Skills
Aka: The most important investment you’ll make as an actor
Alright
As with any craft
To begin
We start at the end
Death
Why death?
Because death provides meaning
It gives us a finite amount of time to contribute value to this earth
To make this world a tiny bit better because you gave your work during your existence
*Chefs kiss*
When I coach other artists & performers
None of them are striving to contribute their average level of performance
They want to give everything they can
They want to provide as much value as possible
So they can place their head on the pillow feeling fulfilled
Feeling grateful that they allowed themselves to express themselves
Joyful that they got to play as freely as they did as a kid
Point being
We only have so much time
So why not make it meaningful
Why not make the craft and the career as meaningful & joyful as possible?
“Meaning”
For the vast majority of the homo sapien experience
The meaning of life has been very simple
Survive
why?
Because surviving has been so bloody hard
Every part of our biology is designed for one thing… survival
For hundreds of thousands of years
(Up until less than a hundred years ago!)
A mere scratch could mean death
A human being standing alone and naked in the wild is bloody vulnerable creature
And just to survive and raise the next generation was an incredible feat
It meant the continuation of the species
But change occurred
Something allowed us to go from the middle of the food chain
To the top
Connection (& technology - but let’s put that aside for now)
Let’s look at connection
Human relationships
Our attachments to each other
Allowed us to climb the food chain
Connections meant more resources & watchful eyes
Connections meant better protection and ability to provide
Thus
Connection equals Survival which equals meaning
Now
What influences connection?
Stories
Stories helped the group connect
Both literal (Doug got eaten by bear at water hole, so don’t go to there)
And symbolic (in doing our work together today we will be pulling the sun from one horizon to the other)
So
Stories = connection = survival = meaning
Now
How does one tell a story?
This is where individuals get to play their way
Some direct
Some edit
Some make tiktoks
Some sing
Some do poetry
Some dance
Some paint
Some do puppetry
Some tell jokes
Some act
ACTING
Acting helps tell stories
Stories help individuals connect
Connections help the group survive
Surviving another day
Another generation
Bloody meaningful
**another chef’s kiss**
Therefore
Acting can be bloody meaningful if you want it to be
Let’s talk acting
And as with any craft
It requires…
Drumroll
SKILLS
But hang on
Before we start identifying which skills we need to improve our craft
We have to identify what is the specific craft that we want to get better at
Let’s get more specific than just saying “acting"
Saying you want to get better at acting is like saying “I want to get better as an athlete”
It’s very generalised
A powerlifter is not going to train the same skills as a sprinter or long jumper or gymnast
Get. Specific.
What kind of acting are we talking about?
Different kinds of acting require different skills
For example
Theatre acting comes with a non-negotiable
The audience member at sitting in the back row has to hear you
Comedy comes with it’s own requirements
In particular when it comes to rhythm and pace
As does Brechtian theatre
Mime
Musical theatre
Commedia dell’arte
Etc
When I was 22
I was lucky enough to receive a grant which meant I got to go to The Globe in London for the International Shakespeare Festival
One month
Every one of Shakespeare’s plays
Performed by a different theatre company
From a different country
In their own language
I wahtced a slapstick Brazilian Portuguese Romeo and Juliet where every actor was over 60
Romeo did the balcony scene whilst on stilts, playing an accordion and holding an umbrella
When Juliet died she turned into a swan and flew around the stage as a ballerina
I saw an absurdest German interpretation of Timon of Athens
Where the actors started the play in tuxedos
And ended it naked in a pile of mud
I saw a naturalistic Armenien King John
Different style after different style
All demanding their own skillsets
Even within screen acting - different styles exist
I had a friend get an evening tv sitcom in America
Which meant filming on a live stage with 3 cameras - a style completely of its own!
Ya get the point
Different styles of acting
Means different skill sets to invest your precious resources into
Now
Time for the big question
How do you know which style of acting you want to get good at?
Simple
What do you love?
What keeps you up at night?
What energises you?
What do you think about?
Forget about what you should want to get good at
Go back to the body
You’re going to be dead soon
In a 100 years no one will even remember your name
So may as well have a crack at the one which your body is calling you towards
Listen to your body
Let it lead
Give yourself permission to go in the direction your gut is saying to go (for now)
(with full permission that in 6 months you might wake up and love a completely different style as the one you love today!)
Exercise: Inspiration
Step one
Write down the art that inspires you most
The scenes, films, plays, actors, artists etc that make you stay up late
That make you forget to eat or sleep
The work that makes your body go fuck yes
The work that springs forth if I put gut to your head and said:
“Be honest - what do you want to contribute most to this industry”
No judging, editing, justifying etc
Just write
Let it flow out
Mess and all
Step Two
Identify why you think you love their work
What is it that they do which makes you feel alive and meaningful inside
What is it about their work that inspires you?
Again no good, bad, right or wrong answers here
Guess away!
Step Three
80/20 (Pareto principle)
Pick 20% of the examples that inspire you most
And identify the skills required to deliver that kind of work
Drumroll
These are your skills
These are the skills most worth investing your precious resources into
Step Four
Ask yourself
Where can I go, or who can help me best with these specific skills?
Curious!
Time to go dive into the deep end of skill development
Then?
Just add some time
Why time?
Skill development + patience = Deliver the work you dreamed of giving
***Final Chefs kiss***
Hope this helps
X