We’ve been hearing a lot of the same question, “what easy quick things can I do at home on a regular basis, that will help me not to get critiqued on the exact same thing every time I’m in a class, film or play?” We have three things that we recommend you work on every single day
DICTION
Work on your diction every single day. You want to take your script and slow everything down so that you hit your consonants. Consonants are power. The other thing that you’re going to have to work on is changing the way you speak all day every day. For example if you answer the phone, if you are somebody who attends meetings or leads meetings, if you are somebody who bags groceries, it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is that you do every single day focus on your diction. If you’re a police officer and you pull somebody over focus on your diction. “Excuse me sir do you know how fast you were going” for real that’s what you’re gonna want to do alright.
BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES
If you’ve been in the class you know that you’re gonna get hit on your voice if you don’t work on it. You have to fill the space wherever you are. Your instrument has to be worked on. Daily you must focus on breath breath control. Rather than me going into it in detail here, just Google vocal exercises and do something every day. Maybe five minutes at the minimum of a vocal exercise to work on this instrument here and in the breathing. From the breathing is where you’re going to get your relaxation. If you’re not relaxed you’re tense. If you’re tense and you’re performing you’re gonna make mistakes and you’re gonna do things you wish you didn’t do and you act from this tense place when when you’re not breathing and it’s scary. Make sure you breathe and I’m talking about the big breath belly breaths. Slow yourself down okay. It’s easier to listen and react from that place.
PERSONALIZE YOUR LINES
Creatively find ways to physicalize your lines. You don’t want to do the same gesture over and over again. Rather than doing that, you want to find specific ways to use your hands use your whole body that makes the scene really fun and creative. We had a scene a couple masterclasses ago where an actor literally at one point was banging against the wall, then drinking a drink, down on his knees, hugging the other actors leg, crying and pleading. It was only from these different movements and the creativity that put us as an audience on the edge of our seats. Once again you want to notice this in your own life.
All these exercises you want to think “Am I doing this every day all day as a person?” If you can change who you are slowly then you will major improvement on the stage. Thanks for watching. Follow us on social for more actor tips and personal development content.
