Method Studio drama classes
Thu, 24 Apr 2003, 12:08 amStevelee7 posts in thread
Method Studio drama classes
Thu, 24 Apr 2003, 12:08 amPlaces are still availbale on the Method Studio drama courses. Anyone who is interested in either the acting Through Improvisation or Advanced Scene/Shakespeare courses should get in touch a.s.a.p. as this next set of classes begin on May 3rd.
Full details available under The Method Studio or in the Auditions section.
Full details available under The Method Studio or in the Auditions section.
Re: Teaching Method
Fri, 25 Apr 2003, 06:27 pmKerri wrote:
> For those of you who want to pursue acting professionally,
> you could do no better than to start with Stephens classes
> and you can rest assured of having a very solid footing to
> help you on your way.
>
> For those of us who dont want to become professionals, but
> still love performing in community theatre, we also need to
> keep our skills sharpened and we need to keep improving our
> own performances.
>
Hi Kerri
You left out those of us who ARE professionals...the advice about sharpening our skills applies just as much to us. I'm about to do Stephen's Acting Through Improvisation course...to find out how much I still don't know!
> There are a lot of people around who use the saying "Those
> who can't do, teach". As much as that annoys me, you
> certainly can't use that phrase for Stephen....
I don't know where the phrase "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." originated, but it seems to be a wry and cynical observation about a lot of occupations...actor, opera singer, concert pianist, professional athlete, novel writer, etc ... where not only a high degree of skill but something else is needed to succeed, that goes beyond a qualification.
The actual skills involved (which can take years of mastery, mind you) are more easily obtained than that elusive extra quality that allows someone to actually DO the occupation professionally. Given that they're still a highly trained individual, it seems a reasonable alternative to become a coach or teacher to pass those skills on...the problem being that not every person with skills to teach is necessarily going to be any good at teaching them. And there's the element of frustration and perhaps cynicism from the wannabe professional who doesn't have their heart set on teaching and perhaps resents the pupils that are trying to have a crack at the profession the teacher never quite succeeded at.
The phrase is misleading though, if you try to refer to the teaching profession. Those who can, do. Those who can't...still do? (Actually that sadly IS the case with quite a few teachers I remember encountering...but they probably belonged in the frustrated wannabe-something-else category.)
Good teachers are also an occupation that needs that spark of 'something extra', besides a qualification. In fact some very good teachers don't ever actually work as 'teachers' with a qualification...but they have that desire and ability to teach that enables them to connect with a student and impart learning.
(Maybe it was more to do with my acting skills, but I've often been in the position of being able to teach kids [and adults] a skill that I barely had myself...ie how to build a raft, for instance. I'd only been shown how myself the day before, so it wasn't so much a case of imparting a high degree of skill as it was of understanding how to help them learn and achieve. [It floated!])
I'd probably make a lousy professional teacher, because I'd definitely wannabe doing something else with my skills. But I still find myself working in 'teacher' mode quite often, not because it's a step down from where I really want to be, but because it's deeply gratifying to be able to pass on the professional skills I love using, to people who enjoy learning them...whether it's acting, singing, circus tumbling, kayaking or scuba diving. Getting paid to share these skills I love is just an added bonus...maybe that's part of the 'extra quality' that defines a good teacher.
I can understand how the general misinterpretation of the phrase must annoy you, Kerri....don't worry, I don't think there's any doubt from anyone you've taught (student or otherwise) that you'd be classified as a 'those who can'!
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
> For those of you who want to pursue acting professionally,
> you could do no better than to start with Stephens classes
> and you can rest assured of having a very solid footing to
> help you on your way.
>
> For those of us who dont want to become professionals, but
> still love performing in community theatre, we also need to
> keep our skills sharpened and we need to keep improving our
> own performances.
>
Hi Kerri
You left out those of us who ARE professionals...the advice about sharpening our skills applies just as much to us. I'm about to do Stephen's Acting Through Improvisation course...to find out how much I still don't know!
> There are a lot of people around who use the saying "Those
> who can't do, teach". As much as that annoys me, you
> certainly can't use that phrase for Stephen....
I don't know where the phrase "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." originated, but it seems to be a wry and cynical observation about a lot of occupations...actor, opera singer, concert pianist, professional athlete, novel writer, etc ... where not only a high degree of skill but something else is needed to succeed, that goes beyond a qualification.
The actual skills involved (which can take years of mastery, mind you) are more easily obtained than that elusive extra quality that allows someone to actually DO the occupation professionally. Given that they're still a highly trained individual, it seems a reasonable alternative to become a coach or teacher to pass those skills on...the problem being that not every person with skills to teach is necessarily going to be any good at teaching them. And there's the element of frustration and perhaps cynicism from the wannabe professional who doesn't have their heart set on teaching and perhaps resents the pupils that are trying to have a crack at the profession the teacher never quite succeeded at.
The phrase is misleading though, if you try to refer to the teaching profession. Those who can, do. Those who can't...still do? (Actually that sadly IS the case with quite a few teachers I remember encountering...but they probably belonged in the frustrated wannabe-something-else category.)
Good teachers are also an occupation that needs that spark of 'something extra', besides a qualification. In fact some very good teachers don't ever actually work as 'teachers' with a qualification...but they have that desire and ability to teach that enables them to connect with a student and impart learning.
(Maybe it was more to do with my acting skills, but I've often been in the position of being able to teach kids [and adults] a skill that I barely had myself...ie how to build a raft, for instance. I'd only been shown how myself the day before, so it wasn't so much a case of imparting a high degree of skill as it was of understanding how to help them learn and achieve. [It floated!])
I'd probably make a lousy professional teacher, because I'd definitely wannabe doing something else with my skills. But I still find myself working in 'teacher' mode quite often, not because it's a step down from where I really want to be, but because it's deeply gratifying to be able to pass on the professional skills I love using, to people who enjoy learning them...whether it's acting, singing, circus tumbling, kayaking or scuba diving. Getting paid to share these skills I love is just an added bonus...maybe that's part of the 'extra quality' that defines a good teacher.
I can understand how the general misinterpretation of the phrase must annoy you, Kerri....don't worry, I don't think there's any doubt from anyone you've taught (student or otherwise) that you'd be classified as a 'those who can'!
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]