Dates of the next program: June 2022 (to be announced)
Location: Csurgo - Hungary
Special Three-Week Physical Theatre Intensive Residency designed for dancers, physical theatre actors, circus performers, musical theatre performers, performance artists, as well as for directors and choreographers, interested in advancing their professional skills in performance making, movement directing, performing, devising, ensemble building, directing, etc., as well as enhancing professional tools such as body, voice and mind through daily creative practice.
The training intentionally is designed as an intensive lab with the participation of practitioners from different field of arts and from various countries. Multidisciplinarity and multiculturality are one of the most important principles of our programs. Working alongside colleagues from different countries and cultures is an excellent opportunity to find innovative, new, multidimensional approaches to rehearsals and performances.
Participants will be able to get training based on the Ostrenko Brothers Method, which was formed on the basis of a Russian theatre school and influenced by traditional European and Asian practices in performing arts.
About Ostrenko Brothers Method
Ostrenko's Method is a systematic approach to performance, which generates innovative productions utilizing concepts, ideas, and existing play-texts. It introduces some of the effective techniques and approaches towards contemporary performance practice in the context of the short rehearsal time and multicultural aspect of the creative team.
It can be also described as a valid combination of practice and theory. It’s a very practical approach to the performance making process from the performers' perspective, as well as from the directors'. The Ostrenkos' approach generates innovative productions, utilizing concepts, ideas, and discoveries of K.Stanislavski, Vs.Meyerhold and M.Chekhov.
Ostrenko's method of work relies on the performer’s physicality and physical action. The key to unfolding the actor’s creative nature underlies in the body. Through the body and physical actions, actors discover form, emotional colours, and feelings. The actor’s relationship with artistic space, his freedom in improvisation and spontaneity play an important role in the creative process. As a result, intangible becomes tangible. Atmosphere and style are born inseparably from this creative process.
Ostrenko Brothers method offers the tools and support necessary for students to reach their full potential in performing and directing.
- The program aims to explore the performer's physicality, step beyond the limits of text-based acting by the means of V. Meyerhold’s “Biomechanics”, K. Stanislavski's “Physical Action”, M. Chekhov’s “Psychological Gesture” and elements from other techniques.
- Students will have a chance to learn the skills needed for a professional movement directors and teachers, research how movement practice is taught and how to actors and performers best integrate movement processes.
- Students will have the opportunity to get training and experience in the Ostrenko Brothers approach to rehearsals and at the end of the course, show the result.
About Sergei Ostrenko
International theatre projects under the guidance of Sergei Ostrenko took place in different countries: Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
His creative work is the synthesis of the Russian Theatre School and the newest experiments in performing arts. Ostrenko has vast directing experience in different genres.
He has dedicated many years to the exploration of world theatre traditions working with performers from different countries and cultures.
His approach in the international scene is known as the effective method of growing cohesion and the creation of live performances within limited rehearsal time. Students of Ostrenko, theatre workers from Russia, Europe, America, Asia and Australia, have been using his creative method in their own performance and teaching practice.
Since the end of the 1990s, Sergei has been travelling and researching traditional and contemporary performing arts techniques - Contact Improvisation, Kinetic Environment, Structural Improvisation, techniques of Alexander, Laban, Butoh, Suzuki, Pilates, Viewpoints, Eugenio Barba's approach, Chinese Opera and Mak Yong.
And, of course, the fundamental education Sergei Ostrenko has in the methods of K.Stanislavsky, Vs. Meyerhold and M. Chekhov.
About Gennadiy Ostrenko
Gennadiy Ostrenko - movement director, teacher and stage designer. He received his first education in Fine Arts. After graduation he started to work at theatre, starting his career from a stage designer to a movement director.
He has carried out many lines of creative projects in the field of performing arts in Ukraine and Russia. In the framework of IUGTE he took part in different international multidisciplinary projects in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Latvia and Malta.
Gennadiy is a movement director in many international performance productions in Russia and Ukraine. In the series of International Shakespeare Performance Projects in Russia and Ukraine, he worked on movement and choreography for such performances as “Passions of Romeo”, "Rehearsing Richard", "Lullaby for Hamlet" and "Love and Death in Verona".
Gennadiy Ostrenko's passion in the movement has resulted in a newly designed program for performers - "Theatre Biomechanics". This program is mainly based on Vsevolod Meyerhold investigations of techniques for performers training. Gennadiy based his program on elements of classical Meyerhold's biomechanics, which go in conjunction with contemporary methods of performers' preparation.
Another important part of Gennadiy's teaching approach is improvisation. Improvisation is an important part of training for actors, as it is related not only to bodywork, but also to work with imagination and images. The researches in improvisation brought him to a deeper study of M. Chekhov's technique, as well as to the study of the animal movement.
About Location
Csurgó is a small town of 5,300 enthusiasts in the south-western part of Somogy (Shomody) county, at the confluence of three regions - Inner Somogy, Zala Hills and the Drava region. The settlement can be reached by road from Nagykanizsa, Nagyatád and Barcs, its railway station is located along the Budapest-Gyékényes line.
The beautiful buildings of this friendly, intimate city, the historical library of the Reformed Grammar School and its untouched natural environment - the nearby Danube-Drava National Park - offer lasting experiences to visitors.
Venue - Churgo Culture Center
The training venue - Chokonai Közösshegi House (Churgo Culture Centre), is located 1,5 km from the accommodation venue, and it takes around 10 minutes of slow-speed walk to get there.
As it is in the city centre, it is easy to reach everything that is needed: cafes, shops, parks, museums, accommodation, fitness clubs and even a swimming pool.
The training room is spacious, light, well heated and ventilated.
About Accommodation
On the western border of Somogy county, in the old town of Csurgó, in the recently opened Historical Park, everything the traveller may need is together: interesting sights on a historical educational trail, comfortable accommodation at a low price, rooms suitable for events. In the spacious yard, there is a spice and herb garden, an oven, a fireplace to help you relax.
The accommodation can be organized at the Guesthouse of Historical Park. It has an 8+8 bed, three double with a separate bathroom for each room. There is a mini-kitchen at the venue with necessary things. For more details about the venue, visit: https://www.nipai.org/csurgo
You may also choose accommodation at other hotels and apartments in Csurgo.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner participants can prepare by themselves at the mini-kitchen of the venue, or have it at the local restaurants or cafes.