I was an undergraduate student studying acting, constantly immersed in a new role, a new persona, and I was on my way to the arts and communication building on campus when I stumbled upon a conversation being had about actors. One peer was sharing his skepticism that he could continue participating in theatre. The "vanity" of it was unsettling him. There was just so much focus on the self and he didn't want to live that way.

There are moments in life when you say something and then immediately realize it to be true- it comes out before you've cognitively acknowledged it. 

Before I knew I was butting in, I heard myself articulating the reality that actors are not vain and acting is not mere focus on the self. Good actors are honest. They LOSE themselves in a different persona- they allow themselves to disappear into someone else- and in doing so they acknowledge the humanity in us all. In playing a villain honestly, I realize my own innate ability to BE a villain. I am capable of these actions. I hold this potential within myself. I will never forget the compliment an audience gave a dear friend once- they boo-ed him during curtain call. He played the villain that convincingly. He allowed himself to disappear from view that fully. And we all learned about the nature of good and evil because of his courage.

Good actors are not vain. Good actors are honest and brave.

But it is not surprising that this assumption prevails, is it? Meryl Streep revealed this week that as a student she thought she was "too ugly to be an actress," and that she thought it was "vain to be an actress." Terms like "drama queen" don't paint a desirable reputation for those who build their careers in the performing arts. When I refer to someone as "dramatic," it is most often not a compliment. It is a difficult balance to strike- the reality that in acting, our medium is ourselves, yet WE are not the ones on display when we strut the boards. We're vessels and storytellers, not self-promotors.

And that's what we try to teach our theatre students here at LCA: not to self-promote and indulge in vanity, but to find humanity in their characters, to learn about the human condition through art, and to "hold a mirror up to nature" as the Bard taught us in Hamlet.

What do you think? What does it take to be a good actor?

Starting this week, the LCA is offering a multitude of classes for both kids and adults to enjoy.

Among them we have is the "Mission: Theatre Exploration." This brand new workshop taught by Tyler Cavanagh will teach theatre basics and develop the love of the stage through skill based teaching. Students will be able to participate in large group numbers that encompass singing, dancing, blocking, and choreography. This class is offered to 7-12 year olds on Tuesdays at 4:00 PM. 

We also have the "Tap/Ballet Combo" class taught by Christine Degrasse on Mondays at 3:00 PM. Kids ages 5-7 are welcome to come and learn basic tap and ballet steps, as well as to just have fun moving and dancing to the music!

Another great workshop is the "Illustration and Animation" class taught by Steve Belcher. On Saturdays at 11:00 AM, 8-12 year olds have the opportunity to be creative through characters! Using writing, drawing, and animation techniques, students will be able to see their unique character creations come to life in short animations! 

Classes start Monday April 14th (TODAY!), but anyone who wants to participate has until the first day of the individual class to sign up. We look forward to having plenty of creative fun in these classes, and we hope to see lots of new and old students! 

How to Raise a Child

We recently staged Seussical JR at LCA and one of the most consistently potent songs to me is "How to Raise a Child," sung by Jojo's parents. In it they ask, "who has the instructions on how to raise a child!?" 

An opinion piece in last Friday's New York Times delved into the abyss of the wondering the very same question. How do we raise "moral" children- children who will become adults who care, are generous, and learn from their mistakes? Check out the article for the full details of Adam Grant's response- which is very well-researched and links to lots of different studies around this very topic. Two highlights of his piece were seemingly quite useful factoids to stow away in our parenting toolboxes:

I love tips like this one- especially when backed with scientific research- because it is a simple matter of verbiage. Word choice can mean everything. Here's the scoop: "To get 3- to 6-year-olds to help with a task, rather than inviting them “to help,” it was 22 to 29 percent more effective to encourage them to “be a helper.” Cheating was cut in half when instead of, “Please don’t cheat,” participants were told, “Please don’t be a cheater.”" I can completely see how this would work psychologically. Cheating might not seem so bad to an 8 year old, but being a full-out cheater? No, thank you! It comes down to this: "When our actions become a reflection of our character, we lean more heavily toward the moral and generous choices. Over time it can become part of us."

This second tip took me a little off guard. I have an aversion to the idea of causing guilt in any child. As my husband would say, "let me pack me bag if I'm going on a guilt trip." Yet, when placed up against shame, the implications make sense. When discipline is done in such a way to cause shame, it leads the child to avoid and ignore the wrong-doing, whereas guilt leads them to amend the wrong. One stifles while the other motivates. "The beauty of expressing disappointment is that it communicates disapproval of the bad behavior, coupled with high expectations and the potential for improvement: “You’re a good person, even if you did a bad thing, and I know you can do better.”" The potential for improvement, reconciliation, a better future despite our current mistaken actions? That is an idea I can get behind.

So, what do YOU think? Do you have any parenting tips you stand by- or any you adamantly disregard? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Images by Rotu Modan, taken from the online New York Times edition of Raising a Moral Child by Adam Grant.