Nathanael Johnson - director / actor / educator

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  • about
  • acting
  • directing
  • teaching
  • contact

TEACHING


Nathanael currently serves as assistant professor of practice in directing and acting at Northern Arizona University. Other teaching credits include serving on the faculty of Riverside City College, Fullerton College, AMDA, and St. Edward’s University as well as guest artist residencies at the Joffrey Ballet School, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF), PCPA Conservatory, Willamette University, and Lamar University. He is a member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.
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PHILOSOPHY

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My acting classroom operates under two central principles: to release the actor and ignite the imagination. My goal is to develop actors who are perceptive, bold, and who use their entire instrument to fight for the needs of the character. The result – from the audience’s perspective – is that the actor is the character and that everything they are doing is happening right here, right now, for the very first time. From the actor’s perspective, they are in a highly imaginative state and are continually surprising themselves moment-to-moment; they have not predetermined what they’re going to do and say. Rather, they are focusing their attention on what must be done (as opposed to what they are doing), they are really listening and really responding to their scene partner’s every word, thought, and move, and they are really pursuing a specific, hot, and personal objective. I teach them to think non-literally about the text as well as non-linearly moment-to-moment and to avoid falling into the trap of making judgments or preconceived decisions about what a character “would” or “wouldn’t do.” Rather, I encourage them to let go of trying to craft a ‘good’ performance and instead encourage them to put everything on their scene partner and simply fight for the needs of the character. Once the students have advanced in their craft and have a solid technique under their belt, I then encourage them to embrace their identity and unique point-of-view and bring that to the circumstances and the role they're playing I emphasize that there is no character to play but rather to find within themselves. Hopefully they will discover that there is no right way to play Hedda or Hamlet or Hedvig and that their way – if from a place of honesty and truth – is the way.


COURSES TAUGHT

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
TH 101: Introduction To The Theatre
TH 112-412: Performance Workshop I – IV
TH 125: Introduction To Acting
TH 130: Script Analysis
TH 135: Fundamentals Of Acting
TH 332: Contemporary Acting Techniques
TH 352: Directing
TH 432: Acting Styles
TH 452: Directing II
TH 460: Topics In Theatre Performance: Devised Theatre
TH 472: Advanced Contemporary Acting
TH 490C: Senior Capstone Experience
AMDA COLLEGE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
AC 116: Acting Fundamentals
AC 120: Acting I
AC 121: Acting II
AC 124: Play Reading
AC 125: Acting Techniques
AC 220: Intro to Shakespeare
AC 222: Acting Styles
AC 227: Acting III
AC 244: Conservatory Acting Showcase
AC 320: Scene Study in Shakespeare
AC 321: Classic Repertoire
AC 325: Directing
AC 329: Advanced Shakespeare
AC 336: New Perspectives
AC 400: One Acts in Performance
AC 409: The Powerful Actor
AC 415: Acting Senior Showcase
ST. EDWARD'S UNIVERSITY
THAR 1351: Performance IA
THAR 1352: Performance IB
THAR 3322: Acting For The Camera I
THAR 3330: Performance II
THAR 4332: Acting For The Camera II
THAR 4355: Performance V
THAR 4357: Professional Preparation

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