Act First Studios

The strict guidance of traditional training environments can reinforce the fear of being wrong, judged, or making the wrong choice. My goal is to create an environment where actors can learn to trust their own instincts, and let the artist within free.

Men! If you want to become a better actor, learn to accept all human feelings for what they are.

We can't define them as good or bad, because then we label the spectrum. Good acting covers the complete spectrum of emotion, and men have such great potential if they allow themselves to open up to this uncomfortable emotion.

Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf uses framing to tell a story.

Ask yourself:
🔲 How long has my character been here?
🔲 Who do they know, or don't know here?
🔲 Do I want to amplify my thought in this scene, or behavior?

Close-ups are best for emotion and thought process while wide shots are best for showing action and behavior.

Can you see the story your body is telling when muted? If you try this, tell me what you learned in the comments!

Don't lose yourself in training to the point where you lose your truth!

I'm here to train you, but training shouldn't be a right and wrong dynamic. What resonates with you is NOT one-size-fits-all for all actors. That's why it's a collaboration.

You are encouraged to trust yourself to know what makes YOU a better actor, without bias.

Being in different worlds requires a different mindset, period.

As much as it's hard to hear, we can tell when you haven't done your research. It's the research that allows you to be believable!

Modern acting is moving away from these time period pieces, and worlds that range widely in socio-economic context from our own, which means it's even more important for you to know how to access worlds different from your own to land these now uncommon, unique roles.

Still can't believe I get to do what I love every single day 🎭

If you train with me, tell me your favorite part of class in the comments!

Signs that you need to "go have a cigarette" as an actor:

You're not scaring yourself every so often
You don't feel challenged
You're wrapped up in technique and don't let your personality shine through in your work
Most importantly, you're not LIVING your life!

Get out there and go live. It is the most underrated practice of being an authentic actor.

My unpopular acting coach opinion is that I want my students to challenge ME.

Yes, me! Not the other way around all the time. Acting at its core is a collaboration between you and the world of your character, so why should your personal input stop at training?

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments, let's talk about it.

Knowing what to ignore is just as important as knowing what to heed!

This industry can feel so gate-kept in the beginning, and it's difficult to not take note of the bad advice you hear and accept it. But this is the kind of advice that can chip away at your instincts, your identity and in the worst cases, your wallet before you know any better to push back.

Trust your gut and stay aware that this industry is full of opportunities that will challenge you in healthy ways, and unfortunately, in wrong ways too.