Bernard Gahide

First Prize in Dramatic Art (1999), First Prize (1998) and Superior Prize in Declamation (2000) at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, as well as the IRIS Theatre Award from the city of Brussels (1999), I have been actively involved in the Théâtre en Liberté productions, resident at the Théâtre des Martyrs since 1998, both as an actor and as a director. To date (February 2017), I have performed in over 90 productions across most theatres in Belgium, gaining training and experience in the working methods of major Belgian directors, including Marcel Delval, Daniel Scahaise, George Lini, Bernard Damien, Frédéric Dussenne, Hélène Theunissen, Christine Delmotte, Alexis Goslain, Jacques Neefs, Claude Volter, Philippe Vincent, Lorent Wanson, and others. In addition to numerous poetry recitals and voice-over work for film and advertising, I am also active in children’s theatre and puppetry, working with Compagnie Racagnac on Le Prince Heureux and with Théâtre du Ratinet since 2011. Since 2010, I have been teaching declamation at the Conservatoire de Bruxelles, where I aim to develop in students not only technical foundations and self-confidence, but also control of narrative flow, audience engagement, and mastery of audience attention. I have had the opportunity to teach all levels at the Conservatoire, allowing me to adapt my approach to the specific needs of each student. For me, declamation is essential to the training of an actor, as it reaches the very roots of theatre: the ability to tell a story alone, without artifice, in front of an audience and to captivate them, mastering both the art of timing and the power of speech.