IN THIS ISSUE:

by Crystal Robbins

We met in the rolling hills of south central Pennsylvania. The lush landscape was well watered from the frequent storms that first darkened the bright humid days, then streaked spectacular bursts of light across the sky. This tiny town, 250-year old Mercersburg, PA, played host to the Lessac Summer Intensive 2000, the final farewell workshop entirely run by the man himself, Arthur Lessac. Mercersburg lies two hours from D.C., in between the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains and is home to a renowned private prep school, Mercersburg Academy. The school is just over 100 years old, which means it has a few years on Arthur Lessac, but just a few. One can’t help but respect history in such a venerable setting. The small log cabin of our 15th president, James Buchanan, sits in a patch of woods on campus. Jimmy Stewart graduated from Mercersburg in 1928. Mercersburg Academy boasts many accomplished graduates from a variety of disciplines. How appropriate that they should forge a link with the Lessac Summer Workshop Intensives.

We gathered, the lucky 15, for the last Lessac-led workshop and we hung on to his every word, recognizing the value (and responsibility) of our 5-week education there. Our group represented many careers and accomplishments. We were from three countries, and twelve states. We were university and secondary school professors, heads of departments, film/TV/stage performers, professional athletes and trainers, and accomplished musicians. Arthur Lessac, at 91 a veritable whirlwind of energy, charisma, and wisdom, ran the Body and Voice sessions and was ably assisted by Master Teacher Sue Ann Park, and certified teachers Nancy Krebs and Kathy Dunn. The schedule was full, intensive, and packed with Lessac's 70 years worth of teaching. If we had the slightest thought of being tired, we simply watched Arthur jump rope around the track and we borrowed energy from his example. Soon we would learn how to create it within ourselves, how to garner the creative present energy resting naturally in our cells and revitalize, refresh, and refuel our own bodies. We would learn to build stronger bodies, to translate the body knowledge to our voices—we will never be the same For the connection between the body and the voice has been Arthur’s chief emphasis of personal study and development for the past 40 years.

The workshop rightly earns its name “Intensive.” The days were long and packed with learning. There were large group body classes, large group voice sessions, small group voice sessions, buddy or partnering sessions, twice-weekly private sessions with staff, and private sessions with Arthur. Add a few meals a day and a shower and the day had flown by. The program is over 230 hours of study and is equivalent to three graduate courses. Successful completion of the course grants the trainee a letter stating the in-depth nature of study and its applications. CEU credit is also available through a local college.

My own personal entourage included my husband, my one-year old still-nursing daughter, and two baby-sitters who graciously gave up part of their summer to help me with mine. My particular situation was made so much smoother by the Mercersburg Workshop Coordinator and Director of Summer Programs, Laurie Mufson and Rick Hendrickson, respectively. I was given larger housing and the accommodations were easily and graciously extended to my husband, daughter, and sitters.

There was no doubt that it was more work. But it was well worth it. Having a child present made me so much more aware of the natural acquisition of knowledge. When Arthur would announce, “Explore with the lively interest and curiosity of a child,” I had only to look at my daughter as she paddled to everyone’s tables at lunch. When we squatted and buoyantly rose, the back of the neck long and free, I could watch my daughter to see how the child does the same thing with a great sense of joy and grace, her muscles loose, the effort minimal.

She joined us in body class on several occasions and the delight on her face at watching the Big People rolling on the floor reminded me of Arthur. There is a lifetime of joy in the man’s face, in his step (that rolling stride we all grew to know so well), and in the very marrow of his bones. Well, I shouldn’t say “lifetime,” because at 91 he is still going strong. And though he is retiring from the role of Director of the Lessac Summer Workshop Intensives, he continues to coach privately and is extending his interests to include medical benefits & discoveries with his work and the study of longevity. Yes, the workshops will continue!

Because the Lessac Work is so comprehensive, it doesn’t matter what training you come in with, you go away better equipped than when you started. Between the fifteen of us, practically every voice and acting technique or physical training had been studied and was part of our professional vocabulary. And still we grew. We watched one another’s voices take on new dimension, color and saw increased agility. Daily, we saw the physical work enhance the vocal. We participated as helpmates to one another and great strides were made by all. The results were astonishing. Trained and untrained voices alike profited by the inner experiencing system so vital to the Lessac system.

It was many hours and the days were long. But hard work? No. Just joyful learning with passionate seekers of vocal and body truths. Next year’s workshop will be temporarily hosted at the University of New Hampshire (city) while major construction is underway at its home base at Mercersburg Academy. Master Teacher Sue Ann Park will be Executive Director, and the remaining faculty will consist also of experienced Certified Teachers. Arthur Lessac is expected to Guest Teach for one week during the program. It’s a new century, the dawn of new age. Discover, or re-discover the freshness and vitality of your own performing and teaching skills. Join us there.

Interested parties should contact:

Prof. Sue Ann Park,
Executive Director of Lessac Summer Workshop Intensives,
535 Gradyville Rd., Apt. G-111,
Newtown Square, PA 19073,
email to:SAYPARK@aol.com, or

Deby Kinghorn,
University of New Hampshire-Durham,
Dept. of Theatre & Dance,
Paul Creative Arts Centre,
Durham, NH 03824,
email to: deb.kinghorn@unh.edu.

Crystal Robbins is a professional actor-director-writer-teacher. She teaches the Lessac Work at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, CA.