TEACHING BIO

I have been teaching acting to beginners, professional performers, public speakers, theatre companies and acting schools since 1998. I offer a fresh perspective on interpretation and technique, an in depth approach to acting through the combined experience of training techniques from Europe, Japan, and USA and a strong emphasis on physical ensemble theatre processes. The Neutral Mask as taught by Jacques Lecoq and created by Amleto Sartori is one of the main pedagogic tools in my classes. Other subjects of study: awareness, state of neutrality, elements of nature, fundamental journey, multiple attention, readiness, truthful action/reaction, improvisation and composition, the essential line of action, the character's birth, breath, support and resonance, re-discovering a free voice, fluid connection between movement and natural voice. I lead workshops and professional intensives internationally and I am part of the teaching faculty at Kunst-Stoff Arts, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Scuola Paolo Grassi Milano, Actors Space Berlin.

What my students say:

"Silvia made us feel safe to experiment and coached us without ridicule. She knew the best each of us could deliver and didn't settle for less." Elizabeth Alstadter

"A few times in your class I had the reaction, "Oh, that's what they meant!" when you taught us something that I had failed to understand in other classes."  Joseph

"Silvia's class was a way of being comfortable with feeling self-conscious and trying to overcome it.  As someone who speaks publicly for work on an almost weekly basis, I find that the occasional performance training keeps me loose for those inevitable corporate pitches and webcasts." Sandy

"Silvia, our talented teacher, used a neutral mask to teach us that we're acting with our entire body.  It forced us to use every part of our body other than our face to express emotion. it was a great way to try something new, be someone else, and basically get out of my own skin for a while. I highly recommend it."  Sandy