ACTING.

The trick is not to lie isn't it?

To be so immersed in the world of the story that no one can see you act.

That's the goal isn't it-- to just be living moment to moment in the flow of story?

For me sometimes this takes place intuitively- sometimes you just know how to BE this person right?

But when it's not-- you need a tool box- a set of skills and ideas to help you find this place- as well as deepen your craft if you're already tapped in.

WHAT I TEACH

I teach you how to ask the right questions, and help you be awake in our body so you have the best chance of being completely present and free to access your creativity.

​My teaching is based on Stanislavksi’s method but also includes a whole load of modalities from sensory to movement, to scene work, improvisation, Uta Hagen and animal work. There is no one way, there is just the way that works for you and that's what I will help you discover.

I will also help you discover YOU - because if you don't know who you are-- you can't be the best actor you want to me.

We will look at how you're limited in yourself, physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally to help you come alive to yourself and the work. Even the best actors have areas where they aren't available to the emotional range the role needs from them so this work is essential for your growth- and will also light you up.

We will look at your belief systems - and see if you might be affected by anxiety or limited personal beliefs about who you are and what you deserve and we will stretch and poke at that till you are in a range that feels good for you.

So there will be a lot to take in and I have outlined more below BUT there is one goal over all keeping this together, and that’s to help you connect truthfully and honestly into the work using every part of yourself and to have fun in the process.

We do all this so that once performance time happens, we can let it all go and just be in the moment so that instinct can take flight.

Trust me- this is fun and that’s the REAL goal isn’t it?

WHAT YOU WILL EXPLORE IN CLASS.

YOU

To act well you have to know who you are—and how you actually behave in your own life so you can live this accurately. We will interrogate what is your range of emotions, and look at ways you can be larger and braver than you were before you walked in the room.

WATCHING REAL LIFE

So many times as actors we do the OPPOSITE of what people do in real life. We yell and rant and ‘go for the emotion’ and wallow in the story having a wonderful time but affecting no one but ourselves. We generalise and push.

The work here is to watch what happens ‘in real life’ by relentlessly observing ourselves and others. Over time we notice how instead of bursting into emotion- we go well out of our way to avoid feeling uncomfortable feelings like sadness or grief. We notice how we do all sort of things to avoid conflict – and all the subtle manipulations people employ so they can get what they want- we rarely do things upfront- we deny how we feel, we try and diffuse, we charm – especially when the stakes are high- we rarely try and win in real life by yelling.

So by observing real life obsessively we bring a new found accuracy to our work which helps us concentrate on simply affecting and changing the other actor and thereby also the audience.

YOU IN THE GROUP

We will look at how the group works together- and how to listen, how to respond how to support the whole. You will get a chance to be seen, and see others in a safe environment you are help create as well as move outside the ‘bubble’ of your own work which might ‘feel’ good but ultimately renders you a boring actor.

BEING WRONG.

A lot of our life and our creativity is blocked because we think there is a right way to do—in these classes we deliberately do things “incorrectly” so the students learn just how many great things come from the surprising and the unexpected. We also learn that there is no “right way” just lots and lots of possibilities.

TECHNICAL TERMS

Stanislavksi believed that you don't put on a 'character' it's YOU but in different circumstances.

To do this he created a load of question so that you can make this transformation very accurate.
His main idea was "What if..." – so for example what if I was born in USA in 1963, with a single mother, and no education- what if this was really me- how would I behave?" These questions are called the ‘Given Circumstances’ and they lead us into the most exciting world of research that will help our work grow exponentially.

He taught that by really understanding "Who am I? Where am I? When am I? What do I want? How am I going to get it? What is the obstacle?" relentlessly you can truly iNHABIT the role.

YOU WON'T "ACT" YOU WILL TRULY “BE”.

OBJECTIVE – MOTIVATION - STAKES

To act we need to want something, to act well we need to want something badly! To know what we want we literally break down the script and analyse what we are fighting for/ what our objectives are ‘moment to moment’ so we can 'win' the scene as well as the whole story. It sounds tedious but it’s the key to great freedom.

ACTION WORK

In acting – we need to affect someone – we need to get someone to do something feel something or understand something –this is called ‘playing an action’ and we learn how to do this line by line to this by working out what out action will be.

ACTION WORK

In acting – we need to affect someone – we need to get someone to do something feel something or understand something –this is called ‘playing an action’ and we learn how to do this line by line to this by working out what out action will be.

WAKING UP OUR SENSES AND FOCUS

We need to be awake to our physical senses so much of our class work at the beginning is tuned into making sure this part of ourselves is alert and activated so we can serve the story and truly bring it to life. We also use sensory work to connect in with the past life of the character and align their memories with our own, so the work truly feels “lived”.

THE VOICE

Learning how to project, articulate enunciate but most importantly have fun with the voice and see how great a tool it is in performance.

UNDERSTANDING STORY

We learn to look at story and see how being very specific about the world of the story can help us use our imagination to transport us there as we begin to act with our new circumstances.

ANIMAL WORK

We spend time studying and then being animals and then “grow” these animals into characters who have stories to tell and real lives born from the imaginative process.

OTHER ACTORS

Your lifeline is the other actor and affecting them in some way-- that's really all you have to focus on to be good. To do this you need to stop affecting yourself and 'going for the emotion' and try and make that other person change in some way- or understand you, or do something.

​
PERSONAL WORK

This is where we explore where we are blocked emotionally. For some this comes up as unable to be vulnerable, or angry. If this is you, the choices in your performance will be very limited until this gets released. This work can get addictive once you get used to it, as you break through areas of your self that were off limits because they were ‘bad’ or ‘weak’ and you feel so much lighter and powerful. But you need to be willing to do the work here and be ruthlessly honest about where you need to grow as a person so you can become a better actor.

For an actor to thrive ideally they need to love and accept all part of themselves and approve of their goals in a healthy way. So if you are your own worst enemy this needs to be routed out and healed and for some I recommend outside help for this – acting is never therapy.

We also study ways to deal with anxiety and ways you might self-sabotage along with learning about your limiting beliefs and maybe even judgements you might have about your goal. To succeed in this business you truly have to be your own cheer squad I believe- or as Charles Chaplin said “You have to believe in yourself, that’s the secret”.

WHY LEARN FROM ME?

​My name is Sancia Robinson and I'm a NIDA trained actor, a successful television producer, writer and acting teacher.

I have worked on 'Neighbours', 'Spicks and Specks', 'Thank God You're Here', 'We Can Be Heroes' as well as groundbreaking documentaries like 'First Contact' and 'Luke Warm Sex' and had lead roles for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company and Malthouse.

Here is a link to my IMDB for TV www.imdb.com/name/nm0733072/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

​This unique combination of experience gives me a niche and lived understanding of what it takes to GET the job, as well as what it means to DO it and, most importantly, LOVE it.

This year I am teaching at the National Theatre, a whole range of classes at NIDA Open and privately.

If you are keen to know more about how we could work together-- please click below or email me at sanciarobinson@gmail.com as I would love to tell you more.