I think every artist should take an acting class…especially writers. Because it’s so easy to become isolated in your office with just your own stories to keep you company (that and the ever present-never ringing phone you stare at when you come up for air, wondering why your agent or manager or publicist hasn’t called you with fabulous news.) In an acting class, you’re surrounded by actors—who are pretty much universally loud, extroverted, ambitious and fun…they are really fun. So, when you join an acting class (usually these run once a week for three to five hours), you’re forced to socialize, come out of your introverted shell and perform. And, other than seeing plays and movies and reading books…it is another tool which can help your writing. By acting out words on a page…you are trying to interpret the author’s intention…creating his/her character, figuring out your motivation, discovering the purpose of the scene. And when you spend the analytical time actually breaking down the scene…whether it’s Neil Simon or Ibsen, you gain insight into the writer’s mind. And it can only inform your own work.
