Other Media:

• Video

External Links:

• Acting For Young & Adults
• Linda on IMDB
• SAG

Other Stories:

• Tom Bollag brings his style of five-star cuisine to Eugene through his Chef’s Kitchen.
• Linda Burden-Williams, an actress who lives in Veneta, teaches her students that acting is self-exploration.
• John Canzano gives the scoop about journalism, sports and life outside his Oregonian column.
• JR Gaddis, like his father and grandfather before him, knows a lot about printing.
• Giancarlo Guerrero is helping make magic every time he picks up the baton to lead the Eugene Symphony.
• Toby Hill-Meyer, a University of Oregon student, is an activist in the area of gender identity.
• Rick Hogue finds that salesmanship and guidance are the elements of success in financial consulting.
• Carl Hosticka juggles a university teaching position with a political career spanning 20 years.
• Bill Hunter's long journey has led him to satisfaction, working for the parks department in Eugene.
• Mona Lindstromberg has a lot to say about the land watch groups she’s involved in and development issues.
• Thaddeus Moore owns and operates Sprout City Studios, a recording studio in West Eugene.
• Lesley Neufeld, who has designed costumes for movies and television, now owns a boutique in Cottage Grove.
• Robert Parrish wouldn't give up after an educational setback, and in four months he will be a paramedic.
• Rick Pettigrew's Archaeology Channel is a well-visited Web site devoted to bringing archaeology to the masses.
• Catherine Reinhart has watched Sweet Life Patisserie grow from a small garage shop into a well-known bakery.
• Neal Zoumboukos, longtime offensive line coach, has been molding bodies and minds in Eugene for a quarter century.

Teaching the art of acting

Professional actress Linda Burden-Williams aound her love for teaching.

By Liz Jamieson

Her feet dangle off the floor as she sits in her black canvas director's chair, properly embroidered with "Linda Burden-Williams" in white thread. While this seems like an image from a Hollywood set, the scene takes place in the quiet town of Veneta, Ore., where Linda runs her own acting school, "Acting for the Young and Adults."

Linda Burden-Williams is an actress. Her resume includes roles on television shows such as "ER" and the "West Wing." After 20 years in the field, Linda knows that the acting business is more than just living in the big cities of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. "You have to connect to have the emotions come out" she says, her fingertips pressing together as she pulls her hands towards her heart. "So you have to deal with who you are." This is the message she tries to teach her students about acting.

Linda Burden-Williams, actress and owner, of Acting for Young and Adults.

Acting nor teaching was not always Linda's career path. Immediately after high school she traveled with a rock and roll band as a bass guitarist. One day she decided to take an acting class in Seattle, Wash., and never turned back. "It was the all of everything," says Linda. In comparison, she soon found music limiting but her tousled short blond hair still reflects the rocker within.

Ten years into her acting career, Linda took on the role of the teacher. The notion started with her son and his friends. Through a five-week after-school program, her first students made their own movies and scenes and had a final project. "I just loved creating what they were doing," she says. Linda realized her classes changed the lives of her students. It changed their oral reports and confidence levels, Linda says. Later the age range of her classes grew to include ages from pre-school through adult. Thus her acting business "Acting for Young and Adults" was born.

Each class is a new and exciting experience for both Linda and her students. She feels her classes give pre-school students freedom to explore while remaining in a safe, structured environment. "It's a chance to express themselves without their moms watching, " she says, explaining that elementary students love to perform scenes and explore different characters. Linda had to extend the hours for teen class to

	Linda Burden-Williams and a student practice connecting to each other when playing a role.

give more time for personal expression. "They don't have any place they can express themselves freely and not be judged, explains Linda, adding that nothing said in class leaves the room. She also enjoys the adult classes because older students listen and allow themselves to be more emotional than the younger ones.

Anyone can find acting classes through theaters and acting agencies, but what makes Linda's classes different? Linda's training focuses on the basics and internal work. Most of all Linda takes pride in the element of her teaching by making personal connections with everyone and letting everyone be who they are in life.

Linda also tries to remain current with the entertainment industry. "At the same time I am going out on auditions myself so I stay current," she says. Linda subjects herself to what her students are doing not like those who were in the industry twenty years ago and still think they can teach an up-to-date curriculum, she says. Auditioning is an important part of an actor's career and can be devastating when an audition does not turn out as well as hoped, she explains. Linda closes her fist and brings it to her ear, re-enacting a phone conversation with her husband. "I'm firing my agent," she yells into the phone. "I'm not doing this any more! Never! Never! Never! Okay, bye honey." She hangs up the imaginary phone. "Two days later I go, 'Oh wow, I really miss this'," she says laughing.