The Actor's Practice: Watch like a Hawk

Are you in class? Do you lean in and watch your fellow actors work?

Hi Actor,

I have noticed something very common amongst actors in the confines of a classroom. They get up and do their scene, nail it, job done. Once they have finished their scene work, they go back to their seat and sit in silence for the remainder of the session and kind of switch off... and then repeat this the next week. The problem with that way of working is it only puts you into a zone of practice for a very short period time. The ideal way of learning, of progressing in a skill, is to stay at a reasonable level of discomfort for as long as feasible before hitting the "point of diminishing returns", to which you can pack up and call it a day.

Say we have a 3 hr class and 14 students (actors) that need to get up, film their take, get feedback, do it again and receive some homework before sitting down. If we are switched on only for the time we are allocated up in front of the camera, that means we would only be practicing for 12 minutes and 52 seconds. 5 of those minutes would be the "warm up" (unfortunately taking up your entire first take); 2 minutes in total would be allocated to receiving feedback and perhaps tasking homework; leaving a meagre 5 minutes and 52 seconds of actual practice, who knows if it's in any way deep or challenging.

You'd probably pay $50 for a class of that structure and you're telling me that effective training? Keep in mind here, what I'm talking about has nothing to do with the teacher and the class they have set up. It actually has everything to do with the students way of engagement. 2 things.

1. Actors should have their own practice at home to have any hope of really improving their skills consistently.

2. They should do all they can to not switch off when other people are up working.

Instead of waiting out the timer till class is over, lean in and investigate. What are your class mates doing really well? Conversely, what needs improvement? If something isn't sounding right or seems "non comital" or boring, ask yourself why. Be just as invested with your classmate's work than you are with your own work.

Watching others work and critically reviewing it, will make you a better actor. You are directly practicing the skills required for you to critically review your own work. You're sharpening your eye to pick up on what works, what doesn't and perhaps how you can fix problems when they come up for yourself. Instead of rocking up to class and practicing for 5 min & 52 sec; sit down, lock in and work for 3 hrs. That will leave you tired and worn out. Why? Because that's how deep practice is meant to feel, exhausting.

If you're in a class that allows students to give feedback (something I'm a huge fan of, thank you Tom McSweeney), try challenge yourself to give feedback to every classmate, both positive and critical - but make it genuine, not just feedback for the sake of feedback.

What a lot of people fall into the trap of doing is they give only really high praise. Which actually, can be a wonderful thing, sometimes thats all an actor needs to hear after a rough week of countless rejections, however, if the class is starting to become a chorus of positivity it may not be conducive to skill development in the long run. So be honest, never cruel, honest, and look at what works, what doesn't, then verbalise it when it comes time for feedback. Leading with respect is the ticket to being able to say what's on your mind. The person up in front of camera has no obligation to do what you think is "right" and, you may very well have people disagree with you and that's fantastic, if they verbalise it! Don't be afraid of disagreements and discussions - more opportunities to grow for everyone.

If you are in a class that doesn't allow for feedback from classmates, write your thoughts down into a notebook instead. Don't worry about giving the feedback to the person on camera during or after class in this situation - unless you are close to the person and you know they want it. You do need to kind of follow the culture of the environment. If no one is giving feedback and the teacher hasn't set that up as an expectation, leave it.

So lean in, lead with curiosity, share your observations and rack up those hours of practice by simply watching... like a hawk.

Talk soon,

Lachy

Lachlan is an Australian Actor who has been working within the industry nearing a decade. He’s worked in Film & Theatre.

© Lachlan Stuart 2025