Why It’s Important To Have A Place To Work At Your Craft

For me it is important to have a place to work at your craft… To be in a Gym so you can work and grow. In the same way that someone goes to a gym to work out and develops muscle memory, an Actor needs a place to go so they can  develop emotional memory and confidence. That is the reason the Actors Studio was created, so that Actors would have a place to continue to work and grow at their craft. I became an Actor because, I had something to say, to tell stories, to feed my soul, for this Need to express my self. Even if you are the most famous Actor in the world , you will never have the opportunity to tell all the stories that you want to tell in this lifetime, if the only time that you are Acting is when you are getting paid to Act. Having a place to work out, allows you the opportunity to work on those roles that you long to work on and to tap into that part of yourself that you wish to express and understand. It also allows you the opportunity to work on those roles, that you might never be cast in, but you want to have that experience as an Actor. Plus it’s fun. Acting is fun.

I originally started my group, The Artist Theatre Group, for this exact reason. I wasn’t getting the opportunities to Act, so I had to create my own opportunities. There is no excuse for not working as an Actor if that is your Need. If you are an Actor, you Need to Act. You can’t just sit around philosophizing about it, you’ve got to do it. Find a place to work at Craft and grow as an Actor. You need a place where you have a safe environment to fall down and try again. This place cannot be abusive because the Actor is a sensitive soul that can easily be discouraged or hurt, in the wrong environment. You have to be able to trust the others in the group, and the person leading that group. In this place you must not focus on the result, but enjoy the journey, enjoy the exploration of The Character through Your Soul. Don’t worry about doing great work, just focus on telling the truth. In a class I was taking Charlie Laughton said, “Real life is on Stage. All the rest is Acting.” As an Actor you want to make the most Personal Choice, the Strongest Choice, the most Interesting Choice & the most Active Choice.