THE  THEATRE MASK

San Miniato - Italy​

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Led by MATTEO DESTRO

 

7-day intensive

July 2027

The exact dates will be announced in December.
After that, we will open applications

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The mask simplifies, rendering readable and immediate the movements of the soul.

The mask, covering the face of the actor and all its myriad possibilities for expression, completely transforms our way of researching the body’s expressivity and its relation to the space.

This gives the actor a new sense of their own presence, an emotional fluidity, an amplified and richer dramatic expression, a gestural language full of emotion, a return to a more global perceptual experience, and it allows us to rediscover the innate dimensions of play.

The body and the space are the truly essential referents which allow us to find a deeper authenticity in stage presence and in performance. This is fundamental for anyone who wants to make lively, authentic theatre.

This intensive course is an opportunity to explore theatre pedagogy based on the ATELIER Mask Movement Theatre and the research of Matteo Destro. It is open to actors, directors, playwrights, theatre teachers and anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of Mask and Movement Based Theatre.

[Read more about the Pedagogy]

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THE PROGRAM OF THE COURSE

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• The relationship between body and space: the presence and the state

• Reaction, dramatic drive, action: desire and urgency

• The structure of the body: the mask’s body

• The body in action: movement analysis and technique

• Advanced technique of mask articulation

• The phrase of the 26 steps of the dramatic action, by Matteo Destro

• The mask in play

• Improvisation

• The journey through the theatre masks:

  • Neutral Mask by Donato Sartori

  • Larval Masks by Matteo Destro

  • Full Masks by Matteo Destro

 

LANGUAGE

The course will be taught in English. Work sessions can be translated into French, Italian and Spanish.

 

SCHEDULE

7-day intensive
July 2027
The exact dates will be announced in December 2026.
Daily hours: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

 

LOCATION

Classes will be held at the
ATELIER Summer Studio
Via San Francesco
San Miniato (Tuscany, Italy)

 

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

Minimum 8, maximum 14

 

APPLICATIONS

For all information and to apply, please contact:
info@ateliermatteodestro.com

To apply, kindly send an email to the address above, including:

• A brief biography

• A short statement outlining your motivations for participating​

 

Application period: applications open in December 2026 and close on 10 May 2027.

Confirmation and waiting list:

• As soon as we reach a minimum of 8 participants, we will inform the applicants that the course will officially take place.

• Once we reach 14 participants, we will announce on the website that all spots are filled, and we will open a waiting list.

 

TUITION

€650

A non-refundable deposit of €250 is required upon acceptance to confirm your place. The remaining balance of €400 must be paid by 10 June 2027.

If the course is cancelled for organizational reasons, all payments already made will be fully refunded.

 

ACCOMMODATION

The price of tuition does not include housing. Participants are responsible for their own accommodation, but ATELIER can refer them to nearby available housing.