Gilles and I met over 20 years ago, when we worked together in a workshop for actors and later on a production of Un Etrange Songe d'une nuit d'ete, a French adaption of Shakespeare's famous play A Midsummer Night's Dream. We have never stopped collaborating and I feel as though I have been the godfather of Gilles' evolution as an actor, director and teacher. As for his teaching, the proof is in the pudding as they say. And, every time I go to Montreal to work with actors who are working with him, their work continually improves. We share a spirit and philosophy of the creative process and I think Gilles is well worth the effort for any actor knowing that they need help in developing their creative process.
John Strasberg - Master teacher - Director
Gilles is a mentor to me, a man and artist I studied with for almost a decade and I can attest with endless gratitude that he has not only believed in my potential as an actor and challenged me beyond anything I could have imagined but most importantly, he has shown me that if you trust yourself in your most vulnerable moments, if you push past the fear and listen to your own voice as an artist, you can create anything. Trust him, and he will show you over and over again what beautiful committed work you are capable of.
Mylene Dinh-Robic – Actress - Imdb
I studied with Gilles regularly for over 8 years. He has been my teacher and mentor. In 2011 I had an audition for a supporting role in “The Good Lie” (Directed by Shawn Linden). I hired Gilles for a private coaching, and we made significant adjustments together. I went in feeling strong and consequently booked the role. A few years later, I had an audition for the recently released “Gut Instinct”. The audition was for the lead role. I hired Gilles again and then did my audition. I did not get the part, but I received a personal letter from the director thanking me for my work and praising my audition, explaining that they chose another direction casting-wise. This is a win in my book! Gilles has the uncanny ability to relate to his students, and he can notice things with ease that we may not notice about ourselves. I’ve seen him work with dozens of students, and he approaches each student in a different way per their needs. Gilles cares about his students. He goes about his work with love and gentleness, always seeking to help and elevate.
What distinguishes Mr. Plouffe from any other teacher I’ve worked with is his incomparable gift to touch the inner core of each human being he works with. Gilles goes into our world, our character’s world, and speaks to us from within. He possesses an incredible gift that goes beyond teaching a technique. He will help you see the true artist that you are, and give you the courage to “let others see the artist you dream of being”. Those were some of the most inspiring words that Mr. Plouffe shared with me…and it changed my life.
Kristian Hodko - Actor – Imdb
Gilles Plouffe is one of our most highly recommended coaches in Montreal. He has the ability to bring out the very best in each actor and inspire them to truly trust their own instincts. His Realistic Acting technique has helped me to really examine my material and to truly deliver an honest performance. As a result, I have been able to discover new choices that set me apart from all other actors at auditions.
Christine Solomon - Actress - Imdb
I started training with Gilles early in my career. Having him as a teacher opened my eyes to the reality and intensity of the work an actor goes through when working on a part. Always searching, being comfortable in the uncomfortable, finding “what your body wants to do”, as Gilles constantly repeats to us, engaging with your sense of truth, those are some of the key aspects I learned from his training. Even today, 12 years into my career, I still go back to him and his particular approach to training actors because it keeps me humble and, when in doubt, it always brings me back to why, as an actor, I do what I do. And why I love it.
My experience with Gilles was very liberating. The art form of acting is fully embraced by Gilles. It is how he assisted me to open myself up and trust that voice inside. His talent is a rare gift to have, let alone utilised and Gilles has it, along with his insight, humour, passion and dedication. He inspires, comforts, and drives you hard to grow within and discover the artist within your Self, so that you can be truthful in your work.
Gilles is a gifted teacher who helps the actor get in contact with his own personal and artistic truth, and thus develop the ability to create unique, powerful characters, that are deeply touching, as they stand as mirrors of our vulnerability and also of the human condition. Through well-guided exercises the actor learns how to access his talent, his creative energy and his intuition in order to discover the imaginary world of a character and to be able to bring this character to life during his every performance.
I can honestly say that after participating in many acting workshops and classes over the years, I have finally found an acting teacher in Mr. Gilles Plouffe who I feel truly possesses the incredible ability to teach actors. Through his realistic acting approach, his ability to see each actor as a unique individual with special needs and his ability to spot and filter out from all acting clichés and actors’ tricks from our work has helped me reach some new and exciting levels in my acting work. He is truly a sparkling jewel among acting teachers.
Nicholas Haze - Actor – Imdb
Gilles Plouffe was one of my first acting teachers. I had the opportunity to learn from him the fundamentals of acting which I still refer to when I’m working today. He taught me his approach to Realistic Acting. I couldn’t have learned it anywhere else because no one else talked about it in any other classes I've taken, as if they don't even know about it. But I was lucky enough to meet Gilles early on in my career, and I truly believe that what I learned from him, gives me an edge on all the other actors who never learned it. Thank you, Gilles.
Gilles' acting workshop was a real eye-opener for me. Having been in the business for a while, I developed -without really realizing it- strategies to cope with the realities of filming (no rehearsals, plucked blockings, deficient actor direction, etc.) that altered my ability to act naturally. This workshop gave me the opportunity to go back to the roots and help get rid of the artificial crutches that I had become dependant on. Even though the process is never ending, Gilles has opened a door that will help me readjust my acting to give it more maturity and realism. Merci Gilles!
Luc M. Dagenais - Actor - Imdb
I'm a film director and sometimes I work as an actor. Acting is a passion. I have also coached actors for film and television acting for 20 years now. I really wanted to discover new ways to approach the art of acting. I did hear a lot about this realistic acting technique and I wanted to give it a try. I was so glad to encounter new and different ways to approach a scene, with exercices that really worked. This experience brought me a lot and I'm planning to do more of it in a near future.
As an artist the choices you make are pivotal. Listening to your heart is never the easiest choice but always the simplest one. However giving and working from this place is a sensation like no other. There are precious few teachers who will encourage this direction with integrity with persistence and with a vision that sees your own potential far beyond the point that you can see yourself. Gilles Plouffe is one of these teachers.
Isac Benrobi - Actor – Être ou ne pas être Jack Russell
Gilles Plouffe was able to provide an outlet for my passion of acting in an open and highly educational manner. He was able to help me focus in on my abilities and advance my skills as an actor. Every class was an improvement that he was able to personally gage, comment and concentrate on. While I have attended many other classes before, I was never able to receive the full attention and detailed observations as Gilles has provided. His sensitivity, compassion and honesty are attributes that add to his class and make it all the more enjoyable to participate in.
Lanni Frankle - Actress - Ryerson Theatre Program, Toronto Canada