Mike Alfreds – described by Sir Ian McKellen as one of the three best directors in the country – visited the PEM international training week in London this month. He observed the PEM process for an entire day. This is what he says about his experience:
“I’m very impressed by the techniques PEM has developed to facilitate actors’ access to their feelings. It is absolutely in keeping with current discoveries in neuro-science and the results are more honest than a lot of the traditional strain and self-indulgence that surrounds much acting work. Actors do not have to go into autobiographical trauma to dredge up feelings which usually have more to do with the actor and less to do with the character they’re playing! By seriously studying how the body functions, actors can, healthily and efficiently, release truthful expressiveness. The body rarely lies. And this process of working through body to emotion is what PEM is constantly exploring and refining. Ultimately, the physical and the emotional are one.”
in the picture: left – Mike Alfreds, right – Stephan Perdekamp