Tuesday, July 27, 2010

What If

What if I don't make it in show biz? Have I wasted my years of training?

What about my singing, dancing and elocution lessons? Have I wasted all that money and training?

At Kalmenson & Kalmenson, we follow not only the Stanislavsky method of progressive study, but also the theme of social grace and proper living etiquette as prescribed by the world's most accredited philosophers and behavioral scientists. Our students come from all walks of life as well as being aspiring actors. Our successful Kalmenson Method has been a working key, helping people to better their communication skills from the basic social relationships through corporate board rooms all over the country and, in some cases, with students now living in other parts of the world. Many prominent doctors and attorneys have come to us as a social and communication enabler.

So whether an individual makes it as an actor or merely improves their lifestyle... our method will continue to bolster the strengths of the human condition, while softening the downside of our day-to-day communication problems.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The Competitive Life: A Precept for Living

Don’t compete! It isn’t necessary or required. Being well schooled or being in the habit of practicing your craft is your requirement in order for success to happen; that is to say… if it ever happens. For what we do or contrive to do as actors is our addiction to nothing more than a personal dream. Ultimately, we may or may not reach fruition because of the hard work I profess to be our most necessary ingredient for even a chance at success. The fallacy of it all, simply stated, is society's assessment of the meaning of success.

For the masses, success has as its equivalent only one descriptive word: money.

The other day a well-known actor very succinctly summed up our world in a nutshell. When I asked him how things were going he responded with, "It’s time for me to hit the lottery again.” The actor I’m referring to was coming off a tremendous run in a network television series. In the past, I had heard him thank God for his luck to have experienced such great success. Yes, he’s a good actor, by no means a great one. As John Houseman might say, our actor is a journeyman. He recognizes the frailty of our profession. Some of our strongest brethren never experience acclaim or monetary rewards comparable to their strenuous efforts at reaching for the stars. In other words…the expertise you develop is absolutely a necessity in order to maintain your own sanity. You are the one who must be satisfied your attempts at success are at least well founded.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Interviewin' da harv

Interviews can be fun and informative, especially when the interviewer has done their homework.

Yi Tian not only enjoys her work, but shows up thoroughly prepared as a professional interviewer. I found her questions to be well thought out, and substantive. I do believe most actors may gain something from what follows.

You can find the interview here. I welcome your feedback.

-Harvey Kalmenson

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Improvisation

Answering a question I’ve been asked over and over again is worthwhile for me to do, when I determine the number of actors my answer may be helping.

One question comes at me more often than any of the others.

“What can I do to keep myself up to date and in the game?”

Basically what all of us want to know is what can we do in order to improve our chances of wining. The most common answer most actors get has to do with practicing one's craft. Some refer to it as keeping our chops up. Certainly in the voice over field, it is absolutely essential an actor be a good reader. If you can’t get through the script without bobbles, or dropping words, it makes sense you’re not going to have much chance of having a successful audition. And as we all know, the audition is the voice over actor's work. So, obviously the vo actor must make it a point to stay tuned by reading every day. Some call it "practicing the scales." Being a good reader will allow you to be creative during the audition. But what is not ever mentioned vigorously enough is the importance of the adlib or improvisation during the audition. This way of life happens to apply to just about every theatrical audition today.

In discussions with a variety of the better-known actors in our community of players, I find a noticeable consensus of opinion; almost all agree: Improvisation is an absolute necessity in order to be successful at almost all auditions, regardless of the venue.

Stephen Tobolowsky, who is perhaps one of the most notable teachers in the improvisation field, as well as an extremely sought after acting talent, agrees. Stephen allows, he can’t remember when he wasn’t required to improvise during an audition or the actual gig itself. And we’re not merely talking about making people smile or laugh; we’re talking about an art form: "Comedy as well as Drama for the serious actor." Today, it’s a must do for the actor. Whether its voice over, or film; improvisation has become the lifeblood of the successful thespian.

I'm proud to say that Stephen Tobolowsky teaches Improvisation at Kalmenson & Kalmenson, and we see the results in our auditions every day. If you have a serious interest in the world of improvisation, we have much more we can tell you here: kalmenson.com/improv.htm