Week Three: Sculpting Scenes into Theater

Carlos worked with the group to develop the shape of the play as it had been determined the prior week. This week included a lot of drilling: repeating scenes, blocking and entrances and exits until they were as crisp as possible. Personal props and costume pieces were also introduced. Because the play includes two pairs of twins (Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus, Dromio of Syracuse and Dromio of Ephesus) AND because multiple actors share these and other roles, props will help to clarify the story for the audience.

At this point in the rehearsal process it is important to remember that actors serve: Actors serve their audience. They also serve the playwright. They serve the character they play. And they serve their fellow actors. Through every step of the rehearsal process an artist must maintain a high level of awareness. The actor’s work is very clear when they are on stage, speaking their lines, working with their fellow actors and taking direction. But their ability to stay present, alert and aware while they are off stage is equally significant. Whether onstage or off, actors must always be on the edge of their seat, on their tip-toes, alert and ready to participate, listening and learning from their own experience and from the experience of other artists whom they observe.

There is no down time in a rehearsal. Actors must always be actively participating: telling a story to the audience, pursuing a depth of truth, analyzing and interpreting the playwright’s intention, intently going after their character’s objective, being alive and available to their partner onstage, and being the best audience member when not on stage. Actors aim to live fully – all the time. While this can be difficult, uncomfortable, challenging, even draining, it is this engagement and sense of active participation that makes the work so rewarding – and what makes our own off-stage lives more fulfilling.

Student actors are invited to post their own comments to this blog so that readers may hear their voice, perspective and know more about their experience.

Week Two: Broad Strokes and Big Commitment

Week Two is a crucial one in the Summer Shakespeare program. It is necessary to sketch out the entire play in broad strokes so that the directors and actors can fill in details in the subsequent weeks. This stage of work may be compared to a painter preparing a canvas: the artist may have a general idea of color and space. They begin by painting sweeping lines across the canvas. Later they will fill in the details: the location of a tree, or piece of fruit. And later yet they will fill in even more details that will make the painting lifelike: a piece of bark peeling from the tree or a fly sitting on the fruit. Like the painter, the actor and director begin by giving the work a rough shape.

This week Tom directed the group through scene blocking. They worked on entrance and exit locations, physical interaction with scene partners, and touched on physical motivation. Steve White, fight choreographer, also gave a short Master Class on slaps, punches and kicks covering not only physical action but also psychological responses. Carlos introduced work on pursuing an objective or desire on stage. He emphasized the need for students to approach the work with maturity and as artists.

While the vast majority of the group showed great progress, understanding and growth, one student artist was dismissed from the program for attendance problems. All young artists are required to attend all rehearsals and performances. A swift moving project like this one requires the commitment of everyone involved: everyone’s attention, attendance, enthusiasm and creativity is needed to make the project a success.

As always, student actors are invited to post their own comments to this blog so that we can hear their voice, perspective and know more about their experience.

A Warm Welcome!

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Stella Adler Outreach Division welcomed students to the 2009 Summer Shakespeare program this week. These New York City teens will spend four weeks of their summer studying and performing Shakespeare. They will meet five days a week and take classes like voice and speech, movement, improvisation and scene study. The program concludes with the presentation of an abbreviated version of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.

Director of Outreach Carlos Caldart started the search for participants in May. Twenty-two spots were available. Eighty New York City high school students applied and the competition was stiff. Applicants came to the Studio for an interview with Carlos. They were invited back for a group class in which they were lead through a physical and vocal warm-up and some language work, using various texts from Shakespeare. Students were selected based on need, passion, enthusiasm and commitment.

In their first week of training students jumped right into the world of creativity, exploring courageous ways to use their bodies expressively, taking voice and speech with Master Teacher Tom Oppenheim, exploring the use of actions and objectives, and immersing themselves in the text of The Comedy of Errors. The demand to be open and try new things was strong and the student actors stepped up to the challenge.

This blog will be used to track the progress of the group, and, most importantly, to provide students with a place where they can talk about their experience. Students are encouraged to comment on blog entries and report what they are learning, observing, feeling and what the process means to them.