IYA Studio Blog

Being an actor can be very isolating at times (let alone during a global pandemic).

When you first get an audition, you lock yourself in a room to study your script.

When you arrive at your audition, you feel like a social outcast in the waiting room, trying to stay calm amidst a sea of other passionate artists.

When you leave an audition, you rarely get any feedback unless you book so this can also create a feeling of loneliness.

Even when you book a gig, being on set or attending the first rehearsal can feel super intimidating until you get to know people, and embrace the all-important element of community.

If you have been feeling alone lately as an actor, due to COVID-19 or otherwise, you are not alone.

However, even with a lockdown, we have to start embrace the power of community. (Thank you Zoom).

We need each other. You need other artists to remind you what's important, pick you up when you fall, and lift you up to new...

Stop Proving Yourself, Actors!

As we approach a possible restart of our industry, I want to take a hot second to talk about the problem that plagues actors (and would-be actors) all around the globe: the idea that we have to somehow 'prove ourselves' in order to succeed.

This idea is nothing new. Quick cut to Shakespeare's players delivering soliloquies amidst the barrage of tomatoes being thrown at their heads.

Since these early days, we as actors have subscribed to this notion, and mistaken belief, that we are somehow 'less than' and that we have to prove our worth and value on stage, in rehearsal, on set, in the audition room, at the Thanksgiving dinner table to drunk uncle Pete...you get the idea.

"But Tony" you say, "What about auditions? An audition is a chance to prove yourself, is it not?"

Let's be very clear. An audition is not about proving yourself. You are already proven or you would not be called into this room amongst a select few.

An audition...

3 Steps to Scene-Study Success

With the acting world at a bit of a standstill, this is a perfect time to get quiet & work on your skills before our biz gets back on its feet.

How is your scene analysis game?

Do you struggle with breaking down your scripts?

Do you find it difficult to connect with your characters/scenes?

How easy is it for you to 'throw away' your work and surrender to the moment?

There are three parts to actor scene-study: I call them Study, Sense, and Surrender.

Study encapsulates your ability to break down and analyze a script. You are basically a text detective, finding the clues that the writer has left you.

Sense represents your ability to personalize the text. Your universal connection to the world and themes of the piece. It's the emotional part of scene-study.

Surrender illustrates your ability to let go of the work and lose yourself in the moment-to-moment discoveries & actions of the piece. This is often the hardest step but arguably the most important.

Here...

Why Actors need Community

Stop Proving Yourself, Actors!

3 Steps to Scene-Study Success

Go Inward

Grab your FREE Wellness Guide

Why Actors need Community

Stop Proving Yourself, Actors!​​​​​

3 Steps to Scene-Study Success

Go Inward

Grab your FREE Wellness Guide

Stop Proving Yourself, Actors!