Fight like a Jedi this December
EVANSTON, IL - It's hard to miss that Star Wars mania is in full swing. As the world counts down to the first midnight screenings, Star Wars fans are popping out of the woodwork in all sorts of places, including at The Actors Gymnasium. Drawing on its resources as a stage combat class provider, Actors Gym has put together a December 15 workshop in wielding the Star Wars weapon that took the world by storm nearly 40 years ago, the lightsaber.
Students 16 years and up can fly solo or bring their favorite nemesis and learn to fight like a proper Jedi. Participants go home with the practice weapon used in class, created the same way as the actors used on set. This 2 hour workshop covers the basics of Jedi attack and defense with the lightsaber, as well as the tactics of the evil Sith.
The Actors Gymnasium staff expects the class to fill so they suggest grabbing your spot immediately. Interested students can register here .
Originally from Chicago's western suburbs, teacher Dave Gonzalez is a Fight Director and certified Alexander Technique teacher working in and around the city of Chicago. He currently holds the rank of Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, a nation-wide organization dedicated to the art and training of stage combat. Among his credits as a fight director, he has worked with the Side Project, the Plagiarists, Clockwise Theatre, and several others. In addition, he has assisted at American Theatre Co, the Florentine Opera, Illinois State University, and served as a guest artist at California State University-Stanislaus. He has also staffed stage combat workshops at venues such as the Denver Center for Performing Arts, Drake University, Northern Kentucky University, and the University of Nebraska. His most recent work was seen in The Bard Unraveled (Innervation Dance Coop.), The 39 Steps (Wheaton Drama), and his upcoming production The Titus Andronicus Project (The Home for Wayward Artists).
Location:
The Actors Gymnasium is located at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston, IL - just off of the Noyes purple line 'L' stop. The Noyes Cultural Arts Center is owned by the City of Evanston and home to over 20 artists and arts organizations offering music, theater, and visual arts programs and studios. The galleries exhibit local artists, with exhibitions changing every two months.
Actors Gymnasium classes are taught in a 3,000 sq/ft gymnasium space that features a 1,600 sq/ft sprung floor and a fully rigged 24 foot ceiling. All aerial equipment such as the Aerial Hoop, Spanish Web, aerial silks, static trapeze and more are provided, as well as the equipment for ground skills such as unicycling, juggling, tight wire and gymnastics. Additional classes are taught in Studio 108, a 900 sq/ft classroom space that features a floating sprung White Oak dance floor, a fully rigged 14 foot ceiling, a handstand wall, conditioning ladders, and room length 12 foot mirrors for aerial work.
About The Actors Gymnasium:
The Actors Gymnasium is dedicated to bringing a new physicality to the American Theatre. Encouraging ground-breaking theatrical exploration, The Actors Gymnasium teaches circus arts, physical theatre and multi-disciplinary performance to children and adults; produces original, daring works of circus-theatre; and serves as a talent resource, providing performance opportunities to our students and innovative professional event entertainment for a wider audience. At The Actors Gymnasium, people Learn To Fly - physically, emotionally, and creatively. For more information, please visit www.actorsgymnasium.org