Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background in the entertainment industry. What inspired you to start offering acting workshops and coaching?
I started acting in theater and musical theater at the age of six and acted most days of the year through my adult life in New York City, where I also began writing plays. Once I started directing film and theater, I realized great acting is what makes shows resonate with audiences.
When not directing, I’m coaching actors, and when I can, offer workshops where actors can find their particular gifts, keep working, growing, and taking risks in a safe, supported space.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry? Can you give us an overview of the different types of workshops you offer and who they are designed for?
My favorite directors understand the craft of acting. My passion is helping actors reach new heights in their work while identifying the needs of the role. I have great success with that, which is empowering and fulfilling. After the strikes, some opportunities are in flux, and actors need to stay proactive, in practice, and working.
I’m offering workshops that will empower their growth, and also give them professional credits for their resumes and an opportunity to share their work.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
There have been many, but it always occurs when I am in flow on set, on stage, or in my workshops. There are always magical breakthroughs where performances take new heights, and the energy of the collective creates a moving and profound impact. Great acting contains the power of transformation. When actors transform, audiences can as well.
Your “THE BIG PICTURE” workshop culminates in the participants performing in a play that you direct. What can actors expect from being part of this intensive program?
The Big Picture is where I can offer the script analysis, character work, and vision that all actors crave. Everyone is building the same world, and bringing it to life. This gives actors the opportunity to act in a professionally directed play.
It also strengthens their skills for future auditions and projects. Professional actors keep working. I provide actors an investment that will propel their careers forward.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it? Beyond teaching core acting techniques, how does your approach help actors overcome personal blocks and access deeper levels of vulnerability in their performances?
As a trained actor, my senses and intuition were my gold. I understand and have a sixth sense for what an actor needs, and how to help them. Every actor is different and deserves an eye that can laser in and help them investigate their own humanity.
Every character requires a new process of investigation, to find how to personally connect to the role. I have more techniques than I can state here, but I will certainly share them with my students and you will see the results at our shows!
Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals? For actors considering signing up, what advice would you give them to get the most out of this immersive experience?
In my career, I’m currently meeting showrunners and producers for a television series, and would love to meet producers who want to celebrate representation and diversity on the screen. My advice to actors is to take these workshops, stay in practice. Professional actors keep working and growing.
There is always a character that will teach you something new about your ability and bring you to new heights. Invest in your own growth. If this is your passion, and your life’s mission, stay in practice. You don’t always know why you are working on something in a workshop. But then one day you will get an audition, or a job, and you will find yourself prepared.
For actors considering signing up, what advice would you give them to get the most out of this immersive experience?
Commit to yourself fully. Stay curious and connected to why you love to act. If you are rehearsing, or studying, that is your work. Treat your work with the respect you want others to have for your work. It starts with you, and your commitment. These workshops are a professional opportunity.
Drop your social media links.
@staytunedla @firsthand.films
https://www.kymberlyharris.me/workshops-with-kymberly-harris
Knowledge to become a master of your craft.