Center Stage

The Actors Desire For Attention

     Actors need to feel good about wanting attention. I want to talk about a primary reason, that I believe, drives people into the business of being on stage. It is the desire for attention. The basic need to be important enough to take center stage exists in all of us - actor or no actor. Some people need it in various ways; from parents, spouses, bosses, friends, etc. but an actors need go way beyond this. They want to be the center of attention with everybody all the time and at any time. It may not be the major part of why someone chooses acting as a career but certainly significant enough to be addressed and put in to prospective if you are to be a 'secure' actor.

      Once while watching the T.V program, ‘Inside the Actors Studio,' Dustin Hoffman, told a story about an experience he had with, Sir Lawrence Olivier. While the two of them were dining together one night,  Hoffman had asked Olivier why he thought actors choose their profession.

    Dustin Hoffman demonstrated Olivier’s response to the audience. He stood up and walked over to James Lipton, the interviewer, leaned forward, and got very close to his face. He then repeated what to Lipton what Olivier had said.  “Look at me, look at me, and look at me.” Hoffman turned and sat down. He looked over at Lipton and said, "This is why actors want to be actors.” James Lipton and the entire audience burst into laughter in recognition of this truth. Olivier was certainly right on.  

     How good do you feel about wanting attention?  Is it a healthy desire within you?  However it manifests itself, as I’ve stated before, I believe it’s a need in all of us but whether we can handle it or not is another matter. The difference is that actors, for their career need to WANT attention. They need to be on the stage or in front of cameras. The acceptance of wanting and needing attention is imperative.   The most important aspect of making this desire work for you is to feel worthy of attention, then and only then, you will magnetize it to you in a positive way.  You must answer the questions of, “How good do I feel about wanting attention?”  Is it a healthy desire within me and if not, how do I change it so that is becomes a healthy part of my instrument?  A great way to begin is to 'accep't that wanting to be center stage and having the attention is a positive and not a negative. 
(For more in depth discussion go to, 'My Little Black Book of Acting,' and read the complete chapter, The Desire For Attention, or sign up for one of my classes)!!!!! joymorrisact@comcast.net

                                       

                        

Argentina!

Craft of Acting

     Actors are travelers of experience. To be an actor is a personal journey into emotions and into the psyche of all types of characters. This is certainly the joy of acting! Every actor has a specific path to explore his or her instrument. The human instrument is always in the state of change. This dictates a commitment to be continually searching inside for ones truth. As a professional actor, you are your instrument. What does this mean? It means that you must know about you and how you as an individual function. The more finely tuned your instrument the easier it is for you to play yourself masterfully. Attract the emotional life, Believe the story and Allow the experiences. By becoming consciously aware of how this works and putting it all together, adds dimension to your life as an actor. Truth is an integral part of all great art.
     The practice of emotional expression, the knowledge of a dependable craft, knowing your thoughts, beliefs and particularly understanding your inner child is a complete training.

Alert Argentina Students

It has been brought to my attention that there are students of mine that have begun teaching the Morris Technique!  Your talent deserves the very best so please take care to study with someone that is highly recommended.

The only person at this time that I have endorsed is Jackie Kruguer.

I plan on returning in September and hope to see you at that time.

Kisses....Joy

TV Auditions

     I was talking to a friend last night about a TV workshop she had recently attended. In this class, all of the students were given an exercise where they were asked to tell something about themselves while being taped. When it was her turn, she thought of the most relevant happening that was present in her life today. Sometime back her guest house had burned in the Malibu fires. It had been quite an experience for her in the re-building process. Finally 'only' four and half years later, it was almost finished. When they played the taped back the casting people commented on how animated and alive they saw her. Real emotional life always comes to the forefront when you talk about something you have strong feelings about. In this case, she was thrilled with the outcome of her guesthouse and elated that it was nearing completion. The story she told truly meant something to her. She went on to tell me about some of the other interesting things that people had shared that evening.
     In a recent posting, Getting The Job, I talked about sharing something that you like about yourself, something you think is special about you.This conversation with my friend reminded me that not only can you share about the things you feel you like about yourself, but you can also share a brief story. It's a great way of letting the casting people see a side of your personality.

     Make sure the story is short(no longer than one minute), full of color and I would recommend keeping it on the uplifting side.

    

Stimulus for Acting

     Each morning, when my pal Chloe, my golden retriever and the angel of my life decides she needs some love, she comes to my desk, stands on her hind legs and wraps her paws tightly around my neck. In return, I hug her back, pat her and give her lots of kisses. Once she’s had enough she grabs her tennis ball, runs out her doggie door and off she goes in search of any unusual animal scents. You never know what could have appeared overnight in her yard. She fills my heart with such warmth and playfulness. These little experiences can be so huge because they touch the soul. Experiences stimulate emotions and whatever yours may be, as actors, they are your palette for bringing reality and color to the characters you create.

     I say to actors that they must search continually inside for emotional truth. This internal truth is not only your talent but your greatest artistic accomplishment. Acting is a profession that one has to dedicate themselves to the continual pursuit of a dream. These dreams take place in every aspect of daily experiences. A truthful response is gold to the actor. If your characters are created from a real and honest place, then you will have touched the heart of reality and with this connection, the experience of moment-to-moment life emerges. Look for emotional stimulus each day!
     Joy's book for actors,  FOR THE LOVE OF IT' is a book for all actors who want to improve their talent.

Getting the Job

• Can you sell yourself in sixty seconds?
• Inspire an audience by speaking authentically?
• Talk about yourself with precision and passion?
• Persuade an audience with your own emotional self-expression?
• Act and Be at the same time?

For Actors, Writers, Directors, Dancers, Musicians, etc. The Objective is to get the job.

You have an important interview or a chance of a lifetime audition and the casting person says, "Tell me about you." What happens next?  Do you freeze for a moment, does your mind go blank or do you know how to sell yourself on the spot?  Don't find yourself stammering self consciously, stumbling and giving a vague general discourse.  Be prepared by doing this simple exercise. 

                                                EXERCISE OF THE DAY
List five strong points about yourself.
For Example:

1. I love animals

2. I’m honest

3. I’m sincere

4. I’ve got a good sense of humor

5. I’m romantic

Make a list of 5 things you feel you do best.

 1. I read people well.

 2. I’m a good teacher.

 3. I’m a good friend.

 4. I’m good at solving problems.

 5 .I’m good at being alone with myself

Now go back and scratch out 3 in each category as I have done above(be selective) so only 4 attributes are left. Express everything you can about yourself using these choices in 2 min, then do it once again but shorten it to 1 min. Once you know what you like about yourself, you'll be set to go anytime you're called upon to do so.

 

      Joy's book for actors,  For The Love Of It,' is a book for all actors who want to improve their training and discover more about their talent.