Module 2: The Actor 

The Actor workshop is a professional acting class in which acting techniques, particularly that of
the Meisner technique will be explored. Exercises will highlight the tools of an actor: imagination,
movement, voice, listening, and emotion. The students will discover the power of rigorous
character work and working together on stage with other actors.
*Students with draft scripts from Module 1 may bring them to this class and we will use them in
training the actors. We will encourage these young playwrights to continue their revising work
based on what they hear and see in this class in order to continue to improve their scripts.
Course Take-Away: A demonstration of students scene work for industry professionals

Areas of Focus
● Discovering the fundamental tools of acting
● Doing character analysis and preparation
● Utilizing the actor’s voice and body to create a character
● Understanding the listen and respond tools of an actor
● Breaking down the scene into moments
● Working with other actors

Syllabus
1. Students will do improvisation to practice the tools of acting
2. Students will practice analyzing characters in a play/scene
3. Students will begin to explore interpreting their character using their bodies and voices
4. Students will work with other students to practice listening and responding in character
5. Students will be assigned a scene and begin basic scene analysis
6. Students will practice working off other actors and developing an ensemble energy
7. Students will present their scenes for critique

Trainer

Warren is a professional director and theatre arts educator. Before moving to Singapore, he was a director for over 23 years in the U.S., working in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, and New York City. He has a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Arizona State University.
Early in his career, Warren had the privilege of working for a few years with a young theatre company in Chicago called Steppenwolf. During that time, Warren worked with Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Joan Allen, John Mahoney, Glenne Headly, Gary Cole, Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, Martha Lavey and Laurie Metcalf. Warren began his directing career as Assistant Director to Laurie Metcalf for the play Big Mama, featuring a young John Malkovich in the lead role.

In 1989, Warren received a Joseph Jefferson Citation for Best Directing (Chicago) for his production of Alan Bowne’s Beirut. Warren was also the Artistic Director for Imagination Theater, a touring educational theater company in Chicago, for over 15 years. In New York City, Warren was the Artistic Director for City Lights Youth Theater Company and has directed and produced numerous plays and musicals on Broadway in which all actors were inner city youth.

Warren trained extensively in the Sanford Meisner technique from David Mamet’s St. Nicholas School of Theater Arts and the Lois Hall Studio, both in Chicago. Warren has also trained with the Steppenwolf Theater Co., Victory Gardens Theater Training Centre, Kyle Donnelly’s The Actor’s Centre, and Jane Brody’s Audition Centre.

Currently, Warren is the Creative Director for Swing a Cat Pte Ltd, an arts production, training and consulting company in Singapore. He also does corporate training for creative thinking for The Creative Experience Training Centre, and runs workshops using the guiding principles of improvisation as inspiration for corporate innovation and team building. He also teaches theatre arts to teenagers at the Canadian International School in Singapore.