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Sarah Gaboury

About Sarah Gaboury

https://realactorslab.com

Posts by Sarah Gaboury:

card reads "is your acting getting boring?"

Don’t settle for “natural!”

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In my signature “Get Out of Your Head” class I talk about one of the biggest actor crutches/tricks I see standing in the way of honest, vulnerable and exciting performances  And I’m willing to bet you’ve leaned on this unhelpful habit, perhaps more times that you care to admit.

I’m talking about the old “make it sound natural” trap.  Eek.

If you’ve ever taken class with me you know I challenge all my students to focus on telling the story in very active ways.  Instead of working in a “watching yourself” way and aiming to simply pass the “does it sound enough like life” test (so god forbid you don’t get caught pushing a little, even if in your living room), I challenge my students to make choices.  To action the text.  To specific and deep relationships.  I push them to be big and bold and to take risks.  

When you recommit to telling the story, your work is in fact more like life than that other (let’s face it)  boring and just-like-everyone-else way when you throw it all away.

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

Sarah: It’s so fun when you name it, you know, like when you find something that works for the moment. Right, because it’s so easy, you guys, it’s so easy to just settle. It’s so easy to just settle because you can make…you can make these lines, they’re written so that…it’s good writing, you can make it sound natural. Most actors will do that. Most actors will just make it sound natural and they’ll throw it all away and they’ll kind of do that thing. And it just makes it so…unfulfilling, you know? It’s like this story that never gets all the way told.

Julia: Yeah, it’s like the common misconception that it needs to sound natural, that’s the number one thing.

Sarah: That’s it, that’s the golden standard: they sound like they’re natural.

Julia:  Who made that rule up?

Sarah: But the audience is falling asleep half the time! They don’t even know what the story’s about! So not settling is so…it’s so worth it. It’s so worth it.

card reads "how to tell stories on your own terms"

Empower yourself and create your own work

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Want to be a storyteller?  Tell stories.

You know this already but it bears repeating: producing your own work is not only a great way to get unstuck, re-inspired, and connected to your purpose as an actor, but can be a career launcher for some actors, too. 

Start small.  Go one step at a time.

And be sure you have extremely clear goals.  Don’t make a film simply because you need footage for your reel — make a film because you are lit up by a story that won’t stop nagging you.  (If you simply need footage, please talk to me before you start shooting stuff!)

Here’s what Filmsupply has to say about optioning material:

“Tracking down a relatively unknown author isn’t nearly as hard as it used to be. Self-promotion is just as essential to some writers as it is to filmmakers. So they ought to have some sort of website or platform with contact information listed. According to Rob, the most important thing to keep in mind is how you sell yourself and your vision in those initial conversations.

You want to build a personal connection with the author. The best move is to get them on the phone and say, ‘Look, I’d like to option your property. I don’t necessarily have a lot of money; but I’m super passionate, and I’m super excited about your vision, and I want to make sure your property gets set up the right way.

Speak to what excites you about their story. Be specific. Drive home the idea that you want to see their work treated with respect and consideration. After all, if the shoe were on the other foot, you wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t have genuine excitement for your work trying to turn your film into a book.”

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

Sarah: Pay attention to the stuff that really inspires you, to the shows that inspire you, to the stories in the news that inspire you…to, you know, listen to news stories, podcasts. I listen to the Daily, which is the New York Times podcast, pretty regularly, and there was an incredible story about—kind of about drug cartels, but not really—and I just thought, that would be an incredible story to tell.  You know, you can option, you can option (the rights to) these stories, and what that means is essentially you pay—and it doesn’t always have to cost a lot of money—but as a producer you option the rights to that (author’s) story.  And then you can team up with people and have a writer write it if you’re not a writer, and write yourself a role. And then become a producer and start putting people together that are really good at those things, simply by being inspired by the story. You know, by reading a novel and thinking, “oh my God this would be an incredible film,” I’m going to option the rights to this novel and work with a screenwriter to adapt it and get it made and put a team of people together and get the funding and make it!

Sam: I didn’t…that’s really cool.

Sarah: And that’s possible! That is 100% possible and in the world of possibilities. Whether or not you get to go make a studio version of it, you know, maybe not, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t get it made and tell the stories that you want to tell.

Sam: Yeah. I like that. That’s really cool.

Sarah: There’s a lot of ways to empower yourself.

card reads "Are you worried about getting it wrong?"

Am I making the “RIGHT” choices in my acting?

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“I don’t know if I did it how they wanted.” “I’m not sure if I made the right choice.” “I hope they liked me”.

If this is your headspace after an audition it’s time to stop giving your power away.  

What if you could shift away from the idea of getting it right or getting it wrong and instead approach your work with curiosity, playfulness and OWNERSHIP?

You bring your own, unique life experience to every role you will ever play which means nobody can do it quite like you.  And while, of course, you will still make choices that come from the text, every impulse you have, every decision you make, comes from your own lived experience. 

And sure, this might mean that sometimes your interpretation of a moment will be different from how the casting director or director initially envisioned it but this doesn’t mean it’s wrong!  And there’s nothing more exciting in an audition than an actor who pulls off  a confident and bold choice that is supported by the text.  It will jolt them to attention.  

Instead of giving your power over and needing to be picked, begin your work on an audition as if you already have the part– as a collaborator with a whole loved experience to offer.  Forget about “the right way”.  Listen to your impulses.  Bring you.

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

Sarah: Here’s some possibilities, I’ll put these in your head so you can see if it gets you on the right track. Again, these are possibilities, these come from my brain, and I know that once you get this, you’re gonna put all this through your own experience and life experience and come up with stuff that’s even better, because it’s you. That’s what’s so cool about acting, is that no one’s going to ever act a part like you because you’re going to put it through your own life experience. So no one will ever do it like Trevor will do it.

Hugues: I hope I did what I was supposed to do in the tape. I can look at it, we can look at it now…

Sarah: You know what, there’s no “supposed to,” either, so I just want you to be clear about that, you know, there’s so many possibilities. But I know what you mean, I know what you mean in terms of the things that we’ve been working on, and…I know what you mean.

Hugues: Yeah, I gotta look at it broad, like you just said. Cuz sometimes I look at it like there’s only two ways!

Sarah: No, no, and that’s when we get into the headspace of like trying to give them what they want versus put my own spin on it. You know, I’ve worked on stuff with actors before where they’ve gone in and blown them away with ideas that they never even thought of! Right, so they may have an idea of what they think it is, and then they may be surprised by what you bring, you know.

Card reads "what do I do right before I tape?"

I’m ready to tape. How do I start?

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However you feel about them, self-tapes are here to stay, so knowing how to get a good one is essential for actors.

The question in class was:  What should I do right before I record my self-tape?

One of the major upsides of self-taping is the luxury of time and privacy for a full preparation.  Today’s Class Clip can even be used as a mini-guide before you begin to tape.

Your prep should allow for lots of time to breathe — to land where you are — acknowledge how your body feels.  Allow whatever is there to be there.  My hands are sweaty.  Great.  Breathe into your character’s world.   What do they want? What do they need? Who are they talking to?  Once you feel ready, take another deep breath, open your eyes, and begin.

Your prep will always be adjusted according to the scene, the character and the particular rules of the world.  Sometimes you may need to scream into a pillow.  Or punch your bed.  Or sniff the hidden bottle of your ex-boyfriend’s cologne. Find what you need that hooks you into the circumstances.

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

I would say, breath. Which is something we take for granted, but it’s really important. Start with your breath, maybe close your eyes. Take some full breaths in, all the way to the top, and exhale. Check in with your body. See where you’re at in this moment, so you’re not…trying to act on top of something, making sure you’re not denying where you are at right now. We’ve got to include it all. So it can be going through the physical sensations in your body, like okay, I feel my heart beating, I feel my clothes on my skin, I feel my hair on my skin. And then you can start to connect to Nina’s world. And we always want to connect to the want, the big want of the scene. There’s the overall want, if you zoom out, the zoom out want, and then there’s the immediate want. Really breathe into the want. That’s what the whole scene is about, in service of the want, getting our needs met.

card reads "Are you ready to 'let go of your work'?"

Mark Rylance, Gardening, and the Big Free Fall

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Letting your work go is one of the toughest parts of acting.  It sounds almost like a magic trick. How will I remember my lines?  Will I be able to stay active?  Am I even acting anymore or am I just being myself and trying to sound natural?  

Not only is it possible to let your work go, it is vital.  But the truth is, contrary to popular opinion, you actually let go of your work without forgetting it.   

The incredible actor/director Mark Rylance has a beautiful analogy about the rehearsal process which he says is like tending to a garden.  You work the soil and plant the seeds and water and then you see what comes up– and there will undoubtedly be some surprises along the way.

It’s really the same with acting. After rehearsal you allow your work to bloom like a flower– and those the blooms may have colors and qualities you never anticipated.  And just like how not every seed you plant will sprout, not every action or reaction you experimented with in rehearsal will always appear in every performance.  But if you’ve tilled the soil enough, something beautiful will rise.  And maybe even some unexpected “volunteers” will pop up, as we call them in my family, that will enrich each performance in exciting and nuanced ways.

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

The theme is: learning to let your work go. And the difference between releasing your work and forgetting your work–And I don’t really think, you know sometimes coaches say that, and I’ve said that before as well: you’ve got to forget the work–But it’s not really true. You don’t really forget it.

I was listening to Mark Rylance talk about directing and I loved his—he has this garden analogy, talking about how you just, in rehearsal and in your preparation, you’re doing all of this–you’re working the soil and you’re planting the seeds and you’re watering and you’re doing all this stuff to take care of the garden. And then when you go to play the scene, a lot of seeds you planted are going to pop up, but there’s also going to be some surprises along the way, right? And you’re going to have some weeds up over here–and you’re going to have things that you planted that didn’t come up.

So I really love that analogy because it is so much like what it is–but it’s one of the hardest things, especially for us heady creatures, to really truly do that work, and then—do that work so that—you can free fall.  And come into the scene and then the only thing you really have to do anymore is try to affect the other person and listen. And so, that’s the whole goal, when you freefall–when you let go–when when you release the work, you are now living through you, living the scene, and you don’t know what’s coming next. And so you do all this so that you can leave it alone and listen, listen like your life depends on it, let it affect you, boom.

card reads "It's time to talk about the V-word (yes, it's vulnerability)"

Are you allowing yourself to be SEEN?

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It’s time to talk about the V word. (again!)  

No doubt you’ve been there — working on a scene that leaves you feeling a bit like…you haven’t totally “gone there”?  And deep down (if you really listen or dare to ask in the first place) you know it’s because the material exposes are part of you that may not feel so hot.  

I’m right there with you.  Hey—it can feel like sh*t!  Or it may feel like nothing– just like a big wall of nada.  

But, of course…It’s everything.

My teacher Larry Moss always talked about acting as being private in public which is really perfect.

A great way to practice vulnerability and help get you more comfortable being seen when those juicy, exciting roles come around is by practicing imperfection in safe moments in your daily life. Think of it as exposure therapy to being exposed.  Start building your comfort level by being vulnerable around safe people in your life, not just with how you look, but with how you speak, act, and express yourself. Consciously allow yourself to be seen, and you’ll start seeing the effects show up in your work.

If you want to dig even deeper (and since I’m writing this, I think you should!), set aside some time to reflect on why it’s so scary to show yourself, flaws and all.  We’re all taught to cover ourselves up at different points in our lives, and if you can pinpoint those moments, you can begin the work of unlearning your perfectionism. And I promise both your work and your life will benefit. 

Are you ready to be seen?

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

Where in other areas can you practice imperfection? Can you practice being seen? You know, we’ve talked about this, but with the safe people in your life, what would happen if you didn’t have to look a certain way or be a certain way? And flirting with it in small ways. Because it does make a difference and it does translate to your work. The less you can care about—and it’s not just how you look, but it’s how we are perceived. It’s tangling up your value as a human with your value as an actor. And you’re going to have to be able to break that mirror and let all that ugliness hang out and come out and be seen.


And I think, sometimes, going back in your life and seeing if you can identify some moments, some early moments, when you very first decided it wasn’t safe to be seen. When you very first decided, nope, I’m going to pack it all up, I’m not going to put myself out there. And you may have an early moment with a parent, with a teacher, with another kid. See what comes up and then do some writing about it. Do some purge writing, like ugly nasty writing. There’s something very real about those experiences that were really hurtful, and so going back and to actually let it out and write and write and do some free writing and then burn it. Those moments…those moments are very defining, so let’s go back and just…

Forget "Forgetting your work" the do-nothing technique part 2

Forget “forgetting your work.”

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Remember a few weeks ago we talked about the no-technique-technique approach to acting and how it’s hurting the craft? 

(If you missed that one, click here)

I mentioned the big key these teachers are missing when they tell actors to ditch rehearsal and preparation because it makes them heady.

🔑 >> Dearest, most talented actors who I adore, you must learn to release your work<< 🔑

If you hold on to your work then yes yes yes, you will be in your head and your work will lack spontaneity and look pushed.  

The first month of driving a car in Italy I was sure I was going to die every time I sat in the driver’s seat.  I white knuckled the steering wheel, stopped at all the roundabouts and drove 8 miles per hour on the autostrada.  A year later you would have mistaken me for an Italian the way I gracefully cut people off and sailed past slow-poke tourists on the opposite side of the road while casually sipping my caffe latte.  

Were my driving impulses dead because I practiced too much?  Assolutamente no!  I could still react quickly and slam on the breaks when somebody cut me off.  But I no longer gripped the wheel so tightly.  I didn’t have to use so much effort and concentration.  My new skills sort of faded into the background and it became fun.

Why am I telling you this story?   

Despite the popular acting class phrase, I don’t think actors actually “forget” their work and this is likely where at least some of the confusion comes in.   

I learned this the hard way.

I was coaching an actor who was taping an audition for the lead role in a big film and the material was very challenging.  And though she had done a lot of preparation and made strong choices, I could see she was nervous and saw how much she wanted the role.  I started to see signs of effort as she pushed a little.  Not much, but enough to prevent her from sending a really killer tape. 

I remember telling her something like “you’ve got this, see if you can forget the work” and we started again.  

The next take totally threw me.  She got very flat and one-noted.  Her old habits of heavy sighing before every line crept back in and she had odd physical behavior that didn’t match what she was playing.

I asked her what happened.  “I just tried to just forget the work, I don’t know, I threw it away.” she said.

“Ah.  Let’s go again, shall we?   This time let’s see if you can allow the work to be there to support you, but try not to lean on it.  Release it.  Leave yourself alone.  It will be there for you.”

We then made sure she had a very strong first action to play (supported by the text) to ensure she was focused on the other character instead of herself.  

And then magic happened.  She even surprised herself.  New emotions and physicality surfaced, she was connected, released and powerful.  And very free.

So what happened?

If you don’t drop in and live, it’s absolutely true that you will be in your head and nobody will believe you.  Your work will look muscled or planned and not like life.  You won’t be able to listen or access your spontaneity.  This is why these teachers started teaching what they teach.  But without this vital preparation, actors will simply play a version of themselves and oftentimes an inactive and boring snoozefest of a scene.  

The greatest actors of all time know how to do deep preparation so they can give electric performances that are alive and also tell the story that is on the page.  It’s what actors like Meryl Streep do to play Margaret Thatcher.  And Viola Davis in Fences.  These actors know that when they prepare and build a whole life and world for their character, they do a great service to storytelling.  They do the work so that they will have access to their impulses.  They do the work because it releases them.  The greatest actors understand that when playing a challenging role, only their preparation can set them free.

When you go to a great acting class that treats acting like the nuanced craft it really is, when you spend the many years it takes to master living the text and releasing the work, you will rise to the top.  The no-technique-technique is killing the craft.  

Save stories.  Save acting.  And save your career.

how to show up for yourself

Try this to get motivated and stay committed

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Ohhh, it’s so easy to find reasons not to do the work we artists know we must do, isn’t it?  And yes of course — even when you’ve scheduled rehearsal time for yourself but then suddenly a sick friend needs your help you still show up for them.  But will you get that time you set aside for yourself back on the calendar?  

What if you started showing up for yourself like you do for your best friends? 

Try scheduling some “non-negotiable” time for yourself for the week.  Show up for you and get yourself into the cycle of success.  When you show up for yourself you produce results.  Those results give you confidence and that confidence gets you right back into action.  This is the cycle of success.  

Sometimes just starting is the hard part.  And if you fall off the horse–no prob–you get right back on.

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

So maybe there’s a few things you can think about this week—so it’s Tuesday—going into the rest of the week with some intention and purpose:  here are my non-negotiables for this week. Right?  Here are my non-negotiables–meaning they’re as important as me showing up for a sick friend.  And it doesn’t mean that if somebody needs you for an emergency in a moment’s notice that you can’t be there, but it does mean that you want to reschedule and keep your commitments to you.

 

When I watch my kids accomplish something for the first time, you know something that they don’t think that they can do…when my daughter jumped off the hot tub, which is a high wall into her grandparents’ pool and it was too high–she thought it was too high and she watched this other kid do it.  She was like, I can’t I can’t I can’t, and then she did it. There’s that confidence that comes from that, I did it. I did it. And it springs you into action. It springs you into a cycle of success. And make it as important as being there for someone else. You need to show up for your best friend Renee.


So show up for you and give yourself that boost of like, I did that! And get yourself into that cycle of success. Result producing action producing confidence producing action producing confidence producing action… But it’s first about just getting in and getting going and getting started. And if you fall off, you get back on.

making the first read of a new script count

Actors, don’t underestimate the power of your very first read of a script.

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The biggest gift that initial read gives you is the power of your first instincts.  As you read the script aloud, whether with a partner or alone, pay close attention to the actions your body instinctively plays.  Are you blocking someone in response to being blasted?  Do you react by warming someone when you feel you are being lifted?

Although these actions can (and probably will!) shift and change as you continue working on the material, those first few reads can give you invaluable information about your initial reactions. So take note of them.  From there, you can make adjustments and try new things as you learn more about the characters, but you only get the chance to read the script aloud for the first time once!  Make use of that exciting opportunity to follow your instincts.

CLASS CLIP TRANSCRIPTION

In some of those first reads, it’s really valuable to discover what some of your instinctive actions are as you go and kind of write some of those down. They may change a little bit but depending on what they give you in that first read, you’re going to have that lovely first impulse as to what to do back because you’re reacting to what they just said to you– So in that first round it can be really nice to go back and forth and say, well you’re doing this to me, you’re blasting me, so I’m going to divert you, or redirect you… So when I redirected you, and they’re like, woah, okay so now I feel like I need to (do something else back)…right?  To have that collaboration can be really nice–to do that back and forth. But you don’t need a partner, you can 100% figure out, like how we’ve been working here, thinkin: okay what do I want?  How do I want to affect this person?

have you been seduced by the do-nothing technique?

Have you been seduced by the do-nothing technique?

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I can’t keep quiet about this anymore.

Look, I’m not a hater.  I take zero pleasure in knocking other teachers (or anyone!) but the truth is: Too many acting coaches are teaching a sort of alternative, no-technique-technique that is actually harmful to storytelling.  This approach is damaging the craft of acting and stopping great stories dead in their tracks.    

There are several different variations of this philosophy but the basic idea seems to be (and odds are you’ve heard or even studied this), you are enough: learn the lines, trust your instincts and voilà!   

While it’s certainly possible to get some lucky, lovely impulse moments this way–or if you are basically playing yourself you can pull it off–but that really is about as far as it goes.    

Of course, this do-nothing-technique is terribly seductive.  You don’t have to work very hard!  The idea these coaches seem to teach is that if you rehearse or make too many choices in advance you will be in your head instead of living the scene.  They teach not to ever “plan anything”.  The goal is a kind of naturalistic acting regarded as believable.  “Just play yourself.”  

But there are a few major problems with this.  

Most importantly, the scene usually ends up being all about the actor and not about the story the writer wrote.  Countless important stories have dreary coats of grey painted over them by actors who are not being active in their work.  This kind of acting encourages the avoidance of risky, expensive theatre tickets.  It changes the channel. It’s the kind of acting that puts us to sleep.  And it’s getting worse, we just cover it up with big effects, crafty edits and nice looking faces.  

Plus, when actors are not active in their work, tensions creep in and they tend to fall back on old habits.  These actors tend to have a small range and are only able to play a variation of themselves.

Not so fun, right?  

Actors who use deep script analysis are certain they don’t miss any particulars the writer has given them.  I teach my students to break down their scenes and make choices based on the writing.  They pull out their character info, they build relationships to all the script’s PPOE, they dive into the character’s wants, what’s in the way and then, perhaps most importantly, they experiment with how they are going to achieve their character’s wants.  They have thought about what they want the other character to think, feel or do.  They work at affecting their partners.  They figure out where the transitions are.  They raise the stakes.  They get a sense of the style of the writing and make necessary adjustments.  All of these things are vital because they are a part of the story the writer (you know, the person who spilled their soul into those pages) gave you to tell.  If you miss these things, it becomes an act of self-indulgence.  It becomes all about you and how natural you are.  And usually, a biiiiig-time snooze fest.

If you’re not convinced, try doing Neil Simon or Tenessee Williams with the no-technique-technique for eight shows per week and report back.

So why do these teachers recommend we ditch the fundamental wisdom about acting we learned from the greats?  They claim it makes actors heady and blocks spontaneity and impulses.  And I get it, I totally get where they got this idea.

 

But here’s the big key these guys are missing and the vital thing you must learn to become a great actor:

 

After you prepare, you must release your work.  You’ve likely heard that phrase before, but what does it really mean?

Stay tuned.  A juicy part two to this in a few weeks.

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