The Act Whisperer
About
Remember acting is believing! I can help you become a more natural actor showing less artifice and more character. Also as a National Award winning Playwright and International Award winning Screenwriter I am very good at reading and interpreting sides for your next BIG audition.
When the light bulb comes on and the eyes grow wide and you know your pupil "gets it" because, ultimately, it falls to the actor to be able to read and interpret a scene and understand a character on his/her own, without a coach or teacher to lean on.
Specialties
Experience level
Acting venue(s)
People in group
Acting focus area(s)
Students goals
Acting type(s)
Student's age
Reviews
Brenda P.
Raime E.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
My first step is to get to know the actor. Assess strengths and weaknesses thru interaction. Perhaps do an improv scenario or two with them. Then I see how good a cold reader they are. How well they take direction by giving them re-directs (adjustments) to what they just read. Then I give them a scene or monologue to memorize for our next session, and see how well they do once they are more comfortable with the material and have time to make some acting choices.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
My formal training has been limited to some classes in college, but I have had practical training by performing as a stage actor since the age of 18 and I have been acting for the film and TV for the last 20 years. I have also done stand-up comedy, and improv.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
I find the idea of money to be an obstacle to the creative process. I, of course, start out with a general idea of what the service, the amount of training time, and the distance of travel involved would fairly cost, but I always leave the actual payment and amount of same up to the student and the student's parent (as I usually only work with kids and teens). If they feel it was a good session and they learned something, got something out of it, I let them pay what they feel it was worth. In this way they pay what they want, and what they can afford, and nobody feels cheated.
How did you get started teaching?
By neccessity, as doing the zero-budget, labor of love type web series and short films I write, produce and direct myself, I would often get an up and coming, beginning, or very raw actor to work with, and had to train them up to get them where I needed them for the production. Whether it be on-stage for a play (years ago) or more recently for a video performance. I enjoyed that process so much I decided to lend my ability to help young actors to actors not involved in one of my projects.
What types of students have you worked with?
Mostly the younger set, but I am proud to report that many of the youngsters I've worked have gone on to do things in the industry. Students of mine have gone on to be featured prominently in Network TV shows, Notable Films, and one is right now in a Broadway Musical National Touring Company.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
When a former student called me up to tell me of a "big break" he just had (a big project that he had just booked) to thank me for talking him out of quitting acting years ago when he was a teenager and acting had seemed to have lost its lustre for him. He never forgot that I convinced to stay with it, and credited me for the career he now enjoys.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
It's like dating. Feel them out. Read what their approach is, their background, etc. But them give them a chance on a first initial session/lesson. See if you click, mesh, have rapport. And let the learner in the student decide if he/she wants to move forward with more lessons.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What confuses them about the process. What they need to know about hints that writers put in scripts to tell the actor what to do. Think thru what they themselves consider to be their own strengths and weaknesses, so that they can voice that to their coach/teacher, so that they can focus on and work on those areas more in depthly together.