I am an admitted intellectual. Anything "touchy-feely" made me want to climb for the hills. Anytime a teacher asked me to send an energy dart at a classmate or touch someone's heart chakra, in my mind I was thinking, For crying out loud, just let me act, already!
What I didn't recognize is that was exactly what they were trying to do. So much of learning the craft of acting is an intellectual process. The problem with that is that acting as an art form is not. The craft is necessary for consistency of performance, but if craft is all there is, it will leave an audience feeling hollow.
There is a part of acting that is rarely talked about, rarely taught, but valued above pearls. That is the "it" factor. The connection that electrifies us in a performance. That elevates something above good, above great... and takes it to the level where comparison is unimportant. We are moved. We are inspired. We are changed.
That's what we'll be discussing this week on my internet radio show--Thursday at 8 pm Pacific Standard Time. Go set yourself a reminder right now! I want you to listen, I want you to call in, I want you to be a part of the conversation. We're actors; we're a part of a community. Time to start acting like it, right? :)
And for those of you that want to take it a step further, sign up for my online classes! The registration's up at the top of the page here. And if you have any questions, you can email me at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.
Getting help from an acting coach can be very useful for developing your acting skills. But acting is such a thing that, which is a very dangerous imitating someone else.
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