Why Even Talented Actors Should Work With an Acting Coach

If you’re a seasoned actor, you might wonder if it’s really necessary to invest in bettering yourself as an actor. And to be honest, just asking that question leads me to know you’d benefit from it. The truth is, there’s a lot more to acting than just getting on stage or in front of a camera and performing. Of course, a good actor is able to pull the audience into their emotions and into the mood of the moment. A good actor should be able to pull the watcher into the story and cause them to feel that they are right there in the middle of it. And when you read through that, you might think it’s all simple. However, unless you’ve gotten your Oscar, you know this is no small skill.

One ingredient many actors miss is vulnerability. For actors to do their best work, they must be willing to be totally open, to experiment and allow all that is inside to be exposed. To accomplish this at the highest levels requires tremendous discipline. 

To really grab your audience you need to be able to pull into your character your own experiences so to work with real emotions, real experiences, traumas, feelings, and memories from your life, to make the character come to life. When you do this, your body and voice becomes a finely tuned instruments that expresses and conveys the characters you play. When you think of it as being an instrument, you realize that all musicians continue to learn to better their craft. 

Most actors do not rely on school of thought, one modality or one specific teacher to show them all the skills needed to be successful. It takes a variety of classes and teachers throughout an actor’s career to develop as an actor. Like most professions, there is not one single person who can know all the ins and outs of a business. For example, while one teacher may be an expert on visualization, another may be more helpful in reaction techniques. For those just starting out in the business, and also for the more seasoned performers, it’s important to stress that choosing an acting coach is important, but it is not a matter of life or death whether your first coach is the best or not.

You’ll need to try a few different learning styles on for size in order to find out what support will be most beneficial to you, and therefore it is important to allow time to decide whether you are gaining beneficial knowledge or if time is just being wasted.

At the New York Acting School for Film and Television, we provide high quality classes as well as coaching to meet your need and level. If you’re not in the New York area, do your research. Ask around from other actors and people in the industry about reputable options. Have a mentor that gives you their honest feedback about your skill level and see where your findings take you.And of course, if you’re in the New York area contact us today!