The British Pantomime Academy Announces April Workshops

With Easter just around the corner The British Pantomime Academy has announced a full workshop programme for adults to kick off on April Fools day! The main focus for April is around comedy with a series of core workshops exploring how to perform comedy, how to get the best out of funny scripts and songs and the classic routines and traditions that make pantomime a firm family favourite.

The workshops will be led by Malcolm Lord, Jonny Barr, Kev Orkian, Eric Potts and casting Director and Pantomime Producer Steven Gordon Wilson; with workshops including playing costume characters, Inside the comedy mind and Innocence and Innuendo to name but a few.

The British Pantomime Academy was founded in 2019 bringing workshops and courses to students of all ages. with more that the majority of attendees going on to achieve professional work in pantomime or on stage and TV within the year. In 2020 with Covid restrictions halting physical workshops these were taken online and to great success.

Kev Orkian Founder of the British Pantomime Academy says "Our workshops are being enjoyed by adults and children alike and were delighted to announce our programme of for April working alongside some of our hugely talented and experienced tutors. As we look ahead to the Easter holidays our workshops provide a creative opportunity for children to learn all about the wonderful world of pantomime in a fun, engaging and safe environment whilst adults can continue to prepare for the imminent reopening of theatres and the theatre industry, brushing up on existing skills and gaining new insights and techniques through our unique courses"

"For people of all ages this last year has helped us all to recognise the important positive impact theatre and the arts can have on mental health; boosting confidence, resilience and positivity also helping to alleviate anxiety and stress. This is something we at the BPA truly believe in and are so glad we are able to offer this creative opportunity to people online across the UK"

British Pantomime Academy- Core Workshops- April 2021

Monologues- with Jonny Barr- Friday 2nd April @4pm

Inside the Comedy Mind- with Kev Orkian- Wednesday 7th April @4pm

Classic Routines - with Eric Potts- Friday 9th April @ 4pm

Musical Theatre songs- with Jonny Barr- Friday 16th April @4pm

Innuendo and innocence - with Eric Potts- Tuesday 20th April @ 4pm

Playing Characters in costume- with Malcolm Lord- Friday 23rd April @5pm

Exploring comedy scripts- With Jonny Barr- Saturday 24th April @ 2pm

Meet the Casting Director - with Steven Gordon-Wilson- Wednesday 28th April @4pm

Acting through song - with Jonny Barr- Friday 30th April @4pm

Subscribe to the British Pantomime Academy website for the latest news on upcoming celebrity masterclasses, exciting Easter holiday opportunities for youngsters or to book your place on a workshop www.britishpantomimeacademy.com

British Pantomime Academy- Core Workshops- April 2021

Monologues- with Jonny Barr- Friday 2nd April @4pm

Performing a great monologue can be a challenge! How do you get the best out of the text? How do you keep an audience captivated when its just you up there? Having a strong monologue up your sleeve is also great for auditions and can show casting directors your skills at their finest! Join Jonny Barr to hone your monologuing skills! Please have a comedy monologue of your choice ready for this session.

Inside the Comedy Mind- with Kev Orkian- Wednesday 7th April @4pm

With over 27 pantomimes under his belt, Kev is an expert in playing comedy characters, including all of the iconic comedy panto roles- From Muddles to Wishy Washee and everything in between! Kev will offer insight into the challenges of playing the comic, and all of the tricks of the trade to give a side splitting panto performance!

Classic Routines - with Eric Potts- Friday 9th April @ 4pm

Explore the history, appeal and the staging logistics behind some of the most popular pantomime comedy routines. Rooted in traditional Music Hall & Vaudeville these routines are the backbone of many modern Pantos but have to be delivered properly to make them the show-stopping moments they deserve to be.

Musical Theatre songs- with Jonny Barr- Friday 16th April @4pm

There are so many crossovers with Musical Theatre and Panto and our amazing tutor Jonny Barr has a wealth of experience in both areas! No show is complete without a catchy tune, and this workshop will explore how to make the best of musical numbers!

Innuendo and innocence - with Eric Potts- Tuesday 20th April @ 4pm

A discussion and examination of the development of innuendo within pantomime. Explore the fine line between "End of the Pier" humour & "Under the Pier" comedy. How far can you go with innuendo before it becomes "blue"? Eric Potts leads a workshop on entertaining the adults without alienating the children. Suitable for all ages.

Playing Characters in costume- with Malcolm Lord- Friday 23rd April @5pm

The wonderful Malcolm Lord gives you the inside scoop on how to play characters- in costume! Malcolm played Bungle in Rainbow for 11 years, so has some amazing insights in how to get the best out of costume characters, who often provide amazing comedy scenes in pantomime.

Exploring comedy scripts- With Jonny Barr- Saturday 24th April @ 2pm

The wonderful Jonny Barr shares all of his tips for how to get the best out of a script! An important skill for all performers- how do you find the humour in a script? How do you develop your character and performance based on the clues hidden in the script? This workshop is a must join for all panto performers!

Meet the Casting Director - with Steven Gordon-Wilson- Wednesday 28th April @4pm

BPA are thrilled to welcome Steven Gordon- Wilson of 1702 Productions for this one off workshop which will offer an insight into what Casting Directors look for when auditioning potential performers! This session is a must for anyone who wants to wow at their next audition!

Acting through song - with Jonny Barr- Friday 30th April @4pm

If you missed out on this amazing workshop in March, then now is your chance to catch up! Acting while signing can be a tricky skill to master, but Is key to a sensational performance. Join Jonny Barr as he coaches you in how to get the best from you performance. You will need a backing track to a song you know well to take part in this workshop.

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