Hi everyone,
I wanted to reintroduce myself as a few things have changed since I first joined Stage 32 back in January. From the moment I arrived, I felt warmly welcomed, and over time—especially since becoming an Acting Lounge moderator—this community has started to feel like a creative home. It’s like a club I can visit at the end of the day (after putting my young kids to bed) that gives me a deep sense of belonging and connection.
Being part of this space—witnessing conversations, reading blog posts and comments, asking questions, and truly listening—has helped me refine not only how I define myself but also how I can best support others through my work.
For the past 12 years, I’ve been a Gestalt psychotherapist and EMDR Therapy practitioner. About a year and a half ago, after a failed fertility treatment and the grief that followed, I found myself questioning my path. The thought of continuing in the exact same way made my heart sink. So, I looked inward and asked myself: If I won the lottery and never had to work again, what would I do? The answer came instantly—acting.
In my early 20s, I had trained as an actor and even secured a place at drama school, but I turned it down due to the cost. This time, I decided to revisit acting, and I loved it. Training brought me so much joy. I found myself in a flow state, wishing the classes would never end. I thrived on the deep emotional connection, the creative collaboration, and the challenge of refining my craft.
Then, life brought me another beautiful turn—I welcomed my second child. Right now, I’m prioritising parenting over an acting career, but my passion for supporting actors and creatives is just as strong. It doesn’t feel like a "second-best" choice; rather, it feels like a calling.
I now define myself as a performance and well-being coach. Drawing from Gestalt Therapy and EMDR techniques, I help creatives remove the barriers that hold them back. This could mean supporting an actor in connecting more deeply with their emotions and body, helping a screenwriter or producer overcome procrastination or fear of failure, or guiding a cinematographer through burnout. I work both one-on-one and with productions.
Since joining Stage 32, I’ve connected with Alan Powell, an actor-care specialist whose work focuses on helping actors navigate the emotional impact of their roles, particularly in trauma-based storytelling. I look forward to collaborating with him further on ways to better support actors.
I’ve also partnered with Michele Lastella from The Star Is You Academy, a training program that leads to the creation of a film with guaranteed distribution and IMDb credits. As part of this, I will be teaching using traditional acting techniques alongside Reiki, meditation, and elements of Gestalt Therapy to help actors connect more deeply with their craft and emotional truth.
I'm here to connect with fellow creatives, to have real conversations, and to learn from your experiences with the creative process. I hopefully contribute by actively listening, offering empathy, and sharing insights from my therapeutic background that may be helpful.
I’d love to hear about your creative challenges and the strategies you’ve used to overcome them. I'm always open to collaborating with like-minded individuals where we feel there is some synergy and some energy.
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Hello Alexandra Stevens, I'm really impressed with your skills in helping fellow creatives overcome procrastination and other challenges. I'd love to connect with you.
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Hi, Alexandra Stevens. You've had an impactful on the community since joining Stage 32. Thanks for all the positivity, support, advice, and insight you bring to the community!
I'm glad being part of Stage 32 helped you refine how you define yourself and how you can best support others through your work! And glad you're making connections on here to help your acting career!
One of the creative challenges I had was rewriting. The strategy I used to overcome it was breaking the rewrite up into categories. That makes it easier for me to tackle a rewrite.
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We’re thrilled to have in the family Alexandra. Any advice you can lend for our actors who are just starting out?
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Alexandra Stevens - you've already made a splash in your time with Stage 32. It's always good to see your posts. Congratulations on your partnership with The Star Is You Academy - that sounds interesting! So glad you're here.
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Just wanted to say, Maurice Vaughan,I agree with your tactics for getting through rewrites. I have a similar method of dealing with them myself. .
That being said, Alexandra Stevens it sounds to me like you have a lot to give to the community. I must admit I have never heard of Gestalt Therapy before. Can you give us an example of how it helps creatives? I am genuinely curious.
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That's great, Gloria Salazar. Tackling the whole rewrite at once can be overwhelming. What's your method?
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Thank you Kenneth Arinze Happy to talk about this further in a message
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Thank you Maurice Vaughan! And how interesting to hear how you found a creative solution to your re-write by breaking it up into categories. How did you initially experience it as challenging? And what categories did you break it up into ?
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Gloria Salazar Gosh! I could write pages and pages about how Gestalt Therapy helps creatives! I'm a big fan and used to teach it on the MA programme at the Gestalt Centre, London. Fritz Perls who was the founder was originally an actor. So he used a lot of stuff from acting and Moreno's psychodrama. Even the terminology refers to creativity. For example in Gestalt Therapy, rather than talking about a 'defence mechanism' we talk about a creative adjustment. This describes the process of developing a behaviour that was an intelligent, creative and appropriate way to deal with our situation 'then' but doesn't serve us 'now. To give a specific and concrete example, procrastinating might be a creative adjustment. We might have learned to procrastinate to protect ourselves from the criticism we would receive (from a teacher or caregiver) and/or the way we would then criticise ourselves. In a Gestalt Therapy session I might invite the client to put the 'procrastinating part' in the chair and dialogue with it. The idea is that if we can befriend/understand our '''parts' then they work with us rather than seemingly against us. This is called the Paradoxical Theory of Change. Anyway, sorry this is probably a bit more long-winded than you were expecting. Hope it makes some sense.
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You're welcome, Alexandra Stevens. At first, I tried to rewrite everything at once when I worked on a script. I started breaking up rewrites into categories a while back.
– A Story
– B Story
– Subplot(s)
– Character Arc(s)
– Dialogue
– Visualize (I go through the script, visualizing the action and dialogue -- it helps me think of ideas, scenes, etc. and catch story issues)
– Track (I go through the script, tracking important things like character behavior, relationships, and items)
– And sometimes other categories
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Amanda Toney Thanks for your kind words and for inviting me to share some advice. I’m happy to do so! Given my background as a performance and well-being coach, my tips come from that perspective rather than the practicalities of breaking into the industry. Others can certainly offer guidance on that, and networking on Stage 32 is a great place to start.
So, here are my thoughts:
1. Celebrate the process, not perfection - acting is a lifelong journey, so set process goals rather than chasing an elusive idea of "perfection." Focus on things like connecting more deeply with vulnerability or learning to let go a little more. Celebrate these moments, even if they’re not perfect. The more you recognize your growth, the more motivated and fulfilled you’ll feel.
2. Trust that your passion has a purpose- if you have the drive to act, it’s because you have something valuable to bring to the world through your creativity. When doubts creep in—impostor syndrome, comparison, self-criticism—remind yourself that your voice and perspective are unique and worth sharing.
3. Own your uniqueness -there is only one you. Instead of trying to be what you think casting directors want, focus on how you would naturally respond to a scene. react authentically to your scene partners and circumstances—this is what captivates an audience.
4. Prioritize self-care and protect against burnout - acting is a long-haul journey, and staying in it requires self-compassion. Notice your inner critic and challenge it. Instead of focusing on what you did "wrong," practice acknowledging what you did well. Self-care looks different for everyone—whether it’s walks in nature, yoga, time with friends, or simply getting enough rest. These moments of stillness allow for the "fertile void" (a Gestalt Therapy term), where creativity and renewal emerge.
5. Believe that you are enough-many actors struggle with a deep-rooted feeling of not being good enough, which can lead to overacting. Work on challenging these beliefs—whether through self-reflection or therapy. The more you trust that you are enough, the more naturally confident and compelling your performances will be.
6. Strengthen your instincts - improvisation is a great tool for learning to trust yourself. Reflect on times in life when following your instincts led to something positive. If trusting yourself feels difficult, ask yourself where that belief came from. Experiment with small ways to rebuild trust in yourself—it will make your acting bolder and more authentic.
7. Connect with your body -your body is your instrument. Take time to notice how you hold tension throughout the day. Try body scans, breathing exercises, or gentle movement. Instead of forcing relaxation, simply befriend the tension. When we stop resisting parts of ourselves, they soften naturally.
8. Understand what acting gives you—and give it to yourself. Often, our deeper motivations for acting come from unmet emotional needs—perhaps a longing to feel seen, valued, or validated. There’s nothing wrong with these desires, but the more we recognize them, the more we can meet those needs in healthy ways outside of acting. This frees us to fully enjoy the craft, rather than using it to fill emotional gaps.
9. Live a full life -The richer your experiences, the more depth you bring to your acting. Engage with different people, cultures, and perspectives. Every encounter adds layers to your understanding of human emotion, which enriches your performances.
10. Know your worth. -It’s easy to feel desperate for a role, but no opportunity is worth compromising your self-respect. Many sensitive, empathetic people struggle with unconscious feelings of unworthiness, which can lead to accepting unprofessional or exploitative situations. No matter how much you want to act, always remember your value and set boundaries accordingly.
Hope some find these helpful. Curious to hear what others might add be they additional tips or things you think differently about?
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Hi Maurice Vaughan Ah I see. As I read this what comes to mind is another Gestalt theory idea (sorry if i keep harping on about this) which is that in order to know the whole we need to know the parts. So it makes me wonder if by breaking the script down into parts it somehow feels easier to bring it together? Might be completely wrong about this of course
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You're right, Alexandra Stevens. And after I finish with the categories, I read the whole script once, twice, etc. to make sure everything's working together/make sure I didn't forget anything.
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Thank you so much for reintroducing yourself, Alexandra Stevens. Your journey is incredibly moving, and your presence in the community has brought such warmth, insight, and compassion. I love how you’ve taken such a deeply personal and transformative chapter of your life and turned it into a mission to support and uplift others. So grateful to have you here and to have your voice in the Acting Lounge especially.
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Alexandra Stevens to quote, well you, 'Know your worth-'. If Gestalt Therapy allows you to help yourself and others then it is not harping. Again, you, 'Own your uniqueness -' you bring a fresh insight. Thank you. Hope this makes sense, I just woke up.
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Maurice Vaughan My writing method is fluid, but it generally follows this structure: I start by jotting down the initial idea, then create a character bio for the protagonist and any other characters that come to mind. Next, I put together a loose outline, including the core concept, the ending I’m aiming for, and key character details that will help guide the story from start to finish.
From there, I outline individual scenes, noting which characters appear in each and what they contribute. When I begin writing, I treat each scene as a self-contained world with its own beginning, middle, and end. If a scene introduces a minor character, I create a quick bio and track their involvement across future scenes.
Once all the scenes are written, I review them to ensure they flow cohesively and tell the story I intended. Then, I refine the dialogue—cutting clichés, tightening conversations, and eliminating anything unnecessary. I take the same approach to action sequences, ensuring they’re clear, engaging, and purposeful.
After that, I let the story sit for a few weeks while I work on other projects. When I return, I read it aloud—sometimes to myself, sometimes to my husband—to hear how it flows beyond the page. This final step helps me catch anything that needs smoothing out before moving forward.
The truth is, I am much less familiar with the production/publishing side of things than I am with the actual creating itself. I know about submitting to contests, I know about short story e-zine publishing, and I've learned about self-publishing on Amazon.
Once my nephew taught me how to use YouTube for informative videos I have been learning a lot more. However, I know I still have a lot more to learn. I, kind of, wish I had started learning more of this side of the business a lot sooner.
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That's a great method, Gloria Salazar! Thanks for sharing. I outline similar to you. I also go back over my outline when I'm done to see if anything needs to be changed before I start the script.
"If a scene introduces a minor character, I create a quick bio and track their involvement across future scenes." I like that idea. I might try it for a script. Thanks for the idea.
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Hi Gloria Salazar Yes you make sense! Thanks for your words
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Hi Ashley Renée Smith Aww, thank you so much! That is so kind of you to say so. And it's all down to originally contacting you and you responding to my pitch for a blog article. Thanks for all your support :)