The Actors Academy for the Pupperty Arts (TAAPA) |
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The Actors Academy for the Puppetry Arts (TAAPA) is North America’s first and only training academy that combines the art of acting with the art of puppetry. This allows the public a place to train and participate in puppet acting and puppet character development. Whether you are an actor or a puppeteer looking to stretch your abilities through ongoing training to compete in the international market or someone wanting to learn new and creative skills in an engaging and supportive environment, the academy will give you the necessary tools to achieve your goals. "Nic is an enormously talented man as well as an energetic, engaging and passionate teacher. It was an honour taking his class to be able to learn from him and a joy to be able to see him work every time he lifted his hand and brought a character to life. It's easy to get swept away by his excitement and though his knowledge and experience are considerable, he is always approachable. His criticism is always encouraging, constructive - never cold or damaging. His love for the art of puppetry shines through in every moment as he leads his class towards both group and individual discoveries on their path to becoming puppeteers." - Kevin M. / actor Winter/Spring 2012 TAAPA provides the highest quality education in both the theoretical and practical aspects of: puppetry; the art of puppet acting; as well as puppet character development. To ensure that every participant gets individual attention, from the instructor, class sizes will be limited to a maximum of 8 students. Depending on your needs and current skill level we offer the following classes: Introduction to Puppetry Technique If you’ve always wanted to learn basic puppetry skills, this introductory class is for you. The core concepts covered include: eye focus, lip-syncing, manipulation of a Henson style puppet, and movement. To meet an individual's learning curve and scheduling needs, we offer two versions of this class: a 1 day Intensive version and a more leisurely 4 Evening version which allows students the time between classes to practice what they learned. (No prerequisites are required for these classes) Introduction to Puppetry Technique Classes: 1 day Intensive: $150.00 including HST, (Price includes a light lunch [menu will be provided], and a set of training eyes). From 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday: March 10th, April 21st, May 5th, or June 16th. Evening: $175.00 + HST = $197.75, (Price includes a set of training eyes). From 6:30 to 9:30 on 4 consecutive Wednesday evenings: February 29th to March 21st.
Where traditional improv classes gives students the “Who”, “What” and “Where” of the art form through games, TAAPA's “The Art of Puppet Improv” (based on Nic Lemon's upcoming book) is a revolutionary philosophical outlook for performing Puppet Improv. From TAAPA's philosophies of how to organically create a scene (Do Not Force a Scene, Let it Breath); how to take control of a scene with no direction (Creating a Scene From Others Turmoil); to how to deal with people who like to showboat (Let Those Who Have No Talent Speak The Loudest); students will learn the philosophies and concepts to confidently enter any Puppet Improv scene and perform with the best. $175.00 + HST = $197.75 (Note: The "Introduction to Puppetry Technique” or equivalent is required for this class). Classes run from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, on 4 consecutive Wednesdays: March 28th to April 18th, or June 6th to 27th.
TAAPA’s engaging, dynamic, and truly hands on six week training program is designed to give students critical acting, Henson and Ave. Q style puppetry, character development and discipline techniques. These skills can not only be used in the puppetry world, but also give students a confidence that will be an asset in any aspect of their lives. $250.00 + HST = $282.50 (Note: The "Introduction to Puppetry Technique” or equivalent and previous acting experience are required for these classes). Classes run on 6 consecutive Wednesday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30: April 25th to May 30th. Coming Soon
This program gives students the opportunity to learn the skills needed to work with puppets in film and television. The course covers topics such as: how camera and monitor systems work; the basics of entering a scene; group dynamics with monitors; and more. $225.00 + HST = $254.25 (Note: the “Puppet Conservatory Training Program” or equivalent is required for these classes) classes will run 5 consecutive weeks.
With today’s technology we are able to offer TAAPA’s educational programs on puppet and character acting in a one-on-one environment through the use of Skype. The benefit of this is each session can be individually tailored to a student’s specific needs, goals, and time schedule.
This will give participants the necessary skills to regain those fun aspects of our childhood and learn how to integrate them into puppet and character acting. From getting in touch with our innocent side, finding the spirit of childhood laughter so it can drive a scene, to that mischievous twinkle we all had long ago. Participants will leave feeling a renewed sense of play and how to let that enrich character performance in their work.
To Sign Up For Classes, Please Click Here For more information, please CONTACT us NOTES: All puppets, for use in classes, are provided. Students must be at least 18 years of age. "TAAPA has been a gift from life. Nic Lemon is a passionate, dedicated, talented teacher, who really knows his craft and shares it with so much enthusiasm and clarity that you can't help but be inspired: to work on the technique; to be silly; and to keep it simple, authentic, focused and present. Nic offers a safe enviromnent to delve into the work and practice the joy of failure and discovery." - Annie L. / actor "One of the many things I loved about the TAAPA class was that they truly realize there is no one way of doing things. Nic teaches a way of doing it, but also encourages students to find the way that works best for them. As actors, we collect many tools in our tool box, and what works well for me won't necessarily work well for someone else. The key...is trying and failing and trying again in an environment where the failure is safe." - Marsha M. / actor |