Taught by Susan-Jane Harrison

 

Are you using your physical instrument to best effect, naturally and with ease?  Do you sometimes feel awkward in your body and resort to “mono gestures” in scene work?   Do you personally have a wider emotional range than you have yet been able to access in performance?   Are you more physically and vocally free in life than onstage?   Are you generally comfortable expressing some emotions and not others?  
 

Imagine feeling confident in your ability to bring a wide emotional range to every performance.  Begin to explore your full expressive range, through exploration of the Inhabiting Technique taught by Susan-Jane Harrison (aka SJ).  As you start investigating your physical experience, you will begin to observe what’s blocked and held back in your voice and your body….and learn what to do about it.. 

A rare opportunity to train directly with SJ, who originated this technique, you will find the work personally empowering as well as strongly supportive of your acting.  Drawing on the work of Laban, Linklater, Cicely Berry, Stanislavsky (Active Analysis), Grotowski and Richard Schechner, this body-based technique hones your instrument, and is a wonderful compliment to the Meisner Technique. 

You will be encouraged to keep a journal of process for yourself during this class to record your observations. The demand outside of class time is minimal. 

 

Susan-Jane Harrison is a British American playwright and performer who trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California at Davis. Unusual collaborations in Harrison’s artistic work have allowed her to develop across disciplines.  A member of VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association), Susan-Jane has an international voice and performance practice coaching actors and business professionals.  She specializes in working with ‘third culture’ and multilingual clients, and has been placed in the 'Top 1% of Voice and Public Speaking Coaches' in the USA by Yahoo! Global.  Her work on Voice and Performance has been published in academic journals in the UK and in Turkey.  Harrison’s work as performer and playwright has been seen in both the UK, USA & NZ. She has worked in the UK, most notably with BBC Radio, A&BC Theatre Co, RADA and the Royal National. In the USA, she has worked with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, Woman’s Will, ACT, California Shakespeare Company and A Traveling Jewish Theater.  She is a Brady Fellow at 3Girls Theatre in San Francisco in the 2021-2023 Cohort for development of her play, "Today I Live.” The originator of the Inhabiting Technique for Actors, SJ Harrison has over 20 years experience as actor, producer and playwright, and has worked internationally in the UK, San Francisco Bay Area, New Zealand and NYC.  She has taught groups and individuals for nearly just as long, at UC Davis, ACT, Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre, and California Shakespeare Theater.  She has a private voice and performance coaching practice for international clients 

Class Schedule

 

*There is currently a wait list for this class.  Please contact us to be added to the list and we will contact you when our next ​session will be offered.

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Testimonials

 

Here are what some of SJ’s clients/students have said about working with her (including two graduates of the Meisner Technique training):

 

“Susan-Jane Harrison’s class was one of the most impactful acting classes I have taken. It’s the perfect complementary class to the Meisner Technique training, and I now have tools that allow me to access authentic emotions with freedom and flexibility of expression. After working with Susan-Jane, I could see a path to the creative free fall every actor hopes to find; where scenes are not driven by words but rather brought to life with authentic human emotions. I feel like I have been given a secret weapon.” - Katherine Watson-Darwish (graduate of the Meisner Technique training)

 

"I started working with SJ for accent reduction while I was in my Meisner training. With SJ’s help, I learned how to use my voice and breath effectively to make my work more impactful. I discovered my true voice and learned how to use it to my advantage. It helped me build characters and make choices in my work and towards the end of my training I felt more confident than ever in my work. I definitely recommend voice and breath work for every Meisner actor to supplement their actor's arsenal and SJ has a wonderful way of approaching it as she understands how the Meisner mind works!” - Somtirtha Roy (graduate of the Meisner Technique training)

 

“Susan-Jane is an enthusiastic and encouraging teacher, who listens to her students and adjusts her teaching style to their needs.  She draws from a deep well of knowledge and training in the art of acting – a rare and unique combination.  As a theatre director, I found Susan-Jane’s class to be instrumental in understanding the emotional physicality and the inner work of acting…” -Tatiana Gelfund

 

“Susan-Jane is wonderful to work with. She is a compassionate, empowering, knowledgable teacher and mentor. SJ is really able to see you as an individual with individual needs and identify ways to work with you to free your voice, emotion and tension points. She has a very holistic approach and I’ve been really pleased by how much working on my voice with SJ has led to an overall increase in confidence as an actor, and as a person.” - Lissa Jariyusant

 

“I fall into the category of shy presenter, and I am presenting weekly! After only one workshop with SJ, I noticed a significant shift. I use her techniques before every single speaking engagement. It’s made all the difference to me in terms of enjoying showing up in the world— as myself!” - Danusha Laméris

 

“SJ’s class has given me a fresh and unique approach to delve into my emotional experiences safely and skillfully. I loved the active exploratory lab style of the class. I really like that we did not focus on a final product, but it was instead about our own personal experiences and relationship to the techniques given. Most importantly, as a teacher Susan-Jane is warm and patient, while still pushing her students to explore and push their limits. I would recommend her class to beginning and advanced actors.” Rosella Bearden

 

You can read more about SJ’s work here - https://sjharrisoncoach.com​

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