Scene Study Class with Christine Dunford
In this scene study class, the actor will develop their creative instrument and learn HOW to work. In essence, they will begin to find their own “process.” Christine is an American producer and actress who was formally trained at the Juilliard School. She appeared on Bones, The Mentalist, Rizzoli & Isles, Law & Order: LA, Seinfeld and many more.
THE ACTOR’S INSTRUMENT
Exercises from a broad cross-section of master teachers including Stanislavski, Chekhov, Jacques LeCoq, Moni Yakim and others ground the student in the four fundamentals that are the basis of all actor training: relaxation, concentration, focus and sensitivity.
Students will leave the class equipped with the tools to reach their “optimal working state” on their own.
TECHNIQUE
In the course of each 8 week session students learn Uta Hagen’s “Nine Questions” method of text analysis to quickly break down scenes; perform exercises from the Meisner Technique to learn to actively listen and respond truthfully to their scene partner; study Stella Adler’s script analysis and use her “Character Exercises” to explore the possibilities of a character’s life beyond the script…
In working with these varied approaches to the craft, beginning actors will start to identify which techniques serve them best and begin to build the foundation of their own acting “process.”
SCENE WORK
Using scenes and monologues from a different set of plays in each 8 week session, students learn HOW to work: how to prepare for rehearsal, what to do in a rehearsal, how to work with a scene partner. We go through the entire rehearsal process step by step.
Students also support their scene/monologue work by preparing a “Private Moment Exercise” and a “Character Interview Exercise” for each character they are playing.
The texts being used for the first session are:
- Reasons To Be Pretty by Neil LaBute
- Our Lady of 121st Street by Stephen Adly Guirgis
As they are guided through a comprehensive and thorough rehearsal process, actors will begin to build the foundation of their own concrete and practical rehearsal and acting “process.”
