Developing Character through Movement/Choreography with Roger Ellis

2024-02-26

Have you ever wondered how much movement is too much movement in an audition? Have you struggled to find movement that feels authentic to you? In this episode, Roger Ellis (@rogerellis), head of movement in the MFA Acting Program at Northwestern University, shares how he develops character, creates choreography, and develops a directorial vision through the lens of movement. He pulls back the curtain on his creative process and reveals the specific tactics he uses to devise choreography, dig deeper into a show’s themes, and how to bring out each actor’s truest self.

Have you ever wondered how much movement is too much movement in an audition?

Have you struggled to find movement that feels authentic to you?

In this episode, Roger Ellis (@rogerellis), head of movement in the MFA Acting Program at Northwestern University, shares how he develops character, creates choreography, and develops a directorial vision through the lens of movement.

He pulls back the curtain on his creative process and reveals the specific tactics he uses to devise choreography, dig deeper into a show’s themes, and how to bring out each actor’s truest self.

Roger Ellis (they/he) is a movement director and filmmaker investigating the mixed reality of Black-queer-aspec experience. Roger is the original director of Nikki Lynette’s Get Out Alive (Steppenwolf, film adaptation, National Alliance for Musical Theatre). Current projects include the documusical series Unhappy Songs About Unhappy Things, sound installation Interstitial and the short film Emergency Contact. Ellis is an assistant professor and head of the movement area for the MFA Acting Program at Northwestern University.

In this interview, we discuss:

What does storytelling mean to you?
What's your approach to storytelling through choreography?
When you're starting to choreograph a new show, how do you begin?
How do you approach the score? What's your process?
What's your take on movement in auditions?
How can actors utilize movement in auditions without it feeling fully choreographed?
How can they best represent themselves in the movement?
What are you looking for in callbacks that is different from auditions?

I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation!

Xo,

Korrie

Find more about Roger Ellis at www.movementdesignchicago.com

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