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Miss this great advice from our Backstage Experts? These five tips are sure to get you moving on the road to success.
CHANGE YOUR TONE.
“Simply changing your language to say, ‘I’m committed to’ instead of ‘I’ll try to,’ will eventually have a profound impact on your life. Similarly, any time you’re about to say you ‘have to’ do something, swap it to ‘get to.’ ” —BEN WHITEHAIR
ALLOW EVERYTHING TO INSPIRE YOU.
“Every breath is an inspiration. Every single moment is an inspiration. Though it may not come in the form you imagined, that’s just the way inspiration works. If you don’t like the current one, don’t worry—here comes another one. And wait a second…another. And another…” —PAUL BARRY
DON’T ANTICIPATE THE WORDS.
“Acting is more than reading out loud. In life we speak as a result of having heard what is said and thinking about it. In other words: We do not speak as if from a prepared document. In acting, while we know what words are forthcoming, our character does not.” —JOAN SITTENFIELD
PREPARE PHYSICALLY FOR AN AUDITION.
“If you see your chest collapsing and/or your shoulders rounding forward and creeping up toward your ears, your body is in a startle reflex and your listeners are going to tense up with you. Your collarbones should look open and broad, and you should not see any sudden contraction in the muscles of your ribcage and abdomen on the initiation of a phrase.” —ANDREW BYRNE
PREPARE YOUR AUDITION EMOTIONALLY.
“Instead of running your scene with anyone that will help you (while you flatten the hell out of your transitions), why not section out the beginning, middle, and end of your script and work your transitions? Sit with each feeling, know where it is for you and if you understand exactly what you are saying and feeling.” —AMY LYNDON
Like this advice? Check out more from our Backstage Experts!
Paul Barry
Paul Barry is an L.A.-based Australian acting teacher, author of “Choices,” and a Backstage Expert. Barry runs on-camera classes in Santa Monica as well as online worldwide and conducts a six-week program called Dreaming for a Living, coaching actors, writers, and filmmakers in how to generate online incomes to support their art.
See full bio and articles here!
Andrew Byrne
Andrew Byrne is a voice teacher, performer, and composer-lyricist. His songs have been featured in movies, Seth Rudetsky’s “Obsessed!” series, and in many international concert venues. He has served on the University of Michigan musical theater faculty, and has taught internationally at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, The Banff Centre, and the Danish Academy of Musical Theatre.
See full bio and articles here!
Joan Sittenfield
Joan Sittenfield is a talent manager, producer, and writer who heads Joan Sittenfield Management, and who began her career as an actress/dancer.
See full bio and articles here!
Ben Whitehair
Ben Whitehair is an L.A.-based actor who grew up in Colorado and spent many years as a homeschooled cowboy. Whitehair also dabbles as a Broadway and film producer, entrepreneur, SAG-AFTRA board member, chair of the SAG-AFTRA NextGen Performers Committee, career coach, facilitator of the L.A. Actors Tweetup, blogger, and social media philosopher.
See full bio and articles here!
Amy Lyndon
Amy Lyndon is an overachiever with 85+ IMDb credits, 18 Students as series regulars since last January and a former personal manager—CEO of Gold-Levin Talent for nine years. Lyndon is known as an international celebrity booking coach for over 20 years. She created “The Lyndon Technique: A 15 Guideline Map to Booking Technique,” which has helped thousands of actors learn how to book acting jobs.
See full bio and articles here!
