When theatres across the country are shuttered and production ceased, what happens to aspiring actors?

We took a look at how faculty members are continuing their rigorous training instruction amidst restrictions in physical proximity and spacing. Monica Bell, professor of acting in the Department of Theatre, has applied creativity and ingenuity to instruction in her Movement I class.

Bell’s course is rooted in two distinct techniques of actor training. The Suzuki method develops body awareness, concentration, and focus through ritualized walks and repetitive movements. Bell conducts this training in the Edwards studio.

“These are exercises of the imagination as well.”

Bell’s class progresses outside for the Viewpoint method. This method of actor training involves exercises of movement, gesture, creative use of space, and consideration of the body’s and the mind’s responses to our surroundings. The Edwards Courtyard is a perfect environment for this technique, with its architecture and patterns of lines, squares, circles, and levels.

“Investigate kinesthetic response: Don’t let something pass you by without its affecting you.”

Students featured: Claire Campbell, Drake Cunningham, Danielle Danis, Zachary Foley, Aiden Gates Shields, Wilburn Hancock, Joshua Johnson, Sarah Krawczyk, Mickenzie Lee, Mitchell Maguire, Annabelle Ravenscroft, and Corin Wiggins.