Author Archives: Allen Barton
From the Department of Context, a sketch of the lifecycle of a project. In boldface, the items over which actors have control: 1. Writer fills a page. And then another… 2. Project reaches casting phase. 3. Writer / Producer / … Continue reading
Had an interesting chat with an actor in class the other week, who was questioning whether my taste and his taste were compatible for further training. At issue was the topic of “naturalism,” for which my from-the-hip definition would be, … Continue reading
….that you’re a jerk. ….that you did something horrible. ….that your audition sucked. ….that your relationship is on the rocks. ….that you’re a substance abuser. ….that you’re no good as an actor. ….that you hopped into bed with so-and-so. et … Continue reading
Ask a majority of actors what’s going on with their career, and you’ll likely get a fuzzy look, the eyes will wander this way and that, some stammering will emerge about needing a better agent, or simply getting any agent, … Continue reading
One of the biggest acting class cliches are actors who say they are “working on their sexuality.” The fact that 90% of those working this “note” are females, so assigned from a male teacher, well, that’s just part of the … Continue reading
Who cares? You book it, or not, and you move on (with impeccable followup, of course). When good actors go too long without booking, a very dangerous process can start to occur: The actor begins to think. And in these … Continue reading
Oh, the perils of turning 30 in the pursuit of acting! It’s been on my mind for a while, as I have taught long enough to have watched many young students to whom I had a strong connection close in … Continue reading
…. consists mainly of the the ability to behave professionally and take action despite your bad attitude.
Count me opposed to the needless and introspective thought process that has been introduced to what we at the Beverly Hills Playhouse would call “Administration” – namely, those efforts undertaken by actors to sell their talent to the industry that … Continue reading
Much of the difficulty in addressing the issue of whether a ‘gay actor can play straight’ is due to its being conflated with the issue of homophobia. The two issues are entirely distinct. Homophobia is loathsome, but distinct from the technical matter … Continue reading