08/18/2026
Scene Study Class Work:
Scene: ALMOST, MAINE
by John Cariani
Randy: Ricky Valdez [LA]
“One of the biggest misconceptions about acting is the idea that preparation somehow limits your ability to be truthful, instinctive, and impulsive in the unknown of the moment. Some people say, ‘Just wing it and whatever happens happens’, but that’s utter nonsense—irresponsible, unprofessional, and often just an excuse to be lazy. The truth is, preparation—your craft—if understood and applied properly, tangibly and humanistically, allows you to do exactly what people think ‘winging it’ will achieve, but with true artistic skill, within the givens of the text, and the ability to live truthfully, instinctively, and impulsively in the unknown of the moment without hoping, wishing, or depending on luck. This preparation also grants you the consistency and continuity to perform eight shows a week or deliver sixteen takes in a row. If your technique stifles your ability to do that, then I’d argue it wasn’t taught or exercised as properly as intended. Craft, when properly cultivated, liberates the actor—it doesn’t restrict them. The craft you develop mirrors what exists in life and must therefore exist within the life of your character, under their unique circumstances. That life unfolds through the character’s spine, shaped by their lens of perception and their filtered listening based on their wants and needs. Let’s be clear: how you respond to everyday circumstances is not necessarily how your character would respond to theirs. It’s not about replicating your own experiences; it’s about inhabiting a different set of circumstances and reacting in a way that is true to the character’s reality. So do your work, know your lines, show up on time. Period.”~ Mario A. Campanaro
