Archive for May, 2009
A few more quotes on Acting
Today, just a few great quotes, something for you think over and consider:
Never lose yourself on stage. Always act in your own person, as
an artist. You can never get away from yourself. The moment you
lose yourself on the stage marks the departure from truly living
your part and the beginning of exaggerated false acting …
Always and forever, when you are on the stage, you must play
yourself. – Stanislavski - An Actor Prepares
And the self-concerned actor is a bore. And whether the actor is
saying, ‘I must play this scene in order to be well thought of,’or
‘I must remember and re-create the time my puppy died in order
to play this scene well,’makes no difference. In both cases his
attention is self-centred . . . and will tell us nothing.
David Mamet – True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor
“Act before you think – your instincts are more honest than your thoughts.” – Sanford Meisner
“An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.” – Sanford Meisner
Asked how he felt about the excessive psychological identification between the actor and their character:
“Yes, (it’s) some sort of – some sort of masturbation. Now I must say, I’ve got nothing against masturbation, but when one comes upon it in the theatre, when they all sit there together, masturbating their souls… I find it… self indulgent” – Ingmar Bergman
“You must place yourself in the situation of the character” – E. Vakhtangov
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Julius Caesar at the Brian Cox Studio in Glasgow May 2009
A few evenings ago, I went along to the RSAMD postgrad’s production of Julius Caesar. As previously mentioned on this blog, I do not review the production as a critic, I try to engage with the issues that I found in the actor’s performance and try to address those. Caesar is a very different play from last week’s Lear. Not just in performance, but very much in the writing, it doesn’t require the same kind of constant emotional turbulence, or perhaps these actors approached it with more subtlety.
Overall, I thought that the performances were of a passable standard, although I still think that many of the actors got to grips with the language and the verse at the cost of the emotion content of the play, leaving it somewhat empty. There was quite a great deal of wandering and robot arms (thank you Ian) and this lead me to believe that the actors had not absorbed what they were saying into their bodies. That sounds wanky, so I’ll explain. I believe that Shakespeare is both simple and complex. On an intellectual level, he is incredibly complex, physically and vocally, he is challenging but he is also incredibly simple. Every monologue has a simple structure and you can easily work out what the character is trying to do to the other character and find a way to connect to that. There is no excuse for the head to act and the body not to follow with it.
Some of the parts required more meat, or perhaps I like my Shakespeare like I like my steak EITHER bloody well done or raw and bloody. This was well warmed. Again, we’re talking about a connection to the role and trying to do REAL things to real people. This was better than in the production of Lear, but the emotional challenge was also less in this production.
There was one truly captivating moment in the play, a gentlemen wandered onto the stage, looked a bit confused, stopped, looked a bit embarrassed and eventually found a seat. This fellow was so captivating because he was entirely truthfully, everything he did was real, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Yet, he was of course, just a late audience member but what can we learn from him? That the truth is captivating in a way that pretend cannot be. Just like last week, the actors took to ‘pretend’ for many of their most difficult moments. How can they avoid this? By learning how to connect to the play, to the moment and to each other. Then all their verse training will come to something.
I’m not trying to denigrate the hard work of these actors in training, I truly believe they worked their balls off in this show, they deserve plaudits for facing the challenge and facing it well. But I wanted, I WILL them to do more. This is now the third time that I’ve seen the RSAMD postgrads working, each time they get better, but each time, the challenge increases – as it should. I am looking forward to their next production. Next week, it’s the turn of the undergraduates…
The women’s parts in Shakespeare are tough. The actors playing the women’s roles had a difficult job to do and both pitched the emotionality too wildly. There wasn’t a grain of truth in it. That’s not to say that the performance was bad, it wasn’t, but the lack of truth failed to captivate me, failed to make me feel something. If you want to make me feel something, you have to hold something back yourself.
Actually, the show made me want to read Shakespeare more, so I went out and bought Taming of the Shrew today and I’m going to bed now to read it. Night Night.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Improvisation Etudes
Improvisation is a vital skill for the actor. I believe that all good acting should be improvisational by nature, that once the ground work on the script is done, once you fully understand the script, then your job is to live instinctively and spontaneously in each moment of the play. That probably scares directors, they can’t control or nail it down, but the requirement to be ‘Different Every Night’ should be always be within the imaginary context or the given circumstances of the play.
Improvisational etudes are the cornerstone of many acting classes. Games and exercises which build the ‘Yes AND’ capacity of the actor help the actor to live in the moment when the performance comes. Too many actors hate improvisation because they don’t see the point, they don’t see the connection to the job of the actor. When I teach that great acting is always improvisational, actors whisper ‘what EVEN with a script?’. As if I would advise them to disrespect the playwright like that. That’s only a job for actors with bigger Egos than the writer.
The trouble is that early on in our improvisational training, we come across the laughter and applause that ‘funny skits’ create. After that, most people are just trying to be a bad episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Improvisation isn’t about
I don’t agree with ‘improvising the character’s past and their future’, I think that’s a waste of time, it doesn’t serve the actor, it just fills up time, or put differently, wastes time in an often very short rehearsal period. You know NOTHING useful about telling the story of the script or how to play the scene from an hour spent improvising the antecedent events of the play.
I believe that the best improvisations occur when you train actors to follow a strong action and help them connect to the script. Setting a scenario where the actor needs to come up with a solid WANT, ESSENTIAL ACTION and As-IF helps them to prepare for the thing that they will be doing on stage some other time. In other words, it’s preparation for the actual job of the actor. Improvising the character’s past will focus the actor on the job of ‘writing standing up’ a scene which is not in the play. If you use something you made up to inform your choices, then your choices are not based in the play. In other words, you desire to be a playwright. So, do it, if you have all of that ability to ‘write’, WRITE.
If you join an Improv Group, fine, that’s a different kind of activity, it’s aim is to create, and in that case, more power to your elbow.
Improvisation training helps us to learn to live in the moment, chasing a goal, connecting to the part. When that is refocused onto some kind of creative act, it distracts the actor from their job. It’s as if a couple of hours spent improvising on the piano will suddenly help you play a difficult Chopin. Rubbish! Practicing the Chopin will help you play the Chopin.
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels.
His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
10 Things to Know About Practical Aesthetics
1. Forged by David Mamet, William H Macy and their students at The Practical Aesthetics Workshop from of elements of Aristotle, Meisner and Stanislavsky.
2. Practical Aesthetics is taught at the Atlantic Theater Company’s Acting School in New York and Los Angeles, Practical Aesthetics Australia and Acting Coach Scotland in Glasgow.
3. Practical Aesthetics literally means a Theory of Art that’s Capable of Being Put To Use.
4. The technique is heavily influenced by the teachings of the Stoical Philosophers.
5. There are several books that talk about the technique including David Mamet’s True and False UK/USA, Bruder et al’s Practical Handbook for the Actor UK/US and Karen Kohlhaas’ The Monologue Audition, UK/US.
6. The technique is made up of 3 main components, Repetition, Performance Technique and Script Analysis but features elements of voice and physical training from Viewpoints and Suzuki to Committed Impulse, Pilates, Laban and Yoga.
7. It offers a viable alternative to the dominant ideology of self-indulgent Method acting.
8. Practical Aesthetics is a valuable tool for the actor, director and the writer equally.
9. In an interview, David Mamet called the Stanislavski system ‘a practical aesthetic for the actor based on the Aristotelian idea of unity’.
10. Practical Aesthetics focuses on the actor’s will, their intention and the actions that lead from it.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Costume and the Actor
Mark Twain coined the phrase ‘Clothes maketh the man’. In the acting business, the costume really does add a layer to the performance that helps the audience to suspend their disbelief. For the actor, it’s often a pain in the backside. It’s something to complain about. If ever the actor is feeling uncomfortable about their performance, it is the costume that will get the blame.
I know of a school that refers to the costume that their students wear as ‘character clothes or clothing’. It’s a cute idea, it’s denying the theatricality, it’s denying the costume in favour of giving ‘the character’ – a non-existence form – an appareil. Quirky. It’s like dressing your imaginary friend.
Costume is a tool of your trade. It is your work clothes. Does the soldier feel more of a soldier because their wearing their uniform and not their civvies? Of course! When you put on the clothes of work, you prepare to go to work. The football player does the same thing and so does the astronaut. Feral says that it is only through costume that the actor really becomes ‘other’. I agree, ‘other’ for the audience. Otherwise the soldier does not look like a soldier either. Even though they know they are, and perform the actions of the soldier. One of the greatest problems facing invading forces in Iraq was that they couldn’t tell soldier from civilian because the Iraqis and their friends from further afield disrobed upon invasion. It is the audience that uses the costume most of all.
Understandably since the costume is a tool of the trade of the actor, the actor sometimes wants to have some say over what they wear. They consider it somehow their creative right. I understand, yet, unless working collaboratively, I would advise you to leave it to the professionals. Astronaut, football player and soldier DO NOT choose their clothes of work, why should you? You’re reasonable answer would be that it is part of the creative process. Yes, but not yours. You also do not get to choose the words that you speak and often the direction that your character takes. It is a small mind that needs to control the costume when the performance is your remit. I respect your desire to expand your creative boundaries, if so, take up sewing and darting and whenever you’re not gainfully employed as an actor, you can begin a sideline as a costumier. Otherwise – leave it to the professionals.
Whilst it is someone else’s responsibility to choose, design and make your costume, while it is someone else’s job to wash, press and hang your costume, it is your responsibility to take care of it. Quite often, you do not get the chance to ‘wear it in’. This has to be done on stage. For this reason, women trip over long skirts and men stand on them. Why? Somehow rehearsal skirts are not the same. I’ve seen so many actors leave their costume on the floor at the end of the night. Why? Because magically, it reappears laundered and pressed on a coat hanger the next day. Whilst the people whose job it is to do this WILL do this, because it’s their job, you do yourself no favours with them by behaving like a teenager, leaving your clothes on your bedroom floor. It is a lack of respect for the tools of your trade and it should be discouraged at all levels.
But I do not wish to take away from the actor the joy that they feel when they have the opportunity to play dress up. It’s very energising to finally slip on your ’second skin’. French director Ariane Mnouchkine believes there should be no rehearsal without costume, that costumes are an essential part of the process, I don’t want to get into the minutae of that argument, other than to say something simple. I heartily agree, the sooner you can pull on your work clothes, the sooner you can go to work.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
The old Stanislavsky Strasberg debate again…
A great man once said “history is written by the victors”. He forgot to add the word ‘present’ before the word ‘victors.‘
According to all my fan/hate-mail and various authors there has been a change in the historical landscape, I am corrected again and again by zealots of a new faith, who BELIEVE, oh they really do. Of course, this simply contradicts what others have been writing for years, but apparently, it’s overturned
They say that they now have facts to indicate that Stanislavski never really changed his ideas, the Method of Physical Action has been mostly proven to be little more than Father banging the Master’s Red Drum.
Stella Adler they discredit as a naive, hysterical child that didn’t understand Father’s advice. Well, she would have to be, otherwise Strasberg is wrong and she becomes Mother and Father’s inheritance passes onto her. I guess a 1930s American would seem strange to a 1930s Russian.
Which means of course that if Stanislavki didn’t change his central ideas and it was only a ploy of the Red Menace, that must mean that Strasberg was the truest heir in America. conveniently the new truth makes Strasberg the straightest line.
This means that MOPA and all work leading from it can be dismissed as the incorrect, politically coloured propaganda of the Soviets. This is a mighty neat way to square it all away and leave Strasberg the only true son. But they say there are facts and so…
It seems that the Method people are in possession of new facts, and they are busy now writing history.
The trouble is that Debate 101 teaches us that any intelligent mind can string together a collection of facts and posit them as an argument.
The courthouse has taught us that it is not those who are in possession of the facts that win the day, nor is the truth ever conveniently on the side of the good. But those that can offer a palatable viewpoint may have their perspective accepted as the truth.
Being in possession of the facts or a perspective on the facts in the great Stanislavsky Strasberg debate is an endless debate. Neither side will persuade the other to lay down their arms, the real battle is not for converts but for conscripts and volunteers.
And so now they comfortably say Method and system, Strasberg and Stanislavsky and mean the same thing; now they are the only true disciples of Father’s heir. They have the direct line to the source. Finally they are vindicated.
This leads to an awful conclusion of facts for me. If the Red Menace force-created MOPA and Strasberg is the true connection, then Mamet’s criticisms of Stanislavsky that are traditionally batted away with the claim that it is misjudged aggression for Strasberg are infact justified. Because now when criticises father, he also means son too and vice versa.
It is now easy to swat away Practical Aesthetics as the bastard Commie son of a politically compromised school of acting. Summoning up the old fashioned distrust of everything Soviet as bad, and therefore everything Democratic and American as good, Practical Aesthetics becomes easily dismissed. If you think everything is black and white or red and red, white and blue. It all becomes terribly simple. American = Method = system = Russia.
And yet, and yet, when I watch an actor that uses Practical Aesthetics and I see nuanced, moving, beautiful, powerful acting that people find captivating to watch. Even if Practical Aesthetics was inspired by Soviet-influenced philosophy, so what? It works.
It never strays into self-indulgence, I see find the appropriate emotional pitch within the scene and not without it. Those who think that As-If takes you out of the scene, are just wrong, it is a way on inserting yourself into the scene, rather than taking you into it. Sure, you use a personal experience to identify analogous circumstances to understand how to go about doing the Essential Action, but once the scene begins, you’re back in the scene.
In the end, this debate has no end. All the scholars disagree, their facts disagree, so what can we trust? Only what works. Each time, every time, consistently.
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels.
His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Tempo-Rhythm
I must confess, I find the idea of Tempo-Rhythm fascinating. I recently spoke about it in an audio blog that I deliver to my students via the Members’ Area of the Acting Coach Scotland website. I’ve spent some of today reading about it in various places, Benedetti’s Stanislavsky book ‘An Actors Work’, being a newly translated place to explore Stanislavski’s thoughts on the topic. Again, reading the chapter on Tempo/Rhythm I’m amazed and astounded, it’s a great thing to be aware of, but oh, how they make it sound like licking snails. I usually like how Benedetti explains Stanislavsky, but I don’t always think what he’s saying (Stanislavski or Benedetti?) makes sense, and in this case, the book suffers from the flowery written prose style that both men use:
Some choice passages from the book:
“Tempo is the rate at which equal, agreed, single length-values follow each other in any given time signature “ p463
-Webster’s dictionary describes TEMPO in English as ‘the rate of motion or activity’. A great definition for the actor.
” Rhythm is the quantitative relationship of active, agreed length-values in any given tempo or time signature ” p463
-The Encyclopedia Britannica describes RHYTHM in English as ‘the regularity of an recurrence’. An equally valuable explanation for us.
So, to us, Rhythm-Tempo might mean the combined rate of motion and regularity of recurrence. How fast and how often.
There then follows pages and pages of Tortsov using Music and Numbers to make Rhythm-Tempo seem scientific.
Finally Tortsov gets to his point that is useful to actors “Tempo is quickness or slowness. Tempo can curtail or extend an action, shorten or lengthen speech. Performing an artion, speaking a word demands time. Quicken the tempo and there is less time for either. That means I have to act or speak faster. Slow down the tempo and you have more time to act and speak and so greater opportunity to do and say what is important. ” p465
It’s horrible to read, it’s teaching actors in the most unnatural way possible through complex theory, when a simple answer would be just as good. It suggests that if you understand your own tempo-rhythm, you can help create a different one for your character. Nice idea.
Now, I do think it’s an important thing to consider, I just think that it’s handled badly. It’s laughable to imagine actors wandering around trying to work out what Tempo and Rhythm their character does things at. Yes, I know, I know, you’re an artist, you create, you build character. Well, it’s hilarious, it is 100% fake work. It feels like work cos it keeps you busy, but so does masturbation, but I wouldn’t want to see that on stage either.
I’d like to offer an alternative consideration for Tempo-Rhythm. Let’s first off imagine that Tempo-Rhythm is inherent in our activities, it’s not something that we NEED to play with, although it is fun yes, to talk around at different tempos and different rhythms to explore how writing a page of your journal feels done with a completely different tempo-rhythm. It’s fun, but it isn’t really necessary. So that’s my point, it isn’t the grad school of acting techniques, it’s the junior school of fun-play. It has confused, robbed, befuddled and ‘inspired’ actors for years and it’s better off left to itself own devices.
However, let’s examine how tempo-rhythm IS important. When you try to achieve something, the drive behind that will gives us a Tempo-Rhythm, if we connect that drive to something we can appreciate and understand psycho-physically, then our body’s own Tempo-Rhythm will stand for the character’s without the need to ‘create’ it.
What really powers our Tempo Rhythm in life are the stakes that we face, what do we stand to lose and how does that connect psycho-physically to what we are doing. If we have understood the scene (can you spend all that time fannying around making up Tempo-Rhythms and still give the script it’s due – in three weeks? I doubt it), if we have pared down the character to its most essential behaviour, routed in action, if we have understood what it means to the character to do this action and the context and the stakes and the relationship to the other character, then our Tempo-Rhythm should be powered by that incredible, dynamic relationship between those elements. Under these situations,
BUT what about devising? That bastion of the democratic university drama department…well, devising is different, devising is a completely different set of skills. It is combining the creative skills of the writer (standing up and away from their desk) with the interpretive skills of the actor. It is a completely different activity, it is deriving content, it’s just a completely different game.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Skill and talent and the balls to arrive at your own conclusions…
Most of the good things about theatre that I learned, I learned from David Mamet. Most of the bad things I learned for myself through my own mistakes. I fell into every trap, self-laid and other. Becoming good at something requires the conviction that you will not give up until you’ve done a thing. If you don’t have that conviction, sooner or later, you get soft, you look for something secure and safe, and soon.. oh soon, you’re no longer doing the thing any more.
If you’re a working actor, you know the feeling, you occasionally get the desire for something more secure. You feel a little shame that you can’t always put bread on the table. But you know that you can’t do anything else half as well as acting and you couldn’t give it up if you tried. Because some of us are simple designer and engineered to be humanity’s storytellers, to express things for the community, you find us in all cultures throughout time, we are a necessary evil. We are neglected, we are poorly paid, we are occasionally funded and we are visciously protective of any position that we attain.
If you desire to be a working actor, you have all of this to look forward to in the future. But you can do it. The trouble is that safety and security will beckon you at every stage on your journey. Shouldn’t you just give up? Go on, give up and.. go teach high school or something, it’s certainly easier. It’s more difficult to stand in, take the pain, put up with the rejection and face the wind and keep going, keep going until you get where you want to be. Too many falter at this stage, when they reach what Seth Godin calls the ‘Dip’. That time when your resolve weakens and the other thing looks easier than the doing the difficult thing.
If you are training as an actor, taking classes, or you’re thinking of becoming an actor, be sure that this is going to be a rough crossing. At no stage will it be glamorous, even when it’s glamorous. At every stage, it’s going to be difficult, but it’s also going to be wonderful. But at the moment when you leave school, when you’re out there on your own, when you have educated your body and mind, it just requires the will, the guts or as the taekwondoists call it, indomitable spirit.
As David Mamet says in American Buffalo, you need “Skill and talent and the balls to arrive at your own conclusions”.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Sloppy Repetition
Meisner believed actors do not listen. They are so focused on what they have to do that they rarely really listen and connect with their partners. I would go one further and suggest this is not a problem for actors, this is a problem for the human race. Yesterday I had an experience on the telephone and it made me think about how we do not listen, we gloss over, we fill in the blanks, we presume, but we don’t listen…
CALLER: Hello, Mr Jones?
ME: No.
CALLER: Hello there Mr Jones, I’m calling from SOME COMPANY TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING THAT YOU DON’T WANT.
Now how was this boy going to sell me something if he hadn’t listened to see if I was Mr Jones or not? He wasn’t listening, he was too focused on his task to actually care about the one person that could help him do his job better. It is the same for the actor.
Until now, I’ve resisted writing about the repetition exercise or game. Personally, I think talking about it dilutes it somewhat. Yet, there’s no exercise for the actor that teaches them to listen, pay attention to their partner, see what changes in their partner and educates them in how to connect with their partner, whether their partner is connected to them or not.
To me, one of the big problems with students as they get better at the exercise is that they no longer focus on being precise about the repetition, in other words, they sort of gloss over the cracks, presuming, reading, fortune telling the response, and not allowing the moment to be true.
REPEAT WHAT YOU HEAR is one of the basic tenets of the exercise, yet people want to lead, they want to abuse, control, bully, compete with the other person. Just repeat what you hear with your own perspective.
Repetition becomes fake when you begin to try to take control. Do you see? It’s not ABOUT YOU. It’s about the OTHER person.
When you take control of the repetition, you are getting sloppy, you are no longer truly PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR PARTNER. You make assumption and presumptions. You can afford to neither.
How many times do we hear the same old predictable calls made when someone does something that you recognise. You say ‘ah yes, that’s this’, before you even look to see what it truly is. You must be on the ball, that’s what being in the moment is about, but you must also be exact, you must be precise, you must learn to see the difference between disagreement and surprise for instance.
Challenge yourself to take your time next time you are up doing repetition, challenge yourself to say what it is, not what you have gotten used to saying. When I was training, I remember that one of my classmates would also use ‘you’re stuck in your head’ or ‘you’re in your head’ whenever she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She was learning to lie and this exercise is about revealing the truth.
Repetition is about learning to see what behaviour your scene partner is exhibiting so that you can learn to address that behaviour with your actions.
Sloppy repetition improves no one. It simply allows you to lie to yourself, and to your scene partner.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Respect for the Rehearsal Space
I took this photo back in 2005 at The Arches Theatre in Glasgow, where I was directing a collaborative piece called Matryoshka. It is our rehearsal room viewed through the window. To me, this is the world that we habit, our sacred space, our place of worship, our home, our workplace, our creative zone, it’s where the caterpillar turns into the butterfly. Most people don’t see the butterfly in the picture, it’s just a room, but I say respect the rehearsal space. It’s a transformation space, the place where literature becomes performance, where page is translating physically to stage.
I was passing by a studio at the Scottish Youth Theatre. On the door was a printed sign telling all what was being rehearsed inside. Whoever it was printed by MUST be involved in theatre. They also should know how to spell REHEARSAL, yet they failed miserably with RehearsEL. In the past, I’ve also seen it as REHERSAL too. Does it matter? Am I a pedant? Maybe, but to me, if you can’t spell the thing that you do, you’re missing something OR you don’t care enough. Anyway, to me, you behave towards the big things in life, the same way you do in the small things.
Whether this is your permanent space, or it’s a space that you use for a couple of weeks, you must respect the space. It will fill with rehearsal paraphernalia over the weeks, but that doesn’t mean that you should add to it. Take out your water bottles. Offer to empty to overflowing bin. Do not EXPECT stage management to tidy up after you. Do not EXPECT anyone to tidy up after you. You’re an actor, not a child.
Here are 10 pointers to respecting the Rehearsal Space
- Do not smoke, drink (water is okay) or eat in the Rehearsal Room
- Do not be rough with the rehearsal room furniture, someone else may have to use it after you
- Turn the lights off when you’re done
- If something is broken – tell someone!
- Turn your mobile off when you come through the door and leave it off until lunch/breaks/end of day
- Keep chatter to a minimum when you’re not working, others ARE working
- Try to leave the room on breaks, it means that you come back fresh
- The rehearsal space is sacred, do not bring strangers into it unless you must
- Consider it home, make yourself at home, but treat it with respect
- On the last day of rehearsal, before you head to the theatre, TAKE YOUR CRAP WITH YOU
)
Enjoy your next rehearsals!
Photograph by MDW © 2005
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels.
His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
King Lear at the Brian Cox Studio in Glasgow
This afternoon I went along to watch the MA students at the RSAMD performing in a production of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of King Lear. As always, when I talk about performances that I’ve seen, I am not reviewing the production, nor critiquing the director or the actors individually. Instead, I examine and investigate the problems that I feel that the actors faced in giving their performance. Overall, I enjoyed it, it’s great to see actors wrangling with the toughest playwright in the English language, his poetry is so powerful, so rich, so bold, so vivid and yet so subtle, it demands powerful , rich, bold, vivid and subtle performances. This is why so often it is easy to be overshadowed by the Poet’s pen when performing Shakespeare.
There were several issues that I think need addressing with relation to acting Shakespeare. Shakespeare is heightened language, so clearly requires a heightened playing style. It’s holding the mirror up to nature, but it isn’t nature, it’s a mirror. Heightened playing styles require heightened performances. This is without doubt. But somewhat like the actors in Ghosts at the Citz at the moment, the actors here failed to get to grips with the emotional content of the play. How the emotional content of the play is ‘written’ into the performance is one, if not THE most essential elements of becoming a truly great actor.
In this show, the emotions and connections were faked. That’s going to sound damning I suppose, but I just think that it’s what the cast struggled with. I do feel that they handled the verse well, but the emotion was what evaded them. Neither faking or shouting is conducive to good story-telling and neither are much fun for an audience to watch. Regularly, an audience will indulge a good performer for not handling emotions well. But indulgence becomes stretched over the course of a long verse drama. I’m not suggesting it’s easy, but it’s a difficult line to tread but it needs to be handled with care.
The second half calmed, the shouting diminished, the articulation seemed to improve greatly, but I had been alienated by the shouty-shout shout nature of the first act. I stuck in there and the storytelling improved and I reconnected somewhat.
Faking was my second and biggest issue. When you work with actors that have learned to live truthfully within the imaginary circumstances of the scene, faking seems unnecessary. Yet so many actors struggle with it. Acting students MUST be taught HOW to make the connection to their fellow actors. Because faking that connection SCREAMS a lack of connection. Everything that you do on stage should be shaped, measured, driven and changed by what the other actors are doing. One actor who addressed the audience during soliloquy actively engaged the audience when he spoke, this was the closest we got to real connection between actor and… anyone else.
Look – connection isn’t some wanky, magical, ethereal thing, it is a skill to be gained through practice. The basics are easily taught and learned, to get good at it though, like anything takes practice, and finally habituation through continued practice over time.
To both of these issues, I say they are easily addressed, a solid objective for each scene in the form of an essential action in-line with Shakespeare’s intention would guide your behaviour in the scene, you behaviour would be real, the circumstances would be imaginary. Your artistry comes in building a character out of those tactics that fit the scene. Emotion takes care of itself if you know how to allow it to take care of itself. It didn’t cripple the performance, but it also didn’t help the production either.
Next week is Julius Caesar, a play that I am very familiar with and one that I’d say requires a lot less shouting. Overall, the cast did well, and they are 5/12 of the way through their MA course, it shows that they have a journey still to go, but that much has been learned and can be built upon. What it does point to is that beyond any Shakespearean training that they’ve already had at class in the RSAMD and at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, there are some fundamental issues of acting and performance that still need to be addressed.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Elias Toufexis
For today’s blog, I’m delighted to publish my recent exclusive interview with actor Elias Toufexis.
This is the transcript of our interview from earlier in the week:
MARK: From your experience, how would you describe the job of the actor?
ELIAS: It depends on what you’re referring to as “the job”. If you mean ‘what’s it like being an actor?’ then I would have to say it’s a torturous, daily grind with very little payoff. Sound like fun? When it does payoff however, it pays well. Both artistically and financially.
If you mean ‘what is the job of an actor in a film, tv, play?’ I would then say that it is simple. The job of an actor is to help tell the story. That is essentially it. You are part of a whole team all striving to make the film, show or play. In my opinion, you are equally as important as any crew member. It’s your job to work with them and the director to help tell the story in the best way possible.
Even if the story is all about your character, it doesn’t mean it’s all about you. Many actors suffer from this form of thinking. When I graduated from theatre school I auditioned for a truck driver in a big Hollywood film. I remember I started thinking of things like a background for the character, his motivations, what he was feeling at the time…I even gave him a slight Southern drawl. I remember specifically the director asking me “what the hell are you doing? I answered that I gave this character a little bit of a background. He replied “I don’t want a character arc for this guy, I just want you to play a damn truck driver.” I’ll never forget that. My job was to help tell the story. Even with the big roles that I’ve been lucky enough to get.
MARK: What’s the most difficult part of being an actor?
ELIAS: It’s a cliche, but it’s true. The toughest part is that you live day in, day out with rejection. Constant rejection. Then you have to worry about paying rent this month. Don’t forget the fact that you can’t get a normal job because you need to be free during the day to audition and free at night to rehearse or perform the plays you are performing for free to keep your craft sharp. I consider myself a working actor. I haven’t had to hold another job (other than coaching actors here and there) for about 4 years now. I would say I book about 1 in every 12 auditions. So every month, let’s say, I have 11 “no’s”. Which, as an actor, I take as “you’re not good enough” or “you’re not good looking enough” etc.
MARK: What process, a method or technique do you use/follow?
ELIAS: I’ve kind of come up with my own style. Which I guess every actor does. I don’t like the “Method” style of acting because, to me, it negates any sense of responsibility. For an example of what I mean; I worked with an actor who had to “choke” his scene partner every night on stage. Every night he would choke her harder and harder until she had to complain. His excuse was “I’m feeling it! I’m getting into it!” Which is a complete cop out in my opinion. I don’t like actors who get so “into” something that they become jackasses. I don’t mind if you want to think of your dog that died BEFORE the scene to get you in the mood. Once the scene is being performed, however, you should be thinking about THE SCENE!
On the flip side of the coin. I also don’t like meticulous planning to the point where you cannot change a thing spontaneously should an idea come to you or a fellow actor. You can’t set everything in stone. I like to describe my “style” as a combination of both. I kind of use this “GPS” metaphor: I go through my script and jot down notes, acting ideas, even inflections on specific lines etc. I use it as my “map” or “gps”…bear with me…. Then, during rehearsal I discover more things and I write those things into my “map” ‘Map’ meaning I’m writing in my script, I don’t draw an actual map or anything.
Once I have everything in place. I leave it aside. Here’s my GPS metaphor: If you were driving to a specific location, you program it into your GPS. Now you know, no matter what, you have the directions and you will eventually get there. You’re safe. Along the way though, you spot a better way to go with your own eyes. You’d take that route right? You have your gps to guide you, but you don’t have to stick to it as long as you get to the place you’re aiming to go. Did any of that make sense? I rehearse, take very specific notes, then I go out and see what happens with the performance. Sometimes a fellow actor does something that sparks something else in my performance. Sometimes the emotion I am building in a scene sparks a change. As long as I am going in the right direction, I’m doing the right thing. And if I ever get lost, I can always go back and check the map.
MARK: What qualities do you admire in other actors?
ELIAS: Respect above all. I don’t like actors that brag about work. I don’t like actors that are too blatant in their self promotion. (Though self promotion is important, there’s a line not to cross). I especially don’t like actors who mistreat crew members. We get paid 5 times what they get paid and they are there a lot longer than we are. Working just as hard. Also, respect your fellow actors. I did a film with a great actor named Michael Imperioli. I remember one night, after a really long day, Michael and I had a scene together. The director decided to shoot Michael’s coverage first. (Myself behind the camera acting the scene with Michael who is on camera). We did the scene and it went great. Then, the assistant director (showing a lack of respect of his own) told Michael that he was wrapped and he could go home. We hadn’t shot my coverage yet. I was going to have to act with the AD off camera! I was pissed, but there wasn’t much I could do about it at this point in my career. Michael, thinking the whole show was wrapped for the night, went back to his trailer and changed while we set up the lighting for my shot. When Michael heard I was still working he came back to the set, in his regular clothes and stood off camera so we could peform the scene together. And this was only the second day of shooting with each other. We hadn’t developed a report or anything. It was purely out of respect for his fellow actors. I’ll never forget that. I love actors that are respectful.
MARK: What really pisses you off about the acting profession?
ELIAS: That most projects are horrible. It’s an unfortunate truth in this day and age that most TV Shows, Films and plays just plain stink. Lowest common denominator crap. My resume is filled with it. Added to which they usually cast actors who aren’t very good but have that specific “pretty look”. Which ends up making the projects even worse. Also, people in the business who think they truly are great people. Especially prissy actors. Man, you say other people’s words for a living. A well paid living. Don’t be a jerk just because you can. It’s all about respect…as I said before.
MARK: To your mind, what’s the one thing that all would-be actors should know?
ELIAS: That it’s tough. It’s really, really tough. Out of my graduating class of 24 at theatre school, I’m the only one who works regularly. Out of all the three years of students that I knew there. About 100 students. Three work regularly. Myself included. ?Having said that however, once you crack in you can do wonders in this business. It’s great to play different characters for a living. It’s truly a great job…now if I only knew I had another guaranteed job next month. My advice would be to be honest with yourself. You know if you’re any good. You do. If you are good, and you know it, then you can do it. It might take years, it might take months. But if you aren’t very good, try something else. It’s a horrible business when you know what you’re doing, and much worse if you don’t.
MARK: Lastly, could you tell us something about what you’re working on at the moment?
ELIAS: I have a fun sci fi movie coming out in July I believe. It’s called Sand Serpents. ?(It has a bunch of Brits and two Canadians playing an American Army Squad in Afghanistan. God bless Hollywood magic!) Also I do the voices in numerous video games. All of which I’ve signed a non disclosure agreement with…so I can’t say anything other than they are cooooool. I’m directing my first music video next week basically to see if I have the guts and / or talent to direct film. If I do, I’ll be directing my first film this fall.
MARK: Thanks for your time Elias.
ELIAS: Thank you
A little more about Elias Toufexis.
A trained theatre actor, Elias born and raised in Montreal, where he attended the Dome theatre school for 3 years. He has since performed in numerous plays in New York, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. He has performed in such plays as “Othello” “Problem Child” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” “Seven Stories” and Hamlet in “Hamlet. He has been on various television shows such as “Smallville” “Supernatural” “Painkiller Jane” “Stargate Atlantis” “Dead Like Me” and “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” He lends his voice to many radio advertisements and many video games such as “Rainbow Six: Vegas 2” “Need For Speed Carbon” and “Sukiyaken”
Check back often for more Exclusive Interviews with actors at the cutting edge of today’s profession.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Imaginary Coffee for Sense Memory
There exists an exercise, I believe it to be part of the Sense Memory exercise that involves drinking an imaginary cup of coffee. It is claimed by some that this exercise helps to you concentrate and to create imaginary objects and experiences when you are acting. I’ll describe how the exercise is done:
1)Sit comfortable with a real cup of coffee.
2) Look at the cup, look at all aspects of the cup, take on board all of its physical qualities.
3) Pick up the cup, feel it, weigh it, notice what you do to hold the cup.
4) Feel the heat and warmth of the cup and the liquid inside it.
5) Smell the contents of the cup, how would you describe it?
6) Take a drink, how does it taste? How would you describe it?
7) Repeat until you have taken on board all you can about the cup of coffee
Now put the coffee cup down and repeat with an imaginary coffee cup
9) Go between practicing with a real cup and practicing with the imaginary cup.
This exercise, along with other Sense Memory exercises helps you to develop belief in the imaginary. It helps to build a sense of truth, belief in fictional reality. It uses real experiences to help you to stimulate imaginary ones later. It is an exercise in using the memory of real sense experience to re-create the senses later under imaginary circumstances.
It’s a nice game, especially if it’s wet outside and you’ve got nothing better to do. But that’s all it is, it’s a parlour game. It’s great for entertaining children and it is one of the main tools of the ‘fake work’ acting schools that have developed techniques for which they can charge their students for learning nothing particularly useful, but still make the student feel like they are doing something worthy. Is it fun? YES! Does it feel like proper acting work YES. Do actors enjoy doing these games YES of course, it engages with their love of play.
Does it exercise the imagination? Sure, does it help you imagine there really is a cup of coffee? Maybe. What do we call those people that believe imaginary things are real? Delusional. So, it’s an exercise in helping the actor to become delusional and as such shouldn’t form part of a training in acting, which is about the reality of doing, not belief in the pretend. What could actors accomplish is they spent less time playing children’s games and more time learning how to bring a page to life on stage?
This exercise is often explained as being one stepping stone on the way to the Affective Memory exercise. Understanding Affective Memory, I can see how this could help the student to focus their concentration on the memory of their senses. However, since Affective Memory is a misguided and flawed approach to the truthful creation of emotion, it is a tool in the preparation of an abortive journey. Your memories, emotional or otherwise are not something that should be poked with a stick or coaxed with a coffee, they are your own personal history and they are deeply rooted to the psychological construction of your character, your personality and the health of your psyche.
Thankfully in the UK, very little time is given over to these techniques. Yet, we still have excellent actors, our actors still win Oscars and create truly moving performances. Personally, I say keep your imaginary coffee, I’ve never liked the taste anyway.
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels.
His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Looking for Opposites
The dynamic contrast of opposites is a powerful tool for the actor. By looking to find the oppositional contrasts in a scene, the actor adds depth and dimension to their performance. Contrast is a powerful force. To go from calm to anger, to go from loud to quiet, fast to slow, the oppositional contrast creates attention in the audience member. This is why silence and stillness are so powerful for the actor when used against their opposites.
When employing tactics as an actor, it is a good idea to look for oppositional tactics. This is relatively easy, once you have decided on a set of tactics, look for their opposites, and see where they could possible be used within the context of the scene. Surprising yourself with non-traditional, non-intellectual tactic choices is a great way to explore areas that you hadn’t considered. When you’re working off book with tactics, you can easily switch your tactic for the next unit to the opposite one than you are playing. This is best explored within the safe zone of the rehearsal room where you can explore opposites fully and without risk.
Finding the opposites in a scene is about discovering contrast. Look for moments of strength and weaknesses, look for moments of great action and moments of stillness, look for times requiring volume and times of silence. Using these contrasts requires the actor to become acquainted with finding them. If your director is equally sensitive to them, they can help you by point them out to you as you work.
Nowhere is contrast made clearer than within the work of William Shakespeare. Here you can explore, or revel in contrast of opposites and enjoy that contast too.
If you use objectives, targets, goals etc, you can also look for the moment when the character might switch to a contrasting opposite for a moment.
Playing with opposites is simply about exploring choices. Each time, you should relate these choices back to the script. It is not your job, it isn’t your role to make shit up, if you want to do that, become a writer. You aren’t just a writer that doesn’t sit down, you’re an actor and your business is to explore the action of the scene. There’s plenty to test you within this context, without you taking on the role of ‘creator’ too.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Actions/Tactics for the Actor
I’ve written about this topic before, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t do it again, it’s vital and the more you employ tactics, the more engaged you will be with the scene, the scene partner and if you must, the character.
One of the most important aspects of acting are the use of actions or tactics. They are essentially the same thing, some people call them actions, that’s probably the more traditional name for them, you get that term associated with the work of Stanislavski, but then some people call them tactics, which is probably a more useful term for the things that we use, the things that we do to get what we want.
So that’s what tactics are, they are the things that we use to get what we want. That’s what’s happening in each scene of the play, the character is striving to achieve something, to obtain a desire, to meet a need and this is what compels them throughout the scene. It can be simple like a hamburger or complex like unconditional love. When the character attempts to get what they want, they employ certain tactics (or actions) to do this.
When actors work on a scene, they need to identify the character’s goal, their desire, their want. They need to translate that into something that the actor can do and the way that this is achieved, we call this ‘the how’, and how we go about getting the goal.
Tactics make concrete that translation from page to stage. Tactics turn the words of the playwright into the actions of the actor. Tactics are concrete things that can be done by the actor, within the context of the scene that bring the scene to life – literally.
Tactics are usually expressed as transitive verbs, this is a horrid term, but it’s essentially a verb that can be done to someone else like coax, bully, nudge, massage, goad, bribe or pester.
There are two ways of using tactics, the traditional one is to write them in, to score them into your script, as you work out what the character is doing to the other character to get what they want. The other way is for the actor to come up with a bunch of tactics to use in a scene, that work within the context of the scene and that they can use based on what the other actor is doing in the moment. Both work very well, my only problem with the first is that it tends to lock you into a pattern and you end up acting in a certain way regardless of what the other actor is doing. If you truly work off the other actor, then you need to constantly be cycling through tactics and that really really keeps you on your toes.
Tactics use verbs that encourage action, these are very different from adjectives that are descriptive and are impossible to put into action.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Talent and the Actor
“It is impossible to teach a person to act who has no natural talent”. – Dame Judi Dench
I love Dame Judi’s work. She is a truly amazing actress, but I think she’s wrong on this one. What she’s suggesting is that there are ‘chosen’ ones, for whom acting is possible to learn because they have been bestowed by God, Allah, Mother Nature or chance with this thing called ‘talent’. What is ‘natural talent’? It is the natural predisposition for something. Talent is a magic word for having an innate knack for something. Some people have a knack for writing, some for baseball, some maths, some acting. However, the difference between having a knack for something and being really good at it, is what you do after you realise you have that knack. Stella Adler use to say: “You have to have a talent for your talent” - you have to know how to apply the talent that you haave.
The author Stephen King says on talent: “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
Of course it is easier to be a good actor if you are already inclined to be good at it. But good at what? What must you have a natural knack for? For some, it is a capacity for pretend that extends beyond the realms of imagination into reality. For some it is the capacity to take action under imaginary circumstances. Can these things not be learned or must one always be first gifted the ability? It is perhaps not talent, but your willpower that determines whether you succeed or fail at any task. Not everyone can be Dustin Hoffman or Felicity Huffman – not everyone can be Wayne Rooney, William Shakespeare, Nadal, Tiger Woods or Picasso, but does that mean they cannot learn?
To my mind it is not what you are gifted with, it is what you do when you realise that you want to do a thing that counts. Acting technique cannot give someone talent, it can only help to increase the opportunity to embody the skills of the actor.
To my mind, it is not the case. Talent is a false idol. Talented people believe in it, because it separates them from the pack. Most talented people find it exceptionally difficult to talk about how or why they are good at it, and they don’t like to tinker with it, because it might undo their lucky talent talisman.
If talent is what counts, technique only helps or hinders. If you want to learn to play guitar, you must receive expert tuition and practice all your hours. Eventually, if you do this, you will play guitar. You may never be Eric Clapton, but that is only because not everyone can be Eric Clapton.
Lev Dodin, the great Russian director tells a story of how he once was auditioning a young wanna-be entrant to the St Petersbury Academy of Theatre. She arrived in an ill-fitting dress, with a stupid hair style and delivered bad poetry badly. He wanted to get rid of her, get her out of the room as soon as possible, but he interviewed her as was the process. On talking to her, he found that she was a national athelete, she swam for her country, she wasn’t just good, she was an exceptional swimmer. She trained very hard, made great sacrifices, dedicated herself to success. After talking with her, he asked her to change her clothes, release her hair, and simply read an Akmatova poem. She improved, she wasn’t excellent, but she had demonstrated something of the quality of herself. She went on to great success as an actor and performs regularly with the Maly Theatre, Dodin’s company.
The girl didn’t have a knack for acting but she could demonstrate the greater qualities of character that we seek any person. What makes you a good human being makes you a good actor and these things are learnable.
Perhaps more than talent, your own character, those characteristics that make you – you, that are the signs of a fully realised personality – are the signs of potential for the actor.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Breath
From our first breath to our last, breathing is an instrinsic part of that each and every part of our lives. The breath is both instinctive and expressive, it is a vital part of our physical functioning as a human being, but it is also an essential part of our emotive capacity to express ourselves.
There are two types of breath, the inhale and the exhale, the in-breath and the out-breath. Breathing in prepares us, it fills us with the oxygen vital to thought and to fight or flight survival. The outbreath is how we communicate, it is the expressive breath. We ‘inspire’ on the in-breath and we ‘express’ on the out.
In times of stress or pressure, when we exert, many times, we hold our breath. Yet it requires a natural and relaxed breathing cycle for the actor to both inspire and express themselves, we have to learn to breathe thorugh toughest experiences.
When we breathe in, the 3-dimensional barrel of our breathing apparatus should become fully inflated, whilst remaining free from tension. Likewise, when we release the breath and all the air to travel out of us, we should allow the deflation to be entirely unimpeded. It is common for many beginning actors to have not considered their breathing when they begin taking classes. Many people think the belly button should be sucked in with the in-breath and pushed outwards with the out-breath. Nothing could be further from the truth. On the in-breath the barrel inflates, on the out-breath the barrel deflates. This process should be a cycle and not feel like two separate oppositional forces. The breath is an endless circle of in and out, inspire and express.
Breath is expression, breath is spirit, when we breathe no more, we live no more. It is ever present in our living existence, but we take it for granted. Each and every actor, no matter their level or experience should take the time to learn more about the ‘breath of life’. Breath is one of the few outlets for the actor’s inner expressiveness and feelings, without deeper knowledge, experience and exploration of the part it plays in acting, the actor is missing something vital.
Breath is projection, breath is tension, breath is relaxation, breath is articulation of thought and feeling, breath is inspiration and expression.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Should Actors Have a Website?
In the world of online marketing, there’s one rule: GET FOUND.
In the highly competitive world of casting actors, there’s one rule: GET DISCOVERED.
These days without a website, you simply don’t exist. If you don’t have an entry on Casting Call Pro or Spotlight Online, then no one is going to find you. So why should you have a simple, informative website? Here’s FIVE reasons:
ONE: It allows you to control what people find out about you online.
TWO: It allows you to tell people what you’re working on and builds BUZZ.
THREE: Let’s face it, these days, when people want to find out about you, they Google you. I do, I google everyone I work with to see what I can find out about them. Having your own website keeps the best information right where you want it, in front of people!
FOUR: It doesn’t need to be fancy, it needs to be informative and it means that you can direct people to your online resume/CV, headshots and some quotes from your most recent reviews. BUT, you must keep it up to date, nothing looks worse than an badly out of date website.
FIVE: Write a blog, people like to work with like-minded interesting people, write a blog on your site and you’ll always have fresh content. It’s a great way to show that you know what you’re talking about and share ideas, stories and projects with others. If you’re building a fan-base locally or internationally, people will look to your blog. After our most recent show, it was amazing the amount of Google hits our lead actress received – people want to know more about you!
These days actors cannot afford to be clueless about marketing themselves and internet marketing is where it counts. So what do you need to do?
- Register your Equity Name as a Domain Name
- Pick a Web Hosting Package
- Design and Build a Catchy (but not gaudy) Website
- Fill It with your up to date content
- Don’t spend a lot on this – if you want an actor’s website for less than commercial price, get in touch via mark@writingengine.co.uk, I work with some excellent web designers in the UK and the USA that will give you good rates on domain name, hosting package and simple website design. Why pay more when you can get your own website for less! I’d be glad to help you get a website that won’t break the bank!
Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Tongue Twisters for Actors
Good speech is an essential part of being a good actor. Exercising your mouth with difficult tongue twisters keeps your mouth fit for purpose.
Here are TEN new tongue twisters to work on at home. Do each tongue twister EIGHT times, getting quicker with each recitation.
- Mommala Poppala Mommala Poppala
- Peggy Babcock
- I carried the married character over the barrier
- Honorificabilitudinatibus (From Shakespeare’s Love’s Labours Lost)
- A regal rural ruler
- Green glass grass gleams
- A proper pot of coffee in a proper pot of coffee pot
- You Know New York, You Need New York, You Know You Need Unique New York (This was hard just to type out)
- Wrist Watch Wrist Watch
- Get Grandma Great Greek Grapes
Practice! Practice! Practice!
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
10 Practical Steps You Can Take To Advance Your Acting Career
Dear Reader
Thanks for taking the time to read my latest article. This article is PRIMARILY for actors based in the United Kingdom, which is my area, but I will do something like it for New Yorkers in the future and actors in Los Angeles too. We’ll soon have some great interviews coming up too, so keep watching.
These are 10 practical steps that you can do to advance your career, it presumes no knowledge, but is written in response to a recent email from Jeanine in London. It is written for actors that HAVEN’T already been to a 3 year conservatory acting course or haven’t considered some of these steps.
STEP ONE: Get good photos and an excellent resume. Don’t scrimp, bad photos and hand written CVs make an appalling impression.
STEP TWO: Get yourself onto Casting Call Pro, it is a great way for people to find you, there are LOADS of jobs paid and unpaid and it
allows you to stay connected, join a community and put yourself ‘in the loop’.
STEP THREE: Subscribe to PCR, it’s expensive but well worth it. It stands for Production and Casting Report and has grown from a list of acting jobs into a well organised organisation. Again, if you don’t have an agent, this is the only way to get yourself into the ‘loop’.
FOUR: Join the Actors Centre – This is for experienced actors and they have a criteria for joining, but it has excellent training opportunities with top professionals. There are some public classes for non-members, it’s worth checking out The Actors Centre website.
FIVE: Work for experience, do profit-share shows, do shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. These jobs are advertised all over in PCR, in Casting Call Pro and by reading The Stage.
SIX: Join the Union. Equity will protect you if things go wrong and they campaign for the rights of British actors, it’s best to join when you can. It’s not a closed shop like it used to be, so it has lost some of its power, but I would still say that the Actors’ Union is an important organisation to have on your side.
SEVEN: Read plays, go to the theatre, attend workshops.
EIGHT: When you do a show, send your resume and photograph to an agent with the publicity material and a very short letter (to the point) inviting them to come and see it and chat with you afterwards. An agent won’t make your career, but they will help. Agents are exceptionally busy and have the pick of the bunch, so you may need to invite them several times to different shows. If you have an incredible success, invite an agent.
NINE: If you haven’t been to drama school, many conservatories will now accept mature entrants, although their not famous for their attitude towards mature students. A friend of mine went to E15, but they were so used to teaching younger students, he sometimes felt it quite patronising.
TEN: Keep attending acting classes, in no other profession do they consider their training over after an initial couple of years of general training. Stay in tip top condition by taking acting classes and acting masterclasses across the UK.
You will notice that most of these steps involve cost. Yes, that’s right, you’re going to have to make an investment into your career as an actor.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Search
Recent Posts
- Tackling Talent: Part 2 with ACS Assistant Coach Ian Watt
- Tackling Talent: Part 1 – A Guest Blog from ACS Assistant Coach Karli Evans
- Know your Job
- Finding Fulfilment
- Do NOT Let the Director Near the Lighting Board
- A Few Good Resources
- The Wood for the Trees
- Lessons from Sandy…
- Making Excuses
- I don’t trust Acting Schools
- Advice to the Advancing Acting Student
- New Glasgow Acting Classes Begin Tonight!
- Gatekeepers: A Secret about the Acting Industry
- The Skills of the Actor
- The Craft of the Actor