As directors or theatre practitioners we spend most of our time giving others direction, but we spend very little time – if any – experiencing it ourselves. I trained as an actor but it’s been a long time since I’ve actually done any acting, script in hand or otherwise. Recently I’ve been musing that getting to experience taking direction might be very valuable indeed. In fact, doing some acting might make me a better director. So I thought an event like this would be a great idea, and Walk the Talk seemed like a fitting name.

What happens?

• A games / warm up exercise exchange at the top of the session.
• The meat of the workshop – all participators receive direction on scenes from a contemporary text (advised of in advance so you can gen up if you like).
• A demo, where a theatre director shares a particular skill or technique with the group. For our first session I am thrilled that Jemma Gross will be talking to us about under-reading – a great rehearsal technique I observed when she was directing my play Chicken Shop at Park Theatre, and one I have used frequently since.
• Lots of chat, discussion and a cheeky glass of vino at the end of the night.

Walk the Talk ran in January 2016 and February 2017. To be kept informed about future events like this email withoutapaddletheatre@yahoo.co.uk.