Gross demands his students stretch by choosing plays that are complex and sometimes obscure, both for the student actor and the audience. My choice of plays keeps some away and intrigues others, says Gross with an unapolgetic shrug. If you re willing to sign up for the adventure, it can pay off in incredible outcomes. Often when I choose a script, I can see that students are thinking that this play is too far beyond them. But as we work on the script, what was seen as distant comes alive.
Students begin to think differently about it.
It s the most intense reading experience. You read the lines over and over and over again night after night, and that requires you to make decisions. Theatre requires the student actor to make constant decisions, decisions that can change the meaning of the play. They are pulling something out, exploring new emotions and ideas. Theatre education has to be active to get the full experience.