#4 Mike Alfreds: Get Out Of Your Head!

Mike Alfreds is a theatre director, adapter, translator and teacher. He talks about the role of the subconscious, the essence of good storytelling, what it means to be really ‘alive’ in a performance, what we can learn from film/ theatre ‘stars’, the danger of overconfidence, the importance of always being 100% ‘ready’ to work , the significance of curiosity and playfulness, the power of looking at a scene/ situation through someone else’s eyes, the difference between ‘making’ things happen and ‘allowing’ things to happen and so much more.

Mike founded and was artistic director of ‘Shared Experience’, directed for the Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He worked on over 200 productions all over the world. Mike is also known for his special method of instructing actors, inspired by the principles of Konstantin Stanislavski and Rudolf Laban, with emphasis on physical activities, spontaneity and interaction with others. He has written two books ‘Different Every Night’ which describes his approach to theatre and his rehearsal process when working on plays and ‘Then What Happens?’ which describes his techniques when working on adaptations and storytelling. His system of working and his thoughts on the making of theatre have been said  to be as crucial and illuminating as Stanislavsky’s and Peter Brook’s.
Mark Rylance said about Mike: 'If I was allowed to train again to be an actor, but I was only allowed one teacher, it would have to be Mike Alfreds. To me he is a genius when it comes to acting and storytelling.' 
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