PHYSICAL COMEDY: Stage & Screen 

ENROLLMENT NOW CLOSED

5 SESSION PROGRAM

Ages 8-12

Lucille Ball was known for arriving at the studio before anyone to work on her physical comedy bits for her television show “I Love Lucy.” It’s one of the reasons she was a master at her craft. Comedy is all about precision, timing, and clear choices. Understanding comedy in performance is a skill that is vital to the stage and screen performer. And it takes years to be considered a pro. With sessions designed to tickle the funny bone, GMT is enlisting the talents of some very funny professionals to teach the art of making people laugh through gesture, expression, and movement. 

Participants will be immersed in physical comedy techniques including: clowning, comedic choreography, mime, slapstick, physical theatre for storytelling, farce, and on-camera comedy performance. 

Sessions will include the fundamentals of comedic timing, slapstick humor, and the power of exaggeration. Instruction will guide budding physical comedians through exploration of trips & slips, spit-takes, character walks, prop comedy, making faces, comic skits, bold entrances, costume comedy and sight gags. What can we say… this is going to be FUN!

TEACHING ARTISTS

TINA GROFF

Tina Groff is excited to be sharing her knowledge of movement at the Garry Marshall Theatre with the Youth Arts Program. Tina’s love of physical comedy was born while shoe shopping at Buster Brown Shoe Store. In the shoe store to amuse kids was a classic nickelodeon: an old-fashioned coin-operated ($.05) machine that played music to Charlie Chaplain’s famous roller-skating scene in the movie Modern Times. The love of the nickelodeon movie led her to the world of classic film and slapstick to the likes of Lucille Ball, the Marx Bros and Buster Keaton. Tina took her love of physical comedy and trained with the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Arts and went to tour under the Big Top with numerous circuses all over the world. Her travels landed her at the Garry Marshall Theatre where she performed in Snoopy! The Musical, Funky Punks Bright Ideas, numerous productions with the Troubadour Theater Company and most recently in Family Garden Days. In addition to the passion in the art of clown, she loves fitness, her family, her friends, and her dog Chip. 

BECCA SWEITZER

As a performer, Becca has appeared with Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Lenny Kravitz, Jay-Z, No Doubt, Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, Tom Jones, Barenaked Ladies, Katharine McPhee and Laura Bell Bundy. Her most notable film and television highlights include La La Land, Hairspray, G.L.O.W., the 81st & 82nd Academy Awards, Fuller House, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, Tropic Thunder, Austin Powers 3, HBO’s Behind the Candelabra, Smash, Cold Case, That 70’s Show, MTV Music Video Awards, and America’s Got Talent. Becca has received 3 World Choreography Award nominations for her choreography, including her work on the short film “The Way It Begins”. Her work can be seen on the TV shows Jessie, Bunk’d, Code Black, Alter Ego, HBO’s We’re Here and AMC’s Halfway to Halloween. www.beccasweitzer.com

CHRISTINE LAKIN

Atlanta native, Christine Lakin spent most of her formative years on a set, having been a professional actor in over 200 episodes of television. In the three decades since, she has expanded her resume as a multi-hyphenate, transitioning her career titles to include director, writer and producer. She has directed 20+ episodes of television for ABC, Apple+ and Disney, including such shows as The Goldbergs and High School Musical, The Musical, The Series. She served as Co-Executive Producer on the partially scripted comedy Hollywood Darlings for the Pop Network. Before that, she sold her own digital short form show Lovin’ Lakin to Hulu, after winning best web series pilot at NYTVF, which she also wrote, starred and directed several episodes. Christine is also a nominated choreographer whose work has been seen in several film, tv and theater productions. Christine has performed in many productions on the GMT stage and has co-directed several as well. 

Limited Spaces Available. Tuition Assistance available.

GMT Theatre Education is supported in part by the Yeardley Smith Foundation & Nancy and Steve Carell.

For questions or more information, email education@garrymarshalltheatre.org

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