Alexander Technique and Acting
Alexander Technique and Acting
How did the Alexander Technique Start?
The Backstory is Your Story
Young Australian actor F.M. Alexander faced a serious, concrete problem that had to be solved to save his career: While performing, he kept losing his voice. A big deal in 1892 when you have no mic, a passion for Shakespeare, and aren’t flush with cash. Strangely, voice-loss doesn’t seem to have been an issue for him in any other area of his life. Talking to friends? No problem. Acting? Problem.
Two Gentlemen of Verona (V, iV)
When Alexander followed medical advice (vocal rest for two weeks and prescribed medicines), his voice would return, only to disappear again during the next performance. Although doctors could find no medical explanation for his difficulties, they continued as long as he continued trying to work on stage. So Alexander hypothesized that his voice issues might stem from what he was doing while acting. He began observing himself in a series of mirrors in rehearsal and noticed a complex pattern of unnecessary tension from head to toe (the pattern included: pulling his head back and down, lifting his chest, depressing his larynx, audibly sucking in air, and contracting his legs) which was triggered the moment he simply had the idea to speak a line.
This observation told him two things:
His “vocal” problem on stage was merely a SYMPTOM of a visible, whole-body pattern of chronic, habitual tension that he’d never noticed because it gradually had come to feel entirely “normal” to him. Yet when he looked in the mirror, he could see his sense of normalcy didn’t match reality. His awareness of his body was inaccurate and unreliable.
Because this pattern started when he got the idea to speak in performance, it was just as much a “mental” issue as a “physical” one.
What Is The Alexander Technique?
The Alexander Technique is an educational method. It is as much a high-level awareness discipline as it is about your body.
It is not:
🦴physical therapy
🦴a treatment (like massage or chiropractors)
🦴a cure
🦴a form of exercise (like yoga, Pilates, etc.)
🦴meditation/ relaxation
🦴psychotherapy
How Do I Learn The Alexander Technique?
Because each person’s brain, life-experiences, learning style, and body is so unique, group Alexander Technique classes cannot compare to a course of private Alexander training. Good Conservatories offer individual Alexander classes to supplement small group work. Mediocre ones do not.
As The New York Times details, the average number of private lessons most people need to be able to use the Alexander Technique well for themselves is about 20-30 (each lasting 1/2 hour to 45 minutes). Depending on their goals, some people need fewer lessons; some more.
Some actors choose to continue taking Alexander class throughout their lifetime because of the joy self-discovery and development brings them, their understanding of craft, or the demands of a role.
Should you wish to study privately (and I encourage you to do so), give your prospective teacher 3 lessons – you’ll know by then if you want to continue with Alexander classes and/or if you want to find another teacher.
See my Resource Library for more quality content about the Alexander Technique.
Conclusion
As actors, we are called upon to be masters of our selves (emotionally, physically, mentally... actually, pretty much all the Lee’s😀).
Mr. Alexander’s technique is an invaluable tool we can use toward attaining that mastery: It can help us prevent vocal and other physical injury and increase our career longevity. It improves our breathing and stamina. It can help us begin to notice and address emotional blocks. It can help us gently peel away the layers of the onion to find a truer “neutral.”
From there, we can make more informed choices about the tension we choose to use for the characters we play, thereby granting us a greater emotional range, casting potential, and physical ease.
Don't know about you, but experiencing that kind of empowered freedom every day brings me incredible joy.
What's your experience been with Alexander Technique?
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