Jean-Louis Rodrigue

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Jean-Louis Rodrigue (born May 23, 1951) is an acting coach, movement director,[1] senior teacher of the Alexander Technique, and a pioneer in its application to film and theater.[2] For over 40 years, he has worked professionally in Los Angeles and New York in theatre, film, television, and digital media. His unique approach to character movement and improving the levels of performance has also brought international recognition.[3]

Jean-Louis Rodrigue
Born	May 23, 1951 Casablanca
Nationality	US Citizen
Occupation	Acting coach and teacher of the Alexander Technique
Website	http://www.alexandertechworks.com/jean-louis rodrigue/

Rodrigue is also a world-renowned speaker. He has given talks 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]

He is currently a faculty member at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television[5] and UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.[5]

Early life and education

Jean-Louis Rodrigue was born on May 23, 1951 in Casablanca, Morocco and was raised in Milano, Italy.[6]

At eight years old, he became inspired to be an actor when he attended one of the first performances of Ferruccio Soleri in “Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters” at Piccolo Teatro di Milano. He began his formal acting training in 1967 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 his training at ACT, he discovered the Alexander Technique, and stayed three more years to train as an Alexander teacher with Frank Ottiwell and Giora Pinkas at the American Center for the Alexander Technique, San Francisco.

In post-formal training, Rodrigue studied extensively with master 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

Rodrigue founded Alexander Techworks in 1980, offering private instruction, training, coaching, group classes, and intensive workshops in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Toronto, Melbourne, and many other cities. He and Kristof Konrad own and operate the business together and are internationally known as two of the most sought after acting coaches and performance experts, collectively teaching the Alexander Technique in theater, film, television, and beyond for the past 38 years.

From 1998 to 2005, Rodrigue was part of the faculty of Verbier Festival.[5]

He teaches workshops at Larry Moss' Studio.[1] And 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 brought in by the FBI to teach stress management and respiratory control for undercover spies infiltrating Middle Eastern terrorist cells.[9][10]

Film and television

Rodrigue has coached hundreds of actors in developing their character’s physicality and movement. His most notable work includes: 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 Academy Award-winning Life of Pi (film), and he choreographed the period movement for The Affair of the Necklace starring Hilary Swank.

Since 2009, Rodrigue has conducted several workshops, within 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

Rodrigue 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, starring Alfred Molina, in 2017.[14] He was awarded a fellowship grant from the Montalvo Arts Center to develop and direct a play adaptation of Bernhard Schlink’s best selling 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.

He has collaborated with Larry Moss on Daisy White’s Sugar, Pamela Gien’s Obie award-winning play The Syringa Tree at Playhouse 91 in N.Y. 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 Pamela Gien’s The Syringa Tree at the Teatro Stabile di Innovazione in Udine and at Il Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Italy. For her performance, Maffei won the Gold Medal from the President of the Italian Republic.

Alexander Technique

Rodrigue maintains an impressive international profile as one of the leading experts in the field of the Alexander Technique and is sought after by significant performance artists and institutions in the U.S. and abroad. By using awareness techniques to improve posture and develop a healthy method of movement, he assists his students in their use of the self, creating a natural presence, and preventing injury and pain.

Animal Studies

Rodrigue 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 two influences: Leonardo DaVinci and Carlo Mazzone-Clementi. While in Milano in 1957, Rodrigue's father introduced him to the scientific and artistic work of Leonardo DaVinci. They would often go to the National Museum of Science and Technology where the largest collection of models of DaVinci’s inventions are kept as part of the permanent collection. 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 Theatre in San Francisco, Jean-Louis studied with Carlo Mazzone-Clementi who introduced him to the application of animal behavior and movement to character development, and opened up a way of working that has distinguished Rodrigue’s contribution to acting in the film and theater industry.

Select awards and recognition

He 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

Filmography[17]

Year	Film	Actor/Consulting Work	Role	Director
2020	Birds of Prey	Margot Robbie/Warner Brothers	Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique	Cathy Yan
2019	Dreamland	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	Christian Bale/Annapurna Pictures	Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique	Adam McKay
2018	Mary Queen of Scots	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 Scanion
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	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	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	Matt Bomer/HBO	Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique	Ryan Murphy
2014	Love & Mercy	Paul Dano/Roadside Attractions	Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique	Bill Pohlad
2012	Life of Pi	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	Scott Speedman/Sony Pictures	Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique	Richard J. Lewis
2008	W	Josh Brolin/Ixtlan Corp.	Character and Movement Coaching/Alexander Technique	Oliver Stone
2005	Bee Season	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	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	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[14]

Production	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 McKellan	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

1. 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.
2. Gladstone, Valerie. "Teaching Actors to Move with the Gracefulness of Dancers". New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
3. https://alexandertechworks.com/about-alexander-techworks/
4. https://alexandertechworks.com/about-alexander-techworks/
5. "Jean-Louis Rodrigue Biography". UCLA School of Theatre, Film & Television Faculty. University of California, Los Angeles.
6. "About Jean-Louis". Howard Fine Acting Studio | Australia. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
7. https://alexandertechworks.com/about-alexander-techworks/
8. "About the Howard Fine Acting Studio". Howard Fine Acting Studio | Australia. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
9. 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.
10. The Actors Process - Jean-Louis Rodrigue (Season One - Episode Four), retrieved 2020-01-07
11. Talents, Berlinale. "Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Berlinale Talents. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
12. "Experts Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Berlinale Talent Campus. Berlinale. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
13. "Nine Parts of Desire". Geffen Playhouse. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
14. "Jean-Louis Rodrigue". Geffen Playhouse. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
15. 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.
16. "Montalvo Arts Center | Jean-Louis Rodrigue". montalvoarts.org. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
17. Rodrigue, Jean-Louis. "IMDB: Jean-Louis Rodrigue". International Movie Database. Retrieved 3 May 2013.

External links

• Official website