Dean Fogal

Dean Fogal has degrees in Psychology, Speech Communication and Theatre and studied with the creator of Corporeal or Full Body Mime Etienne Decroux, in Paris for three years.

Dean has taken the Decroux work into an ensemble training context with the formation of the Tooba Physical Theatre Centre, an International Diploma Program which operated in Vancouver for 14 years.  He  and the Tooba staff found that a simultaneous study of Corporeal Mime, Voice, Acting, Dance, Circus Arts,  Ensemble Development and Singing, all served to deepen the study and understanding of each individual form.The work followed the principle that ‘on the level of mastery all forms become one form”.

No matter what age we are, or what line of work we are following, we all want to be more present, more articulate and more engaged in what we are doing. We want to be inspired and to share that inspiration..As public communicators, which we all are, our physical and vocal communications can be strengthened, clarified and refined by being trained in Corporeal Mime.

  Because much of the study is based on dramatic contrast we can realize that the real power in communication depends on developing   ‘qualitative stillness in parts not moving’. What begins as a study of movement of all the body’s parts, slowly becomes a study both of movement and the stillness out of which great movement and eloquent communication comes.

Claire Fogal

A Vancouver actor, director, and theatre teacher, Claire holds a BA in Theatre and English Lit from UBC, an MFA in Directing from UofA, and is a graduate of TOOBA Physical Theatre Centre. Currently working on her PhD in Theatre Studies at UBC, Claire has also studied various forms of theatre, voice and dance with David MacMurray Smith, Raïna von Waldenburg, Richard Armstrong, Charles Marowitz, da da kamera, the National Voice Intensive, Boca del Lupo, and Margie Gillis. She was commissioned by Edmonton’s Catalyst Theatre to create Sixth Sense, and has created nine other original plays. As a teacher, Claire has worked at UofA, UBC, Douglas College, Capilano University, the RSAMD in Glasgow, and Nakai Theatre in Whitehorse. Under the Artistic Direction of her father Dean Fogal, Claire was the Director of Educational Programming and lead Acting Teacher at TOOBA Physical Theatre Centre. Claire is Artistic and Managing Director of Minotaur’s Kitchen, supported by Cor Departure Physical Theatre Society, which she co-founded in 2000. Claire loves teaching theatre as a way to build safe, inclusive environments where each participant can take creative risks, expanding their imagination, ensemble skills, and personal sense of confidence.