I realized yesterday that I needed to remove Giles Foreman’s workshops from our roster… for the time being at least. In spite of knowing they needed to be taken down, I didn’t actually do it until this morning and it wasn’t without a pinch of melancholy. I don’t think we could have possibly gotten off to a better start with our workshops. Giles was tremendous. Using wit, warmth and knowhow he helped us to that all important point for an actor – being private in public. In other words, showing your true self without your daily defenses. We were also lucky to have a wonderful group of actors that were talented and generous. I think with out that sense of wanting to give yourself to another, you can’t really create trust which is imperative for true intimacy.
Giles also brought with him a technique that I was unfamiliar with called the Psychology of Movement based in the teachings of Yat Malmgren and Christopher Fettes from the Drama Centre in London. With just a few small adjustments of posture or gesture, I could actually feel a new way of being bubbling up inside of me. Giles, who is a master of this of course, demonstrated it time and time again. It was fascinating to see him transform himself instantaneously from one new person into the next. Giles does a four week workshop on this technique (one week every other month) that I’m literally jonesing for. I’m hoping to get that started in early winter.
In the meantime, today I’m going to meet Lena Lessing for a coffee. She’ll be teaching her Beats & Actions workshop this September. The sun is shining and beautiful things are on the horizon. Here’s my challenge to you today – dare to drop your guard and let your true feelings roil under your skin. People want to connect with you not your public persona. Dare to be truly intimate with at least one person today. Its not as easy as it sounds but its extremely rewarding.