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 The Ward Studio intensive is taught exclusively by teachers who were trained in the Meisner work themselves and have gone on to become master teachers in their specific disciplines. In this way, our courses compliment and build on each other because of a like-mindedness shared by the faculty across the different subject areas. The result is a cohesive training where students can focus on making very specific improvements to their acting without having to adapt to different theories with every classroom they enter. We emphasize a bold and no-nonsense approach to artistic growth that more often than not results in personal growth as well. We require, however, that the student become an active participant in his or her own development, and the program necessitates that each actor raise the bar on what they hope to achieve during their time here. The acting courses provide clear processes for increasing authenticity, as the actor connects in a meaningful way to himself, his acting partner, to the text, to the imagination and to the circumstances of the play. The result is significant transformation over the six-week period. The career mentoring course and audition and monologue classes are inspiring, rigorous and very hands-on. Our students find the intensive to be difficult at the start but report immense satisfaction as they see tangible proof of their growth with each passing week. Please note that our students do not spend all day in the classroom. In-class drill work, under the instructor's watchful eye, is balanced with outside rehearsals and homework obligations that students are required to do as part of their learning. This cycle of working in the classroom and then going back to the drawing board is perfected so that actors understand how to take responsibility for their performances, rehearsals and for the challenging work of establishing a career. And finally, our students work under professional standards. While our instructors use class time efficiently to fully address the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student, we also insist that the outside assignments be considered as integral to growth as the in-class experience.  In this course, actors are introduced to the basic Meisner principles, developing a specific approach that can be applied to any acting work that they will do. By improving listening and partnering skills and learning to live in the moment without controlling the experience, actors begin liberating their process so that more intuitive, compelling results can be achieved.  As described in the Career Mentoring section of this brochure, this six-week course is an intensive look at the actor's career - where it is headed and what kind of rut it may be experiencing. Actors find this course kick-starts them out of jams and empowers them to bring a new freshness and assertiveness to their career goals. Practical, imaginative and provocative, this course is for the person who is tired of the same old routines that lead to relatively low rewards. If you're ready to take on a new perspective towards your career and promote yourself using more effective techniques, you will find this course challenging and rewarding.  From a series of mock-auditions to small group career mentoring to private one-on-one monologue coaching, this course is an intensive preparation for the audition experience. One night is devoted to a series of mock auditions where students are put through the paces of the real audition situation. After the first round, all actors receive individual and group feedback on their auditions before a second round begins -- this time allowing actors to watch each other's performances. A second night each week is devoted to the Career Mentoring Workshop (see "Career Mentoring") and throughout the two months, actors schedule one-on-one coaching sessions to get their audition monologues in shape.  Students will be coached on two contrasting monologues, which will include both a long and short version of each monologue for adaptability to different audition circumstances. This course will expose the actor to a variety of writing styles -- from prose and poetry to drama and primary source material -- and helps improve his interpretive and performance skills in relation to the spoken word. These monologues will be used in the second half of the Audition Course, as part of the mock-audition experience.  Our vocal production workshop provides actors with the basics of liberating and strengthening their natural voice. Covering abdominal breathing, relaxation for performance, and vocal control of pitch, resonance and projection, this workshop helps an actor release tension and expand his or her vocal range without strain.  Applying the fundamentals of the Meisner Approach -- emotional honesty, working off the partner, reality of doing, working from an organic place -- to scenes, monologues and the audition situation. Must be taken after or simultaneously with the Meisner Tech I course. |
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