So, you may recall that a few weeks back Mavis Martin wrote in about my article called Just Get Better. In her email, she talked about daily practices — these techniques she works on every…
Posts tagged craft
Just Get Better
In this week’s column, I’m going to dole out the most outrageous advice I’ve ever given. But first, a little context. The bulk of the emails I receive can be put, roughly, into three categories….
Why Doing REALLY Good Theatre Is a REALLY Good Idea
I saw an amazing play this weekend. Like a phenomenal play. The playwright is a friend of mine and he’d been nudging me to come since previews. Our mutual writer friend also began nudging me…
Take a Big Risk
Some of the greatest performances I’ve seen recently have involved an actor taking a big risk. Putting aside all of the prep work that centered around plans and strategic choices, pushing down all of the…
Audition Ad-Libs
Last month, I spoke to a group of actors down at UC Irvine. (Have I mentioned that this most recent graduating MFA class blew me away at the April showcase they put on with Harvard/ART?…
Doing Theatre
As you may recall from a column two months ago, I’m adding some content here at the Showfax archives that originated in my first book: Casting Qs. So, here’s another of the chapters. This one,…
Trust That You’re Enough
My husband and I have a relationship that is built on two fundamental principles. One: Always trust that we each have the other’s best interests at heart (that way, even when we’re fighting, we know…
Best On-Camera Classes
As you may recall, a few weeks back I mentioned in a Your Turn segment that I needed some help putting together a piece on the best on-camera classes out there. I had gotten a…
The Empty Coffee Cup
I have a major pet peeve. (Okay, okay. I have quite a few pet peeves, but this one is major and it’s actor-related, so indulge me, wouldja?) There is nothing — nothing — that does…