Theatre is a sharing space in which ideas are formulated, born, examined, and reformed. My task as an educator is to extract potential from my students. Anyone wishing to undertake the arduous task of the study of acting should be given as much encouragement and guidance as possible. The basic nature of art is a desire to better understand our human existence. The art of theatre is a search for that understanding and a search to better illuminate the human condition.
As an educator, I draw foundational exercises from Uta Hagen’s books, Michael Checkov’s “Psychological Gesture”, and The Practical Handbook for the Actor from the Mamet group for my class work. I also draw from others in complement to these texts, such as Meisner, Stanislavski,
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I have found Miller Voice Method to be quite beneficial in acting on the breath. Miller Voice Method is a great initiator of breath work within acting. It is a method developed originally for athletes and adapted for the stage. Using the body to explore breath and voice.
Language and voice are central to communication. Using exercises of Meisner repeat work, actors find truth in their expression. Fitzmaurice tremoring work is a great vocal relaxant and brings out a depth in resonance and meaning, supplemented with Lessac voice study for vocal clarity. Text analysis helps the student understand the language we use to get what we want. Communication is the foundation for the relationship between actor and audience as well as between actor and actor.
Body, or movement study, is the crucial counterpart to language in communication. We need to cultivate this as a part of, or in tandem with, classwork. I use Anne Bogart Viewpoint work to help create ensemble and opens up personal awareness, Psychological Gesture to explore how the body informs the voice, Alexander Technique training in creating a neutral body, and I use Eastern Theatre Styles, Mask work, Avant-Garde philosophies, etc. to explore outside the box of Modern Western