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
No comments:
Post a Comment