January 19th, 2019
Italian Rapier for Screen & Stage

The Rapier was the preferred weapon of the nobility throughout Europe for most of the 16th-17th century. This Long, slender-bladed sword was often carried with a dagger and saw frequent use in the streets as well as on the dueling field. Participants will begin by looking at the elements of rapier that must be carried into staged violence. Time permitting, participants will explore how a character’s understanding of those martial principles allows for great acting choices.

January 19-20th, 2019
The Dynamics of Violence for Power: Torture & Domestic Violence

This acting focused seminar will look at the physical, psychological and emotional responses to the use of Violence to gain Power. This is an uncomfortable subject, but it is imperative to acting violence well.

As Rocco Dal Vera said in “The Voice in Violence:” Just as real warriors perform an essential though anguishing service for society, actors also serve as courageous soldiers of the psyche. When we dig deep into the dark underbelly of the human ego and express our shadow selves truthfully in performance, we are helping the audience process that side of their natures, too. Society needs its stories in order to understand itself, and since drama is centered around conflict, violence lies at the heart of many great plays. Human beings kill. We make war. We rape, pillage, torture, and terrify. We can be brutal and animalistic. We even have the capacity to take joy in and revel in these horrors.

This seminar will begin with a look at the physiological reactions of the body in violence. Focus will be given to the “actable” physical reactions of dying. Next, the seminar will go into the psychological and emotional reactions.

The seminar will culminate in a short bit of choreography allowing participants to explore expressing all they have learned in the context of scenes. The goal will be to get the audience (your fellow participants) to feel the power dynamic.