Welcome to the Lessons section!
Every Monday, we will meet to discuss some aspect of performance. On this page, we will post materials related to the discussion and lessons we will work on during the course of this activity. While reading these materials is not mandatory, it is highly advised, as we will be discussing each one on the Monday listed. Although not all topics have been solidifed, the ones below give a run-down of the organization.
Monday, June 2nd: Auditioning Techniques
The first week of SSW, we will be discussing techniques for auditioning. We will discuss proper attire, professional behavior, and cold reading techniques which all actors can employ to help them "get the part!" Auditioning is the essential part of what we do. The goal of this week is to make the most of cold reads and auditioning opportunities, and to reduce the stress and worry that seems to come along with the process.
The reading will be provided at the session for this week. It comes from Shurtleff's Audition. In it, he describes the "Guideposts" of cold reads. We will talk about the first six of these. Sides will then be provided in order to practice for "mock auditions" which each director will hold for their scene.
The reading will be provided at the session for this week. It comes from Shurtleff's Audition. In it, he describes the "Guideposts" of cold reads. We will talk about the first six of these. Sides will then be provided in order to practice for "mock auditions" which each director will hold for their scene.
Monday, June 9th: "GOTE: The Meat and Potatoes"
This week, we will continue to expand on the concepts we applied towards auditioning in scenes to encompass the work that we do as actors to prepare for a role. We will review given circumstances, goals, obstacles, and tactics, and discuss the ways in which we apply these topics in order to "break down" the play into digestable pieces which we can then piece back together when we perform. We will discuss a few techniques from Robert Cohen's Acting One, including character preparation, script scoring, and "GOTE." The entirety of these concepts will continue into next week, where we will learn to add flavor and variety to these basic techniques.
Monday, June 16th: "Adding Variety"
This week, we will take the concepts from last week and splash in some additional tools that we can utilize as actors to create variety and life. We will discuss subtext as a means by which our characters model the thought process of conversations and action in real life. Just as true human beings tend to avoid saying what they are truly thinking, so do our characters. In addition, we will play with elements of real emotion in our acting using a technique called "sense memory." These methods help us as actors take the dialogue of a play and breathe life into them.
Monday, June 23rd - July 7th: Fiona MacLeod
For the next three weeks, Fiona McLeod will be teaching our class. She will be instructing in various areas, especially those highlighted by the participants. She will include working with the voice, characterization and performance techniques, and discussions from her many years of experience with the theatre.
Monday, July 14th: "Acting in a Musical: Tips for Those Who Sing, and Tricks for Those Who Prefer Not To"
True, several of us actors are self-proclaimed "non-singers." However, it is important that we as performers keep as many tools in our toolbelts, sharpened and ready to go whenever the occasion may call for it. Although we will not have a great deal of time to get into singing techniques, performing songs is an interesting challenge for an actor, and the technques used to approach these sorts of performances are useful for any and all actors: studying the arc of a song, determining how the action leads into song, where the action goes during a song, and how the action ends. We will apply our previous concepts of beat, tactics, and variety to new concepts of "song intensifiers" in order to design a method to break down the action of songs and reconstruct them.