Trilby Jeeves Spring 2023
Trilby Jeeves was the first English acting student to be trained in her second language for 3 years at Le Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique in Québec City. She followed the teachings of Marc Doré (who studied and worked with Lecoq in Paris), Paule Savard , Jean Guy, Denise Gagnon, Yves Erik Marier, and Jacques Lessard who created the “REPERE” method of creating theatrical work, with Robert Lepage.
She went on to perform in both languages, in both ends of the country. In Vancouver, BC, she worked with Théâtre La Seizième, The Raymond Burr Theatre, First Impressions Theatre, and other small companies. In Prince Edward Island, she “stomped the stages” of the Victoria Playhouse, the Kings Playhouse, and the Carrefour Theatre.
In between working as a costumer in the film industry, Trilby directed the first two French Canadian productions in Vancouver of “Les Monologues du Vagin” as well as teaching improvisation and buffoonery acting en Français, throughout various schools in B.C., Prince Edward Island, and for Saskatchewan Film. She taught “Le Bouffon” at Tooba Physical Theatre Centre, and teaches at VanArts and has taught at Vancouver Film School in Vancouver, Canada.
Internationally, her Buffoonery Acting Workshop has been in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Vancouver/Shanghai Film School, China, and Tokyo, Japan. Along with film colleague, Peter D. Marshall, she co-trained a “Directing the Actor” workshop in Singapore for Media Corp, and privately in Vancouver, BC.
The Buffoonery movement also expanded into the non-acting world as a form of play therapy and staff improvement. Some clients include North Shore Compass, Rhodes Wellness College, Living Vision Retreat, UBC Graduate Program, Living Big Retreat, and private workshops.
Trilby is passionate about helping people break through their critical and overworked thoughts to reach the honest depth of instinctive performance. Having been through the Bouffon process herself, she understands the release of being completely involved in performance and not worrying about the million things our minds believe to be important. Her method using “bouffon-ery” goes into text work so that actors have a freeing tool for audition and rehearsal preparation.
For non-actors the work provides a great confidence building tool through play. Depression has become high in work places, and play is effective to help with employees’ moral.
More recently, Trilby has ventured deeper into film, writing and directing her first short film, The Rolling Pin which has gone on to several film festivals, winning some awards. She is currently preparing another short film, and developing a feature film script.
Teaching continues to be a passion. Her workshops have expanded into film acting with her unique bouffon-ery ice breaker that launches into the study of authentic performance within monologue and scene performance.
