Gratitude, Trust and Balance

©  Photo Jean-Pierre Rousset

Today, as I look through my home office window, I see the red rising sun above the sacred mountain of Basque country "La Rhune," in the south of France.
A few weeks ago, it was this amazing rainbow that I saw. Surrounded by mountains, yet on the edge of the Atlantic ocean, along a dramatic rocky coast line and beautiful sandy beaches, my new home is a blessing of peace and harmony.

I give great thanks for my new life in France, which not only gives me bliss, but also enables me to be of greater service to actors, as I regularly travel to Paris to teach and coach professional French artists in film and theatre.

But this new life did not come to me without doubts and fears. It actually took a great deal of trust to jump in the unknown like this about 16 months ago, when I left Maine, which had been my home for 22 years.

But sometimes, life calls for Trust! Trust in the future, trust in life itself and mostly trust in yourself and your dream. As you close this year 2014, reflect on what you have accomplished, and dare to dream about what you really want... Is your artist's dream tangible? Do you think about it as if it is really yours or do you still doubt it will ever happen?

Being an actor is one of the most difficult careers. You are the work. You are the art. You are the living work of art, filled with excitement and joy but also with pain, anxiety and fear... Going through this roller coaster of emotions can be tough. I know. I did it.

This is why my passion has been to share with you my experience and the tools I found along the way to help balance it all and find peace and harmony while being a performer.

My book A BALANCING ACT is the account of my journey, and of the development of a method to help you actors, reclaim your power, your harmony, your peace while increasing your ability to perform and get in and out of character.

In this time of thanks and giving, think about your actor friends who might need to read it or treat yourself! I do trust you will find important information in it.


Happy Thanksgiving!


Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle Chaulet

Artists coach
www.emmanuellechaulet.com
www.coachingdacteurs.com 

============> To order A BALANCING ACT please click here <==============

Free shipping* with Fulfillment by Amazon and STARLIGHT ACTING BOOKS!

"In fifteen chapters and six appendices, Chaulet’s carefully crafted method takes the actor on a journey from a personal awareness of his/her energy system, to an application of that knowledge in the creation of a character. 

The weaving into the text of prior realistic acting methodologies provides a strong basis for her approach, [which] unites realism as an aesthetic ideal with the energy of the body based on the Hindu chakra system."

Barbara Sellers-Young
York University
for Theatre Topics, September 2009 issue

" Chaulet readily concedes that she has picked up the trail where others ceased blazing, but she is deft in weaving the ideas together into a relevant system [ ... ] Plainly, Chaulet makes her case. The craft of acting has had an unspoken need for a system that dedicates itself solely to balancing who we are with who we are required to become. The structure of ENERGIZE is accessible because it provides an overview of various holistic centering techniques, and successful because it serves as a solid launching platform for those who want to develop their own pre- and post-performance rituals with further research."

J.J. Cobb, Eastern Connecticut State University
for The New England Theatre Journal 

"It is rare to find a subject that urgently needs to be discussed and about which too little is written. The need to train the entire being of the performing artist is just such a subject. Emmanuelle Chaulet's A Balancing Act is a godsend to performing artists of any sort. Knowing how to Energize allows us to endure and even thrive during the rise and fall, the constant state of transformation, the juggling of feelings, styles, jobs, and colleagues while maintaining an even keel." 

Lisa Dalton, Co-founder, International Michael Chekhov Association,
Award-Winning Actor/Producer/Director and Co-founder and Certifying Board,
National Michael Chekhov Association

 

==================> To order A BALANCING ACT please click here <=================

 

*on orders over $35 

Thank you MCC Theatre!

May 2014 :

My plane just touched down in Boston Logan and here I was, back in America for a few weeks. My dear friend Karen Oster's smile welcomed me warmly and we hopped in the car to Lowell Mass, and Middlesex Community College, where she chairs the Department of Theatre and Dance. After a great night sleep to catch up on jet lag, followed by a nice breakfast, I met with the group of 17 students who are currently enrolled or just graduated from the theatre program. I was greated with great anticipation and a very warm welcome.

We spent two wonderful days exploring the various aspect of ENERGIZE, and worked on the many topics outlined in my book A BALANCING ACT.
From theory to practice, questions to exercises, group discussions to individual reflections we explored the ENERGIZE technique, the anatomy of the energy system, learned how to clear blocks, explored archetypes and inner characters and finally discussed the spiritual purpose of acting.

Here are the comments from the students at the end of these two days: I feel so grateful and honored to have met such a wonderful group of talented young artists.

Thank you all!
I hope to see you again soon,

Fondly,
Emmanuelle

 
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Middlesex Community College, Lowell Mass

ENERGIZE workshop, May 20 & 21, 2014

I loved the workshop. I truly feel blessed to have you here and will add this class to my resume. I feel more determined and focused than ever. I look at acting and the energy level much more differently now, with more of a timely approach. A deeper interaction with my characters will play. Jemaine Welch

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I recalibrated my dreams. I particularly loved all the group discussions and the energy movements inspired by the elements (earth, water, air, fire). You are an intensely magical woman. Thank you. Charlette Renault-Caragianes

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I am truly grateful for this experience. I was able to understand things about myself that I never realized before. I have become aware of feelings and energy I’ve never felt before. It was amazing. Josh Ray

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As a new actor it was interesting to listen to the different obstacles people face throughout their acting career. Being novice in the performing arts, I feel this workshop has prepared me for what it to come. Amin Gholizadeh

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I genuinely feel as though this workshop made me more aware and able to identify aspects of myself. By being able to isolate the faces of my personality, I could better my ability to care for myself and approached acting in a new way. Thank you so much.

Molly Flood

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I am grateful for this opportunity to become aware of blocks and the steps I can take to remove them. I am so thankful to hear of cords and how oppressive they can be. Thank you for educating, enlightening, nurturing and gracing us with your presence. Amanda Cochrane

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I truly wish that we had more time to share with you. What you have to share is special and important. It really helped me to watch and listen to others as well. But I enjoyed everything we did especially watching the Voice Dialogue. You teach in such a way that it feels more than just teaching. This is an experience that truly altered how I perceive acting. Anonymous

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Fabulous. A very different approach BEFORE the approach even begins! Anonymous

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I feel like this workshop helped me to finalize the first steps on my new path. I feel that I am more open to embracing my inner peace and positivity and the possibility to make great changes in my life for the better. I had no idea what to expect from this but I would have liked it to be longer. Thank you so much. John Bachelder

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This was an incredible opportunity. I am very glad I was involved. This workshop taught me to be more open minded about life and the act of meditation. I would love to learn more about the aura, flower of life and chakras. I will definitely be reading those books you suggested. Merci Beaucoup! Tyler Armstrong

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I feel so blessed to have been a part of this. This workshop has come at a time where there has been a shift in my subconscious. I needed this workshop. I feel a bit more prepared, ready to explore myself, my true self. Cookie Dibiase

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I did not know exactly how to feel at the beginning. This type of acting has been strange and ambiguous. I tried to challenge you with hard questions, and your answers made my outlook change in a good way. You handled a wide variety of topics in a great manner. I am very glad you came! Matthew Vacher-Weill

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The energy work/meditation session really opened up my eyes to a positive outlook and how powerful this light energy can be. Anonymous

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Amazing workshop. I feel so much closure. I was so grateful to be in your presence. Thank you so much for your time! Patrick MacCorkle

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You are truly a life-changing woman. Your warmth, openness and knowledge enlightened my spirit and soul. You are a gem in the world. Thank you. Cassandra Milne

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I really liked the workshop. Very inspiring. I feel renewed strong enough to take on my beliefs and my desire. Anonymous

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I absolutely loved this workshop and really want to learn more about working with and clearing energy blocks within myself. Thank you for bringing this information to us and sharing your work as an artist who desires to help heal people. You have really inspired me to truly believe that healing is really possible, attainable and tangible. Anonymous

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It was so opening. I guess as a body worker I study this stuff often, but I don’t relate it to myself. It was beautiful but challenging to relate it to myself. Kelly Maglio

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Actor, can you love thyself?

Excerpt from A BALANCING ACT

"It is hard enough to love oneself in our society, as many of us experience difficulty with feelings of self-love and acceptance, but it is even more so for an actor. Being a performer and especially an actor is a job where your self-esteem is constantly challenged. I truly believe this is the biggest obstacle to a free-flowing performance. 

When you are an actor, not only your art and talent need to be recognized and appreciated for you to be able to earn a paycheck, but your entire self – emotional, physical and spiritual self – is constantly evaluated and judged by others, and ninety percent of the time, rejected. This is why surviving casting is so hard for actors, and much harder, it seems, than surviving a music audition or an athletic competition. A musician will be judged on his talent, his knowledge of music, and his virtuosity. An athlete will be evaluated on his physical abilities, endurance, reactivity, and stamina. Casting directors, however, not only judge you for your ability to act, your diction, and your gift for performance, but they also judge you for your looks, your voice, your behavior, the color of your hair, of your eyes, your height, size, weight, and the way your physique will relate to a particular part. One day you can be too tall, the next you are too short. One day you can be too blond, the next too dark. You can never win, and luck plays such a big role in being cast! It is about the luck of being there at the right time when they are imagining someone that looks exactly like you. If you can transform yourself enough, it is about the luck of guessing exactly what they are imagining for the part. 

As a result, actors are especially sensitive to being judged, criticized, and rejected. Their sense of worthiness is off. They constantly crave approval and reassurance from others as a source of love and praise. They focus on themselves and on getting the admiration of others to the point of sometimes appearing narcissistic. They long for the highs obtained from being on stage, being in a different energetic vibration, and living on an emotional roller coaster. They seek adulation and praise from the public and the director, yet their ego gets so many bruises along the way that as a result, they struggle between opposite emotions. On one hand, they try to constantly boost their self-esteem and experience feelings of entitlement, arrogance, and higher power; on the other hand, because they are rejected so often, they often have feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing and depression that can lead to tantrums, extreme fragility or self-destructive behaviors. They can be self-absorbed, egotistic, self-centered, even overbearing, and at the same time they often feel needy and unappreciated, carrying fears of being betrayed, misunderstood, abandoned, and unworthy. It is simply a consequence of their difficult profession. These are symptoms of what I call “Post-Performance Stress Disorder.”

To achieve a certain degree of talent and expertise, an actor must be focused on himself, as he is his own instrument. The artist self needs to be passionate, intense, exhilarated, and completely devoted to the art. The center of the universe must indeed revolve around him or her since actors need to take care of that instrument and be attuned to its needs, moods and demands. It is, after all, how they make a living, by being overly sensitive and expressive, by being a transparent emotional wellspring. However, on an everyday basis, and confronted with the harsh reality of casting and auditions (which any normal person would have a hard time to deal with, anyway) they are like gladiators arriving in the fighting arena with absolutely no protection and, even worse, with already bleeding wounds. The fragility and vulnerability necessary for them to play and produce their work of art is an impediment when they have to confront the implacable world of competition, auditions, castings, and the cutthroat “business of show business.” Actors spend most of their training learning to become more open and sensitive, and then are thrown to the lions with absolutely no knowledge of how to rebuild their fragile ego after each punch. This alone creates a terrible risk to their physical and mental health.

[...]

In order to survive in society, as well as the roller coaster of roles, castings and waiting-by-the-phone periods, actors need to learn to love themselves no matter what the situation is. They must learn to keep their inner core balanced and to clear these fearful inner children and sub-personalities. Actors need to develop a sense of self-appreciation, clear their anxiety and learn to be at ease with themselves, even alone. This is about developing an inner sense of security that is not dependent on the opinion of others. They must learn to transfer the “narcissist supply” from others to self. This means changing the barometer of their self-acceptance. Instead of relying on an outside barometer and seeking acceptance given by others, they have to switch to an internal barometer and cultivate self-appreciation and self-love."

This is an excerpt of the book A BALANCING ACT. Want to read more? Click here

Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artist's coach in France and internationally by visio conference (SKYPE).

She works in the France during the year and travels to the USA regularly to teach workshops. For information on private coaching sessions and visio-conferences SKYPE  please fill out the contact form:
http://eepurl.com/h3vF6

 

Gifts for Performing Artists

WHERE DID THE SPIRIT OF GIVING GO?

On this holiday season, it is always possible to get more 'stuff', line up at the mall department stores, and buy with frenzy more plastic, more electronic, more junk. Then the same junk will be promptly returned for cash refunds a few days after the holidays. An american tradition that has always baffled me.

But you can also choose to give gifts that can bring change and awareness. Gifts that have a meaning, and that will last longer, honor the spirit and feed the soul.
I personnally shy away from the mall, and try to make gifts myself, bake, craft or better even, give nurturing non-material gifts: a massage, a tree in the national forest, a theatre ticket or a concert ticket.

So in this more-than-ever materialistic season, reconnect with the soul spirit of the holidays, the care, love and gratitude.
The Season of Light.

Take great care of friends, family, and of yourself,
Gift Love,

Emmanuelle

Give the gift of career development to a serious performing artist:

Gift a SKYPE coaching session and career consultation: $50 holiday special

For serious actors, musicians and dancers interested in breaking through their blocks:
So, if your artist friend:

• battles with self-doubt or stage fright 
• feels a resonance with emotional scars that are slowing his or her artistic growth 
• has a true creative self yearning to shine within
• doesn't understand what it is, but feels something is blocking him/ her from reaching his/her highest potential

• knows that a part of them is resisting making progress but doesn't know how to change that
• wants feed back on their career self-marketing and promotion process
• wants true individual attention

Then this session is for them!
The session can be a choice of Voice Dialogue and Inner Character work, energy awareness relaxation techniques, or career promotion counseling.

BUY A GIFT CERTIFICATE!

For more information on the packages, go to http://www.emmanuellechaulet.com/individualsessions/individualsessions.html
email: emma@emmanuellechaulet.com

Enrollement for Individual sessions packages (6 sessions or more) continues throughout the 2013 year.
Student rates and discount packages are available.

 

 

Gift the Book!

$25. FREE SHIPPING with AMAZON!

 A BALANCING ACT  is a great tool for actors, and explores the use of energy and inner-selves (sub-personalities) for character work. I also gives advice to live a healthy and balanced life in show business. Order a copy today!
 
Signed copies (at no additional charge) are only available directly with Starlight Acting Books.

You know you have talent, so what is blocking you?

photo by nicolas guionnet

 You know you have talent, you feel you belong on stage, but a voice inside says; "you can't do it"... Who is it? What is this block? 

Read this excerpt of A BALANCING ACT:

"Acting is the act of transforming oneself into a work of art, and in that process the entire bioenergetic system of the person will undoubtedly be affected. As the delicate interconnected nervous, emotional, physical and energetic system embodies someone else, imagining different surrounding circum-stances, suddenly, its blueprint changes and gets challenged. Sir Anthony Hopkins appropriately says it in his interview with Oprah, the body doesn’t know that it is fiction. With this transformation comes an immense amount of normal anxiety and stress. Whether it is acknowledged or not, the entire nervous and energetic systems are put under tremendous pressure, and the subconscious usually reacts by trying to protect you and pull you back. This often results in a huge block preventing you from performing the role freely. This block appears in a myriad of questions, smoke screens and hidden fears that the subconscious launches to stop you from going further in the transformation. Questions like: What is the director going to think? Am I good enough? Am I trying the right thing? Am I guessing what the director wants? What will my parents think? And my teachers? My partners? The reviewers? Can I still love myself if I play this villain? Do I look good? Is my voice okay? Can my wife still love me if I play this loser? Is my pain painful enough and readable for an audience? And for the director? Do I have enough energy? Can I come back to be myself again after this role? What if I couldn’t get back? Why didn’t I get the lead role? And so on, and so on. Often, the lower sub-personalities, the Shadow sides of the Archetypes, also called Disowned Selves, are the ones putting up the roadblocks. They do their best to protect your psychological integrity, sensing danger in the transformation required by the role. Their intent is just to protect you, to keep you safe. But the actor self cannot do his best job. "

The key to stop these voices in your head, is to really spend the time to listen to them... Strange?
Well not really. If you ignore them, they'll shout louder! If you spend the time to dialogue with them and listen to them and their opposite, then you can achieve balance... To get more information on this voice dialogue technique, contact me.
More info is also available in the book, a great gift for your actor friends, this holiday season.
FREE SHIPPING with AMAZON

This is an excerpt of the book A BALANCING ACT.  page 242. Want to read more? Click here

FREE SHIPPING with AMAZON!

Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artist's coach and Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine. Her technique ENERGIZE uses combinations of Michael Chekhov, Lee Strasberg, Voice Dialogue and Energy work.

She works in the USA during the year and in France during the summer months. She coaches performers privately in person, and via video conference Skype throughout the whole year.

 www.emmanuellechaulet.com

Robert Cordier, an extraordinary actors' director, needs your help!

Excerpt from the book A BALANCING ACT:

"After investigating many acting schools in Paris, auditioning several times, I finally saw a magazine article about an American acting workshop in Paris called L’Atelier Robert Cordier (now called Acting International). The article promised a new avant-garde approach to theatre, with a director who had worked not only with some of the greatest American actors, but also with Jim Morrison. [...] I made an appointment.

There I discovered Lesley Chatterley, a blond, peppy, and smart British actress in her thirties who introduced herself as Robert Cordier’s partner and asked me a few questions. I was in!

The workshops were held at the Atelier de L’Ourq, which are big warehouses on the banks of the Ourq canal in Paris. These beautiful brick buildings (which, I didn’t know yet, were very New York City style), housed visual artists, co-op galleries, architects, photography studios, and this acting workshop.

The classes were amazing — a mixture of Michael Chekhov’s work and Sandy Meisner’s technique. Robert Cordier was intro- ducing about twenty-five young actors to acting, teaching us the use of the body, voice and emotions by stretching imagination and emotional response. Robert taught me everything I know: how to set an objective and to prepare, how to start a scene with a basic emotional state, how to use a physical movement to create an emotional response, how to warm up, focus, and use the body to influence the mind.

We would do many exercises from the Michael Chekhov technique, such as “Molding, Floating, Flying and Radiating,” which I will develop further later on. We learned the psychological gesture and the physicalization of action, both of which I still use today and have developed in the energetic realm. We would work on all the basic principles that an actor needs to know, which Cordier called, “Who, Where, What?” Define who your character is, where you are, and what you want (your objective) before you start the scene. I read Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares, and explored the reality of each scene. He gave us the twelve guideposts of Michael Shurtleff, explaining to us how to work with opposites and urgency. He asked us the essential questions: “Where is the love right now in this scene?” “What are you afraid of right now?” “What can hurt you right now?” He told us about the continuum between Love and Hate, the polar opposites within each emotion (which I discovered later is the basis of energy work), taught us how to create an emotional state by using the environment around us and our imagination, and trained us to go “moment to moment” in a scene.

Cordier’s alumni are found all over the professional theatre and film world. At L’Atelier Robert Cordier I met Xavier Durringer, who became one of the most translated and published French playwrights of his time, and Gérald Laroche, a character actor who won several prestigious awards later on. Xavier and I became close friends and started working on scenes together. He read to me his first script, which he called La Pleureuse, and later on offered me a part in his first play.

Cordier was not only fascinating while telling us the stories of his life in New York, he was extremely competent and definitely giving a thorough, exciting, and in-depth training. All of this was done with utmost love and support, even when he was pushing us beyond our limits. He was never condescending like other acting teachers can be. He was a loving father figure to all of us.

This was my Lesson #1: Suffering is not necessary to do good work. You can achieve wonderful creative results with love and support."

Right now Robert Cordier is needing our help and support, as he is laid off and kicked out of his very own school, the one he founded, along with all the professors who are supporting him. Please sign the petition in his support.

http://www.petitions24.net/pour_la_reintegration_immediate_de_robert_cordier

Visit this facebook page:  to support him

Visit the website: 

http://www.soutienrobertcordier.com/

English translation of the petition:

For the immediate reinstatement of Robert Cordier!

This summer 2012, Robert Cordier, founder of the school Acting International, has been unceremoniously excluded from school he had established.

We condemn the eviction of a man, Robert Cordier, armed with a rich experience for all of us and whose love of art and teachings don't need to be proven, and we refuse to accept the mercantile and moneymaking philosophy that may take the direction of the school! The forced departure of Robert Cordier announces for us detrimental changes to the foundation of the school which were the basis of its reputation:

"The teaching concept of Acting International, unique in its completeness and innovative approach, has been developed there over thirty years ago by the founder of the school, teacher, director, producer and writer Robert Cordier. This educational activity and creation, with proven methods, constantly redefines itself through interaction and organic confrontation of complementary knowledge,–in their intersection in the schedule– of a team of renowned masters - French, Russian, American, English, Italian - which are all professional artists.
Acting International provides training to strengthen the creative potential as well as the artistic and human individuality of each student. At Acting International, the primacy is placed on the actor, through whom the scenic interpretation is realized. "

We are for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of Robert Cordier at Acting International.

For the maintenance of all teachers from the previous year who want to stay and continue to give the school its guarantee of quality.

So that Acting International remains a quality school!

Top of Form

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Above is an excerpt of the book A BALANCING ACT.  Want to read more? Click here

Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artist's coach and Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine. Her technique ENERGIZE uses combinations of Michael Chekhov, Lee Strasberg, Voice Dialogue and Energy work.

She works in the USA during the year and in France during the summer months. She coaches performers privately in person, and via video conference Skype throughout the whole year.

www.emmanuellechaulet.com

IN FRENCH: http://www.fr.emmanuellechaulet.com

How do you shine at castings and auditions?

How do you develop stage presence and charisma? Walk in an audition and blow them away? Make them remember you? Incite them to call you back?

Maybe it is not just about your technical ability, but more about your energy.... Read on this excerpt of A BALANCING ACT

"At castings and auditions, you need to radiate and shine. You need to exude power, charisma, and attraction. You need to make them want you, and only you. What better way than relaxing with energetic clearing and getting rid of all tension and frazzled energy? What better way than working on your aura and clearing your chakras and your entire energetic system so that you light up like a star? Clear all negative energy to attract abundance and sparkles from the source of all there is. Clear the casting room with energy projections to make it support your audition. Accelerate the spinning of your Flower of Life so that your vibrational rate increases and elevates, attracting what supports you and what’s yours to do. Hold your power and your will center to show your true strength. Release all expectations from your energetic system, so that you can perform freely and to the best of your ability. Open the best vessel of your sub-personalities to fit the character, and connect with the essence of that character, using your vibrational sense.
Finally, what better way than visualizing all what you can be and acting with your highest potential, your Highest Creative Self, your Highest Acting Self?
Afterwards, clear yourself of negativity, jealousy and competitive energies that could still be present. Clear yourself of rejection, self-deprecation and self-criticism and refocus on self-love, self-appreciation, acceptance and joy. You won’t get all the roles. But if you follow the technique, you’ll get the roles you are meant to play, and will let go of the ones you are not meant to do. Energize is a powerful technique for auditioning, it will put you ahead of the game and show your many colors and charisma, while protecting you from painful downfalls afterwards. "

This is an excerpt of the book A BALANCING ACT.  page 242. Want to read more? Click here

Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artist's coach and Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine. Her technique ENERGIZE uses combinations of Michael Chekhov, Lee Strasberg, Voice Dialogue and Energy work.

She works in the USA during the year and in France during the summer months. She coaches performers privately in person, and via video conference Skype throughout the whole year.

 www.emmanuellechaulet.com

Is your character giving you space?

The Character is IN today... but how far? And do you -the actor- feel you still have space?

Read this excerpt of A BALANCING ACT about Personal space and dual consciousness

As in all relationships, the question of personal space arises in performing a stage character. “ I need more space,” says a lover who feels overwhelmed by your affection. When the energy of the character comes into the actor’s container, there is often a first stage when the actor doesn’t let it go down far enough. Too often I see it stopping at the shoulders. Regularly, I see actors only in character with their torso, while the second half of their body is still like their good old selves. This common mistake happens because actors are afraid of the new energy coming in. There is a sense of loosing one’s own private space in one’s body, and being “invaded.” Yet, it is part of the process of being an actor to lend your own body to the expression of another personality. That is why I always encourage actors to fill their entire container with the energy of the character. Since we will later rebalance safely at the end of the show, it becomes easier for them to let the energy “invade” them, or more exactly, fill them in. Sending the energy of the character all the way into the feet is also very important, as it helps embody the walk as well as the head movements. The energy needs to flow though the entire body – the neck, arms, tips of the fingers, torso, hips, legs, and soles of the feet. Actors need to pay attention to this throughout the performance. They need to let the energy move through them and continue breathing! Performers who are often afraid of the presence of this unknown energy in their body will stop breathing fully. Regulating the breath is a powerful way to help the energy circulate in the entire body and the blood stream.

Sometimes the energy of the character will leave the body a little and appear as if floating on the side of the actor, or above his head. In this case, the character only appears “on and off.” It is as if you were turning on a light and turning it off again. The light will seem intermittently interrupted, and while you’ll still be able to see, there will be a certain sense of discomfort and uneasiness for the viewer. It is important for the actor to be aware of that and to bring the energy back with a strong pull, and then send it all the way to the feet and the tips of the fingers again. The goal of the actor is to have a smooth, regular and deep manifestation of the energy of the character. I advise to be very aware of this very frequent issue, and each time the performer notices that the energy is off, to consciously and firmly pull it back. Doing this over and over will help with the incarnation of the character.

With practice, actors will start perceiving when they are fully in the character’s vibration, only half way, on and off, or not at all. There is a clear perception that comes with being at another level of vibration when “the character is in.” It is a very distinct feeling, different from being yourself. Noticing all these differences and nuances, voluntarily bringing the energy back and sending it to the feet and fingers, is crucial to the successful completion of the embodiment.

As with all new and unknown situations, normal anxiety can accompany this process. It is sometimes frightening, and justly so, to become someone else, to lose one’s own identity, feel oneself change vibration, feel the voice change to a different register, and to even feel the muscles of the face respond to that change and involuntarily adjust to a foreign mask. Performers need to be very solid and very grounded to let this happen to their container. Breathing deeply and fully, pushing the diaphragm down toward the feet, tremendously helps control this anxiety. As an actor will bring in an outer personality and alter his own, his entire energetic system will be affected by the change. His aura, chakras, Flower of Life, and entire blueprint will reflect the new imaginary host and take his or her shape. As if he were a shape shifter from shamanic cultures, the actor will let this happen while completely conscious and remaining in control. A part of his subconscious must always be aware. This part is the spiritual head, the inner voice that is the true leader, the chief, the protector, the inner actor, the Higher Creative Self. During a performance, the actor will let the character lead, giving him his personal inner space to inhabit. However, he must always remain ready to take control back again. It is what is called a state of “dual consciousness,” a concept at the heart of Stanislavski’s work. Dual consciousness is a state of mind that allows the actor to be aware while at the same time totally immersed in the personality of the character. It is a partnership dance between the actor and the character, one leading the other. In this state of being, the actor can still control and let go at the same time; he can lead and also be led. It is a pilot/copilot team, a walk arm in arm, a tandem. A delicate balance of leadership is required to keep the truth of the character’s incarnation. Most of the time, the actor needs to withdraw and leave space for the character, letting him or her take first place in the limelight, allowing him or her to take over.

This is an excerpt of the book A BALANCING ACT. Want to read more? Click here

Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artist's coach and Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine.

She works in the USA during the year and in France during the summer months. She coaches performers privately all year.

 www.emmanuellechaulet.com

Actors are Athletes of the Emotion

As we are watching the best world athletes compete at the London Olympic Games, we are reminded that actors too, are athletes and should follow the same rigorous preparation. They are a different type of athletes, yet they should give the same kind of attention to their body, their mental state and their emotional preparation before and after performance. After all their body, mind and spirit are their unique instrument...

 Excerpt of A BALANCING ACT by Emmanuelle Chaulet © 2008-12
 

Athletes and stuntmen

Performers are like athletes. They have tremendous pressure put on their body, on their psyche, and on their souls every day. They cannot leave the job, go home and forget about it. Most often, it follows them around for days and weeks. The schizophrenia of being two, the character and you, can often lead to instability. Whether active or dormant, the character is always in the background. Since they are not being given the proper training to learn how to tame this intense relationship, actors let themselves go along a slope where alcohol, drugs and sex are easy fixes to an inner emotional and energetic imbalance. The media, of course, immediately jumps on this situation and exhibits their lives and mistakes to the public, like gladiators were thrown to the lions. Being exposed like this when they are so fragile and vulnerable is recipe for disaster. After doing their intense emotional stunts, actors are left alone to recover with no one coming to help them, but on the contrary, with rude paparazzi trying to grasp as much pain and despair they can find to plaster the tabloids. They dig the dirt and drag actors in shame destroying what is left of their delicate self-esteem. At the very moment when actors would need to regroup, re-center, recharge and be alone, they are sent to public appearances, cocktail parties and TV shows. These constant ups and downs are exhausting and taxing. Without proper emotional management and energetic clearings, actors often fall into the traps of stress and burnout, and spiral downward. Olympic athletes know this well: in order to succeed and last, they have to rest between the games and competitions, they have to eat well, sleep well, and recharge. They are specifically trained for mental endurance and persistence, as much as taught to develop their physical abilities. They do visualization, sophrology, and relaxation. They get nutritional counseling and motivational support. They are coached to manage their sleep and rest time to reach an ultimate performance. Conversely, actors are simply left to themselves with absolutely no help, no guidance or even classes on this subject. Open, vulnerable, naive, and a bit narcissistic, they live like children in a world of imagination, and seek to be loved. Unfortunately, they often find the wrong friends to support them. Attracted by the brilliance of their charismatic personalities, many admirers and fans are in fact energy takers, and instead of supporting actors, take advantage of them and of their fragility. Led early on to a life of partying and drinking, which often starts at the college level, actors –who are starving for this sense of closeness and warmth, this illusionary family-like atmosphere – quickly let themselves go to excessive, sometimes manic behavior. 

In reality, actors are fragile artists who need strong support and strict discipline to manage their ever-flying emotions. Like gymnasts, dancers or musicians, they should follow a daily routine to nurture and care for not only their bodies, but also their minds and spirits. [This book gives] some ideas and directions, which I firmly believe are the most important aspect of the Energize technique. This is where the ultimate strength of an actor will lie: in his capacity to maintain a healthy, self-controlled, harmonious and balanced lifestyle. It is only then that he will be able to reach his highest potential as an artist and a performer and, moreover, that he will be able to last for a long career.

This is an excerpt of the book A BALANCING ACT. Want to read more? Click here

Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artist's coach and Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine.

She works in the USA during the year and in France during the summer months.

www.emmanuellechaulet.com

Finding the Character's Blueprint

Character’s blueprint

from the book A BALANCING ACT, by Emmanuelle Chaulet

 Michael Chekhov has a terrific exercise called “Creating the Imaginary Body” of the character. Connecting to the character’s blueprint is a version of it, with a little adjustment. With their eyes open, actors are invited to sculpt and create the body and features of their characters in front of them. Again using their five senses, they are invited to touch, smell, feel, and look at the character they will perform. When they have a clear vision and sensation, I ask them to either step into the imaginary body of the character or (what I personally prefer) let the character come over them like an invisible mantle, or second skin. We then explore feeling the vibration of the character, its blueprint. The actor should then ask, What kind of frequency does the energy of this character have? What kind of heart rate does he or she have? At what rate are the cells of this person vibrating?

The perception of the energetic frequency of an imaginary character is very real. A character’s vibration is invariably different from the personal one of an actor, and will give a very tangible feeling. Like a radio emits waves, our bodies emit a certain frequency of a bioenergetic field. Imaginary characters are the result of the thought patterns and imagination of the author and playwright, the actors who have performed them, previous and current directors, dramaturges, stage managers, marketing directors, and all of those involved in the production. This vibration or frequency is a mass of energy charged by all these thought forms. It is what we call a blueprint.

 Each character, each human being has its own, as individual as a set of fingerprints. Historical figures have even stronger and more defined blueprints because they actually existed. Therefore, the frequency of their energy is extremely precise. Archetypal imaginary characters have a very intense aura of vibration even as you merely pronounce their names: Hamlet, Ophelia, Phaedra, Oedipus, Iago, Stanley Kowalsky, Blanche Dubois. These roles carry with them a background of very powerful energies. They are vibrant with the imprint from past actors who played them and from the imagination of the author. They each form a distinct individual energetic mass. An actor can easily tap into this vibration and connect with it in an energetic way. The vibration will show him the movement, rhythm, intonations, tones of voice, and posture without going through any intellectual process.
However, to tap into this vibration, it is vital that actors utilize their usual research process. I am an advocate of doing research on the time period, place, social context, health issues, historic background, etc. This research will, of course, fuel any organic understanding. Yet, the work on stage should be more impulsive, moment-to-moment, and less intellectualized. After all the research is done and assimilated, one must throw it to the universe and just play. This is what I suggest with the concept of “tapping into the character’s vibration.” After creating the character with your imagination, having researched its history, and with the information from the script, it is crucial to make the work organic by feeling the character not only with the five senses, but also with the energetic system. The actor must connect organically instead of processing things only intellectually. Too often do I see very intelligent actors get in their own way because they are staying in the intellectual understanding of the role, not transcending it and feeling it organically. By using the vibration and the energetic sensory tools, one can shortcut the process and work with one’s instinct. Only then does it become a fusional process, during which the actor starts wearing the character’s energetic blueprint, like a chameleon. Here is what one actor has to say about this process:

 If a writer is drawing from personal experience, which we’re taught is good writing, even though the characters are figments of the writer’s imagination, they are undoubtedly drawing from real, personal interaction with people. Therefore, doesn’t that make the character on the page human? I think Energize can help one come to that conclusion. Once you do that, you stop thinking of acting as an illusion, and start thinking of it more as … what’s the word … an embodiment. You start thinking about embodying a character, rather than creating the illusion of a character. You start thinking about living a character instead of changing yourself or creating a façade. When you draw on a character like Hamlet, who’s been played by thousands of real people since the play’s inception, you’re drawing on those real people’s experiences. When you draw on a character, you’re drawing on an essence that has been explored by everybody. So there is something tangible out there in the universe; there is a Hamlet. We know, we have an idea; I think people have an idea of Hamlet as you draw it into you.  

- Michael T. Toth, actor & participant in an Energize workshop and production

This excerpt is from A BALANCING ACT, the development of Energize a holistic approach to acting by Emmanuelle Chaulet, Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine.

For more information on Emmanuelle Chaulet's individual coaching and group workshops, please visit www.emmanuellechaulet.com

Collin Chute, talks about playing Eric Harris, in "THE COLOMBINE PROJECT" and using the ENERGIZE method:

Emmanuelle Chaulet: Hi Collin, it's such a pleasure to interview you. We had met at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) when I taught there a week-long workshop about my book A BALANCING ACT. You just closed the show The Columbine Project which played to sold-out audiences at the Avery Schreiber Theatre in North Hollywood.  It is such an amazing project which raises awareness to school shootings. You had a very demanding role as Eric Harris one of the two school shooters, and mentioned you used the ENERGIZE work I teach for this role. Tell us a little bit about the project, the play and how you got cast for the role:

Collin Chute: I moved to LA from Virginia this past January and shortly after signed with Ryan Glasgow and Bohemia Group. I had met him in much thanks to VCU  and the Actor's Connection the previous year. He told me about an audition for a play called "The Columbine Project." I was intrigued because of the power of the subject and knew this was a story that needed to be told, re-told from different angles. The script was non linear including multiple perspectives from teachers, students, parents, and the shooters themselves. When I auditioned for Eric Harris, one of the two shooters I had this long swooping hair which I would later shave. When I walked in the writer/director Paul Storiale whispered to the assistant director Bree Pavey, "Why is Justin Bieber auditioning for this? Is Ryan (my manager) out of his mind?" I threw on a backwards hat, took a few seconds to conjure Eric's energy, did this creepy monologue and completely changed their minds, haha.

How did you reconcile liking your character with what he did?

Collin: I think an actor can't judge their characters or they have already lost the battle. I did lots and lots of research and realized that Eric Harris was just a high school kid like everyone else except for maybe a few odd tweaks in his head, combined with some of the people he was around, and his environmental circumstance, leading to an awful end. Eric was indeed a sociopath, but I couldn't help but think what if I was born in his situation with his genetic make up? How would I behave? I certainly don't condone anything he did, but I could piece together where his anger evolved from. From there I think it just snowballed and became out I control. I still have a difficult time thinking about how he actually pulled the trigger.

What was the most difficult aspect of the role?

Collin: The hardest part of this role was to show that Eric wasn't just a monster, he was a human being who lost it, and made some terrible choices. Playing a villain can be easy because they are often reduced to being one dimensional, but this was a non-fictional complex human being that I had to bring justice to. He didn't just lose it in one day.
One of my favorite scenes in the play Eric is flirting with a girl, talking, just being a normal teenage boy, talking about maybe taking a trip after graduating to Costa Rica. Costs Rica was the first country outside of the US I had visited, and I've been there several times because my mom takes yoga retreats there, and it just struck a chord with me that connected Eric and I. I felt so much empathy for him while reading that scene because I knew he was so close to just living a regular life. That made it easy for me to embrace the role, but made the challenge of giving him an honest portrayal so much more difficult.
After one of the shows we had a talk back and an audience member thanked me for playing the role with no judgment, and that was the highest complement I could have received.

Did you find that the energy of this character would sometimes take over, and if so, what did you do to deal with it and regain control?

Collin: When I took on "The Columbine Project" as Eric Harris I knew I was going to have to go to a very dark, dark place to get there, and I would have to go all the way to the bottom because this was a story that needed to be witnessed through truth. My first thought was you and the training I had received through your workshops at VCU. I knew that I had to be safe going in and out of a character like this and you gave me that power by physically visualizing my character's energy, giving it a color and bringing it into my body. Not only does this achieve a safe entry into a character like Eric Harris, it provided me focus and a complete comfort knowing I was always Eric while that energy was in me. Doing this dissipated any nervousness converting it into focused energy.

After collecting all my research and analyzing the script, the energy of my character became my top priority. I had to find Eric Harris' energy, which was absolutely frightening. Through the natural process of rehearsal, research, journal writing, and meditating I found Eric's energy and used your teachings to harness that energy with a color, bringing it into my 7 chakras.

Leaving this character at the end of each show was a must in order to remain mentally healthy.
Through this particular energy, there was incredible power and confidence to be found within the craziness. That power was absolutely addicting and I had to use your technique to safely release that energy after every rehearsal and show or I would have been walking around like a nut, haha. In fact there was one day when I didn't release that energy for whatever reason, forgot about it, and I felt  completely overwhelmed with life to the point where I began to cry. It's a little embarrassing to say, but it's a testament to how important it is to step out of character. Which I soon did, once I realized what was happening, haha. I released the energy, and brought in new pure white light which instantly calmed me. Visualizing Eric's energy as black with grey speckles and a touch of white I took my time releasing that through my body. After all of Eric's energy was drawn out of me, I cleansed my energy system by bringing in a pure light, allowing me to become fully present as myself.
I'm grateful for that day because I will never go without using your technique again, because it is so vital to take the time to step out.

The show just closed, did you do something at the end of the play for your personal closure?

Collin: When I released the energy every night I always hung onto an imaginary thread that connected me to the character so I could easily retrieve him. When we closed, it was hard to cut that thread for good. I smiled and said thank you and goodbye. Because even through Columbine was a terrible tragedy,  good things have come out of it, such as "Rachel's Challenge," and through my portrayal of Eric and everyone's amazing performance I knew people would be more aware and understanding to the complexities that created such an awful thing, thus creating positive change.

Is there a future project you want to talk about?

Collin: I know that Paul has adapted the show into a screenplay and he just needs the right producers to jump on board to make it happen. I would love to be a part of that, but for now I'm just grateful to have been able to grow and give so much through such a meaningful story. Thank you Emmanuelle for allowing me to go to places as dark as I had to go and to return feeling like myself with such ease.
Through your technique and making it my own I have avoided unnecessary stress, gained focus, and have brought a sense of honesty to life that was unachievable before.

Emmanuelle: You are so welcome Collin! I wish you the best in your career. You are starting it with an amazing intensity, and I have no doubt you're going places!

For more info on A BALANCING ACT and the ENERGIZE technique, please visit www.emmanuellechaulet.com

Presence

How do you define Presence? Is it something that can be developed? Can you increase charisma?

Isaach de Bankole in Chocolat by Claire Denis

"In 1988, I got cast in a small role in Chocolat by Claire Denis, and flew to Africa (Cameroon) to shoot for two weeks. There, I could observe well-known actors in a more traditional type of movie. My part was very small and quick. I was playing a white woman who would get very sick and cry in pain, but her husband would not tolerate the fact that a black doctor would have to take care of her. It was always easy for me to dive into the pain, so the shooting went quickly. After I was done, I went to the set daily to watch the others. I could see the way the lead actors were concentrating, focusing, tuning inward. Isaac de Bankolé played the black African servant to the white colonists, who fascinated the mistress of the house by his fierce beauty. He did not have a word to say in this part. His role was the lead, but was completely silent. Isaac was doing remarkable work, taking everything in and expressing subtle ties. This was again an incredible learning experience. I discovered that presence is something immaterial; it does not rely on words. It relies on character development. The energy of his character was radiating through him without the use of words. It was passing through his look, his eyes, his hands, his posture, and even his back, when he was turning away from the camera. His masculine strength and energy was shining through him, via his instinct. I then realized that too often actors get caught up in the words, in the analysis of the text, instead of letting their instinct and higher intuition guide them. They use their mind and intellect. Isaac used his guts. I was beginning to understand. It was Lesson #4: Presence is an immaterial energy. It does not rely on words; it shines through the character."

Exert; A BALANCING ACT © Emmanuelle Chaulet 2008

For more info on workshops and coaching to develop presence, please visit www.emmanuellechaulet.com