Early on in my acting days, I had the good fortune of studying in London. I was completely amazed at the sheer amount of good theater and opportunities for actors. One day, during one of my scene classes, I found myself completely overwhelmed. No matter how much theater I “took in” as an audience member, actually acting in front of a class was terrifying. My legs shook, my palms sweat, my stomach felt like it would do a back flip.
Even though I had quite a bit of experience performing, somehow this was different. My teacher, James Roose-Evans, taking my gyrations into account, actually made me stand in front of the class until I was able to calm down and breath normally. You can imagine how much time this took. After several moments, he finally said, “Being nervous is a good thing. It means that the work you are about to do is important to you. It means that there is a visceral flight or fight response to what you are about to do. It means that you are a teachable actor. This is good. It means that with time, you will be able to embrace your nerves as a real manifestation of performance joy!” I never felt the same after that.
Each and every moment becomes an opportunity to remain teachable.
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Acting class, London theatre, Acting Training
Adeel Ahmad, a full time acting student for TVI, is currently appearing in Voices from Guantanamo, a collection of performed poems about prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. “Voices from Guantanamo takes on an important aspect of the current political situation and presents it for the audience, hopefully opening a dialogue with and for the viewers about the realities of the world in which they live. In this way, the play is incredibly powerful.”–
TVI New York Member, Eric Leeb, will be performing the role of Officer Brophy in an upcoming production of the 1944 play, “Arsenic and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring. The show will be put on by The Gingerbread Players of St. Luke’s Church out in Forest Hills, Queens for 4 performances only: November 8th at 7:30pm, November 9th at 2:30pm, November 15th at 7:30pm, and November 16th at 2:30pm. Tickets are for a suggested donation of $10, and the church is easily accessible by subway (E, F, R or V train to 71st Avenue / Continental Avenue or take the LIR to the Forest Hills Station). For reservations, please call (718) 268-7772 or email stlukesoffice@verizon.net.
