Acting as play
"Acting as Play is the class I always wanted to take, but was never offered; a scene study class that applies the freedom, play and vulnerability of the Clown to text."
- Gabe Levey
Bridging the gap between two seemingly different approaches to actor training, Acting as Play will challenge you to harness the clown’s relentless pursuit of fun in order to take big risks before feeling “ready”; get out of your brain and into your body; embrace the precarious pleasure of not needing to know what’s coming next; and most importantly, to lead with hope regardless of the inevitable disasters laid out in the text.
"You should take this class!"
Christopher Bayes, Master Clown Teacher
Head of Physical Acting at the Yale School of Drama
- Gabe Levey
Bridging the gap between two seemingly different approaches to actor training, Acting as Play will challenge you to harness the clown’s relentless pursuit of fun in order to take big risks before feeling “ready”; get out of your brain and into your body; embrace the precarious pleasure of not needing to know what’s coming next; and most importantly, to lead with hope regardless of the inevitable disasters laid out in the text.
"You should take this class!"
Christopher Bayes, Master Clown Teacher
Head of Physical Acting at the Yale School of Drama
Acting as play - testimonials
"Gabe's classroom very quickly becomes a laboratory for the silly, grand, and beautiful experiments that open an actor to their full range of emotional life on the stage. Prepared, honest, and patient, Gabe comes to class fully equipped to to tackle any theatrical situation. In his class, Gabe challenged me to work to my fullest potential, but he never lost sight of the joy and play that lies at the heart of every piece of theater and inside every great actor. For me, his class has unlocked endless possibilities of depth in the work of the clown and the world of the theater, and I highly recommend it to every actor (clown or not) who is looking to expand and deepen their work and their joy. "
"As a director who had gone about five years without setting foot in an acting class, I needed something to shake me up, get me back into my body, and reconnect me with the most essential elements of this crazy thing we do. Acting as Play gave me that, and so much more. Gabe taught us to make friends with fear, lead with hope, jump out of a plane and enjoy the fall. I've never felt quite as safe - and certainly never as excited - to take risks and fail big; Gabe created an infinitely encouraging environment that I'll spend the rest of my career trying to replicate in rehearsal rooms. Both in my professional and personal life, the lessons this class has to teach about joy, wonder, and connection have become a north star."
"The pairing of clown work and scene work has cracked open my experience of acting. After leaving it aside for the last several years to write and direct, Gabe's class reminded me why I loved theater at 5, at 9, at 16, and allowed me to discover why I can't live without it today. He asks you to drop the act and go for the gold. You will thank him later."
"Gabe Levey and his class are, respectively, the cat's pajamas and bee's knees. Gabe creates a safe and supportive space where people can take big risks, fall flat on their faces, and then discover something completely amazing and unexpected in the floppy messes they create. He pushes us to get out of our heads and into our bodies and to re-approach our craft with a sense of pleasure and ease. I would tell you more, but I don't want you to swoop on this class before I get a chance to secure my spot for next session!"
"Taking this class with Gabe Levey has been, and this is not hyperbole, PROFOUNDLY illuminating to how I go about my process as an actor. Gabe is profoundly insightful, clear in his tutelage, and most importantly, insists on the inclusion of FUN into the proceedings, a fundamental element of performance that I feel too often gets short-shrift in the multitude of classes and training available to actors currently. It will terrify you by asking you to truly be courageous in the pursuit of creative curiosity, but the rewards yielded cannot be overstated. Based on this single 8 week course, I am now revising my whole approach to acting. I cannot recommend this class enough."
"Gabe brings his sense of wonder, play, and wholeheartedness as an artist into his teaching, and his personal investment is infectious! Illuminating a dynamic way of working, Gabe leads explorations in bringing the pleasure, risk, abandon, and generous truth of clown into monologue and scene work. Seeing each actor with supportive clarity, Gabe helps us bear witness to each other's discoveries and to embrace our own."
"This was my first formal acting class in NYC in 12 years! From day one, Gabe was able to cut through all of my actor bullish*t, hone in on what exactly I needed to work on, and the results were uncanny."
"I came to Gabe while on a hiatus from acting. I was burnout from the business and searching for something to get my mojo going again. Gabe not only helped me find my funny (via clown) but showed me how to put the fun back into my acting! The sense of freedom and play that I found in his class reminded me why I started acting in the first place. There's no better way to prep for a stressful week of auditions than spending Sunday nights playing with Gabe!"
"Gabe has a true talent for bringing out the best possible performances from every individual, while fostering a safe and supportive environment. I learned just as much from watching others as I did from being directly coached. The group activities were fun and freeing, but also challenging and eye opening. Absolutely loved this class and adore Gabe. I feel very lucky to have found such a wonderful teacher."
"Acting as Play is a fantastic class that enables you to re-discover the boundless creativity and fun you had as a child, and to become fearless and free as an actor. Gabe has amazing instincts and is able to guide you to that place, through a series of extraordinary exercises and games that are both simpler and more complicated than they appear. You will leave feeling like your creativity, body, and soul has had a killer workout, and ready to face any challenge that the business may throw your way."
"Working with Gabe has given me much more freedom in my work. I am able to come at a monologue or scene with a fresh sense of how to create a character and pursuing my objective. He is an excellent guide on the journey to creating a character: moving from their highest internal desire to a specificity needed to play in any given circumstance. He is a joy to work with, and makes any classroom environment a wonderful place to learn."
"From the beginning, Gabe sets an inviting tone of camaraderie and collaboration. This supportive, open environment, inspiring spontaneity/play, remains throughout the course. As we dove deeper into the scenework, Gabe shared keen insight into human behavior/interactions, and he introduced exercises to facilitate making discoveries about the characters that students would most likely not find on their own. He will always challenge and encourage you to experiment, take risks, and exercise the strongest choice that resonates. During every class, he invites discussion amongst students and implicitly instills reminders with humility and humor. His course reminded me to approach any scene/situation with more conviction, more humor, and a broader perspective.
Moreover, Gabe has a compassionate way of acknowledging people for who they are at the core. He always comes from a generous-hearted place of supporting all individuals and whatever season they're in; he gives space for everyone and provides a platform for his students to share openly and unabashedly. Consequently, his students emerge as more generous, thoughtful actors with a deeper level of listening and sense of joy in their work."