A few years ago I did a series of workshops with Actors Training Ireland. The workshops were in voice and movement and they activated my entire body and my brain. I really enjoyed them. They included movement work, some improv, working with text, working with the breath and exercises to wake up your body and your voice. Every week I learnt something or realised something new about my body, in an environment that was friendly and supportive. The workshops were run by Andy Crook and Helena Walsh who both taught at Trinity, as part of the acting course there. Now Actors Training Ireland has morphed into Articulate Anatomy Theatre and have lots of plans in the pipeline, including a 4-day workshop next month.

I really can’t recommend them highly enough. More information about the workshop and the teachers is below. To get a place in the workshop or just to get on their mailing list, email ArticulateAnatomyTheatre (at ) gmail.com

The Creative Actor
(Body, Voice & Imagination Workshop)
With Helena Walsh and Andy Crook.

Date: October 29th – 1st November. (Wednesday – Saturday)
Time: 10.00 – 17.00; Course Fee: €250
Venue: The Lantern Centre, 17 Synge Street, Dublin 8

This unique workshop is a practical training and investigation into the integration of body, voice and imagination; exploring how we can develop our creativity, have more choices available to us as actors and become more self-aware and less self conscious in our work.

The workshop will energise the actor, create greater presence and develop a simple and direct means to opening up text and accessing our creative self.

The work explores aspects of voice (Roy Hart and Fitzmaurice Voicework), physical training (Jacques Lecoq and Phillip Zarrilli) as well as utilising aspects of Stanislavski and Chekhov. It centres around body, breath and physical action.

Helena Walsh is one of Ireland’s leading voice specialists and teaches nationally and internationally. She is passionate about voice work and encouraging each individual to discover their authentic voice through artistic expression. Her approach to voice is an integration of voice / body and imagination (text), making it easier for the young actor to build a bridge from their acting to their voice work. Helena holds a BA in Classics from University College Dublin and has trained and performed as an actress and singer both nationally and internationally. In 2003 she was awarded an Arts Council bursary to pursue professional mentorships at the Abbey Theatre under Voice Director Andrea Ainsworth and at Trinity College under Kevin Crawford, founding member of The Roy Hart International Voice Centre, France. She is currently doing a Teaching Certification in Fitzmaurice Voice work at the International Centre for Voice at Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London and will be the only teacher of this method in Ireland. Helena teaches voice on the full time actor-training programme at The Gaiety School of Acting, on the three-year theatre studies programme at Inchicore V.E.C and on the BA in Liberal Arts at The American College, Merrion Square.

Andy Crook is a teacher and maker of theatre who is presently based in Dublin, Ireland. He trained at the internationally renowned Ecole Jacques Lecoq and has worked as a director, performer and teacher throughout Europe and the USA. He was associate course co-ordinator on the Professional Actor Training Programme at Trinity College, Dublin and has taught in several drama schools in the UK. He has been an Associate Lecturer on the Drama and Theatre Studies programme at University College Cork and is a regular tutor on the MFA in Physical Theatre at the Accademia Dell’Arte, Arezzo, Italy. He has recently been teaching and directing at Rose Bruford College and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts both in London. Much of his recent performance work in Ireland and the USA has been with either with company, Articulate Anatomy, or with well-known psychophysical theatre director Phillip Zarrilli (The Llanarth Group).

Andy’s work is inspired by and developed from his training with Jacques Lecoq and nearly 30 years of working as a director, performer and acting teacher. It explores the dynamics of play by developing the actor’s energetic physical connection, awareness of space and active engagement with fellow performers. This exploration leads to the discovery of a new freedom, sense of creativity and means of physical expression.