Quotes by Michael Shurtleff

Michael Shurtleff

Acting in theatre or television or screen is only for the irrecoverably diseased, those so smitten with the need that there is no choice.

Acting

Choices

Theatre

Actors, who should pride themselves on their singularity, are forever trying to be someone else. It isn’t necessary for you, the actor, to like yourself— self-love isn’t easy to come by for most of us— but you must learn to trust who you are. There is no one else like you.

Forever

Pride

Self

An actor is looking for conflict. Conflict is what creates drama. We are taught to avoid trouble [so] actors don’t realize they must go looking for it. Plays are written about…the extraordinary, the unusual, the climaxes. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.

Drama

Interesting

Play

An actor must make his needs (goals, wants, objectives) so strong that he is willing to interfere with the other actor in order to get what he needs. Interfering means getting in their way so that what you want is stronger than what they want.

Mean

Order

Strong

An expression of feeling isn’t worth anything unless it interferes with what the other actor in the scene wants.

Acting

Expression

Feelings

Competition [in a scene] is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don’t want to compete. They want to get along. And they are therefore not first-rate actors.

Acting

Competition

Healthy

Competition is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don’t want to compete. They want to get along. And they are therefore not first-rate actors. The good actor is the one who competes, willingly, who enjoys competing. An actor must compete, or die…Peacefulness and the avoidance of trouble won’t help in his acting. It is just the opposite he must seek.

Competition

Healthy

Opposites

Conflict is what creates drama. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.

Acting

Drama

Interesting

Consistency is the death of good acting.

Acting

Consistency

Good Acting

Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.

Acting

Creating

Heart

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Acting

Actors

Attitude

Bits

Bridges

Character

Choices

Competition

Consistency

Creating

Discovery

Drama

Dream

Easier

Emotional

Expression

Feelings

Fighting

Forever

Funny

Giving Up

Good Acting

Healthy

Hearing

Heart

Humorous

Inexplicable

Insane

Interesting

Listening

Long Ago

Matter

Mean

Mistake

Moral

Motivation

Needs

Normalcy

Opposites

Order

Our World

Play

Pride

Reality

Romance

Scene

Self

Should

Strong

Survivor

The Future Blueprint

Tool

The Home Therapist: Anti Anxiety

Tool

The Autobiography

Tool

The Behaviour Diary

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The Dating Diary

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The Relationship Therapist

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Quotes by Michael Shurtleff

Michael Shurtleff

Acting in theatre or television or screen is only for the irrecoverably diseased, those so smitten with the need that there is no choice.

Actors, who should pride themselves on their singularity, are forever trying to be someone else. It isn’t necessary for you, the actor, to like yourself— self-love isn’t easy to come by for most of us— but you must learn to trust who you are. There is no one else like you.

An actor is looking for conflict. Conflict is what creates drama. We are taught to avoid trouble [so] actors don’t realize they must go looking for it. Plays are written about…the extraordinary, the unusual, the climaxes. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.

An actor must make his needs (goals, wants, objectives) so strong that he is willing to interfere with the other actor in order to get what he needs. Interfering means getting in their way so that what you want is stronger than what they want.

An expression of feeling isn’t worth anything unless it interferes with what the other actor in the scene wants.

Competition [in a scene] is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don’t want to compete. They want to get along. And they are therefore not first-rate actors.

Conflict is what creates drama. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.

Consistency is the death of good acting.

Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.

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Topics by Michael Shurtleff

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The Future Blueprint

The Home Therapist: Anti Anxiety

The Autobiography

The Behaviour Diary

The Dating Diary

The Relationship Therapist

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