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Movement 3

The Maggie Flanigan Studio believes that diverse and well-rounded physical training is essential to an actor’s ability to sustain a vibrant and rigorous career. Movement 3, The Viewpoints is a 12-week, 24 class exploration in one of the world’s most popular acting disciplines.  After a full year immersed in becoming physically free, capable of releasing into rich, experiential behavior, our students are ready to take on a new challenge. This class moves beyond the Williamson Technique of Movement 1 and 2 in order to provide our students with a broader, collaborative vocabulary.

The Viewpoints, now taught around the world and used often by directors and actors, is a system of physical performance tools, which evolved from postmodern dance. This technique was first articulated by dancer and choreographer, Mary Overlie, who took the two main elements used in stage performance, – time and space – and broke them down into six categories: space, shape, time, emotion, movement and story. She used them as a structure for dance improvisations. These six Viewpoints were deconstructed further by theatre directors Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, who looked at the work through the lens of the actor. Bogart and Landau articulated nine Viewpoints, which when studied and applied are used to form the basis of physical improvisations, and as a way to create strong and dynamic stage moments. A powerful ensemble building tool, The Viewpoints give the performer an awareness of the power of their physical expression, an understanding of how to approach physical characterization and the tools to simultaneously be performer and choreographer of their own physical score.

Acting class is simply not enough for anyone considering a serious professional career.  We believe that great actors create vivid, rich behaviour, capable of channelling their imagination into exciting, dynamic work.  We also want our students to possess the ability to collaborate with other actors and directors who work and rehearse with a broad range of disciplines.  Ann Bogart has said that The Viewpoints “is essentially a method to practice spontaneity.”  The Meisner Technique is rooted in the belief that good acting begins with the ability to be on your spontaneous impulses and out of your head.  Movement 3, The Viewpoints is a core Maggie Flanigan Studio class that builds on this foundation, and prepares our students to take on the physical challenge of Movement 4, The Suzuki Method.

Movement 1 and Movement 2 are a pre-requisite for this class. Movement 3 is a requirement for Business 1

Tina Mitchell( Movement 3: )

Tina is a New York based actor, director, teaching artist and theatre maker. Tina is co-Artistic Director of Australian based Chopt Logic Productions, a company dedicated to producing inter-disciplinary, innovative and physically based live performances that reflects socially relevant issues and concerns. She specializes in making work that fuses text, movement and music and has performed in some of the leading Arts festivals in the world. She has worked for many international companies including La Fura dels Baus, the English National Opera, SITI Company, the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall, The Brooklyn Philharmonic and The Metropolitan Opera. Tina played Lady Macbeth for Southwest Shakespeare, was one of the main cast members in Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and appeared in The Event of a Thread with SITI Company. As a teaching artist, Tina has taught actors and student actors of all ages in various institutions including universities, acting conservatories, casting agencies, theatre companies, dance companies, youth theatre companies and high schools in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Colombia, including Atlantic Theater for NYU, Brown University, SITI Company, The University of New Hampshire, The Adelaide College of the Arts, Flinders University, Unitec New Zealand and La Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. Tina is a recipient of the Helpmann Academy emerging Director and Mentorship Awards, recipient of a State Theatre Company of South Australia Assistant Director Fellowship and the 2015 Leimay Fellowship. For more information please visit www.tinacmitchell.com, www.miss-julia.org and www.choptlogic.com.au.

Testimonials

  • "Movement 3 gave me the tools I needed to find freedom in my acting process. Julia and Nate are two of the most wonderful instructors anyone could hope for because they give you the tools you need and then let you find your way through the work."

    Alexandra Maurice

    Student

  • "Movement did wonders for easing my terrible, terrible nerves before auditions and performances. Many issues that came up while doing the work in the core acting class were solved in this class. The skills honed in this class apply to all areas of the acting craft."

    Kasey Huzinga

    Student

  • Movement 3 was the most important class for my instrument as an actor. This class gave me the tools with which to diagnose the tension in my body and in a way that cracked open my work as an actor.

    Chris Nunez

    Student