"Activities Receiving Part One: Introduction" by Simon-Elliott Blake

"Activities Receiving Part One: Introduction" by Simon-Elliott Blake

Welcome to the first installment of Activities Receiving, a foundational series designed to deepen your capacity for presence, openness, and authentic connection in acting and performance. Hosted by Simon-Elliott Blake, this introductory video explores the essential skill of RECEIVING — a powerful yet often overlooked component of truthful acting.

In this session, Simon introduces the core principles behind Receiving Activities: exercises aimed at cultivating your ability to listen deeply, respond instinctively, and be fully present with your scene partner, environment, or emotional stimuli. Rather than forcing emotions or reactions, these activities focus on opening yourself to what is happening in the moment — fostering spaciousness, awareness, and genuine connection. Simon emphasizes that true acting isn’t about controlling or scripting feelings but about becoming receptive to the scene’s truth, allowing spontaneous responses to emerge naturally.

Throughout the video, Simon shares practical tips for approaching these activities—like cultivating curiosity, patience, and non-judgmental awareness. He discusses how receptive skills enhance listening, increase emotional flexibility, and elevate your ability to respond authentically under pressure. These exercises lay a crucial foundation for developing emotional resilience and in-the-moment openness, critical for impactful scene work and improvisation.

To deepen your emotional exploration and support your growth as a receptive performer, Simon highlights the resources available at EmotionalPreparation.com. This platform offers hundreds of detailed emotions, references from films, plays, and real life, along with supporting exercises designed to help you access, process, and embody feelings with authenticity. By incorporating the tools from EmotionalPreparation.com alongside the Receiving activities, you can build a rich emotional vocabulary and become more attuned to subtle emotional cues, enriching your overall performance.

Whether you are an actor, singer, improviser, or performance artist, the practice of receiving is fundamental for creating truthful, compelling work. This introductory video invites you to begin this journey by cultivating the art of openness and presence—traits that distinguish powerful performers from the rest.

Join Simon-Elliott Blake as he guides you through simple yet profound exercises that will expand your ability to truly listen and respond. Explore the resources at EmotionalPreparation.com to enhance your emotional range and deepen your acting practice. With dedication, these activities will help you unlock spontaneity, build emotional resilience, and elevate your craft to new levels of authenticity.

Ready to embrace the power of receiving? Dive into the exercises, explore the tools, and start transforming your performances today. Your journey to greater presence and truthful acting begins here.