Teaching and Community Projects
Judita’s teaching is grounded in embodied approach to theatre training, applying techniques and exercises that challenge performers’ stamina, stimulate their focus and the overall presence with the aim to increase the range of physical and vocal expression. Focusing on interoception and staying in the 'here and now', thus remaining open to internal and external stimuli, the practical work is physically demanding yet also playful, improvisational and spontaneous in nature.
The sessions are designed to build trust, mutual respect and well-being. Through physical exploration, games and exercises, participants develop the skills of looking, listening and responding. They work in pairs and as a group, practising moving and using our voices together.
A response from Judita’s past participant: “There is no judgement or competition in Judita’s session; we come together to move and express and share in a safe and caring environment. As a newcomer to physical theatre and with no idea what to expect, Judita’s gentle mentoring style has moved me from fixating on how I ‘look’ to a place where I now embrace how I ‘feel’ when I move.”
Cambridge Physical Theatre Project (2019-2022)
Between 2019-2022, I facilitated physical theatre workshops for the local community in Cambridge (UK). First, organised by Acting Now, then independently, I led weekly sessions open to all: actors, theatre students, researchers, community workers, artists, AI specialists and astrophysicists.
Our work focused on physical training that combined sensory exploration, spatial awareness, text and objects, partner- and ensemble-work, and improvisation. Each week, I set the group a new challenge. Each week, we gathered to connect and explore together. The group has created a devised piece, solo performances and improvised work.
In 2021-2022, towards the end of the pandemic, together with three participants, we continued to work online, further exploring the possibilities of the digitised body, connecting through video platforms and experimenting with the digital performance imagery. During the course of this project, which I tentatively named Digital Playground, I invited each participant to create original recorded video and sound material. This work culminated in a 20-min digital performance piece with an original soundscape (created by all participants, edited by me), presented online to an invited audience in March 2022.
Drama Unlimited (2018)
In 2018, I led a documentary theatre project in Cambridge, produced by Acting Now. I facilitated weekly sessions for a group of participants with and without mental health challenges. We called ourselves “Drama Unlimited”.
The group spent the first couple of months meeting each other and creating a safe space, while working on different levels of communication, creativity and physicality.
Participants also took part in creative research, interviewing local people about they experience and memories of being on the road.
We used a selection of stories from the interviews, together with personal experiences shared by the Drama Unlimited participants, some incredibly touching and traumatic, all of which served as material and inspiration for the creation of “Side Roads”, a performance about our different journeys: on the road, down the memory lane and in our imagination.
