A Wise Saying Comes Home to Roost

Before becoming an actor, I had a long stretch of making my living, first as a computer programmer, then as a systems analyst, and finally in computer system sales. Just a few weeks into my information systems career I took my first course called Introduction to Data Processing (the term information systems came along a few years later) at the IBM education center in San Francisco. What does this have to do with acting, you ask? Stay with me and I think you'll see where I'm going.

In that first class, I met a young man (we were all young men back then) named Marty Dupont. Marty and his family owned a rental car agency in Hawaii, and Marty had been given the task of running the data processing end of their business. Marty and I had dinner and drinks a few times during the week long course, and I liked him right away. The instructor was a "take no prisoners" type of guy who spewed out information a mile a minute, as we all struggled to keep up with him. Somewhere along the middle of the second day of the class, the instructor stopped long enough to ask if there were any questions. What happened next has stayed with me over the years, as Marty raised his hand and when called upon said, "I'm not sure I understand everything I know."

I never saw Marty again after that class, but I remember him to this day because of that remark.

That remark (which I have come to view as one of life's wise sayings) certainly applies to my acting studies in LA. There is a great deal more urgency in the approach to private acting lessons in LA, both from the acting coach and the actor. There are roles out there (a lot of roles) in which actors are going to be cast, and both the acting coach and the actor are doing everything in their power to prepare the actor, as quickly as possible, to be one of the people who are cast in those roles, be they theatrical or commercial.

The pace is faster, and you are given an increasing work load by your acting coaches, with frequent (often daily) exercises to do. I have two excellent acting coaches, one in downtown Hollywood, and the other in the Hollywood Hills. Both are tremendously personable, as well as quite demanding, and the actor has to sift quickly through various methods, and procedures designed to make a role or character you are doing, natural, believable, and real. When getting into a role is not working, it is an extremely difficult process, yet when it is working, it seems as easy as a walk in the park.

Sometimes I think back to what Marty said about not understanding everything you know. The understanding does come, but sometimes it's a few days or even the next lesson before it all falls into place.

I had a lesson, today with my acting coach in the Hollywood Hills. It was quite productive, I learned, I applied what I learned, and took another small step on the way to where I want and need to be as an actor equipped to compete in the LA market. Next week, I have a lesson with my downtown Hollywood acting coach, and the week after that it's back for a lesson in the Hollywood Hills.

If I fail, it won't be because I did not listen to and learn from these two men and give it everything I have. If I succeed, it will be because I did.

Finally, LA weather may be great most of the year but not this month in the San Fernando Valley where I live. It is supposed to around a 100 (plus or minus a degree or two) for the next 4 or 5 days, and after that who knows. I can hear my friend in Phoenix (and you know who you are) laughing as she probably thinks a temperature around 100 is a cold snap. They say the winters are nice in Southern California and I can't wait to find out.

Until next time.............