ACTORS STUDIO

THE IDEAS

  1. Four Major Presentations
  2. Contemporary Realism
  3. Comedy
  4. Shakespeare
  5. Your Choice
  6. Alexander Technique
  7. Meisner Technique
  8. Comic Techniques
  9. Body Centers, Elements, and Animals
  10. A Study of Targets
  11. Researching the Role and Style

THE UNITS

  1. Prologue
  2. Ensemble Building
  3. Scene Searching
  1. Act One: Contemporary Realism
  2. Introduction to Alexander Technique
  3. Return to Meisner Technique
  4. Big As-Ifs (Hitting the Pillow)
  5. Contemporary Realism Scene Presentation
  1. Act Two: Comedy
  2. Slapstick
  3. Centers, Elements, Animals
  4. Comic Scene Presentation
  1. Act Three: Shakespeare
  2. A Return to Alexander
  3. Finding the Target
  4. Text Work: Voice, Sound, Image
  5. Shakespeare Scene Presentation
  1. Act Four: Stretching Yourself
  2. Researching the Role
  3. Researching the Style
  4. Making the Choices
  5. Going BIG
  6. Scene Presentation
  1. Epilogue
  2. Scene Night
  3. Self-Assessment and Next Steps

THE DAILY ROUTINE

Warm-up

Technique Work

Scene Rehearsal

Journaling

ATTENDANCE

  1. Class starts promptly. If you arrive after we have started warm-ups you will need to go back and get a late note.
  2. Your presentations will be presented according to the sign-up sheet. You don’t want to miss your scheduled day because you will put the entire class behind schedule.
  3. Because acting takes place on a stage in front of others, any time you miss class, whether excused or not, your work and others will suffer. Being fully present for each class is imperative.

JOURNAL ENTRIES

You will be asked to take notes, jot down your brilliant ideas, and chronicle your work in this course everyday at the end of class. Like an artist’s sketchbook, it will include lots of rough ideas you want to try in your rehearsals. I will not collect or grade these, but you will rely on them to write your quarterly assessments.

PRESENTATIONS

You will present your work often in this class. You might consider filming your presentations for use in your rehearsals or assessments. Please prepare thoroughly so you don’t waste everyone’s time.

WRITTEN ASSESSMENTS

You will write quarterly self-assessments discussing what techniques have helped you the most, which techniques you feel most confident in using, and which techniques still elude you.

You will also write 6-Step Rehearsal Entries for each of your four presentations.

PARK PRODUCTIONS

All acting students will attendthe fall musical. Get in free by ushering!

SCENE NIGHT

Your major exam for this course will be performing at Scene Night on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 7 – 8:30.

MATERIALS

Either blankpaper, a paper journal, or an electronic device to write daily journal entries.

ATTIRE

Wear clothing you are comfortable moving around in. We will be doing a lot of physical work in this class. When presenting scenes or exercises as actors you must wear clothing suitable to the character and situation.

ASSESSMENT

  1. Participation 40%
  2. Timeliness
  3. Focus
  4. Commitment
  5. Engagement
  6. Ensemble – Trust and Respect of others
  7. Risk-taking
  8. Presentations 40%
  9. Preparation – props, costumes, sets, lines, staging when called for
  10. Application of techniques
  11. Written Assessments 20%
  12. 6-steps
  13. Self-assessments