Crafting the Actor

by Philomena Sucharda

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.
~Rumi

Maureen Cashin Bolog’s coaching career to actors is filled with possibilities. She opened Actor’s Craft during the spring of 2005 in Kenosha with the goal of teaching adults professional on camera acting techniques. Maureen coaches with an emphasis on the Chubbuck Technique in combination with others she has learned. Ivana Chubbuck is an A list coach to the stars. (In 2006, Ms. Chubbuck’s students were nominated for academy awards in all major acting categories.)
Maureen recently learned of Ms. Chubbuck’s certificate program for acting coaches. Returning to California this summer, she completed certification classes in the renowned Ivana Chubbuck Studio. Maureen said proudly, “I am now the only acting coach in the Great Lakes area officially certified to teach the Chubbuck Technique.”

Maureen’s portfolio is certainly multi-dimensional. Besides coaching, she has acted, produced, and directed. While in Los Angeles, Maureen studied for 6 years with excellent acting coaches like Lawrence Parke, Howard Fine, and Margie Haber. She credits the book, What Color is Your Parachute, with helping her ask the right career question, “Who has the job you want.” She realized it was her acting coach’s job she yearned for. She continued training and earned a B.A. in theater from Columbia College and an M.A. in TV/Film from Northwestern University.

While Maureen is passionate about her art, she is also philosophical. She explained when auditioning, actors need to trust that they are enough. God will provide a path if this is where He wants them to serve Him. With hard work to refine their craft, combined with faith to trust that they are good enough, and they will be good enough.

Maureen turns the notion of actors as self-centered, materialistic egotists on its head. She believes acting is a service to the audience, allowing them a way to escape, to be uplifted, to be connected.

To achieve this, the actor must peel away their own masks and get to their core self. She said, “To be a good actor, you must study human nature.” Like a costume, understanding humanity helps the actor add needed layers to their own essence; then, they can weave the fabric of the character’s persona and wear it.

Maureen believes audiences hunger for a character that has the same flaws and problems they do; they are not looking for the perfect looking person, leading the perfect life. Audiences are sated when their lives are reflected back to them by a character facing problems.

“Acting empowers people; I was empowered when I was in class. It changes people.” She finds it very rewarding to see how her child students learn important life skills through acting: active listening, idea development, creative expression, and the ability to focus. Her adult students also come to turn their perceived flaws into beautiful art.

She also had praise for Kenosha’s supportive arts community, one she gives back to. When Maureen read an article in the local Kenosha newspaper about the financial struggles of the Rhode Center for the Arts, she organized a Night of Comedy and Improv that included stand-up comedy. As for the turnout of people, Maureen’s venture struck success. She said, “I was hoping for 50; we had over 200.” This Night of Comedy and Improv continues as a fundraiser since its start in April 2006, a reflection of a community that embraces these performances.

Maureen also had great news to share with the Wisconsin acting community. There is important legislation set to take effect January 1, 2008. It will give tax incentives to attract film and television production in Wisconsin. Maureen mentioned that according to Scott Robbe, Executive Director of the volunteer group, Film Wisconsin, there is already over $100 million of prospective production inquiries.

When asked what readers might find surprising about Maureen, she replied,

“I think they would be surprised that in Kenosha, Wisconsin, they can find the same high caliber of training many actors seek in Los Angeles and New York. I trained with the best in our field, to be the best acting coach I can be, so that my students can compete successfully on a professional level.”

I need to confess my time with Maureen was really not an interview at all. Rather, I listened and witnessed her animated story telling, woven with wonder, exhilaration, and faith. And as I reflect, I wonder how many feathers her hat can hold.

Maureen Cashin Bolog you have been “Exposed”.

Actor’s Craft is located in the Rhode Center for the Arts, 518 56th Street in downtown Kenosha, WI.
For more information on Actor’s Craft, please call 262.705.0194 or visit www.actorscraftwisconsin.com.
To learn more of opportunities for Wisconsin actors, please visit www.filmwisconsin.net.
For information on Ivana Chubbuck, please visit www.ivanachubbuck.com


Philomena Sucharda works as a technical writer.
By day, she supports the proposal efforts for her New Berlin employer. By night, she expresses herself using a story telling writing style.