This workshop explores a highly practical, instinctive approach for actors and devisers who work on text-based, devised or improvised projects.

The process encourages participants to consider and use the audience as their most important collaborator.

For over twenty years, I’ve been interested in how artists can collaborate more effectively with the audiences who are experiencing their work. I’ve interrogated ways in which they can invite audiences to fill in the gaps left open by the performer and take more agency over how they interpret what is playing out before them.

After working with professional actors and actors-in-training to refine this approach, it’s now something that runs throughout all my work with performers.

The approach liberates the actor from feeling that they must somehow manage to convey every detail about a character or text to the audience — a horrible and, in my view, an unachievable task. Instead, their job is to manipulate the intersection between four elements — intention, content, context and form — as a means of inviting the audience into the world of the play.

In this workshop, actors and devisers will explore this approach and how they can most effectively use it in their work.

Please note: This workshop is intended specifically for actors and devisers. A version of Audience Collaboration specifically aimed at directors can be found here.

CONTENT & OUTCOMES

The workshop can take two forms:
a one-day introductory workshop, and a three-day deep-dive residency.

During the one-day introductory workshop, participants will:

  • Discover how my work on Audience Collaboration was first developed and how it has been used in the process of creating theatre and other artistic projects.

  • Learn the key principles behind Audience Collaboration through a series of practical group and individual exercises. Each exercise builds on what has come before, providing a structured approach to the learning.

  • Explore how Audience Collaboration can be used in text-based work, including in scene and character study work.

During the three-day deep-dive residency, participants will also:

  • Explore how Audience Collaboration can be used during improvisational work.

  • Explore how Audience Collaboration can be used in a devising process.

  • Gain more practical hands-on experience of using Audience Collaboration work in various contexts: text, devising and improvisation.

  • Discover other practical tools that complement and intersect with Audience Collaboration work.

  • Explore strategies to incorporate Audience Collaboration work into their own practice and processes.

DETAILS & LOGISTICS

  • Who is the workshop for?
    — The workshop is for actors and devisers.
    — It is suitable for both professional artists and artists-in-training.

  • How many participants can take part?
    — To ensure everyone can have the fullest experience of the practical exercises, workshops are capped at a maximum of 12 participants.

  • How long is the workshop?
    — The one day introductory workshop is two 3-hour sessions with a break in between.
    — The three-day deep-dive residency is made up of two 3-hour sessions with a break in between on each day.
    — At drama schools and universities, a showing of the work explored can be scheduled for the last session of a three-day residency.
    — Other schedules can be accommodated to suit a group’s particular circumstances.

  • Where can the workshop take place?
    — The workshop is practical and needs to take place in-person; it cannot be delivered online.
    — The booker is responsible for finding a suitable room or studio for the workshop to take place in.

  • What space or equipment is needed for the workshop?
    — A space that is large enough to comfortably accommodate full-group practical work and exercises.
    — A chair for each participant.
    — Participants should wear clothes they are comfortable moving in.
    — Participants should bring something to take notes with (as no handouts are provided.)

  • What is the cost of the workshop?
    — Workshop costs vary depending on length and location. Please enquire about the cost by filling in the form below or emailing directly.

  • Can the workshop accommodate participants with specific needs or who require specific adjustments?
    — Absolutely! It is very important that everyone can participate fully in a way that is comfortable and positive for them. Please provide as much detail as possible when booking and I’ll arrange a time for us to have a conversation in advance of the workshop date.

INTERESTED IN BOOKING A WORKSHOP OR LEARNING MORE?

Get in touch to secure your dates or to arrange an informal chat about your ideas and plans. You can contact me using the form below, or email me directly:

hello [at] garethjnicholls [dot] com.

Which workshop (s) are you wishing to enquire about?

AVAILABLE WORKSHOPS

The Box

A powerful devising, writing, improvisation and scene study tool rolled into one.

The Funhouse

Enter The Funhouse to devise work in front of an audience in real-time.

The Bold Ensemble

A workshop to help groups of actors and devisers nurture key collaborative skills in order to work together most effectively.

Effortless Devising

A stress-free approach to developing narrative-led work.

Improvisation Without Fear

A step-by-step approach to eliminate dread when improvising.

Audience Collaboration — For Actors & Devisers

An approach that invites audiences to be your most important collaborator.

Audience Collaboration — For Directors

An approach that invites audiences to be your most important collaborator.