Pursuing Acting On The Side Of A Mountain

Today, I had another acting lesson, but not with my usual Hollywood acting coach.

My new agency, which represents me commercially, has a favorite coach for commercial acting to which they send most of their adult clients (They also represent child actors in a number of areas). After one lesson with him, I see why he is their favorite. He has successfully done commercials and taught for years and knows exactly what it takes to get callbacks and to get bookings. Let me be very clear about one thing. Studying with this new acting coach is not, by any means, instead of studying with my other acting coach, who I have mentioned numerous times in this blog, but is in addition to studying with my long time coach.

The new coach, Like my other coach, is very personable, but brutally honest and direct in his approach. He gets right to the point of what, how, why, and when. This is Hollywood. This is the big leagues. These are big league acting coaches, and I listen to every word both men have to say about acting in general and my acting in particular. I would be a fool not to.

The truth is, they both know what it takes to work in this town, and they both know how to impart that knowledge to their students. Like money, you can never have too many quality acting coaches. I now feel very fortunate that I have found two.

My long time acting coach has a studio in a building in downtown Hollywood. My new acting coach also teaches in Hollywood, but far from downtown. He teaches in a studio in his home, which is perched half way up the mountain on which sits the Hollywood sign. His house is on a winding narrow, often one lane road (due to cars parked on the side). There are houses on both sides of the road and at times, around blind curves, you must drive no more than five miles per hour in case you meet someone coming the other way. If that happens, one car has to give ground so the other car may pass. It's a very adventurous road.

The lesson today showed areas where I need work. I welcome the challenge and know that I am up to it. I have daily homework which I will, of course, do. I have a lesson scheduled with my long time acting coach next week, and one again with my new acting coach the week after that.

For the cherry on top of the cake, I received an email shortly after my lesson concluded, which informed me of an audition I have early tomorrow afternoon. This audition is for a commercial and came through my new agency.

So acting lessons and auditions continue, and hopefully sprinkled in among those will be some bookings. Of course I haven't forgotten that I still need to find a quality theatrical agency to represent me in that area. How will it all shake out? We'll find out together.

Stay tuned.........