Theatre Performance POE
"A great misunderstanding exists in theatre nowadays - this is the tendency to think that the theatrical process falls into two stages, as in other fields. First stage: making. Second stage: selling. . . To my mind, it is just the opposite. I would say that the process consists not of two stages but of two phases. First: preparation. Second: birth. This is very different." - Peter Brook, The Shifting Point
We intend to train students to be creators of theatre. This includes training in:
- movement
- voice
- speech
- theatre history
- theatre literature
- directing
We are interested in giving students more possibilities for creating theatre work as a chosen life - and the ability to fashion a life as an artist with some measure of self-direction.
Company members of The Gravity Project, a professional theatre ensemble in residence at Juniata, along with Professor Belser, are the core faculty of the Performance POE. These working theatre professionals teach intensive courses throughout the year as well as coming to work with students on productions.
Professional mentoring offers these students some irreplaceable advantages:
- A ready-made network of professionals who can position students in the performance world
- Ongoing training at the highest level possible from experienced professionals
- Taining in specialized areas - Fitzmaurice Voicework, Skinner Releasing, dialect and speech work, contact improvisation, Ashtanga Yoga, to name a few.
A diversity of training approaches offers the performance student a large toolbox of skills to take into the professional world.