CHApter five - The Value of Training for an Actor

Training

Value of Training
Workshops for Actors - Types of Training
Finding Your Teachers
Criteria for Choosing Your Teacher

The Value of Training

As I have talked about several times, the right training at the right times is the cornerstone to being a great actor as well as having a serious chance at a career. You would get training if you were going to be a doctor, lawyer, architect, accountant, yoga teacher, any kind of profession, and you would expect that the more of the right training you received, the better you would be at your chosen profession. Why is it that so many actors don't truly get that being an actor is a profession and requires training and the time needed to develop their craft? Don't be one of those actors. If you want this to be your profession, respect it and train yourself so that you are a professional.

For the record, I don't consider college or university acting teachers on the same level as professional teachers in major markets. What is called acting training in 90% of colleges and universities is not even close to what you would receive in professional acting workshops in major markets or in classes at prominent regional theater companies. Most of scholastic institutions are preparing you to teach acting, not to work and have a career as an actor (I have known and heard of some notable exceptions). Again, do your research. If you are not sure, audit some professional acting classes and see how they compare to what you are learning in school. I believe that acting training is not an academic exercise. It is an emotional, visceral and experiential training. When people with a degree in drama or acting come to me to audition for my workshops, most times I have to start them in the beginning classes. What's even worse is it will take me longer to train them because we have to dismantle bad habits that most have learned before me or my instructors have taught them. If you are going to college or a university, and even if you are getting a degree in the Fine Arts, I strongly recommend you study acting outside your school in a professional class, then utilize what you learn in your college and university scenes and productions.

I believe that there is not a lot of competition in this business, just a lot of people, and being a professional distinguishes the competition from the masses. Your work and dedication to all your necessary training is your "college" education in the field of acting. Unfortunately, you don't get a degree, but then again a degree has never gotten anyone an acting job. Like so many professions, even when you have graduated (in an actor's case, started working), you still need to continue your education in order to stay in the game of your profession.

Workshops for Actors

Types of Training

ACTING / SCENE STUDY

There are numerous choices of workshops for actors and they all have their place, time, importance and value. I strongly encourage you to start with acting also referred to as scene study.

• Acting / Scene Study classes focus primarily on character development, script analysis, emotional connection, and many times your voice and body. In these classes you do exercises, monologues and primarily scenes.
• There are various techniques or methods employed to teach acting. The two most known in this country are: Meisner and Strasberg (The Method); yet, there are numerous others. To make your choices of methods more overwhelming, most every teacher has their own approach to the established methods, some combine styles, and others create their own technique.

IMPROVISATION

In my opinion, there is no better workshop than improvisation (taught with a good teacher) to get actors to trust their instincts as well as help develop creativity, freedom and confidence. These workshops utilize games and exercises initially created by Viola Spolin. (It might be helpful to read her book, Improvisation for the Theater.)

• Like with acting/scene study methods, every instructor teaching improv has their own approach to Spolin or has created their own games and exercises to add to the established repertoire.

Scene study and improv, especially when taken concurrently and for an extended period of time, will create a strong foundation for the new actor. (Check "The Plan" in Chapter Three for my suggestions on how long to stay with your teachers and when to change).

COMMERCIAL AUDITION TECHNIQUE

Many new actors think that taking a commercial audition technique workshop is where they should start their training. It is beyond my comprehension, but they have heard that doing commercials is the best way to get started as an actor. I personally would like to track down those people who are giving out this information and have a serious talk with them and make them stop. This can never happen so I am doing what I can to dispel that ridiculous misinformed propaganda. Once an actor has trained for at least nine months minimum, starting to get training and work in TV commercials is realistic and reasonable. Know that in most cases it takes a good actor (with a commercial look) to book commercials. (Commercial types and "looks" are covered in Chapter Three, Knowing and Creating Your Personal Package.) I believe you should do at least six months of acting and improv workshops before you do a commercial audition technique workshop.

• Commercial audition technique workshops primarily focus on preparing you to audition for and, thus, book TV commercials. These workshops are always done on-camera and utilize TV commercial scripts and scenarios. The methods and techniques totally vary with every teacher. Commercial casting directors and/or fairly successful commercial actors teach most of these workshops. In major markets, there are a lot to choose from. Being a commercial audition technique teacher as well as casting director and actress, I have rather strong opinions on what comprise a good teacher and a valuable workshop. I believe that good commercial acting is good acting and that this class should focus on giving you the skills to do strong auditions, clean up any habits that you have that disempower your performance, help to distinguish you as a unique personality, give you the insight on how to find and activate your connection to audition material, and build your confidence.

Also, if taught by a good teacher, this workshop can help your acting and theatrical auditioning work. One of the big challenges of auditioning is getting into the piece. Since commercials are rather short (30 seconds or less), you will get a lot of practice quickly finding your connection to start any piece or scenario. Unfortunately with bad instruction, an actor can develop "end-result acting" bad habits. So again, do your research and choose carefully.

COLD READING

After training for sixteen months, it is time to take a theatrical audition technique class also referred to as a cold reading workshop. (I don't really know why they call it cold reading. Most times you have hours if not days to prepare).

• The purpose of this class is to teach techniques that assist actor to quickly investigate the audition material (known as "sides"), make strong choices, enable them to emotionally quickly connect to the character, sustain a strong reading for the full length of the material, and learn to tap in and trust the actors instincts. Theatrical auditions require an in-depth investigation and a sustained performance. "Sides" utilized for what is referred to as "Theatrical" auditions run anywhere from 1 line to 5 minutes. These workshops also provide actors practice auditioning for episodic, sit-com, soaps, television shows as well as films and theater.

Again, there are many different approaches depending on the instructor. Just because a teacher has a great reputation and/or some of your friends love him or her, that teacher may or may not click for you. So, once again, check around and find an approach that works for you.

When finished with this workshop, you should be able to start auditioning for acting work, but realize auditioning skills need to be worked out regularly like a muscle to stay in shape and get even stronger. For many, being a formidable actor does not always guarantee that you are a great auditioner (although, I don't believe you can be a great auditioner without being a strong actor). So, learning to audition well is a skill in and of itself that like acting must be constantly worked on to be competitive.

SPEECH OR DICTION

If you have speech or diction issues, you should consider taking privates or classes to work on it immediately within the first year of your acting training. The sooner you fix it, the sooner it won't be a problem. You want to clean up any speech and diction issues that might give someone a reason not to hire you. Often it's not an obvious problem, but the person they hire instead of you seems to have a more authorative, pleasant, interesting, sexy, confident, cleaner, warmer, etc. voice. Be objective. Ask yourself and people you respect if your voice and speech could use some attention.

EXCEPTION: Speech and dialects that are not considered common sometimes can work for you. It may be a matter of personal style. If you have an unusual voice or a dialect that works for you and your physical type, then it could be a gift, not a problem. Also, if you are a strong character or ethnic type, good speech is not as important for the majority of roles you will be auditioning for. On the other hand, it can be limiting. Again, ask people whose opinion you respect.

Also, for actors who have a good ear and can play specific physical types, it is a good idea to learn the dialects of the characters you might want to play; i.e., if you are blonde and fair, you might want to learn a Swedish accent. If you are a dark skinned brunette with brown eyes and a strong looking face, you might learn Italian, Hispanic or Urban Street talk, etc. The more dialects you can believably do for roles that you may be physically right for, the more roles you may be able to audition for.

SPECIALTY WORKSHOPS

I refer to specialty workshops as classes that focus on a specific type of acting work; soaps, sit-coms, Shakespeare, comedy and theater. Each requires good acting, but also necessitates the knowledge of the unique styles of the individual mediums. Soap and sit-com classes often, but not always, utilize a camera to shoot scenes and then you would watch the playbacks of your work. Again, most teachers are or have been actors or directors. You won't have to look too far in Los Angeles or New York to find teachers that specialize in each. Often a scene study teacher will incorporate soaps, sit-coms, Shakespeare, and comedy scenes into their regular class.

If you want to target any of these specific mediums or just want to be a more versatile actor, I recommend you take a specialty workshop in one or all of them. Unlike acting, improv or cold reading, one six, eight or twelve-week workshop for each should suffice. One session should give you all the necessary information and practice you need to delineate the variations in acting styles for your auditions. (You will probably need more training to do Shakespeare).

PRIVATE AUDITION COACHING

I believe that classes with other students are the best way to study acting. It is a process and the necessary information is absorbed from doing as well as listening and watching. Classes give actors the opportunity to learn by observing the other students. Often it is clearer when we see others struggling with breakthroughs and processing the teacher's input. I suggest that private coaching only be utilized for a short time (after at least three months of training) as an intervention if an actor is stuck or has hit a plateau in his/her development.

Many actors utilize private coaching when they want to prepare for a specific role. It is a subjective call whether it is of value. Most times you won't need to hire one, but when you are auditioning for larger more important roles or roles that you need direction, private coaches can give you an edge. They usually charge anywhere from $50 to $100 an hour. Some use video, but most do not.

CAREER COACHES

When an actor is ready to start pursuing their career, is stuck and/or is looking for direction, qualified career coaches can be extremely helpful. The good ones have experience and expertise in the craft and the industry. With their guidance, they can help actors make productive choices that often can save them time and even money. The sessions are usually one-on-one and can cost from $50 to $150 per visit. There are also seminars and workshop programs with numerous actors participating which range in price from $20 to $250. The price of those programs that have a series format will depend on the number of participants, sessions, hours and the celebrity status of the Group Leader or Career Coach. Again, getting career coaching is a personal choice. If you feel you have a handle on career choices and/or have industry contacts that will help guide you, then you may not need one. If you feel you would benefit from a coach, then check around and find yourself the most qualified one you can afford. I often recommend them for students with specific acting issues (that don't require therapy) or if they are at a crossroads in their career or life.

SHOWCASE WORKSHOPS

Once you are ready to showcase your work and seriously start pursuing acting jobs, then you might want to consider casting director workshops and industry showcases.

• Casting Director Workshops are one or two night classes with a specific TV or film casting director (and sometimes instead, an agent or director). Twelve to twenty-five actors are reading with an industry pro. The top showcase companies will have you audition to make sure that you are qualified to participate.
• Industry Showcases are a series of scenes (that are directed and rehearsed) and performed for an industry audience. Usually the show is comprised of ten or more two person, five-minute scenes and has a minimum number of performances. Auditions are often required.

SHOWCASES	AUDITION WORKSHOPS
2 weeks to 2 months (rehearsals & performances)	One night
Exposed to dozens of Industry pros	One-on one work with one CD or agent a night
Performing in a rehearsed scene	Cold readings
Material mutually agreed upon - $250 to $600	"Sides" selected by CD or agent - $20 to $50

If you do choose to participate in either of these venues, make sure to check out:

• The reputation of the people who are running the showcase or workshops
• The Industry pros who are the guest teachers
• Make sure it is not the industry pro's assistants
• The talent level and experience the actors in the workshop
• The number of participants
• The cost and the amount of time spent in each session
• Requires an audition to participate
• I believe that if the company does not audition prospective members, they are not being selective with the expertise of the actors. I suggest you should be among the company of dedicated actors - it is also a statement about you

If the showcase is put on by experienced and reputable showcase producers and directors, this is often a great opportunity for actors to be seen by agents, casting directors, producers, managers, directors, etc. who might represent or get them work.

Many actors feel that doing showcase workshops is like paying to meet the people that can help them get work and choose not to do it. On the other hand, a large percentage of actors participate in order to meet, read for, and thus network with casting directors, agents and directors. Again, the choice to do these workshops is a personal one.

FINDING ACTING TEACHERS

No matter what type of workshop or technique you choose to study, the teacher you select to study with is the key to success in your training. Most successful teachers are or were actors and/or directors and have a strong background in the industry. In the major markets, there are hundreds of teachers to choose from. I would venture to guess that only 20% of them are worth dedicating one or two years of you're your time. In local markets, you don't have as many to choose from and doing your research becomes even more crucial. Many times it's worth a long drive to a bigger city to study with a reputable teacher.

Suggestions:

WORKING ACTORS AND INDUSTRY PROS

Get recommendations for acting teachers from actors who have had success and industry professionals. These are the people who are involved in the business and have already done some of the research for you. Don't take the first recommendation. Talk to as many people as you can and when you start to hear the same names, those are the teachers you should check out.

TRADE PAPERS

Many teachers and workshop programs advertise in entertainment industry trade papers. Be aware that big advertisements (and even small ones) are not a good indication of the quality of the teachers. These publications offer you choices of people that you can check out, especially if it is a name you have heard from other actors and/or industry pros. Also, know that some of the prominent teachers hardly ever advertise in the trade papers; yet, many times there are articles on them.

BOOKS AND ARTICLES

Many teachers have written books and/or articles or have articles written about them. Read them and see if what they profess feels like a fit for you.

WEBSITES AND ON-LINE ACTORS' ORGANIZATIONS

The Internet is an incredible tool for researching information about teachers. Go on-line and check for acting teachers in the area you live or the one you plan to move to. Most of the more established people have websites where you can find out about their approach, background, costs, policies, etc. There are on-line actor organizations where you can get all kinds of information. Some you need to join and others are just there to help inform and support the acting community. Go into their chat rooms or to their bulletin boards and ask general questions or request specific information regarding teachers. Your will get various, if not conflicting, opinions. Decipher the points that make sense for you and then you can have these recommendations to check out.

AUDIT TEACHERS

Once you have decided upon the teachers you want to check out, call them to get the info you need to audit their class. If they do interviews arrange a time to meet with them or their coordinators for an evaluation. If they do, take advantage of it. That one-on-one time will give you more of a chance to see if you will be compatible. Even if you think they are perfect in your meeting, still audit their class. Meet or audit several teachers. Most teachers, except for improv teachers, usually allow potential students to audit their classes without a fee. It is my belief that you should not study with a teacher (other than an Improv instructor) who you have not been able to observe in their class. In this next section, I will give you factors to utilize when evaluating the classes and teachers you are auditing.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TEACHER

When you meet or audit your potential teachers, these are questions that need answers as well as factors you should consider to help you choose the right teacher(s) for you:

TEACHER'S APPROACH AND STYLE

• Does the teacher's style or approach make sense and appeal to you?
• After he/she works with each of the actors who go up to do an exercise, monologue or scene, do you see a change for the better in their work?
• Does he/she utilize the class time well: starting on time, allocating his time and attention equally to all the students, and dealing directly with what is needed and not going off on ego trips or telling war stories?
• Is the teacher supportive as he/she critiques students?

WHO IS YOUR TEACHER?

Many experienced "celebrity" teachers have associate teachers working with them and/or for them. They often teach the intro and intermediate levels. Usually most studios will have you audit the "name" teacher and probably the more advanced class that he/she teaches. It's the most impressive presentation for the potential student. I strongly suggest that if you like the teaching method that you:

• Ask to audit the class of the teacher you will be studying with and use this criteria to evaluate that teacher; if they deny this second audit, you can choose to enroll anyway if you want to be part of that school or I suggest, you move on to the next teacher.
• Find out how long it might take you to get into the class with the "celebrity" teacher; it might or might not be worth the wait.

POTENTIAL COMPATIBLITY

• Do you feel comfortable with the manner in which he/she deals with the students?
• Does he/she feel like someone you can totally, emotionally and intellectually trust to train you for an extended period of time?

SUGGESTION: Talk to a few students and get their feedback about the teacher, how long have they studied there, and what do they like and not like about the teacher/class.

SIZE OF CLASS AND FREQUENCY OF PUTTING UP SCENES

• What is the maximum number of students enrolled in the class?
• Class sizes vary greatly, from 8 to 60 people. I recommend you study with someone who takes no more than 22-25 students in a class. Be sure to find out the maximum. Some teachers don't have it in the literature and may not give you a straight answer.
• often will you be able to put scenes up?
• I believe that you work harder and learn more when you are in a class where you can work every week or at least every other week. On the average, 8 to 10 scenes will be put up in one session. If you do the math, that means 16 to 20 students will work each time. If the class has more than twenty, there is a good chance you will work every other week, every third week, or once a month (depending on amount of students).

It usually works out the more celebrated the teacher, the more students and the less often you will put work up.

CLASS POLICIES

• What are the teacher's or school's policies in regard to being late, leaving early, missing classes, refunds, payment schedules and what happens to your work- time if your partner doesn't come to class, etc. There are no right or wrong policies. It's what feels right for you. Knowing them before you start acknowledges you choose to agree and respect them.
• One policy that I would suggest you give consideration to is what happens if your scene partner has to miss a class. Does that mean that even though you are prepared and present you will just have to watch? In the acting classes in my workshop program, the teacher allows for a student to do a monologue or a cold reading if the partner is absent. If participating is important to you, find out about how his/her policies cover this.
• Most actors never check out the teacher's policies then get upset when they discover that what they assumed was the case wasn't. It's definitely worth finding out in advance.

Once you have decided upon the teachers you want to check out, call them to get the info you need to audit their class. If they do interviews arrange a time to meet with them or their coordinators for an evaluation. If they do, take advantage of it. That one-on-one time will give you more of a chance to see if you will be compatible. Even if you think they are perfect in your meeting, still audit their class. Meet or audit several teachers. Most teachers, except for improv teachers, usually allow potential students to audit their classes without a fee. It is my belief that you should not study with a teacher (other than an Improv instructor) who you have not been able to observe in their class. In this next section, I will give you factors to utilize when evaluating the classes and teachers you are auditing.

COST

The teacher or the school determines the cost of any class. Often the more experienced and/or celebrated the teacher, the higher the monthly fee. At this time, in major markets, classes can range from $100 to $250 a month. For those whose fees are at the lower end of the scale, I suggest you really investigate the teacher and his/her ability to teach. Remember the adage "you get what you pay for." There are always exemptions. You could find the next great "guru" teacher at the beginning of his/her career.

If you consider working with a teacher on the upper end of the pay scale, make sure he/she is worth it to you and your career. Just because someone is more expensive, it doesn't always mean they are the best for you.

Also find out if: