This past April, I was fortunate enough to be involved in the filming of an instructional documentary workshop (directed by Andrew Shemin) that taught me about the relationship between actors, audiences, and their nervous systems. I was one of four NYU Educational Theatre graduates working as an experimental actor in this workshop facilitated by BioArt Theatre Laboratories founder Madeleine Barchevska.
Although I have two degrees in theatre, I have to admit I was pretty nervous when I was told that I would be participating in an acting workshop that would involve working with science and my nervous system.
"What in the world does science have to do with acting?" I thought.
While I was in conservatory, I had done some pretty freaky, intense acting techniques that included Strasberg's method: like imagining I was in saunas to the point where I was ready to pass out or drinking invisible martinis to "drive my behaviorial action" in a scene. My anxiety level rose as I prayed we wouldn't have to engage in transcendental meditation where I would have to leave my body and watch it do a scene with a fellow actor.
To my relief, this was nothing of the sort. Ms. Barchevska was very kind and calm, unlike the "Mommy Dearest" acting teachers I've experienced in the past. Her BioArt technique focuses on human perception and innate social skills. If an actor can effectively use her nervous system, she will successfully be able to connect and engage the nervous systems of her audience. Many of the exercises that Ms. Barchevska took us through brought us to a place she calls "neutrality." I've experienced a state in my body similar to this as a dancer, only it was called "being in your center." Imagine how useful it would be to achieve neutrality in our daily lives, whether you are a savvy business person, teacher, performer, or just someone in a relationship. Ms. Barchevska taught me that effective communication comes from a calm and neutral place, not out of the common societal hustle and bustle reaction — what she quotes as the "fight or flight" response. It is no wonder so many of us are running around with unhealthy stress levels affecting all areas of our lives.
After our two-day shoot, I felt extraordinarily calm and collected. It was a sense of control that did not have tension, but a deep sense of peace and fulfillment. I felt like I was able to "just be" without going haywire with my worries and concerns about the past and future. In acting, they call that "being in the moment," which is the aim of every performer.
I find Ms. Barchevska's work valuable to the teacher, artist, and student. While applied theatre is the vehicle to social, individual, and community change, learning about the engine or our nervous systems while driving this process of change is key to effective communication, healing, enlightenment, and experiencing pure enjoyment from this creative process.
If you are interested in learning more about this work, please visit Ms. Barchevska's website at http://www.bioarttheatrelabs.com/.
