Five Fun Ways To Approach A SceneWorkout

There are many aspects of being an actor that scale from plain old nerve-racking, to downright terrifying. Stage fright, pre-audition jitters, the fear of blanking on your lines in front of a well respected teacher or casting director. With so much pressure put on actors in so many areas of the business, SceneWorkout holds a safe space for experienced actors to regularly get together and feel totally comfortable playing, exploring, sharing and connecting with one another without the pressure of a class or work environment.

SceneWorkout isn’t a taught class, but a facilitated training session. No teacher, no set text, no restrictions. With the stakes lowered and pressure off, why not use your workout as an opportunity to test your instincts, have a play or really push yourself outside your comfort zone and see what you’re made of?

Here’s a short list of a few of the fun and interesting ways you can try approaching your SceneWorkout.

Try a different accent

This one’s a bit of a no brainer for us. As we’ve said before, SceneWorkout is the perfect place to polish your Polish, brush up on British and finesse your French accents.

If nailing the hard R’s in your standard American has always been a bit of a struggle or you’ve just always wanted to give South London a go, this is your opportunity to push yourself and expand your tool belt. If this is your goal, your facilitator will look to pair you with an actor who has experience with this accent so they can offer specific tips and feedback that will see your skills accelerate. Even if you don't nail it the first time, the two takes of footage you’ll have at the end of your workout will be an invaluable tool to look back on and see what needs improvement for next time and just how far you’ve come.

Do a cold read

So we like to call this an UnseenWorkout and it’s a bit of a high intensity workout for anyone really looking to take their training to the next level. Bring in a scene you’ve never watched, acted, or potentially even read before you walk in the room. You’ll have around 30 minutes of workshopping it with another experienced actor before biting the bullet and laying down two takes on camera. This is a great opportunity to see what you can achieve in a short space of time with very tangible results. You can also make the most of our extensive script book for inspiration when choosing your unseen scene!

Try two completely different takes

This type of workout is all about testing your different interpretations of the same scene and seeing how each plays out. It’s not about achieving perfection but about having a play and seeing the very different places you can take the one text. You may like to give a dramatic scene a comedic twist, give an argument scene a flirty vibe (why not!) or you could forget overacting in the first take before giving yourself permission to go big for the second. The options are endless!

Choose a scene that’s way outside of your comfort zone

Whether you’re someone who’s consistently being typecast in comedy or your last three productions have all been tear jerkers, this is your opportunity to break the mould and work on something different. SceneWorkout doesn’t lock you into the same dated text with the same partner for weeks on end, so take the opportunity to throw an entirely different version of yourself at the wall and see if it sticks! You may discover abilities in areas you didn’t know you had. Think sitcom to soap, classics to contemporary to clowning and anywhere else your imagination takes you!

Go all in, open and willing to share

Above all, the most important way to approach your SceneWorkout is with openness and a willingness to share with others. With no teacher and no restrictions your workout is really what you choose to make it and the more you share, the more you can expect others to do the same. It’s important to be receptive to others’ offers and techniques as every actor at SceneWorkout has something unique to bring to the table, so come with an open mind, ready to learn! It’s not a huge industry and you may well find yourself on a set or on a stage with these actors in the future so be sure to engage with positivity, respect and good energy to get the most out of your workout every time.

SceneWorkout is designed for experienced actors who want to strengthen the acting muscle between jobs. Membership is free so if this sounds like you click here to apply or book a session today.