Week One of our Advanced Acting Class this time on a Saturday.
Dare to go further!
It’s great to welcome back 10 actors from our recent courses plus two newbies to LAW:
Megan Green, David Chappell, Kseniyah Pearlman, Melissa Gall,
Claire Burrows (https://www.spotlight.com/1014-8975-5677), Yvonne Jeffrey, Santosh Banerjee, Lysa Dicks, Jose Fandos, Beata Van Tienderen
Nico Bourgeais is French and has studied acting for 3 years in St Louis, Missouri, USA and New York. (https://www.spotlight.com/4054-6720-4291)
Manal Sehmat is a Jordanian Actor and Director, based in Amman. She is known for her roles in two award-winning Jordanian feature films, Transit Cities, and A 7 Hour Difference . Manal also starred in "Jinn", Netflix 's first Arabic Original, " The Crossover " series for Abu Dhabi TV, " Bas Bayakha" show for Ro'ya TV. In her latest role "Um Youssef, " Manal plays a Syrian refugee mother in the Syrian feature film "On the Road" due for release in 2019. She has moved to London recently and is keen to expand her skills and career here. https://www.spotlight.com/8616-5648-0242
We run this course twice a year for graduates of the 12-week acting for Film & TV course.
This acting class is more in depth so one needs to be more experienced.
We therefore also welcome any Spotlight or Mandy registered actors.
In this way we can take our weekend acting classes to another level.
We can push our actors further, expecting them to be 100% off book for every class.
We work with five brilliant tutors over five Saturdays:
Ariella Eshed is an Israeli director and tutor residing in London. She has extensive experience as a director and has worked at Lyric Hammersmith, Soho Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, King’s Head, and the Union Theatre, to name but a few.
In 2005 she set up her own theatre company ‘Tik-sho-ret’, Hebrew for ‘Communication’. In this class we work on ‘Michael Chekhov techniques’ focussing on Archetypes, Elements and, if time, Tensions. This acting class is excellent for ‘building a character’.
It is detailed work, sensitive to physical aspects of the character, difficult to explain but I’ll try! The work is transforming but has to tried to be believed!
We physicalise ‘Elements’: Earth (moulding), Air (flying), Water (floating, non-stop movement), Fire (radiating)
We work with ‘Archetypes’, physicalising an area of the body as well as speaking a key phrase.
- The Hero: focus on Chest. “Of course!” We find charisma & Leader status coming from connection & strength e.g. Football coach/Henry fifth
- The Trickster: focus on Lips. “Maybe. “He/she is a shape shifter, often snake like
- Victim: focus on Throat “Who, me? I’m not afraid.”
- King or Queen: focus on the Crown of the head. “I rule!” Unreachable, above others, precise little movement, stillness
- The Devil: focus on the Eyes. “I’m so beautiful.”
Mel and David played out a scene with the Devil Doctor and Victim Patient, it was awesome, true to life, daring, imaginative & surprising. David became very Hannibal Lecter-like!
We then used Shakespeare monologues to try out the various archetypes.
The Actor starts a monologue, Ariella cuts in and tweaks the work - fascinating to see the difference!
Another great start for another great group of actors - 4 more weeks!