FALL CLASSES START SEPTEMBER 13, 2021!

We know the last year and a half has been hard for everyone. As current students know, we have been having class online since October and, while there are some compromises with having class online, I was surprised to find that there were a lot of benefits to having class online. For one, we were able to welcome students who were not based in Prague!

In order to continue expanding the class, I have decided that we will return to the classroom for fully vaccinated, Prague based students and I will offer an online class for those who are not vaccinated (I will not be accepting negative tests in lieu of vaccination) or live outside of class.

Classes will be held online from 15:30 – 18:00 and in the classroom from 18:30 – 21:00. Please sign up at http://contacts.pragueplayhouse.com/form/do/fid/2 to get more info!

Happy Holidays, everyone! We’re raring to get started on 2021! Winter Acting Term starts January 4, 2021. We will be having class online for the foreseeable future. Class will be split: Monday and Wednesday nights from 18:30 – 20:00 and 20:00 – 21:30. Sign up here!

Covid update! We are moving to online classes from today for at least the next two weeks. Please stay safe! If you didn’t get an email from me with the link to the class, please write me an email!

We are very happy to announce that we will resume limited classes starting May 4 and a wider group May 11 (and new students). If you are interested in joining the class, you MUST register here.

We will be wearing masks, washing hands and practicing social distancing the entire class. Can’t wait to see everyone!

The Spring Term which was supposed to start today is postponed until the government eases restrictions on movement. If you would like to sign up for the class (once it returns), please click here.

I realize that everyone is dealing with the movement restrictions and probably not thinking that much about acting class. I will be posting some activities to do in the coming days. If you have any ideas of what to do while self isolating (besides obsessing over the news), feel free to post here!

Due to the quarantine and to be safe (after all, these are just acting classes and not worth getting sick over!), there will be no more acting classes in the winter term. If you are interested in signing up for the spring term, which is scheduled to start March 30 (subject to change based on how the emergency situation progresses), please fill out the form here (http://contacts.pragueplayhouse.com/form/do/fid/2). At the very least, that will add you to the class mailing list where you will get detailed information about when the class will start and how to register.

Stay safe out there! Wash your hands!

As of now, the classes will continue as planned. Obviously, no one wants to come in contact with the virus and hopefully no one wants to spread it to others, so please: if you are feeling sick or if you have been in contact with someone who is sick (even with just a cold), stay at home. The classes are important but at the end of the day, they’re just acting classes.

All students will be asked to wash their hands before class.

I’m really looking forward to getting back in the classroom after a nice long break! There have been a lot of people interested in the class, but there is still room if you haven’t signed up yet. Please take a look at the Acting for Beginners page for details and you can sign up here if you are interested!

Class starts at 18:30 at Frantiska Krizka 1, 3rd floor, Prague 7!

Hope to see you there!

The last week, I had the pleasure of coaching some young actors who are working on a major TV show for Netflix. The actors were lovely and keen to get to work. We spent the majority of our time on defining and simplifying objectives. Objectives are some of the most basic circumstances you can define when analyzing a scene. Basically an objective is asking the question “what do I want?”.

By defining what you (or, if you are inclined to think about things this way, your character) want in a scene or a particular interaction is a great way to give a sense of direction, rather than just going through the lines. A good objective will help the actor by providing something to focus on (as opposed to thinking about “what would I do in this situation” or “how would I feel”).

There are some ways to refine your objectives which will help them be more effective:

1. Make them as active as possible (instead of “I want to understand” or “I want them to listen” or “I want to feel a certain way”). An active outcome will free you up to feel all sorts of ways and get you out of your head
2. Make them about the other person in the scene. If what you want has nothing to do with the other people in the scene, then maybe you have an “activity” (something you need to get done), but often you can find something you want from someone else in the scene. This will force you to interact with them and respond to what they are reacting to you.
3. Make it as simple. In order to work for you, an objective should be as simple as possible. Try to make it ONE thing (rather than “I want X but I am worried about them wanting Y and I also am kind of afraid of getting X”, just make it “I want X”. Them wanting Y might get in the way (be an obstacle) of what you getting what you want and make you work harder to get X. Usually once you get down to the simple objective, it becomes something that is universal which is easy for you as the actor to buy into (see the next point).
4. It doesn’t have to be related to the script/plot! This is a weird one. If your character wants to deliver a letter, but what’s in the letter means nothing to you, have a think about what would motivate YOU (the actor) to deliver the letter. There are no wrong answers here and what you are looking for is a way for you to connect and care about your (or your character’s) objective. If you give a shit, it’s going to be something you’ll fight for.
5. Make it specific and concrete. The more concrete the objective is, rather than heady or an idea of something, the more of a chance you have at committing to getting it.

Objectives are a simple and powerful tool to connect to and commit to the action that the author wrote for you to undertake in the scene. It’s ok at the start of looking at the scene to come up with broad objectives that are not terribly simple or action based (ie. not following the above points). But keep at it, keep refining them to make them more concrete, more personal, more simple, more needful of the other person in the scene. If you get to the point where you are simply driving for what you want and letting the other people’s reactions hit you, then you’re in a good spot!