The studio is at capacity, and the seats are full with students whose eyes are fixed on the performance that is taking place in front of them.
“Body is the dialog,” exclaims Gregory Berger-Sobeck, owner and founder of Berg Studios of Atwater Village.
In the middle of an intense scene, a student immediately adjusts her performance and finds herself lost in the moment. Without uttering a word to her scene partner, she is able to speak volumes in just body language alone. Shoulders hunched, head dropped, eyes cold with a melancholy stare, and her body appears to be almost lifeless – she’s physically communicating her character’s despair, all before she voices her lines.
The idea is simple, rather than merely saying the words from a script, her body is moving to it. She’s physically encapsulating the dialog, bringing it to life through her motions, actions and gesticulations. The results are astounding.
This emphasis on physicality in technique makes characters believable because the experience is authentic. The audience is sold. Onlookers see a character that is genuine to the circumstance, and truly compelling with physical honesty. The commitment to letting the body communicate is a 360-degree approach to acting, one that is undeniable.
React, React, React – to character as opposed to trying to judge it.
Class is in session at Berg Studios and this is just one great lesson that all actors can learn from.