Margolis Method Professor Certification Level I & The Summer Intensive
Wow this summer is flying by like I cannot believe!
We had an enormously successful launch of our Margolis Method Professor Certification Level I program in June. I was thrilled to take part in facilitating this new program as faculty here at the Margolis Method Center. Level I Certification equipped a group of eager and inspiring Theatre Education professionals with concepts, exercises, and improv structures to incorporate into their existing syllabuses at their universities and colleges.
The Center’s Summer Intensive followed right on the heels of the Professor Certification, and we’re currently two weeks into the summer session. It has been phenomenal. As usual, the students joining us in the studio are immensely generous, hard working, and creative. It should prove to be yet another mind blowing summer, and I’m thrilled to be teaching my first classes in one hour Practice sessions where we focus on breaking down exercises for a microscopic exploration of their mechanics and principles.
Original Song – Aiming for the Light
Here’s an older song of mine from my Youtube Channel.
The Kennedy Center, in Washington DC
Wow. I just have to say wow.
This past weekend was the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and I had the honor of assisting Master Teacher Kari Margolis with a Master Class for some of the nation’s best collegiate actors. The students were all so engaged, enthusiastic, and inspiring, and they all really seemed to tap into the spirit of our work. Really great stuff. The Kennedy Center graciously offers a scholarship for a month’s study at our Margolis Method Training Center during our Summer Intensive, and our recipient this year was just phenomenal in presence and spirit. Hopefully more of these amazing artists will join us for summer study.
A huge thank you to the Kennedy Center for all of your support!
Youtube
A lot has changed in my life. I have moved to Barryville, NY to pursue training with the incomparable Kari Margolis in order to become Faculty at the Margolis Method Center.
But more to the point of this post, I am diving back into music. I’m going to be recording old songs, new songs, and some covers. So, head on over to my Youtube Channel and Subscribe!
“In Search of Tonto Blue” in Baltimore, MD
Flier for IN SEARCH OF TONTO BLUE at the Baltimore Theatre Project
Just finished our first weekend with IN SEARCH OF TONTO BLUE at the Baltimore Theatre Project. It was a really great opening weekend, and I had forgotten how much I love the Baltimore Theatre Project! The space is amazing and the staff is passionate and so friendly and upbeat. The frosting on the cake is definitely the neighborhood. I’ve fallen in love with the area around BTP. Spectacular architecture and fantastic food make for a happy tour.
One weekend left, and it should be a great one! Performances and workshops on Saturday & Sunday will make it busy and fulfilling. If you’re in the area, definitely check us out!
Reflection Four: A Summer’s Journey Ends
Reflection Four of my Facebook contributions (found here).
Another amazing summer has flown by! It’s always an eye opening experience to work so intensively with an array of passionate students, all of whom have different levels of experience with the Method. For Company members, who train side by side with artists just entering the program, the fresh perspective of new students helps to “keep us honest.” They bring up questions that can challenge us and also help us clarify concepts and exercises we’ve come to take for granted. Read More
Upcoming Events
There are a lot of projects on the horizon! Margolis Brown ADAPTORS’ show, In Search of Tonto Blue hits Baltimore October 1-10 at the Baltimore Theatre Project. We have a slew of workshops coming up in Baltimore, Minneapolis, and at Viterbo University. Check out the Margolis Method Center’s website for dates and info.
We wrapped up an amazing summer session of intensive workshops here in NY with the Margolis Method Center. I’m working towards my Certification in teaching the Margolis Method and becoming a faculty member of the school. It’s challenging, amazing work, and I am learning so much! There’s a lot of great work ahead and I cannot wait to see what’s around the bend!
Reflection Three: Transitions
Reflection Three of my Facebook contributions (found here).
Over the past few weeks we’ve been focusing on transitions–the space between acting beats–and I have to say, I’m once again amazed how easy they are to overlook (even after 9 years of working in the studio, I’m still discovering deeper and deeper layers of understanding)! Kari always reminds us that our tendency is to be “action oriented,” and since turning our attention to transitions, it became clearer than ever how true that is! It’s ironic that transition time is so easily forgotten when you consider how vital it is. When I allow myself to just take the time I need, there’s absolutely nothing like it! I had the pleasure of working with a long-term colleague during an improvisational structure in class, and one of the reasons I felt our work was so satisfying for both us and the audience was because we respected and embraced our own and each others’ transitions. There were moments we worked ourselves into dramatic situations that had come to a rest, and by keeping those moments alive and letting them resonate, we gave ourselves time to size up both where we were and what the audience needed next. By specifically focusing on this transition time we were able to see options that we would have otherwise overlooked. It’s moments like these in the studio that hammer in the truth that “theatre lives in the transitions.” Read More
Reflection Two: Packets
Reflection Two of my Facebook contributions (found here).
Theatre is storytelling. And one of my favorite things about training at the Margolis Method Center is that we get to make theatre every day. Every exercise we are confronted with challenges us in some aspect of technique to hone our craft as theatre artists. Our training approaches the craft of acting like a diamond—a whole entity with many facets—and on any given day we explore a single facets as part of the greater whole. Even when focusing on a singular concept, we never lose focus of the actor’s primary need: to tell a story. Read More
An Introduction and Reflection One: Objects
What follows is an introduction as well as my first reflection for a series of reflections I’m doing for the Margolis Method Center’s Facebook page. Expect more to come!
Greetings Facebookers! My name is J, Hanson, and I’m pleased to be composing a series of reflections on training here with the Margolis Method Center in beautiful Barryville, NY. I will be writing about my personal challenges and breakthroughs in the studio as well as those of the group at large, and I would be thrilled if folks would pipe in with their own thoughts on the morsels I bring up. But first, a brief personal history.