Archive for July, 2009
Balls to Talent!
I recently read an article all about talent and acting, and I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or scream and shout. Acting is based around being human, we all have that capacity, you don’t need to be extremely gifted, you need the basics and a passionate commitment to it. From there, it’s about getting enough practice to make you good enough. The line between awful and awesome is often very wide, but it’s also sometimes very thin. Because viewing acting is highly subjective. So, I say BALLs to talent, I’m not interested in it. Yeah, of course, I’ve got many talented students and have taught many ‘talented’ people. But what really appealed to me the most about them? What REALLY impressed me? They worked hard, they did what they were asked to do, they went away and did more work than was actually necessary to prepare and then they gave it all 100% without moaning.
So, I say BALLs to talent, talent is not a useful thing, it’s an intangible, useless, invisible thing. Yes, some people are very good at something, that’s a talent. But others can learn to do it too.
Talent is just a way of telling other people to get lost. You’re not TALENTED enough, and frankly, it’s crap. You don’t need talent. You need skill. Skill is far more interesting than talent and skill can be nurtured, developed, matured and trained. Talent is impossible, you can’t touch it and you can’t train it.
If anything, I agree with Stella Alder who says ‘You’ve got to have a talent for your talent’. If you like, you need to know how to DO something with what you’ve been given – regardless of what level of ability that is.
Acting is about being human, we can all do that. Those who believe it takes some higher gift, well, they need it to be thus bestowed.
Graft hard. Don’t give up and balls to TALENT!
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
Some MORE Auditioning Tips for Actors and Wanna-Be Actors
We may be in the summer holidays, but many people are still auditioning for shows and preparing for 2009/2010 drama school applications. Here’s my TOP TEN TIPS on Auditioning
1) BE YOURSELF – you’re the only person that they want to meet. Be yourself, be the best version of yourself possible. Don’t try to be something you’re not, on the other hand, you are there to sell yourself, so don’t be a mute mouse.
2) FUCK UPS – If you make a mistake, forget it, move on, if you fluff a line, forget it, move on. Don’t stop, don’t ask for another go, they’re already thinking about the next person. Don’t show. Don’t present your problems.
3) LEARN THE LINES – I can’t say this enough times, show up and know the lines, you can still make mistakes. I had a student called Llandyll who practiced his lines well over 200 times, he was still fresh and interesting when he did his performance, he still made a mistake, but no one but him noticed.
4) CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR – You are there to get a job or a place on a course. Act how towards your panel in the manner that you wish to be treated. Remember, it’s a formal environment.
5) DROP THE EXCUSES – don’t have a single excuse for anything, do what they’ve asked, impress the hell out of them. Excuses are just ways to get special treatment. The competition is too good for you to excuse your way into a role or a place.
6) DON’T SWEAT THE MONOLOGUE – Just pick one, don’t spend ages worrying if the auditors have seen it a million times, they’re there to see your work, not your choice of monologue.
7) BREATHE – It’s important that you breath, nervousness can really cripple you, can really pull you back from showing off what you can do well. Keep breathing, your life will not end if you don’t get a place this year.
DON’T SEEM DESPERATE – This is essential. I was recently at a inteview when some of the candidates seemed absolutely desperate for it, but desperation is NEVER an attractive quality. I was relaxed and happy to be there, I got it.
9) CHARMING – Be a charming, happy, intelligent professional, that’s your attitude, your demeanor towards the audition panel. Approachable, not aloof. Grounded, not off with the fairies. Don’t be smarmy, don’t consider yourself the best, go and do your audition, be a sweetie to everyone and leave with your head held high.
10) THE END RESULT IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS – You have no control over whether they like you or not, regardless of how good you are, they will pick, well or badly, rightly or wrongly. Never argue with them, don’t ask for feedback, don’t moan, just start preparing for the next audition.
I hope this helps!
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
Killing Creativity
Hey Blog Readers.
Today, I’d like to share with you a really interested story that educational expert Ken Robinson told at TED a while back. In many ways it supports why all of you became actors, or want to become actors, and why many of us struggled a little in the traditional academic environment, me included.
“And the school, in the ’30s, wrote to her parents and said, “We think Gillian has a learning disorder.” She couldn’t concentrate, she was fidgeting. I think now they’d say she had ADHD. Wouldn’t you? But this was the 1930s, and ADHD hadn’t been invented at this point. It wasn’t an available condition. People weren’t aware they could have that.
Anyway, she went to see this specialist. So, this oak-paneled room And she was there with her mother, and she was led and sat on a chair at the end, and she sat on her hands for 20 minutes while this man talked to her mother about all the problems Gillian was having at school. And at the end of it — because she was disturbing people, her homework was always late, and so on, little kid of eight — in the end, the doctor went and sat next to Gillian and said, “Gillian, I’ve listened to all these things that your mother’s told me, and I need to speak to her privately.” He said, “Wait here, we’ll be back, we won’t be very long.” and they went and left her. But as they went out the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out the room, he said to her mother, “Just stand and watch her.” And the minute they left the room, she said, she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes and he turned to her mother and said, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn’t sick, she’s a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”
I said, “What happened?” She said, “She did. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was. We walked in this room and it was full of people like me. People who couldn’t sit still. People who had to move to think.” Who had to move to think. They did ballet, they did tap, they did jazz, they did modern, they did contemporary. She was eventually auditioned for the Royal Ballet School, she became a soloist, she had a wonderful career at the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School and founded her own company, the Gillian Lynne Dance Company, met Andrew Lloyd Weber. She’s been responsible for some of the most successful musical theater productions in history, she’s given pleasure to millions, and she’s a multi-millionaire. Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down.”
When we teach, when we teach anything, when we train others, we must remember that we should not try to fit the person into the education, but augment the person, release the person, free the person, with the education that will move benefit them.
Have a good weekend!
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
Update from Mark Westbrook
Hello to Readers and Friends alike,
I’ve not been well for a while, so keeping up with the blog has been a bit of a struggle. But that’s going to change again soon. There’s lots of changes occurring for me in my life too and they’re exciting and I thought that I would blog about them. Firstly, we’re going to have a professional CPD masterclass in acting with Practical Aesthetics in Glasgow at The Arches on October 10th & 11th, we’ll keep the numbers very small, perhaps only 8 places maximum, so if you’re interested in a place, please let me know in plenty of time. Secondly, we’re going to have some new classes starting too in Glasgow, although that’s likely to be towards the end of September. I’m also schedule to do a Meisner and Beyond Masterclass in September for Raw Talent in Edinburgh, so that’s another opportunity if you live on the East Coast.
Personally, I’ve been successful in gaining a full scholarship from Shed Media to retrain as a television fiction writer on an industry-led Masters degree course at Glasgow Caledonian University. I’ll also spend a week at Moniack Mhor in Inverness-shire in early September on a writing retreat. I’ll still be blogging about acting of course, but perhaps occasionally throwing in some new lessons I’ve learned from the television industry.
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
Aut disce aut discede
It means ‘Either Learn or Leave’ and I offer this advice to anyone considering going to University to study drama in the UK this autumn, anyone training in acting, singing, dancing, and the performing arts anywhere in the world. One of the things that I’ve discovered teaching in universities, colleges and the conservatory is that there is a great deal of waste. People doing a degree in Drama, but not really learning anything useful. Yes, there is value in the hermeneutic study of drama, but there is greater value in the empirical study of drama. Drama, any physical activity in fact, is best learned through doing. There is no theory of acting for instance, there is only written commentary about the doing of the thing. Theory of acting is not useful, in fact, it’s use-less, because it does not advance acting, it simply creates a cycle of conversation that does not advance the profession, it keeps lecturers in a job. The trouble is that many teachers CANNOT teach the doing of the thing, so the theory (while it is fake) is an attractive job route. At least snuggled in academia, they’re able to hide out and excel at something.
I’m sure I’ve spoken before of my brother-in-law who bemoans being made to study the ‘theory’ of motorcycle engineering. I can perfectly agree with him, except that something written down is not theory, it is simply a discussion of practice written down. What I am talking about is what happens when you are being taught about things that do not help you progress and advance. Of course, this depends upon what it is that you want to learn. If you really went to college to smell the coffee, that’s fine, and if you want to know how Late 18th Century German Expressionistic Puppet Dance works, then fair enough. But most people go to college and university to learn to act, direct, write, design and stage manage. I would say that most just want to perform.
If you go to college to perform and you spend most of your time doing something else, then you are wasting your time, because you do not want to learn these things.
The same goes for an acting class that you attend. It must serve you. There’s no magic to learning to act, the magic is made on stage later with the collusion of the belief suspending audience members. Your training must serve you. You must be able to connect to the script and to your fellow actors. You must develop your voice and your body and experience working with various directors in many different methods of work. Anything else is superfluous and is not required.
I say it to you again, Aut disce aut discede! Learn or LEAVE!
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
Common Mistakes That Actors Make
As a director and acting coach, I am used to seeing a lot of the same mistakes made over and over. In fact, sometimes whilst watching a production, I see the very same things and why is this? Because no one has ever taken the time to tell the actor that they are making repetitive, habitual mannerisms and mistakes that are restricting their spontaneity. I’m not saying that actors should NEVER do these things, but they should watch out for them, as they are commonly mistakes or mistaken choices and not decided or spontaneous invention.
Theatre of the Gods
The actor constantly looks upwards as if playing to some Deity above. This may well be part of their memory process displaying itself but it should be avoided.
Theatre of the Ants
The same as the above, but the actors deliver their performance downwards to the ground.
Penguin Arms
The actor habitually flaps their arms at their sides like a penguin for emphasis.
Forklift Arms
The actor habitually uses movements of two parallel arms, and end up looking like a forklift. Usually comes out when ‘reasoning’ or ‘imploring’ someone.
Huggy Trees
Usually done by women in scenes, but I recently saw it in a production at The Citz in Glasgow with a man and woman doing it. Clutching at each other for support during an intense scene. They often do this by holding each other’s forearms. If you feel yourself doing this in rehearsals stop yourself immediately.
Trailing Off At The End
A common mistake with actors, instead of maintaining the power and energy of their action through to the end, instead they find themselves trailing off at the end of their last sentences, losing the dramatic power of the final sentence and potentially killing the power of the end of a scene. Common mistake during monologues, after a climax, the last lines become empty, rather than strong.
The Leaning Tower of Actor
This is so common that it was the first common habitual mistake that I became aware of as a director. I’ve seen this on things like Hollyoaks and in professional productions. As an actor, you must be well aligned and centre, your body must be tall and straight and your breathing regulated. But during scenes of intensity, actors tend to keep their feet planted where they are and instead lean their bodies towards the other actor, the target if you like. Unfortunately, the leaning actor tends to look rather silly doing this, and loses all power and status. If you have the urge to move forward, you must move towards your target and not plant your feet and simply lean in and end up looking like you’re about to topple over.
Shouty Shouty Shout Shout
Of course some scenes require raised voices, but many inexperienced actors (or those on Hollyoaks) find themselves shouting for dramatic effect. One of my university lecturers Alan Beck used to say he wouldn’t go to student productions because the actors just shouted at each other. I see this in productions at all levels and standards and Beck is right. The Shouty Shouty Shout Shout actor is not dramatically effective, they reduce their capacity with each shout.
There are obviously lots of mistakes and habitual errors that actors can make, but the important thing is not to get too self-conscious about it. Yes, you do need to re-train your habits if they are causing a problem, but spending your time worrying about them will cause you to shut down and lose your spontaneity. It’s a balance between the freedom to express yourself without hindrance and being enslaved by habits that weaken your stagecraft.
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
7 gift ideas for actors
If like me many of your friends, family or acquaintances are involved in the acting profession, you may wish to support them by buying them a birthday , Christmas or some other kind of occasional gift that relates to their passion for acting. But you may be stuck for ideas when it comes to selecting a gift. So here’s 7 top gift ideas for actors:
One: New Headshots
They’re not cheap, but actors always need up to date headshots. These are the (often) black and white photos that they send for castings and often appear in the theatre programmes. If you want to do something special for your actor-friend, love or family member, then new Headshot are THE gift.
Two: Subscriptions
There are lots of subscriptions that would be useful for the British actor and I’m sure you can find the equivalent in your own country. They are often necessary but costly and it would really help them out if you would get them a subscription to Casting Call Pro, PCR, Spotlight or their equivalents in your own country.
Three: Theatre Tickets
The theatre is expensive, and most actors don’t go often enough. Why not get the actor in your life tickets to see their favourite actor on stage in something coming to you soon. If you don’t want to be that specific, you can often get vouchers for tickets instead.
Four: Private 1 to 1 Actor Coaching
Well, of course I’m going to say that this one is good! But wherever you’re based, you could get the actor in your life some 1 to 1 time with an Acting Coach or Teacher. Most big cities across the globe have a range of decent teachers, check them out online and see what people say about them. Expect to pay anywhere between £25-£75 per hour for a good acting teacher.
Five: Books or Book Vouchers
An actor will always appreciate the chance to buy some good plays or other great theatre books. The National Theatre bookshop is one of my favourite places to get new books on acting, although of course, places like Amazon also sell plenty. In Scotland, I go to the Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland, they sell new Scottish plays and they can make a great gift, because no one else will think of them! New plays are safer as a gift too because it’s less likely that the actor will already own them. If you’re stuck for ideas for good books on acting, check out my Amazon AStore UK or in the US. Those are the books that I believe ALL actors should own.
Six: Private 1 to 1 Singing Lessons
Add another string to your actor’s bow by helping them to get a trained singing voice. There are often lots of singing teachers clustered around big cities, if you can, choose a teacher who was once a professional performer, rather than a school music teacher who also moonlights privately.
Seven: Audio Books/Audible Membership…
Audio Books are a great way for actors to enjoy plays and novels and other books whilst they are exercising or walking to castings or waiting in the audition queue. I’m really fond of Audible, but Audio books can be purchased via other websites and Audio CDs can be bought in most good bookshops.
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
Acting Classes in Glasgow
I like to hear about other people do it. Teaching/coaching acting I mean. Of course, the chances are that as an acting coach, I will see very few other coaches and teachers doing their thing. It’s true that I have a fairly strict code of what I believe teaching acting SHOULD be and what teaching acting HAS BECOME. For the most part, anyone can call themselves an acting teacher and that makes it dangerous because so many gifted and vulnerable people come to us for help and advice.
I was upset to hear a student talking about another class she attends as having over 21 members. 21! That’s not an acting class to me. Instead, it is a valuable opportunity for the institution to make dishonest money. I’ve had large classes to teach when I was in the conservatory and in the university, but the best classes that I’ve ever taught – for the student I mean – were classes of no more than 8, perhaps 6, well, okay, probably 2. This causes us acting coaches and acting teachers trouble, it’s hard to make a living that way, unless you charge the earth. Private classes are a part of what I do, but you can’t run an acting class and say you only have 2 spaces and that you’re charging £600 for each space – well you could, but…
Of course I understand that intensive full time programmes can have 16 students in a room and part of the time they are watching and part of the time, they are taking part.
I find the idea of putting 21 students in a room quite dishonest, I struggled with it when I taught at the conservatory and I struggle with the idea now. Acting is one on one. Two actors/acting students and the coach is the best possible environment for learning. Perhaps you could stretch this to four if you wanted to give two a chance to reflect and learn through observation and reflection. But ideally, I say 2. Not 1, because 1 misses that important relationship with The Other.
You see, as my friend Terence Zeeman taught me, drama – particularly acting is taught on the body, it requires presence and practice. That’s why I’m stuck for words whenever a student asks me to recap what they missed in class. What is missed, is missed. It’s not even about new knowledge, I suppose that could form a hand out. Instead, it is the presence, it is the training being done to and with you present.
If you’re looking for an acting class, ask how many people are in the class, if you find the number high, you will not, you simply cannot, spend that much time DOING the business of acting, because there is not the time for it. Sure, you can break into groups and come up with improv’d sketches and skits, but that feels less like an acting class and more like a drama group.
If you’re taking acting classes in glasgow, my advice, look for a small class, you’ll learn more, develop quicker and have greater feedback.
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
Inspiration for Actors
I’m a big fan of TED and one of my favourite speakers is Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love. She tells a story about ideas and creativity that I wanted to share with you:
“I had this encounter recently where I met the extraordinary American poet Ruth Stone, who’s now in her 90s, but she’s been a poet her entire life and she told me that when she was growing up in rural Virginia, she would be out working in the fields, and she said she would feel and hear a poem coming at her from over the landscape. And she said it was like a thunderous train of air. And it would come barreling down at her over the landscape. And she felt it coming, because it would shake the earth under her feet. She knew that she had only one thing to do at that point, and that was to, in her words, “run like hell.” And she would run like hell to the house and she would be getting chased by this poem, and the whole deal was that she had to get to a piece of paper and a pencil fast enough so that when it thundered through her, she could collect it and grab it on the page. And other times she wouldn’t be fast enough, so she’d be running and running and running, and she wouldn’t get to the house and the poem would barrel through her and she would miss it and she said it would continue on across the landscape, looking, as she put it “for another poet.” And then there were these times — this is the piece I never forgot — she said that there were moments where she would almost miss it, right? So, she’s running to the house and she’s looking for the paper and the poem passes through her, and she grabs a pencil just as it’s going through her, and then she said, it was like she would reach out with her other hand and she would catch it. She would catch the poem by its tail, and she would pull it backwards into her body as she was transcribing on the page. And in these instances, the poem would come up on the page perfect and intact but backwards, from the last word to the first.” Elizabeth Gilbert
That’s why there’s a dictaphone sitting on the desk near my bed and why there’s a note pad that actually sits on my bedframe and why each of my three bags each has a notepad and why my iPhone notes app is full of jottings. Never be caught out.
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
2 Plays for YOU to Read
Dear Blog Readers
Vast apologies, I have been locked out of my own domains by my web host for ages and have finally got access to be able to write another blog!
I recently got an email from the playwright and actor Grae Cleugh, he’s interested in Practical Aesthetics and we’re meeting up later in the month to discuss it. But it got me thinking that I would read his Olivier Award winning play F***ing Games again, I read it again and very much wanted to recommend it to you. It concerns an evening in the life of four gay men, but it’s characters and plot are a sign of excellence in playwrighting, and as a study of human relationships, I find it stunning. Read it.
The second play that I would like to suggest is called Pure Gold by Michael Bhim. I was lucky enough to have an interesting conversation about action with Mike Bhim last week at a symposium of playwrighting organised by the Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland. The play is about a man’s struggle to hold his head up in the face of unemployment and inherent racism. It is one of my all time favourite plays already. On the face of it, it could be just a plot line from a dour British soap opera, but it’s HOW he tells it with humanity and poetry. I see the influences of Mamet on Mike’s play and I was pleased to hear from Mike that he always carries a copy of Mamet Plays 3 with him everywhere he goes. A man after my own heart. The play is called Pure Gold, please read it.
Why should you read these plays? Will they offer you great audition monologues? No. Instead, they will offer you depth to your knowledge of dramatic literature and broaden your ability to deal with a different range of material.
Finally, I was delighted to hear that one of my favourite theatre companies, the German-based Russian theatre monks of Derevo are coming to Glasgow for the month of November at The Arches. I simply cannot wait. These people are 1000% committed, devoted to their art. They are literally monks workshopping at the temple of theatre. They have made the art of theatre their religion and you can feel it in every moment of their 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
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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
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- The Skills of the Actor
- The Craft of the Actor