with John Markland

Toronto, Canada
May 26th - 30th

 There are infinite variations of self, or in other words, we are everyone. BUT we live a narrowed version of all that we could be. Consciously choosing aspects of personality, behavior, expression, tone, style, energy, speech, posture all so that others may find us pleasing, safe, seductive, controllable or small. But behind our mental doors or in our emotional basements, other parts of us survive, barely, but they see a slice of light through the blackened window and dream of what it would be like to live in the world. 

We are drawn to acting for hundreds of reasons but within in most of us is a calling to be seen, to be heard, to be accepted and ultimately, to express ourselves. If we are only expressing parts of our self to the world in which we live, how much can we lend to those we are tasked to breath an authentic life into? The more whole you are. The more aware you are. The deeper you are. And the deeper you art will be. Maybe creating characters too real to absorb, at times, for they will reflect that which most are not able to express… or fear to. 

This approach focuses on exposing and integrating the unexpressed selves. We will invite, coax or suggest or we may have to run into the burning building, scratch and claw deep into the soil to bring these parts of ourselves to life again. Liberating each one of these unexpressed selves, we will grow bolder, truer, more vibrant, bigger and inevitably, come closer to being who we authentically are. 

We will explore the unexpressed through movement, posture, eye contact, facial expression, vocal tone and cadence, gesture and breath. Creating rich, unusual and wholly original characters. 

The second part of this approach will be to empathize with the emotions we discover through these characters. We will engage this through allowing the emotions to transform or evolve from one state to the next, allowing these selves to live in this world… witnessed… accepted. 

You will be tasked with creating four characters. One will be a self buried during childhood. One discarded from a love relationship. One denied from a cultural/social environment. And one imprisoned because you judged them as ugly or unlovable. Prep-work will include being an honest mirror, behavioral investigation, journaling, revisiting and mimicking. We’ll interreact with your characters through live interviews, improved and scripted scene work as well as private moments.