My Approach to Teaching:
I come to our work together free of judgment and with practical intent. The instincts, ease, and playfulness from my own performing experience balance my therapeutic expertise to create a comfortable and open environment. Thanks to training, certifications and a broad collection of tools, I stand ready to navigate whatever may arise in the work of unearthing what blocks people from giving a full performance with freedom and honesty. I hope you’ll enter my class knowing that you are in a safe space to dive deep into whatever is standing in your way.
My Perspectives on Training for the Industry
~ as seen through the Uproot Fears/Unleash Stage Presence class:
In my version of the Uproot Fears/Unleash Stage Presence class, we will examine our stress and trauma responses and how they impact our thoughts, behaviors and feelings when needing to present ourselves in a professional or creative performance. In a group workshop setting across 6 weeks, you will be asked to examine your past moments of stress or shame and how they are preventing you from your full current creative process. Through discussion, body movement, breath work, and trusted actor techniques you can find your calm, assertive center, enabling you to be more fully present on any stage – so that the story you want to communicate can be all it’s meant to be. This class is appropriate for anyone who has to present or perform in front of others, regardless of profession.
But for those in the acting industry: Since the soul of an actor’s work is allowing our authentic humanity to be available for use in character choices, this class takes on a personal aspect that’s atypical in an acting class. We will not focus on end-gaining a successful character creation here, but rather help the actor clear away the things that keep them from being available. Unconscious habitual behavior (often stemming from remnants of negative events) can garble actor creativity. My passion is understanding human behavior and how we can live and work with greater joy and ease. I love helping people to release fears, insecurities, and doubts — leaving them free to shine and feel grounded in life, no matter how the industry does or does not respond. Though getting the part is always great, being a person who can withstand not getting the part — in a healthy way — is critically important to sustaining a full and well-rounded life in this field.
Meet Amy Griego:
Amy Griego graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Communication Disorders and later received her MA in Counseling Psychology from National University in CA. She is fluent in American Sign Language.
As a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA for 15 years, Amy worked in Los Angeles and New York in the film, television, stand-up comedy, and theatre industries. Some of her most meaningful theatre work happened at San Jose Rep and La Mirada PlayHouse (Libby in Neil Simon’s “I Oughta be in Pictures” and the premiere of “Humpty Dumpty” written and produced by Eric Bogosian). Amy appeared in commercials and guest spots on television shows in Los Angeles. In Manhattan, Amy conquered her greatest fears working in the competitive stand-up comedy circuit. Wanting to hold more personal control in the industry, Amy began working the production side, managing and line producing commercials and independent films. Her most demanding and rewarding work was serving as a production manager at Pulse Films, working alongside acting and stand-up comedy icons.
Amy’s desire to connect in a deeper way led her to receive a master’s degree in Counseling and become a licensed therapist in both CA and TX. Today she is an LMFT working with individuals with complex trauma. Amy is an EMDR Therapist and a Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor. She is now able to bring together mindfulness and brain-body connection to help people heal themselves. She believes that when we heal trauma from the body, the mind is free to create.