And awakening us to something greater than we could have ever imagined…
Those same circumstances that begin to help lead the path to our greatest purpose…
Our greatest potential…
And so we find our tribe…
Or our tribe finds us…
A tribe that meets through the most unlikely…
And yet, likely, of circumstances…
A tribe that is generous in knowledge, creativity, heart, compassion, passion, love, support, kinship, responsibility, accountability, creativity, talent and Spirit…
It is said that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity.
When we really take a moment to contemplate the depths of this…
It is absolutely true.
Who wants to live the same thing over and over, right?
Staying in that kind of non-stop set structure…
Without the desire to expand and grow…
Creates utter stagnation that deprives us of the inspirational gifts that contribute to our creative expansion and evolution.
As artists…
As co-creators…
As human beings…
It is within our genetic makeup to crave creative growth and expansion…
And then contribute all we can…
From all that we have learned and experienced…
To the world through our chosen mediums…
In order to continue that creative expansive evolutionary process for the greater good.
However, when something new challenges our set belief system and daily routine…
The ego loves to say “Oh Hell No!“
Defense mechanisms may very often kick in…
Fear seizes us…
And causes us to lock down…
White knuckling onto the familiar…
Convincing us that some imaginary net is keeping us safe from the unpredictable tightrope of Life’s moment to moment changes.
But that is false…
It is actually staying in the familiar that is causing our creative demise…
Because it deprives us of all that delicious artistic and creative growth that can only happen by experiencing all the newness Life has to offer…
Moment to unknown moment…
As actors…
As artists…
We MUST be open to change…
We MUST be willing to break the ‘everyday’ cycle structure mentality…
In order to experience a higher level of creative consciousness.
However, sometimes creative growth and expansion cannot happen unless there is a willingness to sit with the discomfort that often accompanies change.
Whether we are aware of it or not…
Whether we like it or not…
There is no escape from this…
Simply because by the laws of nature itself…
Each and every moment requires a physical, mental, emotional, and yes, even spiritual shift within us.
As we consciously begin to accept this…
We can begin the process of truly activating it in our everyday Life…
And along the way…
There will most likely be many twists and turns challenging our belief system…
Our patterns…
And whatever else we have held onto…
All the while inevitably adjusting it.
Trust that all has been set in place so that our on-purpose creative soul can discover and experience the greatest possible evolution contracted for our individual artistic journey.
As we go deeper into dismantling creative stagnation…
It can sometimes feel somewhat overwhelming due to the restructuring of Life patterns from a colloquial essence to that of an acute awareness.
This is the beginning of change in and of itself.
This is part of the creative healing and metamorphosis process.
And this process may not always be experienced as what may be labelled as ‘positive’.
It may have taken an enormous accumulation of traumatic…
And emotional toxins…
To result in a present state of stagnation…
As these stored poisons energetically release from our creative Life…
There might possibly be an unpleasant cleanse mirroring the cause…
We must not be surprised if there are even moments during which we feel ‘locked’ in our head, ‘paralyzed’ in our body…
Or even uncomfortable and unpredictable emotional/physical pains emerging…
Very often this is the ego trying to desperately avoid change…
And hold onto its ‘safe identity’…
While a cleansing/recalibration process takes place…
Be what it may…
Trust in the light within the process…
Do not resist it…
The only thing that is holding us back from the gifts of the creative unknown…
Is our fear of the creative unknown.
Resistance is fear’s energetic way of brainwashing…
And we have all come way too far to be at the mercy of it…
When we are able to dissolve all useless fear…
And its resistance…
Through our conscious awareness of it…
And seek refuge within…
All the blocks that we feel imprison us…
Begin to dissolve…
And we can experience the change we seek…
And we grow…
And we expand…
And we share…
And we expand…
And we grow…
There awaits not only personal and creative freedom…
But also a delicious sense of peace…
And wellbeing…
To be enjoyed within daily Life…
To continue to share…
To grow…
And to expand.
With all that said, I urge you to not be held back by what may be perceived as ‘Limitation’.
There is always a way!
You have to understand that you are the answer to your very own creative life.
You are the answer to your work.
Allow yourself to become aware that as actors…
As artists…
As co-Creators…
You (we) have a calling and even a mission…
That is capable of shifting some of the darkest realities and consciousness that humanity still has to face…
With the objective of creating a better today and tomorrow…
Provided that you (we) take on that role responsibly and with commitment, accountability, respect, compassion, awareness, insight, and pure intent.
Never forget that we…
Y(our) voice…
Y(our) instrument…
Y(our) actions…
And y(our) work is infinitely more powerful than you (we) may have been led to believe.
Never underestimate that y(our) individual creative power…
Has the potential to uplift and even heal those who you may never even know in this lifetime.
Like a pebble being gently tossed into a vast pond…
That ripple effect will reach all those whom it is meant to reach.
But you (we) have to be on that knowing of what you (we) can do.
Stay the course.
Stay an integral part of the process.
Stay intent.
Stay awake.
Stay in that creative transformative light.
Remain open to y(our) very own creative growth and expansion.
You (we) can move mountains…
You (we) can always choose to be the lighthouse in the storm.
You (we) can continue to blossom even in the most unlikely places…
“In addition to what you teach about the importance of an actor’s craft, what else do you think it takes to do the kind of work that we all admire and respect?” …
My Answer:
“I think it takes a very special actor… I think it takes an actor… That has a very open heart… I think it takes an actor… That is so willing to give… That is so willing to be vulnerable… In whatever situation (textually speaking) he or she finds him or herself in… In pursuit of the truth of those circumstances… And you can see it… You know it… You know when an actor is there… You know when an actor is giving… You know when an actor has that generosity of spirit… You see it in their eyes… You see it in their soul… You see it in their energy… And it’s this powerful thing… That gets us from sitting back… To leaning forward… Because there’s something magnetic about them… And that magnetism… Is our ability to relate to them… To understand… Somewhat, someway and somehow… What they are going through… And that is what that generosity of spirit does… It’s this magical energy… That brings a collective… To a commonality… Of the human experience… And those are the actors that we see… That transform us… That move us… That take us somewhere… That inspire us… And that we greatly respect and admire… There has to be a generosity of spirit… There just has to be.” I hope you enjoy this MC² Actors Studio Masterclass interview. Much Love, Mario
“You may have to endure a lot… You may even find yourself ‘suffering’ in some way at times… But if you keep persevering… If you keep on believing in what you are doing… If you simply do not give up… You will find that all that hardship will pay it forward by bringing something inexplicably magical to your life… Every hardship plants the seed for a transformative victory… Never forget your passion… Never forget your strength… Never forget your power… No one ever said it was going to be easy… There are going to be seasons of strife and struggle…. But it is from those accumulated moments that will come your greatest inspirations… So… No matter what life may throw at you… No matter how many times life may knock you down… No matter how often life may cause you to fall… I urge you to use every ounce of passion burning within your life force and… get up… get uP… get UP… geT UP… gET UP… GET UP… GET UP! GET UP!! GET UP!!!”
Questions… What is a professional acting studio environment? Why do you choose to study at a professional acting studio? How do you approach the continual exercising of your craft? How do you approach doing the work at the studio? What is your personal objective when it comes to… What you want to gain… What you want to learn… What you want to experience… What you want to do… And what you want to accomplish… When you are paying your hard earned money so that you can learn… And continue the cultivation of a craft that you love? Are getting those needs met? Do you really own what you want to get out of a professional acting studio environment? Are you learning what to do so you have a skillset that you can always rely on… So that you know where to start… So that you know how to persevere… So that you know what you are doing… So that you can specifically live in the unknown of the moment within the givens of the world of the text… No matter what project you work on at the studio… Or more importantly… Offered to work on in the real world? Is what you are learning applicable for what the real world demands? Does it mirror what is needed in the professional world for you to do your job as a professional actor? What standard do you hold the studio to? And more importantly again… What standard do you hold yourself to as you exercise your craft in that studio environment? Do you hold yourself to the same standard that you hold other actors that you watch and respect on film, television and stage? If not… Why not? What are you really exercising? If these questions strike a chord, you do not want to miss this MC² Actors Studio Masterclass Interview.
TAG SHARE COMMENT MC² Actors Studio An Ensemble Oriented Acting Studio Cultivating Craft For The Professional Actor For more information MC² Actors Studio & MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass, please contact our administrative department at assistant.MC2@gmail.com or visit us at www.mariocampanaro.com Visit our new MC² Actors Studio Amazon Store Front at: www.amazon.com/shop/mc2actorsstudio #mariocampanaro #mc2actorsstudio #mc2masterclass #actingstudio
When times are tough and obstacles seems insurmountable… Do you exclaim: “OK, I”m done!“ Or do you simply state: “OK, I am just beginning.” How far are you willing to go? What standard do you hold yourself to? What feeds your inspiration? What gives birth to your creative genius? Are you driven by the passion of your creative fire? Or the hot steam of what you want to hear yourself say about it? Why are actors such a powerful and essential force for humanity? Do you even know how powerful you truly are? Why is it such an honor to be able work in this profession? If these questions vibrate within you, then you will not want to miss this powerful MC² Actors Studio Masterclass Interview.
TAG SHARE COMMENT MC² Actors Studio An Ensemble Oriented Acting Studio Cultivating Craft For The Professional Actor For more information MC² Actors Studio & MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass, please contact our administrative department at assistant.MC2@gmail.com or visit us at www.mariocampanaro.com Visit our new MC² Actors Studio Amazon Store Front at: www.amazon.com/shop/mc2actorsstudio #mariocampanaro #mc2actorsstudio #mc2masterclass #actingstudio
I never thought in 20+ years of teaching acting that it would be a novel idea to declare that…
You need to love the work to really do the work…
I never thought I would ever have to say…
You need to take the work seriously if you want to be taken seriously…
I never thought I would have to reiterate…
It takes great discipline, commitment, accountability, responsibility, dedication, and perseverance to stay the course of such a tumultuous artistic path if you intend to keep on keeping on along the path…
But, to my great dismay, it seems we are living in different times…
And it seriously breaks my heart every time I come across someone that says they want to be an actor…
But seems to have been led astray…
Or has deluded themselves into thinking…
That the road of the artist is an easy one…
“That ya just gotta memorize your lines and go“…
“That it is not in the details“…
“That it is not in the specificity“…
(Insert screeching car brakes sound here!)
Well, let’s stop right now and say…
That is not acting…
Not remotely…
At least not professionally…
That is pure mediocrity…
It is amateur hour…
And to put it bluntly…
That is just dressing up as we do on Halloween…
That kind of thinking is an insult to our great art-form…
And it is an insult to every great actor and actress that has ever blessed our stages and screens…
We are living in a day and age where we use social media stardom as our litmus test to “making it”…
Or at the very least thinking…
“I got these likes and followers so I have arrived, haven’t I?”…
We look at others that get a bunch of hearts and then expect to be in that “limelight“…
Or we see actors on tv, stage or screen and think they just got there because they got lucky…
Or because they have a great agent and manager…
Or they networked…
Or they knew someone…
Or they went to that industry event…
So we think it should be the same for us…
Comparing and contrasting has become our little secret addiction…
So we look for a quick fix…
That shiny appetizing easy road that gets us there at the speed of light without any work whatsoever…
Without any training…
We want the muscle without the exercise…
We want to eat the cake before we even obtain the ingredients and instructions necessary to make it…
And then we get hypnotized by all the expensive seminars, workshops and all those “gurus” that have really exquisite website/ad headshots with huge acclaimed smiles and lets just say it…
Marketing…
Selling and banking on convincing actors that it is indeed easy peasy…
So we search out for that thing that reiterates the myth…
You know…
“Follow us and we will get you there!“…
“Click on this link and fulfill your dreams in no time flat!“…
“Sign up for this 10 day course and you will book a blockbuster film!“…
“Pay this price for headshots and we will make you a star!“…
(Show me one professional acting job where preparation is not necessary)
(Show me one actor that is willing to show up to their first Broadway rehearsal or first day on a major film or TV set without preparation)
You go girl/boy!..
Oh and then there is…
“This is so and so and so and so is this and that and so and so knows the way so sign up for so and so’s famous well-marketed course and it will all happen!…No rehearsal or work necessary!…Come as you are and it will just happen because we will just tell you what to do and you will do it and feel good because you got encouragement and reinforcement because you followed exactly what we said!“…
And…
“Just learn your lines and go up there and see what happens!…You don’t need to know the world of the text!…You don’t need to know the history!…You don’t need to break things down!…You don’t need to have a need!…You don’t need to understand relationships!…You don’t need to know why things are the way they are!…You don’t need to know what got you to this here and now moment!…You don’t need to know your environment and the objects within that environment!…Or how that environment affects you sensorially!….Or what that environment does to your speech or dialect or body!…You don’t need to support your voice!…You don’t need to breathe!…You don’t need to know what you are doing!….You just need to do it!“..
Um Ok…
(Insert unapologetic judgmental eye roll here!)
So what ends up happening is the actor takes the text and creates their own play, with their own thought up givens because they are just doing it without any respect whatsoever to the world the writer put his or her heart and soul in creating…
Or they become stiff as a board…
Or they push…
Or they play ideas…
Or they indicate…
Or they create blueprints of how they think it is “suppose” to be…
Or they strive for what they perceive as interesting moments…
Or they try “taking risks” doing something outlandish or different…
Wrong…
Interesting moments only exist as much as an actor can live authentically moment to moment within the full world of the text and all that comes with it…
Taking risks means living unapologetically, honestly, and courageously within the unknown of each moment as it pertains to a need within the full world of the text…
So is just “doing it” going to prepare one to play Eurpides’ Medea?…
Or Shakespeare’s’ Hamlet?…
Or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein?…
Or Tony Kushner’s Angels In America…
Or Anthony McCarten’s Theory Of Everything…
Or Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County…
I can keep going but I hope you get the picture…
Do you want to be an artist?…
Or do you just want to be a picture with several hearts so everyone can look at you in a split second in reverence and then keep scrolling?…
Where are you headed?…
What kind of actor do you want to be?…
What kind of artist do you hunger to be?…
What we do takes work…
Yes, there is no denying that…
But if you are choosing to be an actor…
This work should not feel like “work“…
That does not mean there won’t be tough times…
Of course there will be…
But even then…
There is fulfillment in the struggle…
There is growth…
There is art…
It should be delicious…
It should make your mouth water…
You should feel those wonderful butterflies in your gut every time you get the opportunity to work…
To discover…
To explore…
To dig…
To open up…
To expand…
To overcome…
To find a known or unknown piece of you within the world of every text…
The exploration of the human condition…
And the creation of character…
Should be exciting…
It is supposed to be fun…
It is supposed to be stimulating…
It should be carbonating you so much…
That you cannot wait to get into that space with your partner…
And trust your work…
To go after your needs moment to unknown moment…
And live…
But you can only live in that unknown of the moment as long as you have done all the work that allows you to bring full breath to the character and the world of the text…
And grounds you within the known…
So you can fully live in the unknown…
It is not science homework…
It is not algebra homework…
It is not a cold read…
(Though I truly believe working on cold reading is an important skill every actors should exercise…especially when it comes to exercising listening, impulses and instincts)
It is acting…
It is life…
We can’t perceive our work as this laborious task that drains us of life…
NO!!!!!
That is not the work!…
And if one is experiencing the work in that way…
And continues to expereince the work in that way…
Dare I say run for the hills…
Because you are in the wrong field!…
The work is for those that love the work…
It gives them life…
It excites!…
It does not deplete them of life…
Acting is to do…
Your work is there solely to stimulate you to do…
But if you do not find joy and love and wanting to do this kind of work…
Well then I do not know why anyone would put themselves through such a difficult path…
It is the love of the work that allows the artist to persevere when most may want to crumble…
Remember this…
Life is created out of love…
Our work is about life…
It needs your love in order to breathe life into all those black and white sheets of paper which we call the text.
TAG SHARE COMMENT MC² Actors Studio An Ensemble Oriented Acting Studio Cultivating Craft For The Professional Actor For more information MC² Actors Studio & MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass, please contact our administrative department at assistant.MC2@gmail.com or visit us at www.mariocampanaro.com Visit our new MC² Actors Studio Amazon Store Front at: www.amazon.com/shop/mc2actorsstudio #mariocampanaro #mc2actorsstudio #mc2masterclass #actingstudio
Despite what is going on in the world and all the changes occurring in our industry, @mc2actorsstudio ensemble members are still BOOKING!!
Check out what MC² Actors Studio masterclass ensemble members Amanda Bird @anoisybird @noisy_nest and Holly Hubbell @hollyjohubbell have to say about this whole new way of working with regards to the necessary adjustments in our industry!
REPOST @anoisybird @noisy_nest : “I booked it, we shot it… In quarantine #mc2actorsstudio @anoisybird and @hollyjohubbell on the changing industry in my acting class is held on zoom are the way of the future! @mc2actorsstudio”
REPOST @hollyjohubbell : “Commercials in quarantine. The industry isn’t stopping, but shifting… And so should you. We SAFELY shot a global commercial over the weekend with the director in France and production team in Germany. Times and protocols are changing – so if you want to stay relevant, it’s time to learn to expand your craft.“ TAG SHARE COMMENT MC² Actors Studio An Ensemble Oriented Acting Studio Cultivating Craft For The Professional Actor For more information MC² Actors Studio & MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass, please contact our administrative department at assistant.MC2@gmail.com or visit us at www.mariocampanaro.com Visit our new MC² Actors Studio Amazon Store Front at: www.amazon.com/shop/mc2actorsstudio #mariocampanaro #mc2actorsstudio #mc2masterclass #actingstudio
By our very nature as human beings, we are constantly facing the unknown of the next moment.
There is no way of getting around it.
It is an absolute fact of life.
As much as we would like to think that we have some inkling of control…
The truth of the matter is…
We do not.
That is a pretty scary notion…
Or I should say reality…
When you take a moment to consider it.
We have no idea what we are walking into as our next life moment approaches.
We have no idea what the next moment will bring us.
We are presently living the very best way we know how and can in this here and now moment.
And we are doing so by what we have learned from our past experiences…
Married with a pretty incredible natural ability to adjust, adapt, and move forward…
Step by step…
Moment by moment…
Instinctually…
And in some, many and/or most cases…
Impulsively…
Based on what life throws out at us at any given moment.
Think about how courageous and brave that really is…
Think about how miraculous that is…
How miraculous you/we are…
Based on everything we humans had…
And still have to face moment to moment.
For 100% of our lives…
We have been living in a present moment…
(which was once a complete unknown moment)
And then enter into a complete unknown next moment…
Carrying with us only the knowledge and preparation that past experiences…
(of confronting and living through what was at that time an unknown moment)
Have taught us.
As actors we are always responsible and accountable for doing our preparations to bring any given role the full life that he or she deserves.
We do that part of the work using our craft to help us along the way…
But despite all the preparation in the world…
The true magic…
The true living…
Can only exist within the unknown of the moment.
It can never be planned…
It can never be blueprinted…
It can only be discovered, experienced, and dealt with as it happens in the unknown of the moment.
And it is the actor’s courage…
All of his or her bravery…
The full willingness to reallylive moment to moment…
That that magic happens…
That the real work is…
That the life truly exists…
It can only really be within the rawness of the unknown.
And your entire life has been training you…
Your entire life has been preparing you…
To work in such an ordinary…
(because we all have no choice but to live this way)
Yet extremely extraordinary…
(when you really think about it)
Very human way!
That bravery…
That courage…
That willingness to live your most authentic, honest, truth…
In relationship to the given circumstances of any world of text…
Within the complete unknown of each and every moment…
Is what makes the actor…
An actor.
I hope you enjoy this stay at home virtual Masterclass Lecture.
Stay safe and stay healthy!
Much Love,
Mario
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For more information on MC² Actors Studio, MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass & Mario Campanaro For The Actor, please contact our administrative department at assistant.MC2@gmail.com or visit us at www.mariocampanaro.com
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