Subject Area of Performing

In the lessons of the performance group, those non-singing skills are trained and developed which are indispensable for the singer's profession on stage and concert podium - among others, appearance, body awareness, performing a role, dance, use of the speaking voice, acting. Through interdisciplinary work, ongoing exchange between the teachers of the individually very different subjects (acting, dance, breathing and body work, speech formation, role study) and with the support of répétiteurs, we pursue the development of a holistic artistic personality as well as the promotion of the individual artistic abilities of the students. In basic music drama classes, participants acquire elementary skills and techniques that enable them to perform convincingly on the stage of musical theater. Emphasis is placed on developing emotional expressiveness and ensemble interplay. A variety of acting methods and techniques are introduced, providing students with a wide range of options for individual application.

Course objectives include the ability to develop diverse characters and their embodiment in musical theater, the authentic portrayal of emotions, and the strengthening of stage presence and context-intelligent ensemble playing. Essential to the course is the strengthening of emotional expressiveness in conjunction with the vocal demands of musical theater. Students learn to express their emotions through voice and body. They also receive an overview of various methods and techniques of acting, giving them the opportunity to explore their individual strengths and preferences.Participants develop a strong stage presence and charisma (using space, gestures and facial expressions effectively) as well as the ability to interact and communicate with other performers in the ensemble.

Theoretical instruction is combined with practical exercises, group work, and scenic presentations, and participants are actively engaged in exercises and discussions to apply and contextualize learned knowledge in practical scenes. In addition, the individual acting lessons offer the opportunity for completely individual work and creation. The dance lessons train with regard to future engagements and basic technical dance and movement patterns of the students. In the course of the training, increasing special attention is paid to choreographic work (as a soloist, in couple dance and in the group).

In combination with the subjects breath and bodywork as well as the Alexander Technique, the students will be and with the intention of becoming more aware of one's own body for a variety of dance styles (from ballet to improvisation)to meet the demands of modern musical theater. Ultimately, the students will reach a level of training that will enable them to pursue a long and healthy stage career. The dance classes are held in German, English and Italian. This also allows the students to learn the international stage terminology to understand and correctly execute stage directions and choreography and to execute them correctly.

The speech lessons (or speech shaping) are aimed at developing the voice both as a means of artistic expression and as a working tool in everyday as an artistic means of expression and as a working tool in everyday life. Texts are to be penetrated in terms of content and emotion and linguistically. As a German-language music university, we pay special attention to the linguistically correct interpretation (high pitch) of the German song and opera repertoire, as well as the realization of dialogues from opera and operetta. (Text by Günther Strahlegger)

Ferdinando Chefalo (chefalo@mdw.ac.at), speaker of subject area for Performing
Günther Strahlegger(strahlegger@mdw.ac.at), deputy speaker of subject area for Performing
 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)-21.09.2023

Chefalo, Ferdinando - DAnce and Movement Education | Czernin, Katharina - Breathing Techniques and Body Awareness | Germano, Luisella - Coaching, Recitative | Hanser, Verena - Breathing Techniques and Body Awareness, Diction | Helle, Marie - Music Drama Basic Training | Pichler, Chris - Drama | Rehm, Stephan - Diction | Sadnik, Roman - Music Drama Basic Training | Sandri, Andreas - F.M. Alexandertechnique | Simma, Robert - Music Drama Basic Training | Simone, Uta - Diction | Strahlegger, Günther - Diction | Tauber, Jürgen - Musical Entertainment Theatre and Operette | Theimer, Uwe Thorsten, em.o.Univ.-Prof. Mag.art. - Musical Entertainment Theatre and Operette | Wunsch, Annette - Drama