An actor’s instrument is comprised of their body, voice, imagination and movement. We will be using tools from the body and voice to build a believable character. Through the exploration of movement, breath, and vocal technique, we will discover the possibilities in which to build a character, with the actor using themselves only. Actors often fall into the trap of learning technique as a mental exercise, only leading us to see the actor who “thinks” rather than the actor who “is”. This is a way to play and free the actor from being “in their head” and instead being present and connected to the body. If you are brand new to acting, this is an excellent place to start; if you are more advanced this is a great place to deepen your knowledge of your character building capabilities.

No prior experience necessary, just a willingness to explore different characters!

The class will be comprised of 4 parts: 

Vocal Work- students will explore their voice and I will give them some character exercises to experiment with different ways of speaking, forming their mouth and using their lips and tongue placement to change the way that we speak. We will go over constants and vowel work and how it relates to different characters and students will learn how to identify different "speakers" and understand the different "voices" and "characters" that they already play in their daily life. Through play and the above exercises students will find a character voice and use this as the first element to begin building their character. Students will use their piece of text to practice this voice and will be encouraged to improvise without using the text as well.

Breath Work-We will learn about breath as it relates to different characters. For example: does your character breathe high in their chest or low in their belly? Do they take short and shallow breaths? Is the breathing audible? Does the voice that they chose from their vocal work inspire a specific way to breathe? We will also learn about healthy breathing so the actor can make choices for the character whilst maintaining a healthy approach. This will be the second element that we will add to the character. Students will use their text or improvised speech to practice both elements together.

Movement Work-  Students will learn pacing, speed and "leading" with different parts of the body. We will evaluate if their breathing and voice choices have influenced their movement already. We will also discuss how costume, colors, music and even animals can influence movement choices. Students will add movement as the third element. We will use text or improvised speech with movement to continue building the character.

Presentation and Discussion-
After practicing with their character's movement, breathe and voice, students will get the opportunity to share their character. They may use their text or simply speak/improvise in character. This will not be a performance, just a way to show what they have created. We will have an open discussion about the things that the students discovered. Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions and comment on their favorite things that they found. We will also go over the difference between creating characters from an external/internal means and creating characters from the script and how the combination of the two can be an acting superpower!

**It is my aim to make my classes accessible for everyone. If your child has a disability and is interested in the class, but some of the curriculum is not matching up with their needs, please message me. The curriculum is easily adaptable and I would be delighted to make any changes that might be necessary in order have your child in class.