Acting Class Blog Posts

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

Brad Heller is a Los Angeles-based acting coach who has run The Heller Approach Professional Acting Studio since 1995. Brad is the founder of The Heller Approach, which teaches scene analysis, scene study, cold reading, audition technique, improv techniques, and… 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

Michael Shurtleff was a major force in casting on Broadway shows during the 1960s and 70s. His casting work includes “Chicago” and “Becket,” as well as the films “The Graduate” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Shurtleff’s instruction on auditioning has been… Read More

The Chubbuck Technique is a 12-step method used by performers, writers and directors across the globe in their quest to bring their characters to life. Acting teacher Ivana Chubbuck created the process, and she details each step in her bestselling… 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 Bening,… Read More

Internationally renowned acting and voice coach Mel Churcher has coached Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie, Kiera Knightly, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Turturro, Jon Voight as well as countless students attending drama schools. She also runs workshops and has authored two… 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

“If you were teaching an acting class, on day one, how would you start out with the students? What would be your first lesson?” That was the question five prominent actors were asked during an Actor’s Roundtable with The Hollywood… 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

Commercials are a great way for actors to break into the entertainment industry. Although they might not seem like the most glamorous part of the biz, commercials allow performers to earn income as they work to expand their careers in… Read More

How do you fill a potentially awkward moment in the audition room when you’ve run out of dialogue, but the camera is still rolling? It’s not the job of the actor to determine when the scene has ended, so it’s… Read More

“Listening is with your blood, with your heart, with your talent, with your life … streaming through to the person who’s talking to you, who is communicating with you.” —Stella Adler Tony Award-winning actor Reed Birney who stars in Fran… Read More