Christiane Brew Actress

“Don’t try to become someone else.”

One of the biggest misconceptions in acting for me, is the idea that great performance comes from completely transforming into another human being.

But during the intensive, some of the most truthful moments appeared when actors stopped trying so hard to “perform” and became more aware of themselves instead.

Their habits.
Their instincts.
Their tension.
Their humour.
Their vulnerability.
Their impulses.

Not to play themselves, but to understand themselves deeply enough to respond truthfully under pressure.

The most adaptable actors are often the ones who know themselves well.

They can listen, shift, react and collaborate because they aren’t trapped trying to force a version of the scene they planned in advance.

That’s when the work starts to feel alive.

It was a genuine pleasure and honour watching actors challenge themselves, take risks and discover new things about their process over the intensive. It fills me up, and reminds me to practice also being brave and vulnerable.

If this kind of actor training interests you and you’d like to work with me in future intensives or workshops, get in touch.

“Your scene partner is not your hostage.”

One of the funniest things actors do when they get nervous is start trying to carry the entire scene by themselves.

More talking.
More energy.
More explaining.
More “helping.”

Meanwhile their scene partner is standing there with absolutely nowhere left to go.

A note I gave repeatedly during the intensive was:
“You’re not responsible for the whole scene.”

And honestly, the moment actors relaxed and trusted each other more, the scenes immediately became better.

More listening.
More spontaneity.
More genuine reactions.
Less panic-driven emotional furniture moving.

Acting (and especially an improvised scene) gets much easier when you stop trying to force the scene to survive entirely through your own effort.

Your job isn’t to control every moment.
It’s to stay connected enough to respond truthfully to another person.

Simple.
Terrifying.
Very useful.

One of the notes I repeated during the intensive was:

“Keep the energy at an 8, but turn it inwards.”

Actors sometimes feel pressure to show emotion quickly.
To push it outward so the audience immediately understands what the character is feeling.

But often, the more compelling choice is allowing the emotion to exist underneath the surface instead.

Not smaller.
Not weaker.
Just less pushed.

We worked on keeping the emotional intensity alive internally:
holding tension in the body
staying connected to the other person
resisting the urge to force the moment
allowing thoughts and impulses to build naturally

And suddenly the scenes became far more interesting.

Because an audience leans in when they sense someone trying to stay composed.
Trying not to say the thing.
Trying not to break.

That tension feels truthful.

It’s powerful in all performance, but especially on screen where the camera catches even the smallest behavioural shifts.

Sometimes the emotional payoff lands harder because the actor allowed the pressure to build instead of releasing it immediately.

Less forcing.
More inner life.

English Language Film School Japan
Thanks to Soness and Chris for their scene

The exercise wasn’t particularly difficult.

Letting go of control was.

One of the exercises during the intensive involved maintaining connection with your partner whilst working with a physical connector.

Simple in theory.

What quickly became interesting was watching how differently actors responded when they felt uncertain.

Some tried to push the moment forward.
Some waited for their partner to lead.
Some started thinking ahead instead of staying present.
And some suddenly realised just how uncomfortable it feels not knowing exactly what comes next.

Fear shows up fast in acting.

Not always dramatically.
Sometimes it looks like:

* over-explaining
* rushing
* forcing energy
* trying too hard
* needing to “help” the scene

But the strongest moments usually happened when actors stopped trying to control everything and simply responded to what was actually in front of them.

Observe.
Then react.

Simple.
Not easy.

(Join the next intensive or online classes to play with practical ways to go deeper on a skill)

A lot of actors think improvisation for actors training is about being funny.

It’s not.

During the recent intensive, I watched actors confront things that had nothing to do with comedy:

- fear of messing up
- wanting to “get it right”
- struggling to stay present
- trying to control scenes instead of responding truthfully

And then slowly, something shifted.

The work became less about performance and more about connection.

Listening.
Adapting.
Observing, then reacting.
Letting another person genuinely affect you.

One participant reflected:
“My greatest challenge was wanting to be right, wanting to be the best. I didn’t want to make mistakes.”

Another wrote:
“I left the program with a much better understanding of the importance of connecting with others.”

That kind of honesty takes courage.

I’m genuinely grateful to every actor who brought vulnerability, openness and trust into the room during Golden Week. Some moments were funny. Some freeing. Some uncomfortable. Some unexpectedly moving.

That’s usually where the interesting work STARTS.

🤩 SEEKING 8 ACTORS 🤩

June dates available for my next Tokyo intensive. Come and play, learn, and grow in a safe, creative environment.

All levels accepted - I adjust to individuals.
All nationalities welcome - must be able to communicate comfortably in English. Not sure? Message me and we can have a chat.

Questions? 🤔

Improvisation for Actors (3-day / 15hrs)

🗓️June 7th (Sun), 13th (Sat), 20th (Sat)
11:00am-5:00pm with 1hr lunch break

Improv sharpens your instincts, strengthens your resilience, and expands your creative range.

In this course, you will train with practical, playful scene work, exercises, acting techniques, personal side-coaching and feedback.

This isn’t just a class.
It’s practice for the moments that count.

For more info, visit: https://elfsjapan.com/event/improvisation-for-actors/


#オーディション対策 #即興劇 #英語で演技 #短期 #少人数制

Showtime!
I’ll be at full capacity after my foot surgery in February. That’s hilarious.
See you at the show.

日本語と英語の即興コメディ公演 (恵比寿) | Tokyo Improv Comedy Show | Pirates of Tokyo Bay 【1ドリンク付】恵比寿駅から徒歩3分の日本語と英語の即興コメディ。 Looking for comedy clubs near you? Catch English & Japanese improv live at What the Dickens!, just a 3-minute walk from Ebisu Station (1 stop from Shibuya). 1st drink free!