Here at the Actor’s Gallery, our approach stems from the complete awareness that performers are both artist and instrument. Our classes are designed to bring the two into a true harmony, teach technique, and strengthen the individual. The task of working towards our constant distillation, is not only an indispensable part of honing your craft, but it is also the foundation on which everything else will be built. This is just a fancy way of saying that we must find out where we are now (always), where we’d like to go, and whether or not we currently have the proper equipment to get us there. Finding out who we are and who we are not, is a large part of our work, and is a life changing experience. Once it is achieved and maintained, “acting” becomes easier, due to less internal conflict.
Being the actual instrument means that we can never blame our guitar, our paint brush, or the quality of the paint, only our lack of conviction and work put in. An actor cannot toss a canvas or stop mid performance because they are not “feeling it.” They must deliver from the truth of where they are.
For each student the depths of the well will be different at different times. The more muck removed from the top layers, the more that we can reach deeper.