Resources
Conservatory Year 2
Resources for Conservatory Track Students
Resources to continue learning for Conservatory Year Two students.
Check out these general resources, then scroll down to find more recommendations broken down by monthly topic!
A list of recommended podcasts for actors from Backstage.
Casting directors from Feldstein|Paris Casting. They discuss finding actors for Atlanta-based shows, such as Ozark and Stranger Things, giving a look inside the world of casting in the “Hollywood of the South”!
The Actor’s Lounge on Stitcher
The Actor’s Lounge is a podcast where actors can share their stories, with highs, lows, and lessons learned along the way!
The Podcast for Actors from a New York Casting Director with Jeffrey Dreisbach
Interviews with actors and other creatives, hosted by Denise Borraz Trepat
***Some podcasts require discretion-Explicit episodes are marked on podcast platforms with an “E”
An actress talks to film industry professionals for their stories and advice
Actor Aesthetic is a blog with resources for those pursuing a career in the theatre industry. These are short, helpful, and tangible ways for actors to continue growing!
The StudioBinder Blog isn’t specific to actors but does give insight into pre and post-production. Here you’ll find info on technology, movie rankings/analysis, and industry info about job descriptions, salaries, and more!
The Atlanta Film and TV Blog has information on free virtual events, interviews with creatives both behind and in front of the camera, and solid career advice for industry professionals.
StageMilk offers a wide range of acting articles to do with every aspect of the acting craft. We endeavour to offer articles on a range of topics, and from various perspectives.
A list of resources for actors, broken down by region
- @arvoldofficial– Erica Arvold is a long-time casting director and educator who hosts a feedback Friday every week on Twitch where the team reviews submitted tapes and questions from people in the film community.
- @atlantaactorscollective is a resource for actors looking to build community online. They invite followers to participate in film discussions as well as discussions about people’s artistry and experience, post motivational quotes for actors, and include clips from stellar performances in movies.
- @rhavynn Rhavynn Drummer is a director, producer, and casting director who delivers weekly advice to actors on Instagram through her Actor Minute Monday. Drummer answers questions submitted from members of her online community through the IGTV format.
9 Casting Directors to follow on Twitter
An article by Backstage.com
Facebook:
Tik Tok
A digital magazine for actors
A digital magazine for actors
A digital magazine for actors
Class Resources
Ready to dive deeper into your TAS curriculum? These supplemental resources are intended to give you a deeper understanding and more well rounded view of your TAS education. While these are not meant to replace your TAS classes, they are provided to enhance what you are learning in class.
**All resources are from 3rd party sources which are clearly listed. Any questions about the material can be directed to your TAS acting coach. TAS does not endorse the people or products in the articles, and suggest that students use discretion in their studies.
Month 1: Suzuki: Viewpoints
An article by Dramatics.org
An article by Totaltheatre.org
7 Movement Techniques for Actors
An article by Backstage.com
Tedashi Suzuki Warmup Notes from Class
Movement, Suzuki, and Viewpoints
(Video: Youtube) The Gaiety School of Acting – The National Theatre School of Ireland
Staying Sharp Between Projects
(Video: Youtube) Arvold
Doing the Unnecessary (solo and group practice)
Setting up the practice: Enter the studio practice room. [Note from Megan: in remote learning, this will be whatever room each student is in.] Acknowledge that in life we carefully and slowly learn to be effective and efficient in accomplishing daily tasks, such as walking, sitting, leaving a room, dressing, drinking from a cup. Then acknowledge that you are about to practice forgetting how to do these daily tasks. If you should reach out to turn the doorknob as you prepare to leave the room, turn yourself instead, try singing a song to get the door open, try to get someone on the other side to open the door. If you want to sit in a chair to read a book, stand near it and read your book upside down and backwards while pushing the chair out of reach every time you attempt to sit in it. When this work is done within a group, performers are permitted to be obstructive, non-cooperative, or just minimally cooperative. I allow this practice to extend for at least 40 minutes to over an hour. Our ability to find and perform the unnecessary is practically inexhaustible once you catch onto the idea.
Benefit: The discovery of the Unnecessary was my final epiphany, bringing about the Laboratory of the Original Anarchist. Many aspects of making art are very hard, sometimes even grim: searching out a subject, choosing the right logic, caring for the details, the physical labor of production. And while these are labors of love they are labors nonetheless. Doing the Unnecessary is a totally joyous holiday for the artist. Yet, while ‘on vacation,’ the mind is trained to be incredibly alert– because if we are not vigilant, we will automatically return to the necessary. We have labored hard in our lives to be efficient, coordinated, and practical. Throwing this ingrained habit overboard lands us in a world of invention that is infinite and secured in ‘right action’ because it is allowed to function simply on a level of physicality.”
Action Awareness
Allow these things to break you out of your ‘necessary’ mental patterns.
- Do five gestures in five minutes. Then do 13 movements or gestures in one minute, one movement or gesture in the next minute, and use this cycle to build a scene.
- Make a scene or dance that is slightly slower than normal, but not in slow motion.
- Give yourself permission to take a long time to think about what you want to do and then finally do it.
The Way of Acting: The Theatre Writings of Tadashi Suzuki
By Tadashi Suzuki
The most influential contemporary theatre director in Japan, Suzuki provides a thorough and accessible formulation of his ideas and beliefs, and insights into his training methods.
Month 2: Practical Aesthetics
An article by Acting Coach Scotland
An article by Acting Studio Chicago
Through Line and Action Onstage
An article by Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity
Physical Action Must Notes from Class
Analyzing a Scene Notes from Class
“I Want…”
Look at a scene and before you say your first line, say “I WANT” and then define what it is you are trying to achieve by saying your line. Say the objective out loud and then say your line. Your acting partner now looks at the line you just spoke and she says “HE WANTS” and then, out loud, she says what her character thinks your goal was in saying that line. She follows that by saying “I WANT” and then defines the goal she is trying to achieve in her response to you and then she says her line.
Go back and forth with you and your partner defining the objective for each line and what the other character thinks the objective is. You’ll begin to see that the lines and characters are connected in very active ways. You’ll also begin to see that what we say is not what others hear.
Words are action. Dialogue is people engaged in a conflict, in charged interactions, speaking to accomplish something specific. By breaking the script down line by line, you begin to see that even the smallest verbal response is an action and that it comes from somewhere specific.
Credit: Method Acting For Me
Walking Awareness
- Start walking on the floor and try to feel the floor. Try to feel the texture try to feel the temperature is it cold or is it hot is it slippery is it dirty.
- Now allow the floor to feel you. Make sure you walk in such a way that allows the floor to feel the texture of your foot ( I know floor cannot see but you have to believe that floor is a living thing that can feel your foot)
- Once you start to feel the floor and allow the floor to feel you, focus on your breathing. Do not force your breathing just feel how you breathe. Focus on how much time you take to inhale and exhale.
- Now add the sounds from surroundings to your focus. Discover the sounds around you. It may be a sound of an air conditioner, fan or wind or someone talking. Just hear. Do not think about it.
- Now with all the above steps, add the feel of the space around you to the focus. Try to feel the space that surrounds you with your whole body. Initially, you may start with your hands, then your face, chest, stomach, knees, etc. Until you feel, the space with your whole body.
- Keep doing this exercise for 5 minutes.
Note: If you lose the focus on any of the steps, go back to that step and do it again. This exercise requires practice, practice, and practice.
Culture is the Body: The Theatre Writings of Tadashi Suzuki
From his artistic home in the small village of Toga Mura in the Japanese Alps, Tadashi Suzuki’s influence has spread around the world, transcending cultural and political boundaries. His bold vision of what the theatre can be and what the theatre can do is both uncompromising and exceedingly generous. The SCOT company’s groundbreaking productions and methods of training have inspired and continue to inspire generations of theatre artists and audiences.
Month 3: Practical Aesthetics Cont.
An article by Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio
8 Forms of Non-Verbal Communication
An article by Backstage.com
How to Successfully Work With Directors
An article by Backstage.com
Bodily Adjustment Notes from Class
Jake Gyllenhaal Shares How Instinct Affects His Acting
(Video: Youtube) The Off Camera Show
Chadwick Boseman Reads Between the Lines of the Script
(Video: Youtube) The Off Camera Show
External Journal:
On any given day, write out in a notebook all of the externals affecting you in that moment. Remember that externals are bodily adjustments (such as posture, voice/speech patterns, etc), ornaments (sets, costumes, and makeup), and physical states, such as being inebriated, sick, hot, or cold. What is your posture like? Do you have an accent? Are you speaking quietly because of the location you find yourself in? Where are you? What are you wearing? How are these things affecting how you’re carrying yourself and your mood? Are you hot? Cold? Sick? Make these observations. Then choose a character archetype for yourself.
List of Some Archetypes:
-The Warrior
-The Child
-The Orphan
-The Artist
-The Caregiver
-The Jokester
-The Ruler
-The Rebel
-The Lover
Choose 2 archetypes and envision how they would react to the externals you face. How would an artist respond to being cold or sick differently than a warrior? How might a crowded versus quiet place affect a child? A jokester? Write down what the archetype’s reactions to your externals might be, and how the externals could affect their behaviors.
Monologue Comparisons:
Choose a monologue (can be from a TV show, movie, or play) and memorize it. Rehearse first normally, and do a recording of your monologue. Then, incorporate an independent activity and record a take after you’ve had some practice doing an activity while delivering your performance. Record a take of this. On a different day, record a video of yourself doing the same independent activity without saying your monologue. Just doing the activity and focusing wholeheartedly on it. See how this take compares to your take while saying your monologue. How did your character’s thoughts and words affect your ability to do the task? Your body language? Your attitude and facial expressions? Make these observations.
Examples of independent activities to try:
-Build a house of cards
-Do a puzzle
-Write a letter
-Try to solve a Rubik’s Cube
-Juggle
Michael Caine – Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Movie Making
By Michael Caine
A master actor who’s appeared in an enormous number of films, starring with everyone from Nicholson to Kermit the Frog, Michael Caine is uniquely qualified to provide his view of making movies.
Month 4: Practical Aesthetics Cont.
The Decision You Need to Make for Your Strongest Audition Ever
An article by Backstage.com
An article by Acting Magazine
6 Simple Tips for Memorizing Lines
An article by New York Film Academy
The Relationship Between Actors and Directors
(Video: Youtube) Crash Course
Sam Rockwell on The Goal for Actors
(Video: Youtube) The Off Camera Show
An article by Education World.
This is intended for a classroom setting, though can easily be adjusted to do on your own. Combine verbs and adverbs on the lists to perform actions in different ways. Get a feel for how the adverbs change the actions, giving your performance more range and a deeper dynamic.
Nonverbal Communication
Try nonverbally communicating the following sentiments.Record yourself on a phone or camera so that you can see your work and how it changes with your choices:
I can’t believe you did this to me.
Thank you so much, I love it!
Wait, why are we here again?
Observe the facial and bodily choices you’re making, and see how you can alter these acting tools to better communicate these ideas and make interesting, authentic choices. Try each read three times, and see how the changes you make affect the performance. Which of each was your best take? Why?
The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods
By Richard Brestoff
With clarity and insight, Richard Brestoff introduces the great acting teachers, explaining their techniques and how ther are applied today. Beginning with Quintilian and Delsarre he guides us to the present with an inside look at what is currently being taught in the major acting schools and private acting studios; The Actor’s Studio, Yale University, NYU, Juilliard and many more are visited. Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods will help you understand the most important ideas about acting, where they originated and how they are used in training programs today. Some of the teachers focused on are Stella Adler, Stanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Brecht, Stanislavsky, and Suzuki.
Month 5: Chekhov
Nurturing Imagination: An Introduction to Michael Chekhov
An article by Dramatics.org
You Want to Become a Great Actor? Imagine It!
An article by First Take Acting School
The Psychological Gesture: Hollywood’s Best Kept Acting Secret!
An article by Lisa Dalton/Actors Ink
Philosophy: Michael Chekhov’s Technique
An article by Michael Chekhov Acting Studio
An article by Cours Florent
National Michael Chekhov Association
***A FB group you can join that posts ongoing content and videos for those interested in the Chekhov technique.
Michael Chekhov Technique: The Psychological Gesture
(Video: Youtube) Michael Chekhov Studio London
Give Yourself Permission to be Creative: Ethan Hawke
(Video: Youtube) Ted
The Four Muscles of Acting: Harry Mastrogeorge
(Video: Youtube) Watch Meet Make
Michael Chekhov Technique – p.1 Graham Dixon on Archetypal Principles
(Video: Youtube) Michael Chekhov Studio London
Imagine that your character wants to get their friend to talk about what they have been keeping secret.
What would that feel like in your body? How would you express the urgency of the situation? Begin to see the gesture in your mind. This gesture should represent this desire, or your objective. Make sure the gesture is moving, big and abstract. Over exaggerate. Feel the gesture in every part of your body
How to Expand Your Imagination in 8 Days
Spend an hour in imaginative play. Give yourself a window to safely relinquish these aspects of adult life and embrace non-reality. Recruit friends or family to join you or even ask a child if you can join them in their imaginative play (and learn from a master!). If you need a little help with imaginative play, here are some suggestions:
Start in nature and let yourself imagine anything wild that comes to mind
Connect with your inner child through meditation or journaling and revisit some of your own earliest imaginations
Embark on new imaginative journeys through novels in the genres of speculative fiction and magical realism.
The actor imagines a center in his chest, a center of power from which all his impulses to move come from. He then performs a series of movement from this center, from simple gestures like lifting an arm to actions like closing a door or sitting down. The energy from the center always precedes and follows the movement, creating both a strong impulse to move and an energy field after the movement is created. The exercise greatly develops an actor’s presence on stage and diminishes feelings of stage fright and self-consciousness. Later on, the actor can move that center around as he creates different characters.
Individual Improvisation Exercise
Pick in advance two contrasting moments to begin and end the improvisation. You can improvise everything in between. There is no set plot, only a mood to start with and a very different mood to end with. As you get more comfortable with the exercise, you can add more signposts along the way, like a mood to hit in the middle of your improvisation or a certain tempo. This teaches the performer to improvise within the necessities of the performances (lines, stage directions, pacing, etc.)
To the Actor: On the Technique of Acting
By Michael Chekhov
Chekov has recorded the results of his many years of experimenting, testing and verifying in the professional theater and schools of theater. He brings to the actor far greater insight into himself and the character he is to portray, which enables him to approach any role with new ease and skill. Chekhov was told by Stanislavski to organize his observations and thoughts and present them to his audience.
Lessons for the Professional Actor
By Michael Chekhov
This volume collects the brilliant lectures which the great actor Michael Chekhov presented at his studio classes in New York in 1941. His technique and philosophy of acting initially derived from his Moscow Art Theatre work with Stanislavsky. Under such titles as “The Psychological Gesture,” “The Imagination,” “Continuous Acting,” the Chekhov teaching method of psycho-physical exercises, improvisations, scene study, and “Questions and Answers” reveals its continued importance for actor training today.
Month 6: Alexander
The Alexander Technique: An Acting Approach
An article by Tom Vasiliades
Some Principles of the Alexander Technique: A Cheat Sheet
An article by Colorado Society for the Alexander Technique
The Continuum of Alexander Technique
An article by ACAT
Why Actors Should Study the Alexander Technique
(Video: Youtube) AlexTech1940
The Alexander Technique for Actors
(Video: Youtube) Real Actors Lab
Standing up is an Alexander Technique exercise in reducing tension during this common, routine action.
Before you stand up, just sit—because even the idea, the thought of standing produces early, preparatory, unnecessary tension.
Let go of the muscular tension in you neck, and notice that your head rotates forward, and goes up. Your head brings your spine up with it. Oppositionally, let your sit bones release down into the chair.
Now for the rising-up part:
Move your feet back a bit. Hinge forward using your hip joints. Your hip joints are where your legs meet your torso. When your weight is sufficiently over your feet, send your feet into the floor and come up to your full height.
There’s no need to use neck tension, or lower back tension. There’s no need to crane your neck, or arch your lower back.
Repeat this exercise 2,846 times over the next few months
This isn’t typical exercise; this is an Alexander Technique exercise—a mindful exercise and an exercise in mindfulness. Meditation for the body.
Introduction to the Alexander Technique: A Practical Guide for Actors
By Bill Connington
Introduction to the Alexander Technique, part of the brand-new Acting Essentials series, is the first textbook about the Alexander Technique written specially for undergraduates. This eight-week program can be taught over the course of half a semester, a full semester, or dipped into as needed to address students’ issues with physicality, movement, breathing, voice and performance habits.
Month 7: Alexander Cont.
Stretching Effectively with the Alexander Technique
A podcast by Alexander Technique with Rachel Bernsen
Alexander Technique Constructive Rest
An article by AlexanderTechnique.com
An article by STAT
(Video: Youtube) Boston University
Change Your Life with the Alexander Technique
(Video: Youtube) Ted Talk
5 Alexander Technique Exercises
An article by Mark Josefsberg
Lying Down
Here’s an easy Alexander Technique exercise—just lie down. That’s it? That’s it.
You don’t do constructive rest on a bed, or a couch. It’s done on a hard surface—a floor is good, and there’s usually one right beneath your feet. A carpeted floor or any floor with a yoga mat will do. Instead of using a pillow as you would for sleeping, put a few paperback books under you head. Your hands can be by your sides, or on your stomach.
Bend your knees, and have your feet flat on the floor. Let gravity take over, and your torso will lengthen and widen.
Constructive rest pairs nicely with the whispered ahh.
Just 10-15 minutes per day of constructive rest can help greatly.
Fingertips Rule
This Alexander Technique exercise deals with reducing stress when using your hands. Just the act of putting your hands onto the computer keyboard (for example) usually involves way more tension than necessary.
For this exercise, start with your hands by your sides. Commonly, when lifting our hands, we start the movement with the big muscles of the shoulder or arm and tend to hold on to that extra tension—sometimes for hours.
Instead, as you initiate the movement of lifting your hand, imagine lifting your fingertips only. You can practice this freedom-producing exercise anytime you use your hands; countless times per day. Most Alexander Technique exercises can be practiced as you go about your life, so there’s always time for Alexander Technique exercises.
The Alexander Technique for Actors
By Kelly McEvenue
This practical book with illustrations links Alexander technique to acting, dancing and singing by the trainer of performers on The Lion King. The Alexander Technique is a method of physical relaxation that reduces tension and strain throughout the body. It promotes a beneficial use of movement that is stress-free by learning to free-up the body. It teaches an individual to use their body efficiently in order to avoid damage or loss of control. Kelly McEvenue has been teaching the Alexander Technique to performers for nearly twenty years and is a world expert on the system. In this book she draws on her considerable experience and sets up a series of set-by-step warm-ups and exercises that anybody can follow. The exercises are linked to accurate anatomical drawings, showing where stress is most pronounced in the body.
Month 8: GOTE
Introduction to Acting: Robert Cohen’s GOTE System
An article by Steemit
An article by ahschool.com
How to Create a Convincing Character
An article by New York Film Academy
How to Become Your Character In Acting: Part 1
(Video: Youtube) Real Actors Lab
How to Become Your Character In Acting: Part 2
(Video: Youtube) Real Actors Lab
An article by ArtsUmbrella
***Take a play, movie script, or tv script. Read for one character, and then choose a specific scene. What is your character’s superobjective, or their “Big Goal”? How does that affect the scene you’re looking at? Where are they at in getting their goal? Are any obstacles present in THIS scene? What is your short-term goal for this particular scene? Make sure your goal is specific, actionable, and that it involves the other person in some way.
- Look at how altering any of the 4 categories completely changes the read of the character. Explore different goals and tactics options to find what feels most authentic before you perform or tape!
Script Analysis Workbook: with Character and Scene Analysis
By D Ostrowski
20 years ago I (Ostrowski) landed the role of my life. I was entirely unprepared on the inside and cocky and proud on the outside- too afraid to share any fear or insecurities. When I opened my script and read it a few times (like “they” say we should) I realized I was out of my depth and likely to fail. I was just a rooky after all with little more than a handful of acting classes under my belt. So…I did a very smart thing…I turned to a friend who had just finished her Associates degree in Theater Arts and she gave me the most important tidbit of knowledge I’ve learned to date. Do a script analysis! Do an in-depth character analysis! Take your scenes apart step by step and do a scene analysis. WHAT? I had no clue what that was or how it could help me so I was off to the library. The library wasn’t any help at all so off to the bookstore! At the bookstore I found a dusty old ignored paperback giving minimal instruction and a bunch of nonsense that would do little to help me…and I couldn’t write in it! What good is a script analysis that I could not take notes in! So I decided to perfect my version of a script analysis that helped me not only land roles in the future. It helped me to be a better actor with a deeper knowledge and understanding of not only the role I landed but also the storyline in general. I’ve since given up acting and the spotlight for the director’s chair and a family but anytime I have a budding actress that is struggling with her or his role I give her one of these books….they always thank me. I think you will too.
