prefecting their craft
He also delivered the first of three masterclasses he will teach as a
visiting master teacher this academic year.
Stepping Up to the Next Level
“I’m here to be a full participant in the building of this absolutely
rare, extraordinary center for helping young students fulfill the
craft of acting, fulfill their own desires [and fulfill] their hunger to
be more adept,” said Silverberg. “My vision [for Shenandoah] is to
become the center of the Meisner work and authentic acting that
really represents a new generation in actor training.”
While the newly developed program “officially” launches next fall,
current acting students are already learning their craft within the
new curricular model. This summer, Fecteau and Miller attended
a two-week Meisner certificate program at Silverberg’s True
Acting Institute in Salem, Oregon. As the youngest participants,
they joined their professors — Fransen and Ruscella — under
Silverberg’s expert tutelage.
A student of legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner, Silverberg
began his professional training at the Neighborhood Playhouse
School of Theatre. Throughout his career, he worked steadily
as an actor and a director across the United States and Canada.
He has taught some of the world’s most recognized actors and
acting coaches. He has also written a series of textbooks on acting,
including the renowned four-book series, the “Sanford Meisner
Approach,” widely considered the primary source for training
actors at studios worldwide. In addition to writing and teaching
workshops, he runs his own company, the True Acting Institute.
“To me, the Meisner technique is the most organic, healthy and
human means of reinvigorating a person’s natural ability to be fully
involved, fully engaged, fully attentive and fully in communion with
the world around them,” said Silverberg. “That is the art of acting.
It’s also the art of fully living. That’s why the Meisner technique is so
powerful. It empowers the individual to be fully human.”
According to Silverberg, each step in the technique lays a
foundation for something that’s coming ahead.
“Going to Oregon this summer was one of the best decisions I ever
made,” said Miller. “Not only did I get to work directly with Larry
Silverberg, I got to work with actors and teachers from around
the world. The Meisner technique has made me more aware as a
person. It’s not only about acting, it’s also a life skill.”
“Larry Silverberg learned from Sanford Meisner, and that is
essentially what we’re doing in our program,” said Fecteau. “Our
approach isn’t character acting. It’s a formula to strip the individual
down to being a real person who can have real experiences on stage.
Acting is not pretending; it’s living truthfully under ‘imaginary
circumstances.’
“The only way to apply this technique is to be available to the
people around you,” continued Fecteau. “When you’re onstage and
you’re on camera, you have to make yourself available to whatever
is going to happen to you. You have to find a way to be open and
not live inside your head.”
“It’s very rigorous in ways that no student could imagine, but
the payoff is huge,” he said. “Some students come into an acting
program without an understanding that acting is a craft that requires
the same rigor as, say, a ballet dancer. No dancer would ever attempt
‘Swan Lake’ without spending hours and hours a day at the barre
for years. Most actors don’t expect that kind of training. When they
come to Meisner classes, it’s a great awakening.”
Assistant Professor of
Theatre/Acting J.J. Ruscella,
M.F.A., brings his experience
as an actor, author,
director and filmmaker to
Shenandoah Conservatory’s
new acting program.
Acting
Faculty
Kirsten Trump
Carolyn Coulson
Jason Kaufman
Jonathan Flom
Larry Silverberg
J.J. Ruscella
Sally Anderson
magazine
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