What I’ve found in my own learning is that the right teacher, book, lesson or instruction is completely relative. It depends entirely on where you are at right now. The 'rightness' of the teaching is determined by how successfully it progresses your understanding and gets you to the next stage on your path.
There is no such thing as objectively right. Or rather to say, that what is ‘objectively right’ is not an all-encompassing, all-inclusive or ultimate truth. It is simply another perspective which has removed the emphasis of subjectivity. But as we exist as subjective beings, this is not always helpful.
For as always teachings are like fingers pointing to the moon. Or like directions from a proverbial forest of confusion to a land of freedom. If you are in such a complex catacomb-like forest, giving you broad directions about how to get from the centre of the forest to the outside will be of little use.
First you must know how to get out of the particular winding maze directly in front of you. For this, the directions might seem obvious or rudimentary. For instance 'take a right, then a left, then take the second path from the right at the fork in the road etc'. But for a teacher and lesson to be successful they must come from where 'you are'. Not from where they are.
Following a map that assumes you're at a completely different starting place from where you actually are, will understandably be confusing. Sometimes it is the best you have and you must attempt to approximate the instructions and starting place to where you are.
But the closer to where you actually are, the more useful the instruction will tend to be. Listening to all the different teachers yelling at each other for pointing from different directions at the moon will only serve to get you lost in their misunderstandings and delusions. If one teacher says the moon is directly above, yet another standing somewhere else says it’s directly behind, it often just means they are looking from different perspectives. Now if you are able to stand in the exact same place that they are pointing from, it is likely to be accurate instruction. Though of course there are also plenty of teachers who are simply mistaken or confused about where they are pointing. Some even confused about what is the moon. And it will be up to you to filter the helpful from the not so helpful, using your own instinct and common sense.
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
| viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Please be advised that due to the nature of limited availability, all bookings are non-refundable, however, sessions may be rescheduled at the provider’s discretion with at least 48 hours notice (or 24 hours in case of sudden illness) for private 1-1 bookings.
Please be advised that due to the nature of limited availability, all bookings are non-refundable, however, sessions may be rescheduled or provided credit for future use with at least 48 hours notice (or same day in case of sudden illness or personal emergency). No shows without notification will not be credited.
There will be a 25% admin charge for dropping out or changing months within 14 days of class starting and the full cost of the course will be charged if you drop out within a week of class starting. This, again ensures we have a complete ensemble and a great experience for your scene partner. Please note this spot could have been filled with good notice but letting us know close to the date not only hurts your partner but also cannot be filled at the last minute. No refunds will be given due to the online and automatic nature of the system and advertising requirements which are dependant upon the numbers of accepted students. Please do not request refunds in exception to the above terms and conditions.
Please be advised that due to the nature of limited availability, all bookings are non-refundable. Classes have limited availability and so require at least 14 days notice of change in order to qualify for credit for future use. No refunds will be given however due to the online and automatic nature of the system and advertising requirements dependant upon the numbers of accepted students. Please do not request refunds in exception to the above terms and conditions.
At Mindful Acting, accessible from www.mindfulacting.co.uk, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by Mindful Acting and how we use it.
If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us.
This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in Mindful Acting. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator.
By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information.
If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.
When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.
We use the information we collect in various ways, including to:
Mindful Acting follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services’ analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users’ movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.
Like any other website, Mindful Acting uses ‘cookies’. These cookies are used to store information including visitors’ preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users’ experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors’ browser type and/or other information.
For more general information on cookies, please read “What Are Cookies” from Cookie Consent.
You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of Mindful Acting.
Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on Mindful Acting, which are sent directly to users’ browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.
Note that Mindful Acting has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
Mindful Acting’s Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.
You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers’ respective websites.
Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:
Request that a business that collects a consumer’s personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.
Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.
Request that a business that sells a consumer’s personal data, not sell the consumer’s personal data.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:
The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.
The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.
The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.
Mindful Acting does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.
As a director, Dan tries to focus on texts which aim to open up people’s hearts. In theatre his particular preference is for plays that are often overlooked but have the capacity to wake people up to some true nature of reality, ‘to hold the mirror up to nature’.
He has a particular penchant for plays that capture the heart and don’t let go until the last breath. He believes theatre can be a kind of religious experience where the audience and actors form a communion and can transcend the subject-object dichotomy we often fall into when looking to entertainment to serve us in escaping reality instead of embracing it.
Dan’s most recent credits as a director include a Northern UK tour of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Things We Want at the Hope Mill Theatre, North of Providence at 53Two, This is it at the King’s Arms, Sans Merci at Hope Mill Theatre, Cracked Rainbow by Charlene James as part of Royal Exchange Theatre’s Come Closer festival and Swaggering Crow Theatre’s A Kidnapping. Dan has been Artistic Director of Play With Fire Productions since it’s inception in 2016.
As an actor, Dan has lived and performed in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at the University of Southern Queensland. He has been performing for over 18 years. Throughout and following his training at drama school, Daniel fell in love with the acting technique known as Practical Aesthetics (under the guidance of Andrea Moor) for it’s simple, non-shame based and common sense approach to acting. He then moved to Canada to further his training and career, where he trained and honed his skills under Vancouver and Canada’s preeminent acting teacher Ben Ratner.
His move to the UK spawned from his love of theatre and desire to contribute to and be part of the burgeoning Manchester Theatre scene by starting Play With Fire Productions with his best friend and business partner Hannah Ellis Ryan. As an actor, he spent much of his time attempting to understand how and why certain approaches worked for him and others didn’t, eventually leading him towards teaching and directing to help guide others through the mire of modern acting training. His most recent acting credits include Tristan in Lucy Prebble’s ‘The Effect’ at the Oldham Coliseum, Michael in Herding Cat’s, directed by Lawrence Evans, Phillip in Play With Fire’s debut production Orphans by Lyle Kessler and David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago by 1956 Theatre. Daniel will also be starring in the lead role of Ray in the upcoming production of Some Voices by Joe Penhall in 2021.