Summer’s over, school is just now beginning again, and so September always reminds me it’s time for my Artistic Retreat. For the past four years, I’ve sent myself on an Artistic Retreat after every Labor Day to refocus my energies for the coming year.  Lucky for you, I’m going to teach you exactly how to have one of your own!

No, my retreat is not in the woods of New England, or at a swanky resort on a hot beach.  (I wish.)  In fact, no one is actually at my retreat but me.  I’m the leader, the audience, and the guest speaker.  You can have your Artistic Retreat anywhere, at any time of the day, but I’d recommend doing it either in your expertly organized Actor Office, or a nice, quiet place like a coffee shop or your local library.  All you need is you, and my Artistic Retreat Questionnaire. Read More

There’s a well-known actor saying that goes, “Nobody’s casting in your living room.”  In essence?  Get off your butt, and get out to auditions, because you can’t just dream a career into existence while you lie on your couch.  (That is, unless you live with a casting director.)  You have to develop the courage to walk out your door every day and try to book work.  However…you can’t get the work, unless you live in an office.

Okay, obviously, I don’t mean that you should actually sleep in an office building.  (That’d be weird.)  But you do need to have a space set up that is conducive to all the paperwork you have to do to propel your career forward.  I didn’t realize until well into my career that a large portion of my job was about the paperwork.  (Ugh!  Paperwork!  Where’s Ibsen?  Where’s Shaw?  Where’s Mamet, for goodness’ sake?!  I want to work in the theater, in movies and television, not dilly-dally with paper!  Well…tough.)  You got a lot of work to do, and you need a safe space to do it.  You’ve got casting notices to submit to, cover letters to write. Read More