We were delighted to welcome back to school Old Bedfordian and established actor, Jonno Davies (01-10), to deliver a technical workshop to our drama scholars.
Jonno, who attended Bedford School between 2001 and 2010, was only too delighted to come back to his old school to teach boys one of his favourite techniques: the Laban Movement.
Jonno learned the technique when he was a student at drama school himself and, having found it so useful, he now teaches it across drama schools in London. The Laban Movement is a physical and movement-based technique that helps actors create a physical vocabulary which they can use not only for themselves but also between them and the director.
Jonno explained, “Laban helps us move as people and as characters. It gives us the tools to negate space and understand how our needs as a character can then influence how we move.
The reason I use this technique myself, is because it is such a quick way to get into a character. When, for example, I am auditioning for roles and I might only have 12 hours to prepare, I just jump into this and, when I have a good grasp of it, it can take just 10 minutes to get into role. It’s also a great foundation from which to build upon.”
Jonno started the workshop off by getting the boys moving vigorously before giving the boys tools based around the three main ideas of time, weight and space.
Remove Former and drama scholar Will Hayward told us, “The workshop really helped open my eyes to a new, different style of theatre and overall allowed me to deepen my understanding of the world of drama. I think that the Laban movement is an intriguing method and one that would be good to incorporate into our devised piece that we are doing at the moment.
It was great to meet such a well-established actor as Jonno. Particularly, as he is an OB and has been through the same process as us. It was really inspiring and I really enjoyed it!”
Head of Academic Drama, Mrs Antoinette Keylock, said, “This year we have wanted to stretch the drama scholars and develop the programme currently on offer at Bedford School. Jonno’s workshop on Laban movement was a perfect opportunity for the boys to develop both their physical stamina and creativity. It was a really challenging workshop but the boys coped brilliantly.”
Jonno was a regular on the stage when he was a pupil at Bedford School and right from his earliest appearances in the Prep School he wowed audiences with his assured performances. Jonno credits his Drama teacher, Mrs Swidenbank, for opening his eyes to the idea of a career in drama and helping him to realise his potential. She also famously helped him to take the plunge after rejecting his first UCAS statement to encourage him to follow his dreams, declaring: “You know you want to be an actor.”
Since then Jonno has not looked back on his career choice and has already built up an impressive repertoire, starring on Broadway as Alex DeLarge in the critically acclaimed New York production of A Clockwork Orange, and in films including Spotless, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and TV including Casualty and Hollyoaks. He will appear on our screens next month as guest lead in the BBC 1 drama Shakespeare and Hathaway and you might also recognise his voice from the Aunt Bessie’s adverts or the men’s fragrance Valentino advert.
