Term 2 ends on Saturday June 28; and Term 3 commences from Tuesday July 15, after the two week winter semester break. The Monday Extension class returns on July 21.
This year has seen more emphasis placed on voice and movement: two of the vital components necessary for a powerful performance. A clear and confident speaking voice with timbre and tonality and a body free of blocks can be the difference between a good actor and a great actor, and we will continue to work on these important components during Term 3.
In the meantime, some words of wisdom from Al Pacino…
Al’s right. To be an accomplished actor you must be an emotional athlete – free from emotional, physical and vocal blocks. You must also be fearless and unafraid of making “a fool of yourself,” as the most affecting performances are powerful and fearless.VOICE, ARTICULATION AND MOVEMENT MASTER CLASS REVIEW
The Voice, Articulation and Movement master class was held over 4 by 4 hour sessions over the last 3 Sundays of May and the first Sunday of June. Tutored by Australia’s leading voice and accents coach Bill Pepper and by choreographer/dancer/actor Natalia Ladyko, the course was fun, challenging and intensive. The noticeable improvement in speaking voice and physicality gained by the participating students has been clearly obvious in their on-camera performances since completion of the course.
Voice coach Bill Pepper working with the students
Having fun while learning (says it all!)
Natalia Ladyko working with the students
Well done to students Paul Millett, Trevor Shipton, Laura Tate, Juvahn Victoria, Jessica Reid, Meredith Cox and Ksenia Polansky for their hard work and subsequent practical use of the skills learned from Bill and Natalia.
MONDAY EXTENSION CLASS
The Monday Extension class is gaining popularity amongst our most committed students, not only as an additional class each week, but as a means to fast track their acting skills. The class is suitable for Intermediate to Advanced level teen, young adult and adult students. The extension class is a beneficial way to gain additional on-camera experience, while working from a different curriculum to every other class. I’m pleased to announce that the Monday extension students have adapted well to the challenging curriculum and the class is growing and thriving from term to term.
Check out this 23 second noir-style physical performance scene from the extension class featuring Trevor Shipton
TERM 3 MASTER CLASS: MOVEMENT AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE
Next up on the Master Class Program is the 2 x 4 hour Movement and Physical Performance course. Tutored by movement coach Natalia Ladyko, this fun and energetic master class will take your physical performance skills to a far higher level of ability.
Movement tutor Natalia Ladyko
In Course Component One (Sunday 17 August: 12 to 4pm) you will discover how to unlock your body’s hidden potential by eliminating blocks and repetitive body language via a series of fun and dynamic movement exercises and techniques.
Course Component Two (Sunday 24 August: 12 to 4pm) will involve perfecting a series of physical acting scenes for the camera. The scenes will be assessed, and repeated if necessary, until you have achieved a higher degree of meaningful and effective movement and physical business while performing scenes for camera.
For further information, please refer to Course Flyer attached to Newsletter link email.
To encourage those students committed to their craft who completed either Bill Pepper’s American Accents and Dialects course during Term 1, and/or those students who completed Bill and Natalia’s course during Term 2, we are offering a $25-00 discount on the $275-00 course fee for the Movement and Physical Performance Master Class to encourage you to continue your education, with the clear aim of developing your on-camera acting skills to a far more interesting and dynamic level.
ROXY’S MOB MANAGEMENT TWO DAY WORKSHOP
Roxy’s Mob Management in conjunction with Next Move and hosted by the Screen Actors Workshop are presenting the 2 day workshop Working with and for Children.
This one-of-a-kind 2 day workshop for actors and performers is designed to give artists and performers the skills and leading edge needed when performing for, or alongside, children and young people.
The workshop will be tutored by actor/director/producer Josephine Lancuba of Next Move and there will also be a Q&A and feedback session with Roxann Husband from Roxy’s Mob Management.
Positions are strictly limited. For further details/bookings contact Roxann at [email protected] or phone 9960 0012
2014 NORTHEN BEACHES LOCAL BUSINESS AWARDS
Thanks to all of our students who voted for us in the 2014 awards. Due to your generosity and positive remarks we have again made the finals for the fifth consecutive year, and the staff and I are looking forward to the big presentation night on Wednesday July 2.
We first entered the local business awards in 2010 as a bit of a lark, and we won! Since then we have won again in 2012; and in 2013 we were one of only 19,000 out of 2.3 million businesses nationwide to be selected by the national awards judging panel as a finalist in the Australian Small Business Champion Awards Outstanding Educational Service category.
More news on the outcome of the 2014 awards in the July-August newsletter. Fingers crossed!
STUDENT NEWS
Congratulations to Frank Stead who performed a scene with Bryan Brown in Episode 1 of the new ABC-TV drama Old School. Frank played a jailer, signing Brown’s character out of prison. Old School stars Bryan Brown and Sam Neill, and is another outstanding production from “Aunty.” The ABC have certainly produced some outstanding drama series over the past few years, including Rake, The Gods of Wheat Street and The Time of Our Lives to name but a few. When it comes to producing quality Australian television drama we’d be lost without the ABC.
Former student Sarah Spillane is currently promoting her directorial and writing debut with the feature film Around the Block. The film stars Christina Ricci and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival late last year to a standing ovation.
Writer/director Sarah Spillane with friend and mentor, actor Jack Thompson
Around the Block is set in Sydney and stars Christina Ricci, Jack Thompson and Damian Walshe-Howling. Very well done Sarah!
FILMS ON DVD
Two new releases and a 19 year-old classic are featured this time…
Around the Block (Aust: 2013) Written and directed by Sarah Spillane. Starring Christina Ricci, Jack Thompson, Hunter Page-Lochard and Damien Walshe-Howling. The film revolves around an American drama teacher (Ricci) who develops a friendship with a 16 year-old Aboriginal boy (Page-Lochard) during the 2004 Redfern riots. Well written and directed by Spillane who works her talented cast hard to come up with the goods. Highly recommended!
Dom Hemingway (UK: 2013) Directed by Richard Shepard. Starring Jude Law, Richard E. Grant and Demian Bichir. A black comedy crime-drama from the producers of Sexy Beast. Not as groundbreaking or spectacular as the fabulous Sexy Beast, but nonetheless a solid film with strong performances. Dom Hemingway is worth the effort.
Heat (USA: 1995) Written, produced and directed by Michael Mann. Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer. A critical and commercial success, Heat is an intelligent heist film starring DeNiro as professional bank robber McCauley and Pacino as Lt Vincent Hanna, a veteran LAPD robbery-homicide cop hell bent on tracking down McCauley’s successful and highly organized crew. Pacino and DeNiro turn in powerful performances and this film ranks amongst their best work. Well worth watching if you haven’t seen it, and worthy of a second look if you have.CLASS SCENE DVDs
If you would like an edited DVD of your past term’s on-camera scenes then see me in class or email me and I’ll organize it for you. Class scene DVDs are $40-00 per term’s work and are a highly beneficial means of improving your performance skills and technique via further home study.
To wrap up the June-July newsletter, I have to say that we’ve been pushing the students beyond their comfort zone during Term 2, and it has been encouraging to see profound results from those students willing to put in the work and go the extra mile. Well done and keep up the good work!
The staff and I are looking forward to another challenging and productive term of classes when we return in mid-July. Until then, have a safe and happy winter semester break and we look forward to seeing you again in Term 3.
Alan Nurthen (Director)