ADVANCED SCENE STUDY MASTERCLASS

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When I was a little girl I watched films in awe of the women I saw on my screens. I wanted to be thin, beautiful, tall, elegant and glamorous because thats what I "Thought" equalled to an amazing performance. It wasn't until these past few years where I realised this was a system put in place that told girls like me who they "should" become. What if real beauty comes from telling the truth? What if real beauty comes from vulnerability? From sharing a piece of yourself not for validation, rather to inspire and reshape the men and women of the future. What if being an "ugly actor" is where the future in our lies.

When I speak of "ugly actors" this is not to offend; rather reshape the meaning behind the word. For in UGLY we find the ability to play characters full of truth, instead of worrying about what we look like on-camera. We reveal ugly behaviours and unflattering reactions, the parts of ourselves we feel should be kept hidden, yet the very same parts that are the most vulnerable and the most beautiful. The parts that guide us to a roar truthful performance. The very same performances that reshaped Charlize Theron in Monster, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction,  or even the incredible Toni Collette whose character in Muriels Wedding showed us the pain that exists within our culture and lengths people will go to just to fit in.  Her dedication to playing the truth in that role, THE UGLY TRUTH, meant as an audience we could not tear our eyes away. We fell in love with her. 

As artists we are already vulnerable to so much. We put ourselves on show for the world and even with practise, find it hard to forget the presence of judgement and focus solely on our job.  We want to be liked. Sometimes playing ugly characters or showing characteristics result in negative reactions or ridicule. Not just from audiences, or people in our industry, but also within ourselves. This is why we must have a strong identities; and know who we are. We must not let circumstances, or what people say dictate who we think we should be. We need to be willing to tell the truth no matter what. To hold up mirrors to our society and remind each other of the UGLY in life, and attest to the truth behind pain and suffering, that help us understand why we need to change and curb our reactions in certain situations.

Many people are never comfortable revealing who they are to strangers. Yet I have seen it done, and it's opened my eyes to the power of the world we can build. Not just for us our art form, but for those who wish to walk within and beside it. This is the power of an UGLY PERFORMANCE and the beauty of actors who learn that to become their most fascinating and mesmerising selves is to be willing to be ugly. To show reality as it is before us.  To become healthy human beings who can walk alongside someone they may not have understood before, however now through the eyes of a UGLY character and their performance, give us a glimpse of who they really are, and the pain and struggle underneath the masks.

This masterclass is for those actors who wish to change the world of our screens. To be braver than they have before and bring this divided world a little closer together.  To show the world that "UGLY" is actually beautiful.

Be prepared to be vulnerable, step outside of your comfort zone, and discover a new side to your performance that may frighten you. However... Remember that if it doesn't frighten you, it isn't worth doing.