Body and Breath Creativity Workshops
“I learned total body awareness including posture and alignment and how they can radically affect character perception. Tricia is very gracious, and unintimidating. I would recommend this to anyone looking to explore themselves as a human being and as an actor in this daily grind.”
Emily Mannie, age 30, Physician Assistant, Washington, DC
Through my company, Nutricia Consulting, I offer Body and Breath Creativity Workshops.
Discovering your deep, grounded breath can calm the mind, free the creativity, and facilitate communication. Finding freedom in movement can decrease muscular stress and increase confidence. Integrating breath and body can free you to interact with the world as the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Body and Breath Creativity workshops create a safe environment to explore, play, push your limits, and have fun! Body and Breath Creativity draws from theatre, improvisation, yoga, dance, and vocal technique. Students learn to move with confidence and fluidity, deepen their breath, ground and support their speaking voice, connect body, breath, and emotion, and trust their creative instincts.
Through my years of performing and teaching theatre, I have come to respect above all the connection of breath and body. In modern life, we are so often disconnected from this body we in which we live. Our breath is shallow, our movements are constricted. For performers, this restricts the ability to tell clear stories. In “real life” this constriction is equally debilitating. It affects our ability to speak before colleagues at work, to present projects in school, to work with our families at home, and to communicate in our relationships.
Who can benefit from Body and Breath Creativity Workshops? Do you carry a lot of stress in your body? Do you speak too quietly, or too quickly? Does your voice often become hoarse? Do you need some help with public speaking? Have you been told to breathe from the diaphragm, but aren’t sure what that means? Are you a performer who is exhausted by the end of the show? Are you in need of a creative jump-start?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, Body and Breath Creativity is for you!
Workshop topics include
Just Breathe
Don't Fear the Soapbox!
Unleashing Your Creativity
Teambuilding
Voice and Movement
The Warmup Toolkit
Contact me to schedule a Body and Breath Creativity Workshop at your school, workplace, church, or community center.
Teaching
"Your teaching method was always full of energy, yet gentle and encouraging, never pushy. There were many playful moments, but always with a lesson or lessons learned. Your observations of our exercises and performances were very insightful. There were quite a few “wow” moments, because I was constantly learning about myself, other class members and of course, the art of acting. I’ve even found that some of what I learned to make me a better actor can be applied to my life at work, or in just being me! I had a wonderful learning experience taking your class. Even the homework was fun!”
Chamene Howard, Non-Profit Manager, Washington, DC
“I would recommend Tricia’s class to anyone who is interested in approaching acting as a craft. Her approach is simple, direct, and she makes what must be a vast body of knowledge accessible to the beginner.”
C.M., age 38, Washington, DC
My Philosophy
I believe there is no art without discipline; but nor is there true creativity without joy. Theatre is an amazing medium for learning self-awareness, communication skills, collaboration, and freedom to be oneself. My teaching style is "nurturer" -- I am interested in the growth of each student, both in performance and in confidence as an artist and a person. In addition, my classes focus on technical skills and concrete choices: in text analysis, voice, and physicality. My teaching style is influenced by my training in physical theatre and my professional experience in language-based classical theatre. My classes do not focus on Stanislavski-based techniques such as emotion-memory or sense-memory -- though I do believe that any good actor is also an amateur psychologist.
"I wanted to write you a note to let you know how much I appreciated your class. I had a great time and learned a lot about theatre and myself. It was heart warming to see you have each and every student’s best interest at heart at all times, no matter the experience level of the student. I would take any class or workshop that you conduct in the future. "
Saeed Pater-Rov, age 29, Computer Consultant, Washington, DC
“Tricia brought energy and exuberance to each class. By the end of the course I had a greater appreciation for the acting process and a strong desire to pursue theatre.”
Dereks Thomas, age 31, Real Estate Salesperson, Bowie, MD
My History
I began teaching theatre in 1993 at Imagination Stage (then the Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts). My first class was Creative Drama for kindergarten and 1st graders. Since then, I've taught every other possible age group, 2nd graders through Senior Citizens. Some highlights include directing Imagination Stage's Junior Shakespeare Troupe for 3 years; creating original scripts with Round House Theatre's Youth Onstage program for 4 years; coaching Round House Theatre's senior acting troupe, the Heyday Players; and being among the first faculty to teach at Woolly Mammoth Theatre's brand-new building.
I've got a BA in Theatre, and am a graduate of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute. See my teaching resume...
“Tricia McCauley was an unfailingly upbeat and supportive teacher whose
course takes the novice from the baby steps of acting to a surprisingly polished “final performance.” Her well-designed program of acting exercises, keen eye and helpful suggestions give the beginner the tools he/she needs to continue ascending the acting ladder."
Bill, student
“I learned to not to be afraid of being myself and to express myself through my emotions, movements, and voice. I have given life again to a love of theatre and acting that I have always had inside me but was too afraid to express. I am so thankful for this new feeling that I have since I have taken Tricia's class. It's life changing!
“Tricia is an excellent teacher. She has such energy and life that it inspires me to be my best self in class. She makes sure that everyone feels comfortable during each class session. She looks out for everyone. She truly cares about our growth as beginning actors and I truly appreciate that. She is very resourceful and is just an absolute a joy to be around. She's Great!
“I would recommend this class to anyone who wants to express themself through the art of acting. I would recommend it to anyone that has any type of anxiety of fear or who just wants to release some stress or pressure that the world can certainly offer. This class is very therapeutic on so many levels.”
Kendra Cobbins, age 29, Human Resources/Aspiring Actor, Arlington,VA
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