Acting classes and workshops can often be both fun and frustrating at the same time. As we have discussed in Reasons Why Acting Workshops Are Necessary, a lot depends on the chemistry between your acting teacher and yourself. During the acting training, a lot of your focus should be on the acting teacher; after all, they’re the ones coaching you.
The goal of an acting teacher is to get students into the best performance shape possible. Normally, they would have a strategic plan and a certain set of rules aimed at their students for accomplishing this task. Breaking the rules of rigorous training could lead to wasted money and time for you, your fellow actors and your acting teacher. To prevent the disaster, learn how to make this person happy by following these 10 simple tips.
10 Tips on Pleasing Your Acting Teacher
1. Never be late, first and foremost. Aside from the fact that you might not be admitted to the class if you’re late for more than 5-10 minutes, you’re also breaking the concentration level in the room in case the people started right on time.
2. Training comes first, not the career. It’s not about getting cast in the project and going to learn how to act; it’s the other way around. You must perfect your acting skills with your acting teacher before you even show up in front of the casting panel.
3. Dedication to preparation. Not being sloppy, always knowing your lines and doing the homework assigned by your teacher should be of a very high importance to an actor. This is part of the path towards growth as an actor, and there’s no place for cheating.
4. Being creative with your work. An actor must always stay proactive, constantly look for opportunities to creatively engage with life. Every little bit of your dedication to deep creativity will lead to development of your acting talent.
5. Love for what you do. There’s no place for complaining during acting classes. Nobody dragged you there and you yourself chose an acting career. No kind of ego will be tolerated, and you must love what you do, otherwise it will show.
6. Living your life to the fullest. There are many more opportunities to become a better actor than you would ever imagine — all outside of the dark training room. Life’s experiences is what turns a good actor into a great one.
7. Keeping your group in mind. If it’s not a private acting class, you’re most likely sharing your acting teacher with other people in the room. Don’t focus on them, but acknowledge them; be generous with your fellow actors, learn their needs. They are your audience for now.
8. No fear of failure. No acting teacher admires people who are afraid to fail. Being afraid of failure means not taking risks, not leaping forward in order to achieve greatness. This will always prevent an actor from getting to where they want to be — both in the craft and in life.
9. Belief in yourself and your teacher. It’s not ego, it’s not cockiness — it’s the self-confidence that you require. Just as you need to believe in your own abilities to bring a great performance to the scene, you have to just as well trust your acting teacher in their capability of leading you in the right way.
10. No more apologies. Everything you do is another step in your training. Never apologize for taking risks, for not being afraid to fail and for becoming a better actor. You do what you have to do, and the audience in front of you is admiring your courage right this very moment.
With time, your acting class becomes your second home. As we discussed in Acting Coach London, when your acting teacher spots all these positive traits within you: your dedication, preparation, willingness to learn and succeed — they are pleased and satisfied, and they are motivated to work with you.
You both are trying to achieve something amazing, and your accomplishment is just as well your acting teacher’s accomplishment. Embrace these very important for the actor traits to develop a strong and positive relationship with your acting coach, make them happy and pursue your success together.
