In this 6 morning intensive course you will move your body and use your voice in challenging and focused exercises to learn the principles of the “SAFE method” and the powerful skill of “teaching yourself”!

By the end of the course you will have a clear grasp of your true potential as a performer by exploring and fine tuning your instrument (body and voice), examining possibilities of expression and exploring in depth the power of details in your every word, motion and deliberately executed choice, when embodying a character, text or story. You will learn a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating the obstacles in the way of your creative freedom and your best performance, by finding new exciting ways of bringing a story to life and being present in the moment using fundamental tools of the acting craft, as applied by actors across the globe, from stage to screen to voice- and motion capture performance in video games and new media.

This acting masterclass was created using feedback from our students as well as insights acquired during previous iterations of the course. This is a great opportunity for previous students to reinforce what they learned and apply it; and for new participants to benefit from this highly successful process.

The course utilizes principles and exercises of the SAFE method. An original system developed by Masanari Sasaki to allow the actor (and any artist or creative human being) to become:

• Self-expressed
• Authentic
• Free
• Energized

Day one: The actor’s body: The extraordinary instrument for storytelling.
Day two: The actor’s voice. Produced by the actor’s body. Speaking the text.
Day three: Presence. Being in the moment. Concerns and freedom.
Day four: The character in context of a play, a scene or a speech.
Day five: Rehearsal and performance . All participants will perform a group scene, movement based with no words.
Day six: Rehearsal and performance. All participants will perform a monologue.

All six days of the course include a small warm up routine as well as practical exercises that will challenge the actor physically and mentally.

At the end of the course the actor will have a new relationship to their body, voice and text that will empower them and open them up to new possibilities as artists.

About the Instructor

Masanari Sasaki is from Shizuoka, Japan. He grew up and received his education in the United States. He is a graduate of the PTTP at the University of Delaware where he received his MFA in theatre.

During his training he studied and worked with internationally renowned directors and coaches (Jewel Walker, Adrian Hall, Tadashi Suzuki, Heinz Uwe-Haus, The Roy Heart Theatre) in a variety of styles focusing mostly on classical plays.

Some notable influences in his teaching and coaching method are the exercises and directing style of Tadashi Suzuki, whose company he joined right after graduating upon his return to Japan.

Also the approach to movement from the corporeal mime of Etienne Decroux and the possibility of the human voice as explored by Kristin Linklater and The Roy Hart Theatre.