Books – Westlake Acting Studio

book talk #2 Wagner College

January 25, 2021November 22, 2009 by Markus Flanagan

Wagner College, in Staten Island was brought to my attention by Todd Thaler during a drop by (an old NYC habit) where he handed me a pile of mailers he'd received for "showcase season." I hadn't heard of the school but I emailed them because I feel like any school that's showcasing their students cares … Read more

Unplug if you really want to be an artist.
This guy goes to the Adele concert and films the whole thing, the next day his buddy says, “How did you like it?” and he says, “I don’t know, I haven’t watched it yet.” At my actor talk with Patrick Warburton I asked him to sing his favorite Pearl Jam song in the voice of Kronk. He thought for a moment ...
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Momentum!!!
Seth Godin has a mantra of “do the hard work.” I think this over writes the oft used; “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I just shot the second installment of a web series I created to have a place to “do the hard work.” Actors are always looking for a place to ...
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Mike Nichols as influence
Last week we lost Mike Nichols and deservedly the discussion about him has been loud. I watched Whoopi Goldberg attempt to make the announcement of his death the morning he died but her intense love for Mike overwhelmed her and she was unable to speak. He turned her talent into a Broadway show, that I went to, and the night ...
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Authenticity
You can’t think that everyone is going to like your work. I just started my new class and in the first day talk, I ask them who they like as actors and they can always find someone and tell me why they like them. Then I point out that there are also many famous, iconic, talented actors that they don’t ...
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