Emotional Connection

My teachers at YSAA, have been teaching me more and more about the importance of connecting and how it could never be pushed enough.

I am enrolled in Young Screen Actors Academy’s Emotional Connection class on Mondays. I had Kris Woznesensky as a teacher, and I can say with honesty “Woah did he ever kick our butts.” Seriously awesome stuff. 

I was excited after class because I was able to connect to my partner emotionally and then come back to reality after he said “cut.” He is a fantastic Teacher. 

 If You are looking for a class that gets you engaged in a scene, and truly connects you to not only your partner, but also yourself, then look no further:  http://www.youngscreenactorsacademy.com/myclasses/parttime.php?id=245. This class is intense, fun and an awesome way to push yourself!

Call YSAA. 604.408.8550

Dylan Padgett

Ok ok ok blog time...

 This past Friday I turned the lights off on the final class of my most recent YSAA Full-Time group. We had just finished sharing favourite moments, impersonations of me, words of encouragement, feelings of sadness, joy, and non-alcoholic toasts. The moments before the students left the class for their final time was filled with a bitter sweet feeling, but music and laughter (and a sugar high) did a wonderful job of masking the heavy hearted sentiments we were all feeling. Once the students had gone I proceeded to pick up papers, and tidy the room as always had after every class, however this time, in these, what seemed like final moments, my thoughts were not filled with my usual "Geez I gotta talk to these guys tomorrow about this, I'm not a janitor" mantra. This time I found myself with each thing I picked up, trying to place who it belonged to, and I was saddened as I knew: there was now "tomorrow", nothing more to be said, nothing more to impart, at least not in the same format as the last six months.

 While I knew and know I will see Heather's light, Naika's smile, Dylan's charm, Jay's wit, Christina's eyes, Nina's "knowing" grin, Josh's laugh, Sequoia's innocence, Kerline's elegance, Colleen's giddiness, and Julian's grace again the fact that it would not be under the circumstances they been under for the past six months weighed on me.

 I have since have time to sleep on it. Now where thoughts or sadness hung heavy, breaths of hope lighten the mood. These talented young individuals are, as cliché as it sounds: The future. They to me represent what is great about this craft. They are driven and hopeful, talented and humble, and most importantly HUNGRY!! They love to learn, they love to be challenged, this and they, are what the industry needs more of. Young people driven by the craft of acting.

 I once said " I want to be like the best teacher I ever had, so hopefully, I'll be the be the best teacher they ever had.

 I will say this,without a shadow of a doubt, was 11 of the best students I ever had!

 So I tip my hat to them as I watch them set of into the sunset, and will raise a glass to them from time to time as I trade "war stories" with other teachers about my Eclectic Eleven and how they without knowing it taught me, hopefully, as much as I have taught them....

So "I put out the light to then put out the light"

Congratulations to you all!!
You are with me forever!
See you on set!!!

That teachery guy
Marc-Anthony

Ok ok ok...so this blog was alright.... I mean didn't hate it....but.....

Marc-Anthony Massiah

Marc-Anthony was my first acting teacher outside of high school, and the first class I had with him he put me through an exercise he calls “the hallway.” It was one of the hardest things for me to do because it put me through the moments in my life where I was the most scared, most angry, most sad, and most happy. The point of the exercise is to make the actor aware of how to breathe properly and how to set triggers off. After that class I was immediately hooked I couldn’t stop thinking about acting. My class was once a week, I got so addicted to acting that I couldn’t help myself and signed up for the full time program at YSAA. Every week I went in with my eyes closed and he started opening them, showing me things about myself I didn’t know. Marc-Anthony has this amazing tendency to say something that resonates so strongly in you, that for the rest of the week you can’t stop thinking about it. Marc-Anthony is a living breathing Lie Detector, he can see a lie from a distance, and he will say things that will effect you emotionally. I constantly catch myself having to pick up my jaw because of how bloody accurate the things he says are. 

Marc-Anthony is a great teacher because he will see you eye to eye, he relates to his own life to help his lessons make sense. He will never scold you for feeling a certain way or being opinionated about something, even if he disagrees. However the one thing that I respect most about this teacher is that he will not let you get away with doing a scene 50% or even 99%, he makes you do a scene until you nail it. He is one of the most patient teachers I’ve had, and he won’t take work that isn’t done to your best ability. 

One of his biggest mottos is “I am who I am.” He does a fantastic job at showing his students that being confidant in who you are is one of the most important things an actor can be. He opens his teaching environment to everyone, everyone is welcome, and everyone feels like they are among family. He gives you permission to feel the way you want, which is a gift that humans seldom get. However when it comes to work he makes sure that you “leave your baggage at the door.” This means that if you are having a bad day, or got in a fight, those emotions don’t effect your scene negatively, but if using it works then use it. 

I couldn’t thank Marc-Anthony enough for his lessons; he has helped me and many others in their journey through acting. He is passionate, humble, and kind. A great teacher, mentor, and person.

Thank you Sir.

Dylan Padgett

One Heck of a Ride

If I could teleport back in time and give myself some advice about acting classes before I signed up; it would be "Buckle up buddy, you're in for one heck of a ride."

Now that my class is only 3 weeks away from being over, I can't help myself from reflecting back on the 6 months of intense, life changing experiences I went through. I have to remember the people I met, the people that changed my life and continue to change it. I must hold on to the moments that made me weep, laugh, rage, and tremble with fear. Will I ever be the same after this half year? With honesty I can say "No", I am a changed man. In my own eyes and in the eyes of people who truly support and know me, I have changed for the better. 

Young Screen Actors Academy has been, and always will be a place for me to live, to be Dylan Padgett through and through. I can leave my "baggage" at the door, strip myself of all negative emotion and just breathe. I went in to this class with my gloves down, my thinking cap tight on my head, and my ambitions clear in my mind. However, no matter how much I thought I could prepare myself for this ride; I couldn't possibly have known what I was about to dive in to. After the first week I was using some of my defence mechanisms I tend to have in my real life, I learned how to get over it, or if I could, use it in a scene. During the year we got fabulous sides from fantastic movies and we created characters and scenes from scrap. We learnt how to build these dynamic, well rounded characters, we could breathe life into our work, and it was a blast. The Teachers at YSAA  have taught me more about myself in six months then I've known in 19 years, How? Good question, the answer: magic. No that's not it, not magic, the answer is: they are all unbelievable actors and even greater people. They have lived, and are living fantastic stories, that one day I hope I can retell for the world to see. Every teacher at YSAA knows what they are talking about, and they have years of experience to back them up. I owe these people so much, and I am so grateful to have them in my life.

The People in my life impact me in ways that keep me moving, keep me on my feet, with out loved ones I would be hollow. It's my love for people that put me in this craft. The way people act and react to things, how people cope with a hard day, how people respond to a compliment. Christopher Morley said " There is only one success - to spend your life in your own way."  The interesting thing is that as actors our success comes from figuring out how people spend their life in their own way, and duplicating it. When actors surround themselves with people, friends and positive influences, they will achieve more motivation and inspiration. The actors I have met in class I hope will remain my friends for a very long time. They are all fantastic people, and fantastic actors. I have been through so much with these people, wept with them and laughed with them, they have been a family to me for the past six months. I owe these people so much, and i am so grateful to have them in my life.

I couldn't thank YSAA enough for helping me find my path to being a successful actor, however, as much as you need other people, you have to believe in yourself. I am glad I did the full time program at YSAA, I'm proud that I took initiative for my future. These six months were fun, changed my life, YSAA is a fantastic school, with fantastic teachers, and the students that attend, are nothing less but fantastic.

So, if I decided to go back in time to tell myself something about acting, I'd say, "Buckle up buddy, you're in for one heck of a ride. It's a roller-coaster, sure, but the ups and downs are worth it, because once you get off, you're going to turn around and buckle yourself back in."

Dylan Padgett

Turn it up to 11

There are few worse things than watching an actor nailing a scene but not being able to hear them. Having a mumbler or someone who tends to speak in a whisper is bone chilling; audio is a big deal, speak clearly, and speak up. People are actually interested in what you say, weird, I know. Humans tend to second guess what they say in life, so they say it under their breathe, mumble it, or worse case scenario don’t say it at all. If you’re shy in real life that’s fine, but for the love of acting, do not bring that insecurity on screen. Own the scene; show the world you have something to say. It’s hard to believe someone is fighting for something when you can’t hear them.

So like the great “Spinal Tap” taught me turn it up to 11. Now don’t shout, but project, take a class and learn how to use this great thing called your diaphragm. I’m still learning how to perfect the use of my diaphragm; but ever sense I took Voice Over, Breathing and Movement classes at Young Screen Actors Academy my projection and breathing has improved greatly. Learn how to do it right, breathing and being on your voice are mandatory tools to have if you want to be successful.  These tools actually are important for every person, even people who aren’t actors. When talking to someone who speaks clearly and knows how to breathe properly they tend to give off a vibe of confidence.

Everyone has something to say, so give your character the confidence to say it. We live in a world where some people have a hard time expressing themselves, to hell with that. Give yourself a voice, get the tools that you need to be a great actor. The world needs more great actors, so be one.

Dylan Padgett

For the Benefit of the Bright

For those of you who go to an acting class with an ear to ear smile, good for you!  Never ever change that, you have to be happy in what you do. Come to class with a positive and eager, ready to work attitude, seriously it will help you. If you are willing, ready, and excited to work then you will bring that to you're scene. Your classmates will pick up your energy, and if you can have a entire class thats "buzzing", then strap in because your about to have one heck of a class. 

Having a scene partner that is completely connected to their own energy, and also connected to yours, can have a significant impact on the outcome of any scene you do. So if you find yourself low on energy, do some jumping jacks, push ups, run around, breathe, do whatever it takes to get that blood flowing. On a scale from 1 - 10, 10 being jumping off walls, be a 10, no be a 20. 

A scene needs energy, but an actor also needs energy, so help yourself and go to bed at a reasonable time. When the actors brain is rested then the actor will make great choices, and be able to connect emotionally to the scene and to the character they are portraying. Take care of yourself, hit the gym every now and then, go for a run, do sit ups and push ups in your house, take 30 minutes out of your busy schedule and get that energy up. A Lazy actor is a bad actor. 

Take your career in your own hands and make it the best opportunity for yourself, i know you can do it. Be positive remember why you love this craft, and live your career with a bright, positive attitude.

By:Dylan Padgett

Paint the Scene!

It’s so important to see the vibrant details of your character’s environment. Just as a painter carefully chooses each colour for his palette. An actor needs to be equally prepared when going into a scene. 

Last night I was getting ready to film a scene for my acting class. I felt like I was totally prepared and had created a well-rounded character, but it turns out there was one major ingredient that I was missing. My teacher Marc-Anthony Massiah kept asking me, “Where are you?” “is there a clock on this wall? Or, is there a person standing over here, in the corner waiting to take you to prison? Does the room smell like coffee?” It turns out that I had focussed so much creating my character, that I had neglected to paint the world around her. 

When you add details to your scene, it comes alive for you. That in turn makes it come alive for your audience. It isn’t enough to just build a strong character, if you don’t have a setting for your character to live in. You have to create the world of your character. With Marc-Anthony’s help, I re-painted the scene in my head and added details to my “world”. We filmed another take. Let me tell you, after we watched it, the scene had changed completely!

I envisioned my environment so clearly that I permitted myself to relax. This allowed fun and spontaneous moments to pop up. The more detailed your palette (homework!) is, the more freedom you have to play. Paint the scene!

Written by: Heather Leavoy

Because Nailing Auditions is Important!

I love making sure that I'm fine tuned for any audition. Marc-Anthony, a teacher I talk about a lot,  is holding a workshop on Sunday, February 4. Click that link for the information! It's gonna be a killer class.

http://www.youngscreenactorsacademy.com/myclasses/parttime.php?id=200

Dylan Padgett

Trust is Key

Going through acting classes forces one to be extremely vulnerable. You have to tear down walls that you have been building up sense you were born, and let people into a world that couldn't be more private. Trust is one of the most key elements to any scene. You have to be able to trust your scene partner or else you will drop the scene, and of course they have to be able to trust you. If your partner was going to fall you have to be there to catch them. 


Just as important as trusting your scene partner you have to trust yourself, you have to be able to trust the choices you make. I think that is one of the things i love most about acting there is no "wrong" emotion to feel, it may not be the best choice but its not wrong.


People are programmed to be able to recognize a lie from a facial tick, or a change in a vocal tone. Actors are taught how to remove those ticks and calm those tones. Through practice and constant analysis of how humans are effected we are trained to show truth, even if we don't feel that way or agree. Actors are good and showing a true feeling, because we show an emotion that is real. Acting is never fake, when done right the actor should feel sad, happy, scared, angry, etc. etc. When an actor allows themselves to trust there real emotions they become "believable" because they are able to get to a place of honest emotion, which can not be faked. Trust me.

Dylan Padgett

What I've Learned In Audition Class

I think it is beyond safe to say that when an actor auditions for a scene preparation is key. Kirsten Clarkson, my audition teacher at Young Screen Actors Academy, told me how to create a great audition. The actor needs to take a number of things in to account: The moment before, Emotional change, Nouns, and the Moment after. When you combine all these things effectively you should have an audition that is effective. The Moment Before. When auditioning for a scene having a physical action which depicts the characters objective, where they are coming from and what mind set they are in before you start. Emotional Change. It is highly effective to start the scene showing one emotion and end it showing another. If you go into the scene happy then exit it hysterical and angry, it gives a more dynamic feel for the actor and the scene. Nouns. If a person place or thing is mentioned a reaction needs to be shown. Also its important to know where things are. For example: if your line is “ he’s down by the river.” Point in the direction of where that river is. Left, Right, Down, Up, Diagonal, even point to yourself if you’re talking about yourself. Questions. When you are asked a question but no response is giving, respond physically, Nod yes, shake your head no. Moment After. Have an emotion that depicts the ending incident and that can take you to a new experience. It also should be physical.  Although these are strong audition techniques also apply them to scene work, it will really help keep the scene moving. It will also help your scene partner.

Something that I find helps me a lot when I’m nervous is proper breathing. I was taught taking deep breaths in through your nose and out through your nose slowly, will slow your heart rate and keep that “fight or flight” mind set out of your brain.

One last thing that I learned that is very important is, be polite! Having good manners, being modest, and humble will go a long way when people are talking about you. A good name goes a long way!

The Natural Flow of Things

"Don't direct the scene." That was the note Marc-Anthony gave me in class the other day. It's very important for an actor to do their character homework, building a bio, breathing life into that person you're portraying. However a very interesting thing I found out on friday is that as it is important to figure out who your character is, it is also equally important to make sure you don't try to force a scene to go a certain way (holding on to that homework), it ruins the natural flow of the emotion. 

It is vital that there is a natural flow to scenes or else the actor is just speaking at a body. Although me and my partner were connected I wanted the scene to go one way so I actually ended up dropping my partner accidentally. How do I avoid this? Let my partner truly effect me, be effected before reacting. Now something learned from another teacher at YSAA, Kirsten Clarkson, who is also the Artistic Director, is that you should always have a bias opinion on what is going to happen. That way you can have a natural reaction to things said, done, not said, or not done. 

I hunger to do this scene again on Wednesday so I can go into it with no intention of making a fight start between the two characters. Who knows maybe ill break down, or maybe ill get hysterical. I can't rob myself, or the audience, of that "buzzing" one gets when you see, or feel a real and entertaining scene.'

I love class because it breaks down walls I put up, and I feel like friday really broke down a wall, and I hope next week breaks down another. 

Acting has changed my life, it has made me somebody who I hoped to be and I have just started.

Written by: Dylan Padgett

Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out

Acting is such an interesting thing to me, and even more interesting to people who aren't actors, it is a concept that a lot of people don't fully understand. When i meet people for the first time and they ask me what i do, and i respond with "I'm an actor." there is a couple of ways they go about responding. The first and my personal favourite, " Nice, what have I seen you in?" oh geeze. Well tell me everything you've seen on t.v. or in a theatre and ill let you know if i was in it. Another one of my personal favourites,"Oh nice but what do you want to do for a career." By this point i usually just turn around and try to find a pillow to scream in. A common response, and one the ticks me off is, "so like, you study lines and stuff?"…good lord. The thing that many people don't understand about acting is that it is hard, extremely fun (especially when you nail a scene), but hard.

My teacher, Marc-Anthony Massiah, told me and the rest of my classmates at YSAA, that Acting is like opening a door only to find another door, and through that door is another door, and another, and another, and so on, and so on. Until finally you open this one door and everything you've been learning "clicks", and there you are, in a room with maybe one chair or a lamp. You can stay in there for a while but soon enough you need to leave through, yes you guessed it, another door, and so the cycle continues. The next time you find that room, it may have a table, or even another chair, but like before you're going to have to leave.

As actors we are constantly tested, constantly on trial, everything we do is watched and processed, either received or rejected. So why do we do it? It is simply that we are starving artists, not only because we don't have money for food but also actors are always hungry for a fresh role or a different mind set. We love to sink our teeth into a good scene, as soon as we get a script we disect it, mould and create something i can only call life. So i guess what i'm trying to say is, no actors don't just memorize lines…we open doors too.

Dylan Padgett

Talented Vancouver Artists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlCtPeJFriY&feature=channel_video_title

We are SOOOO proud of the YSAA students who booked on The Haunting Hour! You Go Guys!

Casting Director Workshop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaDKK7-s5n4&feature=channel_video_title

A workshop of epic proportion  is coming to town!
Casting directors JANET HIRSHENSON (HARRY POTTER, JURASSIC PARK, TRANSFORMERS, ANGELS AND DEMONS, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and TROY.) and COREEN MAYRS (SMALLVILLE, SUPERNATURAL, X-MEN, JUNO) are here to blow your minds at a casting director level!
and I won't mention that it's only $35 ;)

If you're interessted call Shoreline: 604.874.9979 or :  312.834.7853

Building Blocks

As children we see life simply. We experience life with jovial exuberance. We do because we don’t know anything else. Everything is a game, everything can be fun or interesting or exciting. There’s no fear because at that stage we don’t know what there is to be afraid of.

In my opinion that’s why children make such amazing actors. They are not stopped by the same skeptical and critical mind that starts to develop as each year passes. You tell a child to be sad they are sad, you tell a child to pout they pout, you tell a child to act like a monkey and dance around the room? Guess what!  

By High school most of this fearless behavior is already gone. We learn how to be aware of what people think of us and how we should feel about that. If someone asks a young adult or an adult to cry? They push away. You ask them to be angry? They can’t find their voice. You ask them to be a monkey and dance around the room? Forget about it.  

We have blocked ourselves off from the mess of emotion that lives in all of us. We are blocked.

In acting this is a common term. What are your blocks? Each person has their own special way of blocking out where they need to go in a scene.  Some hide in their bodies, some let their voice get really high, some get quiet and others dig their hands into their pockets or nervously shift around. It’s an emotional Pinball machine inside each person, “I can’t feel this or be this way” so instead we let it bounce around inside of us and it manifests into blocks.

Actor or Dentist everyone has emotional blocks. The Actor, however, is forced to face them. A dentist has the option to get counseling or self evaluate why they act the way they act. But an Actor has it built right into their title. An ACTor must evaluate why they ACT the way they ACT and furthermore why the Dentist ACTS the way they act and everyone else.  It is terrifying, breathtaking and amazing.

We build up blocks and then tear them down. It takes a long time and even longer if we resist it.  But it’s liberating the moment you find it and destroy it. The moment you say; I will have a voice, I will breathe deeply and take my time because I can. I will be that monkey with enthusiasm and pride.

Trying to be younger doesn’t necessarily mean Botox.  It means discarding what we have built as defense mechanisms and survival techniques and embracing the child we once were. Embracing the fearlessness we must be to tell the story.

Understanding that we must knock down our own blocks to build the blocks of the character; why the character does what they do.

I know it sounds tiring! Build it up, knock it down, Build it up, and knock it down, But if we stay curious, and hungry and childlike, we will experience life with jovial exuberance.  Just like the child inside. And what child doesn’t like playing with blocks? 

written by: Madison Padgett