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Volume 7
Issue 1 Jill Place, Publisher
jill@actingintuitive.com
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I WANT TEN
STUDENTS FOR A BRAND-NEW CLASS .
.
.
AND A BRAND-NEW TECHNIQUE!
New Technique
for a New
Age
Hi [[FirstName]]
HELLO AGAIN! Boy, time sure has flown!
I've been so busy doing other things that I
stopped publishing this eZine for awhile. But I'm now
back . . . and ready to work. Are
you?
During my time away, I'VE BEEN THINKING! Not only about teaching class
again. But about the best way to train actors
today. And I've come up with an awesome concept for
both of us. FINALLY
I can name and claim the
technique I teach. Act
Intuitive! blends and refocuses some old but
profound ideas about acting
natural. And combines them with some new ideas about
acting close-up.
This
week, I'm sending you an advanced peek at my next Now
Casting Art and
Soul Column . . . New Technique for a New Age.
It's all
about this new technique I've been working on. So have a
read! And, if it resonates with you, call me and we'll figure out if studying with me might be right for you!
[NOTE:
Some words in this e Zine have been
disguised to avoid triggering sp^m filters.]
I WANT YOU . . . if YOU
want . . . a whole NEW TYPE OF
TRAINING!
I'm not going to beat around
the bush. I'm putting it out to the Universe . .. I WANT TEN ST#DENTS FOR A WHOLE NEW
CL@SS
that
blends and refocuses some
old but profound ideas about
acting
natural. And combines them with some new ideas about
acting close-up. Read the feature article, New Technique for a New
Age, below to find out more.
Here's the
deal. The class, which is ongoing and
begins on April 5th, is:
-
FOR COMMITTED
ACTORS ONLY !
- On Sunday mornings
from 10am to 1pm.
-
Half dynamic technique-building/half close-up scene
work.
- At
my spiritual, secluded hilltop home.
-
$150 for four s#ssions.
-
A three-month commitment; credit card payment plans are
available.
Please give me a call at
(323) 225-9850. I'm very interested in your thoughts and
to see if the class might be right for you. Also, check out the
other things I do . . . BRANDACT branding for
actors
and
CLARITY intuitive sessions.
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New Technique for a New
Age
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Ram Dass, one of our great New-Age teachers,
went to visit his brother, who was then in a mental
institution. In those days, Ram Dass sported long, wavy locks
and even longer white robes. His brother took one look at him
and marveled, "I may think I'm Jesus Christ. But you're the
one who's out there." Ram Dass replied, "But you think you're
the only Jesus Christ!" In this two-part column, I explore the
exclusivity and resultant stagnation of almost Century-old
acting techniques. And the possibility of finding a more
relevant New-Age alternative.
I quit
teaching class awhile ago. After almost 30 passionate years of
coaching actors. But lately, I've had the itch to teach again.
And realized that I quit because I didn't want to teach the
outdated techniques of others anymore. Techniques that have
been around for so long that they're iconized as gospel. Each
declared as the one right way to act. And, as a result,
squabbled about by their creators and followers alike. For
decades.
When
you think you have the only answer, creativity stagnates. So
perhaps it's time to end the brouhaha, let go of the
iconography and move into a New Age of acting training. After
all, it IS the Age of Aquarius.
Almost
all of the techniques taught today sprang from one simple but
groundbreaking idea about artistic truth from one man,
Konstantin Stanislavski. Like most radical change,
Stanislavski's naturalism was a reaction against the current
outdated norm-overblown, ultra-theatrical acting. It's no
coincidence that psychology was in its infancy at the same
time. It's also no coincidence that such a radical break from
long-established declamatory theatrical forms spurred a
world-wide acting paradigm shift.
A shift
that was deeply felt in the United States because two of
Stanislavski's disciples, Boleslavsky and Ouspenskaya, brought
his teachings to this country. Not only did acting change
here. But almost every iconic acting teacher of the 20th
Century came from their classes or out of the Group Theatre, a
company formed by their students that pushed beyond the tenets
of Stanislavski to develop the first truly American form of
acting.
But that was over 80
years ago. Movies were silently in their youth. And
actors primarily strutted on the stage. We also
knew very little about how the
mind worked then.
Times
have changed. More rapidly than ever before. In the last 20 or
so years, Lee, Sandy, Stella, Jerzy, Uta and Viola have all
exited stage left. And although most serious actors love to
tread the boards, they mostly work in front of the cameras. We
also now know much more about how we tick . . . 100 years
more. So if Stanislavski were alive, he might marvel at an
audience-enchanting protagonist with Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder who visits his therapist almost daily. Or another
crowd-pleaser that features therapeutic sessions as
entertainment.
But
perhaps not. Because Stanislavski was not only a groundbreaker
. . . he was a visionary. He said of his System, "Create your
own method. Don't depend slavishly on mine. Make up something
that will work for you! But keep breaking traditions, I beg
you." Maybe it's time to bust the shackles of this almost
slavish devotion to techniques past. And, as Stanislavski
begged, to break with tradition.
Chefs start with recipes. And then graduate to their
own culinary creations. While still honoring basic cooking
techniques. So, when I decided that the only way
I could teach again was to honor my own vision,
I also felt that I must honor the best ideas
of those 20th Century iconic teachers. Because theatrical forms
have changed. But natural acting is still the norm.
And, after all, I've been honored to work
with most of them. And know
their techniques well
Last
night, I saw a wonderful character-driven HBO movie called
Taking Chance. Not a lot of dialogue. Mostly long
establishment shots to move the story. And even more extreme
close-ups of the terrific Kevin Bacon. The power of the piece
was driven by what was going on within his character. Sanford
Meisner once said, "silence is an absence of words, but never
an absence of meaning." I then realized that New-Age training
had to honor the image and the intimate. And be able to strip
away what stood in the way of of raw emotion and the
expression of that emotion. Close-up.
To that
end, here are some basic "cooking techniques":
First
of all, acting is BEHAVIOR. Meisner said
that "an ounce of behavior is worth more than a pound of
words." After all, his technique was about finding behavior,
"the reality of doing", by staying in the moment. Spencer
Tracy, one of the greatest realistic actors of his generation,
advised, "Don't act, just behave. Less is more. Most actors
don't realize that all you have to do is listen." Good acting,
especially close-up acting, is subtle, reactive,
behavior-based. Even Shakespeare advised to "suit the action
to the word, the word to the action, with this special
observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature."
My
great mentor, Lee Strasberg, and the acting visionary, Jerzy
Grotowski, both thought that relaxation was the key to
unlocking this reality of doing. Tension is death to natural
behavior, especially close-up, where every twitch and thought
is forty feet high. Most techniques don't teach relaxation.
But I believe that daily relaxation practice is crucial for
organically restructuring your expressive apparatus.
Strasberg used very structured relaxation exercises.
But it was through Grotowski's work that I finally understood
why relaxation was so powerful. According to Grotowski
interpreter Stephen Wangh, "tension . . . is a means by which
the body (literally) holds on to its emotional life" and that,
"the purpose of 'relaxation' is not to become a 'wet rag', but
to be able to choose how and when your acting energies flow."
Relaxation done properly, therefore, connects you with impulse
and also enables you to control it.
Dynamic
motion allows relaxation and energy flow simultaneously. So
active relaxation to provoke natural behavior should be one
element of New Age training. And including listening and vocal
exercises as part of this active relaxation wouldn't hurt
either.
Acting
is also an OUT-OF-MIND experience.
If I had a dollar for every student who woefully declared, "I
was in my head" after a scene, I'd be a proverbial
millionaire. Because they know that thinking is
counterproductive to acting well. Being "in your head" is also
death to natural behavior. But when you do your relaxation and
preparation, both psychic and physical, a strange thing
happens. You become more focused and, as a result, begin to
work from a deeper state of consciousness.
What
might happen in this mystical process is that we empty
ourselves of many of the things that keep us from being
connected to our pedestrian, everyday selves. We block out the
noises without-traffic, loud music, piledrivers, lawn
mowers-and the noises within-that committee of chattering
voices in our heads-and find a deeper place inside to be one
with our magnificent, authentic selves. And one with the
acting tasks that reveal the character we're playing.
So the
more we dynamically relax to allow expression and energy to
flow and the more we prepare our acting instrument to
strengthen our focus, the more confident we become about out
craft. And the more we can let go.
The
PROCESS of acting
lies in its PREPARATION. The more we
prepare, the more we can rapidly attain an "out-of-mind"
state. When I did gymnastics a few years ago, I mastered a
tummy tuck on the rings called a "pike". You hang on, then
hang upside down and, believe me, it's no small feat. My coach
explained that this position was not something our bodies
normally did, but if we PRACTICED it a lot the
body would remember and finally surrender to the position.
Before long, I could do a pike with ease. My body remembered
how and was able to let go.
So, if
relaxation is the appetizer, preparation is the meat of this
meal. And the place where all those iconic teachers disagreed.
New-Age technique might, therefore, blend, refocus and put a
new spin on some of those old ideas.
For
example, I love Strasberg's Sense Memory, but the specific
structure of the training seems to be a disconnect for some
modern actors . . . keeping them from those moment-to-moment
moments so important for close-up acting. So perhaps it's time
to reconnect with memory as a living action and unlock the
potential hidden in the muscle. Stephen Wangh said, "we do
[Sense Memory] with our bodies active because memories are not
encoded only in our brains; they are trapped in our muscles,
too. By working with your arms [or with any other part of your
body], you reconnect with a part of that memory, not as a past
event, but as a living action." That's why I call this new
type of Sense Memory "Acting-Out".
In
addition, many actors worship Meisner's repetition. But
perhaps it's time to refocus its energy and consider more
organic options. Because, like Sense Memory, the repetition
process is a disconnect for some actors. Meisner used
repetition to keep actors from thinking . . . to encourage an
out-of-mind state. And there are other ways to stay out of
your head.
Also,
actors go from doing spare two-person scenes to full-blown
productions in an instant. I was one of those . . . acting in
class one day and starring in a sitcom pilot the next. With no
film experience. Because we didn't have a lot of film classes
in those days. So, although scene work is important, learning
and analyzing an entire literary piece is also.
And
perhaps another element of New-Age technique. Finally, in many
classes, we neglect the most important element of New-Age
technique . . . close-up acting. Actors mostly act before
cameras these days. So they need to know how to honor the
camera as an integrated part of their training.
But you
gotta walk before you can fly. And you can't do a
result-oriented performance with all the nuance and emotional
fullness you can muster while also honoring the camera
close-up without skill. No matter how much talent you have.
And skill takes training. When I was acting, all those iconic
coaches stressed that you had to train for years to be
professional. And then keep on training. The Actors' Studio
perpetuated that concept. And I'm still a big fan of that old
idea.
You
have to get big . . . find your own particular preparation
path to expression . . . before you can get small or, as my
friend, Diannah is always telling me, maintain intensity in
your intimacy. Who was it that said, "film acting is thinking
loud and talking soft"?
Finally, acting is SPIRITUAL. It rocks the
souls of actor and audience alike. Grotowski likened acting to
a religious sacrifice. And whether it's mindless fluff or
moving tragedy, theatrical events are a huge part of the
spiritual fabric of our culture. Comedy was, in Greek times, a
way to reconnect with nature. And drama had earlier
shamanistic roots. So acting is a lot more than entertainment.
Acting is transformation.
Therefore the actor who participates in the act can't
help but be touched by it. Portraying life gives us a greater
understanding of humanity. And opens us to a deeper wonder of
being. And in that wonder is the crux of spirituality. Actors
also participate in exercises that are nothing short of
ritual. In the daily ritual of relaxation and preparation lie
the spiritual possibility of surrender . . . of letting go.
For both the actor and the audience.
So
New-Age technique will also honor the spiritual aspects of
preparation. Because your spirituality, your training and
whatever you've built as a life are the only things that you
have to sustain you when you'd don't get that part or your
series is cancelled. Spirituality also connects you with your
humanity, which ultimately connects you back to your audience.
A
New-Age technique that honors the old and embraces the new,
therefore, provides you with all the relaxation and
preparation tools you need to connect with modern theatrical
forms and modern audiences. And ultimately allows you to
surrender to the process. The important elements of New-Age
acting are BEHAVIOR, OUT-OF-MIND, PREPARATION, and SPIRITUAL. New-Age
technique, therefore, BOPS!
Next Issue: From Aligning your
BRAND: Demo Reels
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the way, DON'T LEAVE JUST
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Jill Place,
The Acting Intuitive 1309 Montecito
Drive Los Angeles, CA
90031 (323)
225-9850
Copyright © 2009 Jill
Place, the Acting Intuitive, All Rights
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