Upcoming Classes:
– The Full Five Ways In to Character Series:
3 Saturdays, on Zoom, via Book Passage
March 26th, April 2nd and 9th at 1:30 p.m.
Please come prepared with a short paragraph (1 – 5 sentences) that describes or is in the voice of a character you are working on or thinking about, and something to write with and on.
Recent Classes:
– Authentic, Easeful Self-Promtion for Authors and Entrepreneurs
Saturday, May 22, 2021
1:30 – 3:30 pm.
– My First-Ever, “Pop-Up” Class:
Ways One and Three of the Five Ways In to Character, happened Saturday, November 7th, 2- 4 pm (Pacific) via Zoom.
This class was super successful – I’ll use this format again in the future!
…..
Ways One through Five of the Five Ways In to Character, via Zoom at Book Passage.
Three Saturdays: August 29th, October 3rd and 17th, 2020.
I will offer them again!
Reminder for future sessions: Please come prepared with a short paragraph (1 – 5 sentences) that describes or is in the voice of a character you are working on or thinking about.
Sign up for my mailing list
to receive all future invites/class announcements. (Scroll to the bottom of this page, for the mailing list sign-up, right side, at the bottom of the Blog.)
The first online series of the Five Ways In to Character happened in my Zoom Room on the last Saturdays of April, May and June.
Five Ways In to Character –Way One…
(Note: this class was reconfigured into smaller bites, for Virtual teaching on the Book Passage platform.):
Where: Book Passage, Corte Madera
(store hours and locations)
51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925
(Map)
Both old and new students are welcome.
Participants will learn my technique for creating characters who have nuanced and authentic voices, who are psychologically, emotionally, and physically believable and compelling.
As a writer, you probably want each of your characters to have a unique voice, a believable drive toward action (or inaction) and a physical presence that is distinct. This technique will help give you five ways of creating that on the page, so that your readers will recognize, invest in and root for your characters.
You’ll come away with a set of tools and practices that work. You can use them every time you approach a new character, or to deepen and specify ones you’ve known for some time.
Come prepared with a section of written material in which several characters appear, or simply some text – even if it’s a single descriptive sentence or line of dialogue – for each of three or four characters they want to see fully embodied on the page.
Also please bring something to write on and with – preferably not a screen. The engagement of your body as you write will enhance the effectiveness of the technique.
All levels are welcome, no performance acumen or interest is required.
Note: If you have taken this class already, please come back for the next session! The best way to integrate these techniques into your work is repetition.
If you are a performer creating solo work, you are also welcome to this class, but we will be focusing specifically on getting characters on the page, rather than performing them.
To Register: Click on the class title above. This will bring you to the full class description and registration page on the Book Passage website.
Can’t wait to see you in class!
Classes Overview:
I teach acting to both adults and teens, as well my own technique for Playing Multiple Characters, which is especially for solo performers, but also for anyone needing to delve into more than one character in a given show/creative endeavor.
This class has now been adapted for writers, and is called Five Ways In to Character. I teach that class at Book Passage, in Corte Madera.
My regular acting classes have a particular focus on Meisner technique as a way in to authenticity in performance. Classes are structured in thirds, starting with a series of warm-ups that include physical, vocal, and “soul” openers, followed by Meisner and Viewpoints-based exercises, then text work on monologues, in the last part of class.
Students are given a toolbox of exercises and techniques, as well as a way of approaching text, that they can take into any onstage or on-camera situation and show up fully – whether playing a ‘character,’ or someone very much like themselves.
I am a member of the Guest Artist faculty at Tamalpais High School’s prestigious CTE theatre program. I also do private coaching for adults and teens.
Recent Classes:
Julia’s Multiple Character Creation Technique – for Writers!
This class has been a total hit. I will be bringing it back again at Book Passage, on Saturday, March 14th, 2020.
Weekend Workshop for Solo Performers
Class was wonderful! Each and every student did gorgeous, specific work.
Learned: the Cabaret Space is chilly in the winter. Next time: will take place during warm weather!
Multi-Character Tune-Up – Weekend Workshop!
Where: The Marsh Berkeley
2120 Allston Way (between Shattuck and Oxford), Berkeley
When: Saturday February 23rd and Sunday February 24th;
10 a.m. – 3 p.m
(with a one-hour break for lunch from 12 – 1 p.m. each day)
Cost: $300
Class size: Minimum: 4 students; Maximum: 8
To sign up, call The Marsh: 415.641.0235, or go to their website: www.themarsh.org
Description:
If you have a Fringe spot coming up and want to be 100% ready;
If you are you mid-show-development and want to get clearer about what makes your characters tick;
If they need deepening, specificity, a little honing at the edges;
If you want to get adept at switching from one character to another on a dime;
or
If you just want get to know them better and portray them truly, fully, and clearly, this Multiple-Character Tune-Up is for you.
We will go over the basics of my Playing Multiple Characters Technique and work specifically on your current needs.
We will look at up to three of the characters in your script, get clear about who they are and how they appear onstage, and get skillful about switching from one to another with specificity and ease.
If you’ve worked with me privately, or haven’t had the chance, this is a rare opportunity to do this work in a group setting. You will get confidence and clarity about what works, whether you are up there yourself or watching someone else.
All levels are welcome.
Participants should come prepared with written material for up to three characters.
(We can work on more than three, if we have time.)
Memorized is preferable, but reading off the page is also acceptable.
You’ll be able to achieve more if you don’t need to hold the script – but please bring it, either way.
Don’t worry if the words aren’t perfect yet; bring what you have. You can rewrite, if you need to, after the weekend is over.
Here’s what Rebecca Fisher and Mark Kenward say about our work together:
My work with Julia McNeal was pivotal in discovering a visceral connection to the characters in my solo show. Gently guided using her specific technique, the internal world of these characters opened up which allowed me to develop with the journey of their souls. It improved my acting but my work with Julia also informed the development of new dialogue and deepened my connection to the larger work. As a director, I work with clients who work with Julia as an acting coach, as well as providing additional direction and I’m always incredibly exited by their work with her. She is an amazing asset to the solo performance community.
– Rebecca Fisher, Performer, Director, Producer, Tell It On Tuesday, at The Marsh, Berkeley. Current solo show: Memphis on My Mind
“Julia is my go-to acting coach for my one-man shows. Her direction is intelligent and sensitive, and yet accessible and free of unnecessary complications. She is particularly brilliant at helping a performer play multiple characters (an essential skill for most one-person shows). Rehearsals are always fun as she keeps things lively through effective physical warm ups, abundant humor, and an incredibly supportive enthusiasm for the work. And more than anything, she exudes an unwavering commitment to art as a path through life which can’t help but inspire those who work with her. She has certainly done that for me!”
– Mark Kenward, Writer, Performer, Director. Current show: Nantucket.
Description of my Playing Multiple Characters Introductory Classes:
I work with solo performers on playing multiple characters, employing a method I have honed over many years. My experience is that this work is always effective in deepening and specifying character creation in performance.
Participants will learn a way of working on characters that is nuanced, fills them, makes them accurate and believable – psychologically, emotionally, and physically. It also makes switching from one character to another easy, fun, and precise. You’ll come away with a set of tools that really work, to use every time you approach a new character.
Students should come prepared with either a section of their solo-show script in which several characters appear, or simply some text they’ve written or know for each of three or four characters they would like to embody.
Class size: 4 – 8 students.
For more information, feel free to email me: julia@juliamcnealarts.com
I look forward to working with you!
Tools for Authentic Presence
A workshop for performers, non-performers, writers, and entrepreneurs – anyone who wants easy and consistent access to his/her authentic voice, and the ability to communicate effectively in any situation, including the media.
When you are at your most authentic, you are at ease, and in alignment with that which means the most to you. Nothing can confuse the certainty of the authentic self. It simply belongs to you, and can never be replicated by anyone else.
This workshop offers: warm-ups and exercises to awaken the body, voice and soul, and specific techniques for uncovering and gaining access to authentic responses to text. We will explore and discover how fascinating and easily available our authenticity really is, with specific focus on intimate truth. The exercises are a union of Meisner Acting Technique, Linklater voice work, Alexander Technique, and Yoga, crafted to open a channel to and facilitate communication of, personal and professional truth.
With practice and repetition, you can embody these skills and use them all the time, confidently relying upon your authentic voice, no matter how distracting or challenging the situation in which you may find yourself. Whether you wish to perform the words of others for an audience, or communicate your own message to clients, customers, and the world at large, this workshop offers you practical and effective methods for doing just that.
For more information on schedule and cost, email Julia at julia@juliamcnealarts.com