Three C's of Acting Group Class in Provo/Orem UT

Okay, everyone! Here are the details for the group class that I will be teaching locally in the Provo/Orem area of Utah.

I have a unique style of teaching that will help you to unlock your individual style as an actor and allow your presence to explode on stage or in front of the camera. The results can be stunning, and reach beyond just the acting class. The process is designed to be transformative.

The Three C's are connection, communication and commitment.

The approach I use is largely Stanislavski-based, but incorporates elements of many other disciplines. I also work with you to really open up and connect. It will get personal, but in a very good way. :)

We will start off with a short monologue that you will select and memorize before the class starts. We'll dive in immediately. The monologue will help me get to know you and what it is that you need in your process.

After that, we will work on scenes together, either one or two depending on the number of students and how detailed we get with each scene. I leave it open-ended as each actor is different. One size does not fit all in this case.

In addition to the acting work we'll be doing, we will also have discussions about real-world steps you can take to create more opportunities for yourself to act. Whether you are doing this as a hobby or as a career, I can help you to move forward.

Right now, the venue is a bit up in the air. More than likely, we will be doing them at the Echo Theatre, but that could change. It will definitely be in the Provo/Orem area, however. More details to come!

**UPDATE ON LOCATION**
The classes will be held in a residence in Orem, inside a studio space in that home. It's near the intersection of State Street and 400 South. I'll send you the exact address and instructions for parking, etc. once you've signed up for the class.
The class will run every Tuesday starting July 1st at 7pm and will run for six weeks. There will be two weeks in the middle (July 29th and August 5th) where I will be out of town, so the six classes will extend until August 19th.

Class size won't go over 12. If the class gets bigger than that, we will split into two groups, so that everyone gets personal attention. In this case, smaller=better. :)

The cost for the class is $150. If you can't afford the $150 right now, you can pay a nonrefundable deposit of $35 to hold your place in the group. Then you would only need to come up with the remaining $115 before the first day of classes.

So, the way to sign up for the class is to go to the scroll-down menu above, select the options you would like, then click the "Buy Now" button below the menu. payment button above. To reserve your place in the class you can choose one of two options: "Three C's of Acting deposit" or "Three C's of Acting full amount." Once you've either paid the deposit or the full amount, I'll get an email confirming that fact, and you will be officially enrolled in the class.

If you chose to pay a deposit right now, payment will be due the first day of class, and can either be paid online or by cash, check or by credit card before class starts.

It's going to be an amazing class, and space is limited, so sign up today!

Fear of...

It seems like such a simple choice, really.

So, time to talk about fears again. Seems like I'm doing that all the time.

But I've found that one of the truths of my life is that my fears do a lot more steering of my life's boat than I do. And I would like for that to no longer be true.

At one point, I'm relatively certain, I've spoken about the importance of acknowledging our fear. If I haven't, here it is in a nutshell, using the example of an audition or performance.

Walking into an audition or performance, trying to hide the fact that we're nervous, is a recipe for disaster. But when I not only acknowledge that I'm afraid, but WHY I'm afraid, things get better. The fear never goes away entirely, but it does diminish.

One of the fears we have going into an audition or performance is that we'll fail. We care so much about acting, and the terror of falling flat on our faces is almost crippling. And that's a real fear.

In another way, it isn't really. Because no matter how amazing our performance or audition is, it won't be perfect. And no matter how bad, there is more than likely some small gem in there somewhere, if you look hard enough for it. It really depends on where our focus is. If we're looking for the bad, we'll find it. Conversely... well, you get the idea.

Thing is, that's not what I'm talking about today. What I want to talk about is something far more challenging, I think. And also something far less obvious.

I want to talk about the fear of success.

No, no. You keep that filthy lucre to yourself, moneybags.

That's right. You did not misread that statement.

Some of you read that and said, "YES. That is EXACTLY what I'm afraid of. Thank you so much for articulating it." Others looked, scratched their heads and went, "Huh?"

How can we be afraid of success? Isn't that what we want? What we're shooting for? Don't we long for it with every fiber of our being?

Turns out, the answer to that last question is a resounding, "No." Because if that weren't the case, we'd already be successful.

We are powerful creatures, we humans. Capable of changing the world around us in massive, sometimes terrifying ways. We are not weak.

Except when we chose to be.

Okay. Enough metaphysics. The thing is, we sabotage ourselves all the time.

"But what is there to fear about success?" you might very well ask.

Well, if we're successful, then all of the sudden there's pressure to stay successful, isn't there? We start by thinking, "If I just had an agent, things would be fantastic." Then we get an agent, and from there it's, "Man, if I could just get a callback! I'm so afraid my agent's going to drop me." Then it's, "Okay, I am so SICK of day-player parts." "I'm over these guest starring roles." "Why can't I just break into film??" "What does it take to be a bona fide star?"

And finally... "How on Earth can I keep this career going?"

There's another part of it, too. Many of us are conditioned to see fame or fortune as inherently bad, as much as we may chase it.

I was struggling with my writing this last week. I mean, really struggling. I was writing, but I felt like I was slogging through molasses.

My writing partner suggested that maybe I was afraid of success. I agreed. This is something we've talked about quite a lot. She also suggested that I was afraid of money. Again, something we've talked about, although this one's harder for me. I have issues with money that I can trace back to some very specific experiences in my youth.

But even after the conversation, I was still having a tough time of it. Slogging along, hating my life, wanting to write well but convinced it would never happen. And on some level, wanting to forget it all and go back to being in real financial trouble. Because that's how miserable I was.

I was afraid of success and money, yes. But why?

And then it came to me. A flash of insight. I believed, on some fundamental level, that if I became wealthy, I would also become a bad man.

I had been taught, from an early age, two things that I had accepted as truth. One was that men were inherently evil. And the other was that wealth turned people into complete jerks.

Neither one of those statements are true.

Problem is, you can find ready examples of both. Are there men who do terrible things? Yes. Resoundingly yes. Are there wealthy people who are, for lack of a better term, jackasses? Again, most assuredly yes.

But being a man does not make me evil. Neither does being wealthy.

Wealth and success are not evil. They are tools. And when they are wielded in a conscious way, they can both achieve magnificent things.

Used unconsciously, they give us great power to destroy ourselves and others.

So the fear was... and is... real. And it's also a choice. I get to decide who I will be if I become enormously successful. And I do that on a day-in, day-out basis.

Once that came to me, I began writing faster than I ever had before. It's not like the problem is solved. I still don't love editing. Blech. And I'm sure I'll have days where it'll feel like I'm slogging along.

But I have another tool now.

So if you find that you're struggling, ask yourself if it's possible that you're afraid of success. And look at what a successful future might look like--the good AND the bad. And then figure out if you really want it, make plans on how to deal with the bad, and move forward.

And then let me know what happens. :)