The Quest for Excellence (excerpts)

It is inspirational to know that actors of distinction believe that learning is an ongoing process, and that there are always new avenues toward the goal of continuing excellence. When accepting his Lifetime Oscar, [Lawrence] Olivier referred to himself as a student.

You embark upon a voyage of discovery in training to provide the impetus and opportunity to initially unleash your talent or to further refine it. The best of the training centers also guide you from strong expressive impulses toward the discovery of the true meaning of your gift. You will be thrust into an exploratory process which will afford you and image of your acting instrument and the power it is capable of realizing.

Experimentation is what training is all about and you should lunge into it with daring determination. With an “Anything goes!” attitude, you will perceive what you need and also what you already have. Your acting instrument will be strengthened by the recognition that your talent is becoming superior to anything you thought it could become.

A teacher cannot always give you quick solutions, but can make you aware of your strengths and shortcomings.

If you embrace acting as a profession, then you must invest the same energy in professional development required by other occupations. IT IS A DELUSION TO THINK THAT NO SPECIAL TRAINING IS NEEDED TO ACT. HARDLY ANYONE WILL HIRE AN INEXPERIENCED ACTOR.

Athletes train rigorously; why shouldn’t actors? After a succession of athletic meets, top athletes return to a period of training and improve their skills before the next cycle of competition. They have the capacity to grow even while enjoying being at the top. This kid of discipline will make a gymnast train twenty hours a week for ten to fifteen years or will prevent dancers from letting an entire week go by with out practice. Let there be no doubt about it; champs work hard. The bottom line is that you can only expect it get out of life what you put into it.

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