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PODCAST

I Don"t Need an Acting Class

Become a Paid Subscriber: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe Academy Award winner and celebrated acting teacher Milton Justice invites you into his weekly acting class, based on his years of study with the legendary Stella Adler. I Don’t Need an Acting Class delves deep into the craft of acting, breaks down concepts, tools and techniques, explores endless possibilities and offers you a foundation on which to build a solid, dependable process. Produced by Walker

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00:05:39

There is no shortcut to learning to act

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2026/01/06

There are all sorts of quick fix "schools" of acting, but it's an art form and it takes dedicated study to become confident in your technique.

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00:04:40

Impulse instead of Action

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/12/30

The purpose of the technique is to help open your talent, not strangle it. I'm suggesting that you think in terms of what the impulse is for a scene, – or what's going on with your character.

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00:04:42

The Dreaded Vocabulary of Acting

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/12/24

The vocabulary of acting is strangling the talent of actors. The need to use the right words is cutting off the actor's talent.

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00:00:56

NYC Classes Begin January 12th

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/12/21

In person classes in New York City begin January 12th

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00:00:30

NYC Classes Beginning October 27th!

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/10/10

We can't wait to see you!https://www.theactorlab.nyc

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00:14:05

Bonus Video Ep: Let It Happen

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/08/24

This acting class session focuses on the fundamental tension between allowing authentic moments to emerge versus forcing them through overthinking. The instructor addresses how students lose their natural instincts by getting trapped in intellectual analysis—particularly when trying to justify their emotional responses with logical explanations. Using examples from student work, including one student's fascination with construction sites and another's exploration of Stalin attending the

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00:14:29

Why Your Acting Choices Must Feed the Material

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/08/23

In this episode, Milton Justice explores the critical concept of matching your acting choices to the specific material you're working with. Using examples from his recent work with students, Milton demonstrates how actors often make the mistake of building relationships and emotions that don't serve the genre or tone of their project. He discusses a student working on a romantic comedy whose choices weren’t serving the genre, and another student writing a letter for "All My Sons"

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00:17:22

Filling The Choice

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/08/14

In this episode, Milton Justice explores why actors struggle to make choices substantial enough to serve their material. He contextualizes modern acting within theater history, explaining how realistic theater emerged in the late 1800s with playwrights like Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov. Milton discusses why Stanislavski's approach of having actors use their own lives fails - people don't relate to their experiences in theatrically useful ways, simply living without recognizing dramatic

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00:13:42

Playing Characters Beyond Your Experience

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/08/05

Milton and Kaleb explore how to authentically portray characters whose experiences are completely outside your own. They discuss the crucial role of script analysis in understanding what kind of person your character is within the specific world of the play. Kaleb shares his current challenge, balancing the playwright's thematic intentions with finding the character's personal motivations. They examine practical techniques like taking your character to imaginary places outside the play and how

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00:15:36

What Worked and What Didn't

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/07/26

Milton interviews student J.P. McCloskey about his off-Broadway experience in the Stephen Metcalfe play Strange Snow. J.P. identifies a major challenge: after months of rehearsals without set or props, he felt lost during tech rehearsal. The solution involves building specific relationships to the physical environment through "talking out" what you see and feel about the space.J.P. shares his character breakthrough: moving from himself to the character by giving the character activities outside the

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00:16:41

Casting Directors Need to See This

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/07/19

Milton shares insights from a panel with top New York casting directors including Bernard Telsey and Billy Hopkins. The key revelation: casting directors are looking for "active listening" - actors who remain fully present and engaged even when not speaking. Many actors mistakenly think they only need to act when delivering lines, but casting directors immediately notice when an actor goes "dead" during listening moments.Milton advocates for his "telephone method" - talking out everything happening

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00:02:17

Announcement!

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/07/16

The Actor Lab is an acting studio founded by industry veterans Milton Justice and Patrick Quagliano, and producer Walker Vreeland. The studio aims to fill critical gaps in contemporary actor training by focusing exclusively on fundamental acting techniques, script analysis, and practical scene work in a supportive yet challenging environment. Unlike other acting programs, The Actor Lab emphasizes personalized guidance and honest feedback rather than vague instruction. We view acting as a lifelong

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00:15:36

What is Personalizing?

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/07/12

Welcome back to I Don't Need an Acting Class and our first episode of Season 8! In this first episode, we hear a coaching session between Milton and student Madior exploring the concept of "personalization" in acting.The discussion centers around whether actors should draw from their own personal experiences or build relationships from the character's perspective. Using the example of a monologue where a character dismantles a house, Madior argues for using her own childhood home

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00:16:20

Plays Are Difficult

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2025/06/20

In this bonus episode, Milton explores the fundamental challenges of theatrical performance. He begins by praising a student's vivid storytelling about a traumatic experience, noting how the clarity of images and emotional connection made it compelling theater. The rest of the episode centers on Arthur's struggle with a complex role as an 1858 French priest, emphasizing how plays demand deep character work rather than plot-driven performance, requiring actors to build and experience a

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00:02:55

Bonus Ep: What Separates the Good from the Great

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2024/11/28

www.idontneedanactingclass.com

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00:10:42

Bonus Ep: The Imaginary Vacation

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2024/11/28

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We're so grateful for you. In honor of the holiday we're releasing some audio from 5 years ago, all about an exercise called The Imaginary Vacation. Interestingly, I found it in a folder called "Unusable." I have no idea why I deemed it as such at the time, but I certainly don't think it's unusable now! www.idontneedanactingclass.com

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00:03:40

Season 7 is Wrapped!

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2024/11/15

But we still have a lot going on. Check out out website: www.idontneedanactingclass.com for all the latest events. Happy Holidays to all of you and we can't wait to see you soon.

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00:25:32

Avoid Boring Yourself to Death

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2024/11/05

In this episode, Milton discusses the importance of understanding specific relationships to text and sequence of thoughts. The discussion highlights a common actor's problem of moving too quickly to performance without fully understanding the text's underlying thoughts and relationships. The episode concludes with practical examples of how to break down and connect with text by being more specific about your relationship to each thought.

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00:09:40

What Does That Mean

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2024/10/29

This episode delves into the importance of conveying big ideas in acting. Milton emphasizes the need for actors to grasp the magnitude of concepts in great plays, avoiding monotonous delivery that reduces dialogue to a mere "grocery list." He advises performers to explore ideas deeply by asking "What does this mean?" and to get specific with examples to bring concepts to life. He also talks about the difference between artistic pursuits and conventional careers. WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on

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00:12:45

A Tear in the Curtain

I Don"t Need an Acting Class ·

2024/10/22

You have to give yourself permission to fail. If you’re too afraid of being bad, you’ll block your creative energy. Like Venessa Redgrave, indulge yourself in all the worst, most cliche choices first. Get them out of your system, and once they are, then go back and really get to work. But most of that work is done at home. Between rehearsals. It’s about the creative, imaginative research. Talking out. Getting more specific— like “the tear in the curtain.” And you’ll know it’s a good choice because

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