Creating a cycle

I have been thinking about all of the skills that I would like to have as an actor. Not just the basics, but work which will help me grow and inspire me as well as giving me a leg up on the competition.

So, I decided to write it down.

Here is a partial list:

Parkour
improv
Gymnastics
dance
physical theater
horseback riding
accents
stunys
shakespeare
stage combat
acting meisner
acting adler
acting chekhov
acting uta hagen
clown
mask work
singing
fencing
camera technique

etc.

I don't know about you but this is kind of intimidating. The old studios used to "groom" actors into stars. creating them into these iconic images that we see on screen. Now on a budget and working a day job I don't \see how anyone could possibly work on these and more without losing their mind.

Hell, if you had all day free and unlimited financial reserves it would still be overwhelming and lead to burnout.

So I believe in learning in a cycle.

My personal curriculum looks something like this:

This Fall I will focus on physically prepping the body. For me that is primarily Michael Chekhov work: Finding your character's center, how they move, practicing different emotions, etc. The point being to make my body and emotions free and adaptable.These are my basics, I encourage you to use what works for you.

In Winter I will focus on text analysis, camera technique, and booking technique. Realism, keeping my business in order, some Uta Hagen and Stella Adler exercises.

In the Spring I will focus on learning new skills: Dance, gymnastics, horseback riding, etc. The purpose of this is not just to develop marketable skills but to expand my horizons beyond just acting. Interesting people make more interesting actors.

In the Summer I will focus on more avante garde acting: Clown, composition of performance, mask work. It is rare that you will use any of these primarily in a role, but I believe that doing innovative theater expands your talent.

This is my cycle, and my list, I suggest that you come up with your own.

To start:
Make a list of all of the things that you would like to learn or places and techniques that you would like to study as an actor. Catagorize them and then choose 1 or 2 from each list that is interesting to you and try to focus on them for a certain period of time. I chose seasons, but months would work as well. I personally wouldn't go shorter than that.

Also; this should not be too strict. If you have an audition for a gritty police pilot tomorrow and you are working on avante garde theater that month, please feel free to work on the text and go method or whatever you need to do your best. The whole point of this is to expand your skill set while alleviating boredom between jobs. If you get an acting gig which takes up all of your time, put the studying on hold if you need to. But get back to it when you can.

So, I'm starting school again. With a curriculum designed specially for this student body of 1.

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