Actor Coaching and Getting Better

For most actors, the aim is to get working. This is a common sense goal at the beginning of your career. However, it is no the end of the story. Once you’ve got an agent and started working, the goal shifts to one of continuous development, to get not only good, but great.

It reminds of this speech exercise: Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest, til your good is better and your better is your best.

Most actors don’t understand the concept of regular deliberate practise. They train somewhere (or not), and then they go to work. That’s the end of their continuous professional development. They believe rehearsal and/or work are the only practise they need. They might do the odd workshop, class or whatever, but that’s far from continuous deliberate practise.

Even the most average musician knows that regular practise is required. Not regular performance, ongoing deliberate practise. Even the most average dancer knows that regular practise is required, not regular performance, not just rehearsal, but daily deliberate practise. The performance isn’t practise, it’s your job. Rehearsal isn’t practise, it’s your job.

To do this takes discipline and it is not a part of the culture of the acting profession. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be, and it doesn’t mean that it can’t be. But it takes discipline.

To get better, you need some kind of opportunity to stretch, to be encouraged to reach beyond your comfort zone, beyond your current level of training. This is best done with a professional acting coach.

People misunderstand the purpose of coaching. They think it’s for the deficient. They think it’s for those that can’t, those that somehow need help. Michael Phelps has a coach. Lionel Messi has a coach. Serena Williams has a coach. Do they seem deficient to you?