An Actor Connects:
The Meisner Intensive Retreat
12 day
"I learnt more about my craft on this retreat than I did during 3 years at drama school."
The only training of its' kind in the world.
Bring clarity and depth to every audition, every rehearsal & every performance.
Listening, trusting, leaning into the fear and jumping are all phrases you’ll be familiar with. As a mBIT Master Coach, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, HeartMath coach & Meisner specialist, Steph's coaching will give your body a full experience of what those words really mean.
This retreat is an opportunity to come to rural Wales to reflect, fully embody, appreciate and reconnect with yourself, your craft and each other whilst breathing in the fresh country air, having a huge amount of fun and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
As an acting coach I won’t teach you how to put on a show, I’ll offer you ways to safely take it off.
I’ll remind you what’s underneath the programmed behaviors you’ve developed over your lifetime so you can be available to live truthfully under any given circumstances of any character, of any story.
We’ll explore what it is to listen fully and openly.
To be instinctive and impulsive.
To be honest.
In that exploration, we’ll look at what gets in your way. We’ll hold a mirror up so you can get to know your tool deeply and how to use it creatively, safely and purposefully. The Meisner Technique is the best way I know how to do this.
In real terms
The training and activities are fused as a shared and integrated experience so I'll be coaching you every step:
👉 Learn to stand, even when your knees are wobbling
👉 Hold space when you want to hide
👉 Jump before you hesitate
👉 Play with text in a way that brings you alive
👉 Get out of your head & out of your own way
👉 Be present
👉 Show up, fully
👉 Be open, be kinder
👉 Be easier
👉 Be connected, with yourself and each other
👉 Be the kind of actor everyone wants to work with
A Basic Outline
Day 1: Arrive 4-5pm, meet at 5pm.
Days 2, 3, 4, 5: Discovering & exploring Meisner's exercises that help you listen more openly and respond more honestly + outdoor activities!
Day 6: Morning off and afternoon walking with Ant.
Day 7, 8 & 9, 10 & 11: Working through the exercises that help with the impulse to move, living truthfully under given circumstances & Meisner's bold and powerful text analysis with time to explore taking direction + outdoor activities!
Day 12: Group meeting at 9am, leave lunchtime
Outdoor activities
The outdoor activities are there to reinforce everything we've been learning in the studio but simply coming at it from a different angle. It's been carefully designed to ensure you leave knowing how to use the tools rather than them be a concept in your mind.
A sneak peak into what a day might look like if we're adventuring.
🌱Up and out early for a wild swim and/or a beautiful walk (if you want).
🌱 Back for breaky.
🌱 Sharing something tasty & making enough coffee/tea for 10.
🌱 Taking turns in showers, getting ready.
🌱 Start the session at 9:30 with a song, a warm-up, breathing and check-in.
🌱 Break for hot drinks!
🌱 Spending the day training and exploring the work in the safe studio space
🌱 Breaking for lunch, taking turns cooking & sharing food together.
🌱 Getting ready for an activity in Llangollen, like stand-up paddleboarding!
🌱 Driving in convoy to get there.
🌱 Getting our feet wet, failing spectacularly & celebrating each other’s wins!
🌱 Coming together for dinner or a drink at a pub.
🌱 Returning to the studio for a wind-down with Steph.
🌱 Sitting together on the patio or the snug to reflect on the day.
🌱 Enjoying each other’s company - maybe a game of Dixit.
🌱 Snuggling down in bed, closing our curtains ready rested for tomorrow.
The price includes
🏡 Accommodation in shared rooms (with ensuite).
Private rooms nearby are available at extra cost.
🏡 Welcome dinner on the first evening and breakfast. Vegan and vegetarian meals are available with advance notice. The group can order food for delivery for the rest of the retreat.
🏡 9 days training with Steph in The Meisner Technique from basic repetition all the way through to scene work and taking direction and preparation.
🏡Around 90 coached hours with Steph including the swims, walks, activities & studio time!
🏡 A beautifully fused coaching experience from the acting studio into the wild and back again with Steph and our carefully chosen partners.
🏡 An invitation to wild swim and/or walk each morning
🏡 Activities: Canal Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP), Exploring in Snowdonia, White Water SUP & fire cooked dinner on the moors.
NB we reserve the right to change or adapt the activities if necessary
🏡 A day off to rest, explore or both!
Arrive open and you will leave changed.
Who coaches you?
As well as being a Meisner specialist, Stephanie Morgan is also an INLPTA certified Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner (NLP), a HeartMath Coach and a mBIT Master Coach (where neuroscience backs up ancient wisdoms). Her training is a fusion of all of her learnings.
Steph is fuelled by her passion for creating a space for actors to discover they do not have to suffer for their art.
Stephanie Morgan is a practitioner with over 15 years’ professional experience in the performing arts. Since 2005, she has worked in theatres across the country as a performer, Venue Technician, Stage Manager, Assistant Director and Director. She taught Acting to Undergraduates and Masters’ students at ALRA Drama School and ICTheatre & has been a guest practitioner and lecturer at Leeds Conservatoire.
Steph trained in the Meisner Technique under Scott Williams (The Impulse Company) and Keith Farquhar (Moment to Moment) and has been teaching her version for many years. Prior to Both Feet, Steph was the Managing Director of West Yorkshire Theatre Network (2009-2016), which offered performance and networking opportunities, rehearsal space and training courses from internationally renowned artists for thousands of actors across the world.
She also is the founder and creator of Bodlondeb Retreat in North Wales, where our Both Feet Retreats take place.
Where?
We run all of our retreats from our custom built studio and accommodation at Bodlondeb Studio & Retreat, Corwen, North Wales.
Nestled in the rolling hills of the Welsh countryside and sleeping up to 12 people, it is a space where you can hold yourself lightly enough to create, connect, share and explore.
Want to find out more?
Click below to see the space in detail.
Getting here is easier than you think too. You can drive or we can help with car sharing / collection from Chester if someone's not passing your route. And the T10 bus stops right outside our door!
Upcoming Events
Sun, Sep 15CorwenSep 15, 2024, 5:00 PM – Sep 26, 2024, 1:30 PMCorwen, Bodlondeb, Corwen LL21 0NY, UK
RSVP ClosedSun, Apr 14CorwenApr 14, 2024, 5:00 PM – Apr 25, 2024, 12:30 PMCorwen, Bodlondeb, Corwen LL21 0NY, UKApr 14, 2024, 5:00 PM – Apr 25, 2024, 12:30 PMCorwen, Bodlondeb, Corwen LL21 0NY, UK* * N e a r l y F u l l * * This intensive retreat will change your craft, your work and you. It'll help you to make life a little easier, connect you to an excellent community, offer you a technique that you can rely on and remind you of how much you love your work and your life.
Ready to jump?
Actor Reviews
Emma
Golding
"This lady is one of the most hard working,
badass people out there.
This course sounds amazing - any of my acting friends out there who haven't worked with Steph or who have any want to try something different, should definitely give this a go."
Nathan Graham
"I thoroughly enjoy training with Both Feet because they give you the safest environment to thrive, fail and push boundaries."
Leanne
Rowley
"Do this actor pals... outdoor adventures meets some of the best training you can find meets campfires and stars and rivers and paddle boarding and... did I mention campfires?
Nathan
Haymer
-Bates
"I've been working with Both Feet Actor Training for about five years now. They have not only changed me as an actor but my whole perspective of it too. They are sooo amazing! If you are a working actor or just starting your journey I urge you to look at this."