Acting Teacher

Best known as an iconic villain on TV, William B. Davis also had a long career as an acting teacher and director. He has worked with some of the greats in British theatre and is a former director of the National Theatre School of Canada.

Watch now his Masterclass on Youtube and discover his tricks, traps and techniques about acting.

What to do first with a script and how to avoid the acting pitfalls; why actors should not highlight their lines; how actors can avoid being self-conscious; and much more!

NOW ON YOUTUBE!

For more acting techniques, subscribe to William B. Davis Official YouTube channel and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

ON ACTING - MASTERCLASS - LIST OF EPISODES

A Masterclass On Acting by William B. Davis - Teaser
Actors: Say What You Feel Like
Actors: How Not To Be Self-Conscious
On freedom Of Acting
Acting: Find The Dynamic
Actors: Beware Of The Surface
Don’t Highlight Your Lines
Don’t Learn Your Lines
There Is No “Character”: It’s You.
Acting: Why Can’t I Listen?
What To Do First With A Script?
Reading A Script: How To Avoid Acting Pitfalls
Actors: Don’t Judge Your Character
Actors: Ignore The Story
Acting Trap: Mumbling
Acting: Should Your Character Be A Good Liar?
Actors: Should You Be Word-Perfect?
Acting: Why It’s Good To Forget A Line
Actors: Don’t Be Nice
Acting: Playing To Win
Acting: Upstage Downstage
Actors: Think Before You Speak
Actors: Put Yourself In Trouble
Acting: “It’s Never Too Late To Learn”
Acting: Can Learning Lines Be Fun?
Actors At Work
Actors: “Don’t Stress Out. Do The Work As Best As You Can”
Acting: Do I Have To Project?
Don’t Betray The Other Actor
Acting Tips: How To Prepare A First Rehearsal
Actors: Use The Words.
Acting: Playing Chekhov
Why William B. Davis’ Method Frees The Actor
Is Acting About Being Emotional?
Acting: Should You Use Substitutions?

36. Acting Tips: How To Play Front

37. Actors: Forget The Words. Picture What The Words Mean

38. Acting Trap: Anticipating

39. Acting: How To Make An Improvisation

40. Acting: How To Learn Long Lines

41. Actors: Beware of Underacting!

42. Actors: Start with “Why” not “How”

43. 1 Essential Tip An Actor Should Know

44. Actors: You Are The Character, Not The Audience!

45. Acting: How to Be in The Scene, Not in The Script

46. How to Avoid Amateur Acting

47. Actors: Are You mIssing Something?

48. Acting Tips: Act On The Breath

49. Actors: Make It Personal

50. Actors: Test Your Hypothesis

51. Acting Tips: Why Is There A Period?

52. Acting: What’s The Right Speed To Play?

53. Actors: Don’t Fake It!

54. Acting: Catching The Impulse

55. The Ultimate Goal of Acting

56. Actors: How Should You Say Your Line?

57. Actors: Should You Worry About the Story?

58. Acting: How Do You Find the Why?

59. Acting: How To Make a Scene Work

60. Acting Trap: Learning By Rote

61. Do It, Don’t Show It

62. Acting trap: Playing a Tune on the Text

63. Actors: How Not To Be Afraid Of Forgetting Your Lines

...Stay tuned. A new episode each week!

William B. Davis has been teaching acting for fifty years. His first teaching assignments were with major British theatre schools; The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In the mid-sixties he returned to Canada to The National Theatre School of Canada serving for one year as Assistant Artistic Director and for four years as Artistic Director. In the early seventies alongside his position as Artistic Director of Festival Lennoxville he was an Associate Professor of Drama at Bishop's University. Later, on returning to Toronto he worked as a freelance teacher for Tarragon Theatre and Canadian Actors' Equity before taking a teaching position at Humber College where he remained for three years until professional commitments conflicted.

In 1985 Davis moved to Vancouver BC to head The Vancouver Playhouse Acting School and from there went on to found and run The William Davis Centre for Actors' Study. The William Davis Centre operated at the famous corner of Hornby and Helmcken Street in Vancouver for fifteen years. When his acting commitments began to take all his time, Davis sold the school which has subsequently become part of VanArts where he still teaches from time to time.

Read about William's new book On Acting... and life.

Both as a teacher and director of young actors, William has had an influence on: