Last September ISACS Member Colm Chan was selected as the bursary recipient to attend a Physical Comedy Masterclass led by Jos Houben.
Jos is an Olivier Award winner, original member of Complicité, and apart from teaching Physical theatre for over 20 years, he also performs his own one-man show around the world since 2007 – The Art of Laughter
Over 3 days, Colm learned movements based on correct, safe, biomechanics and much more.
Here is what Colm has to say about his experience.
The masterclass was very well organized, Brian Daly ensured that all attendees were well informed about the content and material in advance. He also made sure to include information about transport and facilities in the area. He was very welcoming and made sure attendees had everything required to participate fully.
Jos Houben is a gifted teacher with incredible insight into what makes an action funny. He is an engaging and energetic man who made every minute of the masterclass an opportunity to learn. His sense of humour while teaching made learning a pleasure.
The content of the masterclass was broad and covered various aspects of physical comedy such as timing, constructing a gag and movement. We learned how to apply this as individuals, in pairs and in groups.
It was structured very well with each days lessons being the foundation of the next day. This meant that over the course of the weekend we could develop and play with our new skills and ideas.
I’ve already found the content and material to be very practical and helpful in my school performances and feel confident that I can create entertaining and funny routines that are safe to perform.
I would strongly encourage all ISACS members to avail of every training opportunity they can!