In The Actor’s Boot Camp, actors learn how to
make weak material work, how to direct themselves and even how to direct their scene partners in an appropriate and non-threatening manner.
make weak material work, how to direct themselves and even how to direct their scene partners in an appropriate and non-threatening manner.
When actors learn to think like directors (solving problems rather than being crippled by them) then they can take more control of their craft.
Actors’ training prepares them for script analysis and character development along with a variety of techniques that can bring the actor closer to the physical and emotional truth of the character.
But, unfortunately, most actors are not prepared or trained to deal with three of most consistent and perplexing obstacles that an actor has to face. Namely: (1) a script that is either incomprehensible or presents no clues to character or event; (2) a scene partner that is inexperienced, uncooperative or inflexible; and (3) (the most serious and problematic) a director who is unclear, unsupportive, can’t communicate or is totally unavailable.
This is where the Actor’s Boot Camp comes in. The Actor’s Boot Camp is designed to give actors the specific skills they need to address all three of these problems. In essence, skilled actors learn how to find directorial solutions to these problems: how to make weak material work, how to direct themselves and even how to direct others (their scene partners) in an appropriate and non-threatening manner.
The Actor’s Boot Camp covers:
- Script analysis (from a director’s point of view)
- Character design and definition (from limited material)
- Creating objectives and obstacles that enhance the scene
- Staging and self-staging in order to stimulate your character and others
- Communication skills with directors and actors that are non-threatening
- Audition techniques that generate immediate results
- The Actor/Character Split
- The Actor/Character Meld
- The collaborative process between directors, actors and the script
Number of Days: 3
Number of Participants: 20 actors
Actors will be in groups of 2 or 3 and will work with two different "high-speed directors" on the same scene twice, preferably on Saturday and Sunday if their schedules permit (please notify host as soon as possible of any scheduling unavailability over the workshop weekend).
A choice of scenes is available on this website , including whole scripts. If self-written material is submitted, it must be a full screenplay with a synopsis (3 pages or so).
Actors must come prepared. Full screenplay read, and scene lines learned.
