Bill Howey has given me incredible strength and courage as an actor. By not allowing me to have any false moments, he has pushed me to places in my acting that I didn’t know I could go. He has allowed and encouraged me to be myself 100%, and I have been able to bring myself to each role without fear. I now walk into auditions excited and ready as opposed to nervous and self-conscious. Because I have had a safe space to take risks, I am able to take that into the real world. And the risks I’ve taken have reaped many rewards. I often encourage actors who feel stuck or uninspired to take Bill’s class, because it has quite simply changed my life.
Film: Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015,) Crying In Public (2011.)
Television: Other Space (2015) Shameless, Co-Star (2015,) Murder In The First, Co-Star (2014,) Criminal Minds, Co-Star (2013,) The Office, Co-Star (2013,) The Whitest Kids U’Know, Recurring Role (2009-2011,) Dollhouse, Co-Star (2009.)
I like that Bill always challenges you to explore those areas of acting that sometimes go unrefined. He makes it easy to let go of little hangups that can constrict your instrument.
Bill tells it how it is. There isn’t time or need to sugar coat things and pleasantries are nice but getting to work is nicer. We are constantly challenged to think in class, not be blindly directed. I appreciate his specific approach to each actor; he has developed a relationship with each of us so we each get a personalized analysis suited to our own process.
I learned that I hold on to a lot of insecurities in my acting, I didn’t know that before and I didn’t know that it translated to the audience. I’m happy I’m able to address it before getting in front of casting directors.
There are nights where I feel like I’m hitting a wall but within those hours, I can break it down. Every class I feel like I level up.
I like that class is structured around each individual, as well as the scene as whole. I learn so much from watching my peers as well, seeing where they may succeed or hold back helps me to take a more objective look at my own acting.
I was seeking a class with honest and straightforward feedback and Bill has the perfect amount of honesty and heart that makes me really think and fight for my character’s truth. A thumbs up should be earned, not given away to anyone who tries.
Within the 30 minute audit I knew this class would be a game changer.
Film: Jersey Girl (2015) No Sugar Rim (2013) Dana’s Delemma (2013) Bruno & Earlene got to Vegas (2013) Jewfro (2012) Five Plus (2011) The Machine (2011) Ceasar’s Day in Court (2010)
TV: Tapped Out (recurring role 2015) Screensters (2012)
The road I took to get to Bill’s class was filled with a lot of doubt and insecurity. Clearly not the way to become a good or successful actor. Joining his actor sanctuary has been the best move I’ve made, so far, in my career. The way Bill approaches the craft is unique in the sense he lays clues for you to find and use to become a more intuitive actor. Forcing you to think and, hopefully, understand ways to reach the emotional fulfillment of a character on top of finding multiple options for playing the role. Also, his focus on “stillness” has helped me to understand “less is more” by filling that space with feeling not movement. I’ve learned that experimenting with a character is not bad and that failing is not failure; it’s a lesson and it’s a step forward to success. And I hope to keep on failing…in class.
TV: The Mentalist (2015) Parks and Recreation (2014) Castle (2012) Days of Our Lives (2010) Desperate Housewives (2009) The Young and the Restless (2008) General Hospital (2008)
Film: Advent (2011) Vroom-Vroom! (2009) Knocked Down (2008)
What I like about Bill is that his class is centered around your individual growth and experience. I feel like there are other classes out there where students believe their biggest priority is to please the teacher. They make all their choices around “not irritating the teacher” without taking into account their own perspective. Bill’s class is not like that at all. His class focuses on your unique journey and perspective. He fosters an environment where his students realize that the strongest choices are the personal ones. This has helped not only in my acting but in other creative endeavors.
TV: The Birthday Boys (2014) Marry Me (2014) Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2014) The New Normal (2013) Electric City (all 9 eps 2012) Community (2011)
Film: Bulimia: The Musical (2014) Someone Better (2014) The Zombie Solution (2013) Book Club Mafia (2013) Office Scene (2013) Cliff (2013) Prairie Children (2012) Mugg’s Movers (2011) Attack Cardio (2009) Cam Gigandet vs Twilight Fans (2009)
Dear Bill, I’ve been studying with you for about 18 months and have felt myself grow immensely as an actor and as a person in that short time. I recently attended a theatre audition where casting was seeing people in thirty-minute blocks for cold reads. I found myself on stage working with both the director and the writer for almost two hours, reading four different characters. Later that night, the director called to say that the production team wanted to offer me the lead role—no callbacks nor waiting to finish the next day’s auditions necessary. He said he’d never before seen anyone in an audition consistently and fearlessly hit so many varied nuances. I credit all that to the work I’ve been doing with you. There’s no way I would have gotten that kind of feedback a year ago. Whenever a fellow actor asks me for advice on who to train with, I always tell them: “if you’re serious about wanting to hone your strengths and tackle your weaknesses in a personally meaningful way, do yourself a favor and go see Bill and Carla Howey.” Thank you a thousand time over!
Film: The Mechanic (2016,) Walk Away (2016,) Alternate Realities (2015,) Eve (2014,) My Atonement (2014,) Just Believe (2014,) Helen Alone (2014,) Mulberry Stains (2012.)
TV: AXI:Avenger of extreme Illusions (2015,) Fore! – recurring role (2013.)
Bill Howey is an empowering acting coach. He encourages personal growth and truthful acting by creating a workshop with a creative, challenging, and honest teaching style. I feel very blessed to have him as my acting coach and trust in his ability to coach me prior to auditions and in a weekly workshops. These workshops are where I continually stretch my boundaries and create more alive characters because of Bill’s guidance. If you are joining Bill’s class, prepare to be equally inspired and challenged and be prepared to fall in love with the craft of acting!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5878446/
Film: The Ghost and The Whale (2016) What’s Uptick? (2014) Duke (2013) Nostalgia (2007)
Video: Lead on Funeral Flirt (2008)
TV: Busted – Animal Planet
Bill Howey has been my compass in this town as an actress. Without him I have no idea where I would be. My drive, my ambition, my curiosity, my elegance, my grace, my way of speaking, all has to do with this man. I came into this business like a scared little mouse with drive but no sense of direction, which is a lot more then some can say in this industry. But thank God that I found a teacher who has been with me through thick and thin. I am a strong, talented actor because of this man. Bill has taught me to STAND UP for myself, to OWN my voice, to uncover MY STORY and to walk into the fire with no fear. He has helped me discover my true self and my true power. He has taught me discipline beyond belief. This is a funny business we choose, this acting thing. And it will eat you alive and spit you out if you let it. That is why you train for battle. You prepare as an actor so that when those days come you don’t run away from the fire you happily run into it! As I continue my acting career I am honored and privileged to know that I will never be alone in my skill set because I have been trained by the Bill Howey.
Thank You Captain!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4881018/
TV: Stitchers (2016) Chasing Life (2015) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2014) NCIS (2014) The Closer (2008)
Short: Sand and Stone (2015) A Truth in Silence (2013) Delivery (2013)
Each time I work with Bill Howey, I am reminded of the main reason I wanted to be an actor… to play and play fully, bringing the truth of characters to life. Bill Howey has a gift of giving the actor permission to explore and take risks, putting power back in their own hands. He has reminded me of the big picture— the story, rather than my part. Looking at scenes from all angles, Bill encourages me to make it personal, open my heart and let my uniqueness shine. I am better able to be truthful and spontaneous, have fun and affect others, rather than trying to get it right, thanks to Bill Howey. Let the adventures begin!
http://www.imdb.me/rockybonifield
Self: Fernwood 2 Night (1977)
TV: Criminal Minds (2012), Close to Home (2006), Judging Amy (2001)
Feature: Mama’s Boy (2007)
I studied acting with Bill Howey for approximately two years in Burbank, CA, and emerged from his workshop a markedly stronger actor. Bill does not coddle his actor students: he takes them from the point at which they are and pushes them to grow beyond that point. He neither indulges over-confidence or complacency nor allows you to maintain self-defeatist attitudes toward the work and toward yourself. Bill persists in his efforts to remind you of your ability to arrive at the point at which you are communicating to an audience that message or character essence that you have been intent on communicating from the outset. He did so for me and it was effective.
Bill made me examine my inclination to over-analyze the script and storyline, to be excessively cerebral. He encouraged me to just “be” the character and not to remain in my head. He encouraged me to make strong choices, to take risks and to then examine the outcome (e.g., what worked, what did not work). He asked me to talk about how it felt, what I was happy with, what I might have done differently. He made me quite aware of the fact that I need not search for a personal memory that may not be there in order to communicate to an audience, but that rather I can find what I am looking for through research, observation, and imitation. Bill taught me that even in instances when I myself believe I have fully inhabited my character – this does not automatically translate to the audience believing I have done so. Sometimes, the fact that you feel you are the character may not be enough to communicate this to others.
Bill cultivates a class environment in which actors feel very safe making choices, experimenting, making mistakes, correcting things, trying to do the same character differently, finding what works for each of them personally in the way they each communicate something specific to an audience. What you put into Bill’s class varies directly with what you will get out of it. There should be a willingness to consistently work hard, to prepare for class outside of class, to take feedback seriously, to be self-disciplined, to be vulnerable. Bill wants you to do all this because he genuinely cares about you and your growth as an actor.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1127411/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1