The Mask Character workshop

The Mask Character

Combined work demonstration and workshop with original comic half masks

Starting from the characters of Punch and Judy, embodied in comic half-masks, this is an introduction to mask work and a basis for an approach to physical and vocal characterisation.

The performers re-enact their training in mask from the very early stages, showing phases of the technical and creative process, together with elements of performance.

To retain the fun and the unpredictability of mask behaviour, the emphasis is also put on improvisation: the performers introduce their mask character to the spectators, encouraging interaction and participation.

The workshop also provides information about the historical roots that connect Punch and Judy characters with the masks of the Commedia dell’Arte, spread through Europe and beyond by Italian actors and puppeteers.

Key questions and materials

Trance states are at the base of many traditional masked performances all around the world, in which they usually guarantee the manifestation of extra-ordinary characters, while in western theatre mask techniques have often been used to create identification between performer and character at a high level of organicity.

Can we use these techniques to guide our search for a performance structure that should be repeatable yet living?
Also, can we harness the power that the mask gives to the performer in order to reach presence on stage?
And is it possible to make use of these techniques in unmasked performance as well?

Using these questions as a starting point, the workshop will give all the participants the freedom to safely discover their own relationship with the mask character they choose to work with.

There is no manipulation of the individual process within the mask through the imposition of specific movements, postures or pre-determined behaviours, but the participants will be encouraged to explore the most childlike, playful and spontaneous part of themselves, in order to release the vitality contained in the “spirit” of the mask.

A short video on the making of some of the masks used in the workshop is also available.

Duration: one day upwards.

For more information please contact us