An interesting question that caused me to pause; not because I was searching my brain for celebrities in our studios’ history, (there are a handful…that we’ve never, ever mentioned) but because the question intrigued me…or I should say, the possible reasons for the question intrigued me.

Now, after 26 years of flailing field research, for me the answer is an easy one, but certainly not a short one. But in that moment, I could really appreciate the inquiry, and was curious about this person’s perspective, such as it was at the time.

Do any Stars come here…

What is a Star?

What is an Acting Class..?

Artistry and Industry are two very different things. Do they interact? Absolutely. All the time. But they are utterly distinctive disciplines. In this case, we’ll use Acting Class as our comparable study:

In the Artistry column, Acting is an art-form. In Acting class, we are committed to a deep understanding of a character’s history, wants and needs, and a full understanding of this moment; we employ curiosity and empathy, and our movements and actions are motivated by information and emotions. Basically, we live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

In the Industry column, star-making is a business. Scripts for films, television shows and commercials are largely (not always) organized with the objective of viewership and ad-sales as priority. Methods and strategies are employed to maximize engagement, influence, and encourage purchase of membership and related products. So in a sense, the movements and actions of Artists under these circumstances are often, motivated by a corporate interest, strategy or an algorithm…which is not acting by definition.

But again, do they interact? Yes, all the time. Are they related? Sort of. But it can be quite exciting to learn that the beautiful and revelatory craft of Acting itself, does not equate to being an industry star.

Some of the greatest, most spellbinding actors I have ever witnessed, are not involved in the film and television or related media industry.

Some of the most powerful moments of my artistic and human existence took place in a crummy little room on Welch Street, by selfless individuals who don’t have an Agent.

Some of my greatest personal lessons and growth have come as result of my work in Acting Class; and yet, some of my most negative and regressive messaging has come from my work in the film and television industry.

To live truthfully in a near un-manageable moment, having selflessly researched a characters past, empathized with their plight, and courageously embodied their wants and needs with a hopeful eye to their future, and to do so in a room among one’s peers, with and open heart, curiosity and a rapid heartbeat, and to be committed to oneself and one’s scene partner, and to actually see the world that exists in the story,  totally connected and focussed on what truly matters…oh my God! UGH!.. the heroics of this magical and mysterious thing!

But am I hoping to curb favour for one over the other? No, certainly not!

Well…maybe I’m a little biased. But in all transparency, I did do an audition for a Hallmark movie yesterday, and I gave it my all!

The point is really about perspective, and having a healthy understanding of this work, so we don’t mix the two disciplines and use the results as a measuring stick for our self-worth and personal pedigree.

Also, the point can be about following our genuine gut and not second-guessing ourselves and our decisions…and being able to identify when our choices, actions and movements are being influenced by industry rather than by our innate instinct…and working toward trusting the latter.

Imagine the complexity of bringing Art to an Audition. I mean, that’s a whole other Blog post!

I digress. Back on track.

“The person you are is a thousand times more interesting than the greatest actor you could ever hope to be.” Bottom line. No debate. Period. Mic drop.

So the answer to the question- you remember the question, don’t you?

“Do any stars come here..?”

Answer:

Yes. Absolutely. They all are.

And having learned from this experience, I think a good question for me to ask is:

What am I actually “doing” in Acting Class?

Or maybe even…

To be, or not to be?

That is the question.

The post What are we actually doing? appeared first on First Step Actors.

I looked around the class last week and I saw beautiful people, each with our defence mechanisms. To identify a few (the mechanisms, not the people):

• The Soldier, retreats into self, stoic, full guard up: “you will stay outside.”
• The Self-deprecator, undermining oneself before the attack: “I will attack myself before you can.”
• The Jester, works with humour: “I’m scared so I will try to disarm you with humour.”
• The Professional, will perfect the job so they can’t get criticized: “if I get an A+, I won’t face your disapproval.”
• The Mouse, will make themselves small to disappear: “you can’t attack what you can’t see.”

These are all ways to protect ourselves because we’ve been hurt and scared. The defence style may relate to the hurt received, or simply what worked at the time.

Protecting oneself works by trying to remove any genuine connection to the person hurting you. We push them away, we remove their access to us, we give them a fake us to connect with, we try not to be noticed – ultimately, we’re trying to break any genuine connection. If they can’t connect, they can’t hurt. But when we look for connection – in acting, but more importantly, in life – those defences block us. And if we’ve been good at building those defences up, we might not even know we’re deploying them. They’re automatic. They sabotage us and we’re beginning to realize that – there’s a reason 24m people have watched that Brené Brown video and we now all talk about how important vulnerability is. Not just in life, but in art.

What does that have to do with acting class? Let me tell a story.

There’s a room in a corner building on Welch Street that I go to every Tuesday night. It’s filled with people who have shown up to play. It’s filled with toys, like blocks and drums and pieces of paper with writing on them. It’s not a flashy building but it’s warm, it’s comfortable, and above everything else, it’s safe. When I go there, I’m not accountable to anyone – not my wife, not my kids, not my colleagues – only the other people in the room, to whom I promise each week to give my best. For 2 hours every week, I focus on nothing but letting my defences drop, to be present and vulnerable to other people.

It’s supposed to be for something called “acting”, but it’s not really. I don’t think the other people are there for “acting” either. We’re all there to practise, in a safe space, slowly dropping these defences. Because that might make us better actors. And maybe it will. But it will definitely make us better humans.

So each week, I go to learn how to be vulnerable through the practice of acting. 

I love this class. It’s given me so much. It’s challenging and awkward and hilarious and silly and sad and angering and everything in between.

So, thank you. This shit really matters.

Shin

Shintaro Kanaoya

The post Student Submission- March 5, 2026 appeared first on First Step Actors.

Drama 8 was a unique experience in my life; improv, emotional expression, sense memory, connectivity and collaboration; a safe place with a nurturing vibe, provided by a teacher who loved her work, and truly cared for those she was working with. It was a refuge in the storm, and a club for those who wanted to be seen and heard… so they could learn how to see, and why to hear.

In Grade 8, 9 and 10, I pursued the Acting Award.

At Senior Secondary, I was introduced to accountability and discipline in Acting 11 and 12. We worked on character and story, and having a reason for our actions. We had to hold our own, in a competitive environment, and be resourceful, dedicated and responsible for our work. We were led by a teacher who loved his work, and insisted we honour our best selves. In grade 11 and 12, I pursued the Acting Award.

As a young adult, I hired an Agents and attended a thousand auditions, some good, and more than some, not so much. I posed for photos and did background and worked on my hair. I was in a constant chase to be seen and heard; to be known as special and admired. I pursued booking jobs, so that telling people, would be my Award.

It is said that an Actors reason for wanting to act is to be seen and heard. In my case, that was certainly true. But perhaps we are also misunderstanding the statement.

Maybe we are all people who need to be seen and heard, and rightfully so. I’m certainly one of them…and likely so are you. And maybe that sometimes leads some of us into the performing arts. And maybe some of us, like me, carry on the chase; audition to audition to audition.

But what if there exists a place, that’s not an audition, where upon crossing the threshold, we ARE seen and heard?

Well, then I wouldn’t need to act for my award. And I could do what I really love: living truthfully under imaginary circumstances; connecting & collaborating, feeling, sharing, and evolving; empathizing with characters and their story, and realizing my highest artistic expression.

“Playing” in a safe space, with people who see me, hear me, and care.

These are the things that enraptured me when I walked on to the carpet of the drama room in grade 8.

Acting class is a safe place where I don’t need to ACT. I can just BE.

So I get to love the work.

And acting becomes its’ own reward.

The post The Acting Award appeared first on First Step Actors.

The First Step refers to our approach, as people, to each and everything we do, in each moment we do it; taking our authentic first step, according to our authentic best idea of our best selves, at every turn.

“Acting Class can save the world” is quite a statement. Granted. But consider the fundamentals of acting class: courage, respect, empathy, accountability, listening, love, curiosity…and the list goes on.

In Acting Class, Artists from all walks of life, come together, to connect, share, and lean into the fundamentals of this powerful work, without ego or the need to protect, or to control the narrative.

Art imagines a world, where we are allowed to realize our authentic first step, based on our innate knowledge of our deeper selves. I am, therefore, I do.

It’s the knowledge of “I am” and the experience of “I do” and the conduit to the source of our instinctive expression that we are excited to explore in class, without judgement, and without expectation.

In Acting class, the only way to truly experience the euphoria of the amazing work, is to be truly present, to trust, and be trustworthy, and to share; to fully commit to oneself, to this moment, and to each other. To be YOU.

This is about being humans, not actors. And a key ingredient in any level of artistic fulfillment, is want; a want to learn, to grow, to experience and evolve; a want to be curious; a want to feel. Imagine this world.

We invite Artists to freely navigate the unveiling and development of their best selves, at all levels of that realization, and to freely explore their greatest and most truthful artistic expression and understanding; to welcome them to a safe space, where they can be authentic and purposeful, in gleefully choosing their own authentic first step, throughout the adventures of living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

We’re betting they will discover that they had it in them all along.

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced; humans welcome 😊

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