[NEohioPAL]Rare Meisner class starts March 7

Tue Feb 24 06:25:04 PST 2004

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Victor D'Altorio
L.A. Weekly critics best director 2000
Chicago's most recommended acting teacher
by agents and casting directors 1993-98

The only place you can act is in front of an audience, or a camera.
Everything else is preparation.

Good acting is personal.
It's genuine, intimate, spontaneous.

  The character is you--always you--
Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

Each character you play lives within your own boundaries
for expressiveness, depth of feeling, specificity of response.

Victor guides the actor right to the truth, and to a very specific truth,
which is really rare. He creates an atmosphere of total safety.
Sometimes I wanted to smack him on the head when he directed me!
He insists that every moment be honest, specific, and fully alive.
I absolutely loved working with him.
Megan Mullally, Karen Walker on Will & Grace
Emmy Award, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

When: Sunday nights March 7 through April 25 from 6:45-11pm.
Class size: 8 weeks/32 hours of class. Limited to 16 students.
Where: Dobama Theatre, 1846 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights OH 44118
Cost: $275 for 8 weeks ($25 discount - $250 if paid in full before first class)
Contact: Victor D'Altorio at vdaltorio at neo.rr.com

Singers spend hours vocalizing up and down the scales. Dancers stretch and 
bend at a bar. The actor must exercise the mechanism that allows for 
flexibility and freedom of expression--the ability to listen and respond 
truthfully, fully, freely and spontaneously. First as oneself. Then, with 
the addition of a specific set of imaginary circumstances. Sanford 
Meisner's repetition exercise is the basis for the work.

Particular emphasis is placed on listening and absorbing the other person 
in an honest and specific way.

The goal: to experience a flow state of mind and heart, free of 
conventionalized behaviors and preconceived responses.

Lose self-consciousness by focusing outwardly.
Respond to what's happening -not to what's expected or desired.
Unblock/Expand your range of expression.
Express fully, feely, and spontaneously.
Surprise yourself with your own unanticipated responses.
Relate to the imaginary circumstance in a much more specific way.
Allow the dialogue to ride on the moment-don't play the meaning of the lines.

Victor first directed me in an outrageous comedy off-Broadway called 
Talking Minks, and he is, easily, one of the best directors Ive worked 
with. Recently I recommended to a young actor on "The West Wing" that he 
take Victor's acting class, and the change in his work after only a few 
months was astonishing. His tendency to dramatize was gone and his sense of 
truth and commitment to the moment much, much stronger. He had more 
confidence, more presence, more charisma--which can't be taught, of 
course--but it emerged with the stronger sense of self he developed under 
Vic's tutelage."

Richard Schiff, Toby on The West Wing
Emmy Award, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

"Victor's ability to facilitate honest, unembellished communication between 
people is phenomenal. He's not satisfied until each moment is as specific 
as possible and perfectly clear. His understanding of Sanford Meisner's 
work--and Meisner was a genius, certainly--is so complete that people 
who've worked on the Meisner exercises for years feel they're brand new 
when they work with Vic."
Laura Innes, "Dr. Carrie Weaver" on ER
Emmy-nominated, Best Supporting Actress/Drama Series
Emmy-nominated, Best Director/Drama series, The West Wing

Victor D'Altorio is a teacher, director, and actor. From 1990-98 he was one 
of Chicago's most respected, most recommended acting teachers at The 
Actors' Center, the Windy City's best known professional training program. 
 From 98-02 he had his own private studio in Los Angeles, where he taught 
class and privately coached many actors for TV and film. He was the L.A. 
Weekly Critics' Theatre Director of the Year for 2000, and was asked by 
L.A. County to adapt his work with actors for teens at high risk for HIV 
infection for an innovative California state funded program to educate 
youth in better, more truth-centered communication skills. He is a graduate 
of Northwestern University, and also of the William Esper Studio, NYC, 
where he completed the formal, 2-year Meisner work, which is the basis for 
his teaching.

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<div align="center">Victor D'Altorio 
L.A. Weekly critics best director 2000 
Chicago's most recommended acting teacher 
by agents and casting directors 1993-98 
 
The only place you can act is in front of an audience, or a
camera. 
Everything else is preparation. 
  
Good acting is personal. 
It's genuine, intimate, spontaneous. 
  
 The character is you--always you-- 
Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. 
</div>
  
<div align="center">Each character you play lives within your own
boundaries 
for expressiveness, depth of feeling, specificity of response. 
  
Victor guides the actor right to the truth, and to a
very specific truth, 
</div>
which is really rare. He creates an atmosphere of total safety. 
Sometimes I wanted to smack him on the head when he directed me! 
He insists that every moment be honest, specific, and fully alive. 
I absolutely loved working with him. 
<div align="right">Megan Mullally, Karen Walker on Will &
Grace 
Emmy Award, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 
  
  
</div>
When: Sunday nights March 7 through April 25 from 6:45-11pm. 
Class size: 8 weeks/32 hours of class. Limited to 16 students. 
Where: Dobama Theatre, 1846 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights OH
44118 
Cost: $275 for 8 weeks ($25 discount - $250 if paid in full before first
class) 
Contact: Victor D'Altorio at vdaltorio at neo.rr.com 
  
Singers spend hours vocalizing up and down the scales. Dancers stretch
and bend at a bar. The actor must exercise the mechanism that allows for
flexibility and freedom of expression--the ability to listen and respond
truthfully, fully, freely and spontaneously. First as oneself. Then, with
the addition of a specific set of imaginary circumstances. Sanford
Meisner's repetition exercise is the basis for the work. 
  
Particular emphasis is placed on listening and absorbing the other
person in an honest and specific way. 
  
The goal: to experience a flow state of mind and heart, free of
conventionalized behaviors and preconceived responses. 
  
Lose self-consciousness by focusing outwardly. 
Respond to what's happening -not to what's expected or desired. 
Unblock/Expand your range of expression. 
Express fully, feely, and spontaneously. 
Surprise yourself with your own unanticipated responses. 
Relate to the imaginary circumstance in a much more specific way. 
Allow the dialogue to ride on the moment-don't play the meaning of the
lines. 
  
<h3>Victor first directed me in an outrageous comedy
off-Broadway called Talking Minks, and he is, easily, one of the best
directors Ive worked with. Recently I recommended to a young actor on
"The West Wing" that he take Victor's acting class, and the
change in his work after only a few months was astonishing. His tendency
to dramatize was gone and his sense of truth and commitment to the moment
much, much stronger. He had more confidence, more presence, more
charisma--which can't be taught, of course--but it emerged with the
stronger sense of self he developed under Vic's tutelage." 
<div align="right">Richard Schiff, Toby on The West Wing 
Emmy Award, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Series</h3></div>
“Victor’s ability to facilitate honest, unembellished communication
between people is phenomenal. He’s not satisfied until each moment is as
specific as possible and perfectly clear. His understanding of Sanford
Meisner’s work--and Meisner was a genius, certainly--is so complete that
people who’ve worked on the Meisner exercises for years feel they’re
brand new when they work with Vic.” 
<div align="right">Laura Innes, “Dr. Carrie Weaver” on ER 
Emmy-nominated, Best Supporting Actress/Drama Series 
Emmy-nominated, Best Director/Drama series, The West Wing 
</div>
Victor D'Altorio is a teacher, director, and actor. From 1990-98 he
was one of Chicago's most respected, most recommended acting teachers at
The Actors' Center, the Windy City's best known professional training
program. From 98-02 he had his own private studio in Los Angeles, where
he taught class and privately coached many actors for TV and film. He was
the L.A. Weekly Critics' Theatre Director of the Year for 2000, and was
asked by L.A. County to adapt his work with actors for teens at high risk
for HIV infection for an innovative California state funded program to
educate youth in better, more truth-centered communication skills. He is
a graduate of Northwestern University, and also of the William Esper
Studio, NYC, where he completed the formal, 2-year Meisner work, which is
the basis for his teaching. 
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