Our motto: To be fully self-expressed with integrity
What do we mean by that? When we started developing an acting forum to benefit youth, we chose to incorporate skills that would complement acting techniques by guiding youth to make good decisions about the business, their career, and their life. We wanted to prepare youth to succeed not only as actors, but also as individuals with integrity. In teaching acting skills for film and television, we have an opportunity to also teach skills that provide a foundation for the students in who they are and their purpose in life. It is critical to demonstrate to youth the impact of their decisions on the community at large.
My son has had amazing acting teachers for the last two years at very reputable acting schools, yet we learned a lot through experience and not the schools. There were many things we could have done to be better prepared, and can still do. Often in this fast-paced industry, there is no time to stop and reflect on what is happening and what we are getting into. Decisions are made on the fly. These decisions may not coincide with our or our child’s purpose. After seeing the aftermath of the public’s reaction to Miley Cyrus’ MTV Video Music Awards performance, we were reassured of how important our curricula is. Developmental changes in adolescence (ages 12-24) are many; add on the transition from child-to-adult actor, and issues are magnified. “Today Show” co-anchor Willie Geist characterized it as “a big Disney over-correction,” citing Britney Spears as another example of a sweet kid actor who felt the need to over-sexualize herself to “prove” that she’s no longer a child (Cite: Los Angeles Times, By Patrick Kevin Day August 26, 2013, 11:13 a.m.). If acting classes incorporate self-expression with integrity, students will be able to reflect on what is happening, what they are getting into, and choose powerfully what is right for themselves.
Many of the martial arts are grounded in principles and values, so too should the art of acting. So, why self-expression with integrity? We need a clear understanding of what it is to be fully self-expressed and an understanding of integrity. Here, at the Academy, we define self-expression as the ability to show, manifest or reveal who we really are—that special divine being (spirit). We manifest this through feelings, opinions, actions, body language, and how we dress ourselves. Children and young people are naturally self-expressed. Yet as we begin to experience and interact with others in life, we begin to become inhibited. People around us, including family, tell us to “tone it down.” We suppress the natural expression of who we are. As sensitive beings, we want to be accepted by others and to “fit in.” In our journey to “fit in” we become inauthentic in the natural expression of who we are or meant to be. We may do things contrary to our natural expression of self “in order to.” For example, we become shy when we are really outgoing, we stop speaking up for what we care for to not cause ripples, we go to the other extreme and begin to cope with the help of drugs and/or alcohol, or we exaggerate to try to prove ourselves to others. A criticism taken to heart creates an inauthentic way of being to “deal with” the pain that criticism has created. We become quieter or restrained or the opposite we pretend we are bigger than we are. Often it becomes our life’s work to rediscover our self-expression.
Integrity is a core value we embrace at the Academy. The word integrity stems from the Latin adjective integer, which means whole or complete. Here, we use the word integrity to mean the inner sense of wholeness and connectedness to the world at large; meaning that our actions, values, principles, goals, objectives, and outcomes align with each other and are consistent with who we are (self-expression). The Actor’s Youth Academy is about teaching youth to be fully-self expressed with integrity.
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