About Us
The Caravanserai is, on one hand, a training organisation for actors providing regular and master classes for both professionals and beginners. We provide acting workshops around the UK and the world, and a range of Theatre in Education projects. On the other hand, we also utilise all of our experience and expertise to provide a range of leading communications and creativity workshops for business. We tend to concentrate on realistic acting and the methodological approach to actor training. The work is heavily influenced by the developments of the founders of the Drama Centre London; Christopher Fettes and Yat Malmgren, and the acting teacher there between 1982 and 2004 - Reuven Adiv - under whom current Caravanserai Director Giles Foreman trained. The work is also influenced by Stanislavski and the great American innovators of the Method – Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler and Uta Hagen. The Caravanserai is also a co-operative production house designed to create opportunities for actors, directors, writers and filmmakers who are at the beginning of their careers to work alongside experienced professionals in all of those disciplines. It was always the case that young actors would learn from older, more experienced individuals. However, with the demise of the repertory system in Britain and the paucity of employment possibilities for actors post drama school, it has become very difficult for actors to find pathways to develop their craft. The Caravanserai aims: - To provide members with an opportunity to learn how to create and manage a production company. They are responsible for fundraising, educational programs, co-operative creative planning and publicity etc. - To produce high-level short films which will be entered into festivals worldwide. This provides the actors with an opportunity to learn how to act on film, to be seen by the industry and to make show reels. - To produce several theatre pieces each year. This provides a London showcase for both the students and professional actors. For the younger actors it is a golden opportunity to develop themselves by being constantly challenged with new roles, London audiences, and different theatrical genres. The repertoire comprises new writing and large scale classical and European pieces, which actors are often unable to attempt unless they are fortunate enough to play with the main national companies. We intend to tour some of these pieces. - To provide experienced professionals with the chance to experiment with their work in an open creative environment, free from the restraints of having to think commercially. - To create an educational wing where we invite great teachers of acting from around the world to give a variety of workshops for professionals. - To provide workshops for schools and colleges and people who are new to acting. - To offer high impact role-play and business theatre to the corporate world. This provides the actors with knowledge of how to use their skills to create alternative income streams and facilitate social change. How does the Caravanserai Work? The main strength of the Caravanserai lies in the large number of people from very diverse backgrounds who come together to develop this initiative. They are organised into various groups: The Creative team – largely comprising directors of Film and theatre, some writers and actors. Their job is to suggest and initiate projects. The Writers group – to encourage new writing both for Film and theatre. They work together to develop new work, and to pass the best pieces on to the creative group who will workshop them and develop them further - possibly to the point of production. The Fundraising group – the task of this group is to find and develop funding avenues; to create relationships with the main institutional funding bodies, trust funds, corporate and individual sponsors. They are also tasked with developing new, novel ways of fundraising – themed parties and sponsored events etc. The Educational group – to develop acting workshops both for professionals and beginners. A Testimonial "Any actor who is able to participate in the courses offered by Caravanserai, particularly the Advanced Acting Course by the founder of the studio Giles Foreman, will engage in a transforming process, moving them from portraying a character to being the character. Truly life changing. Also one of the best value for money courses in London for anyone who is serious about developing our craft." JS (student): June 2010 |