Having "It"
Patricia Angelin
How often have you gone to an audition wondering if you could really do what was needed to get the part? How often have you tried to guess at what a CD might want to see from you? It's certainly possible to shape yourself into what you think they want to see. But this creates a BIG problem:
It cuts you off completely from what makes you uniquely compelling.
When I first started teaching Alba Technique, I wondered if having deeper access to the emotions could give actors that ever elusive “It Factor.” — The thing for which directors and casting people are constantly on the lookout. An actor who has "It" compels us to keep watching and “It” is what everyone wants to have.
It is my firm belief that by getting to know oneself on a deeper level, through the lens of specific emotions, one can approach every job and audition knowing full well that you do, in fact, have "It." Yes, you will be able to hit a mark and cry on cue as well, but, more importantly perhaps, you'll have access to a deeper, universal truth that will floor anyone watching. You'll come across as someone really living in the story, not just another actor who has done his or her homework.
At every moment in the actor's life, we are called to use the full self: BODY, MIND, and SOUL. Those actors who have "It" move from every part of themselves with emotional truth. To embark on the journey towards these discoveries is the most important work an actor can do. Simply by reading this, you're already on your way.
What does "It" mean to you?