ACTORS PREFERENCE℠
It is with immense pleasure that I introduce a revolutionary acting system that has truly changed my life, Actors Preference℠. What is Actors Preference℠? It is a system, unique and personal to every actor, upon which one builds the foundation of the character. Culture, gender, experience, education, relationships and every contact in an actor’s life creates their own unique world-view and their individual preference(s). Keep in mind that most people have a primary and a secondary preference.
Every actor is tasked with creating characters, each with their own unique preference(s). Actors Preference℠ teaches one how to play the true preference of the character without injecting one's own natural preference(s) or bias into the performance. This system will give the actor an advantage over all others by letting them make genuine choices appropriate for the character.
Acting, since it was popularized by the ancient Greeks, is the oldest experiential art-form. After years of studying, coaching, writing, directing and teaching the Meisner, Adler, Strasberg and Stanislavsky techniques, it wasn't until 1998 that I made a breakthrough connection between the craft of acting and the science of human behavior. I was introduced to The Herrmann International(HBDI)Brain Dominance Model (the “Model”), which is a corporate tool designed to help corporations hire and place employees where their particular personal “preference” of styles and skills would be best utilized. This model sets forth four quadrants of an individual employee’s “preferences” and decision making processes. These are (RED) emotional, interpersonal (BLUE) logical, analytical, (GREEN) organized, detailed, and (YELLOW) intuitive, artistic. This Model is used throughout the world by major corporations, including MTV, HBO, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, among others, to improve communication and productivity.
I was intrigued and inspired by the Model. I recognized the potential of a fresh, scientific, yet totally natural approach for performance. In 1998, I enthusiastically began to workshop the Model, adapting it to a system where the actor could quickly pick-up preferences and behaviors of any character within a script. It was easy to see how this approach empowered my students, particularly where they are most vulnerable, at auditions where little time is available to prepare or when they are asked on the spot to read for a different character. This feedback led me to create a new workshop in 2006 called, Actors Preference℠, incorporating brand new audition and performance tools. During a callback, with the director or producer, Actors Preference℠ provides an additional advantage by helping the actor make adjustments to swiftly apply a preference in a new direction. This reveals the actor's skill in listening to direction and implementing changes, the qualities every director values.
By understanding and accessing all four quadrants of preference, the actor improves their capacity to connect with all the various types of individuals they may encounter in the entertainment industry. Confidence is critical to success, particularly in an endeavor fraught with continual rejection. Recognizing how and why agents, managers, casting directors, and producers communicate differently, and how they all look for different qualities that appeal to different "comfort zones" within the relationships they engage in, gives an actor a distinct advantage. They can mirror and communicate in the preference of that person. They have the skill to spot cues and, most importantly, the ability to make a connection with anyone.
A clear example of miscommunication, in the movie The Big Lebowski, the first meeting between Jeff Bridges’s character “the Dude” (YELLOW preference) and David Huddleston’s character Jeffery Lebowski (BLUE preference), the Dude has a spontaneous plan to get compensated for someone else peeing on his rug. From the first moment of the meeting the BLUE (Bottom line, impatient, rational and logical) Jeffery Lebowski realizes that he is dealing with a YELLOW (unfocused, bohemian, relaxed body language, lackadaisical attitude) person, immediately their preference clash and the miscommunication is evident by the “Dude” checking out when he doesn’t get what he wants.
A step beyond Actors Preference℠ is an advanced actor’s workshop called Actors Expression℠. After the actor has acquired the basic foundation and understanding of Actors Preference℠, the Actors Expression℠ workshop launches into an intense, in-depth character development analysis. The third workshop in the system is Destructive Preference℠.
The Actors Preference workshop is one of a kind and exclusively taught by Piero Dusa. If you have the vision and the desire to delve into true character development and improve your audition skills, contact us at info@pierodusa.com for more information on the individually tailored lessons or full workshops.
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