What are classes like? How do we work?
We have experienced acting teachers, who have taught across the world.
Using a blend of scene study, cold reading, tailored exercises and dialogue driven feedback, they will help actors gain awareness of just how capable they are and how their artistry is their genius.
We build up the inner advocate for when the inner critic might be wanting attention. Something which isn't toxic positivity. It's simply a healthy reframing of how we can see ourselves in the work and this industry.
We help actors feel fulfilled artistically in their work.
We help to remove what's in an actors way to be really enjoying the career they want.
What will possibly make me a little nervous before starting?
You won't know your lines and you will be given some scripts on the day. There's actually very little to prepare in advance.
Erm... why can't we prepare?
There's sometimes a prevailing belief that those who can best prepare their scripts and best plan how scenes should go, are the ones who will succeed.
Much of the training in the U.K. for instance will spend weeks around a table talking about objectives, units, actions etc. before actually even getting the work up on its feet.
Film and TV is a multi-billion dollar industry, so if preparation of character, actions, objectives units were the top of the pyramid for what is needed to make for really great acting, they would find the money for it.
They would make the time.
They would do what they need to get a great product.
However, often you may get sides the night before an audition or you may be on set and there's been a rewrite to the scene where you're now doing something completely different.
There is barely any rehearsal time. Motivations, objectives and the like aren't discussed before a scene.
This is because (we would passionately argue) the key to great acting is not how much you have prepared a script. It's how much you work moment to moment, in a truthful and affecting way. How much you trust your instincts. How much you share who you are through story and in the specific circumstances it offers you.
By having little to no preparation, there's no ideas of what the character 'should' be and you naturally rely on the emotionally intelligent, living, breathing, responsive (amazing) human being that you are.
As the new kid on the Manchester block, what's the plan for The Actor's Process as a studio going forward?
Everyone will start with these weekend intensives to get used to this way of working and will then progress onto what we hope will be weekly ongoing classes, where professional actors can come and really explore their artistry each week.