Semester in Physical Theatre
About the Program
Actor Training from the Source
Our semester-long program is built for students who are passionate about physical theatre and want to take their skills to the next level. If you're eager to grow as a performer—both technically and creatively—this immersive experience is designed with you in mind.
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We believe that the best way to deepen your artistic practice is by connecting directly with the roots of physical theatre, especially the rich traditions that began in Europe. Through hands-on training in powerful forms like Clown and Commedia dell’Arte (Italian masked theatre), you'll challenge yourself physically and vocally, expand your range of expression, and develop greater confidence and precision on stage.
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You’ll train in an environment that encourages collaboration, curiosity, and bold experimentation. Guided by experienced faculty, you’ll explore the balance between rigorous technique and imaginative play. By the end of the semester, you’ll return home with not only sharper skills but also a renewed artistic vision and a stronger sense of yourself as a performer.
Courses
Required
Voice and Movement for the Physical Actor
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This course trains artists to develop a strong, consistent vocal and physical presence through pre-expressive and psycho-physical techniques inspired by masters like Fitzmaurice, Lecoq, Roy Hart, Alexander, and others. Blending somatic practices, voice work, and movement exploration, artists build the tools to meet the demands of physical theatre with energy, clarity, and expression. Through text, feedback, and reflection, they learn to ground these methods in contemporary performance and cultivate a confident, resonant stage presence.
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Vocal Production
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Extended Vocal Techniques
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Somatic Principles
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Conditioning and Movement
Popular Theatre and Dramaturgy
​Dive into the vibrant world of European popular theatre through physical storytelling, character work, and audience interaction. This course explores key performance styles—including Commedia dell’Arte, clown, puppetry, and storytelling—emphasizing the physical and vocal techniques unique to each.
Artists train holistically, developing comic timing, rhythm, improvisation, and mask work while engaging with the social and theatrical roots of comedy. Drawing on the work of Molière, Goldoni, Meyerhold, Mnouchkine, Dario Fo, and Franca Rame, the course bridges tradition and contemporary practice.
Through scene work, canovacci, and ensemble training, artists expand their expressive range and gain a deep, embodied understanding of theatrical storytelling.
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Commedia dell’Arte
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Clown
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Puppetry
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Storytelling
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Basic Circus Arts
Devising and Theatre Lab
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This course immerses the artist in the art of devising original theatre—from first impulse to final performance. Drawing on the techniques of Grotowski, Overlie, and various cultural traditions, artists collaboratively generate material, experiment with composition, and explore site-specific, immersive, and self-led forms, which culminate in working demonstrations. This course also allows artists to explore interdisciplinary performance processes through the Kabaret events.
Ensemble work is central, fostering creative intuition, group awareness, and the ability to shape ideas into impactful performance. Artists refine their voice and aesthetic while integrating skills from across their training, with guidance from core and guest faculty throughout the process.
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Grotowski
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Improvisation & Composition
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Kabaret
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Communal Dance
Italian Language and Culture
This hybrid course offers an immersive introduction to Italian language and culture through a blend of online and in class instruction as well as in-person experiences in the historic city of Arezzo and other culturally significant places around Italy. Artists will develop practical language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, while gaining cultural fluency through direct engagement with local customs, traditions, and daily life.
Online sessions provide structured language learning and cultural context, while in-person classes and guided explorations and experiences bring the language to life. From navigating local markets to engaging with Italian cinema, cuisine, art, and community, artists apply their learning in real-world settings.
No prior knowledge of Italian is required. The course is ideal for artists looking to build conversational proficiency and cultural insight in a dynamic, hands-on environment.
Those who have taken more than 2 semesters of Italian may choose to take the Advanced Italian Course.
Choose one of the following
Social Change and the Avant Garde
This interdisciplinary course explores how radical shifts in 19th- and 20th-century society shaped—and were shaped by—the Avant-Garde. From Futurism’s obsession with speed to Dada’s reaction to industrialized war and Surrealism’s embrace of Freudian theory, artists examine how this movement challenged aesthetic, philosophical, and cultural norms.
Through manifestos, literature, film, performance, music, and visual art, artists investigate the revolutionary spirit of the historical Avant-Gardes and their lasting impact on contemporary culture. Key questions include: What made the Avant-Garde truly original? How did they fuse art with revolution? And how critically did they engage with the emerging culture industry?
Gender Politics & Feminist Theories in Performance
This course investigates how performance intersects with gender politics, feminist theory, and activism. Artists engage with key feminist and queer thinkers while exploring performance as a tool to challenge power, identity, and representation.
Through analysis and creative practice, the course examines topics like embodiment, intersectionality, queer and trans performance, and decolonial feminist strategies. Artists develop their own feminist-informed work, discovering how performance can resist dominant narratives and imagine new futures.
