A BRIEF HISTORY - Going Back to His Roots

Within a year he moved to the London, England where he was invited to join the prestigious Master's Program in Classical Theatre at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art - LAMDA. A year of intensive voice, text and character development work allowed him to strengthen the foundation of his craft. The experience of continually performing publicly in productions of the classical repertoire proved invaluable. The year ended as quickly as it began yet the training he acquired has become the foundation for all his work since.
His quest for learning had not abated. He went to Paris where he spent the next two years studying under the direct tutelage of Jacques Lecoq at his Ecole International de Theatre. The journey took on a personal nature as it did for all that were there. The challenge was to discover and define one's own theatrical language and style. As frustrating as the stumbling blocks were the exhilaration of discovery was every drop of blood, sweat and tears. He also was part of the Laboratoire D'Etude de Mouvement for a year. The laboratory brought together Artists of various disciplines with the mandate to explore the dynamics of movement in space. He loved Paris and spent most of his free time wandering the museums, libraries and theatres. Where he became inspired by the works of Pina Bausch, Sanki Juku, Ariane Mnouchkine, Dubuffet, Van Gogh and Baudelaire among others.
Three years of intense training in Europe brought about major changes in his perception of himself as an actor and artist. It was now time to start working again. He loved Europe but home was calling.

Having sought out his roots as an actor it was only natural that he returns to his own roots. Montreal, became his home again. Quickly is career flourished. He played many fascinating characters each as diverse as the next. In the mid nineties Martin became the branch's President of the Quebec branch of ACTRA, the actors union. Over the next three years he working at protecting and expanding the rights of the professional actor. He also sat on the executive of IQ, Initiative Quebec, a regrouping of Quebec film industry leaders whose mandate was to promote Quebec as a shooting location for foreign productions. In 1997 he resigned his positions to focus on his acting career and to explore other creative interests, such as sculpting, writing and web design. It also afforded him the time to spend several months a year exploring his spiritual roots at Manzanita Village, a Buddhist retreat near the Anza Boreago Desert in SE California. There he found the solitude and peace he had been long seeking to replenish his spirit and soul. It was there in the desert that embraced by nature and through prayer and meditation, his heart opened and he found his way back to to his inner self, back into God's light. His love for the divine nature of life itself began to blossom in him.

“If I am to dedicate myself heart and soul to one thing in this lifetime it is to live my life through the guidance of God’s divine will while seeking inspiration in the enlightened life of Guatama Buddha and Jesus Christ. It is their teachings of love, forgivness, compassion and awarness that inspire my life and my art.”

This site celebrates a journey that has been marked by over two decades of performance. Martin has been a professional actor most of his adult life and though acting has been his vocation his creative interests have been as eclectic and diverse as the characters he has played. The foibles of the human condition have always fascinated him and have been the subject of many of his explorations. His observations of the living have also found life through his writings, paintings, sculptures, videos, multi-media experiments and performance art. Though he still continues to perform in film, television and theatre his present interests are focused more on combining different art forms with the goal of creating projects that communicate cathartic and transformative experiences to an audience. His deep need to bring his vision, of the artist as healer, to life are what motive him.

His latest project is his street performance art piece The Hugger Busker. This wonderful character offers unconditional love and heartfelt hugs to all those who cross his path. Martin and the Hugger Busker is also the subject of a documentary. Martin is also writing a scrapbook/journal based on his hugging experiences. To learn more visit www.huggerbusker.com

 

A Personal Note:

Thank you for joining me in this adventure that has been my life. I hope that you enjoy the site. As martinneufeld.com is a reflection of my life experiences and perceptions, it is a work in progress that is in constant evolution. Should you have any questions you can e-mail me at info@martinneufeld.com or you can simply post your comments in the guest book.

martin n.

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