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