Lessons from the Golf Course

Last summer, I took up golfing. Only weeks before I started learning this game, I was adamant that it was not for me. "I already have so many things that I'm not good at; why would I want to add golf to the list?" I ended up going to the driving range, then working on putting, then working on chipping, and before I knew what was happening, I was playing nine holes.

What I found, and what I want to share with you, are some life lessons that apply to my acting career, not just to this silly game of smacking a ball with a stick:

1. The odds suck. The odds are against you hitting a hole-in-one, just as the odds are against you booking a Broadway show at your first EPA. There are so many variables at play, most importantly that you haven't been doing this all that long. Even if you have, the odds suck. Hit the ball anyway, or go home.
2. Relax, aim, and be patient. The ball will not go where you want if you are tense. You will look nervous and desperate if you are tense in your audition. Focus on your objectives. Take your aim. If it doesn't go the way you expected, be patient, and try again if you can.
3. Sometimes, it's best not to aim straight for the hole. It may be to your advantage to zig zag a bit, around a tree, bunker, or other obstacle. Likewise, sometimes it's a good idea to take a job out of town, or to take a class and not audition for a while. The path to the goal is rarely straight.
4. Choose the right club. I love my five iron, but it's not always what I need for the shot. Make sure you have the right clubs in your bag (monologues, songs, etc.), and use the best one for the shot you're taking.
5. Caddies are great, but learn to carry your own clubs. Having a support system is so important, but be able to make your own decisions, and have the stamina to walk to the next hole.
6. If you don't enjoy it, that's okay! If you have given this game a try and you still hate it, WHY ARE YOU PLAYING? This is an expensive, time-consuming hobby. Find something else that fuels you and go do that. You can always come back if you miss it. 
7. There will always be someone on the course who is better than you. Learn to compete against yourself. What about your game is improving? Where do you need more practice? Focus on improving yourself and you will enjoy the process more!

I hope my based-on-real-life metaphor was helpful for you, whether or not you're a golfer. Wishing you all the best, on the course and in life! 

Want to improve your Shakespeare game?

Email me at ShakespeareCoach@gmail.com to schedule your first coaching session,

or visit ShakespeareCoach.com for details!

Poetry vs. Storytelling

I have a theory: we enjoy a Shakespeare production more when there is a balance between poetry and storytelling. I feel that Shakespeare's poetry should support the story, and that Shakespeare isn't really Shakespeare without the poetry. It's becoming very popular to rid Shakespeare's plays of poetry (or to "translate" them to contemporary English altogether), in an attempt to make them more accessible. While accessibility is certainly important, I feel that by utilizing the poetry in Shakespeare's text effectively, we can provide the audience with a more rich experience, while still telling the story. It's all about balance.

Too much emphasis on the poetry makes for more of a recitation than a play. 'cause WHEN you SEE a PLAY where ALL the AC-tors SPEAK like THIS, it ALL gets VE-ry TIRE-some AF-ter ON-ly SEC-onds, SEE? These tools should be to assist in telling the story, not distracting from it. In Much Ado About Nothing, the play is very much in prose until Claudio and Don Pedro begin to speak of love. The shift to verse when matters of the heart are being discussed doesn't need to be overwrought for the audience to feel the new groove. The rhythms support the text; characters in love often speak in verse because these feelings are too big for the everyday prose they may otherwise use. Likewise, if a character starts rhyming, they may be doing so to impress another character or the audience with their wit, or even to annoy another character. 

Image: Tee Public

Neglecting poetry in favor of the plot negates the whole reason the play was written in this beautiful language and rhythms and rhymes in the first place. There are countless ways to make a love-sick teen named Romeo fall for a headstrong girl named Juliet. The fact that their first lines to each other form a sonnet is simply divine! Why? Because NO ONE SPEAKS IN SONNETS SPONTANEOUSLY IN REAL LIFE. That's a big part of what makes it magical. If you take the poetry out of the equation, then what is truly special to show the audience that these two are meant to be? "Hey, girl" doesn't cut it.

The goal is to give the story the spotlight and to use the poetry as the structure to tell this tale. Here are some questions to help you determine your path through the poetry:

Do the characters know they are speaking in verse?

If they are rhyming?

If they are using a lot of metaphors?

Are the words they're speaking spontaneous, or have they been well-rehearsed for this much-anticipated moment?

Is their alliteration proving their intellect, or is it a fun coincidence that they realize after the fact, or are they oblivious? 

These are just some of the ways we can use the poetry of Shakespeare to help support the story. What ways do you use Shakespeare's poetry to help tell the story? Let me know in the comments!

If you want to go from scared to PREPARED with Shakespeare,

Email ShakespeareCoach@gmail.com to schedule a coaching session,

or visit ShakespeareCoach.com for more info!

How to Pronounce Character Names in Shakespeare's As You Like It

While Shakespeare's As You Like It almost certainly takes place in France, not all of the characters have French names, and some of the French names are not said with French pronunciation!

There are definitely some tricky names among the more typical ones in this always-popular comedy. Click to watch the video!

 

Want to step up your Shakespeare game?

To schedule a coaching session, email ShakespeareCoach@gmail.com,

or visit ShakespeareCoach.com for more!

The Gift of Time

Some years ago, my sister worked a not-quite-soul-sucking day job. One of those jobs where, if there were no customers to assist, the managers would try to cut costs by sending employees home. Not all employees are fans of getting cut, as less hours means less money, but one particular manager framed it in a very memorable way:

"I give you the gift of time."

Although I know it was met with mixed reviews, I have to agree that time is valuable and something that we can never generate more of. Everyone knows this, and yet, it's so easy to forget it!

Today, NYC is hunkered down for a blizzard, which means most of us are dealing with a (mostly unexpected) gift of time today. Might I suggest that, while also using this Snow Day for some relaxation and Netflix, set aside a good chunk of it to do something to further your career or your art in a way that you normally wouldn't have time to do?

Some ideas for how to use your gift of time:

Start writing that webseries you've always wanted to create.

Learn that monologue that you just haven't had time to work on.

YouTube tutorial that makeup look and hairstyle you wanted to try for that audition next week.

Read a play! (None on your bookshelf? Check out an e-Book online, or go to Project Guttenberg for free classics.)

Prep your meals for your busy week ahead.

Clean your apartment (with some great music or a podcast on), so that you have less stress the rest of this week.

Call your family to let them know you're okay!

No matter how you choose to use your gift of time today, I hope it will be productive and fulfilling!

Looking for a Shakespeare Coach to help you prepare for

that upcoming audition or performance?

Email me at ShakespeareCoach@gmail.com

or visit ShakespeareCoach.com for details!