Monologue Coaching

Monologue coaching in person or via video-conferencing (Skype, Facetime, Zoom). For availability and session rates, text to 253-350-0216, or email me at jeffberryman@comcast.net

 

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“Jeff Berryman taught me about what it means to be an artist and how to bring myself to the work I was doing. I wouldn’t be at Carnegie Mellon’s school of Drama without him.” — Arthur Langlie, current Carnegie-Mellon, BFA Acting

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My goal as an acting/monologue coach is to create safe spaces for young actors to be  challenged to connect deeply to their imaginative inner life, and to allow those connections to find physical and vocal expression through compelling, present action.  An audition is an opportunity to be truly seen, and my desire is to help the student realize the creation of a character is not a mask, but a revelation, a revelation of human truth, action, and beauty, each of which occurs in real time, and just so happens to be–that must be–their own.

Past students have been accepted to BFA programs in Musical Theatre or Acting at:

NYU / Carnegie-Mellon University / Univ. of Michigan / CCM – Drama / Webster Univ. / Univ. of Southern California / Univ. of Oklahoma / Univ. of Utah / Univ. of Northern Colorado / Univ. of Evansville / Roosevelt University / Univ. of Minnesota / Southern Methodist Univ. / Cornish School of the Arts

Originally trained as a director (Master of Fine Arts – University of Texas at Austin, 1984), I have always been fascinated by what makes for a moment of theatre, and my conviction is that at the center of such moments is the live presence of the actor.  My own solo performance work (Leaving Ruin toured for over 10 years across the US and Canada) gives me valuable insight into the creation of compelling monologue performances.   Using techniques gleaned from the work of Uta Hagen, Robert Cohen, Laban, Ruth Zapora, Tadashi Suzuki and others, my students and I work to create truthful physical presence, the playing of clear action, and imaginative depth and commitment…

TESTIMONIALS

Jeff has the knowledge, intuition and ability to really understand, develop and nurture the acting student. Even more so, I have found that Jeff knows how to hone his knowledge and insight to enrich each students professional needs and unique temperament.   Jeff is wise, intentional and honest. Traits I have come to truly value as a parent of an acting student. I would recommend him to any burgeoning acting student and their parents! — Liz Power, parent of Brenna Power, current Carnegie-Mellon BFA Acting

Jeff’s coaching is phenomenal! He taught me so much about coming out of my shell, as well as how to emotionally connect with a piece of text in a way that is real and human. — Sophie Greiser, current NYU, BFA Musical Theatre 

Jeff Berryman is a caring, generous, and genuine friend.  As a non-arts public high school student, jumping into the rigorous process of auditioning for college theatre programs was a difficult task that I would not have been able to attack without his assistance. I would always leave his monologue coaching sessions feeling more productive, prepared, and confident. My favorite part about working with Jeff was the respect- I think that one of the most important aspects of working with a coach is the EQUAL balance of respect and care that both sides should feel at all times. The trust I found with him as my coach is something I still highly cherish. —Ava Yaghmaie, current Carnegie-Mellon, BFA Acting

Jeff brought my work out of the arena of presentation and into that representation. In essence, he laid the foundation for all the meaningful work I’ve done as an actor, and I’ll always be thankful for my time working with him. — Larson Eernissee, current USC, BA Theatre/Acting

Jeff Berryman has been an invaluable resource for our daughter over the past 18 months. Weekly sessions have provided her with the crucial guidance and acting training needed to take on increasingly challenging material and prepare for the college auditions process. — Jenna Scholz, parent of Margeaux Scholz, 2018 (multiple acceptances)

Jeff Berryman is a great coach who will help you expand the limits of your comfort levels as an actor, as well as help you discover new tactics for telling the story in your monologues.  Not only is Jeff an awesome coach, but he’s a great friend as well! – Jayna Balzer, 2018 (multiple acceptances)

After working with Jeff I felt I was equipped with the necessary confidence I needed as an actor. He showed me how to stay grounded and honest and that is a lesson I will carry my whole career. –Madeline Hickey, 2018 (multiple acceptances)

My first child started with Jeff when she was 14 years old. 11 years later i am sitting in a coffee shop in Times Square waiting to meet her after she wraps up a Broadway audition. Jeff’s expertise and personalized acting training guided her through a competitive high school program, entrance to one of the most competitive summer programs ( MPulse) and through college auditions. She always “stuck out” on stage, but that early and university level coaching from Jeff, pushed her into a different realm at a young age. It also cemented and helped her clarify that she wanted to be a professional actor. Jeff is a teacher, mentor and friend to her. As a mother, i could not be more grateful. If you are considering Jeff for your own student, simply do not hesitate. — Amy Eernissee, parent of Eden Eernissee, Webster Univ. BFA Acting.

Jeff introduced me to the art of getting out of my own way. He always pushed me to go deeper in experimenting with how to free myself, and showed me how to relieve myself of the habits that were rooted in my acting. His personal investment (in both me and the craft), attentiveness, and brilliance keep me forever humble and in awe of his gifts as a coach. There is no way I would be where I am today without him. — Brenna Power, current Carnegie-Mellon, BFA Acting

Jeff has the ability to instill confidence in me while pushing me to do my best work. His intelligent and insightful coaching and his interest and dedication to me as a student showed me that who I am as an individual is what should inform my acting. – Margeaux Scholz – 2018 (multiple acceptances)

Inspiring, thoughtful, professional, honest, flexible, instinctual, talented (of course) are the words that come to mind when I think about Jeff Berryman. Jeff has been working with my daughter as she prepped for her college auditions.  What I witnessed was a young lady after training with Jeff who would be in true bliss and feeling empowered by her work and progress.  They had a timeline and goals to meet and when she went to her college auditions she was so well prepared with Jeff’s guidance. While auditioning for the many schools at one point she needed some perspective and she did not hesitate to think to call Jeff to confide in him.  They worked through what was needed and she felt instantly elevated and confident as she moved forward with determination and confidence. – Cindy Scobee, parent of Abbey Scobee, 2018 (multiple acceptances)

Working with Jeff has changed my life; he has truly transformed the way that I see myself as an actor and the way I see acting as an art form. There is no way that I would have had the success I had in my college audition process if it were not for the work we did together. – Phillip Solheim – 2018 (multiple acceptances)

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MONOLOGUE COACHING IN PERSON OR VIA VIDEO-CONFERENCING (SKYPE, FACETIME, ZOOM). FOR AVAILABILITY AND SESSION RATES, TEXT TO 253-350-0216, OR EMAIL ME AT JEFFBERRYMAN@COMCAST.NET

Acting

Nothing Against LifeNothing Against Life 2

As the psychologist, From Nothing Against Life, a Julio Ramírez film, Paradigma Films, NAL movie LLC

As C.P Ellis, Best of Enemies,  Taproot Theatre.  Photos by Eric Stuhaug

As Cervantes, Man of La Mancha, Taproot Theatre.  Photos by Eric Stuhaug

As Lord Peter Wimsey, Gaudy Night, Taproot Theatre.  Photos by Eric Stuhaug

As Leonard, Seminar, Theatre 9/12.  Photos by Michael Brunk, NWLens

From Hiring, Firing, and Board Meltdowns, Prolifik Films, WCA

As Eric Weiss, Brooklyn Boy, Taproot Theatre.  Photos by Eric Stuhaug

Resume 2018

Writing

PLAYS

ARTHUR: THE BEGETTING

Arthur The Begetting

“[Arthur: The Begetting is] a play that rewards the close-listening it requires with a wealth of beautifully crafted and elegant language. The emotions are raw and unbridled, often starkly emphatic, but never simple or one-dimensional…a mature, complex, and engaging drama…THIS WAS A GREAT EVENING IN THE THEATRE.”  — Jerry Kraft, TheatreSeattle.com

“[Arthur: The Begetting] is suspenseful, romantic, and darkly medieval. More impressive yet is the fact that, as a prequel, the play gives no indication of feeling inferior; it is what it is—a minor myth and happy to be.  –Richard Morin, Seattle Weekly

ARTHUR: THE BEGETTING is the first play  in THE ARTHUR CYCLE, a cycle of plays based on the legends of King Arthur.  ARTHUR: THE BEGETTING is the story of Emrys and Igraine, a young king and queen who carry a vision for a new Britain, a vision of a new, unified nation under the rule of a divinely chosen High King.  The story is set in motion by a vicious assassination and the ensuing scramble for power.   There are three rivals for the throne, all connected intimately to Queen Igraine:  Emrys of Powys, her former lover; Terynon of Cornwall, her husband; and Uther of Gwynedd, a Celtic King she knows only from her dreams.  In the midst of brute politics and brewing war, Emrys and Igraine desperately vie to make their vision into reality, but in the end, their attempts to hold on to love have unforeseen results, propelling them all down an inescapable path that culminates in a tragic beginning of Arthur’s life.

ARTHUR: THE HUNTArthur The Hunt

“Not only is this a complex historical drama, but it attempts to explore the infinitely greater questions of how our earthly endeavors connect to the higher powers of destiny and spiritual imperative. Berryman’s language dares an almost Shakespearean grace and eloquence, and his characters all bear the weight of great historical forces, overpowering passions and desires, and lives lived “…on the edges. Lonely places”. — Jerry Kraft, Aisle Say (Seattle).

ARTHUR: THE HUNT continues the The Arthur Cycle.   490 AD, A solitary young woman searches for the man who holds her destiny, an aging ruler with knowledge of the future searches for a child who was lost in the wars nearly twenty years ago. The war-torn land is in desperate need of a High-King. Where is Arthur? “The Hunt” is an epic tale: equal parts grand adventure, love story, history, tragedy, and myth.

THE CARROLLS OF QUEEN ANNE

The Carrolls of Queen Anne

THE CARROLLS OF QUEEN ANNE: A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TALE OF OLD SEATTLE:  It is Christmas 1889, and Mr. Christopher Carroll, flush with new wealth, is in need of a new cook for a socially important Christmas dinner in his large mansion on the slopes of old Queen Anne Town.  Henry, an enterprising young black chef of backbone and skill whose restaurant was destroyed in the great Seattle fire of that same year, reluctantly takes the post, and runs headlong into a rich and diverse cast of domestics anxious to join to join their families for a brief holiday respite from the rigors of service. Reminiscent of Upstairs, Downstairs, The Carrolls of Queen Anne is an enchanting tale of laughter and music combining the spirits of Seattle and Christmas to create a rich holiday treat.

LEAVING RUIN

 

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VIDEO

ReGroup

ReGroup: Training Groups to Be Groups
Dr. Henry Cloud, Bill Donohue, John Townsend
Zondervan, 2007

A training video targeting small group dynamics produced by Zondervan and The Willow Creek Association. I wrote and directed actors in 20+ short dramas of a small group in action.

 

Hiring Firing and Board Meltdowns

Hiring, Firing, and Board Meltdowns
Training Video in Leadership Development
Featuring Bill Hybels, Carly Fiorini, Dr. Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, and Dr. David Ireland.
Prolifik Films and The Willow Creek Association, 2009.

I wrote and directed actors in 3 dramas related to poor hiring, poor firing, and a believably terrible church board meeting.

NOVELS

Leaving Ruin

“Jeff Berryman has taken an evangelical preacher, and turned him into the most unexpected thing: a human being. A remarkable first novel.” –Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Holy the Firm.

“. . . an exuberant romp through the territory of the spirit that has as many laughs as moments when it pulls at the heart. LEAVING RUIN embraces the life of the religious and lets it sing with humor, pathos and, ultimately, true significance.” –Albert Haley, author of Home Ground: Stories of Two Families and the Land, and Exotic: A Novel, winner of the John Irving First Novel Prize.

“Cyrus Manning is a compelling character not because of his physical appearance (completely bald) or his rhetorical skills (cannot boil a sermon down to three points) or his rigid moral scrupulousness (has a temper, occasionally swears, and admits to lust), but because he earnestly tries to seek God and serve his fellow Christians in spite of it all.” —Jeremy Lott, Christianity Today

Loreen is her name–the old woman in the angel costume who accosts Cyrus Manning near the dance floor of the Down Under. A gift is coming, she tells him. “The gift to die for.”

For Eleven years Cyrus has pastored First Church of Ruin, a small city deep in the barrens of West Texas. He has come upon hard times. His congregation doesn’t want him anymore, and he is questioning not only his call but his very identity.

And God is quiet.

In this richly textured novel, Jeff Berryman enters the world of the small town congregation, revealing its natural wonders, its natural cruelties, and, here and there, breathtaking moments of unnatural grace.