LEAD TEACHERS

THOMAS PRATTKI
Founder and Director

Former pedagogical director of the Jacques Lecoq International School of Theatre (Ecole Jacques Lecoq) in Paris, where he taught for almost a decade. Graduate of the Ecole Jacques Lecoq where he also attained the pedagogical training programme diploma as well as following the course in scenography (Laboratoire d'Etude de Mouvement).

After his graduation he joined the Swiss based theatre company Mummenschanz and performed with them for several years around the globe. His interest in a more holistic approach to creative expression led him to continue his studies at the D�rckheim Centre in R�tte, Germany. When he was asked to become a teacher at the Jacques Lecoq School, he returned to Paris.

After the death of Jacques Lecoq he became the pedagogical director of the school. He has toured the world as a guest teacher, giving lectures, workshops and masterclasses in over 25 countries. He also collaborated with Simon Murray in writing a new book (JACQUES LECOQ/Routledge 2002) about the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq.

He teaches Movement Analysis and Improvisation in the Initiation Course and Applied Techniques and Dramatic Styles in the Advanced Course at LISPA.

AMY RUSSELL 
Chair of Naropa University MFA at LISPA

Amy is the director and Chair of Naropa University�s MFA at LISPA. She created the program at Naropa's Boulder, Colorado campus, where she directed it for two years before bringing the MFA track in Lecoq Based Theater to London on a year of study abroad.

She studied at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq from 1990 to 1992, and completed her pedagogical training with M. Lecoq in 1997-1998, as well as the course in scenography (Laboratoire d'Etude de Mouvement). She also holds an MFA from the University of Tennessee, and a certificate from the London Academy of Music and the Dramatic Arts(LAMDA). She has worked as an ensemble member with the Lecoq based Touchstone Theatre, and has toured the United States and Europe with several collaboratively devised shows.

As a playwright her credits include five professionally produced plays. For Company Ajar, which she co-founded, she wrote Je t'embrasse, Elvis, which toured to Avignon in 2000, and her award-winning show, Killing Lincoln, continues to tour in the U.S. Amy has taught Lecoq based theater in the U.S. and abroad, and is also inspired by her study of Topeng with I Made Djimat in Bali. She has studied mask creation with Donato Sartori in Italy, and I Made Muji in Bali.

Amy teaches Movement Analysis and Improvisation in the Initiation Course and Applied Techniques and Dramatic Styles in the Advanced Course at LISPA. She also participates in the development of the curricula and leads the Writing Atelier in both Courses.


INSTRUCTORS

STEPHANIE KEHOE

Steph has worked as a performer, teacher and director in Australia, the UK and throughout Europe. She graduated from the University of Queensland with a BA in Drama (1991-1993). Whilst working with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre in Australia, Steph trained extensively in the Tadashi Suzuki Method. She then studied at the Ecole Internationale de Th��tre Jacques Lecoq (1998-2000) and completed her pedagogical training at LISPA.

Steph is a founder member of Le Collectif des Mondes Contraires, an international ensemble created in 2001. In addition to works created in Switzerland, the company also produces international exchange projects. Steph directed The Good Woman of Setzuan (Brecht) working with street children in Brazil (2003) and an adaptation of AVillage Romeo and Juliet (Keller) in collaboration with local artists in Mongolia, touring the steppe performing to nomadic communities (2005). As an Associate Artist with Zen Zen Zo, Steph continues to teach workshops for the company's International Stomping Ground Workshop in Australia.

She has also worked with, amongst others, Cracka Theatre Co. (Australia), Th��tre Spirale (Switzerland), Th��tre Disequilibrium (France/Italy), and The Shakespeare Players (UK/Lebanon). In London, Steph teaches at Brunel University and for various community-based companies working with excluded and marginalised groups.

Stephanie teaches Movement and Improvisation in the Initiation Course and Applied Techniques in the Advanced Course at LISPA.

ILAN REICHEL

Ilan works as a choreographer, movement teacher and director. He has been a Senior Tutor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) since 1985. Born in Israel; he trained at Israel�s National Drama School, studied extensively with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais and is qualified as a teacher of the Alexander Technique. He has also studied English Literature, Painting and Drama at the City Literary Institute, London.

Amongst others, he has given workshops at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, the Israel National Theatre and together with director Peter Brook at England's National Theatre Studio. Since 1994 he has been part of RADA's annual teaching team at Tokyo's Subaru Theatre Company. He has directed plays by Sam Shephard, Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller, Yeats and Sophocles and has been working with his own theatre company In Motion since 1992.

He teaches Movement Foundation and Movement Analysis in both the Initiation Course and the Advanced Course at LISPA.

KENNETH LEWIS

Kenneth is a highly qualified physical training specialist with over 20 years of experience in the teaching of acrobatics, gymnastics, body conditioning, martial arts and sports massage. He holds among others a Gymnastics Coaching Award, a British amateur Gymnastics Award, a British Trampolining Award, a Pilates Based Matwork Certificate and a Sports Massage Therapist Diploma.

He trained in Shaolin Kungfu, in Phor Kune Kungfu and in Hapkido. He performed as an acrobat in Circus Senso and in the Zig Zag Dance Company. As an acrobatic teacher he works among others at the Circus Space, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Marymount-Fordham London Dramatic Academy.

He teaches Acrobatics and Martial Arts in both the Initiation Course and the Advanced Course at LISPA.

SIMON RATCLIFFE

Simon studied at Cambridge University and Central School of Speech and Drama and now works as a voice coach.

Simon has a background in community work in London, in humanistic psychology and drama teaching. He was Head of Theatre Studies at Farnham College for 5 years before taking the MA in Voice Studies at Central in 2003. He has also trained with Augusto Boal, Complicite, Jean-Rene Toussaint and Lorna Marshall, amongst others. He has worked with an international group of actors in Hamburg and with local repertory companies in England. His MA dissertation was on "Teaching the body to speak".

Simon is now the principal teacher of voice at the Oxford School of Drama. He is also developing freelance work with individuals and theatre companies. For example, he has recently directed "Euripides' Suppliants" in Cumbria, taught a summer school at Weekend Arts College in London and worked with Mind the Gap theatre company in Bradford.

Simon teaches voice in the Advanced Course at LISPA.

JACQUIE CRAGO

Jacquie trained under Greta Colson and went on to teach at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama for several years. She then worked as an actor for 16 years during which time she married and had a daughter, Rebecca.

Since 1996 she has focused mainly on directing and Voice and Text coaching, including being an External examiner for Voice at RSAMD, a Voice Coordinator at Birmingham School of Acting. From 1999 to 2004 she was Head of Voice at Oxford School of Drama and in 2005 and 2006 she was a full time member of the Voice and Text department of the Royal Shakespeare Company, working on several productions in the 'Complete Works' season.

Jacquie is now regularly employed on a freelance basis by both the Voice and Education depts at the RSC as well as various Theatres and training establishments throughout the UK.

Jacquie teaches voice in the Initiation Course at LISPA.

AURELIAN KOCH

Aurelian trained for two years at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, where he also studied for two years at the LEM (Laboratory for the Study of Movement), a course relating movement to architecture. In 1993 he co-founded Bouge-de-l� Theatre in Oxford. He was joint artistic director of the company for ten years and produced, designed and toured 7 professional shows and worked with young people on over 80 projects, of which over 15 were devised shows.

Aurelian has also designed for other companies, among them Foursight Theatre and Pop-up Theatre. In 2002, Aurelian completed a three month animation course in Bristol and has since worked with Aardman Animations. In 2005, he was appointed as the lead artist in the development of the new Pegasus Theatre building, working in collaboration with the design team to implement the public art aspect of the project. Aurelian lives with his family in Oxford, where he works as a freelance designer and design teacher.

Aurelian teaches Space Lab in both courses at LISPA.

DARREN GOAD

In 2005 Darren received an MFA in Actor-Created Physical Theatre from Naropa University in conjunction with LISPA. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Abilene Christian University. As an actor he has performed extensively with, among others, Phoenix Theatre, Childsplay, Southwest Shakespeare (Arizona), Prometheus (Denver) and Bailiwick Theatre (Chicago) where he was among the Jeff Citation winners of Outstanding Ensemble for Corpus Christi. In London, he was puppet designer and among the devisers/performers of Mile End with Analogue Theatre Company.

Darren spent eight years as an award winning freelancer, designing for lots of street parades and for the stage with the aforementioned companies and many more. The true test of theatrical strength was six seasons as a display designer for Mattel Toys and the New York Toy Fair.

He has also taught theatre studies and technical theatre for Red Rocks College in Denver Colorado.

Darren teaches Space Lab in both the Initiation and Advanced Course at LISPA.

FRANCES BARBE

Frances works as a teacher, choreographer and performer. Born in Australia, she received her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland. She trained Classical Ballet at the Royal Academy of Dancing, Modern Dance at the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and Butoh Dance with Tadashi Endo, Katsura Kan, Bishop Yamada, Carlotta Ikeda, Yumiko Yoshioka, Minako Seki and Lynne Bradley (Zen Zen Zo). She trained the Tadashi Suzuki Method with Ichiro Nakayama and SITI Company (Anne Bogart).

As a chorographer, performer and director she has a strong interest to link contemporary dance, physical theatre and Butoh. She has choreographed, performed and directed in Australia, Japan and Europe. As a teacher she worked among others at the University of Queensland/Australia, the Makki International Academy in Kyoto and Hiroshima, the Butoh Centrum Mamu/Germany, the University of Kent at Canterbury and at Exeter University.

She was granted a research fellowship in the Creative and Performing Arts in conjunction with Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and University of Kent at Canterbury 2001-2004.

Fran teaches Movement Improvisation in the Advanced Course at LISPA.

GUEST INSTRUCTORS - PAST AND PRESENT
have included:

GIOVANNI FUSETTI

Giovanni Fusetti is co-founder of K�klos, and pedagogical director of the Scuola since its foundation in 1999. After a long experience in street theatre and social theatre, he studied at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, where he also attended the third year pedagogical training program and LEM (Laboratoire d�Etude du Mouvement) . After this he taught improvisation at the Ecole under the direction of Jacques Lecoq. He has concentrated his work in theatre creation, working with Il Triangelo, Circo Crappo, Teatro Osvaldo, The Clod Ensemble, Pantakin da Venezia and Tre Magi Teatro. As a pedagogue he runs workshops internationally, collaborating with theatre companies, theatre schools and universities, around Europe and in USA. His pedagogical research includes training in Theatre in Education, Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed and Gestalt Therapy at the Ecole Parisienne de Gestalt. In his pedagogy, he is integrating physical theatre with different practices of physical and emotional awareness, for the training of the actor/poet/creator. In his earlier life he graduated in Agriculture and Ecology at the University of Padua. He seeks to be fully alive while on this planet.

MARIA LLOYD

Maria Lloyd has worked as a choreographer, director and performer for Dance Film and Theatre since 1994.She trained at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris 1992-1994. She was part of The Landscape Dance Company in Norway where she created several site specific commissions for the Arts Council of Norway. She has been part of Out of Synch Theatre Company which toured Europe with absurd comedy. She specialises in poetic, comic character studies on screen and on stage. The last five years she has mainly worked in dance film and one of her films was awarded the Imz prize for best screen choreography. Her films are widely distributed. She recently studied The Meisner Technique with The Impulse Company in London.

SUSANA LASTRETO

Susana was born in Argentina and studied theatre and literature in Uruguay before deciding to become a student of Jacques Lecoq in 1975. Since then her artistic path has led her into writing, directing, acting, and teaching. She has written more than 10 plays, which were all published in France and in South America. Many of them have been performed in Argentina and Uruguay. In 1990 she formed her own company - Groupe Rire, Rage et Resistance - and directed many plays which toured in France and internationally. She won the prize for the best new French novel in 1989, and was given a distinguished mention in the novels category of the Prix des Lettres in France in 2002. In 1998 she was asked to become a teacher at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq. Since 2002 she has been the artistic director of the Education Department for Contemporary Writing at the Theatre du Rond-Point in Paris.

MICHAEL MURPHY

Michael Murphy, born in Ireland, is an actor, writer and director. He trained at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, where he complemented his training by taking the year-long pedagogical training course to become a certified teacher of the Lecoq method. He is based in County Wicklow, Ireland. Michael is a founding member of Barabbas, one of Ireland's foremost physical and visual theatre companies. As an actor he has appeared in all the principal Irish theatres, including "The Tempest" and "The Comedy of Errors" at the Abbey Theatre. He has appeared in many films, including "The Commitments", directed by Alan Parker, "Butcher Boy" by Neil Jordan, and "The Last September" by Deborah Warner. As a writer and director his work includes the award-winning "The Last Days of Ollie Deasy", based on Homer's "Odyssey". Recently he has worked on a feature-length film in collaboration with the Irish Film Board.

ALAN FAIRBAIRN

Alan was born in England and trained at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq from 1985-1987, from which time he has worked as an international performer, director and teacher. In 1998 he founded Theatre Decale, which toured throughout Europe for several years. From 1991 he also toured with the German company Confederacy of Fools. In 1996 he joined the Belgium-based company The Primitives and made with them "Cook It!" and "Wash It!". He continues to tour these shows world-wide (recently to Australia, Japan and the USA). In 1998 he set up the British-based company Out of Synch. The majority of his work as a director and performer has been devised theatre with a strong comic element. His career in film has included recent roles in "Vivre Me Tue" (2002, Jean Pierre Sinapi) and "No Man's Land" (2002, Denis Tanovic).



WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS - PAST AND PRESENT
have included:

ADELE THOMPSON

Adele studied at Cambridge University and London Contemporary Dance School and works now as an independent dancer, choreographer, stilt artist and teacher.

Adele was a founder member of STOMP�s European Touring Company performing with tem in their sell out season at London�s Royal Festival Hall and in the Oscar-nominated film "Brooms". She also works in contemporary circus incorporating dance, abseiling, aerial and stilt work. She choreographs for theatre, stage, television and community and runs her own project based company of dancers, circus artists, musicians and other artists, Barking Dog Dances.

She teaches choreography, physical theatre, rhythm musicianship, contemporary dance and stilts at institutions including Cambridge, Middlesex, London Contemporary Dance School and Circus Space. She is currently delivering freelance workshops worldwide whilst personally developing further skills in Latin American percussion, Japanese Taiko, African drumming, stilting and Spanish.

KEVIN CRAWFORD

Kevin Crawford is a founder member of the Roy Hart Theatre company recognized for its ground-breaking research on voice in theatre. Over a twenty-five year period, initially in London and subsequently based in the C�vennes area of the south of France, Kevin performed in many of the core works of the company. After being a director of the company for four years he was appointed to a full-time post as Specialist in Vocal Skills and Interdisciplinary Training at The School of Drama, Trinity College, Dublin on its professional Actor Training program. In the summer of 2002 Kevin returned to France where he is now resident. His current research centres on interdisciplinary strategies for approaching heightened text and emotion in Greek and Shakespearian Tragedy as well as the use of voice through the Feldenkrais technique.

MARCELA LORCA

Marcela became Movement Director for the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis /US in 1991 and has since coached more than 70 plays. She is also Head of Movement for the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program.

Born in Chile, Marcela studied dance, architecture and theatre design in her home country, before moving to the United States. She has worked with the National Actor's Theater in New York, Long Wharf Theater in Hew Haven, National Opera of the Dominican Republic, Grupo del Centro and has toured extensively the US and Europe. She has also taught at New York University, USA national conferences and the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training.

She has a recipient of a McKnight Fellowship for Theater Artists and a Mc Knight Choreographic Fellowship.

PHILIPP SCHAFER

Philipp was born in Germany, where he began his artistic career as a drummer and percussionist. Later he studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris and also with Philippe Gaulier (Ecole Philippe Gaulier) and John Costopoulos (Actors Studio New York).

His interest in a creative link between movement, rhythm and theatre leads him after many years of performing to study with Reinhard and Cornelia Flatischler, the creators of TAKETINA. The quest for the hidden rhythms in life and their application to the performing arts has strongly influenced his work as a performer and a teacher. Philipp is the founder of Mauvaises Herbes Theater and Theaterakademie, an independent theatre company and training center for performing artists based in Berlin, Germany.


ADMINISTRATION

KELLEY SOUL
Managing Director

Kelley received her MFA in Actor-Created Physical Theatre from Naropa University in 2004 and her Pedagogical Certificate from LISPA in July 2005. She spent five years with The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, working as an administrator, fundraiser, arts-education lobbyist and teacher for the Office of Public Affairs. She is also a core company member of the US-based theatre collective LIDA Project, with whom she has devised and performed several original works. Kelley teaches Company Development in the Advanced Course as well as handling all admissions at the school.

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