Tag Archives: Sanford Meisner

An Acting Lesson: John Wayne and the “Reality of the Doing”

An old piece, re-posted for John Wayne’s birthday: In one lengthy scene in Hondo, filmed in one almost unbroken take, Wayne makes horseshoes in the little outdoor smith in the yard. Geraldine Page hovers nearby. He talks to her about … Continue reading

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For John Wayne’s Birthday: Hondo (1953) at MoMA: John Wayne in 3D

In real life John Wayne was huge, 6’3″, with broad shoulders, a lean waist, and long ambling legs. He towered over everybody. And yet, he was always graceful. His athleticism is extraordinary, his physicality smooth and controlled. So he was … Continue reading

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Interview with Jennifer McCabe: On-camera Acting Training and the Actor’s Process

Jennifer McCabe has been teaching acting and directing in various capacities for almost 25 years. After getting her Master’s through the MFA program at the Actors Studio, she first worked with Enact, a not-for-profit arts-in-education company which goes into at-risk … Continue reading

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Brooke Thomas: “I Feel a Satisfaction In Helping Actors That Has Kept Me Driven To Continue In Casting.”

Brooke Thomas, Mary Egan Callahan, Brooke and Mary: On-Camera Commercial Intensive Class for Actors I first met Brooke Thomas when I was 16 years old, and cast in a University of Rhode Island production of William Inge’s “Picnic”. She was … Continue reading

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R.I.P., Sydney Pollack

Rest in peace, Sydney Pollack. I’ll miss knowing he’s around. He was one of the old guard. One of those old guys – like Redford, Beatty, Nicholson – who re-made the Hollywood studio system into their own image. Pollack’s films … Continue reading

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Fall 1995: Acting Notebook

Going through all these old notebooks – I came across the notebooks I kept during grad school. At first they start out all work, no play … which is interesting in and of itself – but the notebooks I kept … Continue reading

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The Books: “Awake and Sing” (Clifford Odets)

Next in my Daily Book Excerpt: Another Clifford Odets play – Awake and Sing Unlike Waiting for Lefty which is a series of vignettes, culminating in the taxi strike when all the different strands come together … Awake and Sing … Continue reading

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