[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s acting blog from Fran Montano of Actors Workout Studio discusses “Finding an Acting Class – Part Two.”
In my last blog, “Finding an Acting Class – Part One,” I talked about finding an acting class, a school oran acting teacher. What to look for and what questions to ask. In “Finding an Acting Class – Part Two,” I am going to talk about reviews of coaches and schools.
First, a background on how reviews get on Google, Yelp, and followers on Facebook and Instagram. Keep in mind there is an entire business in getting reviews, followers, and likes for your business. There are countless places that will get you reviews, likes, and followers for a monthly fee! So you might want to be aware of that.
Here are some horror stories that I’ve heard about businesses in general regarding reviews and likes. (Disclaimer, I’m not saying these are true, just stories I’ve heard.)
- A business might hire a company to get reviews. I heard a rumor that sometimes production companies will pay a service to get Rotten Tomatoes reviews. They may not have even seen the movie but people get paid to write a good review.
- I know one instance where a competing business wrote bad reviews about the other.
- Sometimes in an acting class, someone may be offended by certain emotional expressions that either scare them, turn them off, or intimidate them. Only seeing one class, they form an opinion in general. They don’t understand the process. I know an example of an actor who was having a very difficult time crying. After a few months of work, the actor finally broke down and cried for 10 minutes. The actor was praised and celebrated by the class. A review came out that someone cried in class and everyone cheered, and that it seemed insensitive and it insulted them. That person only saw that class and made a judgement. They didn’t understand the process.
Here’s my summary.
- If you only see good reviews, be suspicious.
- If you only see bad reviews, pay attention to that.
- If you see a variety of mostly good and some bad, that’s a good sign to me. It reveals that the company is not stacking only good reviews.
- If you write a review or read a review from only seeing one acting class, you might not know where in the process the actors in class might be.
The bottom line is, read reviews to get a “feel,” then go and see for yourself. Attending a class audit is the best way to experience the class. If something comes up that concerns you, ask the teacher, and maybe go back and audit again.
I explain to my auditors what might come up in a class. Depending on the situation, I often invite people to come back another time to see how the class can fluctuate.
What bothers me the most is when someone audits one class and writes a review on that experience. It’s like watching a football team get beat, and then assume and review that they are a bad team. They might have had a bad night. Go several times before reviewing.
The bottom line is you have to take all these considerations and weigh them for yourself. You can definitely get a “feel” from reviews but don’t take them too much to heart. The same with a movie review. They are subjective.
It’s hard to find the best teacher for you. Everyone is different. What works for one actor might not work for another. Much of it is trial and error, but trust, respect and instinct is very important. If you have questions, ask, if you want to go back for a second look, you should be able to. Don’t give up and don’t just give in.
Break a leg.
Fran Montano