Technique Tuesday - Making Place

At The Studio, our students use furniture and props to set up the room or environment in which the scene or play they are working on takes place. This is referred to as 'making place', and it allows the actors to have authentic physical life when on stage. As Howard says, 'it's about learning to be in a room rather than on stage.' 

It can also help actors to explore the world their character inhabits in great detail. In thinking about how the place should be set up, actors have to think about how their character lives in the space from day to day, what their daily habits and routines might be, what personal items, photographs, etc does the character have and why, all of which helps them to develop a richer understanding of their character's life and backstory. 

Below are some short videos filmed at previous Master Classes in which Howard discusses place, and how it can help an actor on stage. 

How to avoid being spaceless on stage. 

What to do at your first rehearsal. 

You may have seen some of these videos on our social media channels on #TechniqueTuesdays, or on our Youtube channel. If you'd like to see more, be sure to subscribe to us on Youtube, or follow us on social media via the links below.  We hope these quick lessons on 'making place' will come in handy in your acting pursuits this week!