The Working Actor's Journey cover art

The Working Actor's Journey

The Working Actor's Journey

Written by: Nathan Agin
Listen for free

About this listen

In The Working Actor's Journey, hear from amazing teachers, role models, and mentors about their lifelong careers. Learn from those who have been acting professionally for decades—to see exactly how they approach the work, what decisions and resources have made the biggest impacts on their artistic lives, and to hear their struggles and successes in the business. How do great actors work? What do they actually do? Let's find out. These conversations are a virtual toolbox for actors, full of techniques, advice, and lessons learned.2017-2025 The Working Actor's Journey Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • "The Garden of Grief" in HAMLET: Act 1, Sc 2. Week 3 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room
    Feb 17 2026

    We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁

    🏁 In this session, highlights include:

    ➤ An exploration of Hamlet's struggle with his mother's hasty remarriage

    ➤ Insights into Hamlet's responsibilities as a prince and his personal anguish

    ➤ The importance of staging and audience engagement in conveying Hamlet's emotions

    *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality. (See below for options) ***

    ---

    🙌 Many thanks to our recent supporters! Help us continue our work in the Rehearsal Room through a ONE-TIME DONATION:

    • 💰 PayPal: https://paypal.me/nathanagin81
    • 🤑 Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/nathanagin
    • 💳 Credit card: http://workingactorsjourney.com/donation-checkout

    🤗 Or become a MONTHLY PATRON with additional benefits (starting at $5/month) with Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast

    Get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more!

    🙏 THANK YOU to our patrons at the Co-Star level and higher: Ivar, Joan, Michele, Jim, Magdalen, Claudia, Clif and Jeff!

    ---

    🎭 CREATIVE TEAM for this month:

    DIRECTOR: Annie Occhiogrosso

    ACTORS: Randall Duk Kim, Lee Ernst, Benjamin Reigel, Larry Petersen, Nick Bettens, Michele Schultz, Liz Swain, Sarah Mabes

    AUDIENCE: Sandy Robbins, Sandy Ernst, Laurie Strother, Doug Strother, Chuck Stransky, Jim Stubbs, Terry Kerr, Steven Helmeke, Mikaela Kafka, Osborn Focht, Ezra Barnes, Sharon McCune, Rebecca Oettinger, Baron Kelly, James Nester, Roseann Sheridan

    ---

    We explore Act 1, Scene 2: Claudius, the new king of Denmark, thanks his courtiers for their recent support and dispatches ambassadors to Norway to halt a threatened attack from Fortinbras. He gives Laertes permission to return to France but denies Hamlet's request to return to the university in Wittenberg. Hamlet, mourning for his father's death, is left alone to vent his despair at what he regards as his mother's all too hasty marriage to his uncle, Claudius. Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus arrive and tell Hamlet about the Ghost. Hamlet makes plans to join them that night.

    I'm excited to finally share the amazing work this groups of artists has been doing. And we're still producing new sessions!

    #hamlet #workingactor #rehearsal #shakespeare #textwork #acting #actor #director

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 57 mins
  • HAMLET Project: Act 1, Sc 2. Week 2: "Between Kin and Kind" - Shakespeare
    Feb 10 2026

    We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁

    🏁 In this session, highlights include:

    ➤ Insights into Hamlet's struggle with grief and the challenges of expressing deep emotions

    ➤ Exploration of Claudius' motivations and the implications of his actions

    ➤ A discussion on how the Folio serves as an interpretive tool for actors and its impact on performance

    *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality. (See below for options) ***

    ---

    🙌 Many thanks to our recent supporters! Help us continue our work in the Rehearsal Room through a ONE-TIME DONATION:

    • 💰 PayPal: https://paypal.me/nathanagin81
    • 🤑 Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/nathanagin
    • 💳 Credit card: http://workingactorsjourney.com/donation-checkout

    🤗 Or become a MONTHLY PATRON with additional benefits (starting at $5/month) with Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast

    Get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more!

    🙏 THANK YOU to our patrons at the Co-Star level and higher: Ivar, Joan, Michele, Jim, Magdalen, Claudia, Clif and Jeff!

    ---

    🎭 CREATIVE TEAM for this month:

    DIRECTOR: Annie Occhiogrosso

    ACTORS: Randall Duk Kim, Lee Ernst, Benjamin Reigel, Larry Petersen, Nick Bettens, Michele Schultz, Liz Swain, Sarah Mabes

    AUDIENCE: Sandy Robbins, Sandy Ernst, Laurie Strother, Doug Strother, Chuck Stransky, Jim Stubbs, Terry Kerr, Steven Helmeke, Mikaela Kafka, Osborn Focht, Ezra Barnes, Sharon McCune, Rebecca Oettinger, Baron Kelly, James Nester, Roseann Sheridan

    ---

    We explore Act 1, Scene 1: On the guards' platform at Elsinore, Horatio waits with Barnardo and Marcellus to question a ghost that has twice before appeared. The Ghost, in the form of the late King Hamlet of Denmark, appears but will not speak. Horatio decides to tell his fellow student, Prince Hamlet, about the Ghost's appearance.

    I'm excited to finally share the amazing work this groups of artists has been doing. And we're still producing new sessions!

    #hamlet #workingactor #rehearsal #shakespeare #textwork #acting #actor #director

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 56 mins
  • HAMLET Project: Act 1, Sc 2. Week 1: "The Politics of Mourning" - Shakespeare
    Feb 3 2026

    We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁

    🏁 In this session, highlights include:

    ➤ An analysis of Claudius's maneuvering and the implications of his marriage to Gertrude

    ➤ Insights into Hamlet's emotional turmoil as he grapples with his mother's actions

    ➤ Discussion on how Gertrude's agency challenges traditional perceptions of her character

    *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality. (See below for options) ***

    ---

    🙌 Many thanks to our recent supporters! Help us continue our work in the Rehearsal Room through a ONE-TIME DONATION:

    • 💰 PayPal: https://paypal.me/nathanagin81
    • 🤑 Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/nathanagin
    • 💳 Credit card: http://workingactorsjourney.com/donation-checkout

    🤗 Or become a MONTHLY PATRON with additional benefits (starting at $5/month) with Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast

    Get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more!

    🙏 THANK YOU to our patrons at the Co-Star level and higher: Ivar, Joan, Michele, Jim, Magdalen, Claudia, Clif and Jeff!

    ---

    🎭 CREATIVE TEAM for this month:

    DIRECTOR: Annie Occhiogrosso

    ACTORS: Randall Duk Kim, Lee Ernst, Benjamin Reigel, Larry Petersen, Nick Bettens, Michele Schultz, Liz Swain, Sarah Mabes

    AUDIENCE: Sandy Robbins, Sandy Ernst, Laurie Strother, Doug Strother, Chuck Stransky, Jim Stubbs, Terry Kerr, Steven Helmeke, Mikaela Kafka, Osborn Focht, Ezra Barnes, Sharon McCune, Rebecca Oettinger, Baron Kelly, James Nester, Roseann Sheridan

    ---

    We explore Act 1, Scene 1: On the guards' platform at Elsinore, Horatio waits with Barnardo and Marcellus to question a ghost that has twice before appeared. The Ghost, in the form of the late King Hamlet of Denmark, appears but will not speak. Horatio decides to tell his fellow student, Prince Hamlet, about the Ghost's appearance.

    I'm excited to finally share the amazing work this groups of artists has been doing. And we're still producing new sessions!

    #hamlet #workingactor #rehearsal #shakespeare #textwork #acting #actor #director

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 57 mins
No reviews yet