NoHo Arts District Profile on Acting Coach John Sarno
On any given day, the NoHo Arts District has more than 20 acting workshops/classes happening. How do you find the right acting teacher? You make sure they have been formally trained, have years of experience as an actor and teacher, and have the credits to prove it. There is one man I know that fits that description and that is John Sarno. John has coached more than 500 stars since he began teaching in 1976. John spent many years in New York studying acting with major teachers and then finally at the Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre under Elia Kazan. John was invited to work at the Actors Studio and became a student of the great Peggy Fury. Lee Strasberg invited him into the Master Class where he spent many years and also lived with Mr. Strasberg.
John has been interviewed on radio and television numerous times because of his Golden Globe nomination for film and his Hollywood Motion Picture Council Award for television. His television appearances have included many major television guest-starring roles. He has taught seminars all over the country and recently has produced four DVDs that really show you the real road map to success in Hollywood. DVDs are distributed at www.hollywoodacting.com and Amazon.com.
John, what advice would you give to an aspiring actor?
– You must learn how to focus your thoughts and energies.
– There is no such thing as a method actor. There is only method training.
– All great actors have techniques they use to find the character, learn their lines, channel their energies and access their sense memory.
– Learn your lines without memorizing them because when you memorize the lines you kill the imagination
– Be non-judgmental and to find the focus for the correct zone for performance.
What goes on in class?
In the master scene study class, you warm up with sensory skills needed for the audition. You work on a reading of a scene, monologue or improvisation. You can also put up a scene in which advance repetition work is applied to the scene as done in the New York Actors Studio. It’s all about the process.
Interested in a good acting class? Give John Sarno a call (818) 761-3003. His classes are taught at Actors Workout Studio 4735 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91602. For more information about his teaching DVDs, CLICK HERE>>
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