CLASS OUTLINE:
In a nutshell: actors must learn to be present on demand; to sit in primary emotional states of being; and from this, to pursue objectives/actions by playing tactics accurate to the scene, their partner and themselves.

The pedagogy for this on-camera acting technique was developed and refined by David Rotenberg over the past 25+ years. I have been a working actor and a practitioner of these concepts for more than 15 years. This course will fill in some gaps in knowledge for young actors, and reinforce an active and practical approach to working with scripts on-camera. Students will be required to memorize scenes with which to work with on camera.

Although some of these concepts are very intellectual, acting is not. Acting roots itself in the visceral or it becomes narrative. Naturalistic acting, on film especially, must be accurate to the moment (the problem) and to the other person in the scene.

On-camera, language accuracy (text) is less important that emotional truth (states of being). This is the main difference between acting for the stage and acting on-camera, aside from the obvious difference that the audience is much closer to the performers when watching a film. The script, for the most part, only offers the actor context: the "answers" -- or how to play the scene -- depends on who your acting partner is and what they want from you, as well as your own objective in the scene.

SPECIAL GUEST INSTRUCTOR
MARVIN HINZ, B.A., M.F.A., B.Ed.
Marvin has worked in theatre and television over the past 18 years, and holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Acting from York University, where he first met and studied under David Rotenberg 14 years ago. He continues to study with David at the Professional Actors Lab, and has worked in a number of performance group productions under Mr. Rotenberg's direction, including DWARF, The Sins of the Father, and Franz Wedekind's Lulu. Other theatre credits include: Harry Brock in Born Yesterday (Port Hope); The Laramie Project (Studio180/Buddies); Victor in Private Lives (The Globe, Regina); and Joey in The Old Neighborhood (East-West, John Gordon). Recent film and television credits include: The Echo (feature); the CBC short "Unlocked"; CFC short "Two Brothers"; Mayday; Kevin Hill; Riding the Bus with My Sister; Street Time; and Nero Wolfe. Marvin also holds a Bachelor of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto (OISE/UT).
 

To ensure your utmost participation, ALL classes have a limit of 16 students - SPACE IS LIMITED. Attendance is based on a first-come, first-served basis.