I often think of comedy like baking and tragedy like cooking. Tragedy is intuitive, fluid, and you can season to your preference and rework the recipe to suit. Comedy has rules, formulas–it takes skill and inventiveness to achieve good results, but stray from certain recipes and your comedy cake is doomed. While some actors […]
Happy New Year, one and all! A brand new decade is an excellent excuse to take stock of your acting career and make some resolutions. But if you’re anything like me, the idea of narrowing down your goals to something reasonable and specific can be tough. So here are some good starting points that every […]
Improv is an enormously valuable skill for any actor. You don’t have to be part of an improv troupe to benefit from being able to think on your feet, adapt quickly to your partner’s choices, and follow your impulses organically and fully. But improv can be intimidating to newcomers, even to those with decades of […]
If you’re like me or many of the actors I know, the phrase “work-life balance” might seem a laughable fantasy. But our culture’s romanticization of overworking is no healthier for an artist than anyone else. As we have discussed several times on this blog, an obsessive devotion to productivity will inevitably lead to physical and […]
Especially in the whirlwind world of film and television, it’s easy to get into the habit of applying the lightning round scoring techniques of a cold read. But eventually you’ll book that project that requires a deep dive, and when you do, it’s important to have the skills in place to beat out a script. […]
Collaboration is an enormous factor in any acting career. Actors must be able to work with artists of all personalities, training backgrounds and approaches. That can lead to actors, especially those who are young and/or new to the field, feeling obligated to include and oblige those in our careers that don’t constitute a healthy or […]
Whether you’re agent-shopping for the first time or looking to transition somewhere new, finding the right representation can feel like playing pin the tail on the donkey. On rollerskates. And it’s a live donkey. But finding proper representation is a crucial step to setting your acting career up for success. So here are some […]
Seeing as acting is ultimately a highly collaborative venture, it is important to maintain good working partnerships. No one likes a diva, or working with someone who sucks all the time and energy up with their personal concerns, rather than working for the good of the whole. But there are times (especially with non-union work) […]
A career in acting is filled with the kind of soul-crushing frustrations, insecurities, disappointments, and hardships that will make you want to burn down your life, move to Canada and join the maple syrup mafia. (Don’t do this but do look it up. It is fascinating and alarming). If you’re in it for the […]
Remakes and adaptations, always popular, are enjoying a particular resurgence with the advent of live-action Disney remakes. But even if you’re not dancing across the silver screen in the latest Renaissance revival, adaptations of classic works are ubiquitous. When dealing with the pressures of bringing beloved and well-traversed stories to life, certain challenges arise. How […]