How playing a real person changed Paraic's acting forever

Why Actors Don't Know What To Do Between Rehearsals

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/fan_mail/new] Transform how you build every character you'll ever play. Join a small group of early career actors living as real World War Two codebreakers in the War Project, StandBy's once-every-four-years ten week immersive method acting module. Ten places only. Auditions Saturday 18th July. Apply now [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] You leave rehearsal. You go home. And then what? If the honest answer is "I run my lines and hope for the best", this episode is going to change how you work forever. Most early career actors spend hours learning lines between rehearsals, arriving at the next session word-perfect but character-empty. Not because they're lazy. Because nobody ever showed them what real character work actually looks like when there's no director in the room. ▶️ In this episode, StandBy Artistic Director and method acting coach Louise reveals how she stumbled across a way of working during her own professional training that embedded characters so deeply into her imagination that she stopped guessing and started knowing, and how that discovery eventually became the Actor's Journal, the exclusive tool she now gives to every actor accepted onto her ten week method acting modules. This is the origin story nobody asked for, and every actor needs to hear. In this episode you'll discover: * Why learning lines on rote is quietly killing the authenticity of your performances, and what rote actually means for your acting * The day Louise took her mum to find a character's childhood home, school, and playground, and what that taught her about getting inside a character's inner world * Why most actors default to line-running between rehearsals and what they should be doing instead * What puppet acting is, why it's more common than you think and why Louise refuses to train actors that way * How the Actor's Journal was born, from messy homework tasks, a production of Oliver Twist and a way of working Louise had been developing since drama school without even realising it * Why a high profile actor told Louise she should pitch the journal to bookshops, and what happened when she tested it on students, coaching clients, and herself on a film set * The one thing Rachel did in her audition prep that made a casting director say they didn't want to audition anyone else for the role Whether you're preparing for an audition, deep in a production, or somewhere between rehearsals wondering what you're supposed to be doing, this episode will give you a completely new way of thinking about character work. The space between rehearsals isn't empty time. It's where the character actually forms. ▶️ Press play and find out how to use it. 🎬 About StandBy Method Acting Studio StandBy is a method acting studio for new and early career actors, founded by Artistic Director Louise. Specialising in immersive, character-led method acting training that builds castability, confidence, and creative independence. 🔔 Subscribe to Unstoppable Actors for no-fluff method acting insights every week Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/support] INSTA: @standbymethodactingstudio [https://www.instagram.com/standbymethodactingstudio/] WEB: standbymethod.com [https://standbymethod.com/] FREE THE ESSENTIAL METHOD ACTING HANDBOOK: http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook [http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook]

I hunted a witch, grew a vegetable path and finally understood acting

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/fan_mail/new] Stop performing. Start becoming. Apply now to live as a real World War Two codebreaker in the War Project... StandBy's once-every-four-years immersive method acting module. Auditions Saturday 18th July. Apply here [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] What does it actually feel like to stop performing and truly become a character? In this episode, StandBy Artistic Director and method acting coach Louise takes you inside one of the most extraordinary experiences of her entire training; five weeks living as a medieval peasant in the woods. No script. No director. No audience. Just a character, a family, a vegetable patch, and a witch hunt she didn't see coming. Louise shares how she built a character completely from scratch: researching medieval life, constructing a family identity, building a home and living an unscripted daily existence alongside other actors in an immersive world with no safety net. And somewhere between tending her crops and hunting down a suspicious woman from the neighbouring village, something shifted. The technique disappeared. The self-monitoring went quiet. And for the first time, she wasn't acting anymore. She was just living. In this episode you'll discover: 🎬 Why the small, mundane moments are the foundation of every great performance (and how most actors skip them entirely) 🎬 The moment Louise realised she'd stopped performing and started becoming, and what that felt like in her body 🎬 What five weeks without a director, a script, or an audience teaches you about creative independence and character sustainability 🎬 How this experience directly shaped the War Project at StandBy, and why it's unlike any acting training available today 🎬 Why Louise started keeping a journal during those five weeks, and how it eventually became the Actor's Journal gifted to every accepted War Project student Whether you're an early career actor trying to find your way into a character, or someone who's always wondered what method acting really means beyond the myths... this episode will change how you think about the craft. This is the episode that started as a witch hunt and ended with a revelation. Press play ▶️ Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/support] INSTA: @standbymethodactingstudio [https://www.instagram.com/standbymethodactingstudio/] WEB: standbymethod.com [https://standbymethod.com/] FREE THE ESSENTIAL METHOD ACTING HANDBOOK: http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook [http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook]

How playing a real person changed Paraic's acting forever

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/fan_mail/new] 🎭 Any actor can learn lines. The War Project will make you live them. Ten weeks. A real historical character. A completely immersive method acting experience unlike anything else. Summer 2026 applications are open... Get yours in!! [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] Paraic walked into the War Project thinking he understood what acting was. Ten weeks later, playing Alan Turing (one of the most complex, brilliant and misunderstood minds in history) he realised he had only scratched the surface. In this episode, Paraic gives us a rare, honest insight into what it truly means to disappear into a character. No script. No safety net. Just ten weeks of living inside the mind of a man trying to break codes and win a war, with no idea what was coming next. He opens up about the overthinking that used to hold him back and the moment everything clicked (HINT: when he stopped trying to play Alan Turing and started to find him). He shares the exact moment he discovered the essence of the character and how he got there and the completely new way of prepping and connecting to a role that he has carried with him ever since. He also gets candid about what he thought acting was when he first started, and what he now knows it actually is. Two very different things. This is the episode that will make you question everything you thought you knew about how to approach a character, and show you what becomes possible when you commit completely. Because some actors disappear into characters. And after this episode, you'll understand exactly why - and how. 🎭 The War Project Summer 2026 applications are now open. Get yours in HERE [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/support] INSTA: @standbymethodactingstudio [https://www.instagram.com/standbymethodactingstudio/] WEB: standbymethod.com [https://standbymethod.com/] FREE THE ESSENTIAL METHOD ACTING HANDBOOK: http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook [http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook]

Scared but all in: One actor's Journey to owning her acting career

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/fan_mail/new] 🎭 Some actors recite lines. Others inhabit a life. The War Project (a 10 week immersive method acting experience playing a real character from history) is a once in a career opportunity. Summer 2026 applications are now open. [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] Kimberley had no experience, no agent and no idea what she was capable of. She just knew she didn't want to look back and wonder what if. So she went all in. In this episode, Kimberley sits down with us for an honest, unfiltered conversation about what it really looks like to commit to your craft from the very beginning - the fear, the breakthroughs and everything in between. She takes us through the moment she decided acting was more than a hobby and what it truly felt like to step into the shoes of a real historical figure... Joan Clarke... with barely any experience behind her. She opens up about how daunting it was to even apply for training, to audition and to show up every day carrying the weight of a character with no script to lean on for ten whole weeks. But something shifted. Kimberley discovered a work ethic she never knew she had, and it has never left her. She also gets candid about navigating a difficult director, the mental and emotional challenges that come with sustaining a character long-term and how her training at StandBy Method a Acting Studio gave her the tools to handle it all with resilience and professionalism. This is the episode for you if you're at the start of your acting journey and wondering whether you're ready. Spoiler: Kimberley wasn't sure she was either.  If this episode sparks something in you, the War Project module could be your turning point too. Head HERE [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] to find out more and apply. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/support] INSTA: @standbymethodactingstudio [https://www.instagram.com/standbymethodactingstudio/] WEB: standbymethod.com [https://standbymethod.com/] FREE THE ESSENTIAL METHOD ACTING HANDBOOK: http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook [http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook]

The 1 Skill That Allows Great Actors To Play Any Role

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/fan_mail/new] Create the most truthful character you've ever played. Applications are now open for The War Project – a unique 10-week Method Acting [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] experience where you'll step into the lives of real Second World War codebreakers through research, immersive improvisation and character transformation. Find out more and apply here [https://standbymethod.com/10-week-method-acting-programme/] 🎭🎭🎭 The audition lands in your inbox. Your heart does a little leap. Then you open the script. And suddenly that excitement starts wrestling with something else. This character is nothing like you. They've lived a different life. Made different choices. Experienced things you've never experienced. For a moment, your mind starts racing. Can I actually pull this off? Am I right for this role? Where do I even begin? Every actor knows this feeling. Whether you're auditioning for your first student film, stepping into a theatre rehearsal room or building a career in television and film, there comes a point where you're faced with a character that feels completely outside your comfort zone. And yet some actors seem able to step into almost any role imaginable. A historical figure. A grieving parent. A politician. A criminal. A romantic lead. A soldier. A superhero. So what do they know that the rest of us don't? In this week's episode, we're exploring one of the most important skills an actor can develop. A skill that quietly sits underneath confidence, versatility, character development and truthful performance. We'll talk about why so many actors underestimate their own ability, what really helps performers tackle unfamiliar roles and how Method Acting techniques can help you approach challenging characters with curiosity instead of fear. If you've ever worried about being typecast, doubted whether you're right for a role or wished you had more confidence walking into auditions, this episode has been made for you. Great actors aren't born knowing how to play every character. They learn how to trust themselves enough to discover them. Pop the kettle on, get comfy and let's explore the skill that might just change the way you approach every role you ever play. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1524145/support] INSTA: @standbymethodactingstudio [https://www.instagram.com/standbymethodactingstudio/] WEB: standbymethod.com [https://standbymethod.com/] FREE THE ESSENTIAL METHOD ACTING HANDBOOK: http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook [http://pages.standbymethod.com/freeactingbook]