The Artistry of Acting for Everyone
We would like to acknowledge that we are situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
Dialogue Class
We practice speaking and listening. We don’t practice conversing. We practice nothing else but speaking and listening. Nothing else but that simple back and forth of communication. It is a conversation with no subject. But the first thing that happens when two people...
Overcoming Shyness
Acting is an art of expression. And though we don’t train to focus on feeling (as feeling is a result and not an action) the truth is, the deeper a person can experience feeling, the better the acting. But experiencing feeling is hard. When you feel, people can see...
Humour
The ability to find humour in a script is easily one of the most important skills an actor can have. It’s humour that differentiates the maudlin from the deeply beautiful. It’s humour that ends the self indulgent drama and gives us the freedom of realism. And it’s...
Acting and Fame
I want to talk about fame and acting. I think it hurts people more than they realize— I know it hurt me. You know the metaphor about the carrot dangled in front of the horse? Fame is like that. It will always be out in front of you. No matter how famous you become, it...
Moving into Technique
When we begin training in acting, we begin working on “the actor's instrument,” the actor’s instrument being yourself. In our initial courses you are encouraged to deepen access to what I call primal authenticity, or your fundamental individuality. That training is...
Path
When people take up acting, they generally fall into three categories: they either view acting as a Profession, as a Fan or as a Path. If acting is a profession, you’re focused on learning techniques. You’re focused on achieving results. Overall you yourself don’t...