Welcome to my technique and scene study class. I am very pleased that you will be joining us, and look forward to encouraging and seeing your exploration and growth. Here are the details on your first assignment, and some guidelines for class expectations. This is very important information to have before you join the class. Please review it carefully.
TEXTBOOK
Uta Hagen's A Challenge for the Actor, available at Amazon, at Samuel French, both online and at their store located at 7623 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, as well as through many other book retailers.
FIRST ASSIGNMENT
Please read the following articles, available on my blog. They will acquaint you with many of the concepts I deal with routinely in class.
1. SCENE STUDY STEPS: A Primer for the Amateur and the Pro — Part One: Before the First Rehearsal.
2. SCENE STUDY STEPS: A Primer for the Amateur and the Pro — Part Two: The First Rehearsal and Beyond.
3. COFFEE GROUNDS, KALEIDOSCOPES, AND CHARACTER: How the past is used to shape character, both our own, and the ones we play.
4. ACTING VERBATIM: Say The Words, Say All The Words, Say Only The Words.
5. MIND THE GAP: How to avoid preconceptions, and bring truth, freshness and spontaneity to your work.
CLASS FORMAT
Class follows a flexible format, depending upon the needs and goals of the individual student, and focuses on the following elements:
1. Scene Study. 2. Technique. 3. Monologue Skills. 4. Relaxation.
Scene Study: Scenes and partners will be assigned, but students may make requests about each.
Technique: As students and instructor discover gaps in a student's technical proficiency, exercises may be assigned to help tackle a particular skill. I draw heavily on Uta Hagen's exercises, as well as other exercises I have developed myself or culled from other modalities.
Monologues: Students may bring in monologues used for auditions, or work that they are developing themselves.
Relaxation: Various relaxation, sensory, meditation techniques, and games are explored, with the goal of removing personal barriers and accessing your own freedom and creativity.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS
1. Attendance: Class attendance and commitment to yourself, your assigned scene partners and the material is crucial to the integrity of the class. Each member is a vital part of class. If and when an event prevents you from being in class, you are responsible for communicating BOTH with me and your scene partner(s) -- and getting together with your scene partner(s) as best you can. To that end, you are expected to be in class unless there is a significant obligatory restraint, which includes professional entertainment work, personal or family health issues, or other professional work that must be taken for financial reasons. Other than these reasons, there are no excuses for not being in class.
2. Punctuality: Punctuality is demanded in the professional arena, and this is above all a class which seeks to prepare you not for that first job, but for a lifetime of respected work in an incredibly difficult and competitive arena. In the context of class, punctuality shows respect -- to your own process and the work being done by others, and allows the relaxation work to begin each session without the distraction of latecomers. If you arrive at class late, after the relaxation work has begun, please enter the building quietly, making sure your cell phone is off. Come into the theater, take a seat in the audience, and observe and listen to the exercise. Please respect those who are up and working.
TEXTBOOK
Uta Hagen's A Challenge for the Actor, available at Amazon, at Samuel French, both online and at their store located at 7623 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, as well as through many other book retailers.
FIRST ASSIGNMENT
Please read the following articles, available on my blog. They will acquaint you with many of the concepts I deal with routinely in class.
1. SCENE STUDY STEPS: A Primer for the Amateur and the Pro — Part One: Before the First Rehearsal.
2. SCENE STUDY STEPS: A Primer for the Amateur and the Pro — Part Two: The First Rehearsal and Beyond.
3. COFFEE GROUNDS, KALEIDOSCOPES, AND CHARACTER: How the past is used to shape character, both our own, and the ones we play.
4. ACTING VERBATIM: Say The Words, Say All The Words, Say Only The Words.
5. MIND THE GAP: How to avoid preconceptions, and bring truth, freshness and spontaneity to your work.
CLASS FORMAT
Class follows a flexible format, depending upon the needs and goals of the individual student, and focuses on the following elements:
1. Scene Study. 2. Technique. 3. Monologue Skills. 4. Relaxation.
Scene Study: Scenes and partners will be assigned, but students may make requests about each.
Technique: As students and instructor discover gaps in a student's technical proficiency, exercises may be assigned to help tackle a particular skill. I draw heavily on Uta Hagen's exercises, as well as other exercises I have developed myself or culled from other modalities.
Monologues: Students may bring in monologues used for auditions, or work that they are developing themselves.
Relaxation: Various relaxation, sensory, meditation techniques, and games are explored, with the goal of removing personal barriers and accessing your own freedom and creativity.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS
1. Attendance: Class attendance and commitment to yourself, your assigned scene partners and the material is crucial to the integrity of the class. Each member is a vital part of class. If and when an event prevents you from being in class, you are responsible for communicating BOTH with me and your scene partner(s) -- and getting together with your scene partner(s) as best you can. To that end, you are expected to be in class unless there is a significant obligatory restraint, which includes professional entertainment work, personal or family health issues, or other professional work that must be taken for financial reasons. Other than these reasons, there are no excuses for not being in class.
2. Punctuality: Punctuality is demanded in the professional arena, and this is above all a class which seeks to prepare you not for that first job, but for a lifetime of respected work in an incredibly difficult and competitive arena. In the context of class, punctuality shows respect -- to your own process and the work being done by others, and allows the relaxation work to begin each session without the distraction of latecomers. If you arrive at class late, after the relaxation work has begun, please enter the building quietly, making sure your cell phone is off. Come into the theater, take a seat in the audience, and observe and listen to the exercise. Please respect those who are up and working.