ACADEMY 2026: Movement for the Classical Actor
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
Moderated by Jules Willcox
Mondays, 6:00-9:00pm
$245 for four 3-hour sessions
This Academy class is open to all who are curious about embodying classical text.
Movement for the Classical Actor
Classical text holds tremendous power — but accessing that power requires more than technical mastery. It requires a body that is awake, available, and genuinely moved by the language. As you work on texts, you may find your body, your gestures, your movement, don't feel connected to your thoughts and intentions.
This class offers actors a somatic, sensorial, and imaginative path into classical work. Using animal studies, archetype, breath, and physical impulse as guides, we'll explore how to unlock a character from the inside — finding what is alive, specific, and true beneath the heightened language, so that movement begins to feel organically connected to the words. Whether you're deepening an existing classical practice or finding your footing for the first time, this class offers tools that complement technical training with embodied discovery.
By the end of this class, students will:
- Find physical entry points into character through animal and archetype
- Use somatic and sensorial awareness to unlock classical text
- Follow impulse rather than impose form
- Develop presence and expressiveness in heightened language
- Connect breath, body, and imagination to the demands of the text
July 27th, August 3rd, August 10th, August 17th
*Please note, students under 18 require permission from the moderator to take this academy class/workshop. If you’re in this category, please reach out to us at academy@antaeus.org.
About Jules Willcox
Jules Willcox is a certified breathwork instructor, voice and speech coach, and professional actor with over two decades of experience on stage and screen. Her passion for breathwork stems from a lifelong dedication to embodied presence, creative expression, and holistic well-being.
Inspired by the Alexander Technique, Holotropic Breathwork and Kristin Linklater’s work, Jules integrates breath, movement, and resonance to cultivate presence and expressive freedom. She has taught at UCLA and in partnership with Los Angeles theatre companies A Noise Within & Theatricum Botanicum. She currently leads a monthly Breathwork residency at The Hi-Desert Cultural Center in Joshua Tree. She received her MFA in Acting from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television, Her teaching is rooted in the belief that voice and breath are powerful tools for transformation—on stage, in the studio, and in everyday life. As an actor, Jules has performed with Antaeus Theatre Company in The Importance of Being Earnest, The Liar, The Seagull, The Malcontent.
