Joya Cory Workshops

FULL SPECTRUM IMPROVISATION

"Full blown artistic creativity takes place when a trained and skilled grown up is able to tap the source of clear, unbroken, play consciousness of the small
child within."

~Stephen Nachmanovitch, Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art ~

At the core of my teaching philosophy is a definition of creativity that embraces the full spectrum of emotions, the shadow as well as the light side of the human condition. Although many of the pieces that are created in my workshops and in LUCKY DOG THEATRE are hilarious (incongruity and surprise, intrinsic to improvisation, are core elements of comedy) there are always pieces that are poignant and poetic.

When I first encountered improvisation in two different forms - dance and theatre - in the early 1970's it was a revelation. I was ecstatic to learn techniques that helped me make peace with my own harsh inner critic. I had not even imagined that I could express myself so freely in movement and language. What was more surprising was that it felt absolutely natural. There was a deep level of connectedness and ease with my fellow players.

I noticed however, that when studying comedy improv, I had many more moments of feeling competitive, when my work felt untruthful or forced.I could see that one could develop a bad habit of squelching authenticity while "trying to be funny." Eventually I learned that humor isn't created by efforting but rather by relaxing and letting go. As a young performer, the first work I did was as a dancer and as a member of an experimental physical theatre troupe. When I studied with members of Jerzy Grotowski‚s famed Polish Laboratory Theatre, we were taught that "Everything must come from and through the body."

Grotowski believed that: „ "We do not possess memory, our entire body is memory and it is by means of the body memory that impulses are released." When I began studying and working as an actor and director in conventional theatre, I found that this centering in the senses was my way into the life of the character. As improvisers we learn to create quick, spontaneous shifts from one character to another. Character transformation relies greatly on the physical. In class we explore this with studies of physical shape, gait, breathing, gesture, and resonance of the voice. In FULL SPECTRUM classes, even when we work on highly verbal forms, such as storytelling, we always begin with a psycho/physical warm up to develop flexibility and receptivity in body and mind. For the actor, connecting the body, voice, and imagination is essential.

In my teaching I draw on a variety of techniques that help to build the habit of creativity. My task has been to meld the freedom and visual imagery of physical theater with the most resonant aspects of narrative improvisation: meaningful stories, believable characters, and felt relationships. Improvisation is a wonderful tool for devising new scripts. I've written four solo pieces and a couple of collectively created pieces using the experimental process I've developed. For the open-hearted explorer, the world of improvisation offers great rewards: the pleasure of discovery, the joy of uncovering rarely revealed aspects of the self , the satisfaction of creative interaction with others. In short: deep fun.

" The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity."
~Michael Chekhov~