Episode 31: Episode 31 The Beauty of Repetition: A conversation with Ashley Rideaux of BGB Studios, Ellie Clark and Evan Bergman of Arvold Warner Studios in Atlanta

Acting: Conversations on Craft

Please note there is some language in this episode.
The one good thing that has come out of the pandemic (for me) is that I have been given the opportunity to expand my acting community outside of my physical location. I have taken classes at the BGB Studios in LA and have joined the Arvold Warner Studios membership in Atlanta. This means I get to talk to even more people about craft. Today I asked Ashley Rideaux from BGB and Ellie Clark and Evan Bergman of the Arvold Warner Studios to talk to me about the Meisner Repetition exercise.

So many classes include repetition as part of the class, even if they don’t include any of the other Meisner activities, that I wanted to know why. The basic premise of the Repetition exercise is that you are focusing on the behavior of your scene partner and not focused on the words you are saying. The words are essentially unimportant. “It’s an exercise in subtext. What we’re saying isn’t what matters.

Ashley, Ellie, and Evan all talk about the importance of speaking your truth and putting your attention on the other person. As Evan says, “When you put your attention on the other person, they become more important than your discomfort.”

Ashley points out that the exercise is a way to prevent you from planning a map for yourself in the scene. She says, “If you can’t bring truth and yourself to what it is you’re offering in a scene then nobody cares…You’ve got to show up and be a real actualized human engaging with another person.” For her the repetition exercise helps you achieve that.

For Ellie, “it is setting you up to actually get to the art of doing and crafting and specificity.”

I hope you enjoy my conversation with these wonderful teaching artists as much as I did.
After graduating from SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts with a BFA in Acting, Ashley did what some would call the impossible, and supported herself for years performing on regional theatre stages across the country. A few of her favorite roles include the titular role in ANTIGONE, Paulina from THE WINTER’S TALE, Ruth Younger in A RAISIN IN THE SUN, and Malcolm (among several other characters) in a six-person, all-female cast of MACBETH.

Since moving to Los Angeles, she has appeared in numerous national commercials, indie projects, Annapurna Interactive‘s live action video game, TELLING LIES, THE AFFAIR, and most recently 9-1-1 and AMERICAN CRIME STORY: IMPEACHMENT. Currently she is wearing the hat of producer, writer, and content creator, and had her first digital series optioned a few years ago. Ashley is a champion of diversity, truth, and finding strength through vulnerability. When she’s not acting, writing, or producing, you can find her teaching yoga, meditation, pranayama, philosophy classes, teacher trainings, workshops, and retreats all over the world.

Find out more about Ashley Rideaux

The BGB Studios: https://www.bramongarciabraun.com/bgb-teachers/ashley-rideaux

IG: @ashleyrideaux

https://www.yoga-with-ashley.com/blank-mpvle

Ellie Clark is an Atlanta-based actress and teaching artist. Her most recent credits include The Wonder Yearson ABC, First Wives Club on BET, and a recurring role on Tyler Perry’s Sistas. She has performed throughout the United States and across the pond in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her most notable credits include Antony & Cleopatra (Cleopatra), Pride & Prejudice (Elizabeth Bennet), A Streetcar Named Desire (Stella), Marie Antoinette (Marie), Dancing at Lughnasa (Agnes), and A Chorus Line (Sheila). Ellie has taught acting and physical actor training for 20+ years. She is the co-Artistic Director of Arvold Warner Studio in Atlanta, a training ground for artists pursuing film and TV. She is co-founder of Voices Amplified, an arts activism initiative that cranks up the volume on under-represented and mis-represented voices. She also acts as the Chair of Drama for the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and is the Movement Specialist for the program. Ellie obtained her Master of Fine Arts from Ohio University’s Professional Actor Training Program, receiving the Martha & Foster Harmon Fellowship for her “exceptional talent and dedication to the arts.” She is trained in the Meisner Approach to acting and has trained extensively with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company over the past 20 years in Viewpoints, Suzuki, and Composition.

Find out more about Ellie Clark www.ellieclark.org

IG: @aka_ellieclark

Arvold Warner Studios: https://www.arvoldwarnerstudio.com/allclasses

Evan Bergman is an Atlanta-based actor, theatre director, and educator. His most recent credits include Jerry and Marge go Large, Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret, and the french chef, Charles, in the Adult Swim Pilot Lusty Crest which won its comedic category at SXSW 2020. He can also be seen in numerous commercials and independent features. He served as the acting coach on the short film East’s Paradise. Recent stage credits include A Streetcar Named Desire, Burn This, Big Love, The Merchant of Venice, and Peter and the Starcatcher. Evan is co-Artistic Director of Arvold Warner Studio in Atlanta, a training ground for artists pursuing film and TV. Evan has been an acting instructor at the University of Virginia, Ohio University, University of Kentucky, and Transylvania University and has taught acting at various studios in Atlanta. He also founded Actors Room Atlanta where he does private acting coaching and self-taping for actors. Evan trained in the Meisner Approach to acting with renowned acting teacher Maggie Flanigan at her two-year conservatory in NYC. He also trained in Viewpoints and Suzuki with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company in their Saratoga Intensive. Evan holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting, awarded by the University of Virginia.

Find out more about Evan Bergman

www.evanbergman.org

IG: @evanpbergman

Arvold Warner Studios: https://www.arvoldwarnerstudio.com/allclasses
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