Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Dale Meyers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In many ways, I’ve always been a teacher and performer in one way or another. I think these are two of my most innate qualities.
As early as elementary school, I enjoyed acting, singing, and dancing. It became clear to me in college, where I got my B.A. in Psychology, that I was constantly compelled to share what I was learning about humans with my friends. My fascination was strong enough that I wanted everyone else to learn with me; I thought the knowledge could help all of us understand ourselves and others better. I also continued acting in college, taking as many classes as possible, performing in various plays, and becoming a founding member of their first-ever sketch-improv group.
Once I graduated, acting became my focus. So I continued to train while I did plays, sketch/improv, TV, and film roles for 25+ years. Teaching gigs would weave in and out of my life, from kids/teens to adults, acting and improvisation.
Then, about 12 years ago, I shifted my focus to coaching. I co-founded and ran the acting classes for a kids/teens program to build self-esteem through dance and theater games. When that dissolved, I began what became a 10-year residency at a world-renowned Los Angeles-based acting studio. I also did private coaching for auditions and role prep independently during those 12 years. In 2022, much to my own surprise, I opened my own acting studio where I now teach acting classes, improvisation workshops, and provide private coaching. I certainly hadn’t set out to open my own studio, but…here I am!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning is vulnerable – and a challenge! – and that’s true for the learning that happens as you begin any career. As a coach, early on I could become easily frustrated when a student hadn’t yet gotten to where I knew they could be on the timeline I wanted for them. It took some experience to understand that the very best thing I can do is meet them where they’re at and gently encourage them in the right direction rather than force anything they’re simply not ready for. They’re on their own journey and part of my job is to honor that. This approach has proved to be quite fruitful! It creates a safe environment for them to really play and stretch within; that’s where the growth is…in feeling free enough to take risks. Then they can really fly whether it’s in class, for an audition, or on set.
And sometimes the challenges have more to do with the curveballs of life than the actual career journey. I opened my studio in April of 2022 and in May my mother, to whom I was close and who was 84 had Parkinson’s, took a turn for the worse and then passed away in July. She was a special education teacher and I learned a ton from her, especially about how to be compassionate with people who are different from myself. Plus, the very real knowledge that everyone’s brains work differently has had an enormous impact on how and what I teach in my acting classes.
So there I was, ecstatic about this successful massive career transition while grieving so very deeply for a woman who knew what it meant to fight hard for her students and herself (as most women of her generation had to do). I didn’t cancel any classes – though I took fewer private coaching clients for about a month – but luckily by opening my own studio, I had significantly reduced the number of hours that I taught. I LOVE what I do so that fortified me while on the off hours I allowed myself to dig into the pain and grief in various ways on my road to healing. It’s an incredibly human thing to grieve and it’s taught me a whole lot, which in turn actually helps me be a better coach. After all, the better we understand ourselves, the better we understand others, clients and characters included.
And, for what it’s worth, the depths of my grief has magnified the depths of my gratitude. How lucky am I to get to do what I do with the artists who collaborate with me? I know mom is giving me a gold star.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about RDM Acting Studio?
The win-win of running a boutique studio – in which I am the sole teacher/coach – means I get to stay involved with all my students and clients, and they all get individualized attention from me. Every interaction is a true collaboration.
My job is to help actors find the process that is the most fun and effective for them and allows for full, spontaneous performances every time.
We do that by exploring multiple tools for building a character, different ways to focus in the moment, and by building up confidence and trust in your instincts. Real and true and alive is always the goal. How each actor gets there may be different, though. And that’s okay! Because there is no “one size fits all” creative process. As I learned from my mother’s work, everyone’s brain and body work differently, so of course this applies to artists as well.
More in-depth information can be found on my website, but here are the nuts and bolts:
Acting Classes:
Monthly, ongoing, on-camera acting classes so you can continually train in and around your bookings.
Improvisation Workshops:
Six week improvisation workshop, offered twice a year, based in Viola Spolin’s revolutionary improvisation technique. (She is the one who started it all…and it is *not* comedy improv.) Hone in on trusting your intuition, playing full out, and mastering the art of spontaneity – skills that absolutely have a lasting effect on your scripted work.
Private Coaching:
As needed! Just text or email for Audition Coaching, Role Prep Coaching, and/or 1:1 Acting Coaching.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
This kind of thing probably shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but I am still surprised – and delighted! – when I discover clients working together on projects. Sometimes this is because they actually met in my class and obviously developed a friendship as well as a creative respect that lasted outside the classroom. That just warms my heart because building a supportive community is very important to me.
What can feel more surprising is when I find out that two clients that never knew each other are now working closely together, as is the case right now on Fargo, which is current filming. Not only that, they’re actually playing husband and wife! This is happening more often and again, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, but it does still make me quite giddy to see talented folks find each other. The creative world does start to seem a bit smaller in that way. What a gift!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://robindalemeyers.com
- Instagram: @robindalemeyers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinDaleMeyersActingCoach/
Image Credits
Steven Lee Busby Buzzworthy Shots www.buzzworthyshots.com
