ACTN1304 Up Close & Personal Series (Ed)
Top Ten Takeaways
Student Name: Keigan Wilkinson
Guest Artist Name: Tony Orfori
1. Keep pushing forward – When talking about burnout, Tony mentioned that you just
have to keep pushing forward. This is important for me, because I find I burnout
easily, and will need to work on this for my career.
2. Be your own advocate – Tying into point 1, it’s important to make sure you do the
things you need to do. You need to go out there and make those connections, find
those auditions, and get those jobs.
3. Get inspiration from life – This point really stuck with me. One of the best places to
get inspiration is from the world around you, taking everything in to inspire you. After
all, acting is based in reality, and reality is happening all around us.
4. Don’t over-prepare – Tony said this was one of the most common mistakes actors
make. If you over-prepare, you may try to steer it in a specific direction, and take
control of the scene away from your partner.
5. Dealing with Impostor Syndrome – On this point, Tony said it was important to take
time to separate yourself from the character you’re portraying. Not doing so can
harm your mental health as you take on unhealthy attributes from your character.
6. Before ACTRA – Tony suggests that we get some non-union work in before we join
ACTRA. This is so we have a higher chance of being cast, due to having a portfolio
of work prior.
7. “There is no right” – Tony said that there’s no “right way” of being casted. When
taking auditions, take what you can get, and make the most of it.
8. Understand the conversation – In terms of memorization techniques, Tony
suggested taking the time to understand the conversation. If you understand the
flow of the conversation, the lines will come easily.
9. “Theater is to hold a mirror to society and evoke change” – This quote he said really
stuck out to me. I personally consider this important since evoking change is exactly
what I seek to have my performances do.
10. Don’t anticipate your failure – This stuck with me due to the fact that it’s easy for me
to get into the headspace that I’m “too far gone” with tasks and need to give up, but
it truly is part of your own mindset. If you decide you’re going to fail, you will fail.
ACTN1304 Up Close & Personal Series (Ed)
Top Ten Takeaways