Wake Up Your Work - Class Actions

Class Actions

My workshops revolve around you. I'll work to help you out of your head and into your body. Final Scenes are filmed and put up on our website for participant's viewing. Meet audition challenges head on with improvisational training.

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 206.940.2973

LOCATION Plenty Free Close-by Parking
Classes held at Puget Sound Yacht Club
2321 N Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98103

MAP

BUS: Eastlake Ave E & Harvard Ave East

Environment

Composition of your waking, walking, everyday world

The Space Around You

Temperature

Time of day

What is present

What does the room your sitting in feel like, right now?

Stage Partner

Make sure your partner gets what they need on stage. Take care of yourself in the process. Check In
If a scene needs you to be inimate or physical with your partner, discuss it with them first Discover Your Want
What do I do to get what I want?

They Need Something From You
Do you know what it is ? Is it in what they are saying, or what they are doing?

No Talking Heads

When you escape into your head and only your voice comes out, you cease to be of interest. Create a series of physical actions you can use when you get lost on stage. Your job is not to chew up the scenery while others hold the attention. Your job is to look alive. Arbitrary Actions

Play with your hair
Tie your shoe
Adjust your shirt
Find something in your pocket
Examine your surroundings
Feel the floor
See imperfections
Clean your ear

Staying in the Game

Given Circumstances:
You are friends on vacation at a mountain cabin.A crackling fire warms the room. Snow storms outside. After a dinner of roasted chicken and potatoes Lee puts on a record. To your surprise, it's a CD of love songs. He can't take his eyes off of you.

At the outset you thought you were just friends. As the scene continues he behaves in a way, like a lover.

If you don't choose to play along it's like refusing to catch a ball that's thrown to you. The game stops. The energy drops. Keep the balls going, stay in the game and discover more about who you are.

So many possibilities. Surprise yourself.

Empty Walk

Wandering around with no destination is not an action, its wandering. Move to discover, walk to arrive.Stay put until you move. Don't grow roots.

Killing Me Softly

If you arrive on stage with an agenda, something you want to do, or worse, get the other person to do it will prevent you from being in response to your partner. Hey, just like real life!Catch yourself planning stuff to do, to say, and be brilliant - forget it.

Breathe

Sure you are breathing, otherwise how could you say all those great lines... When we can see you breathe, we breathe. Hold your breath, and/or close your mouth and we feel cut off from you, and you from us.

Part your lips. Keep your mouth a little open after you finish speaking.
Lose your ground? Bring your awareness back to your breath, and there you are. Here, and now.

New Ways to Break Out of You

What scares you? Don't worry about breaking someone else's until you can break your own.

We all look outside outselves for challenges. That's just a smokescreen for the real challenge, you.

Surprise Yourself

Perform an arbitrary action in the middle of a line
Give yourself a "want" that makes you uncomfortable
Look your partner in their eyes and really see them
Burst into song
Repeat a physical action over and over
Dance instead of walk

Hear the Sound of My Feet Walking Drown Out the Sound of My Voice Talking

Tell story through actions. As Michael Gellman says "Dialogue is only the by-product of reaction--the ashes of what just took ploace." Show us, don't tell us. We can read more into body language than your words. Show us how you feel. It is too easy to be an over-actor: Wallowing in feeling, playing the premise. Don't go there. You are enough. Make fun choices. Surprise yourself. Squench your nose or smile when it doesn't make sense and see where it takes you. Playing contrasting emotional actions brings new depth to your character.

Environment

Stage Partner

No Talking Heads

Staying in the Game

Empty Walk

Killing Me Softly

Breathe

New Ways to Break Out of You

Hear the Sound of My Feet Walking Drown Out the Sound of My Voice Talking

BREATHE

SEE

HEAR

MOVE

REACT