Yes, I am an educator. As such I realize that there are a variety of ways to teach. Often times the term “teacher” is misused. I believe confusion sets in when an understanding of what the teacher and student goals should be is not clarified. When it comes to an acting craft, the teacher is extremely limited. He or she (the average teacher) usually can only present the student with the technical know-how. Of course, a good teacher is one that can inspire and stimulate a student to reach beyond what they thought their limits were.
On the other hand, the students’ responsibility burns forever. An actor’s process for learning is always subject to change, subject to the dictates of time and nature. Not to worry… if learning has become your personal driving force, then its propensity can never be satiated during one’s lifetime. The human spirit, in order to constantly remain as one’s most plausible nourishment for life’s desired fulfillment, is yours and only yours; the individual is free to cultivate what nature has endowed. You will never reach a saturation point. Your truth should always be treated with reverence.
So while we, the teachers, present an endless parade of how-to tips and formalized instruction, the actors are asked to search on their own, or in tandem for a way to secure purity, by way of truth. While some actors might stay with a method for a lifetime, most will undergo some degree of change during the course of their life’s pursuits. Pursuing excellence is the actor’s responsibility. Constant pursuit guarantees endless growth.
