Her Newest Role

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Kathleen Turner’s illustrious career, which includes dozens of notable roles across various genres and two Golden Globe Awards (plus nominations for an Oscar, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards) has made her a household name across generations.

Now, she can add one more item to her CV—Professor at Sands College of Performing Arts.

Having recently joined the faculty at Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts, Turner is channeling her decades of high-level performing arts experience into educating the next generation of performers. In a candid discussion, she reflects on her decision to join Pace, emphasizing her belief in the importance of higher education within the performing arts.

What excites you about teaching?

A lot of it is passing it on. I’ve done a lot of work—a good body of work. It’s more than that; it’s about the ethics of it. What do we owe each other? What is the responsibility toward the audience? If you have this kind of ability, this gift of communication, then you really have to be aware of the responsibilities inherent in that, and choose them. Choose what kind of material you represent and do so with great care—this is probably more important than anything.

In your opinion, what makes a great teacher?

I suppose you’d have to start with passion for the subject of what they’re teaching. A real love of it. A real belief in it. Why else do it?

What are some qualities that you see in Pace students today that excites you?

I like the curiosity. I like the fact that they are willing and wanting to learn, to explore, in terms of material and process. The technique of it. I’m not dealing with performers who are already stuck in their ways which would be useless to me. I don’t subscribe to any one method or discipline; I would think that excluding things would be rather short-sighted. I’m pleased with the open-mindedness of the students.

On a technical level, what course(s) will you be teaching?

Pace has allowed me to pretty much design the course, which we’re calling: Stage to Screen. I’m trying to show and teach the choices and the difference in choices that you make for one medium as opposed to another. And also to teach them how to read a film script, how to visualize it.

It’s rather complicated at times, but I've got all seniors in the course, which I like–by the time they come into my class they have a certain level of experience and knowledge to begin with, so we can just take off.

In the course, do you spend any time on the business side of the industry?

Yea. Absolutely. This week, I brought in some very highly qualified agents to talk about their job, what the actor can ask of them, what they will be asked of, it was quite fascinating, the discussion and the questions that the students asked and did not really know before.

This is a business. This ain’t no hobby, honey.

Having now been around the University, what do you think has changed since you were studying to be a performer? What has remained the same?

We had no camera training at all 45 years ago. Nobody had the equipment. At that time, cameras were 500 pounds each. No school had that kind of capacity to handle that kind of thing. Technology has enabled us to do amazing things that were quite impossible in the past.

But I think the core thing that has not changed is doing it. Just doing it as much as possible. I tell students not necessarily to go to a conservatory or school which only emphasizes the craft–the broader the education, in many ways, the more beneficial for the actor. We need to know just about everything. I think again, why close yourself off? Go to a school where you get to work, to get on camera.

These schools that say you’re not allowed to perform for the first two years or whatever, to me are two years of wasted time. Don’t talk about it, do it!

What do you hope students will take away from spending time with you in the classroom?

I want the students who worked and learned with me to go out and to be able to do professional work. To be able to fulfill the actor’s role. Everybody has a learning curve, of course. And experience is always a teacher. But that being said, I don’t want any of my students to go out and let a production down.

If you were starting out today, what advice would you give to your younger self?

What I remember has remained true is to have true confidence in yourself. Don’t walk into an audition, don’t walk into a job, wondering if you can do it. You can do it.

The only responsibility is to be sure that you did the very, very best job that you could do that day. You may wake up in the middle of the night and say “Oh hell, I should’ve made that choice.” That’s okay. At the time, in the place, you made the best choice you could. That’s what you owe. Nothing more.