KRISTEN SHULTIS
Staff Writer
Fredonia alum Tony Gatto brought some of his tips and trades of the theater and acting business to aspiring actors in Rockefeller Arts Center last week Tuesday. He began the night with his story explaining how many “nos” he got before he was granted success.
Gatto moved to New York City and worked as a telemarketer for several years before moving to Los Angeles.
“Believe it or not, L.A. is the place with the most theater in the U.S. – no, probably the world,” Gatto said to the group.
He also didn’t hesitate to tell the students in attendance that nothing is stopping them from doing what they want to do and that they need to make decisions that will help them to achieve their goals. Gatto also went on to talk about how he toured the world doing West Side Story and told his audience members that they would also get the response of “no” more often than not.
“You need to work. You can’t live and die by what people said about you, or a performance,” Gatto said.
Gatto also mentioned to the group that he mainly did television, film and commercial work. He said that he got an audition for a recurring guest star role for Modern Family, where he made it to the final round of auditions but, sadly, didn’t get the part.
“Obviously, every journey will be different after college, but the exercises and insight I shared will be useful to all,” Gatto said about what students can learn.
The second part of the lecture was a workshop. Gatto picked an audience member to walk in a circle and then had the group members observe and point out what they saw. He had a few more people do that and then ended up adding a person to try to copy the other person’s mannerisms.
Gatto also had two people look at each other while observing everything about that person. Then, he had them turn their chairs around and asked them questions such as, “What color nail polish was she wearing?” and “What does he have on his feet?” This was an attempt to show that you should know the people that you are working with, which Gatto emphasized as an important aspect of acting.
One of the last things he did was have people come up and make sense using only noises, rather than talking. Some of the scenes involved coping with extreme cold, waiting for a bus that is late for juries and being in heels all day. He said that this exercise was useful in learning how to convey an emotion or feeling of a character that one may need to get across to the audience.
“Most singers, and specifically opera singers, are consumed by the sound and the notes, and the style of what they are sharing onstage,” Gatto said.
“While they are truly focused on those very important parts of their performance, specifics of who the character is, digging deep to find specific motivations seem to be afterthoughts in preparation. It’s imperative to understand the various ways to communicate the beauty of the music, beyond the sound. It’s vital to understand everything you can about the character.”
He then took questions from the group. Some of the questions involved what to do at auditions.
“Just go in there and be yourself; don’t try to change to appease them for an audition,” he said.
Gatto also said that it is important to make sure that you stay true to yourself. He explained that although you may not always feel comfortable doing things that the director, or that the people acting with you are doing, you must stay true to yourself and work.
“You need to live your life; I’m not saying go out and party every night, but you need to work hard and still enjoy and love what you are doing,” Gatto said.
He emphasized how things that you post to social media may be harmful to your career.
When someone asked if rejection gets any easier he said, “You are going to cry and hurt from rejection, but you need to take that rejection and learn and grow from it. Don’t let that rejection make you quit.”
He also mentioned his goals and how he still has yet to achieve some of them. Gatto suggested that everyone have goals to live up to every day; even if you don’t achieve all of your goals, that’s okay, but you should still try to achieve some of them.
When asked what advice he has for aspiring performers, he said, “Keep working as much as you can!”
“Do as much as you can, but allow yourself time to experience life around you,” he said. “That can only enrich your wield as an actor. Find the right balance.
“And don’t bitch. If you love the craft of acting, you’ll always find a way to do it. But for God’s sake, keep it ON-stage.”