The NODA Summer School 2005
The NODA Summer School took place at Loughborough University
from 6 to 13 August. A total of 234 students from across the
UK, as well as from Switzerland. France. Italy and Thailand.
gathered at what has become a genuinely international training
event for amateur theatre practitioners. With a terrific selection
of professional tutors, great food and sunny weather, it turned
out to he a memorable and rewarding week.
Thirteen different courses were available: Acting Skills.
An Actor's Approach to 20th Century Theatre, Costume for the
Theatre. Directing a Musical, Drama, Page to Stage. Musical
Directors (Oliver!), Musical Theatre Performers I
(Ragtime), Musical Theatre Performers 2 (The Witches
of Eastwick), The Art of Pantomime. Singing and Performance,
Stage Sound, Stage Lighting and Technical Skills in Live Entertainment.
The course started with registration from 2.00pm - 4.30pm
followed by a full school meeting at 5.00pm. After dinner we
split into our separate classes for an introductory workshop
with our tutors for the week. I, along with 18 other students,
had chosen Acting Skills with Giles Foreman who trained as
an actor at Drama Centre London and has subsequently worked
in TV, film and theatre. He has directed extensively and is
an established acting coach in major drama schools in the UK
(Drama Centre London. The Method Studio) and abroad in Germany
(Forum for Film Acting, German Acting Academy (Berlin)). and
Sweden (Katrinaberg Folksholgshole).
Each day began at 9.00am with a 15-minute physical and vocal
warm up by all students followed by morning and afternoon sessions
with our tutors. both lasting three hours. A wide programme
of events was also provided each evening with a Quiz night,
Chorus Singing. a Pyrotechnics Demonstration and two evenings
when we had a choice of six diverse courses to choose from.
The final afternoon and evening were set aside for presentations.
where all the students got a chance to see what each of the
other classes had been working on during the week.
I had chosen Acting Skills as it included 'Method Acting'.
a topic I had been interested in learning about for some time.
Although Constantin Stanislavski died in 1938, his theories
of 'method acting' are still one of the greatest influences
in the world of performance today. The most fundamental principle
of Stanislavski's teaching is that the actor must live the
life of the character that he is portraying; he must learn
to think like the character and behave as the character would
therefore, the portrayal is not confined to the performance
but will, to some degree. begin to overlap into the actor's
own life. This, he asserts, is the only way to achieve total
realism and, to reinforce this, the actor must also extend
this exercise of imagination to encompass the costumes that
he wears, the articles that comprise the set and the props
that arc used. If there is a mirror on the wall, he must invent
a history of where it was bought, by whom and how it has come
to be in this particular location, thus completing the elaborate
imaginary world, which will lend conviction to his performance.
It is therefore necessary for the actor to approach the role
from two levels, the external level being the more obvious.
The way in which that character moves, speaks and behaves must
be studied and practised. However, this performance will become
mechanical unless it is guided by the inner belief in the character's
feelings and emotions which, although unseen by the audience,
is the added factor which will ultimately lend conviction to
the part that is being played.
The actor should draw on his own experiences, wherever possible,
to understand and interpret the emotions and events that the
character will experience, and the wider the actor's experience
of life then the greater the insight and comprehension will
be. However. although drawing on personal experiences is often
the only way to achieve complete empathy with the role, it
is essential that these emotions and reactions become absorbed
in the fictitious world of the character itself, and are not
just reproduced mechanically otherwise the illusion of reality
will be lost.
In addition to the 'method' we also learned lots of exercises
to help with vocal control and diction. Try this little exercise: "The
actuary's honorary secretary showed her extraordinarily literary
superiority by working literally solitarily in the library
particularly regularly during February. Literary secretaries
are fortunately a rarity."
Exercises in relaxation and posture, including the Alexander
Technique were practised: stage craft, as well as acting in
film and television. Everything from learning how to recite
a Shakespeare sonnet to acting out the film Pulp Fiction.
I learned so much from attending the NODA Summer School.
I can honestly say that it has not only changed and improved
my acting skills but my attitude to life itself.
I must thank NODA for providing such a wonderful event. The
Bolton Guild of Help for providing funds via the Joyce Ann
Smith Memorial Scholarship and Farnworth Performing Arts Company
for all the help and guidance they provided.
1 shall be making every effort to attend the next NODA Summer
School in 2006 and would recommend it to any serious performer.
Ian Duckworth |