The Method Studio 2003

THE METHOD STUDIO

As reported late last year, The Method Studio drama classes will be starting up in Perth this February. The Method Studio is a new drama school, affiliated to the school of the same name in London, and offering a range of courses for both the student and more experienced actors. Eventually we hope to be able to give students a chance to build their own programme of classes, allowing anything between a single class and a fully intensive course. We are also able to offer a fast track entry procedure to the London school, for those who wish to continue their studies in Europe.

The Teacher

Classes will be taught by Stephen Lee. Born in London, Stephen worked extensively as a professional actor in both Theatre and Television before concentrating on directing and teaching. He has directed well over fifty productions, including at Her MajestyÂ’s Theatre, Haymarket (now home of Phantom of the Opera). He has taught Shakespeare and classical theatre studies at The Method Studio, London; The Lee Strasberg studio and Italia Conti. He also worked for some years with a professional improvisation troupe in London. He is currently directing The Taming of the Shrew for GRADS.

The Classes

Initially we will be offering three classes, two eight week courses and one six week:

Acting through Improvisation: This course teaches the fundamentals of acting using improvisation exercises. It is an excellent introduction for the less experienced student while offering a great deal for the experienced actor who wishes to brush up on improvisational skills. The course covers: images; emotion and sense memory; objectives and conflicts; eye-contact; layering and focus; and gives the student a good grounding of how to approach a scene that can be carried over into script work. Saturdays 22nd Feb. - 12th April 10.00 am - 1.00 pm

Shakespeare: For more experienced actors, this course covers the playing of Shakespeare as is primarilly based around students’ practical work on monologues and scenes. The course covers the conventions of the Elizabethan theatre; Shakespeare’s language; verse-speaking and the customs and society of the late sixteenth century. Our aim is to make Shakespeare “real” and accessible (far too often he is approached as if he were some kind of alien) while keeping faithful to both meaning and intention. Saturdays 22nd Feb. - 12th April 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm


Advanced scene study: A six week course, again aimed at more experienced students, this practical class offers the chance to work in depth on scenes and speeches from Classical theatre. We will cover work from Ancient Greek Drama; Jacobean theatre; Restoration Comedy; Comedy of Manners; Melodrama and the work of Ibsen Chekhov, Shaw and Wilde. We will explore the conventions and customs of different times and societies and hence the differences in style and approach needed by an actor when performing.
Mondays 10th March. - 14th April 7.00 pm - 10.00 pm

All classes will be at the Blue Room theatre, Northbridge

The Cost

For the first two courses above, the cost will be $220 each for eight three-hour classes. For the Advanced scene study, the cost will be $165 for six classes. We can offer discounts if more than one class is booked. Class numbers will kept low, so please book early.

Contact

Please get in contact with Stephen Lee if you wish to book classes or for more details. Telephone: 9459 4313. e-mail: stephen.lee@tpg.com.au


A final word to all those who attended our introductory classes in December: I am sorry that I have not been able to contact you all personally, as I have suffered the extreme annoyance of a hard-drive failure that wiped out a lot of data. My apologies. I can however offer an extra 10% discount to anyone who took the introductory course and wishes to book any of the above classes Stephen Lee