Drama as a Path of Inner Development
A One-Year Course Led by
Laurie Portocarrero
with David Anderson, Laura Geilen
and Barbara Renold
“The basis for any true art is our ability to live . . . in the World of Imaginations.”
— Michael Chekhov, To the Actor
The Art of Acting offers a unique opportunity to explore the wellsprings of human emotion using the most universal instrument of all: the human body and voice. In ten weekend workshops from October to June, Laurie Portocarrero leads the class on a journey into the essence of human self-expression, using a blend of movement, gesture and speech drawn from the work and insights of famed acting teacher Michael Chekhov (as well as Spacial Dynamics and other supportive techniques).
Each workshop builds on the class's deepening experience with Chekhov's exercises, which use archetypal gestures to create — not conjure, nor imitate — characters that are as whole and complete as the actor herself. Each class includes speech work, while special workshops on clowning and improvisation are contributed by Laura Geilen of Nose to Nose of North America and David Anderson of Walking the dog Theater.
Chekhov's exercises draw upon each individual actor's vast store of healthy inner resources, and have a surprising and exhilarating power to help the student access her or his core individuality by generating an authentic experience of the whole human being. Through this work, which is based on objective observations of human beings and higher worlds, the art of acting reveals the highest in the human being, and theater becomes a healing force in world culture.
When theater began in ancient Greece, it was the actor's task to portray truths about humanity and the gods, reminding audiences of who we are, where we came from, and how we can begin to take responsibility for our own destiny. Today, through our study of the actor's art, we can learn to direct and express our feeling life by inviting our instrument (body and voice) and our soul to move in ways chosen by our higher creative self.
Immensely valuable for those who choose acting as a vocation or avocation, The Art of Acting is a challenging, supportive, playful, soul-stretching experience for any adult seeking deeper self-awareness. No acting experience is required — only a desire and willingness to play and explore!
Click here to apply today!
Course Faculty
Laurie Portocarrero trained in the Chekhov method under Ted Pugh and Fern Sloan, and has studied and taught movement, drama and speech in the US, Switzerland and Australia. A member of The Actors’ Ensemble and Walking the dog Theater, Laurie has recently been seen in The Little Prince, Under Milk Wood, and Touch of the Celtic. Within the ongoing series of Mystery Drama conferences at Threefold Educational Center, she has played Maria in Rudolf Steiner’s The Portal of Initiation and The Soul’s Probation; and will appear in The Guardian of the Threshold (2012) and The Souls’ Awakening (2013). Laurie tours the US, Canada and the UK in The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily, Aeschylus Unbound, and Gospel of John. She directs a summer children’s program, and teaches drama and storytelling to special needs adults. Waldorf-educated, Laurie holds a BA in Theater Arts, and also trained at Sunbridge College and Rudolf Steiner College.
David Anderson is a founder and Executive Director of Walking the dog Theater (www.wtdtheater.org). He holds a post-graduate degree in Waldorf Education from Emerson College, England. He studied Speech and Drama at Threshold Theater in Christchurch, New Zealand, and has performed throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Laura Geilen trained in dance at the Boston Conservatory of Music, has a BA in Human Services from Lesley University, and is a graduate of the Spacial Dynamics Institute and the Camphill Social Therapy Training. She is a member of Walking the dog Theater’s OFF LEASH! Improv Theater Ensemble, and a Clowning Facilitator with Nose To Nose of North America.
Barbara Renold conducts a session of Speech Formation at each class. She received her diploma in Creative Speech from the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland in 1981, and completed a post-graduate year in Australia under the late Mechthild Harkness. Barbara taught Speech and Drama at Sunbridge College for some twenty years, and has directed and produced over 50 amateur productions, including Rudolf Steiner’s Mystery Dramas. She is currently preparing a conference and performance of the fourth drama, The Souls’ Awakening, in August 2013.
Click here to apply today!