Welcome ot the Inside Scoop where you will find all kinds of advice and insider information about actor training, the business of acting and the entertainment industry and stories from our alumni who are working in the biz. 

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7 Oct 2009    Putting Headshtos in Focus Frequently, when prospective students visits the Conservatory to learn more about our programs and the training they need to have a competitive career in the industry, they are ALSO in the process of getting their first headshot and ask me for the name of reputable photographers. And my response is always – “Hold your horses!”     9 Sep 2009    Auditioning and Acting – Similar, NOT the Same Some novice actors believe that what they really need is to learn to audition and that will make them an actor. Yikes! The first problem with that notion is that acting and auditioning are very different things. Choices an actor makes in preparing a monologue for an audition are rarely if ever the same choices she would make if actually rehearsing for a full production of that same play. Why? The given circumstances are completely different. In an audition the actor stands alone, on a bare stage or rehearsal studio talking to thin air. In the play there will be other characters, and other production elements that will necessarily change those choices. So, a coach can help you prep a monologue to perfection - but he or she can't come to rehearsal with you if you get the part. You'll be on your own in the moment with other actors and an artistic team who expect you to be able to engage in the process.   29 May 2009    You Oughta Be In Pictures! I meet with about 10 prospective students a week here at the Conservatory who are visiting to learn more about training to be a professional actor - people with a dream. For many, what they really want is to be a star - in the movies and on the red carpet! Don't we all! And I frequently get these questions: "Why should I spend so much time training - I know of an on-camera class that is only a few weeks long?" and "Why should I spend time training for theatre if what I really want is to do film?"  It's an important question - especially to those people who are looking for sound advice about how to get started on a path toward their dream.   26 May 2009    You Need an Objective Eye... Recently, a prospective student came to the school to learn more about it. The young woman was very prepared, with a whole list of questions. ( I LOVE that!) One question was whether students at the Conservatory were required or encouraged to rehearse alone with each other outside of class. She seemed so eager that I thought she might not like my answer, but I can’t tell people what I think they want to hear, I tell them the reality. So I told her: No. In fact, absolutely not! She didn’t respond, so I was determined to make sure she understood why I was - and could be - so emphatic about it.