Typically I take classes as a way to maintain and improve my skills, and I look to the professor or instructor as the primary guiding influence. However, recently, a studio acting class I’m in regularly took an interesting turn.
This time around I was truly challenged to identify with my character in the scene I had been assigned, which is a good thing. If I’m not challenged in studio, then work in the real world is out of the question. It’s not that I didn’t understand the scene, but finding the inner crux of my character proved to be a larger hill to climb than I had anticipated. My primary hurdle was age-related. The character I played is at least 15 years my senior and identifying life experiences to utilize as affective memory tools proved difficult for me. Substitution is an instrument I could have used more effectively.
The acting dilemma I faced was nothing in comparison to the drama and turmoil … Read more »
 Last night, still concerned about finding a necessary prop for the evening’s scene for class and in a lovely moment of serendipity, while boarding the bus I bummed a cigarette off another passenger. Really, it wasn’t so hard. The passenger before me was already dispensing one to the driver. Before I could even complete the phrase, “Could I have one of those for my class?”, he readily said, “Sure!”, sticking the box in my face. Then, revealing my ignorance, I inquired, “This is the end I use, right?” After all, I was fairly certain the banded end was the filtered end, but more information can never hurt. The passenger chuckled in disbelief as I explained the purpose of my cigarette need and the driver cackled in surprise.
I’d never held or touched a cigarette before yesterday, but my powers of daily observation and kinesthetic memory stepped up, making it look as though I’d been smoking all my life. Despite my recent Marlboro experience, … Read more »
I’ve had a recent spate of fortuitous auditions (summarized in Catching Up), but nothing has come of them (so far). When my schedule allows, I always enjoy taking classes to improve my skills, so I’ve just begun a multi-week class to brush up my audition skills. After all, a good audition is the key to the door of a job and a bad audition can quickly shut that door. Reviewing the basics is always a good way to remain refreshed and keep ahead of the crowd.
In this case, my class is taught by a prominent, active casting director who knows the difference between what makes and breaks an audition. Each week, a variety of types of on-screen material are discussed, important factual and interpretive points are touched upon and then technique is rehearsed using on-camera experience with the copy. It’s always fun to watch everyone’s video–some are entertaining, some are successful, some are not, but each one is … Read more »
 It’s been a busy weekend. I had to purchase and learn how to smoke a cigar. (Don’t worry–it was for an acting class.) I went to four hours of class on Saturday. Sunday morning I went to work at Old South Church and then another six hours of class after that. All-in-all I have to say I was rather mediocre in all things.
My first cigar store stop was a total bust. Only the bartender was present and she knew nothing. The knowledgeable owner would return in three hours–too late for me. So, she referred me to another store only a few blocks away. Conveniently, the salesman was kind and understanding, allowing me to ask as many naïve questions as necessary to make my scene believable. The scene called for a high-end, pre-Castro Cuban cigar which was entirely beyond my budget, but the character would mock it as though it were a low-end, Romeo & Julieta. So, that’s the one I bought–the $6.25 R&J. I should … Read more »
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