Acting Skills Blog Posts

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

People are complicated. They can feel a wide range of emotions at once while still managing to get through their day. This is what actors seek to explore and express in their dynamic characters. When done well, a compelling performance… Read More

Actors put themselves on the line each and every audition. Projecting confidence during this courageous act not only helps the performer feel positively during the experience, but it conveys to the casting executives that the actor is competent and likely… Read More

World-famous acting coach Margie Haber teaches actors to connect with their personal power and become creators. One aspect of her work is to help performers find their personal It factor. She’s taught and trained countless actors at her Margie Haber… Read More

It’s an actor’s job to take scripted material and bring life to a character. That includes memorizing the dialogue and understanding the plot line. But that’s only half the work. An actor must also be able to search for deeper… Read More

The father of individual psychology, Alfred Adler, once described empathy as “seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” Doesn’t that sound like the job description of an actor?… Read More

You never know who your next scene partner will be, whether it be in a commercial, film, television show, the theater, or in class. But no matter who you work with next, you’ll be expected to communicate effectively, collaborate artistically,… Read More

The “Actor’s Foundry” webinar led by master teacher Matthew Harrison delves into the topic of stillness in acting. Stillness, in this context, goes beyond simply not moving while in frame, but is more so defined as internalizing the character’s emotions… Read More

“The Kids Are All Right” star Annette Bening shared a personal story with a group of theater students about her difficulty with listening early on in her training. An acting instructor had critiqued her performance with a scene partner, telling… Read More

If there is one skill actors simply must learn to develop, it’s their ability to memorize lines. However, individual actors take charge of just how thoroughly they know their lines and how strictly they feel the need to stick to… Read More

The craft of acting requires thespians to have a command of physical, mental, facial, vocal, and emotional expression. To promote fresh and responsive performances, actors can warm up their minds and bodies with a wide assortment of games. These exercises… Read More

Some actors in cinematic history portray such spine-chilling villains, it can be hard to separate the actor from the character. How do they do it? As Leonardo DiCaprio once said, “Don’t think for a moment that I’m really like any… Read More

Albert Mehrabian is famous for his research on verbal and nonverbal cues, namely his findings known as the 7%-38%-55% rule.  As a professor emeritus of psychology at UCLA, his research suggests that body language accounts for a whopping 55% of… Read More