Coach Richard created this class for the actor to focus primarily on changing habitual behavior. Behavior and Movement offers a clear and measured look into the basic principles that govern human movement. Actors use these principles to add physicality in performance to create a more realistic visual embodiment of the character.

The class is designed as a physical accompaniment to intellectual training like Practical Aesthetics or Konstantin Stanislavski. The class will use aspects of the Alexander Technique, Physical Destination, Viewpoints, Procedural and Neuroaesthetic Acting, Tadashi Suzuki, Michael Chekhov, and more to aid the actor in releasing habitual behavior to better create a truthful and reactive physical character.

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A strong physicality is crucial to the professional actor. Great training makes use of the entire instrument: voice, mind, and body. Actors must master every aspect of expression. One’s intellectual analysis, vocal technique, and text skills deserve focus, but they should never come at a cost to the actor's attention to a strong physical presence.

Actors will engage the body and mind to reduce tension in daily activities. The mind and body combination makes this training important for actors. The techniques can be applied through rehearsal routines, performances, and even the lessening of nervous tension in auditions. We will focus on presence, performance anxiety, movement, speaking voice, connecting mind, emotions, and body.  Lessons will incorporate reading and discussion, hands-on guidance, as well as activities to illustrate concepts. Homework such as memorization of scripts or life studies may be given.

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The actor will learn:

• To recognize and eliminate personal and performance habits

• To release excess tension and move with ease.

• To use their imagination and empathy to relate to a character’s physical responses to emotional stimuli

• To take on physical characteristics that are different from their own

• To release excessive tensions and ease anxiety

• To make creative yet truthful choices about character

• How breath and vocal quality can affect a physical and mental state

• How perspective, levels, and externals affect reaction

• To let their nonverbal communication speak as loud as their voice

• and so much more…

 

Physical acting is immensely valuable to an actor. It’s important to understand that characters have unique qualities of movement. They occupy space in ways that can speak as clear as any script. A character can speak volumes by checking their watch, waiting for a bus, or crossing a room. An actor’s physical presence should include body language that speaks of someone who’s completely comfortable in their body as well as someone whose skin is as uncomfortable to them as an over-starched shirt just as the story asks.