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A King of Infinite Space

A King of Infinite Space

What’s the nutshell? For an artist, the limitations of their art form. For a ballet dancer, or a Kabuki actor, or a writer of Haiku, the limitations are very strict. For an actor, a writer of novels, or a be-bop saxophonist, the nutshell can be much larger. But it’s still a nutshell…

Apr 9 2020

Learning To Drive The Character

There has been much needless controversy amongst those who practice acting techniques that derive from the work of Stanislavski and Strasberg, principally surrounding the issue of building character

Dec 16 2016

Brando Essay

Most film audiences had never seen an actor like this before. Two earlier Method actors, John Garfield and Montgomery Clift, had had something of Brando’s impulsive realistic technique, but not until Brando did an actor make an audience so uncomfortable

Dec 16 2016

Strength, Vulnerability and the Actor

Many actors who train in a Stanislavski or Strasberg based approach devote much of their energy toward achieving highly vulnerable emotional states. I have even encountered students whose primary training objective is to be able to cry on cue.

Dec 16 2016

The Importance of Breathing and Relaxation

The word ‘inspire literally means ‘to breathe in. The ancients thought that an essence of divine spirit permeates us each time we inhale. And, in fact, when we inhale, we breathe in life-giving oxygen.

Nov 28 2016