Playing on Purpose with Nicole Kontolefa (Part I)

We have an incredible guest for you today, a collaborator, friend and artist I admire: Nicole Kontolefa!! 

 

Nicole is a native New Yorker, Russian trained actor and applied theatre practitioner. Her theatre work has taken her from Moscow to Montreal to Ekaterinburg and even Moldova. She always lands back in NYC where she believes that the means of theatre production should be given to the people (thank you, Augusto Boal!) as a way to celebrate communities, share wisdom and imagine a brighter future. Nicole is a Graduate of The Moscow Art Theatre School, CUNY SPS Applied Theatre Masters Program, co-founder of Studio Six of The Moscow Art Theatre and The Journey Theatre Project. 

 

From the moment Nicole pretended to be a snake at five years old, she knew she was an actress. Her theatrical studies and pursuits took her from LaGuardia High School to the Stanislavski School in Cambridge, to being part of the first American studio at the Moscow Art Theatre, to performing all over the globe.

 

In Part I of our conversation, you will learn:

• Difference between Russian/American systems and how the jungle gym of Russian structure provides freedom
• How Nicole co-created the theatre company Studio Six with her fellow MXAT classmates
• How Studio Six had 7 full-length productions but nowhere to host them in NYC
• The process of creating 3 plays in 1 month at the Artsland Festival in Cambridge
• How Studio Six worked with Vladimir Pankov’s SounDrama Studio to create the sensational Gorod.ok on the border of Belarus for 6 weeks of intensive rehearsal work
• Why any material is used as creative inspiration (literature, sound, poetry, dance, music, etc…) in the Russian training system and repertory 
• When there’s a new play in the US, the audience comes to see the play: the author is the reason we gather. In Russia, one goes to see what the director did with the play that’s been done 100 times 
• How acting teachers in Russia are working actors, whereas in the US, most are not and that can be detrimental to a young acting student
• How performances stay in your body, even after long interludes 

 

And SO much more!! Nicole and I are so eager to hear what resonates with you so be sure to take a screenshot of this episode and tag @nickilefa and @serabanda in your Instagram stories to share your thoughts and takeaways!! And get ready for Part II next week!

 

Learn more about Nicki on her website and check out her phenomenal work on The Journey Theatre Project! And follow @thejourneytheatreproject on Instagram!

 

#speechforthestage:

a e i o u

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Learn more about Studio Six Theatre Company!

 

Discover more about SounDrama Studio! 

Explore SounDrama Studio on Instagram!

 

Write me a wish letter and let me know what you want to discuss next! impulse@actortoartist.com

 

Join the International Ensemble on Instagram: @actortoartist

 

Grab my FREE energy exercise to co-create your dream #actorslife! 

 

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