It goes without saying that acting is a powerful and emotive form of art that captures the human experience in an immediate, relatable, and compelling way. There are plenty of techniques to achieve this, from ‘Method’ acting to improvisation, but eventually, each actor develops their own personalized approach to synchronize their imagination, emotion, and intentions. Whether working on screen, on stage, doing voiceover, or in motion capture, an actor embodies and feels the experience for it to ring true.
A new book has been published that offers a unique perspective on this craft. Crosspoints: An Integrative Acting System, penned by Stephen Atkins, is an embodied approach to acting that incorporates the physical and psychological aspects of behavior.
Atkins encourages that the mind and body are not separate entities but rather work in tandem to form one’s experiences. Secondly, his approach builds faith in the imagination and its capacity to create authentic emotional states. An example would be the extreme feeling one might get from winning or losing a difficult video game or reading about the death of a favorite character in a novel. Everyone knows it’s not real, but the generated experience.
The Crosspoints acting approach combines several techniques and builds upon earlier teachers in Avant Garde performance and physical theater. It’s in these areas where the experiences of marginalized people have taken form and grown into artistic languages outside of mainstream entertainment. With the current call for diversity, not only in casting but in the tools used for creating and telling stories, Crosspoints is gaining followers because of its practical, no-nonsense, novel approach.
Not only that, it fits with the professional lives of today’s actors by focusing on the embodied imagination as the primary tool of the actor. The actor connects to their characters on a deeper level. It’s a process that works particularly well with the nonverbal communication and minimal dialogue of film and commercial auditions and also helps structure a prominent role.
From Stage to Page: The Multifaceted Journey of a Director, Teacher, and Author in the Acting World
Atkins has primarily a directing and teaching background. As an actor, in his youth, he trained exclusively as a ‘traditional’ actor but expanded his horizons as an outsider collaborator in performance cultures from Russia, Asia, and the Middle East. This contrasted with his experience when he hit the film and TV scene in the 90s.
Atkins has lived in Australia and the United Kingdom, where European and Asian traditions also influenced him. These resources and master teachers helped Atkins assemble the Crosspoints to bring diverse, expansive, alternative pathways to actor training.
It was in 2020 when Atkins decided to pick up a pen and publish his book. But his choice was seemingly made for him by a life-changing event.
Atkins’ book is a practical guide, outlining exercises people can do themselves or in a class and providing questions and prompts for self-teaching. They’re influenced by his own experiences bridging several performance methods, Jungian theory, recent research in neuropsychology, and the widely recognized performance methods. It comes together in a cohesive, approachable way that meshes with any other techniques an actor might use.
The Holistic Approach to Acting
Atkins’ approach to acting emphasizes the importance of connecting with the body, emotions, and surroundings to deliver a brilliant performance. His approach encourages actors to explore situations metaphorically and by moving their bodies. Crosspoints intersect between memory and imagination, body, mind, and feeling. They are where different aspects of your personality, not yet found or used by you, can be played with safely and responsibly. These tools add to an actor’s professional and personal well-being. In these times when the importance of mental health and self-care are more frequently taken into account, it can help an actor sustain themselves creatively.
Exploring Ensemble-Building and Physicality
The Crosspoints approach also emphasizes the importance of developing a strong ensemble, creating a safe space for actors to explore their characters and establish a bond with each other. This is as important in scene rehearsal as it is for creating or devising new work. These are a growing aspect of the industry as storytelling is more relevant and diverse, where creatives have more access to content-making tools and independent distribution. Crosspoints are effective and practical, but this book is not a monolithic idea. It’s just another drop in the ocean.
In a career spanning two decades, Atkins has coached professional actors, developed community projects, taught in several studios and universities, directed and devised theater, and is now demonstrating Crosspoints at several international performance conferences. He has an extensive, practical understanding of acting theories and methodologies, earning a Ph.D. 2020. He has distilled his knowledge into a unique approach, dubbed “Crosspoints: An Integrative Acting System,” which is available in book form and will be released as an interactive app and card deck in early 2024. His contribution has made him a respected figure in the acting community. In the field, he has helped numerous actors hone their craft and succeed in their careers.
