Ion-Cosmin Chivu, Romania
Ion-Cosmin Chivu has been recognized as an outstanding vital force in the theater world and has received multiple awards for his work. He has directed over fifty professional and university productions in America, Austria, England, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Thailand. His latest projects include 'The Mutilated' by Tennessee Williams (NY Times and Time Out critic's pick)‘Beautiful Province’ by Clarence Coo (Lincoln Center Theater 3), winner of the 2012 Yale New Drama Series and a stage adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Recluse and His Guest’ as part of the Drama League’s New Directors New Works. In America Cosmin directed over 30 plays in New York City (Lincoln Center, Cherry Lane, The Actors Studio, UBU Rep, The Players), Massachusetts (The Provincetown T. Williams Festival, KO Festival), California, and New Jersey. He is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio, a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and an alumnus of the Old Globe's Jack O’Brien fellowship. He is the founder of InterArt Theatre Group. Ion-Cosmin Chivu is currently the Head of BA Directing Program, International Performance Ensemble at Pace University Performing Arts, NYC. In addition to the Theater courses he teaches at Pace, in recent months Cosmin also taught Master Classes on Improvisation, Directing styles, and European Drama at the Tisch School at NYU, the University of Hawaii, Theatre of Changes - Athens, Greece, and the Film Academy of Warsaw, Poland. He is actively involved in developing courses in translating contemporary European plays for an American audience and has been developing new plays in the Actors Studio’s Playwriting Directing workshop. He holds a Masters in Theatre Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School, New School University, NYC and a BA in Acting from the G. Enescu Art Academy, Romania.
Narrative storytelling and performance techniques
The workshop is based on creative strategies for students/ actors to fully unleash their potential, truth, imagination, and creative energy. It will include two steps - One is working on skill: body, movement, voice, and coordination - Second is inviting actors into creating the part by using totally free improvisation.Content: The inside-out approach- working on the self- involves the Actors Studio technique and includes fundamental exercises in relaxation, concentration, in-the-moment behavior, observation, sense and emotion memory. The outside-in technique - working on the part- includes the imposition of the silent performance and mime, creating sounds, tones, and rhythms, as well as seeking images outside of text. Actors will work in small groups on short scenes, create original material and will explore the ideas of theme, structured improvisation, use and transformation of space, style, character, and narrative storytelling. The workshop will expose students/actors to a fusion of techniques from the Method Acting of Strasberg to the extensive vocabulary developed by Michael Chekhov, S. Meisner, J. Grotowski, J. Lecoq, and Liz Swados. Students should wear gym clothes (sweats, tight or loose gym pants), sneakers, socks or be barefoot, to allow for easy movement and breathing during class.