The Craft

All Alone

Solo theater is not standup comedy. Solo theater is acting. You take the emotional journey—as every character in the play.

Um, Can I Say Something Here?

New work, workshops, and premieres happen all the time in the real world, and when you're cast in one, you often have the opportunity to put your personal stamp on the script.

Gotta Be Me

Remember that old Army recruitment ad, "Be all you can be"? One of the ways to be all you can be when acting is to blend your own behavior with that of your character.

Why Your Emotional History Is Important as an Actor

An area in an actor’s work that is often neglected is emotional history. With history comes emotion, and it shows up in what the character says and does.

The Technique of Process

What inspires you? What blocks you? What rocks you? What delights and repels you?

Playing Cops (and Robbers Too)

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I played a police officer on stage. I immediately discovered why cops walk in that funny, lumbering way: It's the holster. It gets in the way of holding your arms straight down at your sides.

Acting as Dating

We hear this all the time: Be willing to suffer for your art. But how do you know if you even want to make the necessary sacrifices to be an actor?

Thought Control

Recently I found myself thinking about…well, about thinking. What should or shouldn't be in your mind when you're acting? How do you control your thoughts? How do you not think about a pink elephant?

Are Actors Swayed by Other Performers?

When playing a classical or other oft-performed role, to what degree do actors find themselves influenced—intentionally or unintentionally—by the performances of others?