The Salon (week nights)
Dates:
Duration:
Times:
Tutor:
Full Fee:
Deposit:
TBA - WEEKDAY EVENINGS
4 weeks OR 8 weeks
7pm to 9.30pm weeknights
Richard Sarell
$250 or $500 weeknights
$61.50
"The Salon" - a place for working professionals to practice their skills and explore techniques.
Actors bring their own scenes and determine their own focus for sessions or can choose to use scenes from The Rehearsal Room's files
Trained actors and working actors can use The Salon to keep exploring their craft. Supported by an experienced professional director they can also choose to record their scenes or exercises on video to study or analyse before their next session.
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) A supportive environment to explore your chosen goal
Experienced actors know what they need to work on. Sometimes they just want to keep working. That's what The Salon provides - a chance to follow the creative performance path each individual wants to explore.
2) Professional advice and support
Guidance can be helpful to expand challenges or suggest solutions. Richard Sarell's professional expertise enables him to offer encouragement or alternative options to a variety of performance processes. Often the best guidance simply clarifies that the actor is on the right path. Richard will support in actor in their goals.
3) Well organised and productive sessions
A professional working space makes sure that individuals are respected and that goals are clearly organised. The Salon operates on the basis that actors are clear about their purpose so that they can assess their progress or achievements.
4) Logical and professional strategies will apply
Assessments by other actors and Richard will be logical and clearly argued. That way they are supportive and the critique is helpful. Statements such as "I feel that worked" or "I feel that didn't work" are not specific enough. Debate will be based on clear reasons.
5) Opportunity to expand techniques
Richard specializes in very effective and efficient techniques that have evolved to work at the speed required for TV and screen. One technique equips actors with between 2 - 10 minutes preparation to attend an audition with 9 options to offer. And switching between those options during an audition takes between 10 - 20 seconds. Actors interested in exploring those and similar techniques can choose to do so.
6) Flexible use of the time and space
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...
- You have a strong foundation to your acting process and you want to keep working
- You have had difficulty finding a supportive professional place to work at expanding your skills
- You know that maintaining your craft means constantly practicing
- You are committed to your skills but have an open mind to assess the value of new techniques
- You are confused about some aspects of acting technique and are seeking some clarification
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 2.5 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 and that's the source of his range of skills to help steer an actor through a scene. He loves discussing the nuances of acting but does so in very practical ways. Sharing his views of acting process with actors who have wide experience and skills is very rewarding for him.
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.
THE FIRST SALON SESSION CAN START AS SOON AS THERE ARE ACTORS TO FILL IT.