I have been dreaming about teaching acting for some reason. I taught acting for about 30 years and thought I had had my fill of it. But last week, in a dream, I seemed to be auditioning to teach acting. Strange! Some rather arrogant acting teachers were complaining how hard it is to train beginning actors. They seemed to think that I could not do it. I said to them, “Just watch. See what I can do with these people.” I knew that I could guide them into being authentic actors in a short time. Then I woke up, puzzled about why I had such a dream.
After many years of struggling with acting, I realized it is so simple to act. It is all about three things – making real connection, expressing authentic emotions and having clear intentions. And isn’t life just like that? If you can make real connection with other people, if you can share your real emotions and if you are clear about what you want and are willing to express it, life just works, both onstage and in daily relationships.
I still don’t know what my dream was telling me, but I do know that acting skills are valuable for everyone. You don’t have to want to be an actor. Acting skills are also for non-actors. If you are a professional who is struggling with business relationships, get yourself to an acting class and learn to free your self-expression in front of others.
