With only four weeks to prepare Julius Caesar the Summer Shakespeare ensemble had to jump into their second week of classes and rehearsal with all of their energy and focus. In Robin’s class they walked through their scenes for the first time. With Yvette the group created movement to connect the scenes of the play using physical acting to convey mood, location and environment. In Dusty’s absence Carlos taught a class on language with a focus on meaning and understanding.
While there is still a lot of work to be done, overall instructors were impressed that students were attending class with commitment and focus. Some actors were even off book and able to work through their parts without looking at their scripts at all. Other actors went out of their way to be prepared for class, dressed professionally and willing to jump into unknown territory in new exercises.
Talent is certainly important for actors, but courage and commitment are equally, and sometimes, more important. An actor who might not have the same talent as another could, through a lot of hard work and dedication, turn out an equally impressive performance. In turn, through sheer force of will, that courageous and committed actor creates the possibility for themselves to become a talented actor.
If the Summer Shakespeare ensemble continues to work with the dedication they showed this week, they may prove to be all of the above: courageous, committed and talented.
The Betrayal
Cassius attacks Caesar
The Crowd
Caesar's admirer's
The Pact
Casca and Cassius
The Royal Couple
Calpurnia and Caesar
The Demise
Mark Antony with Caesar
Italian run-through
Bodies, minds and voices became more clear and more expressive in an Italian-style run through
In the Wings
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Student actors watching their colleagues work in rehearsal
Objectivity & Subjectivity
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Actors practice expressing non-verbal communication and desires
The First Day!
The 2008 Summer Shakespeare Ensemble with Director of Outreach Carlos and Intern/Assistant Jessica
Movement Class
Student artists are encouraged to be daring and courageous in the way they use their bodies to express thought on stage
5 comments:
I do beleive all of this is true and i as one of the students do see that we are all getting along very well and i also beleive that we are all dedicated and committed and we are going to put up a really awsome show!
Much Love
Ronalis Naveo
Initially, I had known very little about the Stella Adler Acting Studio and its reputability prior to applying for the Summer Outreach program. However, judging by the wonderful time I am having this summer among dedicated students and teachers, such a renowned studio truly lives up to its name.
Often, in the midst of the monotony of our daily lives, we lose touch with the childlike part of ourselves- the essence of the actor- that clamors to get out every single day, battling with that part of ourselves which constantly rejects it. Thus far, the Outreach program has given my colleagues and myself the opportunity to destroy those barriers in the name of "effective theatre". In a setting which is simultaneously professional and colloquial, I have never felt more in touch with myself or with human nature. Our voice classes help us to breathe properly and improve our stature; our movement classes are fun and zany, and they indisputably show that we communicate- on a grander scale than we may think- using gestures and movement. Sometimes, words simply aren't enough. Lastly, our acting classes aid us, fundamental as they are, in remembering that we actors are merely vessels - our purposes in acting (and in life) are much greater than our self-imposed visions of what we think life should be like.
To state it quite simply, I am grateful for the fact that being a member of this program has shown me more than what one person could aspire to learn in a lifetime. (and this transcends the study of Drama)
Moreover, for future applicants- I would advise them not to worry about whether or not an unfamiliarity with Drama or with Shakespeare will be discouraged. The primary focus our teachers is to facilitate in our greater understanding of the marvelous, brilliant, and paramount playwright that we call Shakespeare.
In short, thank you. I'm honored, happy, and excited to work with endearing, motivated, affable, and dedicated students and teachers.
Rebecca said -
I'd never had any acting experience before I found out about the "Summer Shakespeare Program," though I always had a very strong interest in it. Before coming to this program I thought acting was simply pretending to be someone else for a while and memorizing lines.
In the classes taught by Robyn Lee, we have focused on preparing for our production of "Julius Caesar", but on the other hand she has giving us a piece of her awesome wisdom about understanding the world of acting along with our own. Thanks to her amazingness I've become more secure in projecting my voice while speaking.
Movement class has allowed me to explore the different ways to express my emotions, and has given me a better understanding on how you can use the body to convey them.
I'm really happy that I was accepted to this program because now I don't feel like I've never had any acting experience and I've realized that I really want to become an actor.
As i forgot to add to this since i made my comment so short lol, i want to add that the classes that we are getting here are so much of an overcoming experience. It is a great deal of amazement of how much i have gain from this program. Waking up every morning and knowing that i am going to class just makes me so happy! I really look forward to everyday going to stela adler. Robyn and her scene studies classes had taught me so much. I have learned not to overact or overact a character.Robyn has taught me about boundries and how we can use those boundries in a character. One boundry can be excited but in the other hand it can be nervous, you can use both of those boundries and put it on that character that you are playing. Acting is just not about puting on a character and being somebody else taht you are not but by finding a character through yourself and adding to that character's characteristics of your life. Yvette's class is absolutely amazing. Her movement class makes feel relaxed and calm during our scenes, it helps as connect to one another and build up a big energy force with each other. It is really amazing. Her class has truly taught me that acting is just not all about speaking but that your body has a whole lot to do with what you are doing! Dusty's voice and speech class has helped me to use my diafram and to use my whole body to speak. His class has also helped me to communicate in such a different way. And finally friday's class is absolutely awsome! Using our imagination and just going hay wire is the best thing in that class. Carlos and Yvette make us do so much that friday but it is abosolutely worth it because you gain so much confidence from it, and a whole deal of motivation. Big thanks and apreciation to all of our teachers and my fellow colegues.
The Summer Shakespeare program has been an amazing experience so far. I haven't done much acting before this, but I did discover a passion for acting. The Summer Shakespeare program has allowed my passion for acting to grow. All the teachers, Robin, Yvette, Dusty, Carlos and everyone else at the Stella Adler Acting Studio are really friendly and always there to help. I've learned a lot about how to understand Shakespeare's writing, how to strengthen and control my voice, how important movement is during a performance and how important it is to just try your best and to not be afraid to take chances. I hope to continue learning and progressing with my group so that we can put on a great performance.
Good luck to both of the groups. :)
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