Ready to act

Having worked extensively in Hollywood with the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Singaporean Kamil Haque is ready to pursue his dream of starting a professional acting school here.

The 31-year-old, who completed his acting degree at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, went on to produce, direct and act in several critically-acclaimed theatre productions which include The Brahmin & The Tiger, in which he played the titular religious figure.

For film and television, Haque held lead acting roles in projects such as Germ, Loss Of Time, Kill Joy and Seeing Stars 2. He has also lent his voice to commercials for Audi and Visa and undertaken roles in Marlboro and Taco Bell commercials among others.

Haque went on to teach at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute which was founded by Lee Strasberg, regarded as the "father of method acting in America". Method acting is an acting technique in which the actor recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed.

Strasberg has trained more than 1,000 students and they include the likes of Karan Hariharan (son of Bollywood singer Hariharan), Lene Nystrom (lead singer of Aqua) and young French actor Roby Schinasi. These international students have benefited from Strasberg's acting techniques.

Haque spent the last eight years as an actor and teacher in Los Angeles. In June, he started the Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity (HCAC) to introduce method acting in Singapore. Located in Dickson Road, HCAC is a multi-curriculum training school which caters to actors, corporate professionals, trainers, teachers and individuals who are keen to explore the finer techniques of method acting.

At present, HCAC takes in students who are 16 years and older.

Moving forward, Haque plans to extend his acting workshops to children as young as six as he firmly believes in inculcating from young that acting is about being truthful and authentic.

He has set his sights on hosting a regional actors workshop in future so that actors from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia can benefit from the "same training and vocabulary".

"I am not here to change anything that is already here. I am here to be the change and nurture those talents so that they can go out to be the change in the industry," said Haque.

tabla@sph.com.sg

P. Bala Subaramaniam is a correspondent with Tamil Murasu.

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