Unblocking Blocking -- Organically
- Rebecca Burnham
- 15 hours ago
- 5 min read
Today, we're returning to the Director's Toolkit with step three of Organic Acting: Walk and Talk rehearsals. I'm excited about this step because it unblocks an actors creativity in translating the story into movement onstage: what we normally call blocking. I'm going to be sharing Manuel Leybas' own words on these, but first, a few notes.
This section of the blog is called "Director's Toolkit" for a reason: we aim to offer an array of tools that can assist directors in staging beloved-community-building productions. This is not a place reserved for purists. And the more tools a director has, the more potential for applying the right one to a given situation.
To make that personal, last week my youngest son Sam started directing rehearsals for a play he's written (an adaptation of the Rapunzel story, entitled "Thorns"). This is his second time directing a production. He discovered last year that there was power in working collaboratively with his cast. So I said he might want to take a look at Manny's notes on organic rehearsals.
He did take a look and he was impressed. He's now held two rehearsals inspired by organic methods. The first was an intensive, line-by-line read through where he, as a playwright, learned from cast members about depths in his characters that he hadn't recognized. That seemed well worth everybody's time.
Next they had a communion rehearsal; adapted to the comfort level of the cast and the constraints of rehearsal time. Instead of holding hands, they touched fingertips. And they didn't run the entire show from beginning to end, but split up into pairs who ran their sections concurrently. Again, they found this yielded deep insights. There were some trade-offs by adapting the format. Young Rapunzel and her "prince" established their early relationship without young adult Rapunzel and her prince being able to watch, which meant the younger actors' discoveries didn't inform the YA actors' experience. But Sam suspects that not having the rest of the cast watching them may have freed the young actors to make those discoveries.
My point is that there can be value in applying organic methods that work with your particular project, even if you are facing constraining factors that prevent you from applying them all. Do what works, and what's going to help your cast connect with the story, their characters and each other. Do what you sense will help to build beloved community. You can apply organic principles organically, while understanding the value of a more fully organic approach, if only you could use it.
Now, here's Step 3: Walk and Talk,
by Manuel Leybas.
"After several weeks of reading, analysis, and communing with the script, acting artists are ready to progress into Step 3: Walk and Talk. This step introduces movement while the actors remain fully engaged in character and continue delivering lines.
Purpose of Walk and Talk:
"The goal of this rehearsal is not to block the play. The purpose is to allow movement to emerge naturally from emotion, intention, and interaction. Movement must be discovered, not imposed.
When Does Walk and Talk Begin?
"A helpful analogy is learning to walk as a toddler. A child begins walking when they are ready, not when someone forces them to stand. The same is true for actors. Walk and talk begins when the internal emotional life of the character becomes so active that remaining seated is no longer truthful.
"As emotion intensifies, actors begin to inflect one another. At that moment, standing, pacing, turning away, or approaching another character becomes inevitable. Directors must never force this transition. Remember the central organic principle: emotion is tied to motion.
"A person suffering deep depression rarely wants to move; a person driven by urgency, fear, or desire cannot remain still.
Director Responsibility
"As a director or artist leader, your responsibility is to protect the organic process. Never manipulate or coerce movement simply to make a rehearsal “look productive.” Early in my career, I often told casts that, if they wished, the audience could come watch them read and commune around the table. The comment usually earned laughter, but the message was serious: no cast should ever feel pressured into unnatural, pre-blocked movement simply to satisfy a schedule or an outside expectation.
"Blocking that is imposed too early results in mechanical behavior. Organic movement always feels alive because it originates from inner truth.
Relationship to Choreography
"Step 3 is also where character analysis intersects with movement design. In musical theatre, this requires close collaboration between acting artists and the choreographer.
"Every member of a musical’s creative leadership team must work organically. A non-organic director or choreographer becomes a weak link that can damage the entire production. During reading and analysis rehearsals, choreographers should ask actors questions such as:
What are you feeling at this moment?
What do you want from the other character?
How does that desire express itself physically?
"Choreographers then offer movement that aligns with the actor’s emotional intention rather than replacing it. Once reading and analysis are complete, choreography evolves into structured movement set to music. At that point, movement becomes visual storytelling, grounded in authentic emotional discovery.
Addressing the Time Concern
"A common criticism of organic acting is that it takes too long. Students should understand that organic work values depth over speed. Consider Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, widely regarded as the most famous painting in the world. Da Vinci began the work around 1503 and continued refining it intermittently until near the end of his life. Historians estimate that he spent approximately four active years painting it, or as many as fourteen years when ongoing refinement is included.
"The lesson is clear: meaningful artistry cannot be rushed without consequence.
Scheduling and Process
"Production performance dates should never be set arbitrarily. Directors must consult the artists involved and respect the developmental needs of the work. Rigid schedules that ignore the organic process often lead to shallow results.
"Dr. Jerry L. Crawford, the originator of organic acting, demonstrated this principle during the University of Nevada, Las Vegas production of The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca. The production, developed using true organic methods, evolved over a two-year period and was ultimately selected for national presentation at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C., in April 1975.
"Dr. Crawford did not intend for the production to take two years. Delays occurred due to circumstances such as cast members graduating and roles needing to be recast. Nevertheless, the integrity of the organic process was preserved, and the result was an exceptional production.
Key Instruction for Students
"Walk and talk begins only when emotion demands movement.
"Never force blocking during this step.
"Directors guide discovery; they do not impose results.
"Movement must grow from intention, not habit.
"Time spent discovering truth is never wasted.
"Once acting artists have deeply engaged the script, walk and talk arrives naturally and quickly—and when it does, it feels inevitable, truthful, and alive."
Directors and choreographers, what potential advantages can you see to a Walk and Talk rehearsal? What concerns do you have? Please comment below, so Manny can respond.
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