Character Matters Workshop
The York Region District School Board website discusses Character Matters in the following way:
“Character education involves the preparation of learners to be responsible, caring and contributing citizens. Good character is a cornerstone of a civil, just and democratic society; it can be both taught and learned. It contributes to the development of safe, supportive schools, develops the emotional and social learning and enhances academic achievement. It contributes to the individual’s personal well being.”
The Canadian Improv Showcase offers an amazing workshop dedicated to demonstrating the ten principles of Character Matters in a non-judgmental, creative and hilarious environment. The workshop focuses on the elements without breaking it down too much or over-explaining the concepts; it works on the art of improvisation which covers the bases all by itself.
Here is how the workshops cover the various elements:
Respect - For students to be successful at the art of improv they must respect one another, their strengths, weaknesses and limitations as well as the format of the scenes they take part in, otherwise the scene suffers.
Responsibility - With the scenes being unscripted, students must make conscious decisions while on stage, thusly taking responsibility for the outcome of the scenes they are in.
Honesty - For improv to be effective the actors must be honest in their approach on stage, otherwise the audience knows right away and the participants can actually feel the difference.
Empathy - This ties in directly with respect and honesty. For performers to emote and relate to their audience they must use empathy to make a connection and create the bond necessary for the audience to truly trust and offer suggestions. Successful empathy is key when it comes to effective improvisation.
Fairness - Improv is all about sharing, about sharing the stage, the spotlight, the laughter and the applause. Without fairness on stage, none of this is possible. It goes hand in hand with all the other aspects of acting.
Initiative - With there being no script and the scenes evolving around various formats, initiative is key as nothing would happen on stage without it. Every scene starts and finishes (as well as every decision made in between) with initiative taken by one performer or another.
Courage - Getting up on stage takes courage. Putting forth an idea takes courage. Making a fool of yourself for the enjoyment of others takes courage. Every aspect of improv, from performing to just simply giving a suggestion to form a scene, requires some level of courage.
Integrity - One of the definitions of integrity is the quality of being honest and morally upright. We already discussed how honesty is instrumental in improv and with our workshops taking place within a school setting; all material will be kept moral and appropriate. Plus the other elements of Character Matters also build upon this aspect as well.
Perseverance - Improvisation is like most sports: it takes practice to become great! There may be scenes that do not go as planned or are just plain bad and it is through trial and error along with courage, initiative, responsibility and respect for the group that we continue to try and improve and grow as performers and individuals.
Optimism - No actor gets on stage without thinking the scene will succeed. Optimism is essential as it affects the outlook for the entire performance and mood of the performers directly.
To inquire about this programme, please fill out the contact form below to start the process. Pricing is based on group size and the length of the session.
“Character education involves the preparation of learners to be responsible, caring and contributing citizens. Good character is a cornerstone of a civil, just and democratic society; it can be both taught and learned. It contributes to the development of safe, supportive schools, develops the emotional and social learning and enhances academic achievement. It contributes to the individual’s personal well being.”
The Canadian Improv Showcase offers an amazing workshop dedicated to demonstrating the ten principles of Character Matters in a non-judgmental, creative and hilarious environment. The workshop focuses on the elements without breaking it down too much or over-explaining the concepts; it works on the art of improvisation which covers the bases all by itself.
Here is how the workshops cover the various elements:
Respect - For students to be successful at the art of improv they must respect one another, their strengths, weaknesses and limitations as well as the format of the scenes they take part in, otherwise the scene suffers.
Responsibility - With the scenes being unscripted, students must make conscious decisions while on stage, thusly taking responsibility for the outcome of the scenes they are in.
Honesty - For improv to be effective the actors must be honest in their approach on stage, otherwise the audience knows right away and the participants can actually feel the difference.
Empathy - This ties in directly with respect and honesty. For performers to emote and relate to their audience they must use empathy to make a connection and create the bond necessary for the audience to truly trust and offer suggestions. Successful empathy is key when it comes to effective improvisation.
Fairness - Improv is all about sharing, about sharing the stage, the spotlight, the laughter and the applause. Without fairness on stage, none of this is possible. It goes hand in hand with all the other aspects of acting.
Initiative - With there being no script and the scenes evolving around various formats, initiative is key as nothing would happen on stage without it. Every scene starts and finishes (as well as every decision made in between) with initiative taken by one performer or another.
Courage - Getting up on stage takes courage. Putting forth an idea takes courage. Making a fool of yourself for the enjoyment of others takes courage. Every aspect of improv, from performing to just simply giving a suggestion to form a scene, requires some level of courage.
Integrity - One of the definitions of integrity is the quality of being honest and morally upright. We already discussed how honesty is instrumental in improv and with our workshops taking place within a school setting; all material will be kept moral and appropriate. Plus the other elements of Character Matters also build upon this aspect as well.
Perseverance - Improvisation is like most sports: it takes practice to become great! There may be scenes that do not go as planned or are just plain bad and it is through trial and error along with courage, initiative, responsibility and respect for the group that we continue to try and improve and grow as performers and individuals.
Optimism - No actor gets on stage without thinking the scene will succeed. Optimism is essential as it affects the outlook for the entire performance and mood of the performers directly.
To inquire about this programme, please fill out the contact form below to start the process. Pricing is based on group size and the length of the session.