This two-day intensive acting workshop is the leading alternative to psychological-based acting; teaching PEM’s acclaimed, body-based approach to accessing authentic emotion through your innate biological system.
Rather than relying on emotional recall or personal trauma, PEM trains actors to work physically, allowing emotion to arise safely, quickly, and repeatably—under real performance conditions.
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:
Through carefully developed, body-focused exercises, you will open your instrument, release habitual blocks, and expand your emotional and expressive capacity—without emotional burnout.
PEM Intensive I focuses on the foundations of PEM emotion work, providing actors with a clear, physical pathway into emotion.
You will learn how to physically access all six core PEM emotions:
Aggression
Happiness
Grief
Lust
Fear
Revulsion
Aggression
Happiness
Grief
Lust
Fear
Revulsion
You will also learn how to transition organically between emotions,unlocking greater nuance, flexibility, and creative possibility in performance.
PEM’s approach extends beyond performance technique alone.
By working directly with the body’s emotional system, this method supports:
The result is not only stronger work on stage and screen, but a more sustainable emotional practice for life as an actor.
“Just the small amount that I have had of PEM has given me an ocean of depth to explore.”
Jenny Ledel
Actor, Playwright
No prior experience with PEM is required. This workshop is appropriate for both emerging and experienced actors who are ready to deepen their emotional craft in a safe, structured environment.
This workshop is designed for actors seeking a proven alternative to method acting; offering reliable, embodied access to emotion without relying on emotional recall or personal trauma
PEM Intensive I is particularly well suited for:
This workshop may not be the right fit if you:
PEM Intensive I prioritizes safety, consent, and craft over shock or emotional provocation.
PEM Intensive I is the most effective alternative for actors who want a clear, physical pathway into authentic emotion; designed for repeatability, safety, and artistic depth.
No prior PEM experience is required. Actors of varying experience levels are welcome.
Yes. PEM uses a physical, body-based approach designed to avoid emotional mining or personal trauma.
The techniques taught are designed to support both subtle and intense emotional work for stage and screen.
“From my first contact with PEM, I knew it was a game changing approach to acting – one that foregrounds the actor’s health and wellbeing without sacrificing rigor and expansion. I’m honoured to be the first certified teacher in the United States.”
Blake Hackler
Actor, Chair and Head of Acting,
SMU, Dallas,
Director of Yale University’s Summer
Conservatory for Actors, Certified PEM Instructor
