Additional Activities

After the Training

Term 1

The first term exercises deal exclusively with training the physical component parts that make up the actor’s instrument. These are:

 Voice - tone, articulation, projection, and colouring of the word through specified vocal componentsBody - release, tension awareness and postureThought - forward, backward and present thought, thought catchment, recognising the idea which gives rise to the thought and consequent vocal expression, text breakdown and recognition of the writer’s intent including characterisation

Alongside the acting training, regular voice and movement classes commence.

Term 2

This term focusses on two major areas an actor will encounter: the relationship with the acting space, and the relationship with the audience. During this process, the factors that may arise in one’s work, such as inhibition, shyness, lack of confidence, embarrassment, and lack of emotional security, are resolved practically.

The student learns stage movement, structuring and contrast through an analysis of art and classical music directly applied to the craft of acting. In addition, through the requirements of writing a play, the student learns the starting point of a writer’s intent through to performance and critical response. The term concludes with set monologues from Greek tragedies where the student states in detail the exact crafted breakdown of their intended performance.

Term 3

In the third term the major emphasis is on scene work. Shakespeare’s plays are used to illustrate the importance of internal and external reaction, inter-reaction, and dramatic structuring. The student also learns about the dynamic within the text, the relationship of both the emotional and universal truth, and physical characterisation techniques as specifically stated by the author.

Individual monologues, each increasingly more demanding, are given to develop and stretch the student and therefore expand their skills and acting range. These monologues continue throughout the rest of the training.

Term 4

Term four is devoted exclusively to the techniques of comedy and playing in the correct period style. The student works on scenes and monologues by Jonson, Congreve and other Restoration writers, Wilde and Coward. By examining these historical periods, students also learn how manners, beliefs and way of thinking influenced writers, acting style and performance.

Term 5

In the final term the student explores the principles of Stanislavski, naturalism, character focus, emotional recall and subtext through plays by Strindberg, Ibsen and Chekhov. This work is combined with applications of Transactional Analysis and psychological scripting as a means of breaking down “naturalistic” texts for performance.

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