Andrew Hefler is a performer, director, trainer working in theatre, music, film and television for nearly thirty years. He was first introduced to Improvisational theatre at the age of 10 in grade school in Los Angeles. Since then he has worked with theatre groups in the US, Canada, Europe and since 1994 in his homebase of Budapest. He was a member of the experimental impro trio Scalabouche and later he founded Grund Theatre in 2008 developing a company and training methods for actors and shows for performance. He has written and produced TV for Comedy Central and AMC. He is an actor at the National Theatre of Hungary and has taught improvisation and acting at various Universities. In his spare time he writes songs and sings in his band.
More information: www.andrewhefler.com
SHOW
Monday Oct. 10th, 2022
TicketsWORKSHOPS
FIGHT FOR NORMALCY
Tuesday Oct. 11th, 2022, 3.30 pm–6.30 pm
It is often the case that impro actors feel immense pressure to be interesting or funny or weird to make scenes watchable. This is rarely a good approach. Too often in improvised work actors get nervous or overexcited and take things way outside and get downright wacky. This, while liberating, exhilarating or otherwise has the ability to confuse or frustrate viewers and other players ultimately trivializing or leaving the scenes meaningless or worse yet senseless. This course explores and exercises are skill set as actors to dare to be normal, balanced and functional in scenes setting them up for far greater risk and reward while giving the viewer real likeable, believeable characters to pull for. It works through my principle of two actor = 1 beast as the temptation for crazy actions is to magnetise or lure other players to follow suit often leading to mindless dribble. Here through authentic normalcy we are liberated to more truthfully and starkly portray truly risky or odd moments from lives of characters or offbeat people on stage.
FOR BEGINNERS
Workshop Fee € 50
Duration 3 hours
Location t.b.a.
BREAKING ROUTINES, MANIAS, OBSESSIONS & EXTREMES
Thursday Oct. 6th, 2022, 3.30 pm–6.30 pm
If people have inhibitions, fears or social issues off stage they tend to take them on stage too. This is normal, but it does impact some of the variety of choices we make to represent lives on stage. Getting out of your head and getting into broader range of physicalities and voice through exaggerated expressions, gestures and commitment. I will start with your default expressions and features and we will begin to grotesquely aggrandize them, working opposite them, or randomly altering them. Using some of the traditions and techniques from trans mask with the actors face using some of the traditions and techniques from trance mask with your own face as the mask we will begin to coax out other characters that are residing in there. We will cover some of the spectrum. Also looking at new wants to play and minimalistic expressions all the way to the extremes. With these new characters come new wants and convictions and they bring with them the baggage of taboo topics racier themes and even downright bad behavior on stage with consequence. This course will give you tools to get your play out of safer trivial areas into depicting relevant issues, through exciting and unique characters with conviction.
FOR INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED IMPROVISORS ONLY
Workshop Fee € 50
Duration 3 hours
Location t.b.a.