Acting: Monologue

An acting class focused on the art of the monologue.

THIS CLASS IS COMPLETE. WE PLAN TO RUN NEW CLASSES ONCE IT IS SAFE TO WORK FACE TO FACE AGAIN. TO MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE AN ALERT WHEN CLASSES RESTART, PLEASE JOIN OUR MAILING LIST.

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WORKSHOP SUMMARY

Dates: February 24 –  April 6, 2020 (7 Weeks)
Times: Mondays, 19:30 – 22:00
Location: JDS Studios ::click here for map::
Cost: 30,100 Yen

Suggested Reading: Respect for Acting (Uta Hagen)
Suggested In-class Reference: The Actor’s Thesaurus

Students of this acting class will build their skills through working on a short, scripted piece of theatre (a monologue).  Students will be introduced to a number of key acting concepts and techniques, including: text breakdown (units and beats), objectives and tactics, making private moments public, endowment, the moment before, and more. Beginners will be introduced to these techniques; advanced students will expand their understanding and use of them.

Andrew Woolner

INSTRUCTOR

Andrew Woolner is the Artistic Director of Yokohama Theatre Group. He trained as an actor at York University and Young People’s Theatre in Toronto. He has been making theatre since childhood and has been  teaching acting classes for more than two decades.

Since 1997, he has directed more than two dozen stage shows, performed in nearly as many, and mentored at least that number of young people starting their performance or technical theatre careers.

Besides teaching for YTG, he is a guest workshop leader at various school drama festivals and he teaches drama at Daito Bunka University in Saitama.

SYLLABUS

For those of you who love lots of detail, here is a breakdown of what you’ll be working on each week. Depending on the group dynamic, some changes may be made.

Each session will be split into several parts:

  • Warm-up and check-in
    • (including theatre games)
  • Technique
    • Each week a new technique or concept will be introduced and practiced
  • Homework to be presented to and commented on by the class and instructor

At the end of each class (except the last, obviously) homework for the next class will be assigned. All homework assignments are things you can do on your own, but we can arrange for inexpensive rental of rehearsal space if you feel it’s necessary.

Week 1

  • What is acting?
  • Loosening up
    • Warm up
    • Tag
    • Theatre games
  • HOMEWORK: Private moments in public; the basic object exercise

Week 2

  • Warm-up
  • Show first exercise; class responses
  • Technique: endowment and self-observation; applied to first exercise
  • Technique: The Given Circumstances
  • HOMEWORK: The Three Entrances

Week 3

  • Warm-up
  • Show second exercise, class responses
  • THE TEXT
    • How to approach a text
    • OBJECTIVES
  • Monologues assigned
  • HOMEWORK: The Three Entrances, in character, in situation

Week 4

  • Warm-up
  • Show the new Three Entrances exercise; class responds
  • TACTICS
  • Exercise: Playing objectives and tactics
  • TEXT BREAKDOWN
  • HOMEWORK:
    • Character bio & given circumstances worksheet
    • Prepare monologues for next class (off-book)

Week 5

  • Warm-up
  • Hand in character bio and given circumstances worksheet
  • More tactic/objective work
  • First group of monologues presentations and feedback from the class and instructor
  • HOMEWORK: Look at your character bio and figure out how this story affects your physicality.

Week 6

  • Warm-up
  • Character Physicality
  • Voice: monologue off-voice/neutral
  • Second group of monologue presentations and feedback
  • HOMEWORK: Work your monologue with the physical work we’ve done today.

Week 7

  • Warm-up
  • Final monologue presentations and feedback
Acting Class