New York City-based acting coach Anthony Vincent Bova flew to the Philippines last February to facilitate a new round of workshops for the talents of GMA Artist Center.
Also an actor, writer, and artistic director, Bova is a protégé of famed acting coach Eric Morris, who has taught some of the best actors in the Philippines, including Armida Siguion-Reyna, Leo Martinez, Michael de Mesa, Joel Torre, and Pinky Amador.
Bova is the only instructor in New York endorsed by Mr. Morris to teach the Eric Morris System of Acting, one of the most popular, effective, and credible acting methods in the world. Bova’s credits include Reading Rainbow with Levar Burton, The Emperors Club directed by Michael Hoffman with Kevin Kline (The Pink Panther, Beauty and Beast) and Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy), and the national tour of Cats The Musical.
In August last year, the acting coach visited the country for the very first time and gave a workshop for selected talents of GMA Artist Center.
“They’re beautiful kids,” Bova describes his students. “A lot of the actors here, in general, are very grounded, very connected. They’re not detached from themselves and that’s a nice thing.”
This year’s attendees included some of Artist Center’s hottest young artists.
Asked to differentiate this year’s workshop from last year’s, Bova said: “I focused on just a few areas. This year, I focused on different parts of the actor’s life, different tools and techniques, and many different ways to apply those tools and techniques. The first workshop was just a fraction of that.”
Actress Ana Feleo, Bova’s co-teacher, added that last year’s workshop was all about empowerment. “It was a short but very intense workshop that helped the actors become more confident, freer emotionally, physically, and mentally and ready to fulfill the needs of their characters.”
GMA Artist Center has tasked the two to come up with a one-year program to train and supervise more thoroughly the education and growth of artists from its talent pool.
Bova and Feleo emphasized the importance of acting workshops, even for working artists.
“I think it’s vital for an artist to truly understand and have a dependable toolkit. Working as an artist doesn’t mean you have a dependable toolkit; it just means you’re being employed, and that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a high level of artistry in your work,” said Bova.
“I believe that actors, especially the new ones, should take acting classes regularly. They should find the right teacher that will make them feel that they are safe, encouraged, and not scared to fail or make mistakes,” said Feleo.
Bova will be back in the Philippines on July 16 to continue his series of workshops.