• The Death of Respect and the End of Friendship…

    Updated: 2010-10-31 11:00:27
    They say that you should never work with children or animals.  I would add friends to that list. Before you work with friends, I beg you to ensure that your relationship is tight. You see everything seems to make sense, you get on well as friends, why wouldn’t you be epic colleagues on a project [...]

  • The Most Difficult Tongue Twisters

    Updated: 2010-10-30 10:00:37
    Only a shorty today… In class, we like to test our articulation with tongue twisters, it keeps us on our toes.    Here are a few of the most difficult tongue twisters that I’ve discovered: The Leith Police Dismisseth Us The sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick (World Record Holder for Most Difficult Tongue Twister) The [...]

  • Learning from Shakespeare

    Updated: 2010-10-29 10:00:40
    Someone that I’m following on Twitter recently asked THIS question: Do you think it’s possible to learn *almost* everything you need just by working on Shakespeare? Is the greatest playwright enough? I think we should start with the simple answer, it is a NO.  Working on Shakespeare cannot teach you anywhere near the things you [...]

  • The Literal

    Updated: 2010-10-28 10:00:43
    The Literal is the first question in the ground work analysis of a scene in Practical Aesthetics.  Over time, my own practice has changed and adapted certain elements of Practical Aesthetics, but the Literal remains untouched because I believe it is a very vital part of understand the scene that you are playing.  It allows [...]

  • Tactics are Everything

    Updated: 2010-10-27 01:52:38
    When you have decided upon a working task to go after you in your scene, then you need to employs the tools of the actors trade – tactics (sometimes called actions). Tactics are entirely outwardly focused.  They are usually transitive verbs (horrible phrase).  Transitive verbs are simply verbs that can be done to someone else. [...]

  • Skill

    Updated: 2010-10-23 09:42:05
    Acting is a craft based on a set of skills. These skills are learnable. Many fine people will tell you that they are not learnable, to them, you either have it or you don’t. That’s their experience of the world, but it isn’t true. On the contrary the acquisition of skills is scientifically measurable, and [...]

  • The Fear of Being Found Out

    Updated: 2010-10-21 10:13:43
    Was talking to Jacalyn, one of our studio students about this recently, thought I’d develop it into a blog: Acting is a simple, intuitive, instinctive thing.  It can be trained, developed – it helps if you have a natural aptitude for it, but I believe it can be learned given enough time and effort and [...]

  • …But all the best actors are Method Actors!

    Updated: 2010-10-20 10:04:16
    Woh, slow down there, I haven’t flipped my wig.  It isn’t time to close up the studio and pack me off to the funny farm THIS week. The title is a quote from a discussion, well, no, from EVERY discussion I’ve ever had with the over-enthusiastic novices of the grand church of Method. These are [...]

  • Self: Consciousness & Awareness

    Updated: 2010-10-19 10:00:11
    The enemy of all actors is two-fold.  It is physical tension and self consciousness.  These two things can destroy an actor’s performance so easily that they are at the heart of all acting techniques and should be at the heart of all actor training. At the same time, an actor’s self-awareness is often the most [...]

  • The Placebo

    Updated: 2010-10-18 10:00:34
    I was listening to a podcast on NPR about Susan Batson, the legendary Lee Strasberg trained acting coach.  At present, she is the go-to person in New York City when actors are having a crisis of confidence and need a bit of fairy dust to make them feel better. – sorry – when actors are [...]

  • 7(ish) Great Scenes

    Updated: 2010-10-17 10:00:15
    I am constantly asked the same question by all of my students.  Can you suggest any good scenes? Well, yes I can, but I’d rather you sort them out for yourself is my internal response before I smile and suggest something or offer them the run of my personal library. However, I understand that if [...]

  • A Beautiful Piece of Dialogue

    Updated: 2010-10-16 15:21:01
    I was watching the M. Night Shyamalan movie Unbreakable, not a big favourite of mine the first time I saw it at the movies, but I thought I would give it a second chance and started to see a few glimmers of Night’s genius (somewhat missing of late).  But I found this absolutely gorgeous piece [...]

  • New York, NY Casting Calls: National TV Show Seeks Asian Woman, Blonde Brothers, Mom

    Updated: 2010-10-14 22:34:12
    Highly rated national TV show is casting for multiple upcoming shoots in the NYC area. Shoots will most likely take place in the next two weeks. There is no monetary compensation, but a DVD copy of the episode will be provided (once it airs) WE ARE SEEKING: *Not necessary to be brothers. We are simply looking [...]

  • Training at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School

    Updated: 2010-10-14 10:00:56
    Last year, I trained a young actress called Sarah, who wanted to develop her career by going to a conservatory. In the end and much to our delight, she got a place at the Atlantic Acting School in New York City. Here is a blog of Sarah’s early experiences: Since starting my training at the [...]

  • Recycle and not Reset

    Updated: 2010-10-13 10:00:29
    No, this isn’t a blog post about environmental sustainability, although you should be doing that thing too! When we are working at our acting studio in Glasgow, we use the term to refer to repeating the scene that you are working on. When we get to the end of a scene, we ask the student [...]

  • A Blog for my Glasgow Step 3 Scene Study Acting Class (A, B & C)

    Updated: 2010-10-11 10:00:27
    This is a test.  To see which of my Step 3 students read the blog regularly, since I started it for my students, I expect them to read it if they come to class.  It’s a supplement to their training and you never know, they might learn something. Please leave a comment on this blog [...]

  • You’ve Got To Know Your Shit

    Updated: 2010-10-10 01:00:03
    Action shouts the director, but only two weeks ago you were in the casting director’s office, you’ve only had the script for a week and so far you haven’t seen ten minutes of rehearsal. That’s how it happens.  BANG, and you’re on set, doing your job and you don’t get someone to hold your hand [...]

  • 8 Reasons that Professional Actors DON’T Need Acting Coaching

    Updated: 2010-10-09 12:00:48
    Hey! Thanks for visiting my Blog.  I hope you find something useful here.  The whole idea is to offer a resource of advice, guidance and okay, a fair bit of opinion too on the topic of acting and actor training.  Today’s blog examines 8 reasons why I don’t think professional actors need any further coaching [...]

  • What Would Johnny Drama Do?

    Updated: 2010-10-08 14:15:37
    See More Entourage Publicity Still at IGN.com Photo Credit:  HBO For those of you that aren’t in the know, Johnny “Drama” Chase is a character in the hugely successful HBO TV series Entourage.  Played by Kevin Dillon, the younger brother of actor Matt Dillon, he plays a strictly “C” list actor who rides the coat [...]

  • The What, the Why, the HOW and the WHO?

    Updated: 2010-10-07 16:55:17
    There are several questions that the actor should concern them with.  What? Why? and How?  Where? And When? Are matters of production and should not be ignored, but they are not essential to the success of the actors performance. On the other hand, these questions are vital. The WHAT. Simply enough relates the text, the [...]

  • Glasgow Acting Coach on THE GOAL

    Updated: 2010-10-06 14:14:14
    What is your goal? What are you focused on as an actor? Let me tell you what I believe to be true. Getting the audition is NOT the goal.  Getting the job is NOT the goal.  Getting through rehearsals is NOT the goal.  Getting in the can is NOT the goal. The goal is captivating, [...]

  • Major Casting Call

    Updated: 2010-10-06 00:29:46
    “MOBSTER-A Call for the New Order” Casting Call In LA and NYC Eternal Mind Productions will be holding auditions in the cities of New York and Los Angeles on Oct 27th,28th,29th and 30th for its feature film “MOBSTER- A Call for the New Order”. All the roles are Paid. Auditions will be held for the following [...]

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