Embodied Character is a creative, embodied approach to acting that explores the experience of being-in-character. Drawing from clown, somatics, character theory, constellation-work, parts-work, shadow-work and channeling. This class is an ongoing experiment in what it feels like to be human: to live at different extremes, in different realities, all for the noble purpose of holding a mirror up to the audience.

We call this work “embodied” because it focuses on using the wisdom and intelligence of the body to inhabit different energies, archetypes, inner parts, and character experiences. Moving away from the “expert model” approach to acting, which is rooted in criticism and ideas of “good” or “bad” acting, Embodied Character offers an approach centred on pleasurably entering the creative unknown.

The work encourages the actor’s ability to intuitively express character experiences within their own body, using their inherent creative intelligence as a pathway into understanding the character’s reality. Embodied Character recognizes that acting is ultimately about the moment to moment experience of being in-character. It supports the actor’s growth not only as an artist, but also as a human being and leader in the world.

The work is physical and held within a spiritual frame that allows the actor to understand their practice within a larger life-path context. We explore our own limiting character beliefs and discover the edges of “character” that keep us from being fully and creatively exuberant.