From 1963-1966, actor William Hartnell portrayed the character of The Doctor on the British television program “Doctor Who.” Towards the end of his run, Hartnell was weary from the intense schedule and bowed out. The producers faced a fundamental dilemma: How to continue the series if they did not have their lead actor?
Continue reading → Regeneration Tricks: Same Show, Different Leads
One thing amateur actors lack is technique. Sometimes trying to embed a foreign technique into a new actor can be a challenge. One of the most important techniques any actor must have is the innate ability to control time and space. A good actor can speed up time or slow time to a crawl. Speeding up is easy; slowing down is hard.
Continue reading → Acting in Slow Motion Creates Perpetual Momentum
Danger is the most important essence an actor can bring to the stage because it is nigh impossible to capture. The most dangerous actor in the history of the American Theatre is Marlon Brando.
Many non-theatre students who take an acting class think two things: It will be an easy class and acting is pretending to be something you are not. They are always fearful to learn how wrong they are on both counts. The good students overcome their overweening to discover new niches of existence and broader planes of self discovery.
I had another great discussion with Howard Stein this week, and our conversation turned from necessary writing, to the Mozart Syndrome, and then into the realm of imagination as described by the great acting teacher, Stella Adler.
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