For decades, Stephen Atkins has been widely regarded as a significant figure in actor training, fusing tradition with the innovations of avant-garde theatre, film, and performance art to create a dynamic, instinct-driven methodology. His work, deeply rooted in the legacy of Stanislavsky, Grotowski, and Viewpoints, has been known to help actors break free from cerebral entanglements and access a more fluid, embodied approach to performance. Now, with his upcoming book and acting deck set to launch in autumn 2025, Atkins is offering actors a potentially transformative way to workshop, develop, and refine their craft.

The Birth of Crosspoints

Developed during his performance career and PhD research at the University of Kent, Crosspoints emerged from a fundamental question: how can actors move beyond character analysis and engage with their roles in a more instinctual, evocative manner? Atkins’ response was to create a framework that aims to unite archetypal behavior patterns with improvisational exploration, potentially allowing actors to bypass traditional text-based constraints and drop into an energized, impulse-driven state of readiness.

The earliest drafts of the system reportedly originated from connecting with his past training in Vancouver, Canada, and Penelope Stella’s development of Grotowski-based actor training. This background fed into Atkins’ involvement in Viewpoints through SITI Company in New York City and extended conversations throughout his years of research with Mary Overlie, originator of the Six Viewpoints.

Crosspoints encourage actors to discover the intersections between self, potential selves, and the circumstances of the scene. To do this, they are invited to inhabit archetypal energies—whether embodying the defensive stance of the Gargoyle or facing off against the fiery rebellion of the Martyr. By shifting the actor’s focus away from objectives and obstacles and approaching scene work from an oblique angle, the system seeks to unlock creative freedom by emphasizing the actor’s natural presence, worldview, and modes of expression. The system is positioned as a resource for the multimodal career of the modern actor.

Photo Courtesy: Bear Bones Photography

A Toolkit for Today’s Actor

With his second book and Crosspoints acting deck on the horizon, Atkins is providing actors with an interactive toolkit aimed at deepening their practice. The deck, featuring over 6,000 combinatorial prompts, serves as both a self-guided exercise system and a stimulus for self-tapes, monologue creation, and experimental scene work. Whether actors are developing their own material or collaborating in rehearsal for live performance, film, or transmedia, Crosspoints offers a potentially expansive pool of inspiration.

Workshops and Participatory Exploration

With a career spanning Australia, Canada, the UK, Japan, and China, Atkins has spent decades influencing new generations of performers. Atkins’ Crosspoints workshops provide actors, educators, and theatre-makers with a hands-on introduction to the system. These sessions combine guided improvisation, structured etudes, and practical demonstrations—often using vignettes from contemporary pieces.

A Transformational Approach

By prioritizing personal connections, imagination, and relational play, Crosspoints invites actors to embrace their unique creative instincts and generative capabilities to enhance textual interpretation. At the forefront is a sense of artistic agency, encouraging actors to explore bold, specific choices that emerge naturally.

As Atkins prepares for the launch of his new book and acting deck, the future of Crosspoints appears poised to empower a new wave of performers. With its emphasis on exploration over prescription, Crosspoints is not just a methodology—it’s framed as a creative revolution. Actors seeking to invigorate their craft may soon have a powerful new tool in their hands, potentially transforming the way they approach performance, rehearsal, and self-expression.

Several acting teachers in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Brisbane are now training in this new method to help make it more widely available. However, the ultimate goal is to provide actors with a system that generates prompts so frequently that it could feel like having a coach for every self-tape or rehearsal, offering consistent support for their creative process.

Photo Courtesy: Grady Mitchell

Bio

Stephen Atkins is a multi-faceted performer, director, and educator with over 35 years of experience in stage, film, and immersive performance. Trained in Stanislavsky, Grotowski, Viewpoints, and Practical Aesthetics, Atkins’ practice bridges classical methodologies with postmodern innovation. An independent practitioner, coach, teacher, and author, his work explores actor training, queer theory, and intercultural collaboration. He is the co-author of an upcoming textbook on acting and the creator of the Crosspoints acting system.

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