Masked I Advanced: The Price & Power of Facial Expressions
The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training
Release Date: 08/24/2025
Masked I Advanced: The Price & Power of Facial Expressions
The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training
Hosts: Matthew Ellenwood (EmoVerity, Ellenwood Studios) Berit Elizabeth (Emotive Agility Training) Summary: In this episode, Matthew and Berit explore the price and power of facial expressions in both performance and everyday life. They discuss how nonverbal communication—especially facial expressions—can be used intentionally to connect with others, regulate emotions, and navigate complex social situations. Key Topics: • The three components of emotion: subjective experience, physiological response, and expressive response. • Emotional granularity: understanding and naming nuanced...
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Navigating Boundaries with Performer Techniques: The Zero State - Part Two
The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training
In the first episode of the Edge of the Stage Podcast, hosts Matthew Ellenwood and Berit Elizabeth dive into the concept of the Zero State, a centering technique originating from performance training that helps individuals connect with themselves and others with purpose and presence. The first episode focused on two of four physical elements of Zero: Eyes + Breath, and this current episode focuses on the next two elements: Face + Body. In this second episode, the hosts explore how the Zero State can be applied to hold boundaries in challenging situations, both in personal and professional...
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Getting to Zero: Embodying the Pause - Part 1
The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training
Getting to Zero: Embodying the Pause (Ep. 1) Welcome to the first episode of 'The Edge of the Stage podcast: Life Lessons from Performance Training.' Hosts Berit Elizabeth and Matthew Ellenwood introduce the concept of 'Zero,' a state of focused readiness critical for both performers and professionals. Learn practical techniques for achieving Zero, hear the science behind it, and explore the emotional intelligence framework that makes it possible. Matthew demonstrates how to access this state quickly through breath and eye exercises, while Berit links it to professional and personal settings....
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Intro Episode: Living at the Edge of the Stage
The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training
Edge of the Stage Podcast: Bridging Performance Training and Everyday Life In the inaugural episode of the Edge of the Stage podcast, hosts Berit Elizabeth and Matthew Ellenwood introduce their unique podcast that explores how performance training techniques can be used in everyday life for emotional regulation and personal development. They discuss the origin of their collaboration, their backgrounds, and the performance methodologies that have influenced their work, such as Emotive Agility Training and EmoVerity Training. They introduce the four pillars that will guide the podcast's themes:...
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Trailer: The Edge of the Stage Podcast
The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training
Introducing The Edge of the Stage: Life Lessons from Performance Training In this trailer episode, hosts Berit Elizabeth and Matthew Ellenwood introduce 'The Edge of the Stage,' a podcast blending performance training techniques with everyday life strategies. They discuss the importance of maintaining composure in high-stakes conversations at work, using a humorous clip to illustrate the concept of having a 'game face.' They emphasize emotional intelligence and the benefits of performance training for professionals and everyday scenarios. The episode also introduces the show's structure,...
info_outlineHosts:
Matthew Ellenwood (EmoVerity, Ellenwood Studios)
Berit Elizabeth (Emotive Agility Training)
Summary:
In this episode, Matthew and Berit explore the price and power of facial expressions in both performance and everyday life. They discuss how nonverbal communication—especially facial expressions—can be used intentionally to connect with others, regulate emotions, and navigate complex social situations.
Key Topics:
• The three components of emotion: subjective experience, physiological response, and expressive response.
• Emotional granularity: understanding and naming nuanced emotions.
• The importance of emotional intelligence and regulation in both performance and professional contexts.
• The concept of “masking” as a communication tool—not as inauthenticity, but as a strategic choice for effective interaction.
• The three expression archetypes: Externalizer, Internalizer, and Equalizer/Generalizer.
• How to “read the room” and align your expression with context and intent.
• Recent neuroscience research on how our brains register others’ emotions, even subconsciously.
• Practical exercises for warming up and training facial expressions, including “Making Faces” and exploring facial morphologies (broad/wide, tall/long, bunched/constricted).
• The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and its use in performance and motion capture.
• The Rasaboxes technique and the concept of “emotional athleticism.”
• The importance of autonomy and co-regulation in emotional communication.
Practical Takeaways:
• Practice facial warmups and morphologies to increase expressive range.
• Use emotional “masking” intentionally to support your goals and the needs of the room.
• Develop self-awareness of your own expressive style (externalizer, internalizer, equalizer).
• Remember: emotional intelligence is a skill that can be trained, not just understood.
Resources & Links:
🔔 Subscribe on You Tube for video version & more great content @theedgeofthestage
💻 “Making Faces” self-study course by Matthew Ellenwood
📗 Dacher Keltner’s Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.
📕 Brene Brown’s “Atlas of the Heart”
🔬 Neural signatures of emotional intent and inference align during social consensus
🎭 The Rasaboxes technique by Richard Schechner
🔎 FACS (Facial Action Coding System)
Next Episode Preview:
Join us next time for a discussion on the “mixology” of emotions—how emotional “cocktails” and “mocktails” show up on stage and in everyday life.