I appreciate your acting teachers, and the work they do with you. I really do. But there is a distinct disconnect between doing Ibsen and Beckett in class, and reciting “It’s the second door on the left,” in an audition room.
I don’t do workshops to meet actors. It’s not to expand my mental database. In my opinion, workshops are for educational purposes only.
I don’t like the idea of people taking advantage of actors and essentially charging a hefty price just to make an introduction.
But I also think that workshops, proper workshops, are vital to an actor’s education, something you can’t get in your classroom. To me, it’s a group class with a guest teacher.
Your classes or alternative training will work on how to break down a character, how to break down a scene, how to make strong choices. I, on the other hand, will tell you whether you’re succeeding in that. Your teacher comes from the point of view that they’re building you up from within – I come from the point of view of the person watching you. Your teacher works with you on how you make the choices you make – I will tell you whether the choices actually coming across. Or I’ll ask you to think bigger picture about the choices you’re making.
I do workshops in order to discuss effective choices, and your idiosyncrasies specifically. How you come across, and what you can focus on, or do, to improve how well your choices come across. I want to help you communicate your choices clearly, so that in the audition room – we’re not working on your acting skills, we’re having a creative discussion about how to fit your choices within the framework of the character my team has created.
That being said! These are a few of my personal feelings on why I like workshops, be wary that this is not a universal opinion. Research any and every workshop before you shell out any of your hard-earned money.
Photo by chase.wilson.photo on Unsplash