THE
SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory
Winter 2014
SHAPING UP IN 2014 By Lee Garlington
The tradition is, when it’s a new year, we see it as an opportunity for a fresh start, new resolutions, a time to commit to…what? What, as a performer, would you like to commit to for 2014? As an actor who has made her living, consistently, for almost (yikes!) 30 years now, I have learned a little something-something about what it means to “stay in shape” as an actor. Even though the tools and the technology have changed and improved, the principles and fundamentals are pretty much the same. Some thoughts, beliefs and actions that sustain me as an artist and a professional: A “Wholistic” Approach – We are in a profession wherein we don’t just bring one skill set to the party. We offer our entire being, the sum total of our life experiences. We bring to every audition and job not only our IN THIS ISSUE: talent, but also our values, our physicality, emotional How to Register for 3 depth, humor, Workshops quirkiness, the ways in which we use our voice, etc. Workshop 4 So if you are Schedule spending every second of your life working a “B” job to pay the rent, Workshop Descriptions and 5 then taking classes, and Times showing up for Conservatory events, are you Conservatory Rules still having a life? and 8 Going for a walk? Regulations Volunteering somewhere?
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Reading books, hanging out with friends who aren’t actors, going to LACMA and looking at art? Are you having “life experiences” that are about other interests? I’m an actor, but I’m also a writer, a wife, a mother, a visual artist, a mentor, a coach, a homeowner, someone who plays bridge and Mah Jong, a football fan, a person who loves to hike and spend time with my animals. I bring aallll of that to my auditions and jobs. Keep All Your Creativity Alive – I have never met an actor who was not artistic in an additional way – you probably also either dance, sing, write, paint, sculpt, juggle, make stained glass, sculpt your body, knit, do stand-up, take phenomenal photos, play guitar, are an amazing gardener, or some other creative endeavor. All those talents and skills light up different parts of our brain, and each talent informs the others. We need all of them alive and well to be our most authentic selves. Take Time to Act – When so much of our time is going towards survival, classes, and taking care of the business part of show biz, we sometimes forget to take the time to act, to perform, to actually engage in our craft. I audition regularly, I do a ton of readings, I moderate Conservatory events, I teach the SAG-AFTRA Member Orientation, and in February I’m taking a stand-up comedy class – all of that keeps me in shape as an actor. What are you doing? Ideas for fun and for free: once a month, read a play you love out loud with a group of friends; once a week (or day?), record yourself with your camera or phone or whatever you have available, doing a scene from sides you download, and then take the time to watch it, evaluate your work, notice what you do and don’t do when you perform; then, rinse and repeat. If you’re funny, you can work up three minutes of material and go to open mic at a comedy club and perform it! I promise, it will wake you up as an actor!! What else can you think of?? Even if you can’t make your living as an actor today, you can still be acting today. You have an opportunity for 2014 to be the year you come alive as an actor, an artist, a performer, so that when opportunity comes a-knockin’, you are ready, willing and able.
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