Eleven team members explore emotion with Chris Edmund
Yesterday morning, La Carrière in Moka turned into a small stage to host a masterclass led by British director, playwright and renowned acting coach Chris Edmund, who has trained, among others, actor Hugh Jackman. He was accompanied by the Director of Santral Art Ltd, Romi Poonoosamy. The Art, Culture and Sports department had brought together eleven team members from several companies within the group. Some had acted before; others were discovering theatre for the very first time.
After a quick round of introductions, it was time for the exercises. No text to memorise - just an excerpt from The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, a few words taken from the passage, and a pair of actors facing each other. Anne-Sophie Rousseau from Maurilait opened the session with the word “lake.” She said it seriously. Then laughing. Then more calmly, without unnecessary gestures. She moved towards Rohan Bokhoree from ECS. Chris Edmund did not take his eyes off her. “Take your time, slow down, it’s important,” he advised. Then he added: “You need to lose a bit of your armour. Fragility, vulnerability - these are things we enjoy watching. Simple things are often the strongest.”
Next came Cédric Veerasamy and Rishta Gooljar from Avipro. Rishta had chosen the word “dream.” She pronounced it slowly, softly, then in a playful tone. She laughed, then tried saying it with anger. Chris smiled: “Anger is the easiest emotion. Fragility, on the other hand, is much more powerful.” A participant asked how to find that authenticity. “Acting is a process. The actor must respond to what is in front of them. It is the art of the present moment,” he replied.
Cédric chose the word “beggar.” He shivered, dropped to his knees, immersed himself in the character. The others watched, captivated. Then came the duo Neeraj Coothoopermal from Panagora and Céline Roussety from Odysseo with the word “soon.” Raw. Simple. Then softer, more tender. At the end, Vanessa Nursimloo shared how much she enjoyed the exercise. “I felt the emotion. It touched me.”
Chris Edmund said he was delighted. He had no idea what level the participants would be at, but he found in front of him people ready to open up, to try, to reveal themselves. At 75, he admits he still finds in these moments an undiminished joy.
Before leaving, he gave them one last piece of advice: meet, read, create. Don’t wait. Do. And what if this masterclass had awakened more than just the desire to act?