Educational Background/Training

That Synetic Theater is an internationally renowned physical theater company, producing work that creates cultural diplomacy, uplifts its community, and provides entertainment and enrichment to people of all ages and from all walks of life.

About the Artist/Ensemble

Synetic Theater’s mission is to redefine theatre by blending innovative techniques and movement, investing in artists’ growth, and creating unforgettable visceral experiences for every audience. Our unique art form, originated and led by our founders Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, is in the name “Synetic”: we create a synthesis of kinetic art forms, resulting in largely wordless physical theater that combines acting, dance, mime, acrobatics, visual art, design, music, and cinema/multimedia. We nurture students and professionals who draw on the tradition of physical theater to create radical reimaginings of canonical “classics” and push the limits of their artistry.

Educational Program Description

Workshops

A workshop is a one – two day class with students. Workshops can run from as short as forty five minutes to as long as two hours, whatever fits your schedule. They are perfect for classes of anywhere from six to sixty students!

 Synetic 101

What is physical theater? How can you build walls from thin air and climb mountains that aren’t there, change your age or physical attributes instantly, unlock your body’s full potential as a creative tool, and go forwards and backward in time? Learn all of these skills and more with an introduction to the processes and styles that make Synetic art with a capital A.

The Rest is Silence

Synetic has achieved international acclaim with its silent Shakespeare series and now shares its innovative methods with you. Students apply Synetic technique to explore the bard’s most famous scenes finding ways to perform these complex actions, characters, and themes without words.

Emotion in Motion

Synetic dance uses natural and spontaneous movements to exhibit the joy, the rage, the madness, the love, the conflicted internal life of a character. Students will be led through a rolodex of warm-ups, coordination, plasticity, and acceleration to unlock deeper more realized expression through dance. These systems may also be applied in the creation of environments, moods and atmospheres in a play.

Stories Alive!

Students explore the three elements of Synetic’s brand of physical theatre: movement, acting, and pantomime. Combining traditional techniques synthesized with Eastern European practices students explore and apply the ways to express character, action, and spectacle in process and performance.

SynetiConsultation

Do you have an upcoming production or showcase? Need some creative help or just a new face to come in and remind everyone that the ensemble is a lively part of every scene? Synetic will send over an accomplished consultant to put that final magic touch on your performance. Previous pairings resulted in a mix-ed up Midsummer, a stop-motion battle with Henry and his band of brothers, and a scintillating salsa between star-crossed lovers. What will you produce?
This workshop has been performed at several DC area schools including, but not limited to: Falls Church High, Springfield High, Lake Braddock, and The Siena School.

Residencies

Residencies are multi day/week classes in which students grow and build on their knowledge. Often times residencies will end in a final performance.

Residencies are tailored to your needs but usually include:

• A kick-off assembly of one of our Touring Shows: “The Music Box” or “The Miraculous Magical Balloon”
• A required orientation meeting and planning session
• A set of workshops for classes of up to 30 students
• A student culminating or sharing event
• An evaluation meeting

Fables in Movement

In this theater residency, students explore the three elements of Synetic Theater’s style of physical theatre: movement, acting, and pantomime. Following a workshop in each discipline, students will work in groups to choreograph selected fables.

Bringing Your Studies to Life

In this theater residency, multicultural studies come to life as Synetic actors help students tackle and explore a subject by creating a theatre scene about it. Students use the fundamentals of theatre: movement, simple classroom props, and their own imaginations to bring their studies to life!

Leap Into Imagination!

Students explore the signature movement style of Synetic Theater in a versatile custom designed theater residency that suits your students’ learning. Synetic offers a unique and cross-cultural type of theater that incorporates dance, body awareness, storytelling, music and mime. At the end of the residency students come away with a presentation that exemplifies the discipline, dedication, body control and creativity they have gained through the project that stays with them throughout their lives.

Fees

Fees vary

Audiences

• Elementary Students
• Secondary (Middle/High School) Students
• College/University Students