Acting Residency for Student

31 January 2020

Actors
The Descent of Inanna by the ACT Ensemble led by Anna-Helena McLean
Photo by Sid Sawant @onupproductions; The Descent of Inanna by the ACT Ensemble led by Anna-Helena McLean
Type: Text
Category: Student stories

Third Year Acting student Robert Bogdanov-Schein has been accepted on a specialist co-habitation residency with world renowned Danish theatre company Odin Teatret.

The residency will take place in Denmark from 17 February to 1 March. Robert will spend 12 days workshopping with Odin actors and Eugenio Barba, founder and director of the theatre. Together they will be studying the theory and practice of dramatic composition.

Mark Laville, Theatre & Performance and Technical Theatre Arts Course Leader, said: "We are very proud of Robert for being accepted for this residency. Eugenio Barba and Odin are a seminal international company who are studied in most acting and theatre professional training contexts worldwide. He'll learn a great deal from this experience and will be able to share that learning with staff and students on his return."

We spoke with Robert about the upcoming residency...

What attracted you to apply for the residency?

Odin Teatret is a legendary theatre company that has massively influenced theatre-making in our days. Their work is part of the curriculum of any drama course internationally. So, knowing of them and Eugenio Barba's influence was already part of my learning at Falmouth. During the last three years, I have become fascinated by the work of various Theatre Laboratories and their approach to actor training. I have followed this interest up by being part of two residencies with Anna-Helena McLean, former prime performer at Gardzienice, a critically acclaimed Polish seminal anthropological experimental theatre. 

These experiences have proven that work generated from Laboratories really does ignite me. Also, while volunteering at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, I got the chance to meet Eugenio Barba and Odin Teatret and facilitate their experience at the festival for a week. Witnessing their way of life and their passion and care for their work has given me even more thirst to work in those kinds of environments. So, when they announced the Co-habitation, of course, I applied as soon as I can.

How did you feel when you found out you were accepted?

Obviously, I was extremely excited, but some nerves are present too. You know, with the reputation that precedes them and all that.

How does this support your learning at Falmouth?

The course here at Falmouth is multi-layered, so we get input from many different methods, styles and practitioners. I think being at the Odin Teatret for two weeks will significantly enhance the learning I have already received here. Also, the day I get back from Denmark I will jump straight into rehearsals for our last professional production. So I definitely believe that I will be primed and ready to give my best for my last stretch as a student!

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