One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
GilmoreGirlO2
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/13/05
#0One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 9:45am
Whether to help your singing or acting (and given by anyone - your voice teacher, acting coach, a director, etc.), what is the one most influential piece of advice you've been given so far? It can be a technical (such as something you've been told that really made you start breathing better for your singing) or anything else.
Just thought this would be interesting and we may also be able to learn new ideas to better ourselves. :)
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#1re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 10:48am
"If they notice your shoes, give up acting."
This was told to me by Kurt Kasznar, a wonderful film and stage (Barefoot in the Park & The Sound of Music original casts) character actor many years ago.
I was supposed to do a complete quick change for what was a dimly lighted crossover. I commented that I wasn't going to have a lot of time to do pants, coat and shoes. Kurt replied with the above saying, and I have never ever forgotten it. It can be applied to many situations on and off stage.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
Cruel_Sandwich
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/30/05
#3re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 12:24pm"Life is about a callback"
"I'm an American, Damnit!!! And if it's three things I don't believe in, it's quitting and math."
whatyouown223
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/4/05
#4re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 3:30pmVictoria Clark told me never to go to a conservatory for college, but rather to go to a real university, so I'm definitely taking that advice.
mejusthavingfun
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/12/06
#5re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 4:24pm
"If you can see the audience, the audience can see you"
and from my dad
"measure twice, cut once."
Jesus
Understudy Joined: 7/30/05
#6re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 4:38pmActing isn't cool.
#7re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 5:08pm"Confidence is 90 percent of everything."
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
SpamalotDiva
Stand-by Joined: 2/10/06
#8re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 5:19pm
I think mine is the most common but the best out there... it was given to me by my drama teacher and that was...
"Follow your dreams."
Sammi!
You Know you're a B'way geek when...
Ok Ok I made this one up...
"When someone asks what you want(for Christmas, B-day, Gala Event...) and you reply..." I wanna be a Producer!"
Sammi
bproudbblonde.piczo.com 4 sheet music
#9re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:04pmI was feeling really bad about myself and I was telling my friend how I should just give up because in reality I'm just not good enough.....and he said "Whoever got anywhere by being realistic?" That's what I tell myself now whenever I find myself thinking "realistically". It only holds you back, telling yourself you're not good enough.
superwoman108
Stand-by Joined: 1/5/05
#10re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 7:38pm
"only compete with yourself"
its an important lesson to learn in this business.
#11re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 8:25pm
The people you are auditioning for are on your side. They want you to succeed. They want you to be the person to cast. They want to go home and eat pizza, so hurry up and be that person to cast so that they can order that large pepperoni pie.
MissElphie
Broadway Star Joined: 4/4/05
#12re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 9:24pm
"Don't think. Just sing"
My vocal coach has been trying to engrain this in me since I met her. I think too much when I sing, and thus pull back. She is helping me learn to be in the moment and just enjoy the song without worrying so much.
#13re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 10:01pmjen waldman who plays nessa on the wicked tour told us in a master class just take the directors note. whatever it is just accept it and move on! She also told us to process our nerves before auditions and it's helped alot!
#14re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 10:06pmActing is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
"We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. Life's bounty is in it's flow, later is too late. Where is the song when it's been sung, the dance when it's been danced? It's only we humans who want to own the future too."
- Tom Stoppard, Shipwreck
#15re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/21/06 at 11:02pm"Get up! You can't boogie in a chair." (She totally didn't mean it metaphorically, but I think it's the best piece of unintentional advice I've ever gotten. In fact, she wasn't even saying it to me. But it's okay.)
"Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"
#16re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/22/06 at 12:15amaspiringactress... is that a meisner quote?
#17re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/22/06 at 1:25am
i learned that acting is not lying, acting is truth
and playing the intention is EVRYTHING!!! (My teacher was obsessed w/ stanslovsky)
Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone and ta'en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
~Cymbeline
#18re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/22/06 at 10:57amyes, Cathy, aspiringactress' quote is Meisner's method mantra.
"I'm an American, Damnit!!! And if it's three things I don't believe in, it's quitting and math."
MarkCohen
Broadway Star Joined: 12/19/04
#20re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/25/06 at 7:10pm"Whatever you are doing, whatever scene you are in, make the audience want to have sex with you."
#21re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/29/06 at 5:25pm
"just remember... that the people you are auditioning for are not as scary as you might think... in fact they aren't scary at all... they are just people... who desperately WANT you to be good."
^Sutton Foster
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
#22re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/29/06 at 6:20pm
"If you're an actor that cant dance worth a ****...ACT like you know what the hell you're doing!"
The person behind me in line at the Chorus Line callbacks at my camp this summer.
It:
A.) Helped TONS
and B.) Broke the ice because NO one was talkign to one another before that lol.
Theatreboy33
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#23re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/30/06 at 12:22pm
"Smoking doesn't make you a better actor. It doesn't make you more interesting. In fact, it's the worst possible thing an actor can put into his body."--Joanna Gleason
"Destiny is only something you can see in the rear view mirror. It's what you're doing now and the events that took place to get you here. That's your destiny."--Joanna Gleason
"When you don't get the role, you have twenty-five minutes to bitch, scream, cry, punch the walls, do whatever you want to feel pity and awful for yourself. Then once it's up, forget it forever."--Gleason
really, Gleason is a wonderful teacher
#24re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/30/06 at 6:00pm
Acting is about one character getting another character to do something.
When working with objectives it helps a lot.
Also, knowing that the auditioners are on your side, and that they want you to walk in and be the best person for the role.
#25re: One Most Influential Piece of Advice You've Gotten
Posted: 9/30/06 at 8:11pm
"Breath"
Really helpful.
"I'll show you a laughgasm. I'll gasm all over this stage!"
"Interesting choice"
"Interesting choice"
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