Acting: From the Energy of the Word to the Energy of the Scene

About

Course for Actors

With its annual International Theatre Summer Academy, the World Theatre Training Institute opens the subject of self-preparation as a secret to success - hereby offering a supplement to drama school programmes. Both, students and professional theatre professionals find a unique opportunity for personal advanced training.

Self-preparation, which is closely related to self-education and ultimately self-creation, is the central tool for any successful person in today’s society, especially in the arts. Why is self-preparation still not taught at drama schools? The issue is largely neglected and is considered more of a “private matter”, which lends it a mysterious flair.

The International Theatre Summer Academy invites actors, directors, theatre pedagogues and drama teachers to intensively explore and learn the wide range of techniques and methods for self-preparation at the highest professional level. Each year we focus on a specific method for self-directed artistic work:

From the Energy of the Word to the Energy of the Scene

This year’s academy will explore with you the relationship between the energy of the actor, the energy of words, the energy of performance, the energy of the stage, and the energy of the surrounding world. There is a famous quote by Oscar Wilde: “Nature is artificial, and art is natural.” But what if nature is really natural, and the actor is artificial? Or do they change places from time to time? What if the artificiality of theatre and acting is not a consequence of cultural context, but the very essence of human nature, striving for expression and playful transformation of the world?

Our academy takes place in the heart of nature, surrounded by forests and mountains. There will be no familiar stage frames or scenery. Not only will nature become our space for research, but works of art will also become the subject of our work. We will work with elements of theatrical expression, literature, music, and painting, trying to discover how nature can become an active participant in the creation of a theatrical image, and the actor an integrated part of this world.

The Course for Actors will focus on the energy of words – a little-explored area and an underestimated tool in acting practice. The energy of words feeds on the energy of thoughts and ideas; it is the result of the energy of acting, which arises from the energy of the actor. Now the question arises: where do I get all this energy from? Moreover, what is the nature of this energy? How can I handle it, direct it, transform it, regulate it – in short, how to control it?
You will learn about new techniques to open text and meaning through the energy of words. This will be your fundament for our Art Picnic with the Directors.

Both groups will end up working together about the profound interaction between art and the world around it. We will have the opportunity to hear, feel, and see how the energy of theatrical performance can energise the surrounding world and nature, and how the energy of nature can inspire actors to new forms of self-expression.
Join us this summer to explore the boundaries between art and nature, body and space, reality and fiction.

This course includes daily joint training for actors and directors.

Course leader

Christine Schmalor, teacher and researcher at the World Theatre Training Institute AKT-ZENT/ITI. She runs theatre courses worldwide. In 2020, she founded the institute's online theatre academy. However, she prefers face-to-face encounters with artists.

Target group

Emerging and experienced actors, acting students.

Course aim

Artistic self-empowerment.
The subject of self-preparation, which is closely related to self-education and ultimately self-creation, is the central tool for any successful person in today’s society, especially in the arts.
The students will open up various sources to gain energy for their acting, how to use and transform it – as one of the most important elements of their craft.

Fee info

Travel and accommodation at your own expense.