Soon after I
restarted my acting coaching business in 1998, James Evans phoned
me. "I've studied with a few people but never found MY acting
coach", he said. "Could you be she?". I was quite
taken aback for a moment. Then I said, "maybe. Why don't we
see?" Six years later, Jim is a regular on General Hospital
and has a major recurring role on a Chinese TV show. The other
day, Jim left me a gushy thank-you-for-being-my-coach message on
my voicemail. Every coach should have a student like Jim!
My relationship
with Jim reminds me of my own with MY acting coach, Walter Lott.
I met Walter in 1971 when I decided to recommit to my acting career.
I ended up in Walter's class and we became inseparable friends.
I soon became his secretary at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
and later taught with him. Walter not only made me a better actor
but introduced me to Eastern spirituality. My relationship with
Walter also led me to my job as Executive Coordinator at the Institute.
I have Walter to thank for my careers as an actor, coach and arts
administrator. And for my spiritual path.
I've worked
with many other great acting coaches over the years. But I will
always consider Walter MY acting coach. I lost touch with Walter
many years ago. And then, six months ago, I found out that he had
passed away. He was the quintissential coach because he not only
inspired my acting but touched my soul.
I was lucky
to have found Walter. But what about you? Have you found YOUR acting
coach yet?
You can find coaches everywhere, especially in L.A.. Google has
over 78,000 websites for acting coaches. But how do you root through
all that to find a coach who not only fits your pocketbook but your
personality?
A great place
to start is the internet and your neighborhood theatre bookstore.
But don't "Google"! Instead, visit Now Casting's growing
list of coaches in their "Actor
Resources" section. I also recommend the Working Actor's
Guide, which you can purchase in print or find online at www.workingactors.com.
Backstage West also has an Acting Schools and Coaches print issue
and their website, www.backstagewest.com,
has listings of coaches. And if you're a member of The Actor's Network,
www.actors-network.com,
you can participate in mini-classes with many L.A. coaches.
I think the
best way to find a coach, however, is by a referral from your agent,
your manager, another actor or someone else in the business whose
opinion you trust. I've found all my coaches that way. Even then,
the coach may not be for you. So use the resources above to find
a few coaches who you might like. Call them up and ask to audit
their classes. Then make sure you get these questions answered:
What is
their background? I polled some of my students about why they
chose me as a coach. Several said it was because I trained with
Lee Strasberg and was an original Groundling. Coaches should have
a solid background in some type of technique that they've done for
years to be able teach it. Or have discovered a way of working that
has made many actors successful.
But just because
you know how to act doesn't necessarily mean you know how to teach.
You also have to have teaching talent to be a great teacher.
I've worked
with great teachers like Uta Hagen who were also great actors. And
I've worked with great teachers who weren't. Lee Strasberg wasn't
even thinking about being an actor until Al Pacino cajoled him into
doing Godfather II. The rumor was that Al told Lee, "Do It!
You are Hyman Roth!" Maybe that's why he was so great in the
film. But even if the coach isn't a successful actor, it's impressive
when they've taught ones who are. And Lee certainly did!
What do they
teach? Have an idea of what type of training you want before
you look for a coach. If you're a beginner, read up on different
acting techniques to find one that intrigues you. And find a coach
that teaches that technique. If you're a beginner, spend at least
six months studying technique and becoming a good actor.
If you have
at least six months of technique training behind you, then keep
training to become a better actor. Branch out and do more specialty
classes like improvisation and cold-reading. Begin to attend Casting
Director workshops. These workshops are usually short on technique
training. But they are a great place to showcase your skills and
practice auditioning.
I continually
hear from showrunners and Casting Directors that the thing they
look for besides your "look" is how well you act. So,
even if you're more experienced, I'd suggest that you take as many
different classes as you can afford. And continue studying technique
until you collect your Oscar. Then you can stop!
Where do
they teach? What atmosphere for growth best suits you? Do you
blossom best in an intimate environment with a few others. Or do
you like large classes and the institutional feel of a school. Audit
a few classes in different venues to find what's right for you.
How do they
teach? How do you learn best? Does positive reinforcement force
you to break through or does it make you lazy? Does biting criticism
challenge you or stop you? Or do you need a little bit of both?
It's important that you know how you learn creatively so that you
can find a teacher to match this learning style. Personally, I think
the best coaches are intuitive enough to give each student what
they need at the time that they need it.
Here's a story
for you! One of my students who tends to be weak on creating the
circumstances of the moment before told me that a prior coach told
him to go out and come back in SEVEN TIMES when he was doing a scene
for her! Every time he came in, she screamed louder. Instead of
screaming, she should have done her job. She should have told him
how to solve his Moment-Before dilemma. When he worked on the scene
with me, I gave him some adjustments to create the Moment-Before
and the scene sprang to life!
Just because
the coach has a ton of credentials and has taught the latest Joe-Blow
Overnight Sensation doesn't necessarily mean that they can teach
you. And be very careful, because they can also damage your precious
talent by teaching you in a way that doesn't suit you. .
How do you
feel about them? You can pitch all the other considerations
if you truly feel that your coach can guide you to be the best actor
you can be. I often tell people inquiring about my services that
they'll know if they want to study with me or not. Trust your gut
instinct and you'll never go wrong.
But there can
be quagmires in the intimate relationship you build with a coach.
I know of several famous coaches in town who treat actors like unruly
children and meddle in their lives as well as their careers. Their
coaching is about their egos, not about their students. I've always
thought actors were responsible for their own acting destinies.
And that a coach's job was to help them fly on their own.
I think that
actors have to find a balance between how much responsibility they
take for their own work and how much they want to give to their
coach. We all need coaches to help us get better. But you ultimately
need to trust your own acting decisions.
I knew an actor
who they once called the next Montgomery Clift. He did a Kazan film
at 20 and starred in two giant miniseries where his acting was nothing
short of amazing. But he leaned so much on his coach that he didn't
think he could fly on his own. One day, his coach wasn't there.
He flopped in a major movie and hasn't done much since. But it wasn't
the coach's fault. Because he worked with my coach. And I never
leaned on him.
Don't let that be you. Find the balance you need to fly! A coach
should guide your career by suggesting, not dictating. If you feel
controlled, move on! And when you feel like you've outgrown your
coach, sad as it may be, move on also!
