PEM Acting · The Perdekamp Emotional Method
Three intensives.
One complete transformation.
A progressive, in-person journey from authentic emotion to embodied character to integrated monologue and scene work.
"Your body already knows what emotions are. PEM is the method that removes what's in the way — and teaches you to access it with precision, safety, and repeatability."
Three intensives.
Designed to build on each other.
Each PEM Intensive is a standalone 2-day workshop — and each one deepens the last. Together, they form a complete arc from emotional foundations through to fully embodied scene work. All actors begin with Intensive 1.
Access Authentic Emotion Through the Body
The leading alternative to method acting. Learn PEM's body-based approach to accessing all six primary emotions — safely, quickly, and repeatably — without relying on emotional recall or personal trauma.
- Access all six PEM emotions: Aggression, Happiness, Grief, Lust, Fear, and Revulsion
- Move in and out of intense emotional states with control and precision
- Release habitual blocks and expand your emotional range
- Build a sustainable emotional practice that supports performance and wellbeing
Transformative Character Work
Go beyond emotional access into full character embodiment. Train your body and nervous system to transform into another human being — and safely step back out again.
- Expand character range through the intelligence of the body
- Explore emotional mixtures for nuance, complexity, and depth
- Build characters whose experiences are held physiologically, not intellectually
- Broaden your understanding of human behaviour and experience
Embodied Scene & Text Work
Where everything comes together. Apply PEM's full system to monologues and scene work — allowing character, emotion, and physiology to lead the text and create performances that are impossible to look away from.
- Apply PEM emotion and character work directly into scenes and monologues
- Let embodied character drive language and action organically
- Experience performance as a purely electrical, responsive exchange
- Bring depth, history, and complexity to characters — entirely through the body
All actors must begin with Intensive 1
PEM Intensives are a progressive pathway. Intensive 1 is the required foundation for all subsequent workshops. No prior PEM experience is needed. When booking, you'll be asked to upload your headshot and resume so we can get to know you before the workshop.
Dates & Locations
PEM Intensives run across Los Angeles and New York. All actors begin with Intensive 1 — book individually or save 15% with a full package.
Pricing & Packages
Book individual intensives or save 15% when you book all three together. Earlybird pricing available until 3 weeks before each intensive starts.
Book One at a Time
Full Series Package
- Confirmation emails for all intensives within 24 hours
- You'll be asked to upload your headshot & resume at checkout so we can get to know you
- Earlybird expires 3 weeks before Intensive 1 (or Intensive 2 for 2&3 pack)
Payment Plans
Payment plan options are available. Details to be confirmed — contact us to discuss what works for you.
- Flexible instalment options available on request
- Details TBC — reach out to discuss
Results that speak
for themselves
"PEM has been the only acting class that I've wanted to stick with since I finished at Yale. It's some of the best training out there. Since working with Sarah Victoria, I've booked some big jobs — and I think I owe a lot of that to PEM."
"It was like my body became a map. I could simultaneously trust the emotions in my body, and was also constantly surprised by the sensations, impulses, and voice that followed. My character emerged quite naturally."
"I have never found a better acting technique that has allowed me to fully become a character with such depth, ease, specificity and nuance within the performance."
"Just the small amount that I have had of PEM has given me an ocean of depth to explore."
"I believe that PEM is the next evolution of acting — and I'm so excited to continue learning and applying it as I grow and expand as an actor."
"From my first contact with PEM, I knew it was a game-changing approach to acting — one that foregrounds the actor's health and wellbeing without sacrificing rigour and expansion."
A physical, body-based pathway to authentic emotion
- ✦ Proven method taught in 55 countries
- ✦ Emotion accessed through motor patterns, not memory
- ✦ Safe, repeatable, and sustainable for long careers
- ✦ Compatible with and complementary to other methods
- ✦ Taught and facilitated by certified PEM instructors
- ✦ Grounded in actor wellbeing and consent
No trauma. No recall. No emotional mining.
- — Not reliant on emotional memory or personal history
- — Not psychologically provocative or unsafe
- — Not a collection of tricks or shortcuts
- — Not theory-heavy or intellectually abstract
- — Not a replacement for doing the work
Led by Sarah Victoria
All PEM Intensives are facilitated by Sarah Victoria, Master PEM Instructor, alongside a team of certified PEM teachers across both cities. When you book, you'll be asked to upload your headshot and resume so we can get to know you before the workshop.
"PEM prioritises safety, consent, and craft over shock or emotional provocation. Every actor is approved before they attend — and supported throughout."
— Sarah Victoria, Master PEM InstructorBefore you Book
Do I need acting experience to attend?
No prior PEM experience is required for Intensive 1. Actors of all levels — from drama students to working professionals — are welcome. When booking, you'll be asked to upload your headshot and resume so we can get to know you before the workshop.
Can I jump straight to Intensive 2 or 3?
No. All actors must begin with Intensive 1, which provides the essential physical and emotional foundation everything else builds on. Equivalent private coaching may also satisfy the prerequisite — contact us to discuss.
Is this emotionally safe?
Yes. PEM uses a physical, body-based approach specifically designed to avoid emotional mining or personal trauma. The method is grounded in actor wellbeing, safety, and consent throughout.
Will this help with film, TV, and auditions?
Absolutely. The techniques taught are designed for real performance conditions — supporting both subtle and intense emotional work under camera and live performance pressure.
Does PEM work alongside other methods?
Yes. Many actors use PEM as a powerful addition to their existing toolbox. It integrates seamlessly with Stanislavski, Meisner, and other approaches — and can also be studied as a complete acting system.
Begin with
Intensive 1.
The pathway to embodied, authentic performance starts here. Book your place in New York or Los Angeles — you'll be asked to upload your headshot and resume at checkout so we can get to know you before the workshop.