Alexander Techworks

Sonya Walger

Sonya Walger knows first hand the many benefits of the Alexander Technique as a way to prepare for her role opposite Joseph Fiennes in ABC’s new series FLASH FORWARD. She started working with Jean-Louis Rodrigue last spring, focusing on discovering the body, mind, and the complicated emotional life of a trauma surgeon living in Los Angeles.

Sonya Walger

Sonya continues to practice the Alexander Technique to maintain her balance and stamina through a very demanding shooting schedule. The series main story line involves a mysterious global event which causes everyone to black out simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds, and each person sees a glimpse of their lives six months from now. When they wake up, everyone is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen.
Series premiere:
Thursday, September 24th 8/7c, ABC

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward/about-the-show

Scott Speedman prepares for his role as Boogie in "Barney's Version"

Recommended by his acting coach Sharon Chatten, Scott Speedman started studying the Alexander Technique and going through a rigorous and intense preparation for his role with Jean-Louis Rodrigue. The demands for his role of Boogie in “Barney’s Version” involved physical transformations, embodying drug addiction, being a literary cult figure and living across Europe. Definitely a worthwhile and passionate journey for both Scott and Jean-Louis. “Barney’s Version” stars Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Rachelle Lefevre, and directed by Richard J. Lewis.

The central mystery of Barney’s life in the movie adaptation of “Barney’s Version” concerns the whereabouts of his best friend, junkie and literary figure Bernard Moskovitch, best known as Boogie played by Speedman. Barney clearly recalls catching Boogie in bed with the Second Mrs. Panosky at their lakeside cabin, and he remembers firing a pistol over Boogie’s head as he dove into the water. But could he have killed him in cold-blood, as many people, the police especially, suspect?

Shooting started on August 17 in Rome and the film will be released in 2010. We wish Scott all the best.

Kristof Konrad as Milovan Dragas in USA's Burn Notice

Working recently as an actor with Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Westen, Bruce Campbell, and Sam Axe on BURN NOTICE, Kristof had one of the most interesting times in creating the character of Milovan Dragas, a dangerous international criminal . The director of the episode, Félix Enríquez Alcalá was very interested in bringing out ease and danger in the physicality of Milovan. Once again, using the Alexander Technique and its kinesthetic awareness, which is very strong in animals and small children, Kristof was able to create a behavior which was animalistic, cunning and unpredictable with a great sence of humor. The wonderful writing in this episode was done by young and talented Rashad Raisani.

The Season 3 Episode 8 of Burn Notice is titled, “Friends Like These,” and first aired on the USA Network on July 30, 2009. The guest cast included Callie Thorne (Natalie Rice), Kristof Konrad (Milovan Dragas),

http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/

Natalija Nogulich

Natalija Nogulich was originally recommended to Jean-Louis in 1987, when she was to play the lead role in the production of “Hedda Gabler” at the La Jolla Playhouse. From that first experience of working together, Natalija has been constantly studying and applying the Alexander Technique as a way to enter her roles. Once more she called on Jean-Louis to help her play several roles in Claudia Shear’s new play “Restoration” directed by Christopher Ashley, also the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse. “Restoration” deals with the Herculean task of restoring Michelangelo’s David prior to its 500th birthday. Playing three different characters, Natalija was looking for fluidity and flexibility of body movement and voice. Each character had a distinct walk, sound, shape, and inner life. Christopher Ashley describes the play in the following way: “In Restoration, Claudia tackles several important issues: What is our relationship to history- our own and as a whole? How do we contend with our own mortality? Why do we make- and preserve –art? Claudia uses humor and compassion to tell a story about the ways we choose to live in the world and with each other.”

www.natalijanogulich.com
www.lajollaplayhouse.org

Berlinale Workshop

The Berlinale Talent Campus at the Berlin International Film Festival once again has invited Jean-Louis Rodrigue to participate in the 8th Talent Campus in 2010.

Last year’s Berlinale Talent Campus which took place at the Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin-Kreuzberg, is a summit of the most talented up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world and is the brain child of Dieter Kosslick, Artistic Director of the Berlin International Film Festival. This year Jean-Louis Rodrigue was invited to present his hands-on master class called “Embodying the Character”, designed for actors, film directors, and other filmmakers invited to Berlin each year to work on their film projects and be mentored by world class experts in the film industry.

Tilda Swinton

Film experts last year included among many others Stephen Frears, Bertrand Tavernier, Wim Wenders, Tilda Swinton, Janusz Kaminski, and David Hare.

The Campus is an annual event that takes place parallel to the Berlin International Film Festival. The Campus and its participants benefit greatly from their proximity to the main festival centre and the European Film Market (EFM).

Jean-Louis Rodrigue at the Berlinale Workshop

The 350 young students or graduates from film schools and/ or film professionals early in their careers are invited to learn from top experts through lectures, seminars and workshops, and have the opportunity to build international networks.

Wim Wenders

The special focus for the 7th edition of the Berlinale Talent Campus was “Suddenly It All Happened – The Turning Point in Close-Up!” David Kosslick explains that “This year the Campus will focus on turning points, this driving force not only in storytelling and filmmaking but also in history itself. The fall of the Berlin Wall was for example a picture-book turning point which took place in this city but eventually influenced the whole world.”

David Hare, Daniela Thomas and Dieter Kosslick

One of six hands-on programs, Jean-Louis offered the possibility to enhance talent projects and as Kosslick says “Especially your workshop Embodying the Characterwas a great experience for the talents who attended the campus. We want to thank you for your generous and enthusiastic support of this year’s campus.”

http://www.berlinale-talentcampus.de

Janusz Kaminsky

John Farmanesh Bocca is the director of Not Man Apart – Physical Theatre Ensemble and Shakespeare Santa Monica. For the past three years Jean-Louis Rodrigue has been teaching the Alexander Technique for the two-week Shakespeare intensive which also includes movement training by John and text work with Louis Scheeder from New York University Tisch School of the Arts Classical Studio.

“Pericles Redux” is described as An Epic Shakespearean Odyssey performed by a cast of athletic performers on a bare stage, whose bodies transform the space into the vast and mythic backdrop of a timeless story. In the artistic tradition of Grotowski, Pilobolus, Fellini, Cirque du Soleil and Monty Python comes an innovative brand of storytelling. Not Man Apart – physical theatre ensemble and director John Farmanesh-Bocca present an electrifying reconstruction that literally flies from the sublime to the ridiculous.

www.notmanapart.com

JoBeth Williams

JoBeth Williams is starring in a play at the Pasadena Playhouse called “The Night is a Child” by Charles Randolf Wright, directed by Sheldon Epps. It is a new play about a number of issues–family, loss, race, different cultures. Much of it takes place in Brazil, and the physical production and music are wonderful. JoBeth has studied the Alexander Technique with Jean-Louis and Kristof for several years, and is always applying its principles in her acting work.

Specifically, she confirms that “The Alexander technique is invaluable to actors of all ages. It helps us find new depth in exploring the physical and emotional life of a character. And it has helped me correct physical issues which affect my daily life.” The play opens September 4 and run through October 4. Information about the schedule and tickets are below by linking to official website.

Hope to see you in Pasadena!
Love,
JoBeth Williams

www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

It has been a very busy and creative time for Kristof this past year. Several young and upcoming film directors have cast him in their daring and very independent projects. In “Cosmonaut” Kristof plays Ivan, a Russian cosmonaut in the 1960′s who is the victim of a technical error and is lost in space. This was a very intense and challenging project since the only other character in the film was the space capsule. In “Sunspots”, Kristof plays an 1893 cowboy vigilante with a heart of gold and his own way of getting to the truth. Kristof’s last project was called “The Symbolical Head”, a period, dark fantasy about Dr. Gustav Holtz, a psychiatrist who is competing with the Talking Cure of Dr. Freud. Kristof also appears in the upcoming film “Angels and Demons” directed by Ron Howard to be released on May 15, 2009.

Josh Brolin as George W. Bush

Josh Brolin did his homework in preparation for his role as George W. Bush. He came to Jean-Louis to work on how to embody George W’s aging process from the age of twenty to sixty. Besides integrating all the character physicality, Josh had to find a way of mapping the aging process within George W’s particular life’s history. By using Jean-Louis’s coaching, Josh was able to discover and use in every detail the authentic human resources in his body and breath to give life to George W. Bush. Elizabeth Banks who plays Laura Bush in the film, is also a student of the Alexander Technique, having studied it during her training at ACT and having coached with Jean-Louis for her acting work in “Seabiscuit”. We look forward to this unusual and controversial movie to be released by Lionsgate in Fall 2008.

http://www.wthefilm.com

Herb Alpert

The Herb Alpert Foundation has given UCLA a $30-million endowment pledge to establish the cross-disciplinary UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The endowment will bring the university’s departments of ethnomusicology, music and musicology under a single umbrella for the study of performance of world, popular and classical music, jazz and other genres. Tim Rice, the Director of the school confirms that the Alexander Technique is a perfect example of the mission of the new school in offering programs that are cross-disciplinary and that benefit all in improving their well being as students and musicians. Taught by Jean-Louis Rodrigue, the Alexander Technique program begins this Fall. Herb Alpert himself has studied the Alexander Technique with Jean-Louis, and knows from experience the effectiveness of the work on improving health and musical performance.