THE PROGRAM | CORE CLASSES

Acting Techniques

The goal of this course is to develop and nurture creativity and confidence in our actors in order to gain truth in their acting and perfect the skill of being “in the moment”.  Beginning with a variety of improvisation exercises our actors explore new techniques in freeing their voice, imagination and physicality.  A week is spent on “open scenes”, an exercise which uses very simple dialogue as a framework to encourage actors to make bold choices in the character’s given circumstances.  Techniques in text analysis are taught to help actors build characters from the inside out in unique and organic ways.  The class culminates in partner scene work from a variety of modern texts where students continue to hone their skills of honest listening, action and reaction.  Actors serve as active audience members during class, lending support to their fellow actors by viewing and commenting on their work.  

Acting Shakespeare

Actors explore how to “speak the speech” and develop a deeper understanding of how theatre can be used as a potent agent of historical, philosophical, and socio-political knowledge.  Students learn how to create powerful and dynamic performances by analyzing the language and structure of Shakespeare’s rich text, developing an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of Shakespeare’s work.  Beginning with a sonnet, actors gain confidence with meter and prose, learning specific methods to help them overcome the technical challenges of verse drama; such as scansion and imagery identification.  Moving to a monologue, actors read and research a specific play, discovering their characters motivations and learning how to layer this knowledge into their performance.  The class culminates with scene work where actors research a play with their scene partner and prepare the scene for performance at the Final Showcase.  

On-Camera Acting

In this class, actors are filmed performing cold readings from contemporary monologues and industry sides with a view to preparing for life as a working actor.  Analyzing “before and after” footage, students learn the subtlety and specificity required to perfect the skill of acting on-camera.  A special emphasis is placed on the technique of using the actor’s imagination as a means to build character and make choices quickly, particularly as it applies to an audition setting.  A series of improvisational exercises teach actors how to be genuine and spontaneous, creating truthful and bold performances on film.  Students will learn terminology used in the making of film and how it applies to the working actor.

Voice and Speech

In this course, actors learn how to train their voice in healthy, practical, and productive ways, exploring how words can have greater meaning if the body and voice support them properly. Actors develop a richer, stronger and more versatile speaking voice by learning vocal techniques and developing a “vocal workout” that can be used to warm-up and strengthen the voice before performance.  Students will be introduced to I.P.A., the International Phonetic Alphabet, as a guide to developing the skills of standard stage speech, as well as a variety of dialects.  Students also explore breathing techniques, posture exercises, resonation isolation, and ear training.  The course culminates in a performance of monologues, where the students choose a dialect covered over the course of the program to be performed in the Final Showcase. 

Movement

This course is designed to explore and gain a basic understanding of movement as a means of expression in the creation of a theatrical production.  Using the body to find essential gesture, action and expression, students develop their physical instrument through exercises and ensemble work. Students become versed in the different movement systems including Lecoq and Alexander and a special emphasis is placed on Viewpoints, an improvisation technique that provides a vocabulary for thinking about and acting upon movement as it applies to the stage.  Actors will engage in neutral and character mask studies as well as develop an original movement theatre piece to be performed at the Final Showcase.

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