Jean-Louis Rodrigue (born May 23, 1951 Casablanca, Morocco,) is an acting coach, movement director, author, [1] and senior teacher of the Alexander Technique.[2] He has worked in Los Angeles and New York in theatre, film, television, and digital media.[3]
Jean-Louis Rodrigue | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 23, 1951 Casablanca, Morocco |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Acting coach and teacher of the Alexander Technique |
| Website | http://www.alexandertechworks.com/jean-louis rodrigue/ |
Rodrigue has taught at the Berlin International Film Festival, Generation Campus in Moscow, Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Universidad de la Comunicación (México) in Mexico City, Berlinale Talents in Guadalajara, USC Thornton School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, and Digital Life Design Women in Munich.[4] Rodrigue has been a faculty member at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television[5] and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music[5] for the past 34 years.
Early life and education
editJean-Louis Rodrigue was born on May 23, 1951[citation needed] in Casablanca, Morocco and was raised in Milan, Italy.[6]
At eight years old, he decided to become an actor after viewing Ferruccio Soleri in “Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters” at Piccolo Teatro di Milano. In 1967, he began working with Herbert Berghof at the HB Studio and Sonia Moore at the American Center for Stanislavski Theater Art in New York.[5]
In 1970, William Ball awarded Rodrigue a full scholarship to study in the Advanced Training Program at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco. During Rodrigue's training at ACT, he discovered the Alexander Technique. He then stayed three more years to train at the American Center for the Alexander Technique, San Francisco.
In post-formal training, Rodrigue studied with Alexander Technique teachers Marjorie Barstow, Walter Carrington, Patrick McDonald, and Dilys Carrington. Rodrigue is also a certified teacher of Jessica Wolf's The Art of Breathing.[7]
Teaching career
editThis article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (December 2019) |
In 1980, Rodrigue founded Alexander Techworks. The company provides private instruction, training, coaching, group classes, and workshops in Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. He and Kristof Konrad own and operate the business together.
From 1998 to 2005, Rodrigue was part of the faculty of Verbier Festival.[5]
Rodrigue teaches workshops at Larry Moss' Studio.[1] He has taught masterclasses at the Howard Fine Acting Studios in Los Angeles and Australia.[8] He founded the Alexander Technique program at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he taught for six years.[5] He has worked with circus artists of Cirque du Soleil's Ka at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.[6]
He had reportedly been hired in by the FBI to teach stress management and respiratory control for agents infiltrating Middle Eastern terrorist cells.[9][10]
Film and television
editRodrigue has coached actors in films including: I, Tonya, Vice, Mary Queen of Scots, Love and Mercy (film), J. Edgar, W., Passion Fish, The Time Machine, Seabiscuit (film), and The Normal Heart (film). He collaborated with director Ang Lee and screenwriter David Magee in the development of the tiger movement for the film Life of Pi. Rodrigue choreographed the period movement for the film The Affair of the Necklace.
Since 2009, Rodrigue has conducted several workshops at the Berlinale Talent Campus program.[11] He was involved in the development of a new hands-on training programs for emerging actors, the Talent Actors Stage, for which 15-20 international actors are selected annually.[12]
Theatre
editRodrigue has coached at several Los Angeles locations throughout his career. At the Geffen Playhouse, Rodrigue was the movement coach on Nine Parts of Desire in 2005[13] and on Long Day's Journey into Night in 2017.[14] He was awarded a fellowship grant from the Montalvo Arts Center to develop and direct a play adaptation of the novel, The Reader. He coached Chris Pine in The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Mark Taper Forum. He also worked with Gulu Monteiro on The Bacchae at the Getty Villa.
Rodrigue has collaborated with Larry Moss on Daisy White's Sugar, The Syringa Tree at Playhouse 91 in New York and Bo Eason's Runt of the Litter at the 37 Arts Theater, N.Y. He has coached with Rita Maffei and Larry Moss in an Italian production of The Syringa Tree at the Teatro Stabile di Innovazione in Udine and at Il Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Italy.
Animal Studies
editRodrigue integrates animal behavior and movement into his research and work. He is known for helping actors develop characters through animal movement studies. His primary areas of research are animal movement, behavior, morphology, nature perception, and human/animal connections. This interest was sparked by Leonardo da Vinci and Carlo Mazzone-Clementi.
While in Milano in 1957, Rodrigue's father introduced him to the scientific and artistic work of DaVinci. They would often go to the National Museum of Science and Technology to view the models of DaVinci's inventions . They also would visit the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, the largest archive of Da Vinci's drawings of animals.
Later in his life while studying at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Jean-Louis studied with Mazzone-Clementi who introduced him to the application of animal behavior and movement to character development.
Select awards and recognition
editRodrigue was awarded a fellowship grant in 2008 from the Montalvo Arts Center to develop and direct a play adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's novel, The Reader.[15][16]
Credits
editFilmography
edit| Year[17] | Film | Actor/Consulting Work | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lou | Jurnee Smollett/Bad Robot | Character Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Anna Foerster |
| 2020 | Bill & Ted Face the Music | Alex Winter /Orion | Character Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Dean Parisot |
| 2020 | Birds of Prey (2020 film) | Margot Robbie/Warner Brothers | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Cathy Yan |
| 2019 | Dreamland (2019 American film) | Margot Robbie/Eagle Films | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Miles Joris-Peyrafitte |
| 2019 | Buffaloed | Zoey Deutch/Lost City | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Tanya Wexler |
| 2018 | Vice (2018 film) | Christian Bale/Annapurna Pictures | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Adam McKay |
| 2018 | Mary Queen of Scots (2018 film) | Margot Robbie/Focus Features | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Josie Rourke |
| 2018 | Set It Up | Zoey Deutch/Netflix | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Claire Scanlon |
| 2017 | I, Tonya | Margot Robbie/Miramax | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Craig Gillespie |
| 2017 | Disobedience | Rachel McAdams/Braven Films | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Sebastian Lelio |
| 2017 | Anything (film) | Matt Bomer/Great Point Media | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Timothy McNeil |
| 2017 | Okja | Paul Dano/Netflix | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Joon-Ho Bong |
| 2017 | Flower | Zoey Deutch/Diablo Entertainment | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Max Winkler |
| 2016 | Unleashed (2016 film) | Justin Chatwin/Braveheart Films | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Finn Taylor |
| 2014 | Pawn Sacrifice | Tobey Maguire/Lionsgate | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Edward Swick |
| 2014 | Lucky Stiff | Cast/Arclight Films | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Christopher Ashley |
| 2014 | The Normal Heart (film) | Matt Bomer/HBO | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Ryan Murphy |
| 2014 | Love & Mercy (film) | Paul Dano/Roadside Attractions | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Bill Pohlad |
| 2012 | Life of Pi (film) | Fox 2000 Pictures | Consultant on Tiger Movement | Ang Lee |
| 2011 | Citizen Gangster | Scott Speedman/Myriad Pictures | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Nathan Morlando |
| 2011 | J. Edgar | Leonardo DiCaprio/Warner Brothers | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Clint Eastwood |
| 2010 | Barney's Version (film) | Scott Speedman/Sony Pictures | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Richard J. Lewis |
| 2008 | W. (film) | Josh Brolin/Ixtlan Corp. | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Oliver Stone |
| 2005 | Bee Season (film) | Juliette Binoche/Fox-Searchlight | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Scott McGee, David Siegal |
| 2003 | Seabiscuit | Elizabeth Banks/Universal | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Gary Ross |
| 2002 | The Syringa Tree | Pamela Gien/Trio Network | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Larry Moss |
| 2002 | The Time Machine (2002 film) | Samantha Mumba & Cast/DreamWorks | Creature Movement Choreography | Simon Wells |
| 2001 | The Affair of the Necklace | Hilary Swank & Cast/Warner Brothers | Period Movement/Coaching | Charles Shyer |
| 2001 | Human Nature (2001 film) | Patricia Arquette/Fine Line | Character and Animal Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Michel Gondry |
| 2001 | The Cat's Meow | Kirsten Dunst/Lions Gate Films | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Peter Bogdanovich |
| 1996 | Partners | Tate Donovan/Fox Television | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Multiple |
| 1996 | HBO Comedy Half-Hour | Wendy Liebman/HBO | Character and Movement Coaching | Troy Miller |
| 1994 | It's Pat | Julia Sweeney/Touchstone | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Adam Bernstein |
| 1993 | Little Buddha | Keanu Reeves/Miramax | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Bernardo Bertolucci |
| 1993 | Freaked | Keanu Reeves/20th Century Fox | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Alex Winter |
| 1992 | Passion Fish | Mary McDonell/Columbia | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | John Sayles |
Theater
edit| Production[14] | Actor | Role | Theater | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found | Brad Culver | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Boston Court | Nancy Keystone |
| The Lieutenant of Inishmore | Chris Pine | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Mark Taper Forum | Wilson Milam |
| The Syringa Tree | Rita Maffei | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Piccolo Teatro, Milano | Larry Moss |
| The Reader | Cast | Director | Montalvo Arts Center | Self |
| King Lear/The Seagull | Sir Ian McKellen | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | RSC - UCLA Live | Trevor Nunn |
| Runt of the Litter | Bo Eason | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | 37 Arts Theater, NYC | Larry Moss |
| The Bacchae | Cast | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Getty Villa | Gulu Montiero |
| KA | Cast | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Cirque du Soleil | Robert Le Page |
| Nine Parts of Desire | Heather Raffo | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Geffen Playhouse | Joanna Settle |
| Sugar | Daisy White | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Edgemar Center | Larry Moss |
| Gretty Good Time | Ann Stocking | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Falcon Theater | John Regalbuto |
| Runt of the Litter | Bo Eason | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | MCC Theater, NY | Larry Moss |
| The Syringa Tree | Pamela Gien | Character and Movement Development/Alexander Technique | Playhouse 91, NY | Larry Moss |
| The Syringa Tree | Pamela Gien, Cast | Character and Movement Development/Alexander Technique | National Tour | Larry Moss |
| The Cryptogram & the Old Neighborhood | Christine Dunford | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Geffen Playhouse | Michael Bloom |
| Skylight | Sally Murphy | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Steppenwolf Theater | Mike Nussbaum |
| The Triumph of Isabella | Cast | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Geffen Playhouse | John Achorn |
| The Prodigious Snob | Cast | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | UCLA Little Theatre | Ellen Geer |
| Scenes from an Execution | Natalija Nogulich | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Mark Taper Forum | Robert Allan Ackerman |
| La Nouvelle Experience (collaborated with Debra Brown) | Cast | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Cirque du Soleil | Franco Dragone |
| Accomplice | Natalija Nogulich | Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique | Broadway | Rupert Holmes |
References
edit- ^ a b Gladstone, Valerie (29 Sep 2002). "Acting coach Larry Moss gains acclaim -- and an invitation to a Swiss festival -- for his shepherding of "The Syringa Tree"". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ Gladstone, Valerie (16 December 2001). "Teaching Actors to Move with the Gracefulness of Dancers". New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Alexander Techworks - ABOUT".
- ^ "Alexander Techworks - ABOUT".
- ^ a b c d e "Jean-Louis Rodrigue Biography". UCLA School of Theatre, Film & Television Faculty. University of California, Los Angeles. 8 September 2011.
- ^ a b "About Jean-Louis". Howard Fine Acting Studio | Australia. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ "Alexander Techworks - ABOUT".
- ^ "About the Howard Fine Acting Studio". Howard Fine Acting Studio | Australia. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
- ^ Eason, Bo (2019-09-03). There's No Plan B for Your A-Game: Be the Best in the World at What You Do. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-250-21084-5.
- ^ The Actors Process - Jean-Louis Rodrigue (Season One - Episode Four), retrieved 2020-01-07
- ^ Talents, Berlinale. "Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Berlinale Talents. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ "Experts Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Berlinale Talent Campus. Berlinale. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Nine Parts of Desire". Geffen Playhouse. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ a b "Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Geffen Playhouse. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ Rodrigue, Jean-Louis (2011-08-20). "Alexander Techworks - Jean-Louis awarded grant fellowship at Montalvo Arts Center to direct "The Reader"". Alexander Techworks. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ "Montalvo Arts Center | Jean-Louis Rodrigue". montalvoarts.org. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ Rodrigue, Jean-Louis. "IMDB: Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 3 May 2013.