TIME: 5:56 PM
Not a lot of people know this, but my New York journey (as I like to call it) actually started on the exact date of January 17th, 2006 (and I've got an upcoming blog idea in which I will talk about what I've learned as an acting student from that date to today). That was the first night I met my long-time acting coach, Alan Gordon, and came to the Player's Theatre located on (115 MacDougal St. in the village) for the first time in my entire life. Little did I know that night, my entire life would change, both professionally and personally...but we're gonna stick to the professional side of this story. XD
I found Alan in the pages of Backstage. At the time, the Barnes and Noble in my little hometown of Brick, NJ did sell copies of Backstage, but now-a-days, they no longer do. I don't know why, either. I guess they weren't selling. I mean, let's be frank, how many people in Brick are gonna travel two hours by train just to take acting classes?
Also, at the time, Alan didn't have a website nor a Facebook page, so the only way I could find out information about him and his classes was if I emailed him, which was no problem. What I learned about Alan was that was a seasoned professional actor, taught Meisner, and that his classes were on Tuesday nights in New York City. Prior to this, the only training I really had was what I got from the courses at my college. It's a start, but college training is a whole different ball game from training with someone in New York.
Anywho....when I first met Alan Gordon that night to audit his class, he was really cool. That night, I met only two students of his -- one of them was Kristian, whom I've gotten to known a little more over the years and has become a friend of mine, and the other was.....oh geeze, I forgot her name! Hmmmm...was it Marcella? Ehhh...we'll just call her Marcella.
I remember Alan and Kristian talking about football before class started, and I kind of smirked and I said something along the lines to them, "So, you get to come into acting class and also bullshit about football, huh?" Not that I'm a fan of the sport in the first place, but what stood out to me was how personable Alan was.
On a quick side note, before I continue: When I first meet people and before I decided to work with them, I try to observe peoples' personalities. Reason for that is because if I catch someone being rude, negative, sarcastic, mundane, or even too sickening sweet where the personality is "too good to be true", I pass on them. You definitely don't wanna work with someone who is rude or negative or even sarcastic, and you, of course, wouldn't want the support of someone who has lackluster passion. In the case of a coach -- an acting coach ESPECIALLY -- you don't want someone who is "sickening sweet" and what I mean by that is someone who is going to shower you with false praise or isn't going to be honest with you if you're not doing your job well. For me, personally, a "sickening sweet" acting coach is poison to your craft, your career, your pysche, and your self-esteem, and it will all eventually come crumbling down. So, please, trust me on this -- if the coach sounds like he or she sugarcoats or doesn't bring specifics to the table in his/her teachings, do yourself and your money a favor --- MOVE ON!
On the other hand, you can tell when people have these sour qualities even when you are sitting down with them for the first time and talking to them when you audit the class. You can see it when you audit for their classes, and you can even hear it in the voices of the person's students, whether they enjoy their coach or if they don't.
Example: One of the things that stood out to me that night when I briefly spoke with Kristian, (and he was beaming with glee when he said this), he tells me, "This is the best day in the entire week!" I heard how excited he was just being in that room that night -- it's as if he was a king in his dream castle.
Now, to make this really long story short, I couldn't explain this feeling at all, but something in my gut told me that he was the acting coach for me. So, without even auditing other acting coaches, I decided to jump aboard the bandwagon with him, and ever since then, Alan's been my coach. I've worked with Alan in scene study. I've done the improvisation/technique classes with him. And I even studied with him privately. I'm not going to lie, the Meisner technique and the art of acting in general is NOT easy if you want to be good at it, and becoming a dedicated actor and becoming passionate about your craft takes time. You have to ground yourself, too. However, no matter what has happened, whether I did good, great, so-so, or even poor job when working with Alan from 2006 to now, I am happy I chose to work with him! If I could do it over again, I'd choose him without thinking twice. Over the years of working with him, Alan's became both a mentor and a good friend as well. So, my gut instincts were right and I'm glad I went with them! =) *claps*
Okie dokie -- now let's fast forward to the present time.
On Thursday, March 4th, 2010, Alan had a workshop at the Player's Theatre, the usual theatre he works and teaches at, that night where he was discussing Cold Reading, Audition Technique, and Scene Study. Prior to this date, I haven't worked with Alan in about a year, because I took a hiatus to do some serious soul-searching, so I didn't know what to expect, and in a way, my mind has gone kind of blank of some of the things I've learned before. I had a general idea of how to do things, but specifically, everything else was a blur. It's been a while, and my mind was stuck on the improvisation class with repetition excercises, free-association, and other stuff I haven't touched in about a year.
So, going to Alan's workshop, I knew I had to break the ice on a lot of self-doubt and some personal fear, but only this time, I had a new profound outlook on life and had more confidence, so I was determined to start over again. And the cool thing about that night was my non-actor friend, Nick, came with me! Nick knows Alan, too, so he wanted to observe how he was as a teacher, therefore we were both invited to the workshop!
Nick and I arrived in the village fairly early. Once you hit Washington Square Park, you're close to Player's Theatre. We walked through the park, walked down the glowing street that is MacDougal St., and as I walked the streets, observed the little cafes, jewelry shops, tattoo shops, my mind began to fill with fond memories of chilling in the ink shops, stopping for coffee after a session at J&B, and the day I first step foot on MacDougal back in 2006.
So, after Nick ate a falafel (I didn't - I was too full from a salad I had previously), we made our way into the Player's Theatre, up the stairs, and into room 3C. I got to see my former classmate, fellow up-and-coming actor, and friend, Ivan Goris, and since everyone knows I love meeting new people, I got to to meet some new folks, too, who turned out to be really nice once we were able to introduce ourselves to each other! But we didn't have time for chit-chat before, because ten minutes later, Alan decided to start, right on the dot at 7 PM. And like I said in the previous blog, I was excited, but a little nervous. Excited, because I was back in the classroom, but nervous because I was...well, I was back in the classroom.
There was about a total of nine people in there, including myself, and we all sat before Alan, jotted notes in our notebooks as he talked about breaking down a script, and as I wrote my notes, listened to him talk, my mind began to refresh on what I've lost contact with in a year. Little by little, everything came back to me. I will say this, I remembered what a beat is, the pinch for the ouch (the script will pinch you), the range in emotions, the attention on the other person, and a couple of character breakdown tools. I also remembered the importance of being "specific" ("Generality is the enemy of all art." as I've heard Alan say a lot in my years of working with him), leaving yourself alone for emotional preparation, and not being afraid to open your imagination.
When Alan teaches, he's very specific on how things are done. He explains how everything is done carefully and doesn't mince words so you can understand exactly where he's driving at. And when studying with him or with any good acting coach, it's important to know how to work fully, to stay human, understand your emotional parallels, the truth to your feelings - whether they are drawn from real life or even imaginative circumstances -- either way, it all has to be real to you. So, despite the fact I was a bit nervous about coming back, I am SO HAPPY I went!
One of the things you'd also want from a great acting coach is a sense of inspiration, and that night, after Nick and I said our goodbyes to Alan, Ivan, and the other cool people we met that night, I have to say, I left 100% inspired! It was also an eye-opener for me to see how far I've come since I first came to New York back in January of 2006. The difference, though, between KRISTINE YOUNG (in 2006) and CRISTINA CHO (in 2010) is that I'm more grown-up now, and I think that I value these lessons and my work 50x more than before. I take myself and my ambitions more serious now. I think I also have became more passionate about this industry, and I've built a more confident, solid foundation and ideaology of who it is I am as a person, too, which is uber important as an actor when it comes to both the art and the business side of it.
Also, let's face it: When you're twenty-four years old, you're more carefree than you are when you're twenty-eight. So, that night, I was inpspired, and my friend, Nick, was IMPRESSED by Alan's way of teaching! We walked all the way up to Midtown and he couldn't stop talking about it - it was as if he found a huge chunk of gold in pavement of the sidewalks in NYC! =)
Overall, it was a really great night! A memorable one as well!
Soooo....that's what went on that night! I think in his recent email he sent out to us that he might be working on future workshops, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for that. Then again, I could always drop Alan a text, email, or even phone him and set a date for a private session or attend one of his on-going classes. So, it's not like Alan and I are never gonna work with each other ever again, but I think the cool thing about this workshop is that is gave him a chance to show those who haven't met him or even work with him before how he does his job. And might I add, from what I've said on here, he does an excellent job!
So, Alan, if you're reading this -- kudos to you, and once again, THANK YOU!!!!! =)
Now, before I close this blog, I have some links I'd like to direct you to:
If you're located in or are close to New York City and are interested in learning more about the Alan Gordon Acting Studio or are interested in working with Alan someday or auditing his classes, you can visit the website -- http://www.alangordonstudio.com/ -- get some information about Alan's ongoing classes in Scene Study and Improvisation/Technique - both classes are excellent. Also check out the testimonials, too, from some of Alan's students. =) There's also ways of contacting him in case you have any specific questions.
And why not also visit the website to The Player's Theatre - http://www.theplayerstheatre.com/ - see what events and shows are coming up, and much, much more! Also, the theatre is located in a very active part of the village, so there's always something to do in the area! =)
Also, Alan Gordon is pro-Meisner as a teacher and as an actor, himself. If you're unaware of Sanford Meisner or like to learn more about his technique, visit the website to The Sanford Meisner Studio in Los Angeles, or read all about it on Wikipedia.
Last, but not least - I want to quickly introduce you to my "reference" book called "The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential As An Actor" by Larry Moss, a Los Angeles-based acting coach, whose teaching styles are similar to Alan's. Actually, it was Alan, himself, who recommended this book to me one time during a private session, and I've read it, but I'm re-reading it now. And the next time I do a book review, this will be the book I will be reviewing.
"Be bold and great things will come to you." - Anonymous
That's enough candy for now!
Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/
