The Process

For acting coach Larry Moss, projecting on stage can be summarized in the word "joy." This short symposium, directed by Mitzi Kapture, encourages would-be actors to explore the possibilities. Actors, who are often insecure, need to be both confident and humble, generous to fellow actors, and capable of sharing laughter during rehearsals. The focus here is on comedy, seen from the perspective of the director, actors, and drama students. Moss is joined by the distinguished TV and film director James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News), watching and critiquing actors Alex Quijano and Sirena Irwin as they go through the paces in the famous "proud to be a woman, Dr. Brewster" scene from Tootsie, originally performed by Dustin Hoffman and Teri Garr. In six or seven run-throughs, the actors play it different ways, sometimes emphasizing the physical, other times honing in on reactions (Moss notes the need to maintain a respect for good writing, even when improvising). Actors all have different ranges, some narrow, while others can play all kinds of different roles, something obviously true of Hoffman. Whether the actors shown here do justice to the material is perhaps best left to the viewer’s judgement, but more scenes would have been welcome that gave a larger perspective on the actor's craft. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)