Creative Acting Workshops
About Us
Creative Acting Workshops and Classes are run by the actor, theatre director, acting coach and singer-songwriter, Abigail Hopkins.
We believe passionately in bringing out the best in you as an actor, and to provide you with a set of tools and techniques which help you to rise to the challenges and demands of any given role in this competitive and exciting industry. Our vision is to help the actor achieve their maximum potential by the process of developing a character, interpreting a script, and bringing to that role their own unique self-expression, whilst at the same time honouring the playwright's/screenwriter's intentions.
Acting begins with the actor: the actor is the instrument through which the playwright's/screenwriter's words are given meaning. The actor must breathe life into the text, "lift the text off the page." As actors, we need to to deepen our understanding of ourselves, and our interpretation of life, in order to be able to fully interpret and understand the character we are playing. Acting is about being connected to the world we live in and to others, on all levels, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and is therefore a journey of self-discovery as well as the process of discovering a character.
Our teaching philosophy is deeply grounded in the Method, in naturalistic and realistic acting, and we draw from a combination of innovators, Constantin Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg, Augusto Boal, Viola Spolin and Sanford Meisner. In order to make acting truthful and to achieve believability in performance, the purpose of the exercises and improvisations is designed to release the student from limiting pre-conditioned habits, mannerisms, and defence-mechanisms. The work of Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg developed into a system, whereby the actor could recreate emotional authenticity in performance and not rely on "tricks" or fleeting and unpredictable flashes of "inspiration." The System of Stanislavski and Strasberg, allows the actor to find inspiration in performance, consistently and repeatedly through the techniques of Sensory and Affective Memory and by a thorough understanding of the character and text and the ability to be fully in the moment and in communion with their fellow performers on stage and on set.
Acting is a craft that requires skill, determination, creativity, courage, imagination, flexibility, perseverance, and above all passion and enthusiasm. Acting is not exclusively about "talent", it is very much about hard work and the will-power to overcome blocks, limitations and inhibitions.
At Creative Acting Workshops, we believe in a disciplined and conscientious approach, and that practising one's craft with a teacher and co-students, is the best way, to overcome stage-fright and nerves and provides a constructive environment in which to build one's confidence, to experiment, to develop and to grow. We will work towards relaxation in performance, concentration and control, character creation, scene structure, physicality, and emotional availability. Our classes are kept small, so that each student-actor has the opportunity to work in-depth with the teacher, and have enough time to really play with the character/scene/monologue they are working on and to be able to address any acting problems which may occur or are present. The classes take place in a safe, friendly and encouraging atmosphere, where we also work hard and expect students to maintain a high level of professionalism and commitment. Acting is an ongoing process of growth and development and at times can be emotionally, physically and mentally demanding, but ultimately a rich and rewarding experience and journey.