4 sessions, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Thursdays, June 8 through 29, 2017
Hanover Senior Center - Hanover, NH
Course Fee: $40

From 1931 to 1941, a group of dedicated actors followed the lead of Constantin Stanislavski’s revolutionary method of anti-artificiality in theater productions. This “Method Acting” revolution introduced an American acting style that caused great changes not only on the stage and screen but also in perception of political activism. The latter led to the famous blacklisting by the House Un-American Activities Commitee of original Group Theater members and those who learned from them.

We will introduce the Group Theater at its inception, discuss people involved, plays produced, and watch a film by writer Clifford Odets. We’ll follow this movement and its directors, writers, and actors to the Actors Studio, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and other training and career-launching venues for actors who followed, as American actors, challenged by classical theater, learned to amalgamate “The Method” with a more traditional acting style. We’ll explore the blacklisting of many of the major theater artists who emerged from the Group Theater and discuss perceptions of American Acting today.

There will be optional textbooks for this course.