Basic Math with Michael D.

My name is Mike. I am a professionally trained actor with extensive stage experience and three years teaching experience. My passion lies in theater and I have performed in a number of on-stage productions ranging from classical to contemporary. I’ve studied with some of the greats and as a result have learned very useful acting techniques. I put together all the best acting tools and custom-tailor a training program unique to each student that nurtures their individual talents and helps them become the best artists they can be. I am passionate about this work and there is nothing that gives me more satisfaction than seeing my students grow both personally and professionally. My teaching philosophy consists of two parts: First: Your life is inspiring. Your experiences are unique. And your perspective is unlike anyone else's on this planet. As actors, we tend to get audition material and generalize it immediately and create an idea of what our character should be. And then we advance a general idea of that prototype. This is a travesty. In truth, your life has given you experiences and emotions that are real and that you can draw from to justify and anchor any choice at all. You may not believe it, but this is true. My first job as a teacher is to validate you as a person. Second: Your emotions must be real, but you’re not allowed to show them in a way that is artificial or pretentious. Most actors make the same mistake when they get a scene. They get too excited. “This scene is great! So much good emotion! It’s been so long since I’ve really sunk my teeth into good material. I can’t wait to kill it!” And believe me, I get it. As an actor, sometimes the bait is too attempting not to take. But be weary of falling into this trap. If you show the audience your cards the entire time, they will know exactly where you’re heading. And if they know where you're heading, they won't remain interested for long. The other thing to recognize is that in real life, which we as actors are always trying to re-create, we tend to cover up our emotions and play it cool. All of this to say that the craft of the scene lies in what you cover up and what you decide to show. I teach it as a two-part process. In the first part, you over-act. You blow it out of the water. You yell, you cry, you laugh, you improvise, you go nuts and do all the things you know you can’t do in front of a casting director. This is done not to teach you "bad habits" but instead, so you can get a sense of what you wish you could do but can't. In the second part, you cover it up by not showing anything. And from there, we see what needs to come out. As the great Sanford Meisner once said, "Don't do anything until something happens to make you do it." This requires enormous self-restraint and patience. But ironically, something always does happen.