My practice is rooted in the belief that the actor’s body and intuition are the primary engines of storytelling. Through synthesising rigorous classical structures with playful exploration performers achieve physical truth and agency.
CONTEMPORARY METHODOLOGY ACTIVE ANALYSIS | STANISLAVSKY/KNEBEL
My process aligns the philosophy of a ‘poorer’ theatre with Stanislavski’s active analysis and encourages the actor to tune into their physicality and imagination. I trained under Vasily Skorik, Nikolai Karpov (Maly Theatre St Petersburg ) and Irina Brown (Tron Theatre, Glasgow) all advocates of Stanislavski and Maria Knebel’s later analysis through action technique. The method eschews lengthy table work in favour of actors exploring and improvising to understand the structure of a play by getting “on their feet” and utilises the practice of etudes. This unlocks visceral physically truthful performances, a unified understanding of the whole script and purpose of the play, and allows for a genuinely creative partnership between actor and director.
CREATION & COMPOSITION DEVISED, VIEWPOINTS & ENSEMBLE
Devised work and ensemble have always formed core tenets of my practice, giving actors agency and ownership and freeing them from the constraints of a given script. Using Viewpoints (Anne Bogart) and other ensemble building techniques I focus on removing traditional rehearsal room hierarchies and encourage actors to function as a team and to use their own bodies in time and space collaboratively. These techniques can either be used on entirely new work or be applied to extant text based work to support world building.
* To see examples of my devised work with The Hungry Actors Company (Valencia, Spain) visit these links:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/295448338086
https://www.facebook.com/reel/288741208086
CLASSICAL TEXT SHAKESPEARE & VERSE
Patsy Rodenburg (RSC Emeritus of Voice) taught me the power and truth of Shakespeare as a young actor. Her focus on being present and in the moment, aligning text with emotional truth continues to form the basis of my work in demystifying Shakespeare for actors. By taking a holistic approach which focuses on the truthfulness of the text and its direct connection with the psychological intuitive soul of the character allows the text to become a physical catalyst that releases and frees the performer, over and above an academic exercise.
PHYSICAL THEATRE CHARACTER HALF MASK & EMBODIED ACTION
Harnessing the teachings of Chattie Salaman (Comédie de Saint- Étienne & Common Stock) in character half mask, this practice encourages an actor to playfully explore and discover bold new characterisations and push boundaries in performance. Through merging imaginative visualisation and intuition with physical responsiveness the actor is able to create an authentic and often comedic transformational performance. The work can continue with half-masked characters for a final piece, or the half mask can be used to unlock character in rehearsals without being used in the actual performance.
The Hungry Actors Company. Character half mask in performance. Valencia, Spain.
Alongside pedagogical teaching I am keen to democratise theatre as an art form and try whenever and wherever possible to work within the wider community.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
I work with community groups, schools and colleges to devise theatre and introduce groups who may not have worked in a performance setting to have a go.
“Sam conducts research with incredible exuberance, is creative and thorough in her preparation, works brilliantly with a creative team and holds space for everyone. She is a director who works democratically, tactfully and bravely to bring together the ideas of the room to create work that really empowers the participants and uses their authentic voice.” Community Producer, Royal Exchange Theatre. ‘Takeover’, Royal Exchange Studio Theatre, Community Play.
“The performance that was delivered by Sam Holland-Bunyan, the Wylye Valley School staff and most importantly the pupils was uniquely, quintessentially, astonishing”. Clare MacNaughton Salisbury Journal. ‘Paper Bird’, Wyle Valley School in association with Salisbury Playhouse, Devised Play.
“I thought the work was fantastic and loved the style very much” Richard Munro director of Deverills Festival. Play in a Day, Deverills Festival, Devised Community Play.
“Everyone had a great time and thought that Sam was an excellent leader/facilitator. She created a “safe environment” for all of us to experiment in and to discover untapped talents. Thanks to you for sending along a great teacher and fine ambassador for Salisbury Playhouse”. Alan Knight East Knoyle Theatre Group in association with Salisbury Playhouse, Character Half Mask Workshop.
COACHING FOR STUDENT & PROFESSIONAL ACTORS
For actors applying to drama school, wanting to hone performance skills, practice monologues for auditions, or just flex their creative muscles.
PUBLIC SPEAKING COACHING FOR NON-ACTORS
Building confidence and creativity in workspaces and life is as useful for non-actors. Using acting techniques to learn skills that will free participants up so they never have to fear another power point presentation or speaking in public.
“I reached out to Sam with the aim to help me feel more prepared for a number of different talks I have in the future, as well as generally wanting to feel more comfortable with public speaking. Being on stage, speaking in front of people is something that doesn’t come naturally for me but yet Sam has instilled an inner confidence in me that anything is possible. Her enthusiasm is infectious and she makes you feel invincible. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to improve their confidence and understanding of how to deliver, to best suit them. 10/10″ Tom, public speaking student.
UNLOCKING CREATIVITY FOR BUSINESSES
Businesses small and large can benefit from a little creativity every now and then. As a creative industry professional and with experience working with small and medium businesses I draw on my experience in theatre and film, challenge preconceived ideas, apply fresh eyes and embolden management and staff to try new things and free themselves from invisible and often assumed constraints.
Every business benefits from a regular review of its internal structures. and theatre is no different. If a business’s structure is not encouraging ideas, development and growth the business needs to address the fundamentals, not tweak a tired core. Even the most freestyle improvisors operate from a template which provides them with a secure foundation form which they are free to explore – if the template is not allowing them the basis to be creative they change the template.
Morning, afternoon, or all day sessions that enable team building, confidence and creativity within your workspace. If you have a particular issue that you would like to solve through the medium of theatre and improvisation get in touch and I will devise a template from which you can grow.
SAM HOLLAND-BUNYAN 