For the second year in a row, I spent the first two weeks of June — June 3 to 14, 2024 — immersed in the intensive summer workshop at École Omnibus. My goal? Keep building my acting “vocabulary,” but this time with the body as the main language. And what better place for that than a Montreal school devoted to physical theatre?
Passionate teachers, invaluable knowledge
What makes the workshop so special is the teaching team. Imagine learning directly from Jean Asselin, Denise Boulanger, Sylvie Chartrand, Anne Sabourin and Laurence Castonguay Emery: artists with enormous experience, including, in the case of the first two, training with Étienne Decroux himself — the creator of a highly structured and internationally recognized approach to mime and physical theatre. It feels a little like touching the history of the art form. Influences from artists such as Réal Bossé and Sylvie Moreau enrich the training even further. You feel that you are in very good hands, surrounded by people who care deeply about passing on this knowledge.
Learning the “grammar” of the body
At the heart of the work is what you could call the “grammar” of the body according to Étienne Decroux. Forget the cliché of street mime — largely popularized by Marcel Marceau and more commonly associated with pantomime. Here, movement is broken down: how to move one part of the body independently, how to connect gestures so they tell something, how to work with balance, rhythm and space. It is technical and demands concentration, but it opens an incredible range of physical possibilities. You learn to control the body so it can become an extremely precise expressive instrument.
Every day we headed to Studio Z (ZEUGMA DANSE). We often began with specific walking exercises — a great way to wake up, feel the space and connect with the group before getting into the heart of the work. The atmosphere was focused but generous, exactly the kind of environment that makes it possible to explore and take risks.
Playing with movement: improvisation
None of that technique stays theoretical for long. We put it into practice immediately through improvisation, alone, in pairs and in groups. Guided by themes such as space, time or identity, we explored how to use this new physical language to create characters, tell stories without words, develop stage presence and let the imagination take over. That is the moment when the technique becomes alive and personal.
What I take from the philosophy of Omnibus and Decroux is that the actor’s body is essential. Before the words even arrive, the body carries the acting, the thought and the emotion. Learning to master it gives you the ability to communicate with extraordinary richness and nuance, even in silence.
The final challenge: taking theatre into the street
The intensive did not end inside the studio. On the final day, the experience took a fascinating turn with a pseudo-realistic performance in a public space. It was a chance to test our new physical language outside the protected environment of the rehearsal room and put it up against reality, passersby and the unpredictability of the city. We took over part of Montreal’s Place des Spectacles and, in turn, performed two “pseudo-realistic” pieces. The goal? For one or more passersby to notice something unusual, go home that evening and tell their family, essentially, “You won’t believe what I saw today…” It was a bold and memorable way to complete those two weeks of immersion.
What I brought home: more “words” for acting — and a lot of new artist friends
Those two weeks were intense and demanding, but above all incredibly nourishing. I left feeling that I had genuinely added new “words” — movements, nuances, ways of being present — to my vocabulary as an actor. It gives me a stronger foundation for my work on stage and on camera. I would recommend the experience to anyone interested in exploring the expressive power of the body. And then there are all the artists I got to know along the way. So many wonderful people. So many beautiful human beings.
