VIVA VAGUS! Instant help for stressed students
Some of our ASA students are tackling their GCSE exams this week. For our international Neuro Acting friends, these can be extremely stressful. For them, and the rest of us, help is at hand. You have within you a very simple tool to help melt your anxiety, and you can use it at any time. […]
Artists, Animals & ELO: Diary of a mad acting teacher
What an incredible session in the Actors Studio this weekend, working with talented Neuro Acting artist Alexia Broadbent, a very gifted, soulful actress. I’ve got to share our work with you for two reasons: I forgot to give Alexia her notes that we covered during the session! Newcomers to Neuro Acting will get a sense […]
Meet Emily – the quiet young artist with a huge voice.
Emily Belcher, a Neuro Acting artist who has been with us from the beginning, will soon be starring in ‘Trap’, her first film. She was cast out of 360 applicants. I just had a chat with her mum at the supermarket, and I had to share her story, because all young artists can learn from […]
HOW TO SURVIVE & THRIVE IN THE CASTING ROOM
Neuro Acting artists, along with actors across the world, are beginning the process of auditioning for drama schools and other professional projects. Across every industry, men in positions of authority are slowly getting the message that they must respect the safety and sanctity of each person they work with. But until this message reaches every […]
3 THINGS WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM AVA BOUNDS’S WEST END DEBUT
At the time of this posting, 12-year old ASA artist Ava Bounds was in her last dress rehearsal under the direction of Sam Mendes before her West End debut in the epic Irish play, ‘The Ferryman’, soon to transfer to Broadway. We can all learn from the steps that Ava took: STEP 1: She learned […]
3 steps to making your monologue more natural
Frequently I get asked the question, “How do I make my monologue more natural?” I’m going to respond as if I were writing a message directly to a young actor, whom we’ll call Jack. Dear Jack: I know how you feel about trying to make your monologue as natural as possible. And if you’re asking […]
1 Simple Step that will make you a better actor.
Great acting is coming out of sessions of Neuro Acting. And here’s why. Students have laid the foundation of their technique, and most are believing me when I say they need to get past the point of working to remember their lines. Great acting resembles spontaneous life. It’s natural, it’s believable and it draws you […]
Performance Anxiety: A Celebration of Being Human!
I get approached frequently by acting students across Europe, because they all seem to have a common problem. And that is: how do you perform a monologue without feeling awkward and self-conscious? This ‘performance anxiety’ plagued me early in my career, but I’ve found some tools to overcome it – which I’d like to pass […]
ACTING = LISTENING
Do you want learn to act? You’ve got to learn to listen. The self-centered actor thinks that acting is about the words. This type of actor is concerned with the impression that they’re making on the audience or the camera. And it shows. Hammy acting. Acting is actually about the relationship between you and your […]
What are you fighting for? Hacking a flat scene.
As an actor, have you ever wondered why a scene that you’re working on seems flat? And what to do about it? Read on, because Neuro Acting might have a remedy. My students (aged 11-16) are in their final weeks of rehearsing scenes before we turn them into short films, and they’re doing terrific work […]