Saturday May 20th 11:45 – 1:15pm – Far Studio

Emotional Fluency Training for Actors

The workshop will provide participants with an introduction to the Emotional Fluency Training for Actors (EFTA), a somatic approach to working with emotion in the acting process. The EFTA model developed over years of experience teaching Alba EmotingTM, the Emotional Body® method, and research funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Actors who have taken EFTA workshops report an ability to safely enter and exit and regulate emotion, a deeper connection to their partner, a wider range of expression, and a greater capacity to accurately repeat moments. The workshop will be structured in three parts: a 25-minute presentation of the EFTA model, 50 minutes of introductory exercises, and approximately 15 minutes for questions and discussion. Participants will gain an understanding of how to address emotional challenges facing actors, experience foundational exercises drawn from EFTA, and learn how it can be easily integrated into existing
techniques.

Bios
Tom Stroud is a choreographer and director known for his integrated approach to theater and dance with over 40 years of experience in the field. He served as Artistic Director of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers from 1991 to 2005 and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Winnipeg’s Department of Theatre and Film. He is a founding member of the Emotional Fluency Project an Alba EmotingTM and Emotional Body® Lead Instructor. In 2018 Stroud, Buchil and Murphy received an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for a two-year project to work with professional actors from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario, to integrate the Emotional Effector Patterns into the acting process. The project formed the basis for Emotional Fluency Training for Actors and has now been taught to actors and acting teachers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

Ines Buchli is an award-winning theatre director, filmmaker and writer. With over 35 years of experience she has worked across Canada. She served as Associate Artistic Director for Necessary Angel Theatre and Associate Artist for Theatre Direct. Her award winning short, Foxy Lady, Wild Cherry premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened around the world. Ines directed the premieres of The Secret Doctrine and The Living garnering awards for Best Direction. Ines was an Associate Professor of acting and directing at York University where she currently is a Senior Scholar continuing her research into emotion and its application to acting. Ines is a founding member of the Emotional Fluency Project which is dedicated to promoting a safe and ethical practice for actors. Ines has mentored with several Alba EmotingTM and Emotional Body instructors and achieved an Instructor level of mastery in sharing these methods.