Remain natural. Be yourself. Don’t go for it. The toughest assignment for an actor is to remain natural. As a young director, I was warned by my mentors to try to stay away from asking an actor to be themselves. I was told that many actors haven’t a clue to who or what they really…
I’ve been privileged to work and be taught by some of our industries most recognized dynamos. I consider myself a gleaner. If a guy or gal had even a modicum of success, the Kalmenson sponge (that’s me) was there to look and listen. Many of da harv’s tricks are nothing more than observances of some…
Remembering back a few years ago, when I started on my journey into never-never land, kind of makes me cringe today. Without the foggiest notion of what acting was truly about and armed in my own personal cape of blissful ignorance, it was high gear all the way, until the money ran out. What I…
Our thankfulness is daily, almost to the point of continual celebration over the blessings far more than Cathy and I could ever perceive as our entitlement. So on this Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2010, we say an additional thanks for all the friends, colleagues, and those of good nature who have provided us with an…
The magic of the truth. When the truth is there for you, certainly no explanation is necessary. The lack of explanation regarding the recognition of the truth has always been the same. Truth has always been the actor’s goal. While the word truth or its study thereof by a theatrical production company may differ dramatically,…
“You should tell them about the time, right in the middle of the third scene, when a cue was misinterpreted and the clock began to strike a full scene ahead of schedule.” Okay then, get off my back. I’m going to tell them now! (The actor who happened to be on stage is far too…
Veterans Day, honoring the Men and Women who celebrate their faith in our country! What brighter light could burn, than that which has been nurtured by those who have understood and appreciated the gifts that endow any and all, who may venture within the boundaries of this country’s great heart. Pray for them; they are…
Can you imagine growing up without the benefit of having tasted peanut butter? I was one of those guys who fell in love with the great American spread when I entered the United States Army at age nineteen. It was one morning at breakfast when I first discovered the delight of the sticky, life-perserving substance….
Trying not to complain usually isn’t a difficult task for me. I like to heal a wound and move on to higher ground. Most of what people do and say I can manage to take with a grain of salt. The old adage of not taking something someone says to you personally is a practiced…
Don’t tell me about my great passion. This is who I am and who I have been for my lifetime to date. Scenario A)The gun goes off and you run as fast as you can for as long as you can. Scenario B)They give you the ball and you crash into whomever or whatever happens…