CORE THEATRE ENSEMBLE started as the collective vision of several student actors in the Hampton Roads, VA area. It quickly became a reality when the desire for something more in local theater increased and CORE had their inaugural show in 2006. Our mission is to create innovative, compelling ensemble works that both challenge the actors involved as well as invigorate the audiences who watch. We utilize the Suzuki and Viewpoints actor training methods to build a strong cast that can ultimately work as a cohesive unit. All we want? To make great theater and have great people see it....that's not too much to ask. CORE is currently headed by...
Edwin Castillo(Suzuki/Viewpoints Training Instructor,Artistic Assoc., Actor)
In addition to his training at Old Dominion University, Edwin has worked, trained, and performed at Chautauqua Conservatory, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Virginia Stage Co., and the SITI Company's Summer Intensive Program in 2007. Edwin has worked extensively with SITI Company member Leon Ingulsrud for ten years in all of Mr. Ingulsrud's productions at Old Dominion University from The Hairy Ape (1997) to Jamestown (2007), where he served as Suzuki/Viewpoints Training Leader and Assistant Director. ,
Emel Ertugrul(Managing Dir., Artistic Assoc., Actor)
With a Bachelor's in Business Administration, Emel's natural place was to manage the ensemble. Though her curriculum in school obviously differed from other actors', she still found a home in the Theater Department at Old Dominion. She has worked with SITI Company member Leon Ingulsrud on multiple shows including Moby Dick (2000), The Tempest (2001)--during which she helped lead a Suzuki workshop with Instructor Robin Aronson-Carr---and Saint Joan (2003). She also served as a training assistant to Edwin for Jamestown (2007).,
Brant Powell(Art/Sound Designer, Artistic Assoc., Actor)
Brant has studied Suzuki and Viewpoints training under Leon Ingulsrud as well. He participated in four shows incorporating the training at ODU before graduating in 2001 and promptly moving to New York City. After using his education in illustration to work for fashion designer Andrew Urbain, Brant decided to return to acting, and thankfully moved back to the Hampton Roads area in time to establish CORE. He currently teaches Art History for the City of Chesapeake. and
Laura Agudelo(Suzuki/Viewpoints Training Asst., Artistic Assoc., Actor)
Laura interned for two seasons at the professional theater company StageWest in Springfield, MA where they utilized extensive Suzuki/Viewpoints actor training. Upon completion of the internship, she moved to New York City for several years to continue acting and attended numerous training workshops conducted by the SITI Company. After moving back to Hampton Roads two years ago, Laura found a creative fit with CORE and quickly became a member. She currently teaches Spanish for the City of Chesapeake.
What is Suzuki and Viewpoints??
SUZUKI METHOD
Encouraging the actor’s awareness of their body, voice, and presence on stage, the Suzuki Method of actor training gives the actor a form of physical training that other acting methods cannot. The Suzuki Method of Actor Training was created by Tadashi Suzuki with the Suzuki Company of Toga and further taught and refined in the United States by the SITI Company of New York. The aim of this form of training is to renew the actor’s understanding of what the human body is, as well as discovering what their own individual body is capable of becoming. The training draws from traditional Japanese and Greek theater, martial arts, and dance. Close attention to the actor’s center of gravity and its relationship to other points in space are fundamental throughout the training. Use of specific forms, footwork, and breathing forces the actor to find a deeper understanding of what it means to live within a moment onstage.
VIEWPOINTS
Developed by Mary Overlie and Anne Bogart, the Viewpoints is a system of improvisation created by the deconstruction of physical performance. With roots in post-modern dance, the Viewpoints are a way of categorizing and re-evaluating the basic issues that performers work with – time and space. This was first known as the Six Viewpoints, which has since expanded through exploration by Anne Bogart and the SITI Company. Viewpoints training helps groups of actors find immediacy, clarity, and focus to work as an ensemble. This form of physical improvisation training allows the actor to expand their senses and reconnect to their body’s full awareness capability while giving the ensemble a new understanding of their relationship to the audience, the stage, and to each other.
