Inviation to the seminar with Christine Schmalor
The Vertical of the Role
Method for the self-preparation of the actor
8 sessions plus 2 individual coachings
weekly, wednesdays,
25 February – 15 April 2026 at 18:00 – 20:30 UTC+1
The method The Vertical of the Role was developed by Dr Jurij Alschitz. It is already a classic in European theatre. Over the years it has naturally changed, many steps have been adapted for online teaching and lead to even more self-reliance for the artists.
At the centre of the method is a very practical aim: the self-preparation of the role. You become the author of the role and thus the encounter with the director on the film set or on the first day of rehearsals in the theatre takes place at eye level. This method will help you prepare for a role throughout your life. The clear work steps give you certainty as to which tasks you can set yourself and in what order so that you can grasp a role in all its dimensions.
In particular, the Vertical of the Role points the way to the philosophical-spiritual core of the character and challenges actors to act as independent artists. The character, or rather the personage, embodies different themes. They are hers and the author’s. Which themes are they? What do they mean today – and for me? This is where the dialogue with my personage begins. I should prepare myself well for this dialogue so that it takes place on an equal level. Only then can the common path begin, on which I respectfully approach him/her and in the best case reach the moment of mutual fusion – and may experience the light of the role.
By working on a Vertical of the Role, I decide above all to change my own personal role: from that of a mere actor to that of an artist who – immediately recognisable to everyone – enters the stage with a specific weight. My acting moves beyond an everyday realism, actions pursue an inner theme that refers to philosophical dimensions. This change of my role makes all the difference. It leads to my own specific stage language, it leads to my specific weight as an artist!
Which role will I work on?
That’s your decision.
You can either choose a character from Chekhov’s central plays – The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard. This gives us the chance to explore his cosmos together. We will experience how interesting and fruitful it can be to work on the Vertical in an ensemble. Everyone will participate in the work of their colleagues and benefit from exchanging ideas, inspiration and support.
Or you can take a role that you will soon be taking to the stage.
What can I imagine this course to be like?
| Our 8 online meetings are impulses for your own intensive work, which needs to be carried out between each session. You will be given specific tasks so that you can develop a stage-ready monologue – a Vertical – step by step. During this period, you will be supported by 2 individual consultations. You will also receive the textbook by Jurij Alschitz ‘The Vertical of the Role’ as an e-book. You can use it to prepare yourself. This gives us more time together for exercises and questions.You will complete the course with the creation/composition of your Vertical. |
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Who is the course aimed at?
To young and experienced actors, but also to teachers and directors who want to go through this working process themselves before applying it in their own practice. We expect international participation, so the working language will be English. Everyone will create their own Verticals in their native language.
Option
The Laboratory from 20 April – 2. May in Ibiza
Towards the end of the course, you can apply to take part in an acting laboratory that I will be holding in Ibiza from 20 April to 2 May at the Artists’ Sanctuary – a small private finca with an open-air training area and countless opportunities to play on a large, partly natural, partly artistically shaped site.
Here, after a joint training session, you will find your own place and – with individual support – realise your Vertical.
By realising the Vertical on stage, you will uncover new layers. In order to do this in the methodically intended way, you need very specific training. This is about the ‘vertical play’. This is where a new dimension of your stage presence and your artistic perspective begins: can I achieve transparency? Can I have spiritual experiences through my performance, which the Greeks called catharsis?
In addition, every successful Vertical has the potential to become a mono performance.
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World Theatre Training Institute AKT-ZENT
Research Centre of the International Theatre Institute
+49 30 612 87 274 | akt.zent@berlin.de