Before they even consider your resume and experience something about your picture must grab their attention.Too many actors have pictures that would look great on their familyʼs piano or mantlepiece. Very few of those 8X10ʼs would get an actor entrance into an agent or casting directorʼs office.

Indeed, if you are attractive itʼs an advantage in this business. Everybody likes to look at a pretty or handsome face. All the same, being attractive is not enough, unless your looks are extraordinary. Even then you better have the talent to back up your looks.

I was coaching a very talented and quite beautiful young actress. Her 8×10 was glamorous and looked very much like this young woman. I asked her how often she was submitted for projects. She said at least once or twice a week. I suggested she get another headshot with very little makeup and her hair as casual as she was wearing it at our session. She took my advice. Almost immediately her auditioning quadrupled. Her ʻgirl next doorʼ look was more popular than her glamour shot.

I had another student, a talented comedic actress in her late sixties. The picture she sent to casting directors was taken twenty years prior and made her look another ten years younger. In addition it showed her in a provocative pose. Can you imagine the astonishment felt by the casting director when expecting a sexy forty year old woman and my nearly seventy year old student walked through the door? Try as I may I couldnʼt get her to take another picture that represented what she actually looked like. The real shame was she missed out on all the projects for which she could have been cast.

I realize she is an extreme example of self-delusion. She saw herself as this young sexy woman. Nevertheless, she represents, to a lesser degree, many actors. Ask any agent or casting director what they want from a picture the first thing they will tell you is they want for the picture to look like the person who walks through the door of their office.

You can type yourself out of work by having pictures that illustrate how you wished you looked or how you believe the Industry wants you to look. Look like you! Youʼre the product being sold. You donʼt submit a picture of a ruby then go in as a diamond. They are expecting a ruby when you walk through the door. The office down the hall may be looking for a diamond but you didnʼt send them a picture.

What else are they looking for in a picture? A real person! Models sell products. The more beautiful and/or glamorous the model the more the eye is drawn to the ad. Hence, there attractiveness brings us to the product. Actors, on the other hand, sell stories. They sell stories in which we, the audience, can identify.

Donʼt allow the photographer to over light you or to airbrush the humanity from your picture. If you have laugh lines, freckles or beauty marks, a bump on your nose, they make a statement. If you donʼt like the statement they make then have it corrected by a plastic surgeon. When you walk into an office they want to see you, warts and all. If you had a pimple the day of your photo shoot, or there was a strand of hair out of place, yes that should be airbrushed away. Those are temporary imperfection that will most likely disappear before any Industry appointment is made.

It is unfortunate but the Industry is not consistent with the kind of picture they are looking for at any given time. Do they want borders, or without borders? Do they want black and white or a color shot? Do they want a head shot or a three quarter shot? Itʼs hard to know what is the current vogue. If you have an agent or manager they will advise you as to what is the popular craze. All the same, if you donʼt have an agent/manager you will have to decide for yourself.

Does your picture have the essence of who you are?

When I look at your picture can I get a feel for the person you are? Your principal
picture should capture these qualities. An open and available personality can play an
important part in your principal photo especially if you are looking for an agent.

The eyes have it. If there is one feature that should be prominent it is your eyes. It is
the first thing the Industry looks at when they receive you photo. Youʼve heard the
expression, “The eyes are the windows of the soul.” In the Industries mind the eyes are
an introduction to the potentials of the actor. How alive are your eyes in you 8×10? Are
they rich with thought? Are they alive with passion? Can you feel the energy flowing
from them? Or do they lie flat on the page? The more specific the eyes the more
response you will receive from the Industry.

I have put the emphasis on your primary headshot. In this day and age I believe you
need specified photos as well. That doesnʼt mean you don a doctors coat and wear a
stethoscope around your neck, hence you are a doctor. No, it means if you wish to play
villains you surface those qualities in yourself for the shoot. For the beginning actor
these photos should be obtained after you have an agent or manager. They will be the
ones who will decide which pictures should be submitted for what roles.

Follow you instincts but be sure to listen to the advice of others. I had a student who
really wanted to be considered for action films like Tom Cruise. He believed that
because Tom Cruise was short he too had a shot at playing the hero. He was 5 feet 6
inches and I am being generous. I explained to my student that Tom Cruise had earned the roles of action hero after he had established himself in the Industry.

When you are looking for a photographer ask to see their book. All reputable
photographers have a book of past clients. Look at the photos of the clients of your gender.  Many photographers work better with one gender than the other. Bring the following list with you and judge the photos you see with the following criterions:

• If you were an agent would you want to see this person?
• Is there something about this actor thatʼs sets him/her apart from actors of the same type?
• Are the eyes alive and speaking?
• Is there a specific charisma?
• A confidence?
• A no-nonsense demeanor.
• Is there energy and/or passion?
• Is the photo inviting, intriguing, or memorable in any way?
• Is the photo selling the product, (the actor) in a specific way?
• Is this someone worth calling in for an audition?
• Are you distracted by anything other than the actor in the photo? (Busy clothes, too much makeup and hair, poor lighting, or busy background?)

Remember your picture is your calling card in this business. Make sure it is the best introduction of you possible.

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Ah, the imagination of the child who can see beyond appearances into the wonderful world of possibilities.  That ability to not only see, but to believe and then to live the adventures created by the imagination.

My mentor, the incredible Rosemary Harris, when asked to define acting replied, “Acting is dress up time in Grandma’s attic.”  It took a while for me to register what she meant.  It seemed to simple.  Could it be that the purity and honesty of a child’s imagination and belief system was all that I needed to become the actor I wanted to be?

Many years have passed since I learned that lesson.  Today I understand that it is the foundation, the basic truth of acting, and along with solid craft training it’s the secret to acting excellence.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”                                    

-Michelangelo 

The incredible acting coach, Stella Adler, on the first day of my acting training used the phrase “In your choice lies your talent.”  I wondered, as all beginning actors might, where exactly does this magical choice reside?  One of the first exercises I did in class involved displaying imagined dry-cleaning that I just retrieved from the cleaners.  I was given the simple action of removing the item from the cleaners wrapping and hanging the item up.  I was then asked to describe the article.  My lack of trust in my imagination became evident when I said it was a jacket that I was going to wear to work.  I was told rather harshly to sit down.

I soon learned that the article could have been anything I wanted it to be with an extraordinary history if I had only trusted my imagination.  Later that class when I was again asked about my article of clothing I said, “My father’s last words to me were to be sure I picked up his favorite jacket from the cleaners.  It is a hideous blue, green, and gray plaid jacket with gold and red threads running through it.  He loved this jacket.  Later today I will bring his beloved jacket to the funeral home so he can be buried wearing it.  I can imagine the smile this would bring to his face…”

When working on a script see your angel (imagination) and set it free.

      “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” 

-Albert Einstein 

Who would have thought a scientist would be an advocate for the imagination?  The great Einstein went on to say, “Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.”   Maybe it is logical to believe a scientist would have an extraordinary imagination.  After all, Einstein did influence the world of physics immensely with the equation E=mc2.  Was it imagination only that allowed this great mind to conjure this equation?  Of course not.  It was the cumulative effect of years of study that allowed his imagination to produce the formula.

For any creative person the same is true.  An actor must research any character, situation, or environment they are creating before applying their imaginations.  To bake a great cake you must understand all the particulars needed to do so.  Then, and only then, can you use you imagination developing your masterpiece.

“You cannot depend on your eye when you imagination is out of focus.”

-Mark Twain

You ask a man who walks into a clothing store what he sees.  He replies, “I see shirts and ties and jacket and suites.”  As Stella Adler would say that man would make a great bank clerk.  An actor must use his imagination and elaborate on all that is around him.  I continually teach that there is a magic word in acting and that word is specific.  Clarity runs a close second.  These two words need to be incorporated in all the actors work.

A few classes after the dry cleaning exercise I was given my first line of dialogue.  “I like springtime.”  I have never forgotten that priceless piece of prose.  Where, a few weeks earlier, I would have practiced “how to say” this gem (i.e. which words should I emphasize), I now knew that that wasn’t what acting was about.

Pages of work went into this simple statement.  I could have spent the entire class on describing my scene when asked to tell the class about my reality.  The great acting lesson was learned: one line, or a complete play, to a professional, deserves the same consideration.  Besides, any exercise that stimulates the imagination is worthwhile.

      “He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet.”

-Joseph Joubert – French moralist and essayist

In a article written by Douglas Eby titled, Michelle Williams on Acting and Imagination, he writes, “Imagination is central to creative expression.”  He goes on to describe the months Michelle Williams spent researching in preparation for her role as Marilyn Monroe.  The amount of reading she did to understand this complex person was extensive.  The article went on to describe the importance of literature in her life as a person and as an actor.

This gets me to my point: your imagination is dependent on the amount of information stored in your subconscious.  Carl Jung developed the concept of Active Imagination as a “meditation technique wherein the contents of one’s unconscious are translated into images, narrative or personified as separate entities.”  That information, the content that Jung speaks of, can get there in one of two ways: life experience or education.  Self-education is as important as any class you might take.  Read!

The Possible’s slow fuse is lit

By the Imagination.

-Emily Dickinson

Just as the imagination is vital to the actor’s work so it is to the actor’s career.  Use your imagination to set your goals.  Don’t be afraid to dream big and do what ever is necessary to make those dreams a reality.  The beloved Dr. Seuss once said, “Think left and think right and think low and think high.  Oh, the things you can think up if you only try.

The famed German composer Johann Sebastian Bach was approached one day by an admirer who asked how the master managed to think of all these new tunes.  Bach was said to have answered, “I have no need to think them.  I have great difficulty not to step on them when I get out of bed in the morning.”

The imagination is a bottomless pit.  There is no end to what you can dream.

Bliss was a short film made long ago by the filmmakers brining you Stages. It really has nothing to do with the article...except that following Bliss led us to doing lots more amazing work...

Bliss (noun): Complete happiness.  I like the sound of that – COMPLETE HAPPINESS!

What gives me complete happiness is teaching.  I can’t go a day without teaching.  If I am not teaching I fill the void by writing.  Teaching is truly my passion.  It’s my bliss.

What is your bliss?  What gives you complete happiness?  What is that something that when you are doing it your world seems complete?  Whatever it is, do it.  Don’t deny yourself your happiness.

If you have to dance, dance!  If you have to sing, sing!  If you have to act, act!   If you have to scrub toilets?  Well, you know.  (I don’t think there will be too many people standing in line to experience that particular bliss.)

Whatever you have to do in life, do it.  It doesn’t necessarily take training to dance, sing, or act.  You just do it–unlike a musical instrument which demands, from most of us, a certain knowledge before we can “just do it.”  To dance, move around the floor to music.  Simply open your mouth and allow a tune to spring forth and you’ll be singing.  Recite Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be,” speech and you’re acting.  It’s possible your friends or family members will be entertained and delighted by what you’re doing.  I say good for you.  Your doing what your heart tells you to do. You’re experiencing bliss.  You’re having a great time.  However…

If you are like me you will eventually become dissatisfied in “just doing it.”  You will want to be able to do the thing you love with greater skill.  That means becoming accomplished, more competent at your craft.

The harder we practice, the more hours we put into our practice, the more we will understand just how much we want to experience our bliss and how truly great out bliss can be.

Hence, following your bliss can and should put you into the pursuit of your dreams.  Wait, isn’t following your bliss and pursuing your dream the same?  Not really.  Your bliss is the fuel that enables you to pursue your dreams.  Your bliss should give you the drive needed to overcome any obstacle that gives the appearance of standing in the way of you achieving your goals.

* * * * *

I was having lunch with Brad Garrett of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame.  We were sitting on the veranda of a restaurant in Marina del Rey, California.  The marina was beautiful as was that particular day.  Brad was talking about his new Comedy Club which opened at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas on March 29th of this year.  He stressed his love for comics and his joy in giving new comics a place to work and grow.  It was then he shared with me an extraordinary story of a young Iraqi veteran, Bobbie Henline.

Bobbie Henline was on his third deployment in Iraq when the event that changed his life occurred.  Outside an Iraqi village on April 7, 2007, a Humvee carrying 5 paratroopers hit a land mine killing four of the soldiers.  The fifth was Staff Sergeant Bobbie Henline.  Thanks to the quick actions of a nearby soldier the flames engulfing his body were put out, but not before he was severely burned on over 38% of his body.

Bobbie returned home in a coma.  Doctors at the Brooke Army Medical Center’s burn unit in San Antonio told his wife Connie that they had no medical explanation for why he continued to live.  As Bobbie struggled out of unconsciousness he claimed later: “A voice was telling me I’m gonna be alright, my family was waiting for me.”

There was more to it than merely surviving.  At that moment he felt deeply and profoundly that there was a reason he’d been given the opportunity to live.  Something he was meant to do, something that would justify his life when the lives of his four buddies had been abruptly ended.

His recovery was long and painful.  The end result was facial disfigurement, the loss of one ear, and the loss of the lower half of his left arm.  It is not hard to believe that during and even after his recovery he had moments of utter despair.

Bobbie Henline was always known for his humor and during these dark times his humor would surface.  He learned how to deal with people who stared at him.  He bought a portable fart machine.  When somebody stared at him, “I’d crank one off and then say, ‘Excuse me.’”  Did it make people laugh he was asked?  “No,” he’d say, “but it made me feel better.”  It was one of his therapist that suggested to him to take his natural sense of humor onto the stage and do stand-up comedy.

Bobbie did just that.  He sought out small comedy clubs and performed in the equivalent of open mike nights.  He began to learn his craft.  When he felt he was ready, and through the recommendation of a friend, he approached Brad Garrett at his club in Las Vegas.  He said it was his dream to perform in a professional club and asked Brad if he would give him a chance.

Brad told me this story as we ate lunch.  Brad said there was no question that he wouldn’t honor this veteran’s request.  “If he failed at least he would have experienced his dream.”  Brad took it a step further and invited Bobbie’s family to witness his performance.  To his surprise and delight, Bobbie was not only funny, but so funny that Brad booked him for a full week of paid performances.

Today, Bobbie is not only performing in comedy clubs, but lecturing at high schools, community groups, and gatherings of veterans as a motivational speaker.  He believes his humor helps other veterans and burn victims.

People often ask Bobbie what they can do regarding severely disabled veterans.  He tells them “Live your life to the fullest.  Do what I’m doing — chase your dreams.” He is telling them to set an example for others.  That is certainly what he is doing.

Some of you may also know the story of A. R. Martinez, the winner of this years Dancing With the Stars.  A.R. is another Iraqi veteran who was burned–over 40% of his body, and disfiguring the left side of his face.  He wanted to be an actor.  He went on to star in the day time soap, All My Children, and was Grand Marshall at this years Rose Bowl Parade.

Are these gentlemen the exceptions or the rule?  There is no doubt that, though these are exceptional men, what they did was the rule.

Chase your dreams with a fervor, driven by your bliss, and discover what you’re able to achieve.

* * * * *

In praise of Brad Garrett

If Brad Garrett had turned down Bobby Henline’s request would Bobbie have given up?

No, Bobbie would have found another avenue to achieve his goal.  But, Brad Garrett did give him a chance.  That says a great deal about this giant of a man.  Physically, we all know how big he is, but it is his generosity of spirit I’m speaking of.  He so loves young comic artists that he has this venue for them to find their dream.  The venue exists for the seasoned professional as well to hone their craft.  It is also Brad’s dream in the near future to open a training center for actors and comics alike to develop a craft.  He is indeed more than just a funny man.  He is a man of many dreams.

Look for Bobbie Henline at your local comedy clubs.  If he is not scheduled to appear, tell the owners Bobbie’s story and ask them to contact this exceptional man and book him immediately.

Bobbie says, “Sometimes it gets to me, the way I look.  I still have those days.  I feel sorry for myself, get mad at everything, sit there and just cry.  I then pull out a picture of the smoking Humvee that changed my life.  I look at it to remind myself I’m here for a reason.  I’m doing the right thing.”

Share your bliss with the world. Become that person experiencing complete happiness and do the thing you love.  It’s the right thing.

Sometimes, even David Stott gets scared...he is producing his first feature film, with support from many of us at StageSuccess. You can support him by liking it! (Click pic above!)

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

That is probably the most famous quote of the twentieth century.  It was proclaimed by president Franklin Roosevelt at the beginning of World War II.  Never were truer words spoken.

Fear has been described as an acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real.  Translated, fear is the result of the unknown or perceived.  Giving into fear creates a roadblock to any and all goals.

Fear surfaces our insecurities: What if Iʼm not good enough?  What if I fail?  What if there are others better than I am?  What if I donʼt have talent?  What if…?

Letʼs eliminate from this exploration of fear the words “What if.”

We are all aware of the speed at, which a child learns. During itʼs early years a child is fearless–nothing is impossible.  That eventually begins to change.  For example, nothing develops fear in an adolescent faster than the belief he will be ridiculed or laughed at by peers.

The older we get the more we realize that fear immobilizes us.  Learned or perceived fears of making fools of ourselves, fear of success or failure, of inadequacies and others keep us from our dreams.

(Because my main interest is those who dreams involve a show-biz career, I will focus my attention on those individuals. However, everyone can learn from the following.)

Letʼs confront a possible fear: “Am I good enough?”

If this is one of your fears ask yourself this question: Am I spending too much time processing my feelings of inadequacy and not enough time developing my skills of adequacy? If you have a low opinion of yourself as a craftsperson, do whatever is necessary to change that opinion.  If you donʼt know enough about your craft, learn more. Put yourself out on the limb.

A Tony award winning actor, Michael Jeter, when asked about his successful career, said “I never go out onto the limb. I go out onto the twigs.”

Believe me there is more pain in never having tried than falling on your face occasionally. Numbness is the result of not trying.  Not feeling or experiencing life because you cut yourself off from what you want the most.

The great Robert Schuller said, “If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been.”

Be aware if one of your fears is the opinions of others. You know who these people are. They are your family, friends, peer groups, even strangers. No one has the right to have power over you, your thoughts, and your dreams.

There is a story attributed to the painter Rossini, which begins with his visit to an art gallery.  The dealer showed him around the gallery introducing the master to many up-and-coming artists. Not being particularly impressed when the tour was over,
Rossini asked the proprietor if he had any other painting in the rear of the Gallery.  The proprietor led Rossini into a large storage area.  Rossini was drawn to a stack of paintings leaning against the far wall.  He headed to the paintings.  He had to turn each around as the proprietor had placed the paintings so the front of the paintings faced the wall.  Rossini’s eyes lit up as he turned over one magnificent painting after another. Enthusiastically, he asked the name of this talented artist who so excited him.

The dealer admitted they were his own.  He had painted them forty years earlier.  He had never painted since that time. “Why,” Rossini asked.  The proprietor responded that critics had convinced him he wasnʼt very good.  He believed what they had said, and never painted again.  With tears in his eyes the art dealer asked, “Where were you forty years ago when I needed you?”

My feeling is that yes, it is wonderful when we are encouraged.  The art dealer loved his profession enough to stay in the field: he opened an art gallery.  However, had he listened to his heart he would have spent his life doing what he loved, encouraging himself despite the opinions of others.

The great dancer, Martha Graham, once said, “If you block your unique expression it will never exist and be lost. The world will never have it.”

Will you go through life free of fear and anxiety?  Of course not.  As actors we know it is impossible to enter onto a stage with tension and expect to do even passable work. Tension limits the flow of creativity.

I teach if itʼs true in acting itʼs true in life.  You canʼtlive life at it best and fullest with tension which is the result of fear.  It is important to learn the difference between nerves, butterflies, and tension. The butterflies we feel are energy producing, which can get you moving and create excitement.  Your enemy fear, on the other hand, creates tensions which closes off your creative juices and leads to inertia.

Academy Award winning actress Helen Mirren says, “Fear can sometimes stop you from doing stupid things. But it can also stop you from doing creative, or exciting, or experimental things. The control and understanding of our personal fears is one of the most important undertakings in our life.”

Donʼt be afraid that who and what you are isnʼt enough. Is one of your fears your physical appearance?  In the business of show the question of being the right look and age frequently arises.  It is true that beauty is an important part of the business. We like to look upon that which is attractive.

I mention in my book, Beyond the Moon, the film “The Bostonians.” The movie starred five actresses: Vanessa Redgrave, JessicaTandy, Nancy Marchand, Linda Hunt, and Madeleine Stowe. One actress was very tiny, one was quite tall, one was elderly, two were middle aged, one was young, some were plump, while others thin.  There is no one thing physically you have to be in the craft of acting and donʼt let anyone tell you otherwise. You are enough just as you are. Now develop your craft and become great at what you do.

* * *

Steven Spielberg says, “Acting is about courage.”

To overcome fear, you must let it go.  A butterfly in a cocoon knows, when the time comes to fly, it must let the cocoon go…can you imagine the butterfly dragging the cocoon around?  Let go of the past.  Let go of false ideas.  Let go of what people think.  Let go of statistics.

Understand that success is not a station at which we arrive, but rather, it is away of traveling. We think of success as the end of the road, instead of knowing it to be the process that leads us down the road. We can fear making mistakes, but we must learn that what appear to be mistakes are actually steps forward, and we can step over them. But, if you let mistakes become road blocks, you will never get anywhere.

Many of todays successful youth get it.  Taylor Swift shares this bit of wisdom: “Fearless is living in spite of the things that scare you to death.”

Q: [Our son] has been doing some work as an extra and we have been asked if we are members of SAG of AFTRA. Do you recommend one and do you need to be a member of both to be able to work on a SAG project or AFTRA?

A: To simplify as best I can: if a production is signed under a union agreement, you need to be part of the union to work on that production.

So, being in either union is good. Being in both brings more opportunities.  (There are other unions too, most notably Equity for stage performers.)

Certainly, if you are planning on having a career as a professional actor, you must plan on being a member of the unions.

However, once you are in a union, you don’t necessarily have the same opportunity to do non-union work.

This comes into play when, for example, a small production company wants to cast you in a non-union project. Getting a union member in the project can be an obstacle for them…and you want the experience and the footage that you would get from doing it.

A great position for an actor to be in is that you are eligible for unions, and that you join when you get a job that requires it.

Many times, children will get cast in union productions and invited into the union as a result.  No one is born with a union card, so they have to get the talent from somewhere.

There really is no substitute for research: the industry is undergoing changes all the time, and the decision to join a union is unique for each individual at the current point of their career. This is especially true of children, who may have unique opportunities because of their youth, their proximity to professional work (near or far), and the availability of their family to get them to auditions and jobs.

To kick off your research.

SAG is harder to get into; you need to be invited. The current initiation fee is $2277 + the first semi-annual dues. You can find out much more than I can type at their website, sag.org. SAG does some TV, but covers mostly movies and commercials.

AFTRA is a union anyone can join at anytime.  You just have to pay: currently $1667, and your dues every 6 months.  You can look up more info at aftra.org.  AFTRA does a lot of TV now, much more than they used to.

The FAQ section at both websites are excellent resources.

Also, there are talks of the two unions merging.  Again, things can always change, so take responsibility for your research.

[Editor's spoiler: It's about the student.]

The answer is simple: I have to.  It’s in my genes.  Here is a short “teaching” autobiography.

When I was thirteen and taking dance class my teacher saw me helping a younger child with the opening routine in her beginning class.  After watching me for a while she asked if I would teach the opening routine, which lasted about 15 minutes out of every beginning class, from then on.  I jumped at the chance.  My pay would be my dance classes free of charge.  I eventually moved on to teaching the entire beginners class of five and six year old children.  This earned a private class with my teacher.  I seemed to have a knack for teaching and getting free classes.

In high school my junior and senior year, the principal of my school asked if I would teach a dance class one day a week during gym class.  It seems I was caught teaching some kids the latest dances and the school thought it a good idea to teach the rest of my class because the Junior and Senior Prom’s were coming up.  I loved it.  I became one of the most popular kids in school.

I worked for Prudential Life Insurance upon graduation.  Someone heard of my interest in show business and asked if I would put together a group of talented coworkers and perform under the banner of Prudential at Veterans Hospitals, Old Age homes, etc.  I loved teaching and directing my coworkers.  What a great time.

To make extra money I got a job teaching for Arthur Murray.  As low man on the totem pole I was given the least desirable students.  The hardest to teach.  I admit I wished I had been assigned some of the talented students, to be able to spend sessions comfortably gliding along the floor for an hour would have been bliss.

Those teachers who had the best students didn’t have the rewards I had.  One student in particular was a woman who had braces on both legs.  How was I to work with this woman?  I admit to being fearful of injuring her in some manner.  I studied books and consulted doctors.  At the beginning I literally carried her around the floor.  It was hell on my back, those braces were heavy, but she began to feel a movement she hadn’t experience in many years.  I could feel the rhythms and tempos invade her body.

After more than a year we were at a Ball held by the school.  Over the loud speaker came an announcement.  They had a special surprise for Adam Hill.  Everyone left the dance floor.  A spotlight went on my student who was at the far end of the ballroom.  She removed her leg braces and walked to the center of the room.  Her walk was slow and awkward, but she did it without any help.  She held her arms up in dance position.  I walked to her.  They played a waltz and we danced to thunderous applause.  All of the exercises I put her through and the amount of homework she did allowed her to advance to this moment.  Shortly after this evening she moved to Florida and I didn’t see her again, but the feeling of pride in watching her and what she accomplished never left me.

I had been acting several years when I was in a play directed by a man who was result oriented and lacked patience.  The actors in the company were panicked.  To the best of my abilities I worked with them.  I prayed I understood this difficult man and his directions.  When the run of the play was finished several of the actors asked if I would teach them.  I had no idea what I could possibly teach them that they already didn’t know.  I admit having a thirst for knowledge and had continued to study the craft every opportunity I had when I wasn’t working.  I agreed to teach what I had learned, but for only a few weeks.  These many years later, I am still teaching.  As you see teaching chose me and not the other way round–to this day I am grateful.

Up to this point teaching seems to be only about me, but if you read in between the lines you will see it’s not.  It’s about the people I teach.  My rewards have always been about what my students have accomplished.  I am like a proud daddy.  I am as proud of my student who walked without braces as I am of my actor who has won several Emmy awards.  Do you want to see me angry: mistreat an actor in my presence, or be an actor who is lazy and refusing to live up to your potential.  It’s not about me it’s about the actor.  It has to be.

At the University where I developed a professional theatre program, the enrollment grew  from 3 or 4 students to more than 50 in a few short years.  Then a new Provost came to the school and insisted the program be changed to what she believed to be better.  I confronted her and told her that what she proposed was not what was best for the students.  Her response shocks me to this day (although I don’t know why it does).  Maybe she was right in calling me naive.  She said to me, and I quote: “Don’t be naive, Adam.  It’s not about the students.  It’s never about the students.  It’s about money.”

In her world maybe, but not mine.  It is always about the student.  The irony is she got her way and the program lost more than half the enrollment I built.  In terms of money that is in the millions of lost tuitions.

I have the knowledge that I have trained some of the great teachers of the future.  I hope they continue my legacy and always make it about the students.  That is where the true reward is in teaching.  No amount of money can compete with the joy and pride my kids have given me.

Love,  Adam

1. Set a new goal. Choose an action you can take that you are in control of, and can work towards…big or small.  And then begin.
2. Read.  Read plays, novels, short stories, the newspaper…acting is storytelling.  Let yourself be affected and inspired by stories and how they are told.
3. Watch a movie…but watch it with intention.  Don’t just veg out in front of the TV.  Is there an actor you like?  A character you’d like to play?  Study the performances; develop a critical eye…what did you like, and why?
4. Start work on a new monolog.  Do you need an audition piece?  How about challenging yourself with a role you wouldn’t normally play?
5. Make a video.  Most of us have digital cameras…why not create a character or sketch out a fun story and post it on YouTube?  You’ll challenge yourself to create your best (or silliest) work if you are sharing it with others.  Recommended for all ages.
6. Get in a class / work with a coach.  Obviously this is what we do…it’s also important.  Are you challenging yourself?  Working as smart as you can be?  Learning as much as you can?  A mentor of mine (T. Harv Eker) says that If you are not growing, you’re dying!  Feeling stagnant?  Get in touch with us or someone.
7. Celebrate your successes!  Be encouraged by your victories, even the little things.  All the small positive actions lead to big results, and it’s important that we acknowledge them and enjoy them along the way.

Have other ideas?  Add them in the comments section below…

But I didnʼt win anything…

Every one of us at one time or another will experience both sides of this coin. We will be winners and losers. The great salesman, Napoleon Hill, once said that in order to sell one encyclopedia you had to knock on a hundred doors. That means ninety-nine failures out of a hundred tries. I believe that salesperson will cut down the number of failures if that salesperson learns something new with each door that opens.

Before American Idol and all the other contest shows currently airing on television, there was a show called Star Search. I had a personal connection to Star Search as I directed the actors in the acting segment of that show. Here is a list of some of the Star Search losers. Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morisette, LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilera, Destinyʼs Child, Rosie OʼDonnell, Drew Carey, Ray Romano, and the list goes on. Can you honestly call any of these wonderful talents, losers? I doubt if any of them labeled themselves losers, either.

A little clarity may be needed…

I believe the benefits of these conventions is not the winning or losing it is the experience itself. These conventions are a microcosm of the real world. You learn from the experience. You are reminded of your strengths and weaknesses. You learn what you need to work on in order to guarantee your future successes. Sure itʼs wonderful to walk away from any event with a prize in your hands. Itʼs a confirmation that you have done well in the eyes of others. However, I have frequently thought the person who won didnʼt deserve it as much as someone else. Did the winner deserve the award any less? Of course not. No matter how much I wanted someone else to win.

The great statesman, Winston Churchill said, “True power is an individualʼs ability to move from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Where would Oprah Winfrey be today if she allowed the fact that although she tried her best she never even made it into the Miss Black America finals? By not making it into the finals meant she loss before she even had a chance to lose. Now thatʼs losing.

Lisa Kudrow auditioned for the role of Roz on Fraiser. She believed it to be the role of a lifetime and was devastated when she lost out to Peri Gilpin. She believed her career would never take off. She was a loser. A few weeks later she audition for and got her real role of a lifetime on Friends. She didnʼt lose Roz, she won Phoebe.

Why do we lose if weʼre doing our very best?

There are many reasons we lose, and a fair amount of these reasons are out of your control. They prefer a tall person and you are short. They want a soprano and youʼre an alto. Those reasons and others like them are not and cannot be your concern. There are other superficial reasons that may play a part in any competition. You may not have enough money to buy the best clothes or pay for the best haircuts and makeup. If this is true my advice is in the future is to be tasteful and inventive with the little you have. However, in the real world it is quality of talent, not your clothes, that gets the role.  Put your energies into correcting what you can control.

Is your body what the industry expects? If you are a leading man or woman you need to make sure your body is in great and healthy shape. You can do whatʼs necessary to make that happen. Exercise and watch your diet. If you are a character type make sure you are healthy looking. If not, do something about it. Work hard on your vocal and dance skills, voice and movement play a major part in any actors career.

Develop your talent so it is working at full potential and at the level the industry expects. This should be your main concern…and should be attacked immediately.

Letʼs take a moment to define talent.  Talent is composed of wonderful instincts that must be expressed, and the determination to achieve the goal of that expression. When these elements are combined and married to a craft, a successful result is inevitable.

Let me simplify here. That gut feeling you have that you can be an actor, along with your imagination; combined with the need to express those feelings is not enough. What you need to know is how to make that happen. This area of eduction, the development of craft, is too frequently ignored by wannabe actors. Donʼt be a wannabe. The more knowledge you have the more competitive you become.

“Stages,” (info available here) consists of my interviews with actors at different levels of experience and success.  It explores what they do to remain competitive and successfully move to the next stage of their careers. The film speaks clearly of the issues I just mentioned.

What lessons are to be learned from any competition or audition?

I hope youʼll learn how to be professional; to be all that being a professional requires.

Begin with these questions. “What qualities do I admire in successful actors that I wish to emulate? What is it I need to do to accomplish those goals?”

Detractors: If there are those out their that wish to discourage you from your dreams just remember many a famous person had their detractors. A magazine listed the five male actors they believed to be the best film actors of the past fifty years. Two of those actors attended the Pasadena Playhouse and were in the same acting class. Both were
voted least likely to succeed by their fellow classmates. Those two Academy Award winning actors were Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman.

Sometimes we discover that the profession we thought was right for us isnʼt. For those I wish the best of luck. The world is a big and wonderful place filled with joyful and rewarding professions.

If you still believe that the world of theatre is the one you belong in attack it with the ferociousness of a hungry lion.

If you were at either of the conventions I attended or at any other convention; if you are currently auditioning and not booking the jobs; if you walk away from these experiences “empty handed:” you are not a loser. You will only be a loser if you donʼt acknowledge that every experience in life is there to make us better if we will only take advantage of what weʼve learned and move forward.

Take the famous instance of the movie “The Graduate.”  The script is looking for the actor who can make Mike Nichols (the director) believe that Benjamin Braddock (the character) is actually in the same room.

Sure, Robert Redford might have been a more appealing choice for box office sales, but the previously unknown Dustin Hoffman was more believable as an underdog.  What makes this story exceptional in Hollywood casting lore is that Hoffman won the part through his craft.

Dustin Hoffman is no more or less innately an underdog than Robert Redford.  What Hoffman did was conceive of Braddock as an underdog, infuse those characteristics of himself into the character, and then convince Mike Nichols through his audition that that’s how the part must be portrayed.

This level of insight comes from an actor who spends enough time imagining the character’s struggles to dig past his occupation, his interests, or even his personality.  It’s not really an intellectual pursuit at all.  It requires spending time investing yourself in the script’s imaginary circumstances; really living in the crook of a particular character’s struggles and then noticing what comes up for you.

If you’re open to the trials and travails of the character, you will start to notice a transformation taking root in your breath.  What’s the true seed of character development? The breath.  How the character breathes is how the character thinks.  Every movement and every spoken idea begins and ends with breath.  It’s what bridges the impulses of the imagination and shapes the dynamics of speech and movement.  Look into it.