PODCAST

The Vagabond Actors Podcast was created along with fellow acting teachers, Brian Caspe and Andrea Helene, during covid lockdowns. It focuses on all things acting from the craft, to mindset, to business and everything in between. It also provides insights by way of interviews with industry professionals. To access all episodes, click on the link above. Below are a selection of my favourite episodes.

BACKSTORY, BOREDOM & LIES.

Three really interesting listener questions about how to deal with ‘character backstory’, especially when you don't have a lot of scene time, how to deal with a character being ‘bored’, and what to do if your character needs to ‘lie’ about something.

HOW THE STYLE OF WRITING AFFECTs YOUR CHOICES.

In this episode, we answer one of our listeners questions about how the style of writing or the style of directing can affect the choices you make for your character, when preparing to work on a role. We dig into this as well as other related subjects.

Small PARTS, Functional Characters & CAMEO ROLES.

Actors spend so much time in acting class, flexing their muscles by working on the big characters, but especially at the start of ones career, actors mainly audition for smaller roles and sometimes only have a few lines or one scene to tackle. What to do then?

Objectives! What Do You Want?

The classic actor's tool Objectives. As old as Stanislavski himself. But what does it mean exactly and how best to apply this tool? We discuss the effective ways Objectives can be used. We also talk about empathy.

What If your prep Doesn’t Work?

We deal with a real world question about being on the job: “What happens when all the preparation you do before you go on the job doesn't seem to be working on the day? Do you fake it? Do you force the truth? Can you get it back?”

What Is Truth In Acting?

A philosophical question that has a direct impact on how actors approach their craft and their roles: What is Truth? More specifically, what is the nature of truth and truthful acting? We get into the differences between ‘real’ truth and ‘artistic’ truth.

Interview with Filmmaker Marcus Markou.

We talk to Director and Screenwriter Marcus Markou about his process and approach to filmmaking. Marcus wrote, directed, produced, and self-distributed the smash hit feature film ‘Papadopoulos & Sons’, which went on to become one of the most successful self-distributed films in the UK.

What Should ACTORS Think About While Acting?

What should actors think about while acting. Inner monologue? Nothing? Something else? Should it relate to Character or is it a case of whatever works. Always a hot topic in acting class. We discuss and end up in a heated agreement!

Interview with Actor Stacy Martin.

A real pleasure to talk to actor Stacy Martin: The Brutalist, All The Money In The World, Nymphomaniac. She talks about her career, her first ever film role as the lead in Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac, her thoughts on the craft of acting and working in multiple markets and languages.

Monologues: How To Rehearse And Perform Solo.

We discuss the pitfalls in working on what seems like a solo piece, how to rehearse them and the differences between a Monologue and a Soliloquy. We also talk about getting inspiration from books and paintings.

What's the deal with improvisation?

We talk about the difference between Improv and Improvisation, how to use improvisation to explore a given text and deepen your work. And we talk about our experiences with improvisation on set and in rehearsal as well as our favourite improvised moments from film.

Acting Fundamentals: Actions.

Back to fundamentals. We delve into the basic building block of acting technique: Actions. We talk about how actions fit into the hierarchy of a scene, how to come up with them, how to let them go and how they lead to greater artistry in your acting.

Distractions And Imagination.

We answer listener questions from actors. How to deal with cast members who are joking around between takes, while you’re trying to concentrate. And how to strengthen and use your imagination in your work.

Feeding Your Acting.

We take a look at those skills, activities, habits and extracurricular trainings that actors can develop to feed their artistic self and it turn their acting. It's a broad topic and a wide-ranging discussion. We cover a lot of stuff.

A Biog By Any Other Name.

We talk about the pitfalls and benefits of creating a character's biography, and how and when to do research and much more. Do you need to create a character history, if so how much time should you spend on it? When does it become a burden?

Taking Direction Among Other Things.

A smorgasbord of smaller topics that revolve around taking direction on the job and dealing with scene partners giving you adjustments. And ee go through an example of what to do if your preparation isn't doing what you had hoped it would do.

Interview with ACTOR Ed Speleers.

A privilege to welcome actor Ed Speleers. He talks about his process, how he deals with both success and disappointment and tells some stories about working on the set of ‘Downton Abbey’ and Lars Von Trier's feature film ‘The House That Jack Built’ and much else.

Emotional Preparation & The Moment Before.

A listeners question about, how to get into the right emotional state before the scene starts. It's a tricky topic and very personal, but there are some concrete ways you can go about preparing emotionally before you enter a scene.

Dealing With Rejection.

The mindset required to deal with the difficulties of constantly being told you're not ‘it’. We talk about where to focus your attention, tell stories from our own experiences with rejection and expectations and give tips on how you can lessen the blow of not getting the part.

Is There Such A Thing AS CHARACTER?

We discuss that most fundamental and surprisingly controversial of concepts: Character. We talk about what Character is and the differing views on the concept of Character, how to go about defining it and make it personal.

How do you feel about that? Opinions!

Opinions and Points of View. Why they're very important for an actor, how to identify them, embody them and how to nourish them. Climbing inside the characters way of thinking and splashing about in their view of the world is halfway to embodying the character.