Personal Statement

I've taught many people over the years, and my main focus is to keep my students having fun! My teaching philosophy for acting, directing and art, is largely based on play and improvisation. This is where I believe creativity lies. At the basis of all acting is instinct and improv. Not only do improvisation techniques massage the brain in creative areas, they also reveal strengths and weaknesses in student actors. Most importantly, play is necessary to keep the artist nimble and pliable, which as a professional actor for years opposite the biggest stars in Hollywood, I found is the most essential ingredient in film and television acting. It is no wonder that some of the greatest working actors today are graduates of Second City and The Groundlings. Having said that, I believe that students should be exposed to all methods and they must try them on and see what works for them. Art is a wholly individual process. I work with students as individuals. I expose them to the baseline that is improvisation, and from there we explore various acting methods: Stanislavski and its derivatives: Strasberg, Meisner, Adler... Perhaps, if studying theatre, even more experimental styles like Grotowski, etc... Fundamentally, in over 20 years of teaching, I have found that artistic methods are like religions or belief systems of any kind – as an actor, you pick the one that works for you, and/or cherry pick the best parts among the ones you respond to as an artist... Therefore, I expose my students to acting methods through play, and have them reach artistic conclusions for themselves that way. I have ample experience, in particular, working with diverse students — as I speak 4 languages: Spanish, French, English and Sign Language — I feel like I have a shorthand to their experience with language. My class is inclusive, the critiques I give are specific and detailed, plus, my students always report that above all, it’s always Fun!

Felix P. Subjects

Acting