AN INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP to "Acting for Television"

The Introductory Workshop initially deals with the fundamentals of how we achieve consistent believability. Being believable is a primary goal for the actor and there are two significant elements that contribute to it.

The first element is how we create an image of the character’s subconscious desires – or their psychological ‘need’. A continuous consistency of character choices and a realistic level of complexity come from this sub-textural source. The Rehearsal Room has a simplified approach to these processes. Other approaches are often so complex that they don’t deliver consistent outcomes and are unreliable as a management tool.

The second element we deal with is to establish a practical way to dissect story. Understanding the story that is being told often presents difficulty for actors as they tend to assess it in general and complicated ways that they can’t easily be translated into actions. Staying on course with the story is also a significant factor in creating a believable character. Again The Rehearsal Room has an approach to this that is aimed at better control, more efficient choices and more reliable outcomes.

Then the third element explores approaches to manipulating complexity of character and story now that we have fundamental tools to identify and manage these ingredients.

The fourth element deals with the playing of surprises. This is fundamental Stanislavski material, which is not often taught and is incredibly practical and a great tool.

Once we have all these elements in place we practice managing them. This helps clarify any confusion and begins to put the actor in control of their choices. This workshop is also about getting our fundamental listening tools functioning, too. That’s why we only work off the page. This builds habits of listening and finding the characters impulse before committing to the line. Actors often train themselves to only listen to the things they need to hear to do their next line. This is very restricting and ultimately an unproductive approach to performance process.

The final exercise of this workshop is to do a trial audition. This is performed within the class and is the first time we put Rehearsal Room process together with learnt lines. It sets the stage for what follows in the Advanced Workshop.

The ultimate Rehearsal Room aim is to develop actors who have a clear understanding of functional process so that they can

• make clear workable choices quickly (an essential for TV),
• be flexible and make quick changes,
• translate directors notes into active playable choices,
• be consistently reliable with their performance outcomes,
• AND be good listeners.

GO HERE TO READ ACTOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

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