The Teacher Creature?

Your relationship with your acting teacher is extremely important. Because your training is likely to take you through difficult emotional terrain, your teacher should have a measure of compassion in addition to his or her charges of education and discipline. But what if you come to find that you don't like your acting teacher?

Disliking your teacher can make learning nearly impossible. Still, before you drop out of the class, examine the origin of your dissatisfaction. You may have difficulty taking criticism and feel picked on by your teacher. Instead of letting this bother you, you should be grateful that you have garnered a special interest, and look at this additional feedback as a bonus. Teachers will often work harder with students in whom they see more potential. Choosing a class in which you are given only positive feedback is not conducive to growth in your art. You should seek a teacher who can be brutally, if empathetically, honest about ways for you to improve.

Perhaps the reason for your dislike goes further. You may find your teacher cruel, inappropriate, or condescending. Even in these situations it is often best not to give up on him or her right away. Your reaction could be caused by your teacher bringing up something you don't want to deal with. Soldiering through these feelings of discomfort is a great learning experience. You will be confronted with all manner of people in this business and should be prepared to deal with all of them. If your teacher is being inappropriate or you are feeling generally uncomfortable with him or her, try to speak with the teacher personally before or after class. While you may not be able to converse with future business partners thusly, you should absolutely be able to have an open discourse with your teacher. Try not to be confrontational but only to share your feelings. Ideally a discussion such as this will be met with openness and will offer you understanding. Indeed, if you cannot be free about your feelings with your acting teacher, you will have a very hard time honing your craft under that teacher's tutelage.

It is essential that you remain open-minded so you can learn the wisdom your teacher attempts to impart. If you share your concerns and they are met with consternation or defensiveness, you may want to seek another teacher. When teacher and student are no longer listening to one another, the capacity for learning is greatly diminished, if not completely eradicated.