The actor in isolation is a desperate beast. Without the opportunity to practice his craft with his fellow actors, he might waste his days sitting on the couch in his pajamas, surrounded by empty potato chip bags, intoxicated from binge-watching eight seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Or he might find quarantine the ideal time to improve his skills. We talked with local acting coaches Shelly Lipkin and Claire Verity about 3 Ways For Actors To Stay Sharp During Quarantine.
Keeping Taking Classes
“At first, taking an acting class online may seem strange,” says Lipkin. “You don't have the other actors physically in front of you, but you can see them and you can react to them just as you would on a film set.”
Lipkin points out that film sets always present technical obstacles for actors to overcome and that online acting classes can sometimes mimic those circumstances: “Think of actors in sci-fi films having to play to nothing when shooting on a green-screen set.”
Lipkin reminds actors of the words of Michael Caine, who said: “I could play it to a wall.” Or, in this case, to a screen.
Try Something New
“Read a new play. Analyze a script you’ve never seen before. If you’re a film actor, read a musical libretto. Or vice versa,” suggests Verity. Write a one page scene and Zoom it with another actor. Take an online voice lesson, watch a tutorial about other aspects of the business, like producing, directing or production design.
Lipkin suggests using self-tapes to introduce yourself to new people from the comfort of your own home. “Sign up for some online casting services and submit self tape auditions -- if only for practice.”
And don’t limit yourself to just acting work. “Find a new challenge,” say Verity. “Educate yourself in other areas of life; grow as a person and you’ll have more to draw from as an actor.”
Watch Good Acting
Use your couch potato time to watch and study great acting.
“Watch a movie you’ve seen before, with the remote in your hand,” says Verity. “Stop the film. Rewind. Ask yourself why the director made this choice, why the actor made that choice.”
If your favorites are classic comedies, watch a modern drama. If you have a favorite actor, watch their first film and their last film and see how their craft has evolved. Do the same with a favorite director or cinematographer.
And watching a great performance, such as Tatiana Maslany’s work in Orphan Black, can help you see the value of online classes.
“[Maslany’s] performance is a force of nature,” says Lipkin. “She was playing multiple roles and those other characters had to be in the same scene with her, which was done digitally in post. When they first started production, they had her play opposite a tennis ball on a long stick. To watch her performance is a lesson in focus and how to immerse oneself in the imaginary world of their character.”
Looking for something new to watch? Lipkin says Unorthodox and Nurse Jackie (on Netflix) and The Good Fight (Amazon Prime) are great shows with excellent acting. For brilliant comedy, he recommends Episodes (also on Netflix).
On Verity’s watchlist are The Morning Show (Apple) for it’s relevance, complexity and brilliant acting; John Carney’s Modern Love (Amazon) because it “renews your faith in humans” and the “outrageously wonderful” Fleabag (Amazon Prime).
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Shelly Lipkin is an award-winning actor, director and teacher who’s been a member of the Portland acting community for decades. You can learn more about him and register for classes at his website.
Claire Verity is the director of the drama department at Vancouver’s Prairie High School, considered one of the Top 10 high school theater programs in Washington. She’s also the daughter of the playwright Roger Cornish, the mother of two successful teenage actors and a fashion editor for Michael Verity Photography.
