Six things the world won't wait for

Accountability - Enthusiasm - Humility - Generosity - Industriousness - Conviction

I don’t audition actors before they come to the studio because I think evaluating their ability is silly before granting them admission to a place where they’ve come to improve that ability. I will stick with actors for as long as I have to to help them reach certain milestones and overcome creative hurdles—that is, unless they fail to demonstrate these Six Ethical Pillars consistently:

INDUSTRIOUSNESS

Hard work. Because it is my responsibility to accurately simulate the requirements of the real world in my studio, all work must be memorized. Memorizing lines is a prerequisite for being a professional (please never say, “Do I have to be memorized?”) but also because there is nothing to coach before the actors do so.

Everything I teach depends on organizing and managing mental distractions, “word retrieval” being the first and most creatively debilitating. If an actor is putting all of their conscious attention on what they’re supposed to say next, the best they can do is simulate fluency, i.e., pretend to act. There is no attention left over for argument, desire, or willpower, and without setting those three creative wheels in motion, the resultant arousal of emotion is impossible.

The actor who has prepared very hard but is struggling because of nerves needn’t worry. Telling the difference between a prepared actor and an unprepared actor is the easiest thing in the world: The first is trying with all their might to demonstrate their work, and the second is concealing that they haven’t done it.

The world will wait for you to calm your nerves; it will not wait for you to bust your ass.

ENTHUSIASM

We all have bad days, weeks, months… years. But this is simple: when you’ve entered the rehearsal room and a colleague asks, “Hey! How are you doing?”:

GENEROSITY

Think of it this way: Every rehearsal is like a dinner party where you can serve everyone but yourself. It will take trust and patience, but when it’s time to eat, you’ll see your plate is full.

HUMILITY

If we treat mistakes, dropped lines, silly choices, and trips and falls as part of the process rather than failures of the process, we will stay humble, feed our enthusiasm, and protect our self-esteem. When a trusted guide (or director) offers you an adjustment, please take it as an opportunity to improve, not as a confirmation of inadequacy.

ACCOUNTABILITY

If you fuck up just say sorry so we can all move on.

CONVICTION

Without this last pillar in place, pursuing the other five would be a waste of energy. The question of conviction is: “Do you believe in your ability to be great at this, and have you resolved to committing yourself to realizing that ability?” I have taught some amazing people at the studio who I loved dearly as human beings, but who were creative tourists. These people are typically hard working, respectful, they know their lines, they are kind and wonderful to be around, but they had not made their decision to make artistic-expression their first priority. There’s nothing wrong with this if they have no desire to excel in a place like New York. It’s just that the ceiling on these people’s growth remains very low because there is a fundamental, often unconscious, disinclination to push themselves (way) beyond their comfort zone. Without that unyeilding and torturous need to be an artist, it’s not worth all the embarassment and tears and trouble. But don’t kid yourself: if you haven’t found your conviction around being an artist, you don’t have a chance at taking your work beyond the acting class. Not here.