The ALCHEMY of ACTING
The Origins of
The Alchemy of Acting
The Alchemy of Acting, although originally developed with and for amateur and professional actors, is for anyone who wants to dive deep into their soul, craft, and life. While its foundation is based on the Meisner acting and Williamson movement techniques, Akana's experience in dance, movement, athletic training, bodywork, Laban, Kaufman's Moment Work, and mediumship have deeply inspired what it has become today. Through channeling, Akana has been able to understand and experience alchemy, and in parallel, has discovered how acting itself is a powerful vehicle for the alchemy of the soul. Acting holds the potential to bring one’s most honest expression into creation, both on and off stage. Akana is passionate about making this transformational experience accessible for everyone: actors, dancers, and any human willing to show up and dive in.
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Actors, like any passionate persons, have at times been willing to starve to do their craft because it fed them and their souls so deeply on a multitude of levels. Actors are given the opportunity to live an entire lifetime on stage in two hours -- to experience a vast range of human emotion as fully as they can allow. They are not only given permission but celebrated as they explore the entire spectrum of what it is to be human, and in the process remember that there are no bad guys, that everyone has a heart, a story, and was once a child.
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The foundation of being an actor provides a foundation for truly living life and manifesting your desires and dreams through play. It is a map we can take into every relationship, business, creation, and passion we have in our lives and in that discover each creation's potential and heart. Alchemy of Acting is designed to optimize and expedite your creative journey of allowing your truth and heart to express, bringing passion and aliveness to everything you do and create in life.
Passionate about integrity and supporting others in their most authentic and powerful expression.
Akana studied the Meisner, Williamson and Laban Techniques at the William Esper Studio in NYC, the world's foremost studio dedicated to Meisner Technique based actor training. He studied there as a student and a teacher while pursuing acting, dance, and modeling.
He also trained with Moises Kaufman in his Moment Work and with the original Meisner Neighborhood Playhouse Faculty members Robert X. Modica and Freddy Kareman. In 2008 he moved down to Asheville, NC and in 2010 co-founded the Stella Adler Acting Studio in Asheville, NC and in 2012 The New York Studio for Stage and Screen Meisner Conservatory for the Southeast (NYS3). He was the artistic director of LEAD Productions and NYS3 Presents, an intimate talk series for industry professionals that included Brian Cranston, Kelly McGillis, Zach Galifianakis and Josh Brolin among others.
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Since unexpectedly becoming a transmedium and conscious channel in 2017, Akana has expanded and amplified his abilities as a teacher and student of the craft.
THE MANY WAYS TO PLAY
“After having the privilege of working with Akana over the past six years, I honestly believe that he is one of the best clinicians in the business. His knowledge base and experience level are undeniable. The work and theories of Meisner, Kaufman, Adler, and Bogart are well within his wheelhouse and easily accessible. However, where Akana really shines is in his ability to interpret those theories and apply them to even the most inexperienced artists. He connects in a way that both challenges and affirms his students. Consequently, he is able to peel away barriers that keep students from finding honesty and creating a real experience for the audience.”
– Corey Mitchell, Inaugural Tony Award Winner for Excellence in Theatre Education
The Meisner Technique
"Created by actor and teacher Lloyd Williamson as a sort of physical accompaniment to the intellectual training of Sanford Meisner, this technique is known as the “physical process of communication in acting.” Drawing on the five senses, Williamson teaches that awareness of sensory stimulation creates experience for the actor; by practicing flexibility and physical connectedness, the actor can begin to create behavior in alignment with that experience. The theory draws on itself; sensory observation creates experience, experience inspires behavior, behavior creates new sensory stimulation, and the cycle continues." - BackStage Magazine
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The Williamson Technique
