The Dinner Plate of Acting Training
So, what's for dinner?
When actors and their families come to us for a
they are often lost in a land of a multitude of classes, teachers, and options. It can be VERY confusing to sort through the muck and figure out what is real, what matters, and what’s good.
During these sessions, I would often draw out a circle on a piece of paper and illustrate the importance of each kind of class as an item on a dinner plate. Parents and actors were always excited to finally see clearly illustrated what was important in their training. They would eagerly take home the ‘dinner plate of acting training’ scribbles I drew for them.
That’s why I created this donut graph above for you!
So guys, listen up, I hate to tell you this, but if you are working on a different script every week in your acting class (i.e. Cold Reading), then you are not really studying the craft of acting. If you are only taking an Audition Class, then you are not really studying the craft of acting.
At #CBYAS we specialize in Scene Study because Scene Study Class is the main dish and most important part of acting training. That’s not to say that the other items on your plate aren’t useful, but when your agent asks, “are you studying?” or “are you in class?” what they mean is Scene Study Class.
Scene Study is the meat (or the vegi-burger) on the dinner plate of acting training!
It’s not healthy to just eat appetizers all the time, yet sadly I see so many students who have spent most of their time in “Cold-Reading” class or “Casting Director Workshops” or “On-Camera Class.” While these classes can be good short-term, long-term they are not teaching you the art and craft of acting required on set.
Even with a slick audition, after you book the job, you’ve got to show up to set having all of your work done so that you can be present and in the moment in your scenes. With the proper preparation, you will be able to relax and be open to take direction, listen, and play with the other actors.
In my many years as an on-set coach, I saw too many actors come to set not fully prepared. Having booked the job based on a good audition, they lacked the skills and knowledge to deliver the level of performance required at the professional level.
It was always heart-breaking to see an actor’s time on set be short-lived because they didn’t know the work needed to be properly prepared.
Unless you have been regularly practicing at the on-set professional level, and doing all the work beforehand to be fully ready, you won’t have developed the strong acting muscles needed to deliver the performance required (even if your audition skills are sharp.)
Remember:
You play how you practice!
So what is the “work” (or the “home-fun” as we call it at my studio) that builds the acting muscles needed to be prepared for working on set? That’s what a good Scene Study Class will teach you!
#CBYAS is where you will practice these skills every week so you can effortlessly transition to acting on set successfully!
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Shoutout Corner
A long-term client of #CBYAS Mary Mouser is currently starring in the Netflix series “Cobra Kai” which was just renewed for a Fourth Season before Third Season has even aired in January 2021!
Fun Fact: Mary used to call me her “secret weapon” and would often drive all the way to my vacation home in Lake Arrowhead to coach with me when I wasn’t in town! We booked so many wonderful projects together and I couldn’t be prouder of her continued success!
P.S. I’m curious, how did you find us? In the past 20 years of being in business, #CBYAS has NEVER advertised (not one cent!) or bought followers or email lists.
Please let us know in the comments below how you discovered #CBYAS!