ben naylor

From 2011-13, I held weekly experimental studio sessions for actors and theatre-makers; in more recent years the group has reconvened at various times, and with some new faces, to undertake further experimentation. For the first three years, we were based at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill; subsequent sessions have been held at a variety of London venues, including Theatre Delicatessen.

My studio work enables me to experiment with various systems of actor training, and to collaborate with other teachers outside of the formal structure of a drama school. The work was initially inspired by games and exercises from the approaches of Peter Brook, Keith Johnstone, Sanford Meisner, Declan Donnellan, Jacques Lecoq and Philippe Gaulier. As we progressed, the experiments collided and found new forms; many of these developed games and exercises have since found their way into the more formal structures of my actor training. My studio experiments ranged far and wide, taking in everything from invented languages to political rhetoric, video games to sensory deprivations.

In addition, the studio has hosted workshops by other practitioners, including writing sessions with Mark Wheatley, voice with Joe Windley, clown and bouffon with Mark Bell, method acting with Tom McClane, movement with Anna Healey and scene/monologue workshops with John Caird and Di Trevis.