Welcome! What is the Tao of Acting?
Important principles of the TAO are INACTION, SIMPLICITY, and LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE. How does this apply to the work we do as actors, writers, directors, artists?
{Inaction could be defined as being receptive, connecting with female energy, not doing but instead, receiving, not talking but listening-like with the Meisner technique.}
Recently becoming familiar with the Tao Te Ching via Osho’s talks on Tao, THREE TREASURES and THE PATHLESS PATH, I’ve come to realize that my acting teacher, Harold Guskin (may he RIP), author of the book HOW TO STOP ACTING, had the same philosophy as Lao Tzu (Laozi). The deeper I get into the Tao the more I realize that this philosophy is the blueprint for maximum creativity and should be the manifesto for all artists. I encourage everyone to explore the Tao and I encourage all artists to read Guskin’s book.
To me one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from the Tao is that all dogma leads to decay. Lao Tzu was resistant to writing down his philosophy—in fact Tzu would reject the labels, philosophies, or religions, or methods—because Tzu knew that once something was codified into a method it is a corpse, subject to death and decay. Anything that takes you out of the NOW is death and decay. That is Tzu’s message to me.
Guskin rejected all acting methods, writings, teachings, teachers etc and instead developed one technique that is so simple—too simple for most—that frees the artist up immediately and a nice side effect is that it kills acting. It puts an end to all the methods and schools and certifications and levels.
In the work, I share my experience with Guskin and other teachers, one other in particular, Kim Stanley, and how you can embody and apply acting flow as a spiritual process impacting your life and the life of your art.
I worked with Harold Guskin for many years not only in hundreds of privates—when he was affordable, at $75 an hour, prior to his passing he was charging $475 an hour—but also on set, while filming, as well.
PLEASE BRING TWO SETS OF SIDES to work on.
I also incorporate bodywork originally related to Grotowski but now incorporate Kundalini yoga (breathwork).
In the Tao of Acting, I will be demonstrating techniques that I’ve learned from numerous teachers, including Guskin and Kim Stanley. These techniques have immediate application to your work on stage, 
film, TV, commercials, and SELF TAPES.
film, TV, commercials, and SELF TAPES.A working actor for many years, I just recently finished shooting 10 episodes of a show I wrote and directed and starred in: The Trouble with Billy.
Watch the series trailer here!
Please see my social media, including FACEBOOK, Instagram, and Twitter, or my website BillyMcNamara, to follow my current work.