Mark Wing-Davey Kicks Off Freeman Studio Panel Series Tonight with BEING ME, BEING YOU: ACTING, NEUROSCIENCE & THE AUDIENCE

This weekend, The Freeman Studio continues its popular series of free industry panels and talks in which distinguished theatre artists and executives are invited to explore a wide range of topics.

Tonight, February 22 at 6pm, the Tribeca-based acting studio led by Scott Freeman welcomes Mark Wing-Davey, the chair of Graduate Acting at New York University. There will be excitement in the air (and presumably other things) when Wing-Davey, the British actor and director, floats the subject of acting neuroscience in a talk entitled "Being Me, Being You: Acting, Neuroscience & the Audience." According to Wing-Davey the chemistry between an audience and performer (and between performers) has neural manifestations and dynamics. Incidentally, Wing-Davey is the only non-scientist to ever become a member of the Emotional Brain Institute.

On Sunday March 2 at 2pm, NY Theatre Workshop casting director Jack Doulin and Scott Freeman ground the discussion differently when they co-moderate a special panel featuring Judith Ivey and Jayne Houdyshell, two of America's most versatile actors. The third in a series called "Acting Aloud" in which Doulin and Freeman coax out the ideas, values and techniques of a riveting range of actors and theatre professionals, this talk is bound to crackle with excitement and humor.

Both of these events are free to the public, but reservations are highly recommended by visiting www.thefreemanstudio.com. The Freeman Studio, 79 Leonard Street, is between Broadway and Church Street. For more information call 212/802-8111.

Also of interest to actors are The Freeman Studio's series of affordable Saturday workshops, called "Saturday Specials," which are led by a revolving roster of notable theatre artists working in multiple disciplines.

On Saturday February 22, from noon to 3pm, it's composer Craig Carnelia leading "Acting the Song." On Saturday March 1, from noon to 2pm, Amanda Quaid offers another one of her intensive dialect workshops, this one focusing on Irish. These "Saturday Specials" workshops are $10 and $20 respectively, and are open to all actors. To register, visit www.thefreemanstudio.com.

Photo by Walter McBride