The Art of Making Choices is designed to give everyone from the beginner to the most experienced actors a firm foundation to approach any character. Part process and part performance, the workshop will create an open and creative space for the actor's growth and character exploration.
Each class will begin with a 30-minute focus on the relaxation and warm-up of body and voice. Students will learn the how-to and importance of engaging all five senses in their work. Using scene and monologue work participants will then learn to make choices:
-
How to breakdown a script to find the overall objective.
-
How to ask and answer the right, specific questions to reveal the action and motivation of each moment.
-
How to find active physical gestures and movements to support the actor in revealing a subtext or deeper layers of the character.
-
How to personalize the character using their own experiences to create a dynamic and unique performance on stage, on camera or in auditions.
Class will culminate with invited friends and family to showcase our work.
Noëlle Parker began her professional career on stage at The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York. As one of the youngest actresses to become a member of EST, she went on to appear in their annual Marathon of One Acts for the next five years. She attended the original High School of Performing Arts on 46th street (now known as LaGuardia) where she was formally trained in the methods of Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagan. Privately, she studied extensively with Susan Batson and Sandra Seacat in New York, and with Dominic DeFazio in Los Angeles. Noëlle has worked with Sean Penn, Blythe Danner, Brian Dennehy, Sam Waterston, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Dermott Mulroney among others. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows. Most notably in the title role of NBC's The Amy Fisher Story, the film At Close Range and as a regular on the series Sisters playing the defiant wayward daughter of Swoosie Kurtz. She was awarded a daytime Emmy for her work in Different Worlds—An Interracial Love Story. Most recently, Noëlle can be seen in the 2020 film They Only Know So Much where she is also an Associate Producer. Having worked and studied for most of her career has given Noelle a unique advantage as a private coach and teacher. She brings her own knowledge and experience to help all stages of actors achieve their goals. She has been living and working in the Sag Harbor community for the last ten years while continuing her acting career and working as a private coach locally and in NYC. She is excited to collaborate with Bay Street Theater and offer this work to the community!
