“I believe in the immortality of the theatre. It is a most joyous place to hide for all those who have secretly put their childhood in their pockets and run off and away with it, to play on to the end of their days.” – Max Reinhardt
Breathing for Confidence It’s really important to stay on relaxed breathing when nerves set in at the audition or performance. If you go into upper chest breathing, you get an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide which makes you feel dizzy, nervous, sound unconfident and stops you thinking clearly. That’s why it’s called a ‘fight … More Confidence Tricks:
“Having spent so much of my life with Shakespeare’s world, passions and ideas in my head and in my mouth, he feels like a friend – someone who just went out of the room to get another bottle of wine.” – Sir Patrick Stewart
“There’s not really a lot to explore until you know it so well, backwards and forwards, one hundred and fifty percent, that you can say it backwards and forwards, one hundred and fifty percent.” – Robert Downey Jr. on Inside the Actor’s Studio I very much so agree with this, but I also understand … More Preparation and Memorization: Robert Downey Jr.
Dear Mequon Moms and the PTA of Mequon-Thiensville School District In every community there is a demographic, a special interest group, who hold a particular majority of power. Due to the socioeconomic makeup of that community their voices ring out a little louder than everyone elses. It doesn’t necessarily stem from the fact that they … More Dear MTSD Parents
This point comes up every time I work with an actor. I spent 20 years of my life as an actor trying to sort this out. And another 20 years as a director and coach. Let’s start with the question – ‘What is a character?’ – a character is a person from real-life or fiction … More You or the Character?
It took longer then I thought, but finally I have put together a photo book for this years theatre season. This is a great way to remember all the plays and friends you made over the year. It includes photos from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Homecoming Parade, Brigadoon, Stage Crew, The Musical Comedy Murders … More Reality Not Required Photo Book
Every year, there’s a so-called exposé on the traumatic aftereffects of war, as if that grim fact were news. The truth is that as we shift from stones to clubs to spears to swords to cannons to muskets to machine guns to gas to bombs, we’re only changing the type of destruction, not the results. The only difference … More Tonight’s the Night!
Ajax in Iraq tells the parallel stories of the eponymous Greek hero of Sophocles’ tragedy Ajax and a young female soldier in Iraq named AJ. Ajax, gripped by jealousy and anger and driven mad by the goddess Athena, slaughters a herd of livestock in a violent rage. Meanwhile, in contemporary Iraq, AJ experiences horrors that … More Stop and look around
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