Burning Actor Questions: with David Dean Bottrell
This year, Random House published my first book, WORKING ACTOR which is about how to have a successful career (and a happy life) as an actor. Because I wanted to make sure I’d covered all...
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How to Get More Auditions
All actors want more auditions. Ok, some of us probably would prefer to never audition again and just get offered the damn role, but generally speaking more auditions lead to more roles. So here...
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18 Ways to be a Happier Actor
We’ve all been there. Nothing’s going your way, you’re exhausted, and you just can’t be bothered to help yourself anymore. Oh, and you just spilt yoghurt all over the floor. We thought we’d write...
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5 ways to stop yourself from having an actor’s breakdown
The fake lino floor of my kitchen wasn’t as clean as I thought, and as I lay there in the foetal position with my script in my hand the only thing that was rattling...
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How to get the most out of acting class
“Once you stop learning, you start dying”- Albert Einstein Learning, and being in class, is the best thing any actor can do. Never think you’ve “got it” – the craft of acting is elusive,...
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25 Acting Truths I Learnt Too Late
I’ve been out of drama school for 6 years. And I have learnt a lot. Unfortunately I learnt a few way to late, and it’s cost me time, money and roles. Here are 23...
Acting Information and Resources
How you Rehearse, is how you Perform
This one acting hack is my greatest discovery so far: rehearse how you want to perform. Yesterday I was coaching one of my students. She was stressed, agonising over how to write an accurate backstory,...
Bamboo: Tree of Unexpected Actor Wisdom
Before I set off on this extended metaphor of an actor as bamboo, let me just acknowledge the irony of this comparison and get that out of the way. Yes, we have all been asked...
The Challenges of Acting
There are many different acting challenges, but I wanted to work though some of those that I have faced everyday as an actor and a teacher. Each of us are blessed with strengths. Some actors...
A Guide to the Ivana Chubbuck Method
If you’ve ever wondered what exactly the Ivana Chubbuck acting method involves, here’s a brief breakdown of the 12-Step Technique and how it can be used to prepare a scene or entire script. #1 Overall...
Budgeting for Actors
Living paycheque-to-paycheque is stressful. I’ve been doing it for the past 5 years, and it absolutely sucks. Being financially unstable kind of goes hand in hand with pursuing a creative career. So we need to...
Does your showreel suck?
Probably. I get sent showreels everyday. And long story short, they usually suck. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s not that the acting sucks – for the most part, the acting work is pretty great....
10 Lessons from Mary Setrakian
When I first received a Facebook message asking me if I would like to interview Mary Setrakian, I was sceptical. I am often approached by teachers who are eager to promote their “life changing” masterclasses...
The Stages of an Acting Career
Every actor wants a career – to be paid to do what they love, and quit that horrible casual job. Unfortunately, very few are able to reach that point – and for most, it can...
How to Upgrade to a Better Agent
Acting agents and managers are the gatekeepers of this industry, and an actor’s success, or lack thereof can largely depend upon their representation. This is not to say that talent and hard work doesn’t go...