It is highly important for the Actor to keep themselves in good physical condition. This is because it is part of our neutrality. Since freedom of motion is essential to the Actor, we must understand physical neutrality and be able to let go of tensions. Each preexistent tension is really a part of one’s own persona, and therefore it blocks …
The Actor And Their System
What stresses people more than anything else is trying to fit in with a system. But, when we look at it deeply, we see that we each have our own system, which has reference to a number of other people’s systems. Still as systemized as things are becoming in this brave new world post-9/11, the individual still has the ability …
The Work Of Acting
In order to be a working actor, you must first get real with the idea that acting is work! You have to work at it to be good enough to work in it. And I see time and again that in this field, probably more than any other, or let’s just say arts in general, people want the quick fix, …
Acting On Impulse
Acting on Impulse We live in a strange world, psychologically speaking. According to psychiatrists, we’re all mentally ill. That is the current definition of humanity and has been for quite some time. After all, we were all born sinners, according to many theological systems. These systems have the effect of making the human impulse an evil thing. By the …
Acting Beyond Psychiatry
Expression is the answer to depression; it’s right there in the Latin. Yet, we hear so much these days about psychiatric so-called illnesses and their “cures” —pills. These disorders have been falsely created by a network of psychiatrists who have negatively influenced our culture with their labels of people. I hear people often say: that’s narcissistic, you’re being ADHD, he’s …
The Actor Is Seeking Natural Emotions
All of us are born to Nature. Yes, of course we were each born to parents but, if you ask a mother and a father how they did it (besides the obvious), none would be able to tell you how. Since our individual creation is a complete mystery, it makes sense to be respectful of mystery when you approach Acting. …
The Actor Cleans Up Their Own Life
The Actor, as I have said before, must seek a certain neutrality in his own life, from which he can go in either direction. For this, I recommend living a clean and uncluttered life. In the artist, we must find some degree of asceticism. It is a part of us that would give up contrivance and, rather, take the truth. …
There Is No “They” in Actor Training
There is no “They.” That’s the basis of my philosophy. We are constantly living in reference to a collective “They” that does not exist and that colors and flavors our lives. They say this, They say that “You know what They say…” Who are They? And who are They to tell us everything about our existence. Each person has a …
The Actor Must Be Surfing
The most important thing in life is surfing! Yes you heard it right folks. The ability to surf is a critical reality in Acting. I am speaking figuratively in this moment. Stanislavski describes acting as chasing a mouse with a stick. In surfing we are doing a similar thing, but we are using our entire body to follow this naturally …
Actor training: Releasing the Inner Animal
The reason for the actor to re-animalize themselves is to be able to connect with the character he or she is playing. We each have a Nature, a Human Nature, and when we connect to that in ourselves, we can connect to the other personality. The intellect itself is a rather recent addition to the human brain. The frontal …
Acting is Everywhere: Learn Acting Through Watching People Act in Daily Life
Acting is everywhere. It weaves itself through our lives. I define acting as the conscious creation of an imaginary world, and the living within it. If you think about it, the world we live in as individuals is the world that we have imagined. Perhaps this creation is not always the fruit of careful deliberation—it is not consciously created, and …
5 Choices The Actor Must Make: Portraying The Character In A Scene Or An Audition
What is the character’s occupation? What does this person do most of the time? What clothes would they wear? If you’re in an audition situation, you want to come wearing clothes that would be appropriate to that character. The character has a certain socio-economic position that you want to portray. In acting class, this could simply mean changing what you …
Acting Uniquely Through The Script: Script Analysis
In acting class, play the script not the movie or the actor. When we first start acting we start emulating the people we see on television and in movies. This is a first level for many actors as they are beginning. Yet, it is important to move past this point ASAP. This is because, as a professional, you will …
The Actor Must Love The Character
The actor must love his character. If you do not love the character whom you are portraying, then you will somehow comment on that character, negatively. If it’s a comedy, and you are not really playing the character as a real human being, then you will be making fun of the character. There is nothing wrong with this, it’s just …
The Actor Lives In The Moment
What is the Moment? Or being in the Moment? In acting, it really means that you are behaving without reference to your fears. Your fears will always bring you back into your normative self, your named-self. All your fears are associated with performance or with being someone else other than who you are supposed to be. Acting is very Zen. …
Integrating Reality Training with Actor Training: The Actor is Starring in Their Own Life
We are applying acting training and character development to manifestation, and to connection with our true self. What most people don’t understand about Acting is that it is really about being true. The part that is imaginary is the character’s name, occupation, environment, etc. But you, as a human being, must be completely real within that imaginary construct. When it …
Acting on Imagination
I want to state that “Acting training” is not “tragedy training.” It’s not about rehashing sad or angry events from your childhood or past – which, I honestly think, is an outdated style of acting. I don’t want to be “playing a character” and be thinking about my “named-self” at all: for me, Acting is letting go of myself, not …
A Strategy for Students in Acting Class
Bryce Harrison: Key Student Acting Class Notes and Analysis Peter Valentino Acting Studio While you are not performing in acting class, use the introjection strategy. But what is introjection? It is the unconscious adoption of the ideas or attitudes of others. You can reverse this definition to suit your needs; instead of it being “unconscious,” shift that into “conscious.” By …
Acting in the Careless Age
We live in a careless age. The double entendre is intentional. We are careless, and we couldn’t care less. But when we go to the movies, we want the people on the screen to care. We want them to care at 10. That’s because a film world is a fantasy world. We are sitting in the chair in order …
Acting is Channeling
It’s interesting to me that certain religious conservatives ascribe demonic associations to Acting. This is due to numerous unfounded fears, but primarily rests upon a negative attitude towards channeling. Acting is channeling. This means that you are consciously taking another personality into your body. You are, in essence, possessed by another human being. Importantly, this comes with caveats. You want …
The Magic of Breath in Acting
It’s an important part of all magical transformation, including Acting, and the word is breath. The actor’s greatest enemy is fear, and the enemy of the fear must then be the breath. That makes the breath your best friend. In my acting classes in Los Angeles, I teach the Actor to have an inner calm; this is a neutrality from which …
Actor Training is Fear Reduction Training
Acting training is really, at essence, fear reduction training. Because of the fact that we have been punished for so many different behaviors, it sets up the fear patterns in each individual. As a result, you have these knee-jerk reactions to things, where you just get that fear in you. Our general thinking as a people, is very fear oriented …