Inviting the Camera (with KAMAL SEHRAWY)

Inviting the Camera is an acting class investigating the unique lessons that working on screen provides the actor. The need for this class arose out of several myths surrounding acting on film: the idea that actors can be “too big” for camera, that some might “not have a face” for film, or that acting prowess is determined by one’s natural, charismatic magnetism that only some performers have.

In this class, we tackle those myths plainly and directly, using the camera as our guide. We will ask what we can learn about acting and performing truthfully through the lens of screen production, as well as discern the differences (and similarities) between stage and screen acting. Through working with film, we are confronted with our responsibilities as visual storytellers, our own appearances, and the objective truth of the performance—the living, breathing person—we’ve made. In the process, we will also discover the principle…