Each class is limited to 14 students.

Integrating Music, Rhythm, and Sound Effects in Comedic Performance Workshop

Unlock the dynamic relationship between movement, sound, and physical comedy in this workshop led by Lecoq-trained international artists Kathleen O'Reilly and Anya Opshinsky. You will hone your pantomime skills with the added layer of sound effects to elevate your improv, sketch, and clowning. Create dynamic sound scapes that bring your stories to life using found objects and simple instruments. We will work on integrating music and rhythm in performance to improve pacing, build tension, and amplify physical punchlines. Leave with practical movement tools, inspiration for how to choose and integrate sound and music into your play and a deeper joy for generating comedy through the body and sound

All experience levels welcome.

Drop-in Class: Sunday, October 25th, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

Where: BCC Pig Pen (144 Boerum Street, Brooklyn)

Teacher: Anya Opshinsky & Kathleen O’Reilly

Bio:

Anya Opshinsky is a German American mime, actor, director, improvisor, physical theater creator and teacher. Originally from NYC Anya moved to Paris to study physical theater at École Jacques Lecoq 8 years ago and has been creating, teaching and performing there ever since. Anya is the co-founder of Shift Shape Theater through which she creates and tours original shows the most recent of which is entitled "ROVERS: Two Mimes on the Run" which is currently touring around France. Anya has taught mime, mask-making, clown, physical theater and improv with HUGE Improv, MN, Vis à Vis Théâtre, Rise Comedy, Denver and Théâtre de Verre, Paris. She is the creator and producer of The Ultimate Set-Up that performs in Denver, Paris and NYC and works as a solo artist performing original drag, mask, burlesque and clown pieces in the Parisian cabaret circuit

Kathleen is originally from Vancouver Island, Canada. She holds a degree in Theatre with a specialization in Acting from the University of Victoria (2014), and her curiosity about collective creation and physical theatre led her to attend the Lecoq School in Paris (2019), where she now lives and works as an actor, creator, and theatre teacher. After completing her university studies, Kathleen performed in productions such as Long Day's Journey into Night and Girl Rabbi of the Golden West under renowned directors Brian Richmond and Liza Balkan. Following an additional semester studying intergenerational social theatre in India, she moved to Toronto, where she appeared in productions like DIVINE (Storefront Theatre Company) and toured Eastern Canada with the musical TRUNK (Kerploding Theatre). Her growing interest in physical theatre prompted her to move to Paris to study the Lecoq method, graduating in June 2019. In 2020, Kathleen founded her own theatre company, Compagnie SHIFT SHAPE; for the company, she directed, produced, and co-wrote METRONIANS and ROVERS: Deux Mimes en fuite!, the latter of which has regularly toured throughout France and beyond. Since 2024, she has had the great pleasure of touring with Compagnie IPAC, a company blending traditional polyphonic singing, giving workshops and performing theatre in the Vosges region of France. She has toured internationally with mime and sound effect hit, FRANTZ with Cie.BPM and will be a part of their new creation, ANA going to Avignon festival in 2027. This summer she brought Canadian play, A Little Green Leaf to Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is excited for many intriguing projects to unfold for 2026-2027.

If this class is sold out, sign-up for the wait list here.