AT-Case Study The Performance Factor

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CREATIVE LEARNING METHODS
THE PERFORMANCE FACTOR
IN ADULT EDUCATION
CREATOR / AUTHOR
Monika Brunner
PUBLISHER /
ORGANIZATION
COVERAGE
COPYRIGHT
CULTURE CIRCLE
EUROPE GRUNDTVIG PARTNERSHIPS
Creativity and Innovation in Adult Education
© 2010 Monika Brunner, Culture Circle
A Project of
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This document reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.

ABSTRACT
The musical theatre challenges to incorporate the three critical areas of theatre performance –
singing, acting and dancing.
Musical theatre actors must be well-versed in a variety of dance styles, be able to effectively
interpret scripts and songs, as well as present themselves professionally in auditions.
KEY POINTS OF SUCCESS:
Adult learners/ students are immersed in the howʼs and whyʼs of acting and teachers will introduce
the following topics:
• Relaxation: How to release tensions that get in the way of acting.
• Method: How to act truthfully moment to moment.
• Scene Study: How to identify the dramatic beats of the scene and needs of the characters.
• Movement: How character and action can expressed without words.
• Voice: Use of voice to reveal character.
• Acting for Camera: How to work in front of the lens, hit marks, use eye-lines, create fresh
performances for every take.
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THE PERFORMANCE FACTOR
Today, musical theatre is alive and booming. New productions and revivals of popular musicals
abound. Competition for musical theatre actors is
intense, and anyone considering a career in this field
needs excellent training to succeed.
The musical theatre challenges to incorporate the
three critical areas of musical theatre performance –
singing, acting and dancing.
Adult learners/students will go through rigorous
training in these areas, both in groups and individual
mentorship, and will perform in all disciplines for
invited audiences. Programmes are designed for
individuals with singing and movement abilities who
may or may not have prior experience on a musical
theatre stage.
Musical theatre actors must be well-versed in a
variety of dance styles, be able to effectively interpret
scripts and songs, as well as present themselves
professionally in auditions. Broadwayʼs first long-run
musical appeared in 1857.
The following methods allow learners to explore the
integral skills required for success in this field, and to
prepare themselves for the rigorous physical and
emotional demands of a musical theatre career.
SINGING TECHNIQUE:
Adult learners/students will work on the fundamentals of healthy singing: breath support,
diaphragmatic control, natural articulation, relaxation of the neck, face and jaw, and proper use of
body. Other topics may include chest voice, falsetto, head voice, and tone, as well.
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THE PERFORMANCE FACTOR
SINGING INTERPRETATION:
Adult learners/ students will apply the concepts being
studied in Scene Study and Monologue to Songs, and
will learn to approach a song as a monologue or scene,
while simultaneously employing proper technique.
Monologues are often used for auditions. However,
many stage plays incorporate monologues into their
dramatic structures, which, is why it is essential that
actors learn how to approach the preparation,
execution, and analysis of monologues.
MUSIC THEORY:
An introduction to music fundamentals including note
values, identification of cadences and basic phrase
structures, scales, intervals, harmony, key, chords and
reading proficiency.
PERFORMANCE LAB:
The lab is designed to workshop musical scenes for
performance. Scenes will be prepared in complexity
and will require that adult learners/students take on
both independent or lead performances and chorus
roles.
COLD READINGS & AUDITION TECHNIQUE:
Auditioning is a special skill requiring specific techniques. Actors will learn and practice the
essentials of a good audition and focus on the set of skills required to handle cold readings. The
goal is to help actors make quick, specific, action-oriented choices and to develop strong listening
skills and flexibility in taking direction.
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THE PERFORMANCE FACTOR
It prepares actors for handling the often nerve-wracking experience of the audition. In addition to
training, successful actors must develop strong marketing skills
in order to build a career. The focus is on such topics as
feeling comfortable at cold readings, preparing a resume,
choosing a head-shot photographer, and developing a career
strategy.
VOICE AND SPEECH:
A primary tool for the actor is the expressive and free voice.
Therefore, voices must be trained to be heard (through volume
adjustments), understood (through articulation) and also felt
(through expression). Adult learners/students gain insight into
the power of how to nurture and control their voices by
exercising various resonators and muscles, enabling them to
release emotional impulses.
In addition to breath work, the focus is on relaxation, phrasing,
and posture as a way of nurturing the actorʼs instrument. Using
text, they learn to identify key words and learn how to link intention with their voice and speak
clearly and powerfully through the end of a line.
Additionally, they will learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and apply that learning to the
acquisition of convincing regional dialects and international accents. The adult learners/students
will study audio speech samples, transcribe text using IPA, and present monologues and/or scene
work to demonstrate mastery of an accent or dialect.
VOICE AND MOVEMENT:
Learners are taught a repertoire of exercises that increase mental and physical awareness,
improve body alignment, and stimulate natural, reflexive breathing. Adult learners/ students study
how to open channels in the body that controls the vibrations, resonance, and range of the human
voice. The workshop directs the actorʼs attention towards the body as an instrument of expression.
Adult learners/students train in uncovering and developing natural movement, and learn how to
overcome inhibitions.
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THE PERFORMANCE FACTOR
ACTING TECHNIQUE:
From Stanislavskyʼs System to Strasbergʼs Method
and Meisnerʼs Approach, adult learners/students will
fully explore the most effective ways an actor can
“live” truthfully moment to moment and believably
inhabit a role.
Sense memory, emotional recall, and repetition will
all be practiced extensively. Each individual will find
the techniques that allow access to real emotions
that can be used in performance.
Adult learners/students will explore the work of
Konstantin Stanislavski, then move to the Method,
briefly discussing the role of Sanford Meisner (live
truthfully under imaginary circumstances), then continue
to the work of Lee Strasberg (sense and
emotional memory), Jerzy Grotowski (physical
approach/ “outside in”) and Tadashi Suzuki (the way of acting).
Adult learners/students will move to “Open Scenes” and monologue work to begin to utilize the
different concepts studied and will employ elements of these techniques in their performance work.
SCENE STUDY:
Working on scenes from published musicals and dramatic plays allows actors to learn all of the
basic concepts of approaching a scene: defining objectives, breaking the scene down into beats,
understanding the arc, pursuing your objective, playing actions, and working to overcome
obstacles.
It provides techniques for understanding an actorʼs job in relation to a prepared script. It begins at
a foundation level, usually with silent scenes or short dialogue scenes and progresses to longer
dramatic and/or comedic scenes. Scenes are extensively rehearsed and performed. Adult learners/
students receive critiques and adjustments from the instructor and fellows.
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THE PERFORMANCE FACTOR
TEXT ANALYSIS:
This will explore the history and development of seminal dramatic texts from the 20th century to
the present. Both musical and non- musical plays will be analyzed.
CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE:
Dance techniques employed in musical theatre performance with an emphasis on ballet, jazz, and
tap, and then progresses to individual training sessions in each of these areas. Learners will be
applying the various techniques to choreography specifically for musical theatre.
ACTING FOR FILM AND TELEVISION:
Todayʼs successful actors need to be versatile, and
many stage actors, at times, need to transition
smoothly into film or television roles, and back again.
The basic tenets of acting translate from stage to
screen, but there are skills and knowledge that are
specific to the craft of acting for the camera.
Learners will study to calibrate performances based
on shot size and angle, hitting marks, emotional and
physical continuity, as well repetition of verform^ances. They will also explore the movie musical,
and compare and contrast the actorʼs job in stage musicals versus the movie counterparts.
KEY POINTS OF SUCCESS:
Adult learners/ students are immersed in the howʼs and whyʼs of acting and teachers will introduce
the following topics:
• Relaxation: How to release tensions that get in the way of acting.
• Method: How to act truthfully moment to moment.
• Scene Study: How to identify the dramatic beats of the scene and needs of the characters.
• Movement: How character and action can expressed without words.
• Voice: Use of voice to reveal character.
• Acting for Camera: How to work in front of the lens, hit marks, use eye-lines, create fresh
performances for every take.
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