September 23, 1991
My first exposure to acting training out here was an interesting one. It was a class of three, four counting me, and the format was (A) read off a cue card, then after everyone goes once, (B) watch yourself, then (C) do it again. Then, part two of the class was reading from copy as follows: (A) do it once, (B) "rehearse as the instructor "directs" you, and then (C) do it again.
The actual working and feedback was very beneficial. The hefty drawback of the class was that everyone else was so bad. Just unconfident, unsure, muffing lines, looking all over. It's the same, "Hey, I'm better than this" feeling that I got doing the extra stuff.
The problem is that for a half-hour of the class, it really helps. I'm up on my feet, I'm working, I'm getting critiqued, but for the other 2 to 2 1/2 hours, I'm getting very little out of watching other people's mistakes.
Actually, I don't mean that as simple as it sounds. I did learn a lot from people tonight as they altered inflections, and displayed the tactics the classes had taught them, and how they respond to the instructor, but their choices weren't specific enough, and the skills were so unrefined that it was very general tuning -- good for me tonight, but not necessarily so good for me for four weeks at $135.
So, I'll have to consider a little more maybe. I doubt it. I should call them October 6 to let them know my status. The people were:
Steve Flanagan - the teacher
Just so I remember, it was at 8640 W 3rd Street, West of La Cienega, cross street(s): George Burns to N / Hamel to the South. Take Coldwater right to 3rd street, go "left," that is East.