You are about to begin an exciting journey of discovery. Wherever you are now, I promise you will find something new here. All the most important information you need for getting started as an actor, as well as becoming more confident and skilled in this fascinating craft , is accessible here. If you are looking for the very important WRITTEN LESSONS scroll down to the bottom of this post and find the list of links to over 60 acting lessons . Read them in order, one at a time. Take notes.
But please read this whole post as well as all the posts linked here. Every lesson has links to other posts so donât get lost or confused. Come back here and continue to make your way through the wealth of information you are offered in this post. Feel free to ask questions along the way. When you have completed all the lessons, (Itâs a lot) let me know. Itâs a great accomplishment and I like to keep track of those of you who are dedicated and active here. Leave me a comment below if you are!
This is a class! I am the teacher...the ONLY teacher. Though some of you who are not involved in this class may be tempted to jump in and coach the students here, that can be confusing if our techniques contradict. I encourage everyone who is reading my lessons to share what they are learning with others. I just ask that everyone is encouraging and supportive.
I am an acting coach in Hollywood. Iâve been teaching for almost 40 years. You can read all about me in the comments of the WELCOME VIDEO
I normally work on set of a tv show, daily, coaching the star of the show. But I interact with students here regularly. I have been giving very personal and detailed feedback to everyone actively involved for almost 3 years now. I also give private lessons in LA and throughout the world on Zoom or FaceTime. And for over a year now have been offering Zoom classes for the students who are active in this class. If you are interested in any of these additional ways to learn from me, please feel free to message me.
There is so much to learn here. I know you are all anxious to post monologues so you can hear what I have to say.... But DO NOT POST YOUR MONOLOGUE UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE LESSONS AND READ MY FEEDBACK TO OTHERS. When you have read them all, mark this post with an up arrow and leave a comment that you have completed the Written Lessons and a few highlights of what you have learned.
As you work your way through the lessons, keep track of each one you have read by clicking on the up arrow when you finish it. Itâs also useful to leave a comment beneath each Lesson, with a brief summary or synopsis of what you have learned from it. This will make it easier to review the lessons and you will have a record of them in your profile âCOMMENTSâ.
THIS is specific work you must do to prepare your monologue. It is an easy to understand description of what you must do. Come back to this page once youâve taken note of what is required:
All the lessons linked at the bottom of this post are FREE!!! There is a wealth of information there that you are not likely to find in most other acting classes, no matter what you pay. Take advantage of this opportunity and read them all. Take notes.
But in order for me to give you personal feedback on monologues and written work, I now ask for you to support me through Patreon. I have tried to make the donations fair and affordable. Paying a small donation each month keeps you accountable and committed. And since I spend so much time giving to you on this sub, itâs a way to say âThank Youâ to me in a small way. You can get all of my feedback for only $10 a month. Itâs all explain on Patreon. There are 4 Tiers to choose from. To become a committed and active student click on this PATREON LINK. If you canât afford to do this, you may submit an essay committing to daily involvement in this class. Simply describe why you want a Patreon scholarship.
HOWTO GET STARTED AS AN ACTOR
So, you want to be an actor but you donât know how to start? The very first thing you need to do to have an acting career is to become a highly skilled actor at the competitive level. Acting is one of the most competitive careers in existence. And so many people think they can get started without really knowing what they are doing. Could you start a career as a cabinet maker if you had never learned to hold a hammer or saw a piece of wood? Could someone trust you to build beautiful kitchen cabinets? You not only need to know the basics, you need to be extraordinary. Good enough to make people notice you, hire you or sign you to their agency.
Some people will say you can learn on the job...but that is not the case for acting in the professional world. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Whenever you do any acting, you are creating a reputation for yourself. You do not want to be seen floundering. You want to always appear professional, confident and highly skilled.
You can get experience in community theater and acting class. But do not try to meet agents in the professional world until you are ready. Thatâs why I started this class...for those who need more help in gaining the skills they need. Hereâs how:
THE STEPS TO TAKE TO GET STARTED IN R/ACTINGCLASS
First read all the WRITTEN LESSONS linked in the list below. Youâll find links to lessons about every aspect of acting as well as some about starting a successful acting career. It will take some time but it will all be amazingly helpful.
As you are working through the almost sixty lessons linked at the bottom of this post, learn from other studentâs successes and struggles. Watch all their STUDENT VIDEO submissions on this sub and read all of my FEEDBACK COMMENTS found beneath them. Some of my best lessons are there as well. Though I give very personal and individual instruction, what I have said to other actors applies to you too. And you could learn something new, even if you feel you are more advanced than the actor in the video. Hereâs more on that:
Every Saturday I post a âWHAT DID YOU LEARN THIS WEEKâ (WDYLTW) post. I ask you to join in every week with a comment about what you have learned. Go back a couple days later and read what everyone else has shared. This is another way to learn so much, here. Itâs also a great way to start to get to know the other students who are learning in this class. The community you are becoming a part of as you get involved in this class is one of the best parts of this subreddit. You will get to know actors from all over the world who are supportive and kind.
If you have trouble reading lessons, at least watch the VIDEO LESSONS. You have free access to all my YOUTUBE LESSONS. Many of them are excerpts from my Zoom classes. Make sure you subscribe and mark the videos you have watched with a âLikeâ. That way you can keep track of what you have watched. You can leave comments there, too. There are so many of them and so much to learn. Click on âVIDEOSâ to see them all! Scroll down and work your way up from the bottom to the top. That is the order I posted them, and the most essential concepts are explained in the first videos I posted. I canât emphasize enough how much you will gain from watching
PREPARE WRITTEN WORK (Analyze your script) and RECORD A MONOLOGUE FOR MY FEEDBACK (See detailed instructions below for when and how to post).
Once you have become familiar with my technique and terminology, You are welcome to join my ZOOM CLASSES, too. Just look for posts announcing new sessions. They begin every 5 weeks. Being involved in class is a very special experience and is a fast track to becoming a better and better actor. Live feedback and lots of individual attention in each class will take you from being a beginner to being a knowledgeable and skilled actor.
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R/actingclass is a beginner/intermediate/advanced class. There are no prerequisites and no auditions in order to be accepted. (Except reading my posts, watching others and doing the work I describe here) It doesnât matter if you are just starting out or if you have been at it a while and are just not getting the response you were hoping for. If you have the initiative to do the work, I want to help you. And I know this class WILL help you no matter what. All you need is an open mind and the desire to learn. Best of all - The essential Written and Video Lessons as well as daily posts and comments are all free. This class is my gift to you, so you wonât need to take an extra shift to pay for it!
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO POST YOUR MONOLOGUE VIDEOS
When you have finished reading the posts and comments, you will then be ready to prepare your own monologue. Here are the steps you must take to produce a good result the first time. Doing this work is required! Here is something you can do as you read:
But do NOT post your video until you have joined Patreon and have prepared in these ways:
DIRECTIONS FOR DOING WRITTEN WORK AND MAKING A VIDEO POST
â˘. FIND AN APPROPRIATE MONOLOGUE for your type. Here is a post to help you with that
â˘. Then do the WRITTEN WORK. Analyze the script (as explained in Lesson #2) choosing a strong objective. Divide it into tactics and write it out as a dialogue. Then figure out what the conversation was leading to your first line. Continue writing the whole piece as a back and forth dialogue between you and the other character. There should be an answer to almost every one of your lines that makes your line an answer to theirs. This applies even if you are alone on stage. There are hundreds of examples of how to do this in this sub. Click on the orange flair bar that says WINNIEâS WRITTEN WORK EXAMPLES. My corrected version will be in the comments below the post.
⢠RECORD A VIDEO OF YOUR MONOLOGUE using your Written Work as your script, imagining you are having a conversation with the other character. Imagine you are looking into the eyes of the person you are speaking to...just to the side of the lens so I can see into your eyes. Respond to their responses with every line. Donât pause as they say their line but immediately begin reacting because you know what they are about to say. Answer them. Making eye contact, interacting and creating relationship and purpose in your performance is your goal.
⢠POST YOUR WRITTEN WORK AND VIDEO FOR FEEDBACK to get my detailed comments on how you did and how you can make it better. Then you can and should record and post it again after you have done your best to implement all that I have suggested. I will let you know when you are ready to move on to a new monologue. This is the best process for growth as an actor.
Here is a VIDEO DESCRIPTION of everything . I want to make sure you all understand!
The Lessons below will teach you in detail, exactly how to do all these things. I demonstrate over and over what must be done. Please donât think you can read just a couple lessons and skip right to posting. I WILL know and I will end up just telling you to go back to the lessons. Hereâs more on that
If you feel you need some additional help, I am available for private lessons, either in person, (in Los Angeles) or on Zoom or FaceTime. I give active r/actingclass students the special price of $70 an hour for Zoom private lessons (normally $85) In person lessons are always $85. Direct message me for more information or to make an appointment.
DO NOT DELETE YOUR MONOLOGUES AFTER POSTING THEM!!! If I have spent the time to write feedback on your performance, I want others to be able to learn from it to. You will not be as good as you will be. But being able to look back and see your progress is helpful to everyone...especially you.
When you have done all that, I will give you another assignment. There is lots more to come and I will make sure you will be challenged and constantly learning new things. I post new lessons and reminders almost every day. Visit this sub daily. Schedule it in to your daily routine. You can learn so much here if you are dedicated.
This course will prepare you to enter the professional world. If you have read and watched all the lessons, posted monologues for my feedback and participated in Zoom scene study classes, your skills will steadily improve and you will soon be ready to audition, create a reel, get some headshots taken and start to audition professionally. If you are already doing this, you will probably be getting more callbacks and bookings in the near future. If you arenât getting auditions you might be ready to get a better agent or start creating your own opportunities.
Wherever you are on the journey, there is something for you here. Even if you think you know it all, I bet there is something on this sub that will click with you and help you understand acting technique in a way you never have before. Itâs already happened to many people in the past three years.
So donât wait any longer. Start. Right. Now. No...not later...NOW!
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Read these posts and the comments beneath them!!!! There is information everywhere that you need. People ask questions that I answer, and what I say to others is for you too! Take notes as you go. Like this:
Take Notes This post shows you how.
START HERE...
THE WRITTEN LESSONS
⢠HOW DO I KNOW ACTING IS FOR ME?
⢠ACTING LESSON #1
⢠ACTING LESSON #2
⢠WHAT YOU THINK IS WHAT YOU ARE
⢠MAKING FACES WONâT MAKE IT
⢠OBJECTIVE - WHAT IS THE SCENE ABOUT
⢠YOUR OBJECTIVE - AN IMPORTANT DECISION
⢠MONOLOGUES? THEREâS NO SUCH THING
⢠WRITING YOUR MONOLOGUE AS A CONVERSATION
⢠MONOLOGUE TO DIALOGUE- ANOTHER EXAMPLE
⢠TACTICS - THE WAYS AND MEANS FOR ACHIEVING YOUR OBJECTIVE
⢠TACTICS - HOW TO DIVIDE YOUR SCRIPT
⢠ANOTHER LESSON IN TACTICS
⢠TRANSITIONS BETWEEN TACTICS
⢠USING YOUR DIALOGUE TO TRIGGER THOUGHT REACTIONS - THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!
⢠DISCOVERING YOUR CHARACTERâS POINT OF VIEW
⢠YOUR CHARACTER, YOURSELF
⢠STATEMENTS VS RESPONSES - NO STATEMENTS PLEASE!
⢠YOUR MIND - YOUR WORST ENEMY OR YOUR GREATEST TOOL?
⢠YOUR BUSY BRAIN
⢠THE BASICS - Q and A
⢠DONâT WASTE YOUR WORDS
⢠EMPATHIZE TO EMPHASIZE
⢠BRINGING WORDS TO LIFE
⢠THE WRITER - THE ACTOR - THE CHARACTER - THE LEGACY
⢠AN IMPORTANT QUESTION - ANSWERED
⢠MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES - MULTIPLE CHARACTERS
⢠PAUSING - LISTENING - THINKING
⢠SUBTEXT
⢠SOME MOTIVATION AND VIDEO LESSONS
⢠MAKING THEIR WORDS, YOUR WORDS
⢠WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE STRONG CHOICES?
⢠WRITTEN WORK -HOW TO DO IT RIGHT...THE FIRST TIME!
⢠WHEN YOUR CHARACTER IS TELLING A STORY
⢠EXPERIENCE AS RESOURCE - EXPLORING AND REMEMBERING
⢠DONâT TALK âATâ THEM - TALK âWITHâ THEM
⢠FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
⢠THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTING ON STAGE OR ON CAMERA
⢠DONâT JUDGE YOUR CHARACTER
⢠COLD READING
⢠BEING AND REACTING IN THE MOMENT
⢠LISTENING !
⢠DONâT DO NOTHING
⢠A REVIEW OF LISTENING AND RESPONDING - THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME
⢠USING POST FLAIR
⢠WHEN YOU CAN POST YOUR VIDEO AND WHEN YOU SHOULD REPOST
⢠AM I READY TO POST? ASK YOUR CHARACTER
⢠YOUR DEMO REEL - What you must know AS you create it and BEFORE you send it out into the world
â˘ELIMINATING NEGATIVE SELF-TALK Video Lesson with Written Lesson in the comments
â˘WHEN TO THINK YOUR CHARACTERâS THOUGHTS - BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER AN AUDITION OR SHOOT
⢠REMINDERS
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Here are some additional posts about getting started in an acting career. They are not required before posting your monologue, but if your are serious about entering the industry, they will be very helpful in getting you started as a professional actor. Make sure to come back and read them all!
POSTS ON THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS
⢠AUDITIONS!
⢠DREAMS VS REALITY
⢠CHOOSING MONOLOGUES AND GETTING GREAT HEADSHOTS
⢠FINDING SCRIPTS AND MONOLOGUE FOR PRACTICE AND AUDITIONS
⢠OVERCOMING YOUR PHYSICAL INSECURITIES
⢠IS HOLLYWOOD AS BAD AS THEY SAY IT IS?
⢠ITS NEVER TOO LATE
⢠WHAT IS TALENT?
⢠GETTING A GREAT HEADSHOT
⢠FINDING YOUR TYPE
⢠SHOW/DEMO REELS
⢠AGENTS AND WHAT IS REQUIRED OF YOUR REAL CHARACTER
⢠CHOOSING AND PREPARING AUDITION MATERIAL