Beyond the Binary - Acting Beyond Gender

Anna Martine Freeman, who starred as Fiona/Adrian in the Olivier Award-winning play Rotterdam, will be hosting, Beyond the Binary - Acting Beyond Gender a workshop with Lucy J Skilbeck, a gender-smart casting advocate, theatre director and Artistic Director of Milk Presents, to challenge gender-binary casting in performing arts. Open to performers and producers alike, the FREE, interactive workshop will explore the stereotypes and challenges that actors and theatre makers face when it comes to gender roles, and what steps can be taken to continue progression of casting beyond gender binaries.

The two-and-a-half-hour workshop, which will be led by Anna Martine Freeman and Lucy J Skilbeck, will include:

1. Intro and warm up. Drama games and exercises to wake up the body and imagination.

2. Discussion. What kind of stereotypes and challenges do actors and theatre makers keep coming up against, particularly when it comes to gender roles? How has the industry has progressed/regressed? What vision do people have for the industry? Are artists able to bring their whole selves to their work? How can we build on connections and create a community that will strengthen and nourish individual identities and work goals?

3. Script analysis. A practical exercise which will see the analysis of text work from a play/script and improvisations.

4. What does the future look like? Groups to create a five-point manifesto for the arts.

5. Warm down. Debrief, discussion and physical warm down.