A central premise of the Lugering Method is that the study of acting should begin with a study of human expression. Expression is the process of revealing thought and feeling through movements, sounds and words. This universal, human activity provides the springboard for exploring the entire acting process. The Lugering Method articulates the integrated manner in which mental and emotional content are expressed through physical action in the body and voice. In this innovative and practical approach to training the “total actor,” the traditionally disparate disciplines of acting, movement and voice are synthesized in a unified method of training. The method is preparatory and foundational, designed to cultivate an awareness of the pre-conscious, physical and sensorial foundations of human communication. The goal is an expressive actor capable of a vivid, powerful and artful expression of thought and feeling that is spectacularly human and rarely demonstrated in daily living.
The Principles of Expression articulate the universal pattern or structure in which all human beings organize thought and feeling into meaningful forms of expression. Expression is viewed as a highly specialized type of physical action in which energy, orientation, size, progression, flow, direction, speed, weight, control and focus are structured and shaped to reveal the content of our thoughts and feelings. Deeply rooted in process, the method is concerned not so much with "why" we express our thoughts and feelings but "how." In this intensely physical exploration, the voice and body are not viewed simply as a vehicle or merely a vessel for emotional and mental content, but as equal partners and co-participants in the process of creating meaning and understanding. Emphasis is placed on synthesizing the physical and the intellectual, the emotional and the mental, the internal and the external, movement and language, physical form and psychological content. The result is the integration of the mind and the body in the sensuous expression of thought and feeling. Whether the actor is working on expressing—love or loss—resonance or range—alignment or flexibility—the Principles of Expression have a similar and consistent application. These principles transcend any specific acting style, focusing on universal aspects of human expression present in all drama from Shakespeare to Simon, Wycherley to Wasserstein, Moliere to Mamet.
The Voice & Body Exercises seek to simultaneously increase physical and vocal strength, freedom, flexibility, dexterity, range, coordination and control. Through these innovative, full-bodied exercises, vocal and physical skills are developed through action and activity rather than relaxation and release. The integrated Voice and Body Exercises are adaptations of many of the physical exercises which comprise the Erick Hawkins' Dance Technique. Hawkins was a master dancer, choreographer and teacher. His internationally recognized approach to movement has revolutionized traditional dance training. Hawkins' "free-flowing" approach to movement, creates an ideal physical environment, where breath and sound can be integrated with momentous physical action without stress, strain or injury. In the course of a traditional class, the student moves sequentially from lying, to sitting, to standing and finally to locomotive movement. In the process, breath and sound are integrated with physical action through a series of panting, sighing, hissing, humming and sounding actions. While the hip-joint is being limbered, the diaphragm learns to receive a more complete inhalation; and while the lower resonating space is being developed; the ribs are simultaneously receiving a stretch that strengthens the breathing musculature...and so on…all the while the seemingly separate parts are being trained to express the body’s most rich and most powerful thoughts and feelings. The exercises seek to center, integrate and balance the actor's instrument through the reprogramming of fixed physical and vocal structures that are inefficient, habitual and idiosyncratic. More than merely a set of arbitrary physical and vocal drills, the integrated Voice and Body Exercises reflect and mirror the universal pattern and structure that characterizes all acts of human expression regardless of content or context.
Most importantly the method provides the actor with a practical working vocabulary that succinctly describes the physical life of a thought and feeling in the voice and body.
The Aesthetic Theory is rooted in the philosophical exploration of artistic form. It provides the actor with a context and perspective in which important distinctions can be made between everyday expression and artful expression, distinctions between real feelings and imaginary feelings, between the personal life of the actor and the fictitious world of the character. The theory fosters a healthy and playful approach to the creative process that is never psychologically abusive or consciously therapeutic.
