Mark Evans Studio

  You’re Not Being Assessed! I recently was leading auditions for an Off Broadway play that I am on the creative team for.  I am always genuinely ROOTING for every single person who walks into the space.  I always find it so interesting to witness the behavior of all the different actors that walk in. You’re reading this because you're clearly curious and want to continue expanding and growing in your work. What I want to share with you is this:  You are in that room for the creative team to explore your skill set,  not to assess your worthiness of being in the room in the first place.  Multiple people walked in and were clearly SO focussed on making a lasting or good impression that it often got in the way of us getting to truly see their work.  Feeling discomfort standing in front of a panel is a REAL THING. Trust me, I’ve felt it too.  But if you allow the moment to be ABOUT that discomfort by cracking a lot of jokes or commenting too much on...

  What Would Somebody Have To Know To Play You? This is a direct quote from the wonderful acting teacher Larry Moss. Ask yourself “What would somebody have to know to play me?” If there was a biopic about your life, think of the long, long conversations an actor could have with you (if they were lucky enough to access to you) about all the little details of your life and the specific memories you have and the little nuanced quirks within your personality. We’re so complex, right?! Why then, are we so impatient when it comes to trying to get to know the human being we’re bringing to life in a scene? In order to behave impulsively, instinctively and spontaneously in the circumstances of a scene we must first understand the scene, the circumstances, the conflict and WHY each character is saying what they’re saying. That's when you can allow the character to be fully fleshed out by your own version of each of these things. With YOUR point of view and YOUR understanding of these n...