Acting with Masks Workshop

Learning unique acting techniques while exploring masks from different times and cultures

Actors, storytellers, dancers and other stage artists will benefit from this class.
The workshop enables the students to create their own single or ensemble show.
The class length and content may be individually adjusted to fit the participants.
The workshop can be adjusted for art students, teachers of the arts, art therapists and educators as well as theater and dance lovers.

The Workshop’s Masks

Different types of masks are introduced to the participants, representing different styles and periods in theater: neutral masks, whole character masks to Commedia dell’Arte-style half-masks, in addition to authentic Far East and African masks.

Several masks were created by the renowned masks artist Yehudith Grinshpan, who designs and builds masks for major Israeli theatres, and numerous TV shows.

On Masks in Theater

Masks allow the actor to reveal the variety of his own inner characters.

Playing with masks grants the actor the freedom to express the impulses, thoughts and emotions inside him/herself. The joy of acting with masks enhances actors’ trust in their inner worlds, expands their imaginations in creating new theatrical characters and creates surprising and exciting encounters with audiences and acting partners.

Main workshop topics:

•   The neutral mask –Joy and observing the “here and now”
The neutral mask is a basic one, a departure point for all other kinds of masks. Wearing it obliterates the actor’s face and his body is more available for exploring and observing movement. Thus, the human body’s full potential is manifested while minimizing dramatic movement in space.

•   Whole masks (Larval masks) – preparation for character work
This facilitates the sculpting and shaping of the actor’s body according to the character’s nature. It is the actor’s first dialogue with a different character, observing its innocence, its conduct in a certain situation, its inner monologue. This develops another key principle in physical theater: dialogue through action and through audience.

•   Half masks, Commedia Dell’arte Masks and others – incorporating a verbal layer in acting with masks
Commedia dell’arte masks, originated from street masks. They personify characters and types from the golden age of theater in Italy: Arlecchino, Pantalone, Il Capitano, Il Dottore and others. They allow for impulses and sensations to be central sources of dramatic action and movement. Another emphasis is placed on the verbal component: finding the right voice for each character, choosing the words that belong to the character’s inner world. The verbal aspect also allows for the creation of a dialogue with the audience, as well as a tragic-comic effect.

For booking, contact us