NordicStagecraft

Nordic Live Performance Workshops

1. What’s the idea?
2. Who’s it for?
3. How does it work?
4. How much does it cost?
5. Is it worth the money?
6. How do I sign up?

1. What’s the idea?

The basic idea is simple: that performance training works best when it’s conducted in front of an audience. These workshops provide an arena where you can develop and experiment as a performer in the atmosphere of a live performance situation.

The course includes eighteen-hours of training spread over six weeks, plus two individual 1-1 meetings with an instructor, plus a concluding performance. Inspiration, laughter and unforgettable moments are guaranteed; new friendships and collaborations are likely. Above all, these workshops will turbo-charge the development of your core performance skills and help you get the very best out of your material and yourself.

2. Who’s it for?

There is strength in diversity, and these workshops work best when there is a rich mix of ages, abilities, and genres in the room. All comers are welcome who fall under the broad heading of ‘singers, speakers, and actors’, subject to the following requirements:

1. You must be able to deliver at least three performance texts (songs, poems, extracts from speeches/monologues etc.) independently, each of which should be 2-6 minutes long.
2. You’ve got to be prepared to leave your ego at the door, roll up your sleeves, and pitch in to make these workshops work for everyone.

Examples of previous participants include singer-songwriters, spoken word artists, rappers, classical singers, comedians, actors, political speakers and radio journalists.

Unsure whether what you do fits in? Please enquire.

3. How does it work?

There will be no blackboard instruction; no theorising; no role-playing and definitely no powerpoints. This is learning-by-doing, and what we will be doing is performance, live in performance; it’s the real thing.

The way it works is that each participant gets up, delivers their text once through, before the instructor guides them through a series of targeted interventions designed to tap into the hidden potential of both the performance material and the performer. These interventions cover the whole spectrum of performance, from body-and-voice work, to interpretation, language, emotion, and the relationship with the audience.

One crucial point is that these interventions are not chosen in advance, according to predefined learning outcomes, but are selected in-the-moment, personalised and tailored to your style, your performance, and your development. This reinforces the raw spontaneity of the performance situation.

This intense and dynamic form of instruction is based on the vistolkning method developed at the Nordic School of Songpoetry. Vistolkning has been practiced in Scandinavia for over thirty years, and is used today at leading performance schools in the Nordic countries.

How much does it cost?

The million-dollar question. The full cost of a course of Nordic Live Performance Workshops, including eighteen hours of workshops, two 1-1 contact sessions, refreshments, and a concluding performance, is £150. This fee is payable at the point of enrolment – this is to ensure that we can bring a stable and committed group together for the duration of the course.

You can save 30% on your own fees if you recommend this course to another participant and they reference your name during their enrolment. Furthermore, two concessionary places per cohort are available for students and performers on low incomes – for more details, please enquire.

Is it worth the money?

If you are seriously interested in improving your performance skills and holding moving, memorable performances, then yes, absolutely. Consider:

• The vistolkning method on which these workshops are based has been developed and refined at the Nordic School of Songpoetry for over thirty years, and has recently been the subject of academic study – we know for sure that it works.
• Nowhere else in the U.K. is offering structured, comprehensive performance training delivered live in front of an audience.
• As well as developing your performance skills, this course will bring you into contact with a Nordic way of thinking and talking about performance that has the potential to change your outlook not only on stagecraft, but on life. Unless you get on the plane and go to Scandinavia, you won’t find that anywhere else!

How do I sign up?

The enrolment process begins with a short digital interview, where we tell you more about the course and how it works, and you’ll have the chance to ask any questions you may have. The next stage, once the enrolment fee is payed, is a 1-1 personal briefing where we discuss your background, performance objectives, and how you can get the most out of your participation on the course.

To arrange an interview, please get in touch with us using the form below.

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