Back to School and Back on Stage!

Looking for a place to hone your acting skills or amp up your theater/film career? My latest feature is out in this week's Show Business Weekly, and it's a primer on some of the best acting programs in New York and beyond. I had the opportunity to speak with administrators, teachers, and professionals from both conservatories (Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, the Atlantic Acting School, the Ted Bardy Studio) and universities (Carnegie Mellon, DePaul, Five Towns College, the American Film Institute). And many more ...

I always enjoy chatting with people who teach the business of "the business," and I'm constantly astonished by the sheer number of options and opportunities available to performers of all ages. For example, ACTeen is the country's premier provider of on-camera training for teenagers; founder Rita Litton is one of the most positive and energetic people I've spoken to, and I'm sure the school's courses must be similarly encouraging for aspiring young performers.

I was also particularly intrigued by the course offerings at Weist-Barron, which provide training for performance opportunities that are not always so obvious: hosting home-shopping programs (QVC!), web-hosting, trade shows, and industrials. You can even take a course on how to skillfully read a teleprompter! (Academy Award presenters, take note ...) And while these are certainly not "glamorous" acting gigs, why not use your stage presence and charm to make some extra money?

And speaking of the long, hard slog to fame, my review of the film Great World of Sound is also out this week. In our "American Idol"-obsessed age, everyone is cashing in on "reality ______ (fill in the blank)," but writer/director Craig Zobel manages to find something fresh in this darkly comic picture. Rather than capitalize on the "rags-to-riches" stories of those seeking a quick trip to celebrity, he flips the camera around to tell the story of the talent scouts who hunt for untapped "talent."

Martin and Clarence are two troubled agents looking for amateur singers for a company called "Great World of Sound," but as they weed through the hungry throngs in small, dingy towns, they slowly uncover both the deceit of their employer and the searing desperation that rips everyone apart in its wake. Because, of course, they're not really trying to help people, they are (surprise!) fishing for cash.

As Martin and Clarence, Pat Healy and Kene Holliday deliver outstanding performances, texturing their unsteady friendship with deft comic flourishes. Healy is particularly excellent as the conflicted Martin; as Clarence barrels through each "sell," Martin gives us uncomfortable and powerful glimpses of his reservations.

The quest for fame seems endemic in our time, and I'm always curious to watch what it does to those who surround it. Zobel makes his film even more poignant by integrating authentic "auditions" into the agents' journey. Yep, they actually took out fake ads in local newspapers encouraging aspiring recording stars to show up for a chance at the big time. People came in droves, and--with their permission, of course--many of their auditions made it into the film. There's something both mesmerizing and terrifying in seeing just how far people will go to capture their dream. Fame, or celebrity, has become the great equalizer, and Zobel gives us a telling look at just how far people can fall before they even make it to the "the top."

Show Business Weekly review: Great World of Sound

And last but not least (well, maybe least) on the topic of corporate, air-brushed greed: my review of Walmartopia is also out this week. I blogged about it earlier, but now you can also read the review.


Pat Healy and Kene Holliday on the hunt for hot stuff in Great World of Sound.