Friday, March 7, 2025, | 9:30 - 11 am
Friday, March 14, 2025, | 9:30 - 11 am
Location: The Ruth Page Center for the Arts | 1016 North Dearborn St. Chicago, IL 60610
"Body and Memory of the Actor" with Sándor Menéndez
Intensive interpretation laboratory aimed to develop actor's expressiveness in contemporary theater focusing, from a psycho-physical and cultural traditions angles, on diverse forms of body and voice techniques. The exploration of the performer’s motivations as the sole center of the stage universe and their constant work on themselves are studied, followed by a systematic training on the scenes actions’ images as a starting point in building and developing an organic score to understand the character and its course on the stage.
Sándor Menéndez, Award-winning Cuban actor, director, and teaching artist, he is a graduate of Havana’s Instituto Superior de Arte. For over ten years, he was a part of Cuba’s Teatro Buendía where he performed in various productions and with which he participated in several international festivals in Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Denmark, and Germany. Since 2010, he has been an ensemble member of Aguijón Theater where he works as an actor and instructor and where he has developed his directing career, creating, to date, ten productions: the world premieres of Within and Epopeya by Abel González Melo, William Shakespeare’s Romeo y Julieta, adapted by Gerardo Cárdenas, Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden, Abelarado Estorino’s Las penas saben nadar, Carlos Fuentes’ Orquideas a la luz de la luna, Dolores Prida’s Casa propia, and the world premieres of Adverses and The Great Tyrant (A Dramatic Descarga) by Rey Andújar. Other Chicago acting stage credits include Water People Theater and Goodman Theatre. A passionate educator, Sándor has over twenty years of experience as a teaching artist beginning his career in Havana’s Escuela Nacional de Teatro where he trained and inspired future actors. At Aguijón, he is one of the instructors of the Nuestra Cultura Theater Program, run in partnership with After School Matters, and has developed and leads the workshops Mini Actors and Little Actors for children, and Body and Memory of the Actor for adults.
Join us at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts for Open Technique Classes with the Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program*, on Fridays at 9:30 am. The class will feature rotating guest artists and Ruth Page School of Dance faculty. Method and technique will vary by teacher.
*Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program (PDTP) serves as a bridge between studio training and a professional dance career. Dancers train and rehearse daily 9 am - 4 pm, from August – June at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts focusing on refining ballet and contemporary technique in an international environment of performers, educators, and mentors. PDTP is designed for dancers between the ages of 17-25 who have completed high school and are preparing for a professional career. Trainees receive individualized coaching from accomplished faculty and curated international guest choreographers. The Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program also offers international travel* (when available), limited need-based scholarships, and affordable housing. For further information reach out to the Artistic Associate, Maray Gutierrez at pdtp@ruthpage.org
