Acting Skills Blog Posts

Have you ever seen a person “freeze up” during a casting call? Or, perhaps, you’ve watched someone on America’s Got Talent who clearly didn’t rehearse. If you’ve ever watched someone truly flop, it’s often crystal clear that no preparation was… Read More

The realm of acting is where dreams take center stage and emotions come to life. If you’re an aspiring or early-career actor, you know that the alluring spotlight of the entertainment industry is fiercely competitive, with countless skilled performers searching… Read More

At an open house event hosted by Spotlight, our sister site, Joe Richardson of the Guildford School of Acting led a wonderful session on auditioning for drama school. Here’s a recap of Joe’s sound advice on how to get your… Read More

What is your character’s function in the role and the scene? According to Caryn West, the answer to this question makes all the difference in giving a great performance. West is an acclaimed acting coach and teacher who is known… Read More

Patsy Rodenburg is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading voice coaches with over 40 years of experience of bringing people “into the center of their voice and presence.” She served as the Head of Voice at the Guildhall… Read More

When you find yourself completely absorbed in an actor’s performance, you’ve witnessed natural acting. It feels so real, you forget you’re watching a person who is acting a part. That’s the goal for actors—to “become” the character, seemingly without effort,… Read More

Actors often hear how important it is to be authentic and to give authentic performances. As we’re always busy going about the world seemingly being ourselves, how is it that we need a lesson on authenticity? With the daily bombardment… Read More

“If you’re an actor, you sell emotions for money, and your emotions should be the entire spectrum of human emotions,” asserts Los-Angeles based acting instructor Eric Morris. “You should be able to access every single human emotion known to mankind…. Read More

Whether performing onstage or on-set, auditioning or creating self tapes, never underestimate the importance of the first few seconds of a performance. That moment has the potential to make or break a performance. Indeed, the transition from the actor being… Read More

Performance coach Anna Reynolds has a fascination with understanding how people function at the deepest levels. Trained in neuro-linguistic programming, she uses methodologies and coaching practices to support her clients to embrace uncertainty and express complexity. “My skill lies in… Read More

Audiences turn to theater, television, and film when they want to take a break from reality and tune into someone else’s story. A fine performance leaves viewers feeling as though they’re witnessing something real—a genuine interaction full of all the… Read More

Acting is a study of human behavior, and one of the most accessible and powerful ways to learn about people is through keen observation. Acting instructors emphasize the word “observe,” knowing that life provides a steady stream of creative inspiration… Read More

An important innovator of 20th century theater, Viola Spolin is often called the “mother of modern improvisation.” She authored the bestselling book “Improvisation for the Theater,” which has been referred to as the Bible of improvisational theater. Spolin created directorial… Read More

Actors are often told to make “strong choices” to elevate their performances. But what exactly does that mean? Award-winning acting coach Kimberly Jentzen, founder of The Jentzen Technique based in Los Angeles and author of the book “Acting with Impact,”… Read More

Hopefully when in the midst of a performance, you’re riding your character’s varying waves of emotions, moment by moment in a deep and genuine manner. If so, when your character is called to chuckle, giggle, yuk, crack up, or be… Read More