About the Class

Performance Ensemble: Devising Fundamentals is an immersive course that challenges you to devise a new piece of theatre inspired by a historical figure or artifact. Led by instructors from the premier Black Acting Methods Studio, during this course, we’ll create a piece in conversation with the life of Sarah Baartman, a Black, South African woman who was enslaved and paraded around Europe due to her physical appearance.

In the Black Acting Methods Studio we work in the Luckett Paradigm, a performance methodology where we focus on a holistic approach to actor training—this includes mind, body, and spirit. Ultimately, you will become a more holistic performer by engaging in physical and generative theatre practices, which will help you develop skills for spontaneity, listening, and responding to your fellow ensemble members.

We’ll work on:

  • Core-Creation—building up the core of who you are
  • Orientation—helping you navigate uncomfortable spaces in your career and advocating for your needs in acting spaces;
  • Resuscitation—reading and critical conversations about your career path and the history and futures of acting
  • Dialogic Devising—having you write the material that you perform.

This process encourages you to bring your own stories and perspectives into play, culminating in a final public presentation of new work.

Tuition

$375

Duration

3 hours

Capacity

Maximum of 12 students

Find Your Session

1 sessions available

02/16-04/06
Monday
(6:30PM - 9:30PM)
Taught by Sharrell Luckett

Meet the Teacher

Headshot image of Sharrell Luckett

Sharrell Luckett

Sharrell D. Luckett, PhD, is celebrated by PBS as one of America’s most influential leaders in theatre performance and training. She is the founding Executive Director of the Black Acting Methods Studio and has been honored by “Black Masks” magazine as one of 25 Black Theatre Game Changers in the field. In 2023, Sharrell made history as the first African-American appointed as Editor-in-Chief of SETC’s award-winning Southern Theatre magazine since its origins in 1959. Sharrell recently served on the Independent Equity Committee at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London and was a 2024 artEquity BIPOC Arts Leadership Fellow. Additionally, Sharrell has authored/co-authored five books and given talks at over seventy institutions. She has been a Fellow at renowned entities, such as the Lincoln Center, Harvard University, and 92Y. Sharrell is also Director of the Helen Weinberger Center for Drama & Playwriting and Charles P. Taft Distinguished Professor of Drama and Performance Studies at the University of Cincinnati. @sdluckett @BlackActingMethods

Two women stand indoors talking; one faces the camera holding a sheet of paper and wearing glasses and an Adidas shirt, while the other has her back to the camera.

Class

Performance Ensemble: Devising Fundamentals