“Akropolis Displays an Excellence that blurs genre lines…. all is laid out with vocal and physical exactitude.”
~ Seattle Times review of Seneca’s Oedipus
APL Physical Training: Annie Paladino & Joseph Lavy | August 18, 2014 | Photo: Zhenya Lavy
Akropolis Performance Lab is thrilled to offer two exciting workshops that will immerse performers into the physical and vocal practices developed and practiced by Artistic Directors Joseph and Zhenya Lavy through 25 years of in-depth investigation of performance craft. Learn how to develop your physical and vocal self as an artist and to gain a broader vision for what that might mean. In line with our Central and Eastern European artistic heritage, our emphasis will be on process rather than prescription. APL’s methodologies open up a means for tapping into artistic potentiality and move the participant toward a single fundamental objective:
Living Impulses shaped by Deliberate Form piloted by an Engaged Mind
The learning process proceeds through a predominantly continuous course of action centered on group work. Everyone participates at all times; no idle watching while others work. Be prepared to sweat — a lot. Bring plenty of water and dress comfortably for work in bare feet.
These two-day intensives – offered to the public for the first time in more than five years – are open to performers of all experience levels who are interested in exploring the essential elements of craft in a dynamic, creative, and supportive environment. We look forward to working with you!
Spontaneity/Precision
APL Physical Training: Joseph Lavy, Margaretta Campagna & Annie Paladino | August 17, 2014 | Photo: Zhenya Lavy
Instructor: Joseph Lavy, APL Co-Artistic Director, with support from the entire Company
Dates: October 18-19, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm each day
Location: 7526 Olympic View Drive, Edmonds WA 98026
Enrollment: 4 minimum, 10 maximum
Tuition: $195
In this two-day intensive workshop, we will explore together the great question of the actor’s craft: how to be to be fully alive within a structured framework. Participants will be introduced to exercises developed and practiced by Seattle’s Akropolis Performance Lab through 25 years of in-depth investigation. Participants will confront the challenges of balance-in-action, rhythm, artifice/authenticity, stamina and attention. These sessions will provide each participant with the opportunity — through rigorous activities, improvisations, and games — to engage in a personal flow of transforming impulses, images, and associations, channeled through precise forms of physical expression. This workshop is perfect for actors seeking tools for creating physically dynamic work.
Be prepared to sweat — a lot. Bring plenty of water and dress comfortably for movement in bare feet.
Voice
Instructor: Zhenya Lavy, APL Co-Artistic Director, with support from the entire Company
Dates: November 8-9, 2014, 9:00am – 12:00pm each day
Location: 7526 Olympic View Drive, Edmonds WA 98026
Enrollment: 4 minimum, 12 maximum
Tuition: $155
In this two-day intensive, we investigate how to listen, respond, and connect with others by means of the voice. Participants will explore resonators, sound association, articulation, pitch, melody, mood, and vibratory quality primarily through traditional song. Come prepared to sing a lot, with few pauses, and to sweat. Dress Comfortably and bring water. We work in bare feet and stand the entire duration, with some physical activity accompanying the vocal work. Previous vocal training not required. However, if you are not accustomed to highly physical, expansive, endurance vocal work, we recommend that you spend 1-3 hours humming lightly each day for the week leading up to the workshop.
While this workshop stands alone as a dynamic vocal training, the fullest benefit is gained by experiencing it in sequence with Embodying the Impulse: Spontaneity/Precision, as we explore the connection between the actor’s physical and vocal presence.
Representative critical response to APL’s vocal work:
“The Music was to die for!”
~ Marie Bonfils, Drama in the Hood | Uncle Vanya
“Musical interludes devised by [Zhenya] Lavy are admirable. […] The crunched harmonies and the singers’ vocal assurance are amazing.”
~ Joe Adcock, Seattle P-I | Dream of a Ridiculous Man
“Interspersed are marvelous songs. . . sung without accompaniment. The four-part harmonies are uniquely unsettling and thrilling, saturated with devotion and longing. . . . music director [Zhenya] Lavy achieves a kind of perfection.”
~ Joe Adcock, Seattle P-I | Song of Songs
Enrollment
Spaces are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration is secured once payment has been received. We reserve the right to cancel the workshop for any reason, including low enrollment.
Age Minimum
Akropolis Performance Lab has a minimum age requirement of 18 years.
How to Register
Registration is a two-step process:
- Submit payment via Brown Paper Tickets
- Complete our simple, online registration form (to convey your goals, information about your physical and vocal condition, etc.)
Registration Deadline
Three (3) days prior to the first workshop session. Payment must be made in-full for your registration to be guaranteed.
NOTE: $75 of the tuition for each workshop is considered “deposit” and will be forfeit in the event of withdrawal.
Special Offer
Registrants who sign up for both workshops prior to October 15 are eligible for a package price of $325 ($25 off the total). It is not possible to access this offer if you add the November workshop at a later date.
Payment
We accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
Credit Cards
All credit card payments will be processed online through Brown Paper Ticket, which does charge a service fee.
Cash/Checks
By special arrangement more than seven (7) business days prior to the workshop, cash or checks may be accepted. Cash or check payments must be hand-delivered to Co-Artistic Director Zhenya Lavy in the South Lake Union area between 5:00 and 6:00pm on a business day — or by mutual agreement for a different time. Email akropolis.performance.lab@gmail.com to arrange for payment by cash or check.
For checks, a handling fee of $30 will be charged if returned. If your check is returned, you will still be responsible for payment-in-full of any workshops you attended, and you will be required to pay all fees in full by cash or credit card before you will be allowed to attend the current workshop or register for a future workshop.
Cancellation
If a workshop must be cancelled by Akropolis Performance Lab, participants will be notified immediately and will receive a full refund for the date cancelled.
Withdrawals and Refund Policy
Registrants electing to withdraw must do so no fewer than seven (7) days before the workshop start date. (See “Enrollment Deadlines” below.) To withdraw, submit written notice of intent to akropolis.performance.lab@gmail.com. If your notice of intent to withdraw is received prior to the 7-day mark, you will be refunded the portion of your tuition which exceeds the $75 deposit-forfeiture. After the 7-day mark, you forfeit the entire tuition.
No-shows are not eligible for refund.
Enrollment Deadlines
Embodying the Impulse: Spontaneity/Precision
Last day to withdraw ~ October 11
Last day to register ~ October 15
Embodying the Impulse: Voice
Last day to withdraw ~ November 1
Last day to register ~ November 5
Liability
Registrants freely and knowingly assume all risk incidental to participating in workshops with Akropolis Performance Lab. Registrants understand and accept that Akropolis Performance Lab, its instructors and Company members, are not responsible for injury to persons or property related to participation in Akropolis workshops. As a participant, you hereby agree to indemnify, release, and hold harmless Akropolis Performance Lab, its officers, directors, Company members, or agents from any liability arising out of or related to any activity, accident, or incident in workshops or on the site of the workshops.
Contact akropolis.performance.lab@gmail.com with questions or concerns.
