Posts

Are You Equipped to Follow Your Dream?

/in /by

by: Joe Tremaine

We all chase our Dreams!

Reach for our Dreams!

Dream our Dreams!

Hopefully REACH our Dreams! 

At any point in one’s career I think it is wise to take a long, hard, honest look at your career to determine your strengths and weaknesses.  What do you need to work on to become better equipped to follow your dream? 

In dance, are you weak in a particular genre or area?

In acting, are you weak in improv, scene study, etc.?

Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.  Once you feel you have your list complete, then spend the most time working on your weaknesses – obviously! 

You must be totally honest with yourself in recognizing what your particular weaknesses are.  Your various teachers would/could certainly offer the best advice.  However, be cautious of getting too many people’s opinions.

Then, as you begin to turn each of your weaknesses into strengths, you will experience a satisfaction, a pride in your efforts, all of which will compel you to work more diligently than ever before! 

As your list shifts from the weakness side to the strength side:

  • You will become a more sale-able “product”!
  • You will become more SUCCE$$FUL!

Acting or Scene Study Classes – What’s the Difference?

/in /by

By: Carolyne Barry

It is important to understand the differences between “Acting Classes” and “Scene Study”? Up until recently, because I never really thought about it, I believed they were synonymous. Even the dictionary does not differentiate. But after researching the concept, I now know there is a big difference and you should to.

I believe the major distinction is like the difference between a “house-building” class and a carpentry class. One has an instructor to oversee the construction of the project, and directs the student carpenter on what needs to be done to the walls and railings, etc, -helping direct him/her to build that particular house before moving on to the next one. Whereas in a carpentry class the instructor teaches each student how to master the use of each tool, thus making him a master carpenter first, before empowering him to go off with confidence in applying his skill set on most any project. For the actor, who has no clear set of “tools,” he will eventually be lost without his scene study teacher, who in many cases held the actor’s hand until the scene was brought to fruition, – thus giving actors a false sense that they are ready to tackle countless scenes that have yet to even be written. In contrast, in a good acting technique class, the tools to be a great actor are taught first, and then applied to scenes, making the work more about the growth and creativity of the actor than the fulfillment of the scene as the teacher interprets it. In short, a scene study class may make him or her feel good about their work, but in truth they will learn more about their scene than they do about themselves as artists.

For those more dedicated to developing the building blocks to strong techniques (especially new actors) then “acting classes” are the way to go. I personally recommend starting with an acting class with a teacher who is using established techniques or maybe their version of it (which many do). Training this way gives new actors the foundation and tools to eventually not be dependent on their teachers to create quality auditions and work. This is why I am a fan of new actors as well as some self-proclaimed professionals starting their training with ACTING classes.