Masterclass Online with Gulu Monteiro
Building a Character
In Just 6 weeks,
You'll Learn
In this workshop you will learn how emotions are fundamentally physical actions/movements of muscles in the face, limbs, and internal organs, and feeling are the mental representation of these actions and also the generator of conscious mind, rationality, imagination, and creativity.
You will create a character that has his own body (different from yours); the movements triggered by emotion in this new body will produce feelings and thoughts that are not yours either.
Enjoy then the freedom to experience your character`s own feelings and thoughts without tapping on your personal psychological issues.
Meet Your Instructor
Gulu Monteiro, a professor at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in LA, and at L’Ecole du Jeu School of Higher Education in Paris. From 1985 to 2000, Gulu led a theater company in Rio de Janeiro, the Companhia do Gesto, where they introduced the language of clowns, masks, and gestures to Brazilian theater. In 2001 Gulu moved to Los Angeles and his work as a director became rapidly well known and he was invited to direct for the most important venues in town: the LA Opera, Broad Stage, and Getty Villa among others. He received the most important awards of the city: Ovation Award, Maddy Award, and LA Weekly Award.
GULU MONTEIRO
Master Teacher
UCLA School of Dramatic Arts - LA
L’Ecole du Jeu - Paris
Our Schedule
Module 1
EDP Theory
Discussion about the foundations of the EDP Theory. By the end, the students will understand what we’re going to be doing, how and why they are going to do it, and what results they are going to achieve.
Module 3
Elements
Nature's Elements. In astrology, one of the oldest sciences of humanity, nature's elements earth, fire, water, and air, and an individual's personality are intertwined. For instance, people whose element is air are dreamy and absent-minded. Earth is maternal. Fire is moody and impulsive. Working with the elements helps actors find an inner state for their characters. The actors will choose the element that they feel their character is the closest to. This element will bring to the character an inner state that will be different from the actors’.
Module 5
The Interview
Interview. During an in-depth interview, the character will revisit his/her whole life from childhood to the moment of the scene. These memories and emotions will come from the character, not from the actor’s intellect. They will be attached to the character’s body. From now on, each time the actor brings this body, it will have all the information it needs to deal with any situation as the character.
Module 2
Animal Work
Animals. The actors will choose the animal that they feel their character is the closest to. For instance, a lion (courageous and strong); a fox (smart, sneaky), or a small bird (fragile, innocent.) This image will modify the actors’ bodies, allowing them to start feeling the physicality and energy suggested by the animal.
Module 4
Adjectives
Psychological Characteristics (Adjectives). The actors will work with 3 adjectives that will define the psychological profile of their characters, like selfish, intellectual, or naive. Each one of these images will modify the actors’ body and inner state, allowing them to start feeling the characteristics that each one of these body states suggests.
Module 6
Scene Work
Working on Scenes. The text will be the final step in the process, After having created the characters and after having improvised in the situation, the actors will include the text and start working on the scenes. The body is wiser than the rational mind. By creating a character from the body and not from the intellect, the actor will be surprised in each moment by the character’s freedom and spontaneity.
√ All of our 6 classes are taught online hosted on the ZOOM platform;
√ Students will interact with the instructor and scene partners;
√ Each class will have the duration of two hours;
√ Every Wednesdays at 11am PST;
√ On the last day the students will perform a scene with their partners.
What Our Students Are Saying
