When you invest in a set of quality theater masks for actor training or performance, you want to know the masks will last for many years of consistent use. Proper care of actor training masks can prolong the lifespan of a theater mask. Protect your investment with proper care and storage of your acting masks. […]
Theatrical masks are made from different materials depending on their purpose. Over time, the creation of theater masks has become more sophisticated with improvements in technology. Around the world you can find masks made out of wood, leather, metal, fabric, paper, plastic, and rubber composites. In today’s world, a simple party mask found at a […]
The question: why study devising as a theatre artist, actor, creator or playwright will be explored in this blog post. And as always “the mask” will be discussed as the vehicle driving the learning process and leading the student/artist toward understanding a deeper creative product. The current climate in today’s performance practice, on the surface, […]
I was recently interviewed about mask making materials associated with Commedia dell’Arte Masks. I thought I’d share this mask makers response here. Question posed: I know you’ve worked (fabulously) with neoprene and other synthetic materials. What would you say to the traditionalists who believe that a mask needs to “breathe” or be made of “organic” […]
The larval mask or Basel Mask has its origins in the celebration of Carnival in Basel, Switzerland. This mask has become an integral part of the actor training sequence developed at The International School of Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France. Lecoq’s research and teaching is an extension of the work begun by Copeau at […]
Mark Fortier once said, “The purpose of theater is to put the audience in a better position to understand the world around them.” Theater can be an introduction to the truth about life that comes to light through the expressions showcased within the masks. Practitioners in professional theater and educational know that a theater mask […]
Since man appeared on the timeline, masks have represented characters in theatrical performances. Primitive man used them. All indigenous cultures have mask traditions. In Greece, the significance of theatre masks increased from ritual to ritual-drama. Theatre masks have gained immense popularity with the passage of time. In the Middle Ages masks were used in the […]
The Question of Masks in Devising I was recently speaking with a colleague about a devising workshop that we are planning and he asked me, “why use masks?” This prompted a lot of thought, which led to a lot of questions and then to a lot more thought. Here are some of those thoughts shared. […]
What is Economy of movement? Why would that be important? I was once having a conversation with a colleague and had just mentioned having finished the section on neutral theatre mask. She asked me how long I had spent with the students on the neutral mask exercises. I replied eight weeks. She was shocked. What […]
This blog post is going be all over the place so be warned. It has been hard to focus my thoughts on any one aspect of what I do given the events in the world at large. I spend my days caught between the world I live in and the world that is being imposed […]
Welcome!! Jonathan Becker offers on-site workshops in partnership with The North American Laboratory of the Performing Arts, a small institute dedicated to a broad cultural exploration of the performing arts, the creation of new works, the exploration of fundamental principles and inspiring artists to be agents of change.
The MansionA workshop for performers, students and teachers. Explore one of the most effective methods of actor training through Neutral, Larval and Character Half Mask. the mask tangibly reveals to the actor the intricacies of the art of performance, directing and an application of understandings to all styles of acting.
This workshop explores the entire process and understandings necessary to create an expressive form, a mask that appears to change expression as it moves through space.
