QUOTE OF MONTH: "There is no character.  There are only lines upon a page."
~ David Mamet

 NOW TAKING ENROLMENTS FOR NEW TERM.

*For more information regarding all classes please contact – Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

 
                                                   RADIO INTERVIEW_Part_One

Q? WHAT DOES IS MEAN TO GET INTO CHARACTER? The whole question on “character” is an interesting one. (Orson Welles blurb on character is a good guide to ‘what character actually is’.) A lot of so-called character actors on the screen, in my opinion, give ‘caricature’ performances. David Mamet went as far as to say that Laurence Oliver was a terrible film actor because his characters were ‘over-acted’ for the camera. The challenge for the actor in creating ‘character’ is to make the character human and believable, and for the actor to not draw attention to himself while performing. If the actor does draw attention to himself the audience may applaud the actor’s expertise and be mesmerized by the actor’s ability, but this attention on the actor in this way takes the audience away from the play/story. As Shakespeare said: “The Play’s The Thing.” The actor is there to serve the play/script not to serve him-self. CHARACTER – The actor’s ability to keep away from the trap of falling into caricature begins with the actor’s interpretation and understanding of what ‘character’ actually is in performance. As an actor there are specific elements that need to be addressed and taken care of, such as ‘accents’, the way the character walks, talks, sits, stands. These of course are what I call the ‘externals’ of character and most important, but here’s the trap, the misunderstanding: When character is built on these ‘external’ characteristics alone. When we as actors approach a role in this away, and believe that these well executed externals alone create ‘character’ we rob our ‘character’ of a fundamental element: The element of HUMANITY. These externals are important and essential to creating ‘character’ but not at the expense of the humanity of the character. The original question: “What does it mean to get into character?” Maybe phrased incorrectly. I feel: “What does it mean for the character to get into YOU?” – Is more accurate. … Peter Sardi

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: "The theatre is an act engendered by human reactions and impulses, by contacts between people."
~ Jerzy Grotowski

FRIDAY 19th APRIL @ 5.00-6.00pm Tickets: FREE
ACMI Cinema 1, Federation Square Melbourne
Peter Sardi – IN CONVERSATION.   
Places are limited!  PH: 8663 2583

Welcome all students to our New Term …

Please <click> on images above to see Full Size pics!

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: "Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals."  … Samuel Ullman

OUR NEW TERM STARTS SOON!

For more information regarding classes please contact:
Sophie Sardi: 9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au 

After an extended summer break I am very much looking forward to getting back to work and commencing a brand new term.  To all the Returning Students – your journey continues.  To all the brand New Students – WELCOME – I look forward to meeting you all and working with you in this wonderful craft we call "ACTING."  Yes 'acting' is a craft and a craft can be learned. When acting is done well there is always 'a sense of ease' about it.  A simplicity.  No strain or effort.  When it's not done well there will be effort involved usually in the direction of needing to push, to emote, to feel.  Simply, in the words of Sanford Meisner, "Acting is Doing."  It took me over 20 years to really understand this.  ACTING IS DOING.  Importantly it's being present in what you are doing.  For the last 2 or 3 years I have, along side my students, been able to explore, learn about and re-define a number of specific exercises practiced in our classes.  The core exercise we've developed here we've called "The Doing Exercise."  I have always believed that words and description always fall way short of explaining the craft of acting and that "demonstration is always better then explanation."  SO - I have included a Video clip below that gives you a brief insight into what this exercise actually entails.  A big THANK-YOU to the students in this Video who all studied at our school for a few and more years and helped me in developing this powerful exercise.

A sneak peek inside our school.  
The Video/clip below takes a peak inside Peter Sardi's class discussing one of his acting exercises called "The Doing Exercise." When executed correctly, this exercise assists the actor in developing a strong sense of 'presence' – an important quality an actor must acquire.  The goal is to hold the audience's attention through  the execution of a series of 'activities'(stage business) without the use of lines/text. 

THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT TO IGNORE.

 <– PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ON LEFT AND SIGN PETITION. – thank you.

"If these changes are passed by Parliament and become law, they will lead to a severe downturn in the Australian TV drama industry at the cost of hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to the Australian economy. Of greatest concern are the immeasurable cultural consequences as Australians grow up and grow old seeing less of their stories and hearing less of their voices on our screens."

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  "We convince by our presence." ~ Walt Whitman

_{ENROLMENT – 2013}

 NOW taking enrolments for classes starting in March.
*For more information regarding all classes please contact – Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

View our End Of Year Performances!

To view FULL SCENES - Click on images below.        

I want to take this opportunity to wish all the actors that passed through our doors this year all the very best for Christmas and the New Year. May your efforts throughout this year bear fruit in 2013.  Thank you for challenging me (I was challenged in many ways) and for helping me grow.  To grow, after all, is really what this journey is about.  I am reminded of Stella Adler's quote on 'actors' when she said: 
^{"The need of a young actor to act, is stronger than the intelligent layman can understand. The world might think that this ambition is motivated by the desire for money, success and fame. Even if the actor says this is his aim, it is still only partially true. The actor is fighting for a way of life. The theatre differs from many other professions because it is a way of life.  Tangible professions recognised and understood, are good ones; but for the time, they are too narrow for his chaotic soul.   Once channelled in the theatre and through acting, he quickly sees that his imagination is limitless. This is followed by an opening up of his emotional range.  Plays are not read, they are studied. The world is no longer a place, it is his place.  He has ceased being an observer on the fringe of life and has the audacity to go into every nook and cranny of it.  Everyday reality is not enough for the actor.  He must find an art form with which to express this reality – life!  Even if you take that platform away from him, he will grow; he has the tools, the training and the discipline.  To grow, by the way, that is his deepest and truest need when he says: "I want to be an actor."}
When I look at some of the work of the actors in these Video clips (above) I see not only "scenes" but  I see and I am reminded of the days and weeks of struggle & hard work that was essential in arriving at these performances.  The hurdles & obstacles that confronted the actors in arriving at the standard of work in these clips also assisted these actors to grow.  As Stella Adler says:

To grow, that is his deepest and truest need when he says: I want to be an actor.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  "We convince by our presence." ~ Walt Whitman

_{ENROLMENT – 2013}

 NOW taking enrolments for classes starting in March.
*For more information regarding all classes please contact – Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

View our End Of Year Performances!

To view FULL SCENES - Click on images below.        

I want to take this opportunity to wish all the actors that passed through our doors this year all the very best for Christmas and the New Year. May your efforts throughout this year bear fruit in 2013.  Thank you for challenging me (I was challenged in many ways) and for helping me grow.  To grow, after all, is really what this journey is about.  I am reminded of Stella Adler's quote on 'actors' when she said: 
^{"The need of a young actor to act, is stronger than the intelligent layman can understand. The world might think that this ambition is motivated by the desire for money, success and fame. Even if the actor says this is his aim, it is still only partially true. The actor is fighting for a way of life. The theatre differs from many other professions because it is a way of life.  Tangible professions recognised and understood, are good ones; but for the time, they are too narrow for his chaotic soul.   Once channelled in the theatre and through acting, he quickly sees that his imagination is limitless. This is followed by an opening up of his emotional range.  Plays are not read, they are studied. The world is no longer a place, it is his place.  He has ceased being an observer on the fringe of life and has the audacity to go into every nook and cranny of it.  Everyday reality is not enough for the actor.  He must find an art form with which to express this reality – life!  Even if you take that platform away from him, he will grow; he has the tools, the training and the discipline.  To grow, by the way, that is his deepest and truest need when he says: "I want to be an actor."}
When I look at some of the work of the actors in these Video clips (above) I see not only "scenes" but  I see and I am reminded of the days and weeks of struggle & hard work that was essential in arriving at these performances.  The hurdles & obstacles that confronted the actors in arriving at the standard of work in these clips also assisted these actors to grow.  As Stella Adler says:

To grow, that is his deepest and truest need when he says: I want to be an actor.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!

Peter & Sophie Sardi

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: "The theatre is an act engendered by human reactions and impulses, by contacts between people."
~ Jerzy Grotowski

OUR NEW TERM HAS NOW COMMENCED! 

^{Welcome to all our NEW students – your Journey begins.
And to all RETURNING students – your Journey continues …}

^{*If you are interested in enrolling in our classes please contact Sophie Sardi:
email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au   PH: 0419 539030 or 9432 3062}

*Below are our 'current' students.  Please CLICK on images below to view LARGE Pics.

<– Hear what Jerzy Grotowski has to say about HUMAN CONTACT in Video.

To see Peter Sardi discussing and DEMONSTRATING the importance of the CONTACT
that needs to exist between two actors – please CLICK on the Link at the END of

<–THIS VIDEO!

Please read this BEFORE you view Video on Left. The video on the left is a 'demonstration' of the 'playing for contact exercise' developed over an 18 year period at our school.  To some people viewing this video all they will see is two adults clowning around and making a lot of noise.  Some actors, who have the ability to look closely and really observe the exchange happening between these two actors, will see how this simple exercise is everything to do with ACTING.  When you watch two good actors performing a 'scene' together, if you look closely 'behind the veil of the scene', you will see/feel the elements of PRESENCE/CONNECTION that must exist between two actors on stage.  This ability of actors to create and bring about these elements is the foundation of an actor's craft.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: 
“The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities.”…Daniel Day Lewis

 NEW TERM COMMENCING SOON!

*For more information regarding all classes please contact – Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

 View this Video and hear Peter Sardi touch on some fundamental truths on the craft of acting.

"Character is born of ACTION / NEED" 
"Everything an actor does as the character has to be justified by the character's internal need. As Stanislavski said: There are no physical actions divorced from some desire, some effort in some direction, some objective … Everyting that happens on the stage has a definite purpose." … Robert Benedetti

Below is a brief TRAILER scenes recently filmed at our school.

*To view FULL SCENES of above trailer please click on images - below:
 

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. … No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others." … Martha Graham

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  "We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought."~ Bertrand Russell

_{NOW ENROLLING FOR TERM 3 – 2012!}

 We are now taking enrolments for classes starting in October.
*For more information regarding all classes please contact – Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

Below is a brief TRAILER scenes recently filmed at our school.

*To view FULL SCENES of above trailer please click on images - below:
 

The creative state
The Creative state is a mysterious state which cannot be accessed via the intellect alone. The subconscious is a door we need to open so as as we can access that part of ourselves where creativity resides.  The way in - a key to accessing the creative state – is having the tools to access the subconscious. The teaching and learning of acting (it is a 'craft' and a craft can be learned) should engage the actor/participant's total being, including his/her mind, body & soul. The gateway into the creative state, particularly for the actor, is through THE BODY.  It's through THE BODY OF THE ACTOR that we can access the subconscious and creative state.   It's through the actor's BODY engaging with another actor's BODY in a 'space' where we can access the creative state and "experience."  … Peter Sardi … 5/09/2012

Thank-you Actors …
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the actors who participated in our classes this term.  We, again, had to overcome quite a few obstacles.  Like life – it's the overcoming of obstacles, the difficulties and the challenges presented to us where we have an opportunity to grow.  The bigger the obstacles the bigger the growth.  To grow, by the way, is the whole point of it.  For the students leaving us – THANK YOU for being here this time around.  For the students returning next term – I look forward to continuing this journey.   … Peter Sardi

<–CLICK on image to view Sophie's LATEST ARTWORK for this month.  

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  "Theatre is a place where one man comes out to meet another, without playing any role… He is what he is, complete in himself… He only wants to meet." 
~ Jerzy Grotowski

We are currently half way through term two classes.  
Enrolment for term three classes begins in a few weeks time.
*For more information regarding all classes please contact – Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

Please click on image below to view current student PICS!

CONGRATULATIONS BRYCE HARDY.  APPEARING IN A 'GUEST' ROLE ON <NEIGHBOURS> THIS WEEK  Nice work Bryce!

Hear what Jerzy Grotowski has to say about HUMAN CONTACT in Video below

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: 
“That for which we find words is something already dead in our hearts. There is always a kind of contempt in the act of speaking.”… Friedrich Nietzsche

Not too late to enrol …
LIMITED SPACES LEFT FOR CLASS STARTING VERY SOON!

*For further information regarding enrolment contact Sophie Sardi: 
9432-3062  0419 539030  or  email: acting@peter-sardi.com.au

Dean Kirkright … a TESTIMONIAL!

CONGRATULATIONS ELIZA D'SOUZA WINNER
"Best Actress Award" TROPFEST NEW YORK!

The Language Of The Stage is 'ACTION'.

A good actor has the ability, has the skill to unlock the meaning and emotion in a dramatic piece of writing by detecting and uncovering the rhythms in the writing.   For the actor this ability is not an intellectual process.  A great piece of music is dead on the page and needs an instrument – a piano, and a player – a pianist, to take the music off the page. A great piece of dramatic writing needs an instrument – an actor, to take the dramatic writing off the page and transpose the word(s) into the language of the stage – that is ACTION that is EMOTION.  *See FULL Article!

*To all the NEW students who have signed up for the new term.  
WELCOME – Your journey begins…  
I look forward to meeting you & working with you over the next 9 weeks!

<–CLICK on image to view Sophie's 
LATEST ARTWORK for this month.