Solve et Coagula
“The desperate need for coagulation.” In the world of alchemy, the precursor of science-based thinking, magic, and logic were intertwined. In the “golden bough” a book by anthropologist James George Frazer, one can see the history of magic, reason, religion, and science. It all starts with a need to “control” the environment and fate. A crude example of what […]
The illiterate actor of the 21st century and a war against the author and the text.
“Text is the enemy of the actor…” A famous teacher once said…. but a gentleman never tells who… Well ok Meisner said it! yeah, apparently I am not much of a gentleman… Let me be clear text IS YOUR FRIEND! And you know how it goes, introductions matter when you first meet someone. So a friend […]
Chekhov’s Five Principles
Michael Chekhov speaks about five principles in a series of lectures he gave to a group of actors in Hollywood in 1955. For example, the “psychological gesture,” which is externally invisible during performance, serves as “material” for inspiration during rehearsal and performance. This also applies to the “imaginary or energetic body,” the “imaginary/ideal center,” and […]
The love for art and the love for me, me, me.
A phenomena I see is the perpetual love for self in art instead of art for art sake. Stanislavski said it best, when he called out “don’t love yourself in art, but the art inside you”, the problem was in all probability as prevalent then as it is now. I am not saying loving yourself […]
# 1
I don’t only read acting books, even though people who know me best, know as a fact, that reading acting books is my main source of daily entertainment (yes I am boring) hey, I do other stuff too, you know…stuff that involves mostly uh… fuck it…reading. So to make a dull announcement even duller, I […]
FINDING YOUR SHADOW AS AN ARTIST
There is a social construct, isn’t there, a social norm, a social bulldozer that wants to level out and iron out everything. And it does. We agreed years ago (unfortunately) to be half. We all chimed, smiled, and danced to a Monty Python like tune “look at the bright side of life,” (a song meant […]
Please sit…tell me all about it!
The actor’s coach, Um…COUCH, I meant couch, yeah! Sorry, a Freudian slip. Ohboy, do you hear that? Do you hear that slight metallic sound? Heh! It’s the sound of a can of worms!Enjoy this small article on a HUGE subject! More and more teachers find it necessary to study and adapt their techniques and teaching […]
Self-confidence in a class.
I really don’t like delving into such mattersI am not a therapistI am not a psychoanalyst…n o t a d o c t o r! But I see so many people in the class ( even seasoned professionals) suffer needlessly.Again, not a doctor, just an acting coach; As an acting coach I sometimes have to […]
HOW DOES ONE APPROACH A NEW TECHNIQUE?
And why on earth “are we so f@&^ing useless ?” Whenever we delve into the world of a new technique, be it M.Chekhov, S. Meisner, it doesn’t matter; you will fail…My advice?…do so gloriously! You ARE supposed to fail! The technique is new…at least to you, it is! Every step, every minute (mī-ˈnüt) addition in […]
DUSTY HERMETIC BOOKS AND PRINCIPLES ABOUT ACTING
Apparently, one can find truths about acting everywhere. My friend and mentor, CT(the most brilliant teacher I know on the damn planet) has diligent eyes; he can trace didactic material about acting into nearly anything. Yes, anything, even books on kayaking. I haven’t perfected my game, it takes freaking time and a friend/mentor, but I […]
