Jonathan Paul Cook

Background

Jonathan Paul Cook has been a teacher at Skuespillerskolen ved Odense Teater (now DDSKS Odense) since 1984.

In a career spanning more than five decades, Jonathan Paul Cook has worked as actor, director, playwright and teacher in sixteen countries.

As he likes to put it, his work has taken him from Vancouver to Viljandi, from Tampere to Tabarka, From San Diego to Slovenia, from New Orleans to both Nykøbing Falster and Nykøbing Mors!

Jonathan was born into an English theatre family in 1946.  He performed professionally as a child on stage and television in Canada.  He abandoned his studies in psychobiology to study theatre at Goddard College, VT. USA and École Jacques Lecoq, Paris (1968 – 1970).

In the 1970’s Jonathan co-founded the internationally recognised Footsbarn Theatre, Cornwall, UK, now based in France, and the Dell’ Arte Players Company, Blue Lake, California.  Both companies are still operating.  For several years he was director of the Dell’ Arte International School of Physical Theatre, and Lecturer in Mime at Humboldt State University, California.

In the 80’s Jonathan returned to Europe, working widely as freelance director, playwright, performer and teacher, in over a dozen countries. Directing credits include prizewinning productions in Denmark and Slovenia.  Besides teaching at Skuespillerskolen ved Odense Teater, and the Akademi for Scenekunst, Fredrikstadt, (2006 – 2012), he has been a judge on their audition panels.

He was keynote speaker for Third Nordic Conference on Drama and Theatre Pedagogy, Aarhus (2000).  As Chairman of three Sakkyndig Utvalge, he assessed applicants for teaching positions for both Høgskolen i Nord-Trøndelag, (2005, 2012) and Akademi for Scenekunst, Fredrikstadt, Norway (2011).

1990’s: Co-founded and directed productions for Bruthalia Teater, Denmark, specializing in expressionistic productions concerning the paradoxical and irresolvable aspects of human nature, with particular focus on the texts of Howard Barker.

At DDSKS he teaches theatre within an expanded definition of Jacques Lecoq’s pedagogical framework.  He works with what has come to be known as the actor's "super" text - the various and unconcealable reasons for an actor to be standing up there on the stage - as the authentic source of stylistic transformation and the key to ensemble play. However in his teaching, Jonathan is more interested in investigating what happens between actors rather than inside them, as this is where the expressive stories lie.

Joanthan Paul Cook is included as an entry in the Danish Encyclopedia of Theatre, Gyldendals (2007).  He has been a member of the Danish Stage Directors Union (FDS) since 1990.  Diploma in Techniques of Teaching, California State Department of Education, 1978. Website: www.jpcook.dk

Knowledge from professional practice

KVINDELIST/LA SERVA PADRONA

Opera by Pergolesi
Director
Opera Clé, DK, 2016

CARL

Theatre concert
Consultant in Clown technique
Mungo Park, Kolding and Baggaardsteater, Svendborg, 2015

THE VIXEN

Opera by Leoš Janácek
Director
SDMK/Den Fynske Opera, Odense, 2015

NORTEAS EXCHANGE

Workshop performances
Acting Coach
NÄTY, University of Tampere, Finland, 2015

POOL (NO WATER)

Play by Mark Ravenhill
Director
Odense Teater, Odense, 2014

L'ENFANT ET LES SORTILÈGES

Opera by Ravel and Colette
Director
SDMK/Den Fynske Opera, Odense, 2014

RAISING THE DEAD

Lecture/demonstration/performance
Director, Speaker
Nordic and Baltic Theatre Schools Summit (NORTEAS), Viljandi, Estonia. 2014

NORTHERN LIGHTS IN MALAWI

Performance
Supervisory Director
Exchange with Malawi, produced by the Intercultural Centre, Copenhagen. 2013

NORTEAS EXCHANGE

Workshop performances
Acting Coach
NÄTY, University of Tampere, Finland, 2013

ERASMUS EXCHANGE

Workshop performances
Acting Coach
Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2015.

KNOWLEDGE FROM PEDAGOGICAL RESEARCH

A GLOSSARY OF THEATRICAL TERMS

PUV-project
SMKS/DDSKS 2010 - 2012