Born in London in 1934, trained in the USA and Israel. He burst on the scene with Arabian Nights (1975) and Bleak House (1977), the first two productions by Shared Experience, now one of the most successful companies in the UK. At the National he directed Ian McKellen, Sheila Hancock and Roy Kinnear in his own version of The Cherry Orchard (1985). In the 1990s he ran the Cambridge Theatre Company, later renamed Method and Madness.
In terms of his techniques, Mike Alfreds uses a similar approach to Chekhov and Stanislavski, in that he feels that the actor should be completely invested emotional and physically in the character to the point where the distinction between them is blurred. Mike Alfreds likes to use a more physical based system however, and borrows from Chekhov's physical/emotional centre work to help his actors. This work uses one simple method; focusing on a particular part of the body and focusing the energy and movement within the body part, essentially allowing it to "lead" you around the space. This creates a new type of movement that could have connotations to a particular member in society. For instance if the movement energy is focused on the nose, it may appear that this person is arrogant, high class and self-absorbed. I feel that this is a great technique for the actor, in the sense that it can be as exaggerated or as subtle as they need it to be for their character, and the exercise can still benefit them. In my case for the Father, all i have done is simply alter my body weight to be placed more in my lower back and I have engaged my stomach more to give off a sense of pain or guilt.
Alfreds also likes to employ several techniques when dealing directly with text to also help the actor get a better sense of the character. Here he uses two methods; the breakdown method and the text-no text-text method.
The breakdown method consist of the actor breaking down every line of speech that is attributed to their character and placing them into categories which are: Write down a list of facts about the character, and the ‘big chunky actions’ he or she performs, Write down what the character says about him-/herself, Write down what others say about the character and Write down what the character says about others. This covers all areas of relationships and emotions that the character feels within the play and I feel this helps the actor fully understand the given circumstances of the play as well as how it affects the way their character exists within them.
The text-no text-text method is a technique that allows the actor to feel less pressured by the text during rehearsal. The actor will perform his/her scene with the text during rehearsal and will then stop. The actor is the given a few minutes to memorise the key moments within the scene before they are asked to improvise the entire scene without the script. Once that is done and after the director is satisfied, the actor then returns to the script, making notes of any observations they may have had, and will then carry into the next scene. Having used this within our own rehearsals, I can really see the benefits of this technique, as it provides the actor with the chance to move freely without the bounds of the script. It also, in my opinion, really helps the actor commit the key parts of the scene to memory, as the exercise allows them to use their own language, as long as it is in keeping with the character. By speaking in a way that is comfortable to them, it makes the scene improvisation much more comfortable for the actor and therefore, easier to move and react in. I definitely feel this technique to be one of the most effective I have used and I would recommend and use it again in the future.
This was a genuinely great breakdown, thanks!
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