Sculpting Thought:
Is there a book that tells you everything you need to know to follow a successful acting career?
Most source books for actors were written over half a century ago. Sculpting Thought was published in 2022 and encompasses the proven acting techniques of successful actor, Lawrence Benedict.
Lawrence guides the fledgling actor from the very first moment they embrace the idea of becoming an actor, to full-blown movie stardom. Using his own career as an example, rising from hometown theatre, to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, then graduating from world-renowned National Theatre School of Canada, in Montreal, to becoming a Company Member of The Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada, Larry shows you what it took and how to do it.
His life-long career included performing in most Hollywood television shows and starring, world-wide, in the Canadian Police Series, "The Collaborators." Larry owned the production company in Hollywood, Angus Lake Productions, and won multiple awards, including Best Actor, for his work on both sides of the camera.
Acting can be learned, and there are basic acting concepts, such as performance must occur "in the moment," "acting is behaving," do not "indicate," do not "anticipate," etc. Sculpting Thought provides the answers in 307 pages of intense, yet thrilling, and easily understood instruction. Acting is the sum of many disciplines which culminate in the brilliant performances that seem to transcend human behavior. Dance, Mime, Fencing, (swordplay aids visual focus and physical concentration, as well as mirroring or countering your opponent's body language). Free-form dance allows the body to interpret, and communicate, what it is feeling. Detailed script analysis provides the foundation for every character. Improv (Improvisation) teaches you to behave in the moment, with instant response to unanticipated stimuli.
There is, of course, so much more covered in Sculpting Thought such as why are we taught voice, singing, even opera, if all we want to be is actors? Larry explains his "Circle Walk" which allows his "character" to develop organically. He also explains why stage fright is destructive, easily eliminated, and has zero to do with talent. His memorization technique eliminates rote learning and facilitates spontaneous performance in your scenes with your fellow actors.
More than that, Larry discusses day jobs. How caring for your car can save your audition (!) and why it's okay to work as a background actor, (an extra) when you're starting out. You will learn the art of auditioning, how to find your agent, and why that "all-important" job is never as important as it seems at the time. Larry has been there and done that. He shows you how to do it too.
Yes, that is Larry at sabre drill on the front cover of Sculpting Thought.
