Lieux Dressler started the workshop in 1969 in Los Angeles.
The uniqueness of the thrust of the training is to face the reality which acting students face when trying to make their previous emotional training fit into the “do it, do it now, do it again” way the professional business works.
This is the technique emphasis on the fact that you can’t actually teach acting, you can only teach preparation and that each technique is consistent and never misses to solve the problem instantly.
The techniques were originally developed because we went to the leaders in the business and asked them what their problems were with actors.The consistent answers were “Time and Money”, delays caused by poor memory preparation, and problems matching. They were also aware that the actors often weren't given the time or the directions they needed.
So that is why all the techniques were designed—to help the actor to have consistent skills they could count on. You can trace any tool’s value back to the actor’s need to get rid of the fear-ridden impulses that stifle their talents. And the development of the MOB techniques were to protect an actor's sensitivities from shriveling and prevent them from presenting the best they had to offer.
The whole system is about good preparation that allows terrifically sensitive people to express their talents without debilitating fear and with some sense of joy to meet the demands of the business.
The magical is in the practical.
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History
PAG’s origins
What we are today was born 37 years ago out of the work of a group of actors at the Patio Playhouse in Los Angeles who called themselves “The Sweat Shop”. The business had been changing by reducing and eliminating rehearsal. Although actors had been robbed of preparation time, they still needed a consistent way of working to allow their talent to shine through.
Then, in the early 90’s, a new generation of actors and entertainers who called themselves “The Gym”, continuing under the direction of Lieux Dressler, began to refine and redefine what is now known as The Mechanics of Believability and this technique has been continuously developed and updated to meet the needs of our ever-changing business.
The masters identified the creative art form but it is now PAG that offers reliable, tangible tools based on the human design to support the philosophies of the masters. The Professional Actor’s Gym continues the tradition of ”The Sweat Shop” and “The Gym.”
PAG’s mission
For years the "Gym" has quietly opened its doors at a far-below market cost while other for-profit acting conservatories continued to compete using high-level industry endorsements. The “Gym” has always refrained from this popular style in favor of redefining the actor’s responsibility to oneself, his or her craft and career. As a non-profit organization, PAG is committed to offering affordable acting craft training to the experienced as well as the novice actor.
Our on-going Workouts
PAG offers Advanced Refinement for the Professional through craft-intensive on-camera workouts including Audition Technique, Commercial Technique, Soap Opera, Acting for the Stage, Acting for the Camera, Improvisation, Scene and Monologue Study, and Singing for the Actor.
© 2006 Professional Actor’s Gym.
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