Teaching

I teach courses and workshops in solo and group improvisation, clown, (Inter)acting with the Inner Partner, and Performative Well-Being.  My speciality is (Inter)acting with the Inner Partner as connections with other peformative disciplines (improvisation, authorial acting, creative writing, clown, improvising for the camera).

(Inter)acting with the Inner Partnerm (in Czech: “dialogické jednání s vnitřním partnerem) is a solo improvisational discipline originally developed at the Theatre Faculty, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (Czechia).   Also known as “IwIP”, it was originally created by Professor Ivan Vyskočil at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.  I studied under Professor Vyskočil for 15 years, and trained under him.  He also supervised my doctoral dissertation.  I have been teaching IwIP internationally and developing its pedagogy since 1999.

I’m the most experienced (Inter)acting with the Inner Partner practitioner and teacher in Finland. That said, I actively aim to cultivate an “anti-guru” approach in my teaching and training. I believe in sharing the beauty the discipline can offer, so I have trained other IwIP teachers in Finland.  I encourage them to take IwIP in their own directions, in honor of how Professor Vyskočil encourage me to do the same.

I teach courses for the public both professionals and non. Courses are regularly part of the offerings of a Helsinki-based non-for-profit, Culture Current. In Finland, I’ve taught IwIP courses and workshops at University of Arts Helsinki – Department of Drama Pedagogy, Swedish-speaking Acting, Dance, and Open University; Tampere University – Näty,  Takomo Theatre, Valtimon Theatre, and the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki.

I’ve made significant efforts with colleagues past and present to introduce IwIP to an international scene. I’ve taught IwIP workshops at Columbia University, New York University/Tisch, Yale University, Rose Bruford College, and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

The spirit and substance of some of the courses I teach

(Inter)acting with the Inner Partner and Performative Well-Being courses study how to achieve a greater understanding of the relationship between performance and well-being through improvisation based in theatre. We study our well-being on stage and in our everyday lives. We ask: When we perform, how are we doing? We study the principles and practices of performative well-being through improvisational practice based in (Inter)acting with the Inner Partner. We develop performative well-being’s core capacities like performative flow, performative fitness, embodied engagement, discovering meaning, nurturing partnerships, realizing accomplishments. 

I also teach solo and group improvisation courses for artsist groups or others who wish to develop performance skills and/or improve group dynamics.  They can also be designed as a way of collectively creating performance (devising).  These are based both in the tradition of improv and theatre games (Johnstone and Spolin) as well as in open improvisation based in IwIP.

My approach to teaching clown draws on IwIP as a solo improvisational method and on the tradition of Jaques LeCoq and Giovanni Fusetti.  A unique approach I explore in these courses is performing clown for video, something I am developing in my artistic work. 

My education, qualifications, and experience

I have a master’s and doctoral degree in authorial acting and pedagogy.  I completed both these degrees studying under renown actor, writer, and educator Professor Ivan Vyskočil at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.  I have done master workshops with SITI company, Anne Bogart, and clown and bouffon with Giovanni Fusetti. 

I developed the peformative well-being concept and pedagogy at the Performing Arts Research Center (Tutke), Theatre Academy, University of Arts Helsinki based on pedagogical research supported by a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundaton in2 017-18,

Teaching values and approach

My performance pedagogy is based in improvisation.  Much of my teaching takes advantage of or is based in IwIP (see below) and other approaches to improvisation and divising I have learned over my 25 years performing professionally. 

My teaching incorporates the values and practices of existentialism, pragmatism, critical pedagogy, transformative education, humanistic psychology, humanism, postive psychology, stoicism, and agonism.  Sharing, play, risk, cooperation, egalitarianism, dramatic conflict, development, insight, and ecology stand out among the values and practices I work with.  I have the utmost respect for the needs of my students, learn much from them, and appreciate affirm each individual’s creative and beautiful idiosyncracies.  I believe that healthy group dynamics and a creative and supportive work atmosphere are essential to any collaborative situation, especially one based on performer-audience dynamics.  I actively cultivate and consciously work with group principles and practice in my work.

If you would like to get in touch with me, I’d be happy to hear from you at alex [at] alexanderkomlosi.name.

Thanks! 

-Alex 

August, 2022