has performed in over 60 productions across the US including 600 shows with the Off-Broadway comedy hit, Drunk Shakespeare, and 100+ performances as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the ASC. He earned his BFA in Acting from Texas State University and is pursuing an MFA in Devised Performance at the Pig Iron School. He has studied clown extensively with many world-renowned teachers. Dola has led workshops in devising, clown, improv and character creation for Circadium School for Contemporary Circus, Austin Shakespeare, Philadelphia Improv Theatre, Cannonball Festival, and the American Shakespeare Center.

Arantxa Chavez Chang-Say (she/they) is a theatre artist from Lima, Peru, who strongly believes in the power of ensemble-based work and creating community through radical vulnerability. As a performer, she worked with award-winning comedy troupe Unsupervised Improv for over 4 years and was part of the creative opening team for Meow Wolf-Convergence Station in Denver. She has 15+ years of experience practicing, performing, and teaching comedy improv and improvisation as a mode for creation in local high schools and theaters, including the Millibo Art Theatre. She earned her BA in Visual and Performing Arts from The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and is pursuing an MFA in Devised Performance at the Pig Iron School. Her professional training extends to physical theatre, clown, and interactive performance.

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PhysFestNYC is a community-focused festival that celebrates, enriches, and envisions our field of physical theaters. As an annual gathering, provides space for practitioners, audiences, and the physical-theater-curious to share in presented works, diverse workshop offerings, and community-building events.

Broken Box Mime Theater's mission is to activate the imagination of our audiences, contemporize the art of mime, and remind us all of the power of simple storytelling.