Master Classes

The purpose of a master class is to educate an audience of students on a specific subject, usually one of the arts such as music or drama. Rather than a workshop in which all students actively take part in the space, a master class is based further on demonstration and explanation for note taking.

I have written down a few thoughts on some of the master classes presented in the lesson.

Response to the Meisner Master Class

Positives

- Very clear demonstration, allowing students to see the technique in use as well as its effect.

- There was lots of detail in the explanation of Meisner’s background and concepts.

Negatives

- The scene presented was very long – a shorter one with further developed repetition may have been more appropriate to demonstrate the technique in detail.

Response to Laban Efforts Master Class

Positives

- There was a clear justification of the pros and cons of each effort when they were suggested by students in the audience.

- Audience participation and input meant that we were drawn in to the presentation and were encouraged to engage with it.

- The group gave a control example of the speech before applying efforts, allowing the audience to see the complete effects of the efforts.

Negatives

- Initially there wasn’t any background information/recap of Laban or the process.

Understanding why certain aspects of the master classes did or didn’t work will help me when planning workshops in the future. It has become clear to me that comprehensible demonstrations and detailed background information are vital in the presentation of an effective master class.

A memorable quote from the lesson for me was “practitioners highlight aspects of your process that already exist”. I remembered this because it defines why we have acting technique classes: I can now employ so many more techniques when exploring a text or devising process. This is because each practitioner approaches a different area of acting, creating a variety of ways to help actors grow and develop.