<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Director’s Notebook with Stacey Muhammad: ACTOR'S LAB]]></title><description><![CDATA[A director’s technical and intuitive guide to performance, auditions, and the shared language of the scene

]]></description><link>https://staceymuhammad.substack.com/s/the-actors-lab</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Egi_!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778f68ce-5fca-4e49-bb1e-d39ffd190eaa_1080x1080.png</url><title>The Director’s Notebook with Stacey Muhammad: ACTOR&apos;S LAB</title><link>https://staceymuhammad.substack.com/s/the-actors-lab</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:07:02 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://staceymuhammad.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Stacey Muhammad]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[staceymuhammad@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[staceymuhammad@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Stacey Muhammad]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Stacey Muhammad]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[staceymuhammad@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[staceymuhammad@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Stacey Muhammad]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[THE ACTOR'S LAB - The Architecture of a Truthful Performance]]></title><description><![CDATA[A director&#8217;s study of performance, audition craft, and the shared language of the scene.]]></description><link>https://staceymuhammad.substack.com/p/the-actors-lab-the-architecture-of</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://staceymuhammad.substack.com/p/the-actors-lab-the-architecture-of</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Stacey Muhammad]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2026 21:48:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7kkm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9038073d-a000-4c40-bbc2-d3527f752ae9_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In this space, I offer direct, practical notes from the director&#8217;s chair to the actor&#8217;s process. We move past generic audition advice and into the mechanics of what makes a performance land with authority.</p><p>This lab is for actors who want clearer choices, stronger self-tapes, and more consistent results, and for filmmakers who want to sharpen their taste by understanding how performance is built, protected, and revealed on camera.</p><p>We go inside scenes that work to study the labor underneath the moment. Blocking. Pace. Listening. The emotional turns that shift a character&#8217;s interior life. We look at how camera and staging either support that truth or weaken it, then apply the lessons with precision.</p><h3>What We Study</h3><p><strong>THE ANATOMY OF THE AUDITION</strong><br>Self-tapes, callbacks, and the practical mechanics that change outcomes.</p><p><strong>THE DIRECTOR&#8217;S NOTE</strong><br>How to translate direction into playable action, quickly and cleanly.</p><p><strong>Common Performance Misses</strong><br>The habits and safe choices that flatten the work and dilute the moment.</p><p><strong>SCENE STUDIES</strong><br>Breakdowns of performances that land, and the staging and camera choices that make them possible.</p><p><strong>THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE TURN</strong><br>Pace, subtext, and the specific moment where a character&#8217;s internal shift changes the scene.</p><p><strong>THE ALCHEMY OF COLLABORATION</strong><br>Trust, communication, and the shared language that protects the story.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://staceymuhammad.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">SUBSCRIBE - Free subscribers receive essays, public notes, and select LAB access. 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