I Don't Need an Acting Class

In this episode, Milton walks us through the shift that took place in the late 19th century when writers began writing about real people. Plays became much more complex and based on the interior life of their middle class characters, as opposed to being centered around the aristocracy which was larger than life and less personally relatable to an audience. Therefore, a new form of acting was called for. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

When we first sit down with a play, it’s far too easy to rush through it and start getting preoccupied about how we're going to "play it." Our minds start racing, we get overwhelmed and we start making decisions too soon. We have to fight this impulse. Your first time reading through a script, you want to go really slow and just register first impressions. Then when you go back, you will start getting an idea of what work you need to do. Again, take one fact, or idea, at a time and explore it deeply. As you do so, you want to filter the facts through your imagination so that you experience them, as opposed to just ‘knowing’ them intellectually. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

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In this second part of ABCs of Auditioning, Milton applies all the concepts mentioned in the last episode to Teo’s audition for a police procedural, in which he was given two lines and no information. This is a practical example of knowing what world you’re in, understanding the function of your scene, having a relationship with everything so that every moment is filled, and having not only a strong recognizable character, but a personality that an audience would want to spend time with over the course of many seasons. The more information you have about the genre, the writers, the network and the tone of the piece, the smarter your choices will be and the more you’ll be grounded for the audition.

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There are certain fundamental steps we can take when analyzing sides or preparing audition material. These concepts will help you understand where to begin, determine what work you need to do and inform the choices you make. This is a two-part episode. Next week, Milton will apply these techniques to a specific piece. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

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This week, Milton talks about the importance of having a clear impulse for all of our work so that we “earn” the text. Nothing starts from nothing or nowhere. We’re always somewhere, in a particular circumstance, with something going on which gives us the impulse for the scene, the monologue, the entrance, the first line, what have you… A great way to get clear about your impulse is to talk it out or improvised it before the text, monologue or scene begins. We never want to recreate the performance or the preparation that we did the last time. If we find a choice we love, we can continue to use it but alter it slightly each time, either adding or or adjusting it, so that it always stays fresh. This preparation work helps us always “come from somewhere” and therefore seamlessly move into the world of the play. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

This week, Milton addresses a frequently asked question: how much information do we need when building the past of a character? As individuals, we may desirer (or require) different facts or details or tools. However, there are some “indisputables.” It’s vital to be able to differentiate what information is essential in order for us to play a role, and this is a skill that develops with experience. When doing a play, especially a great play, the text will tell us what we need to build. And the deeper we dive into the “essentials,” the more complex our characters will be, and the more the world of the play comes alive— all in service of why it was written in the first place. Also, Milton goes on a rant about actions, which is always fun to hear. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

Last season, Milton suggested that one way we can go about developing a character is by asking ourselves, “who is this person most?” In this episode, he reconsiders that idea. (Can you imagine? An acting teacher admitting they might have been wrong and changing their mind? Who’s ever heard of such an anomaly!) But as his own understanding of character work progresses, Milton questions whether asking this question forces us into a box. After all, no one is just one thing. In the end, asking the question: “what is this character most?” might lead to a one-dimensional response and therefore, a one-dimensional performance. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

Learning to act is not something you do in one year. It takes a lifetime. In the same way, doing a play isn’t something you can take on in one night. It’s a process. Stella told a student once that if she could learn one new thing a year, she’d be on the right path. Stanislavsky likened doing a play to going on a journey and making many unexpected stops along the way that added to the overall journey. These lessons remind us that the creative process is never linear or finite. With each project and with our craft, we take on as much as we can, knowing that there are always more stops on the way to our destination, always more to revisit and explore. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

The lineage of this podcast is derived from the teaching of Stanislavsky and Milton’s teacher Stella Adler, who, among other things, taught her students to aspire towards the big ideas we communicate as actors, (ideas which are far bigger than us.) This is the thrill of acting— entering a different universe, a different skin. It is always a chance for growth. “Your attitude shouldn’t be: oh, I have to build that,” says Milton, “but rather I get to build that. Every fact of a play affords you a fabulous opportunity.” Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]

Very few directors speak the language of acting or have any real idea about what we do. So most of them give us “effect directions,” such as: “play it angrier,” or…”the scene needs to be more intense.” But if we play “anger” or “intensity” or any result, we’ll end up playing a cliche, an idea of an experience that we’ve absorbed from watching film and television. Therefore, we have to be able to translate a performance note into something doable. Have a question for Milton? Email him at [email protected]