The Vertical of the Role - a Method for the Actor's Self-preparation

8 weekly group sessions plus 2 personal coachings with
Christine Schmalor

THE VERTICAL OF THE ROLE is already a classic in the European Theatre. The method was created by the internationally renowned theatre teacher Dr. Jurij Alschitz 25 years ago. Over the years it has naturally changed, many steps have been adapted by me for online teaching and lead to even more self-reliance for the artists.

At the centre of the method is a very practical aim: the self-preparation of the role. You become the author of the role and thus the encounter with the director on the film set or on the first day of rehearsals in the theatre takes place at eye level. This method will help you prepare for a role throughout your life. The clear work steps give you certainty as to which tasks you can set yourself and in what order so that you can grasp a role in all its dimensions.

In particular, the Vertical of the Role points the way to the philosophical-spiritual core of the character and challenges actors to act as independent artists. The character, or rather the personage, embodies different themes. They are hers and the author’s. Which themes are they? What do they mean today – and for me? This is where the dialogue with my personage begins. I should prepare myself well for this dialogue so that it takes place on an equal level. Only then can the common path begin, on which I respectfully approach him/her and in the best case reach the moment of mutual fusion – and may experience the light of the role.

By working on a Vertical of the Role, I decide above all to change my own personal role: from that of a mere actor to that of an artist who – immediately recognisable to everyone – enters the stage with a specific weight. My acting moves beyond an everyday realism, actions pursue an inner theme that refers to philosophical dimensions. This change of my role makes the difference. It needs to be worked out individually and ultimately leads to my own specific stage language, for which new sources of energy will be opened up.

Please find all details about the content of the course in the link below.