Ask Judith: Submission #7

Submission Number: 7
Submission ID: 91
Submission UUID: bca9f354-df02-441b-8210-133d201b876a
Submission URI: /web/ask-judith

Created: Tue, 07/13/2021 - 05:39 PM
Completed: Tue, 07/13/2021 - 05:39 PM
Changed: Tue, 12/26/2023 - 12:58 PM

Remote IP address: 172.58.228.218
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Webform: Ask Judith
Submitted to: Ask Judith
Name Emanda Acevedo
Email (optional) Emanda1Acebedo@gmail.com
Question Hello,

I was inquiring about taking acting lessons?
I was on Clubhouse and someone mentioned you,
That you were a great coach.

Just wanted to know if you do? :)

Thank you
Reply Dear Emanda, Thank you so much for your question and your kind words. I'm afraid I am no longer teaching classes for actors. I ran a studio for 30 years and taught several different kinds of acting workshops. But I closed my studio in 2015. I have continued doing one-on-one consultations. But - since the pandemic the only coaching I do is via Zoom - and I discovered the only way I could be effective in Zoom consultations was with directors or writer-directors. The search for the right acting coach can take a while. I do believe that the amount you can learn in a Zoom acting class is very limited - some acting studios are opening up for in-person classes and you should visit as many as you can so you can find the one that's right for you. My impression is that the reputable acting studios are requiring students to be vaccinated. In the meanwhile, I suggest you read my book - Directing Actors 25th Anniversary Edition - it's intended for actors as well as directors. The new 25th Anniversary Edition came out in April and has information and encouragement for actors that I hope you will find helpful. All my best, Judith
Approved Yes

  • “I am eternally grateful for your help.”

    TAIKA WAITITI, writer-director, JOJO RABBIT, THOR RAGNAROK, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, BOY, EAGLE VS SHARK, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS

  • “I took a seminar with an acting teacher named Judith Weston. I learned a key insight to character. She believed that all well-drawn characters have a spine, and the idea is that the character has an inner motor, a dominant, unconscious goal that they’re striving for, an itch that they can’t scratch. I took to this like a duck to water.”

    ANDREW STANTON [from his Feb 2012 TED Talk] writer-director, FINDING DORY, WALL-E, FINDING NEMO, A BUG’S LIFE; director, BETTER CALL SAUL, STRANGER THINGS; writer, TOY STORY, TOY STORY 2, TOY STORY 3

  • "Judith's method is wonderful because it is practical. She has given me numerous tools to solve problems on the set and to earn the trust of actors. Her classes and her book are invaluable resources to any director."

    LAWRENCE TRILLING, director, GOLIATH, RECTIFY, PARENTHOOD, MASTERS OF SEX, PUSHING DAISIES, DAMAGES, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, NIP/TUCK, MONK, SCRUBS, INVASION, ALIAS, FELICITY

  • "Thank you for teaching me how to direct actors. Taking your classes made me believe I could direct. Taking your classes gave me a base, a foundation, a framework to find my own style. To step out on faith. I'm forever grateful. Love and respect to you, magnificent Judith Weston." 

    AVA DuVERNAY, director, WHEN THEY SEE US, QUEEN SUGAR, A WRINKLE IN TIME, SELMA, SCANDAL, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

  • "Everything you taught me was more than useful. I am deeply grateful."

    ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU, director, THE REVENANT, BIRDMAN, BIUTIFUL, BABEL, 21 GRAMS, AMORES PERROS