Online teaching statement from David Deblinger:
“In a virtual setting this class moves beyond the fundamentals of Acting 1. Using the technology of the ZOOM platform, students will engage in scene work with one another, live. ZOOM has a number of tools that will be helpful. For instance, we can make it so the whole class is suddenly not seen on the screen, so we see only the two people who are engaged in the scene. And for those two, each will choose an option called HIDE SELF VIEW. This is important. An actor must not, “watch themselves.” So a scene partner will be able to look at the screen, see and listen to their partner. The fact that they will be acting before a computer will also be a powerful use of the imagination, and will mirror circumstances the professional actor faces not only on camera, but even onstage depending on the play, and the myriad of circumstances created by playwrights. We will learn to use the medium and continue to hone our ability to stay alive and connected to the space in which we inhabit. Hagen work will benefit by possibly having a great deal of objects, furniture as well as a connection to place. I think our ability to make connections with ourselves and one another will serve us in a variety of ways, deepening our ability to make personal the pursuit of actions, and the meaning behind that pursuit. Each student will be worked with a bit differently, based on the instructor’s instinct as to what will bring his or her skillset to a higher level.”