DOUG BERKY'S NEWS & PROGRAM OFFERINGS
"...you are one of the rare performers who has the ability to capture the attention (and imagination) of an entire audience in a big room (1,400+ seats) as soon as you open your mouth!" Jared Duymovic, Pike Performing Arts Center
Mask and physical theater artist Doug Berky's NEW large mask theatre production will be available early in 2013! FOIBLES, FABLES AND OTHER IMASKINATIONS will present stories for youth and family audiences including The Tiger's Whisker, a Korean folktale about healing; It Could Always Be Worse, A Yiddish story; The Juggler of Notre Dame, a French story of simple gifts; The Rough-Face Girl, the Algonquin Cinderella story; and an adaptation of Max Beerbohm's, The Happy Hypocrite. The performance is appropriate for families and older elementary to early high school student groups.
NEW! Teacher Workshop, Doug Berky’s IMaskinations:Building Concentration and Creativity Through Mask Theater. Doug also offers several residency options including Give It a Facelift: Unmasking Literature With Mask Theatre and The Soldier's Tale - see further descriptions below.
CONTACT US FOR DETAILS
Offerings from the Master of Handmade Masks, Voices, Physical Comedy & Mime!
Children and Families
Gems: The World’s Wisdom Stories Doug Berky presents stories from around the world by weaving together many art forms into a full stage, large mask theater production with clever and creative costuming. Masks, puppets, mime, drama, comedy, music, and storytelling are integral elements that help the audience to experience these treasures of wisdom. Classic collections such as “Aesop’s Fables” from Greece, the “Jataka Tales” from India, and stories of Hans Christian Andersen from Denmark have inspired and educated the world’s young people for years. Also included in the performance are stories from lesser known collections of folklore and mythology from Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Native American peoples. A preschool version is available to gently introduce children to mask theater.
No Show Doug combines the classic performance arts of mime, mask theater, and physical comedy into his performance of No Show. A performance has been scheduled, but the actor fails to show. Or does he? What will happen when a lone spectator finds himself unwittingly on stage? Doug is transformed into several characters ranging from a gorilla to a ballerina as he explores the props and masks on stage. Audiences experience a variety of theatre forms: mime, mask theater, circus arts, and storytelling in this hilarious performance for the whole family.
For General Audiences
Foolosophies Foolosophies is a collection of dramatic and comic reflections inspired by the role of the fool throughout history. The sketches included in this performance are selected for each audience. Foolosophies includes circus, vaudeville slapstick, mask and contemplative theatre meditations.
A Soldier’s Tale Residency and Performance by Igor Stravinsky A Soldier’s Tale was written during World War I by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and Swiss poet and novelist C.F. Ramuz. Inspired by Russian sto- ries, it is a Faust-like tale in which a soldier eventually loses his soul to the Devil. Written for a “portable” ensemble of seven instruments and three actors, this production is directed by Doug Berky who also plays the soldier. Doug works with local actors to fill other roles in the production, usually for a period of five days before the production. Other show offerings and workshops are possible while Doug is in the community.Doug’s brother, acclaimed theatrical clown and mime Bob Berky, often joins Doug in the role of the devil for the production.
Special Needs Audiences
Doug Berky has special performances and pre-performance materials and sessions to help introduce mask theater to very young students or special needs students of all ages, particularly those with Autism and ADHD. In addition Doug can sign many of his performances. See Doug talking about his work!
Residencies and Workshops
Doug has specifically designed residencies of one day to three weeks for elementary to college students and for theater students and professionals including: Mask Making • Mask Theater Technique • Mime • Physical Theater and Comedy • Commedia Del Arte
Workshops in communications, movement, cooperation, healing & humor are available for elementary students to adults.
Exploring Communication and Cooperation with Mask and Physical Theatre Doug conducts versions of this 45-60 minute interactive workshop for elementary to high school students. Students learn and practice skills in better cooperation and communication by exploring how we "talk to each other through body language." Students engage in movement and character development and experience mask theater and mime. Younger elementary students will participate in physical theater games that encourage cooperation, following directions, communication, and movement. Older elementary, middle and high school school students explore more subtle movements and communication through techniques from mask theater and mime.
Give It A Facelift: Unmasking Literature With Mask Theatre Five day residency for elementary and middle school students. Imaginative literature (stories, folktales, myths), its context and content, can be creatively opened to students using the theatre disciplines of mask, mime, and storytelling. Each class will select an international folktale, myth or story. After learning about the culture, context, story, and characters, the students will create their own presentation of their selection using these theatre arts. Theatre and mask artist Doug Berky will guide students in this creative process.
DOUG BERKY'S WEBSITE
CONTACT US
Mask and physical theater artist Doug Berky's NEW large mask theatre production will be available early in 2013! FOIBLES, FABLES AND OTHER IMASKINATIONS will present stories for youth and family audiences including The Tiger's Whisker, a Korean folktale about healing; It Could Always Be Worse, A Yiddish story; The Juggler of Notre Dame, a French story of simple gifts; The Rough-Face Girl, the Algonquin Cinderella story; and an adaptation of Max Beerbohm's, The Happy Hypocrite. The performance is appropriate for families and older elementary to early high school student groups.
NEW! Teacher Workshop, Doug Berky’s IMaskinations:Building Concentration and Creativity Through Mask Theater. Doug also offers several residency options including Give It a Facelift: Unmasking Literature With Mask Theatre and The Soldier's Tale - see further descriptions below.
CONTACT US FOR DETAILS
Offerings from the Master of Handmade Masks, Voices, Physical Comedy & Mime!
Children and Families
Gems: The World’s Wisdom Stories Doug Berky presents stories from around the world by weaving together many art forms into a full stage, large mask theater production with clever and creative costuming. Masks, puppets, mime, drama, comedy, music, and storytelling are integral elements that help the audience to experience these treasures of wisdom. Classic collections such as “Aesop’s Fables” from Greece, the “Jataka Tales” from India, and stories of Hans Christian Andersen from Denmark have inspired and educated the world’s young people for years. Also included in the performance are stories from lesser known collections of folklore and mythology from Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Native American peoples. A preschool version is available to gently introduce children to mask theater.
No Show Doug combines the classic performance arts of mime, mask theater, and physical comedy into his performance of No Show. A performance has been scheduled, but the actor fails to show. Or does he? What will happen when a lone spectator finds himself unwittingly on stage? Doug is transformed into several characters ranging from a gorilla to a ballerina as he explores the props and masks on stage. Audiences experience a variety of theatre forms: mime, mask theater, circus arts, and storytelling in this hilarious performance for the whole family.
For General Audiences
Foolosophies Foolosophies is a collection of dramatic and comic reflections inspired by the role of the fool throughout history. The sketches included in this performance are selected for each audience. Foolosophies includes circus, vaudeville slapstick, mask and contemplative theatre meditations.
A Soldier’s Tale Residency and Performance by Igor Stravinsky A Soldier’s Tale was written during World War I by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and Swiss poet and novelist C.F. Ramuz. Inspired by Russian sto- ries, it is a Faust-like tale in which a soldier eventually loses his soul to the Devil. Written for a “portable” ensemble of seven instruments and three actors, this production is directed by Doug Berky who also plays the soldier. Doug works with local actors to fill other roles in the production, usually for a period of five days before the production. Other show offerings and workshops are possible while Doug is in the community.Doug’s brother, acclaimed theatrical clown and mime Bob Berky, often joins Doug in the role of the devil for the production.
Special Needs Audiences
Doug Berky has special performances and pre-performance materials and sessions to help introduce mask theater to very young students or special needs students of all ages, particularly those with Autism and ADHD. In addition Doug can sign many of his performances. See Doug talking about his work!
Residencies and Workshops
Doug has specifically designed residencies of one day to three weeks for elementary to college students and for theater students and professionals including: Mask Making • Mask Theater Technique • Mime • Physical Theater and Comedy • Commedia Del Arte
Workshops in communications, movement, cooperation, healing & humor are available for elementary students to adults.
Exploring Communication and Cooperation with Mask and Physical Theatre Doug conducts versions of this 45-60 minute interactive workshop for elementary to high school students. Students learn and practice skills in better cooperation and communication by exploring how we "talk to each other through body language." Students engage in movement and character development and experience mask theater and mime. Younger elementary students will participate in physical theater games that encourage cooperation, following directions, communication, and movement. Older elementary, middle and high school school students explore more subtle movements and communication through techniques from mask theater and mime.
Give It A Facelift: Unmasking Literature With Mask Theatre Five day residency for elementary and middle school students. Imaginative literature (stories, folktales, myths), its context and content, can be creatively opened to students using the theatre disciplines of mask, mime, and storytelling. Each class will select an international folktale, myth or story. After learning about the culture, context, story, and characters, the students will create their own presentation of their selection using these theatre arts. Theatre and mask artist Doug Berky will guide students in this creative process.
DOUG BERKY'S WEBSITE
CONTACT US