MAKE THEM LAUGH | MAKE THEM PLAY
Whether you are a company, circus school, arts professional or simply curious, our workshops will meet your desires and needs exactly where they are.
PEDRO CHARNECA
Actor | Buffon | Clown | Dr Clown | Trainer Director
Three decades of mastery in the arenas of street theatre, clowning, buffoonery and hospital clowning. A tireless researcher and fervent practitioner, he approaches these arts with absolute rigour and disconcerting simplicity. Forged in the roots of street theatre, he was involved from an early age with one of the pioneering companies of the genre, under the tutelage of master Jon Beedell - Desperate Men, England. At Casa da Comédia in Lisbon, directed by Filipe Crawford, he immersed himself in the heart of comedy, mastering the neutral mask and Commedia dell'Arte. Driven by a voracious thirst for knowledge about clowning, buffoonery, physical theatre and improvisation, he crossed borders to drink from the fountain of world masters: Jon Mowat, Daniel Rovai, Lila Monti, Laura Hertz, Pepa Diaz Meco, Peter Shubs, Jango Edwards, Jef Johnson, Sergio Claramount, Jan Raga, Eric de Bont, Ami Hattab, Esther Harlan and Johnny Melville. From this fusion of elite technical knowledge and brutal field experience, a unique methodology is born — an arsenal of vital tools that radically transform these areas. His track record includes thousands of shows and dozens of training courses that have had an impact on companies, schools and landmark projects. This is a journey where listening, presence, failure, rhythm, play and vulnerability are the pillars of the process. Here, emptiness and technique merge in their purest form in the service of art, providing students with the practical tools they need to create their own show.
TÂNIA LOPES
Percussionist | Drummer | Composer | Artistic Director | Conductor | Trainer
She studied traditional Portuguese, Brazilian, African and Cuban percussion privately in Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Cuba and other countries. Her academic musical training took place at the Academia de Amadores de Música, culminating in the 4th year of the Full-Time Course at the Escola de Jazz Hot Club de Portugal, where she studied musical training, harmony, piano, jazz history, jazz drums and Latin jazz percussion. She began as a percussionist at the age of 14, making her first international tour at the age of 18. Since then, she has maintained an active presence on stage and in the studio, collaborating with a large number of groups and artists such as Amélia Muge, Né Ladeiras, Sara Tavares, Gaiteiros de Lisboa, Afonso Pais, Adufeiras de Monsanto, Ronda dos 4 Caminhos, Luar na Lubre, Sétima Legião, Rodrigo Leão, Jorge Fernando, Lura, Pedro Moutinho, Simone de Oliveira, Amor Electro, Janita Salomé, Rita Redshoes, Filipa Cardoso, among others. His versatility extends to curating and musical direction, with notable appearances on television programmes, plays and interdisciplinary shows, where rhythm dialogues with other arts. Since 2004, he has also developed a solid career in teaching, using percussion as a tool for education, preservation and inclusion: Ethnographic aspect: Specialist in teaching traditional Portuguese percussion, focusing on accompanying the Galician-Portuguese repertoire for bagpipes (Transmontana and Galician). Direction and Conducting: Works as a trainer and conductor of percussion orchestras at national level, coordinating the dynamics of large rhythmic groups. Teambuilding and real-time rhythmic improvisation: Specialised training for large corporate groups, focused on the development of collaborative skills. Social Impact: teaching percussion as an instrument of transformation in institutions, associations, IPSS and disadvantaged communities (social isolation, poverty, exclusion and lack of mobility).
