Six Sensational Suggestions!

Oh spring seems to be pushing it's way into our lives here in the Northeast. So perhaps a blog about some growth?

I often write in Advice To The Players about nurturing your creative side. Actor, singer, dancer, speaker, performer, whatever your creative call, we all need to stay in our creative zone as much as we can. With that in mind, how about some reminders on how to nurture the creative muse in you? Did you say, "Yes, please"? Good answer!

SIX SENSATIONAL SUGGESTIONS
(Oh JT, you are so alliterative!).

1) Keep a journal. Even spending just a few minutes a day jotting down thoughts and feelings can cause you to give birth to new ideas.

2) Read more. Studies tell us that high creative achievers read a lot. And try to have variety in what you read, lots of different genres.

3) Walk. Walking, even just a short fast walk, breaks your thinking patterns up, oxygenates your blood and keeps your thinking fresh.

4)Learn new things. Take classes, start a language course, learn a new game or instrument. The brain is a machine that thrives on being challenged.

5) Interact with people. Creative people are often portrayed as lonely brooding artists, but the opposite is true. Being a social creature introduces new thoughts, ideas and feelings into you life, and helps you stay creative and inspired.

6) Make something. Write a play or a new song, carve, sculpt, paint, sketch, plant, take pictures. Make a new thing to help your creativity sizzle.


And now, because I am so generous, a bonus item:

BREATHE! As stated in past blogs, make sure you take some good, deep cleansing breaths throughout the day. It does wonders for your brain.


Great ideas, but only great if employed! Use them!

JT

                                                The Actors Sensei
                                   Group lessons, and private coaching for all ages.

Some inspiration

Someone is watching

 

A few years ago, I was in a production of a musical in Boston. I was in the green room during a moment when I wasn't on stage and the actor next to me said, 'Oh X, (not her real name), must have people in the audience tonight". "How do you know?" I asked. "Oh she always cranks it up when she has friends out front".


I was a bit stunned at that, and it got me thinking about performance. Of course, when we know that family or friends are out front, we all tend to be a bit more excited and want to do our best. But as an actor, or singer or speaker, isn't the proper way to behave  giving your best ALWAYS? I think we have all seen actors that react to having someone special in the audience, a bit more fire, passion, a twinkle to the eye. But isn't the real challenge for us to keep that level of performance at each and every show? Of course there will be variation, of course some shows will turn out better than others, but that should be in hindsight, not a decision made before you go on!


Because the truth is that someone is always watching you. Someone always wants you to take them on a journey, to move them, to entertain them. When I teach young actors, I always remind them that they must treat each moment onstage as though someone is watching them, hanging on their every word, rooting for them. And that is good advice for all ages, to treat each show as though someone special is out there watching.


When I was on tour with a show years ago, I had a rough show. I was tired, my timing was off, and i just felt less than 100%. When the show was over and I was leaving, a parent wheeled a child up to me in a wheelchair, a child who obviously had a lot of physical challenges.From his wheelchair, the child told me, "You are my favorite actor". I was floored. I wanted to go back and redo the show, because I felt I had been under par. Yet my work had still touched this child.

 I never have forgotten that moment. I often replay it in my mind, to keep me going when I am feeling tired or off in some way. Going into the lights of a stage is a tremendous responsibility, and we don't know how many lives we can touch and change by our work.


So treat each performance as though someone special is watching. Because, someone is.

                                    THE ACTOR'S SENSEI

Memorizing by hand

We spend many blog posts here at Advice to the Players talking about memory. A good memory can help an actor immensely. Whether it be a monologue for an audition or memorizing lines for a performance, memory plays a major role in a successful acting career.

Today I want to mention a technique used by some actors to help them memorize. They simply hand write out the lines they are trying to memorize. Not a sophisticated method, in fact it is very low tech and simple, but many actors swear by this method.There seems to be a great connection between the physical act of writing out a part and memorizing it. Perhaps it is because we need extra concentration as we write, or because it requires multiple paths of your brain being used (sight, tactile).

No special equipment is needed, and your penmanship doesn't seem to make any difference. So try writing out the piece you are working on by hand. No typing please, handwriting seems to work best in the process. It also slows you down to concentrate on the work, and perhaps you will discover something in the line as you write it that you have not considered before.

J.T. TURNER
The Actors Sensei
Coaching in acting and speech for all ages, all media.

TODAY: TEN TIMELY TIPS

Hello loyal readers! Today at Advice to the Players, some fast tips for actors of all ages. Hope you will enjoy them. Several of these have been used as blog posts all their own, just check the site.

• Act! All you can! Professional lessons are great, but, and I say this as an acting teacher, actual onstage time is better. Get all you can, especially in your early days.
• Be a professional, even as an amateur. Show up on time, and ready to work. Script in hand if needed, pencil at the ready.
• The script is your foundation. Learn your lines, then play with the underlying text.The sooner you can get them into memory, the sooner you can free up your brain to explore what you are saying.
• BREATH! At least 15-20 minutes a day of proper breathing, especially on show days especially just before a show, will do wonders for you.
• Save the drama for on stage. Avoid getting into backstage and offstage drama.
• Try not to bad mouth fellow actors. It is a small business in many ways, and your words will come back to haunt you.
• Remember to listen on stage. Focus, be an active listener, not just an actor waiting for a cue.
• Try not to take rejection from a role as a personal comment/.You just don't fit into one persons vision. Move ahead to the next audition.
• Show up. Life is filled with success, if you show up.
• Be nice. To fellow actors, stagehands, techies, staff, audience everyone. It makes you a better actor and a better person.

Remember to become a follower here, or on our Facbook link, http://www.facebook.com/JTTurner#!/group.php?gid=220821066628



J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei
Acting and Speech Lessons for all Ages
jtturneractor@gmail.com

Advice to the Players Goes to the Movies!

Yes I go to the movies and you should too. All performers should make it a habit to attend works within the arts, movies, plays, concerts  art shows and more. Often, as a professional actor, I am challenged with getting to shows, as often I am in one myself and don't get a chance to see friends at work. But this year, as a part of my goals, I am going to see more art. Plays and musicals, but movies as well.

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, I am fortunate to get to see films that are nominated for the SAG awards held in late January. One of the perks of being a Union member is I see films that are up for awards. These are sent to me in a few ways, "screeners" which is an actual DVD of the movie, often long before it is out on DVD, downloads on iTunes, which is new this year but seems to be a trend, and something called "Movie Cash" which is a voucher to go see a movie in a theater for free. All this great access to amazing acting on film reminds me of my work, and inspires me in my work.

Watching other actors act, seeing the choices they make, looking at how they approach a role is a great lesson for actors. And it makes good fodder for future use. Watching Natalie Portman's amazing performance in Black Swan is riveting, and could be an object lesson for what madness looks like. Could you use that sometime, perhaps as Ophelia or as Queen Margaret? Can Colin Firth's take on King George VI's stammering, his insecurity, his internal struggle feed your portrayal of Willie Loman or Claudius?

When cast in a role, I often watch films that are set in the same time frame, or by the same author, or in the same country or with the same accents. I don't copy other performances, I let my own talents use them as a springboard to where my character may go. I draw this personal way of attacking a role from the great actor Antony Sher, who will watch films, TV shows, make sketches, read books and do research to flesh out his characters. (His book, Year of the King, is one I re-read each year).

So fire up that DVD player, get some popcorn, and feast! Oh and sometimes go to the movies, in a movie theater. It is different experiencing work in a communal setting, a ritual in itself.

See you at the flickers. :)

                     THE ACTORS SENSEI

Pinky!

No, no not a post about your last finger. Even I am not that crazy.......well not today anyway. No, rather this is a personal post about an odd actory thing I often do when learning lines, and that is using my secret weapon.......the Pinky.





Yes, that pink colored rubber ball that many of us had as children. Ok maybe for some of you it is a toy your folks used, but still just refer to the photo. So I actual use this simple device when trying to learn lines, especially Shakespeare. But it helps with all lines from any genre. it can also be used for lyrics.


Now work with me here. When learning lines, I simply bounce the ball along with saying the lines aloud. This works great for Shakespearean verse since it is written in specific beats. a typical line of verse has 5 soft and 5 hard beats, alternating...da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM. That is a typical line, so I may bounce the ball down on the hard beats.


But this works for any lines. It has to do with distracting your mind, and slipping your lines into your brain in a structured way. It really helps if you have a word that is hard or that you have trouble remembering. Then I FIERCELY bounce the ball while calling out the word several times. By over emphasizing, exaggerating, and making a strong memory path, the word gets into your brain more dynamically, and that helps you with recall.


If I am working on a scene with a partner, we bounce the ball to each other after each one is done with a line. If I am getting help from someone reading, I may just bounce it on the floor after my line, listening to the next cue.


I find it also helps if I am walking or pacing as I bounce the pinky, again, saying the lines aloud. You may recall an earlier blog about memorization, using an MP3 or the like, and that method is still great. But I alternate it with Pinky work, as it is a bit more physical, and fun. :)


(Oh and in a total nerd rush, I use a different ball for each show, and write the show on character on it. Then after, give it away. )

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

Sing for your supper.

I wanted to use this entry in Advice to the Playersi to give some advice to those of you that sing. Singing in concerts, recitals or on-stage, there is an important concept that I want you to bear in mind.

You are acting.

The difference between a singer with great technical skill,, and one that really "sells the song", is often simply a question of mindset. Of course I want you to hit the right notes, of course I want you to hold a note for a specific amount of time, but I also want you to answer some critical questions before you sing.

1) Who is singing? Yes, yes it is you, but who really sings this song? Young, old, married, single, a witch or a Princess? The more specific the image of this person, the easier it is to convey the song to the audience.

2) Why are they singing? A classic definition of a musical, is that the emotions the characters have become to intense that they must burst into song. What is that underlying intensity? Madly in love with someone? Angry? Desperate, alone? I always tell my actors to be sure and know why you are going on-stage, beyond it being a part in a show. What is it that your character has to say here and now.

3) Who are you singing to? Not just the audience, be sure you have a very specific group and setting in mind. If you sing Happy Birthday to your best friend, it has a certain tone and color. If you sing it to a aging, frail parent, it will change the delivery, even though the notes are the same. And singing it to someone you really don't like, again a total change in the song.

Let us consider a song that most of you know. In Les Miserables, the musical, Jean Val Jean sings a great song entitled "Who Am I" If you listen to the Colm Wilkinson recording, you can hear the thought process and change he goes through. It starts off reflective, self questioning. The character, a convict who is hiding his true identity wonders who he has become in denying his actual self. Then at the end of the song, he admits to a court full of people who he actually is. Different sound, a sound of release, no more hiding the truth. And more open, as he is now not asking himself who he is, but telling others who he is. It is a great example of character, purpose and audience.

So whether you are a singer who acts or an actors who sings, remember to make acting a part of the equation.

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

Baby ears

I have had the great fortune and honor to work with some excellent directors over the years. They have inspired me to be a better director, and to be a better actor as well. Paul Daigneault runs Speakeasy Stage Company here in Boston, specializing in premiering plays to the Boston area. With Speakeasy I have been in such works as Johnny Guitar, Chess, Floyd Collins, and A New Brain. Paul is an amazing director, very low key and organic, and one of the lessons I have taken from him is about delivery.

Since Speakeasy specializes in new works, often an audience is hearing a show for the very first time. Paul always reminds his actors to think of the audience as having "baby ears", hearing sounds for the first time. As a result, an actor needs to be loud and clear. Even though you have worked on a piece for weeks or months, and know it inside out, that does not transfer to the audience. They are listening for the first time to you and your delivery. I am not saying make things slow and ponderous, just loud and clear.

I am currently working on the Scottish Play, and for many people Shakespeare is a realm that begs for this posts advice. The language, though gorgeous, is unfamiliar, so to let people take it in properly it must be heard! Enunciate, stay crisp, don't mumble, nor make your delivery so intimate that people lose what you are saying.




I will have more to say about volume in future blogs, but for this week Sensei says.... "Baby ears".

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

The Secret of Life

At the risk of being repetitive, I want to touch on a theme I feel is so critical for an actor, singer, dancer, speaker or anyone. It is in my estimation one of the great Secrets Of Life.

Showing up.

I have a dear friend who is an actress in L.A.. She and I share a great philosophy about auditions. If you audition, you have a small chance of being cast, sometimes one chance out of several thousand. But you still have a chance. If you don't audition, you have no chance, no chance at all. So just by the act of showing up you greatly increase your odds of getting work.

I just sent out a congratulations email to a student of mine who went to an audition. No, she didn't get cast yet, and may never get a role in the show she auditioned for. That is not her decision to control. But she could control going to the audition, which is a brave and courageous act all by itself. It takes a strong person to show up in a room, deliver a piece to people that are often strangers, and then leave a judgement up to them. Brave and bold.

And that really is a philosophy not just for performers but for life in general. The great secret is showing up. Auditioning is a prime example, but also going to rehearsals, taking classes, doing your work. And how often have you promised to see a show or a movie or a concert and instead blew it off for no good reason. Later there is regret especially if you have a friend involved in the show you decided to miss.

Recently I was called into an audition. I was excited that they had called me, rather than putting out a general announcement. As I arrived, I ran into another actor they had called. I was a bit sad that they had called someone besides me for the role, and worse, this other actor would be PERFECT in the part they were looking to fill. To add more bad news, he told me that 6 other actors had also been called in. He named names, and I knew them all, all great actors. Frankly I thought about leaving, but I went ahead and auditioned, because I always try to do that.

And I got the part! My point here is, had I not shown up, I never would have gotten the role, which turned out to be one of the great experiences of my life. Hence my often stated philosophy, "Life is about showing up".

So conquer your heart when it whispers to you that you may as well not go, that your not the right type, that your not good enough. Go.

Show up.

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

Oh fancy Latin phrases are so cool!

Since I am, in general, as cool as say, John Travolta, who is indeed very high on the Cool-O-Meter, I must share  a cool Latin Phrase as well as a great concept for actors in this post. (I know, you are thinking, "he is so generous and kind, and he does all this for free, he is a saint!" You are correct.).

Via negativa (Negative Way) is actually a phrase use by theologians and religious people to present a way of describing God. Since God is in many religions considered undefinable, one way to think about what God is would be to list what he is not. If you list what God is not, then you have a good idea of what God is. Get it?

But we can use this same concept when dealing with acting and performing. We are presented with lines to read aloud, to present to an audience, how we say them tremendously impacts how they are received and how our character is formed. So the idea of via negativa, applied to an actor's lines, is to decide how NOT to deliver the line. In broad terms, take the line an deliver it in as many ways as possible, and eliminate the ones that don't work.

Let's look at a piece of Shakespeare for this idea. "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps  in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time.". OK, now to work, what if we rushed all the words together?  "Tomorrowandtomorrowandtomorrowcreepsinthispettypacefromdayto daytothelastsyllableofrecordedtime." Bad choice in most cases, so we eliminate that.  What if we made each and every word important, same length, emphasis, loudness, "TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW CREEPS IN THIS PETTY PACE FROM DAY TO DAY TO THE LAST SYLLABLE OF RECORDED TIME". Nah, that sounds to old fashioned and actorish. So we have eliminated 2 ways we might deliver the line, and perhaps we start to find the ways we can deliver it. Words are repeated, what if we emphasize them? "TOMORROW and TOMORROW, and TOMORROW creeps in this petty pace from DAY to DAY, to the last syllable of recorded time". That might be the reading you go with.

(And now, a quick suggestion from Ian McKellan, who says, try it this way, 'Tomorrow AND tomorrow, AND tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day"...Sir Ian suggests hitting the word AND could take the speech to a new meaning.)

Have some fun. Try lines in outrageous ways, like a little girl, like a lumberjack, like a gangster. By eliminating what does not work, you will soon narrow it down to what DOES work, and that will give you a starting point to the line readings that lay ahead.

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei


Acting classes for stage and screen.

AND NOW AN ODE TO A TREE

AND NOW AN ODE TO A TREE

Oh Elm, I love you, I love you a lot.
When it comes to my voice, you really are hot.


OK that was a very short ode. And not specific enough for our purposes, so let me explain and expand a bit. And I warn you, this may come off as a commercial endoresement. And I am totally alright with that.

We have touched on vocal care for the actor, singer, speaker, performer. As mentioned in my last post, we should try to avoid tea and coffee with caffiene.It causes a strain on the vocal cords in many people. Similarly, cough drops and lozenges should be used with care, some will just dull the throat, others make you way to juicy for a good sound. Especially avoid menthols ones, which dry out the throat.
Rather, I want you to start using Slippery Elm.




The use of Slippery Elm bark has been shown to be a boon to a tired, dry or sick throat. It is a centuries old remedy for many minor ailments.It is a demulcent, which, according to our friends at Wiki, "A demulcent (derived from the Latin demulcere, "caress") is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane.". It is also said to be benefical to digestion. It is one of my favorite products for the voice. I personally use Thayer's Slippery Elm lozenges, which are carried in many drugstores, and online.(or swing by our Studio space, we usually have some for sale.). I also highly recommend a great tea called Throat Coat. Available in many supermarkets in the health food section, and via Amazon, Throat Coat does wonders in keeping your voice protected and at it's best. It, naturally, has Slippery Elm in it, and works wonders.




Other natural substances that actors, singers and speakers use include marshmallow root, licorice root, and something called comfrey, which I won't try as it doesn't sound manly enough. :)

Like all things, don't overdue the use, especially as it can be a mild laxative. ("Places for Act 2... you have to go to the bathroom now???") Keep it for performance days, or days when you throat and voice need a little TLC. And as ever, ask your Doctor about it, especially if you are on any medications.

Next up, more on the voice and voice over work.

J.T. Turner

The Actors Sensei

Bring us........a shrubbery!

I want to talk in this blog about landscaping. And since it's my blog, what I say goes! :) OK, hang in here, it is still a blog about acting and performing, read on......

Imagine in your mind a wide flat area spread out before you. Just an expanse of land laying there, flat,  and uninteresting. Perhaps a stretch of dessert, or a plain of dead grass. Now, let us change the view, picture a different landscape before you. Perhaps flat in the foreground, but leading to some gentle sloping hills, with trees of different shapes and sizes. There is a river that winds in and out of your view, and far away, wonderful mountains rise, blue and majestic. And off to the left, a powerful waterfall cascades down to a lake, glittering and shimmering.

Now, you get to choose which of those to stare at. Oh sure, beauty could be found in the starkness of the flat landscape, but if you look at it for more than five minutes, you are likely to become bored. Rather, most of us would prefer to look at the landscape with different aspects to it, filled with interesting features, nooks and crannies, (mmm English muffins...sorry got distracted there!).
     
                                                                  
Now it is no great leap to think of how an actor or other performer, also could have a flat, bare landscape. I know the trend these days are for spareness in acting, being a minimalist. But if that were taken to the extreme, how very dull would the performance be! Rather, we would like to see an actor fill a role with variety, highs and lows, moments of intensity and moments of calm. They create for us a landscape with many levels, interesting things to look at. We like performances with wonderful moments of passion, but also moments of stillness, or sweetness or even evil. A performance that is all played at one level, with no variety is just dead boring.

Think of this. We can listen to an audio version of many books and plays. The good ones have a reader with a great voice, who uses that voice to create a vocal landscape. At times they speed up, slow down, add emphasis. The best readers give a great landscape. I have a Kindle that stores books for me to read, and it has a feature where a computerized voice will read words aloud to me. It is an Ok voice, not like a robot, but still rather flat and uninteresting. If I want to fall asleep fast, I go with that sound. To be entertained, I download a book with a great actor reading it.

Audiences want the same. Rather than a flat dullness, they want heart, soul and life. YOUR heart, soul and life. So when you perform, landscape well.

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

Oh you tease!

 Ok I left my last blog as a cliffhanger, like a 1930's weekly serial. When last we visited the Actor's Sensei, he was teaching his minions a great method of memorizing lines. But for many actors and speakers, there is an odd occurance. Every time you try to say your lines, you get stuck at exactly the same spot. Time and time again. This is usually the scene...

"To be or.....oh, man what is next? C'mon, I know this, I just looked at it......To be or...argggh! (Looks at script). NOT TO BE, NOT TO BE! I know this oh man seriously, am I a loser or what? To be or not to be...sheesh!  To be or not to be.........OK, here we go. To be or ........no way! Again? Seriously? I am a total failure!".

OK deep breath, we will get through this. First a quick word about why this happens, without getting too technical. When you create a memory, memorize something, you basically create a path in your brain. When you go to recall something, you go down the same path to find it. If you memorize it poorly, don't pay attention, it is hard to find the memory again. And if it is mislearned the first time, or poorly learned, then that is what gets in the way of recalling the line or memory.

Imagine walking down a memory path. At one point as you walk along, a giant monster leaps out and yells, "FORGET!". Unless you adjust, then every time you go down that path, that monster is still there.That's why we forget the same line over and over, or get to one part of our speech for a Rotary Club and go blank. The same spot, because we have taught ourselves to go blank there.




Now some actors do the totally wrong thing. Somewhere along the line, someone told them that negative  reinforcement when you forget something helps. So when they forget, they yell at themselves, jump up and down, curse, snap their fingers and try  in general to create an unpleasant moment so they won't repeat the mistake. THIS DOES NOT WORK.

In fact it just reinforces the forgetful moment, as you are making a new, bold memory around it. Its like the Forget Monster jumps out, you buy it dinner and take it to a movie. So first rule, when you get stuck, don't berate yourself. Just correct and go on if you can.If you are at a rehearsal and forget a line, just ask for it, without a 20 minute scene of apology.

So how to correct? When memorizing, go back to a bit before the spot you have gone wrong, and try running that section 5 times quickly the right way, looking at the lines. 5 times, no fewer. Still a problem? Create a mental image that will help you for that section. If I always forget "...not to be.", then I create a silly mental picture. 2 bumblebees with a big X through them. When I get stuck, I leave the old path of memory, and instead picture.....NOT 2 BEE. Goofy? yes, but goofy visuals work, they create strong memories.

Here is a personal example. I tour doing a show about William Shakespeare called Shakespeare's Ghost. It's a one man show, so it it just me talking for an hour and a half, complete with 20 or so soliloquies from Shakespeare. In rehearsal I always went blank at the same spot, a transition from talking about the death of Shakespeare's son to talking about John Barrymore playing Hamlet. Every time I got there, I forgot what came next. So I repaired it in my mind, by picturing Shakespeare standing at his son's grave, and a drunken John Barrymore staggering up to console him. Odd picture, and yet it worked, I never lost that transition again.

Try forming a new memory for those tough lines. The stronger and odder the visual picture you can conjur up, the better the replaced memory will be. It truly can work!

J.T. Turner
The Actor's Sensei

Coaching and classes available for all ages, contact me at jtactor@aol.com


(Thanks to Mary Rodgers for the photo).

I forget what this is about....

Memory - all alone in the moonlight.

I can smile at the old days,
I was beautiful then.
I remember the time I knew what happiness was.
Let the memory live again.-Cats

Ok not my favorite musical but a good launching point for a discussion of...memory!

I don't just work with actors, but with public speakers and presenters, seminar leaders and teachers. All of those people often run into a challenge, memorization. Yes, a speaker can often use notes, but should never just read a speech, parts of it should be memorized so that the audience gets to see those great eyes of yours. (Recall my past blog on eye contact. What? Don't remember it? Boy is this blog for you....).

Actors and speakers need a good memory. Sadly as we age the ability to memorize becomes more of a challenge. And I know many young actors who have trouble memorizing lines. Today I will take one of the tips I give in my Memory seminar, entitled The Palace of Memory, and share them with you. It is quite simply the fastest way to learn lines or memorize a speech.

First record the speech.Use an MP3, make a file on your computer, use a voice recorder or if you are technically challenged use a cassette player.Record your lines, as well as the cue lines that you hear before them, (you may want to use a slightly different voice for the cue lines, just speaking them more softly than your own lines works). If it's a monologue or speech, naturally just record the entire piece in one voice.

Now, listen to the recording, as you read the words, aloud, from the script. Do not test or memorize yet, just read aloud as you listen to the recording. This simple step will make memorization up to 70 times faster than other methods. This is because no matter what style of learner you are (oh look, a future blog topic!), this method works. The information you want to memorize is now being learned visually as you read the words, kinesthetically as you speak the words, and audibly as you listen to them. The words are getting into your brain 3 ways at once, and will make the piece stick faster. After doing this several times, (incrementally, if you can, do it 2 times in the morning and 2 times in the evening for several days), try to do it without the recording playing, and only look at the script when stuck. And after a few times without the recording, you will find you can do it without the written text needed as a crutch.

Fast, easy and it works, like all good tips should. But sometimes in a speech or when playing a role, some parts are messed up or forgotten, time and again. What can you do about "trouble" spots? Every time you practice the same part is fouled up, what to do?

Easy! Just read my next blog.

J.T. Turner
The Actor's Sensei

Coaching and acting classes available! jtactor@aol.com


(Thanks to Mary Rodgers for the photo).

Sound off!

I make my living  mostly with my voice. Actor, singer, director, lecturer, teacher, voice over artist, almost all of my many titles involve me using my voice. yet I sometimes forget a simple rule all voice users should follow: WARM UP!

Just like an athlete who stretches, moves, engages the muscles they are about to use, so too should performers. It makes the voice stronger, clearer and more ready to work on whatever chore lies before it!

Not too long ago, I had a big speaking day. A company had asked me to combine 3 of my lectures into a one day event. I basically spoke from 9am till 4pm, with a 40 minute break for lunch. I was happy for the work, and it all went well, but by the end of the day my voice was exhausted. Adding to that tiredness was the fact that I had forgotten to warm up. Had I warmed up it would still be tired, but not the froggy craggy mess it was the next day.( As a side note, I did drink water during the day, which is what saved my voice from total failure).

So warming up is key for any performer. A singer will naturally warm up longer and more intensely, but we all should have a least a quick warmup ready to go.

Here are a few simple warmups to get your voice ready. Do them all gently and gradually.

1- Yawn- A big giant yawn, At the peak of it as you mouth is open wide give a nice 'ahh" sound to it. relax the mouth and throat muscles.

2-Hum- Hum lightly, near the front of your mouth near the lips. try and make your lips and the area in front of your teeth vibrate.

3- Keen- Start with as high a note as you can get in your register. Then, on a relaxed "ahh", let your voice drop through your range to as low a sound as you can make. Do this a few times. ( Especially good for men to keep your voice from cracking in an audition).

4- Chew- Make the "Nnnnnnnnnn" sound, and chew it around your mouth, right side, left side, front and back.

5- Tongue twisters/ Tough phrases- Try some of the tongues twisters that work out your mouth.

"Red leather, yellow leather". Try that a few times, as fast as you can.

Or "Moses supposes his toe-es are roses but Moses supposes erroniously. For Moses he knowes his toe=es aren't roses, as Moses supposes his toe-es to be".

"The tip of the tongue, the lips, the teeth."

"Sister Sue sold sea shells, she sold sea shells there by the shore. Sure, she sold shells by the seashore, she sold seashells there by the score.".

And a very popular and tricky vocal warm up is the Announcer's Test. It really gets your mouth and memory going, and wakes up your lips! Try saying this in order, many actors memorize all ten portions:

One hen.

 One hen; two ducks.

 One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese.

 One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters. One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters; five corpulent porpoises.

One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters; five corpulent porpoises; six pairs of Don Alversos tweezers.

One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters; five corpulent porpoises; six pairs of Don Alversos tweezers; 7,000 Macedonians in full battle array.

One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters; five corpulent porpoises; six pairs of Don Alversos tweezers; 7,000 Macedonians in full battle array; eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt.

One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters; five corpulent porpoises; six pairs of Don Alversos tweezers; 7,000 Macedonians in full battle array; eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt; nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic old men on roller skates with a marked propensity toward procrastination and sloth.

One hen; two ducks; three squawking geese; four Limerick oysters; five corpulent porpoises; six pairs of Don Alversos tweezers; 7,000 Macedonians in full battle array; eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt; nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic old men on roller skates with a marked propensity toward procrastination and sloth; 10 lyrical, spherical, diabolical denizens of the deep who hall stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time

In a pinch, I  often warm up on the way to a gig or audition by simply reading signs and license plates aloud. Simple, low tech and it works.

Stay warm!

J.T. Turner
The Actor's Sensei


Need coaching or lessons? Audition prep? Drop me a line at jtactor@aol.com

I have mad skills!

One of the delights of being an actor is that you get to play. Pretending like you did as a young child is an actors lot in life. But along with that sense of play needs to come another child-like quality, learning.

A good actor is an actor who never stops learning. Not just acting classes, although those are great, not just new shows, parts and directors, those are awesome as well. But the pursuit of new skills, interests and hobbies all make for a better person and a better actor.

I like to play with weapons.

Swords, knives, axes, quarterstaffs, and guns. Just on stage mind you, I don't carry real weapons around. But my training with various weapons has served me well over the years, it gets me cast in shows that need some swordplay, and also gets me hired to choreograph stage combat. More recently, I have been studying Spanish. I am far from expert, but I do have enough to get me cast recently for some voice over work in Spanish. (It also helps when I travel to Guatemala to volunteer, which I do a few times a year).

We have all read about actors who, when cast in a role, learn a new skill. Michelle Pfeiffer, when cast as Batwoman, was taught to use a whip by Anthony DeLongis (one of my own teachers, who also taught Harrison Ford in the most recent Indiana Jones movie). She does a great job in the scene where she whips the heads off dummies in a department store. Boxing, accents, playing chess, juggling, and dancing are a few skills that come to mind for various films and stars. Now a film star has the luxury of hiring a trainer and working intensively on a new skill. But even a casual, community theater actor can and should learn new skills. Not only may it come in handy in being cast in a show or film, but just the act of learning new things will keep you fresh.

Learning needs to be a lifelong endeavor. Studying and applying new thoughts and skills will make you a better actor, by being a better person. Learn to play poker, play chess, dance, take singing lessons, try fishing, a new language, study a topic, become an expert in tea, take up an instument, pursuit a passion. Acting is the ideal excuse to embrace new things.

What would you like to learn?

J.T. Turner
The Actor's Sensei

Fill 'er up!

As you may know I  follow no specific school or style of acting, other than my own. (Truth be told, all actors have their own way). I have no issues with say the Stanislavsky "Method", or the British approach, or Meisner, I just don't personally follow any one path. Having said that, every style or school has some value within it, and I want to chat about an idea borrowed from Sanford Meisner and his teachings. Meisner says simply that an actor should never come on stage empty.

I love this idea. It is a simple one, yet very powerful. The idea behind not coming in empty is that an actor should walk on stage with a very specific history. What does the character feel like at that moment, just as they enter the scene? It should never be, "I am an actor entering a scene". Rather the actor should have the feelings, knowledge and emotions that the character they are playing has at that moment. Let's think about an example, say Juliet at the dance where she meets Romeo. Now the actress playing her knows she is about to meet the love of her life, but Juliet as a character does not. Instead she is just a young girl going to a dance. The actress playing Juliet might think about what emotional state Juliet is in as she enters. Excited about the dance, nervous about meeting men there, delighted to get a break from the mundane and celebrate with her friends. So as Juliet enters, the actress should have all those emotions within her, and show them as she enter as Juliet. Mind you, she says little during the dance until she meets Romeo, but that does not mean she just walks and dances about waiting to speak. No  the actress has to come in "full", with a character at a particular point in time. Stanislavsky might say the actor should draw on thier own experiences for the emotions they need when they enter, and that's fine. But I would side with Mesiner who also says that you can imagine that experience, even if you have never personally had it. You are already playing a 14 year old Italian girl in ancient Verona, so your imagination is already engaged. Give it fuller reign to imagine how this young girl feels arriving at her dance.

 

 Singers this is a lesson for you as well. Don't just sing a song, pretty though your voice may be. To just sing a song technically correct is sing it on "Empty". Rather, who is singing the song, what character, with what emotions, at what time and place.

You can always tell when an actor comes on empty. Sadly they confuse acting ideas like "living in the moment" and being reactive to the situation with coming on as a hollow empty zombie. They often just shamble one with little purpose, drive or focus. Even a member of the chorus can have an amazing characterization, and  fill a stage with their presence. ( It is a matter of pride with me that I make choruses engaged and active, not just background).


I was once directing a production of a musical that had a lovely ballad in it. The actor who sang it had a great voice, but was just singing it.I gave him simple instructions, "The girl you are singing to is about to leave. For good. You have one chance, and one chance only of telling her how you feel. One chance to convince her to stay." Each night before he went onstage, (while the rest of the cast was chatting and goofing off backstage), he would stand right in the doorway he was about to go on through, and just think, "I love her, I need her, I have to make her stay." That was all, no long drawn out exercise. But to this day, the way he sang that ballad, night after night, was gorgeous and haunting.

Before you take the stage, take a moment to fill yourself up as a character. Don't come in empty.

J.T. Turner - The Actors Sensei