A community for actors, by actors.

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.

WHO DOES IT

Theo Iyer

Theo is SAG Award nominee and he has been a working actor for a decade- honing his craft while nurturing relationships with casting directors, directors, producers, and executives in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Theo has been recurring on The Morning Show (Apple TV+) for the last three seasons, earning him a SAG Award nomination last year. He plays a supporting role in Randall Park's directorial debut film, Shortcomings, streaming on Netflix. Theo is an alumni of the Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase (2021). 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, Mark Duplass, Holland Taylor, Jennifer Lopez, and Ray Liotta (just to name a few).

Elissa Bonito

Elissa is a junior manager at JC Robbins MGT, a bi-coastal longstanding boutique management company. She has spent the last decade working alongside actors, theatre directors, and creators. She brings a unique lens to actors, providing insight from the perspective of talent representation, casting directors, and producers in this current and ever-changing landscape of the industry.

Additionally, Elissa is the owner of a social media content producing and consulting company where she helps digital creators produce content that reflects their authenticity, a tool she believes all actors benefit from sharpening and using.

Elissa is also a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has worked Off-Broadway and commercially in LA and NYC.

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.

PRIVATE COACHING

Audition Coaching

We will meet virtually via Zoom or in-person. 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

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