Monthly Archives: March 2017

Mar 29

Rehearsal Room launches new website

By Richard Sarell | News

Well we are finally here.  We have a new website.

Please bear with us over the next couple of weeks as we tweak the final bits and pieces to get everything perfect.

Most importantly, make sure that you check out our latest workshops that are ready for enrollment.

Thanks  for visiting!

 

Richard…

Mar 17

Comedy Boot Camp with guest LUKE McGREGOR

By Richard Sarell | Intensives

Luke McGregor Comedy Masterclass

Dates:

Duration:

Times:

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Full Fee:


Saturday 17 March

(4 hours)

12noon to 4pm

Richard Sarell, Kyahl Anderson, & Luke McGregor

$130.00


Come and learn from one of Australia's funniest story-tellers! The Rehearsal Room will host comedian and actor Luke McGregor as he helps us explore what makes us laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Jesse Chaffey 

"Being able to identify and speak about everyday things we all experience in a comedic way makes for a highly entertaining show, because the audience knows exactly what the comedian is talking about. That's what makes Luke McGregor so side-splitting and hysterical."

Jesse Chaffey, Comedy News


What will be covered in this course?

1) Work with Luke McGregor on a comedy scene

You will be paired up with another actor and be given a scene to play with during the workshop.

2) QnA with Luke McGregor

Richard Sarell and Luke will have a chat about what makes Luke's comedy tick. There will be a chance for a few questions from the audience too.

3) Spend time with the Rehearsal Room team working on your scene

Richard and Kyahl will both work with actors throughout the afternoon in conjunction with Luke.

THIS IS FOR YOU IF...

  • You don't have the trust in yourself to be funny
  • You feel you don't know how to be funny
  • You are experienced with comedy looking for a fresh perspective on comedy
  • You have little experience in comedy and want to learn more

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THESE SKILLS …

  • You have much less chance of standing out from the crowd
  • TOTALLY realistic performances could well elude you
  • Auditions will be scary rather than fun
  • You won’t be in charge of your performance.
Glenn, Richard & Kyah at the first $10 Sunday

ABOUT LUKE

Luke McGregor started his stand up comedy career in Tasmania in 2007 when he entered the raw comedy competition after one of the contestants didn’t show up. Since then he has gone from strength to strength, performing sold out seasons at international comedy festivals and developing critically acclaimed content for the ABC. 

2017 saw Luke return to stand up with sell-out seasons of his brand new solo show "Almost Fixed It" in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, as well as seeing Luke back writing/co-starring in Rosehaven. 

ABOUT RICHARD

Richard first discovered the core values of this acting technique when he was directing drama at the ABC in Melbourne in 1984.  Since then he has continued to explore and expand the understandings that evolved from these simple beginnings.  He has found these techniques produce high quality performances for drama as well as comedy.


One half day
(12noon - 4pm) 
Saturday 17 March 2018

Learn skills you will use throughout your career. Learn to be real, to be versatile, to be a great listener and to be skilled in auditions. 

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Mar 02

The Salon

By Richard Sarell | Acting Classes & Workshops

The Salon - Monday evenings

Dates:

Duration:

Times:

Tutor:

Full Fee:

2 March - 30 March

5 weeks

7pm to 9:30pm

Richard Sarell

$310 (5 weeks) 


ALSO AVAILABLE ON SUNDAYS ...

ATTENTION: PROFESSIONAL ACTORS

Do you fear when you enter the audition room that you are rusty!!  The actor with the best chance of getting the gig is the one who has just finished one. That's because they have been working.

Do you want to keep working? If you want to keep your professional audition skills up to speed, you can now keep stretching your acting muscles in a supportive professional environment.  A place which encourages you to try new things and test established process.  A place that supports you to fail forward.  Imagine walking away from a session not questioning if you are good enough, but questioning how far you can take it.

Imagine walking into your next audition knowing that your professional audition skills are super charged.

"The Salon" is a place for working professionals to practice their skills and explore techniques. Actors bring their own scenes and determine their own focus for sessions, thereby being in charge of their destiny (use scenes from The Rehearsal Room files if you wish). Supported by an experienced professional director (Richard Sarell) actors can choose to record their work on video to analyse before their next session.

David Paterson Chopper, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Saving Mr. Banks, Frost Nixon, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I have observed leading teacher directors in the US and UK and Richard shares with them that facility to guide actors through the guff to the heart of the scene.


What does The Salon provide?

1) The chance to be work ready for your next audition

Do you feel those audition nerves kick in because you know your professional audition skills are rusty?  The Salon is the place where you can stretch your acting muscles and maintain a healthy actor's mind. Enter your next audition with confidence that you are work ready.

2) A supportive working environment

Do you find acting teachers tell you how to do an audition rather than provide you with options? Experienced actors know what they need to work on - they just need practical suggestions.  That's what The Salon provides - a chance to follow your own creative learning path.  

3) Professional advice and support

Your acting skills are what is on display in the audition room.  Richard is expert at explaining simple practical tools  that translate into flexible techniques in the audition room. He is also expert at listening to your goals.  Imagine having simple solutions that are exciting to apply.

4) Well organised sessions

Do you often find the loudest or most needy actor can dominate a group?  A professional working space makes sure that individuals are respected and that goals are clearly organised.  That is why The Salon requires actors to be clear about their purpose so that they can accurately assess their progress.  

5) Logical and professional strategies

Do you often feel that a teacher's direction for a scene is based on their personal preference rather than a valid alternative? It is essential for a good relationship that both the actor and the teacher must be able to explain the logic and the value of their choices.  The value of a choice connects directly to the telling of the story, the relationship of the characters and logical detail of the circumstances.  If it can't be explained simply it isn't a practical performance option.

6) Opportunity to expand techniques

Do you often feel that an acting class just offers the same tired old explanations?  A host of new very practical techniques are on offer.  Can you turn up to an audition with NINE performance choices that took you less than 10 minutes to prepare that you can switch between in seconds?  Explore these professional audition skills, if you wish.

7) Flexible use of the time and space

Do you often feel that class time is wasted meaning you don't get your money's worth?  Actors will be supported in using the time and space in the most efficient way to make sure they gain maximum benefit from the sessions

THIS IS FOR YOU IF...

  • A strong foundation to your acting process is your ongoing quest
  • It is difficult to find a supportive professional place to work at expanding your skills
  • You know that maintaining your craft means constantly practicing
  • Keeping exercising your acting muscle is a priority
  • Some aspects of acting technique are confusing and you need some clarification of professional auditioning skills

THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF …

  • Your acting process is well oiled, working beautifully and requires no further practice
  • Doubts about your choices for a scene never happen and you are always confident of your preparation for auditions
  • Working quickly for screen performances is no problem for you and you always have lots of options
  • It is too hard to find 4 hours a week to work on your acting in your current schedule
  • Missing out on the fun of this great experience won't bother you    🙂

ABOUT RICHARD...

Over 25 years working as a professional TV director Richard worked with actors with widely ranging skill sets. From the trained but inexperienced to the totally untrained to the highly trained and very experienced. He always remembers with pride that after giving notes to WAPA trained actor Niki Wendt on the second series of "Embassy" British actor Brian Marshall commented, "That direction was pure Stanislavski."

Because some actors were not formally trained Richard had to evolve a variety of methods of dealing with them. That's the source of his range of skills that help steer an actor through a scene.

In November 2017 The Rehearsal Room techniques were thoroughly tested in a production of Shelagh Stephenson's "The Memory of Water" which Richard directed. The response from critics and audiences was fantastic. They loved the vibrantly fresh performances.

One exciting aspect of this production was that performances were different every night. There were eleven performances and eleven different endings. Despite the changes the actors spontaneously brought to each performance the same story was delivered in each show. The result was a rich lifelike spontaneity. Critics comments such as ... the "performers are subtle, connected, and more truthful with a whisper than many an actor is with a holler" and "truthful to the point we forgot we were seeing a play" ... reveal the success of this approach.

Richard often says, “When I hear actors analyzing the potential problems in a scene and sharing a range of simple solutions my spirits instantly rise." His unwavering belief is that actors need to be in charge of their choices.

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IF YOU WISH TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?   LET ME KNOW HERE

The world of acting’s is competitive enough! Are you sick of acting classes that feel competitive, unsupportive and just plain intimidating?


THE NEXT SALON SESSION STARTS ON 18 November