Class is for Growth

I started back to acting class last night and it's about high time.  My goals this time around are to figure out what I'm doing wrong, what I can do better and learn from watching others.  My first night was humbling but good.  There are some great actors in there to learn from.

Even though I've been auditioning and getting call backs for more of the "good stuff" (i.e. NOT commercials), I haven't been booking yet.  It's time to figure out what I need to be doing to stand out and add in those elements my acting that will set me apart and get me the part.

As I said, my first night was humbling.  I did a scene that I had done previously for my demo reel.  The director directed it "big" so that I could get some good emotional pops for my reel.  Unfortunately, that didn't carry over well into class last night and I got some good feedback on it being too far over the top.  With some tweaks and suggestions from my coach, the second performance was MUCH better.  I walked away feeling a little defeated but thankful for the feedback.  One of the things I've always struggled with is criticism, constructive or otherwise. 

Then my coach said some magical words that made it all better...Class is for growth, not to perform. 

Wow, so simple yet so profound.  Class is a safe place to try things out, an opportunity to get feedback that you wouldn't otherwise get after an audition, a place to grow and learn and challenge yourself.  But not a place to perform. 

As actors, we feel like we always have to be on and can't make mistakes.  Life is a performance.  Acting for growth is a difficult concept to accept yet so magical when you do. 

I wrote those words in big letters across the top of my notebook and will be referring back to them many, many times.  Class is for growth and I'm ready to grow. 

Keep on keeping on.