Confidence from Creativity

I remember the very first time I walked upstairs to an acting class like it was yesterday. My belly rumbled, my heart raced and my hands were glistening with nervous perspiration. Every part of me was instructing that I run in the opposite direction. Thankfully I ignored those impulses and thus began my journey into the most rewarding activity I have ever taken part in. For the nervous and unconfident among us acting classes can be a transformative experience. They have the ability to make you dig deep to emotions you might generally repress. It forces you to reach out well past your boundaries and helps you see your fears for what they really are and it allows you to be vulnerable with your fellow classmates and, in my experience, form deep friendships in very short spaces of time.

You see, Im not sure we are built to be emotionally void, robotic unplayful creatures. Or allowed only to reveal ourselves when inebriated in some way or another. In this way taking a class, particularly an acting one allows you to reveal parts of yourself sometimes kept under wraps. Some of my favorite acting techniques come from the teachings of a man called Constantine Stanislavski. And this April renowned acting couch Dee Cannon, who has taught at RADA for almost 17 years. will be coming to Ireland to teach these very skills.

Often these practices are know universally as ‘Method’ made famous by actors such as Daniel Day Lewis and Adrian Brody. Described as ‘any of a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and feelings of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances. Though not all method actors use the same approach, the "method" in method acting usually refers to the practice, influenced by Constantin Stanislavski and created by Lee Strasberg, in which actors draw upon their own emotions and memories in their portrayals, aided by a set of exercises and practices including sense memory and affective memory. Also similar to Stanislavski's The System.’

At Dee’s masterclass, which will be held at Dunderry Park, she will be covering psychological intention in acting and working a lot using animal preparation and transformation. As always coming up to the class I will feel apprehensive and nervous but will leave on the Sunday feeling like I have achieved something and pushed past my boundaries. I’m sure ill also make another friend or two!

Further Reading: 
  • The Acting Masterclass with Dee Cannon wil run from the 26th-28th at Dunderry Park and costs €250 for Tuition, all meals and accommodation. For more information please contact [email protected].
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