The Collective Spirit
Welcome to the New Collective Acting Studio’s weekly newsletter - dedicated to inform, uplift and inspire. The goal of this series is to celebrate acting as a primary art form and creativity as a way of life. Every Monday, we share resources, advice, ideas and all things related to living the life of an artist.
The Character Interview Exercise
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio The Character Interview Exercise What The Character Interview Gives The Actor Great actors constantly seek the deeper truth. Whether it’s through character exercises, script analysis, or personalizing the circumstances, we are always searching for authentic connection. Among the many tools in the actor’s kit, one stands out as a culmination of all the actor’s character building work: the character interview...
Creative Routines From Famous Artists (And How To Use Them)
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio Creative Routines From Famous Artists The Myth About Inspiration If there’s one myth that needs to die in the world of creativity, it’s the idea that inspiration strikes like lightning — unpredictable, rare, and totally outside our control. While inspiration is certainly real (and magical), the most prolific artists, writers, and thinkers don’t wait around for it. They build daily routines that invite it in....
Hitting Your Marks Without Losing Your Soul
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio Hitting Your Marks Without Losing Your Soul A Delicate Balance In the world of film acting, a curious paradox lies at the heart of every compelling performance: the best actors appear utterly free, alive in the moment, as though nothing has been rehearsed or planned. Yet behind that organic presence is an intricate choreography of technical demands - hitting precise marks, maintaining continuity, matching eye...
Dream Work & The Legacy Of Sandra Seacat
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio Dream Work & The Legacy Of Sandra Seacat Dreams: The Hidden Landscape Of Creativity Most actors spend years of study learning how to unlock the body, voice, and emotional life - developing a craft rooted in the physical world. But there’s a deeper dimension of the work that lives beyond conscious technique: the vast, unexplored world of the unconscious. For those curious to explore it, dreams can become an...
What Do You Do After Reading The Script For The First Time?
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio What To Do After Reading The Script Where To Start So, you've just landed the role. Congratulations! Whether it's a feature film, a TV Pilot, or a play, you’ve now crossed a major threshold: you’ve read the script for the first time. And now you're staring at the pages, buzzing with emotion or questions or both. You might be wondering, “What do I do next?” If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed at this stage, you’re...
Why Acting Is An Art - Not A Science
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio Why Acting Is An Art - Not A Science The Soul Of Acting In an age increasingly governed by algorithms, data, AI and precise metrics, it's easy to fall into the habit of viewing everything through a scientific lens. We prize replicability, logic, and practicality. But what happens when we apply this mindset to something as deeply human and unpredictable as acting? We find ourselves at a dead end. Because despite...
Understanding The Lens As An Actor
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio Understanding The Lens: The Art Of On Camera Acting Knowledge Is Power As an actor, do you wish that you had just a little bit more knowledge about the different lenses that are used by the cinematographer? And what can you do with this knowledge? In the realm of on-camera acting, an actor’s relationship with the lens is as vital as their connection to the script or even their scene partner. Stage actors are...
Art Of The Cold Reading
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio Art Of The Cold Reading Imagine This: You’re at an audition (or on Zoom), you’ve just delivered a well-prepared scene, and the casting director jumps up and says, “You’re perfect for this other role in the same project.” They hand you new sides and say, “Can you read this … in 5 minutes?” Your heart skips a beat. Of course, you say yes. But inside, panic may be rising. What now? Welcome to the crazy world of the...
The Character Biography: Setting The Record Straight
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio The Character Biography Turn Preparation into Transformation For actors, there are countless tools available to deepen a performance. But few are as misunderstood, or as underestimated, as the character biography. Maybe you’ve been told to write one. Maybe you've sat down with the intention to create something profound … only to end up jotting down a lifeless list of facts: birthplace, job, age, family...
What Do You Do In Between Auditions?
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective Acting Studio What To Do In Between Auditions Get Busy As actors, we never want to fall into the trap of just waiting for the next audition. Manifestation 101 says to act as if it’s already yours. Waiting puts you in a passive state of being - and gives away your power. As a coach, I can’t tell you how many times an actor has come in, sighing, “It’s so slow right now.” So, we dive into a monologue, a new character, a piece of...