A community for actors, by actors.
WHAT WE DO
The Optimal Actor is a space for actors to deepen and optimize their personal relationship to their career and craft. The core concept allows actors to bring attention and intention to the specific components of our experience as artists- within the context of our art and most importantly, our life as a whole.
Our focus isn't just geared towards building career momentum, but also creating a holistic approach to our craft; so our art can feed our life and our life can feed our art. Using knowledge, tools, and lessons learned along his journey, Theo will share his perspectives on how presence and flow can serve the artist and their art- ultimately, setting the stage for a sustainable career.
WHY WE DO IT
The actor's life is challenging. It's not for the faint of heart. To work as an actor is hard enough, but to create a life that supports and inspires an actor is even harder. We often hear these esoteric and ambiguous narratives as actors- "get out of your own way" or "let go" or "just be yourself." Whilst accurate guiding statements, they beg the question:
HOW DO I DO THAT?
That's why The Optimal Actor is here.
We need a space and community to collectively examine and explore the possibilities that present themselves when we ask the question "how do I create an optimal relationship to my art?" The actor's relationship to both their life and their art is everything. When there is flow between our life and our art, we are living and working optimally as actors.
HOW WE DO IT
The One Day Workshop
In this one-day workshop, we'll focus on the parts of artistic process and artistic life that we often don’t give enough attention or take for granted. Through group discussions and focused topics, we will:
DEFINE what "purpose" and "authentic truth" means for each individual actor.
UNCOVER the obstacles/challenges actors are facing and exploring the possible solutions to overcome them.
FIND tools that lead to flow, focus, and presence.
CREATE a personalized game-plan for each actor to meet their career needs and goals.
DEBUNK the "actor-manager-agent" relationship and clarifying the responsibility of each role within the career game-plan.
HIGHLIGHT what actors can and can't control within the casting process.
BREAK DOWN the self-tape process into smaller steps and identifying how to develop each part of the process.
REVIEW 1 self-tape from each actor to identify technical or process-related challenges.
The 8-Week Career and Self Tape Workshop
Stay ready, so you don't have to get ready!
This workshop is geared towards preparing actors for the industry returning to normal once the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes end. Many actors are using this strike period to take a "break" which of course can be beneficial- BUT the actors who are taking time to deepen their craft, will be best prepared to book jobs when the opportunities present themselves.
Over our 8 weeks together, each session will be structured to allow actors the opportunity to experiment with and optimize their career game plan and audition process.
PRIVATE COACHING
Audition Coaching
We will meet virtually via Zoom or in-person at our studio. In our time together, we will work on the audition material and consider the following:
Genre of the project
Creative team involved
Casting Directors
Text Breakdown and Analysis
Bringing your truth and authenticity to the
Focusing on allowing presence and flow to guide your audition
Hair and Wardrobe ideas
Framing, lighting, and backdrop ideas
If you are in need of a virtual reader, we can also work together in that medium.
Audition breakdowns and material must always be sent via email at least 1 hour before our coaching session.
Pricing:
-$40 for 30 minutes
-$60 for 1 hour
“The Artist’s Life” Coaching
Actors deeply want to live the life of an artist, but are often challenged with how to achieve it and more importantly, how to sustain it. Using the knowledge, tools, and resources garnered over my 10 year career in New York and Los Angeles, we will work closely to create a specialized “game plan” for each actor.
WHAT WE WILL COVER:
A personalized and structured approach for each actor to optimize their work
Tools, resources, and solutions to optimize your relationship to your craft
Insight into the industry from the perspective of reps, casting directors, and working actors
A deeper understanding of the casting process
Ways to identify what your specific "casting" is
A complete breakdown and analysis of the self tape process
Time management for audition preparation
Refining self tape equipment and setup
Text analysis process
Differences in approach to co-star, guest-star, and series regular roles
Breaking down and optimizing audition technique
Perspective on how to bring your authenticity to auditions
A de-compartmentalized, holistic approach to your work
Pricing:
-$100 for 1 hour
-$350 for 4 hours
PLEASE REACH OUT VIA EMAIL FOR MORE INFORMATION
WHO DOES IT
Theo Iyer is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts where he studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Stonestreet Studios. He has been working as an actor for almost a decade; honing his craft while nurturing relationships with casting directors, directors, producers, and executives in New York and Los Angeles.
Theo's most recent work can be seen on the hit Apple TV+ series The Morning Show where he recurs for a two season arc. He plays a supporting role in Randall Park's directorial debut, Shortcomings, which just premiered at Sundance. Theo is an alumni of the Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase. He has TV credits on CBS/ABC/NBC and has worked Off-Broadway and commercially.
Theo is grateful to have collaborated with and learned from actors such as Billy Crudup, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Ray Liotta (just to name a few).
GET IN TOUCH
We welcome actors of all races, ages, and identities to join our artistic community. If you’re interested in joining, please send us an email:
theoptimalactor@gmail.com