Introduction to Acting
Explore a dream! Has your student ever expressed interest or curiosity in acting? When they watch a movie or see a local play, do they talk about it for days afterwards? Whether your student is shy or outgoing; bold or tentative – this is a great class to learn great basic acting techniques for stage and film, and get a taste of the craft of acting.
Learn the fundamentals of acting in a fun and nurturing environment! This 5-week introductory course covers the basic techniques needed to grow your skills as an actor. Whether you are a beginner, or have experience and want to sharpen your acting “tools”, this course is for you!
With a lot of encouragement and positive reinforcement, over the 5 classes we will cover Deep Listening, Expressing Emotions, Physicalizing Your Character, Objectives & Tactics, and Communicating With Your Partner. Students will enjoy a wide variety of games, activities, and scenes (both written and improvised) all designed to strengthen their acting skills while also being a lot of fun!
By the end of the course, students will have the beginnings of strong foundational skills that they can apply to performing in theater, television, film, scenes, or monologues.
What You Will Learn
- The Importance of Deep Listening and Communication.
- The importance of your Character’s Objective(s) (goals) and the Tactics they use to obtain them.
- Expressing your Character’s Emotions using an Actor’s Tools: Voice, Body, and Emotional Memory.
- Physicalizing your Character through Posture, Signature Gesture(s), Physically Expressing Emotion.
- Putting it all together scene work and focusing on Communication with your Scene Partner.
Instructor Bio:
Michael Wehrli has been a professional teacher and arts administrator since 1994. As an administrator, he has been the Artistic & Education Director for New Moon Productions (a children’s theater company) in Portland Oregon since 1996. New Moon has had over 60,000 students and cast members over its long history. Michael has presided over all aspects of non-profit administration including: budgeting, hiring, contractor coordination, volunteer management, grant writing, publicity, program development, show producer, and curriculum creator (to name just a few). As a teacher, he has tens of thousands of hours in the classroom including workshops, residencies, summer camps, and class intensives. Michael also has several published plays, has directed over 150 shows, and has been an actor in over 100 plays. He currently lives in Portland Oregon.
- Lectures 0
- Quizzes 0
- Duration 55 mins
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 13
- Assessments Yes