MASTERS OF MOVEMENT
Theatre professor teaches students to capture attention without saying a word

A performer takes the stage in silence. All eyes follow this figure across the stage, every movement conveying meaning. After the show, audience members often compliment the dialogue and delivery of a play but may neglect to recognize the importance of the actors’ movement. As LSU assistant professor of theatre and stage movement expert Nick Erickson points out, a good actor can capture your attention without saying a word. Posture, gesture, every movement the body can tell us something about the character, mood, and moment.

In the simplest definition, stage movement is exactly what its name suggests. However, this fails to convey a true sense of what one might encounter in one of Erickson’s stage classes. There, one may encounter anything from the gestures, body posture, and walking pace of actors in a play to stage combat and ribbon dancing–a dance form rooted in the circus in which acrobats hang from and “dance” on a length of cloth suspended from the ceiling.

When teaching stage movement, Erickson has to train students with a broad variety of experience and ability. Students range from football players, gymnasts, and trained theatre students to some who have almost no relative experience. The techniques used in his classes remain flexible enough to address the individual needs of students, but also challenge even well-trained students. Erickson uses exercises that include moves and techniques from a wide variety of backgrounds including yoga, pilates, tai chi, gymnastics, contact improvisation, and modern dance. Though students may sometimes have difficulty with certain skills, they typically end up exceeding their expectations of their abilities as the class progresses.

“By using this overload principle,” says Erickson, “they adapt and grow stronger and it ultimately opens up more choices for them.”

Erickson has a strong interest in approaching his work in an interdisciplinary manner and invites collaboration from other disciplines as much as possible. He and assistant professor of English Marie Kornhauser are considering the possibility of team-teaching a course in which screenwriting students would author works to be acted out by theatre students. Because he teaches basic anatomy and physiology to his students in addition to actual physical movement exercises, Erickson also maintains a strong interest in kinesiology and hopes to explore the ways in which the enhanced national interest in kinesiology can help him as a teacher in theatre arts.

Students in the stage-movement courses learn not only how to perform complex movements, but also how to convey mood and emotion with posture, the kinds of gestures they use, and the speed of their movement on the stage. In addition to anatomy, physiology, and the physical exercises mentioned, students also learn stage techniques such as masque, Laban’s foundational studies of movement–used in modern dance–and several other theories of movement. They also undergo trust exercises, such as falling backwards into the arms of classmates, which pushes them out of their comfort zones.

“This helps shift the focus off of the self and onto everyone and everything else. A lot of what makes performers comfortable on stage is the knowledge that they can be trusted to pull through; they will be there for the rest of the troop. The sense of being responsible for your partner on stage is invaluable,” says Erickson.

To keep abreast of the business side of theatrical and film production, Erickson continues to work as an actor and movement director for both stage and screen. He has worked with the prestigious Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles and performed in a Berlin Film Festival Award-winning film Mahjong. Erickson says his continued performance in these works allows him to stay aware of current trends in professional industry so that he can convey that information to his students and better aid them in their professional careers.

“In the professional world, no one stops to tell you these things–directors, casting directors, and agents don’t give you this kind of information,” says Erickson. “This is something that can only be provided in a systematic way and comes from a dedicated teacher.”

ON THE WEB:
LSU Department of Theatre

from Fall 2006 Issue