Bryan Bounds, Workingactorworking

Hello acting friends, a bit of news: I'm phasing out this page. From now on I’ll be posting about all my acting news, tips and coaching videos on my main page Bryan Bounds. If you’d like to continue hearing about what comes out of this Bounds, make sure you and I hook up there.

I promise you there’ll be no political posts or anything that might be controversial between you and me. Yes, there may be pictures of me in England, but think of it as a teaser to visit me in this beautiful country.

Creativity is my life, so I promise not to stray too far from the art that we love.

Stay well, stay calm and do good work,
Bryan

Nerding out on acting, coaching and directing with my good friend of 30-yrs from my UT days, Bill Gelber. In addition to playing Hamlet he's nurtured talents for decades and written a towering and profound book which I've devoured and used about coaching actors, to go along with his books 'Engaging with Brecht' and (in his final research phase in London) Techniques for Acting Pinter.

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, MEL BROOKS! Actors, I pass on this jewel from the master, which I took to heart long ago. Which reminds me: (not from Brooks, but what the hell) "The opposite of depression is not joy, it is expression. So Create, create, create! It is the soul's medicine."

DON’T ACT LIKE YOU’RE ACTING
This weekend my acting students will be presenting their scenes one final time. So I offer this to them and to any actor who strives for great acting. It's the kind of acting that captivates, surprises and moves your audience. Above all, it looks authentic. How do we do that? How do we not be fake, phony, hammy - all those things which make us insecure, with our gut telling us that we’re not good enough?

Paul Newman gives the answer. When we embrace that strange, misunderstood technique called Method Acting, when we reject the controversial idea that it means we must keep up the accent during the whole run making everyone else’s lives unbearable, when we have the courage to “live truthfully under imaginary circumstances” the price we pay is that we must live, think and do the things we that do in real life - EXACTLY THE WAY WE DO IT in real life, and we must totally give up control over how the audience is going to perceive it. Hammy actors can’t do this - they’re either ignorant of this process, or they’re too afraid or they’re too lazy to contemplate this wonderful, life-affirming way of working.

So, when you’re character is “playing an action” (a transitive verb going from me to you), then genuinely, honestly, 100% full out, play the action. Don’t act like you’re playing the action, don’t fake it, don’t pretend, don’t show us, don’t check it off your list of actions in your mind — actually, honestly do it. If your scene calls you to CHARM, or to PROBE, or to OBLITERATE, do it. All of this is happening to your character in real time (indeed there’s no such thing as a character anyway). You’ve never been in this situation before, you’ve never thought these thoughts before, you’ve never chosen this course of action with your scene partner, and you have no idea what you’re about to say.

Do that and you’ll pull your audience in, hypnotize them, and if it’s a comedy they’ll laugh more boisterously, and if it’s a dramatic moment, you will deeply move them. And that’s what we actors want to do anyway, right? The only way we become good actors, is to stop trying to be good actors in the eyes of our audience. Only then will they say, “they’re good”. They won’t know why, but you will.

To all actors: don't quit five minutes (or fifty years) before the miracle. On the train home I'm so grateful to have played a small part in a humongous film project with some leading lights in the industry. And all because I waited decades for this face to match this voice. So let's all keep suiting up, showing up, perfecting our tools, learning the monologue, doing the warm-ups, polishing the accents, and where necessary creating our own work.

HERE'S YOUR FULL MEAL DEAL. Taking a moment from lesson plans to say: Imagine a 10-week technical course for young actors where they learn from these! Convenient on a Sunday morning with a professionally-produced showreel at the end. 2 places left, the course launches Sunday, September 7. Link below. Shout if you have questions and SHARE to any new actors who need help.
PS thanks to uni buddy Dr. Bill Gelber for your excellent scene study book.

https://www.neuroacting.com/acting-master-course/

*** 3 WEEKS UNTIL MAGIC TIME! ***
Thanks for the shout out Harrogate Mumbler Community Chat Group! Like a dad, I can spot when young people grow beyond drama games and want to move up to something more substantial. We invite you to join us on 7 September for a very special course for young people who are serious about getting actor training, led by working actors Bryan Bounds and Frankie Bounds.

Is your Teen serious about Acting, and ready to learn the craft?

This September in Huby, they can enroll on a structured, 10-session course specifically for young people, taught by an award-winning actor who gets young people ready for drama school or agency representation.

Bryan Bounds, Workingactorworking

https://harrogate.mumbler.co.uk/is-your-teen-serious-about-acting-and-ready-to-learn-the-craft/

**** 4 WEEKS TO GO! ****
Do you know a young person who loves acting - but feels a bit overwhelmed in a huge group? They are probably an 🎭ACTOR who’s lost in a mob of 👩‍🎤PERFORMERS - and there’s a big difference.

If they want to learn pure, straight acting - the actual craft - you can help them get the training they want in a small group in NYorks led by working actors who have a deep knowledge of the craft, and know how to pass this on. In a group of ten students Frankie and Bryan will create a close, supportive, structured environment so that our students can learn Stanislavsky, Meisner and many other Acting Masters.

We call it the ACTING MASTER COURSE (in association with Harrogate Dramatic Society) and we have four spots left. So become a discerning parent. Don't waste time trying to get your actor to fit into that 'round hole' - they'll never get the time back. Get in touch. It'll be ten weeks that your young actor will love. And please share if you know a young person who's earned their time to shine. https://www.neuroacting.com/acting-master-course/