Sunday, December 15, 2013

My first SAG film recap

My first SAG film began with an audition last August. I walked in to read for a role with one line, and ended up being asked to read for a role with more! Auditions can't go much better than that, so I walked out feeling positive. After not hearing for a little while though, I moved my mind forward to thoughts of the next audition, working hard not to focus on a job I didn't get.

A few weeks afterwards I received the call from my agent that I had booked a supporting role! I was stoked! We had a cast read through 2 months later, and a month after that we began rehearsals. We had blocking and stunt work rehearsals for 2 weekends, and it was my first time ever being paid for film rehearsals. I have to say SAG was looking good already.

We shot in late November. 3 days on location and 2 days on set in a studio. The location was a few hours away at an old fort. The production crew built an incredible set with a smithy, a graveyard, and a town square set to hang our favorite town witch. I had the best time meeting so many new important faces from the Pacific Northwest acting community. It was exciting to learn first hand about SAG regulations, and it was such a pleasant experience to be on a well-scheduled set with extremely high morale. I can't say I've ever had a better time!

The weather was really cold, and the first day it rained buckets off and on. It looked great on film! Our costumes were superb, and we were layered so well that I barely got cold! They made sure to have hand warmers and heaters on set outside to give actors and crew some relief during shoot breaks.

My scenes went smoothly and I really enjoyed trying new things. I won't give any spoilers, but I can say I'm excited for the release. We're crossing our fingers that the film is accepted into a local festival--and then beyond!

Already I can't wait for the opportunity to audition again for this director and his crew. There was a lot of freedom to try things, and be creative. Everyone was concerned about taking care of each other and making sure everyone had the best possible experience. It was a breath of fresh air after not working for a little while, and helped me feel like I was putting my best foot forward.

All in all I can only hope to have another experience as fun as this last one!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Sometimes life is so BIG

Sometimes it feels like life is so big. It can be overwhelming, exciting, fulfilling, crushing, embracing, beautiful and heartbreaking.

Life has happened a lot in the past couple months, and it's seemed so big that I haven't taken the time to sit down and write about it.

I was taking a mini break this last little while. After I found out that my fall show had been cancelled, I barreled into the fringe fest full steam ahead. I knew I'd be sans work afterwards so I was giving it all I had. Unfortunately I had to stop my run early for some family business, but my amazing director and playwright were more than willing to step in and perform my role! Can we talk about how cool Seattle is?

After the fringe closed, I picked up a lot of shifts at work and decided to give myself a breather. Just this week I've finally dived back in. I've seen three shows!
1. Rope at Ghostlight
2. The Underneath at Annex
3. Animal Cruelty with Printer's Devil Theater

They were all fabulous, and it felt like such a relief to be back in a theater breathing the same airspace as the talented people of Seattle. I also attended my first master class with Acting Teacher. He invited me 6 months ago and I hadn't found a free Wednesday night, but this week I had one. I had a lot of fun watching the class, and I'm very excited to get down and dirty with some great scene work. It's been too long since I challenged myself outside of auditions and I forgot how much I thrive on it!

I've had a few rehearsals for my upcoming SAG film. I'm really stoked to start shooting in a week. It's been such a great experience so far, and I don't get to do nearly as much film work out here as I would like. We'll be filming on location for 3 days, and then be in the studio for 2. It will feel like a vacation since I get to take time off work!

Just last week I sat down for my first workshop of Frankenstein with Book-It Rep. We did a read through of the current script and I got a chance to meet all my fellow actors. I have to say that already this feels like the coolest thing I've done in Seattle yet, and we've barely even begun! I'll be starting rehearsals at the end of December, and I can not wait to dive into this script! It's graphic and beautifully crafted and very moving. And the cast is uber talented.

Currently though, I'm still mid-break (even with all the crazy filming, auditioning, classes, and such that I'm doing). So I'm taking a break from thinking too much about my break. Which means, I'll be back to write more come December! Happy Holidays to all!

Friday, September 13, 2013

That something, that magic

Lately I've been getting little flashes of this amazing feeling. It's a feeling I forgot I could feel. Because it happens so seldom, it normally makes me feel nostalgic. But it's been occurring more and more often lately, and I can only hope that I can relearn to grasp it fully.

It's the way I used to feel at Stephens College. I'd wake up every morning knowing that I had somehow been lucky enough to find exactly where I belonged. I had a beautiful artistic family, and every class I took, every conversation I had, and every single moment I spent in those three years felt as if I was accomplishing something important and meaningful. I was impacting the people around me, and they were impacting me. I was so open.

Graduating was an adjustment, certainly. And I've never lost my passion for acting in the time I've sent out of school. But it's only recently that I seem to have rekindled that magical feeling of doing work that's important. To me, and potentially to other people. I walk the halls of TPS during rehearsals and I can hear other actors rehearsing their work and I think "How lucky am I to be surrounded by people who understand that what they do is important?"

Truly, how many people in the world think that their job matters? How many people work for more than a paycheck? How many people live their life in pursuit of something so intangible, but so powerful and overwhelming that they know they can't do anything else? I'm sure there are many. Politicians, scientists, researchers, teachers, and the people who discover new things every day.

It feels like magic when there's that moment in your day that reminds you that you're exactly where you should be, doing exactly what you should be doing. Right now, it's only a moment. It used to be a constant. I strive to rediscover the constant! It happens the more I push myself; the harder and deeper I throw myself into something new. And I love every second of it. Here's to the magic.

Monday, August 26, 2013

My summer of 2013

I know I've been absent. Frankly I've wrapped my arms so tightly around too many projects this summer that my hands have not been free to write. I've just returned from a lovely vacation in Florida that afforded me some much needed perspective, and I think that was the key I was missing.

I've been shooting a lot recently for my webseries House of Glass. Here are some pics:







That's been a crazy process of scheduling, and trying to film in the rain with the wrong sound equipment, and long drives to location shots, and A LOT of bruises from legitimate sparing and hand to hand combat. But it's been fun! And I'm excited to see the footage. I'm not wrapped on filming yet until mid October, but hopefully this will be edited and released for the public at the beginning of the new year!

I've started rehearsals for the Seattle Fringe Festival. I'm doing a new play called Operation Hibernation which is an in depth look at the lengths people will go to believe what they want. I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the Fringe Festival for the 2nd annual year of its comeback! Here's our postcard and poster:



It's going to be a wild ride. 

I'm really starting to feel like the work I'm doing matters again. I was working my way up for so long, and now the roles I'm being offered are finally starting to feel good again. After the Fringe Fest I'll be doing two Noel Coward one act's in British dialect, which I couldn't be more excited about. And then I'll finally be joining the Book-It Theatre in Frankenstein!

I've also recently booked my first SAG film through my agent, and I'll be getting my time period clothes on since it's about the Salem Witch Trials.

I've spent this summer relaxing in the sun, reading books, and seeing as much theatre as I can around my crazy schedule.

Some shows I've seen:
1. The Wild Party by Sound Theatre
2. A Keiko Green original that I can't remember the name of
3. Gruesome Playground Injuries by Azeotrope
4. Gloucester Blues by Harlequinn
5. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Greenstage
6. Picnic by ReAct Theatre

And now the marathon starts. I'm booked until mid March, and you can stay tuned for all the adventures that are sure to unfold!

Until next time: Some food for thought for the women of the theatre:

The Clockwork Professor post mortem

The Clockwork Professor reached it's kickstarter goal startlingly fast. The show was a complete hit--not only with the steampunk crowd of Seattle (of which there are many), but with the general public as well. It was a great gift to work on a show where I could feel the magic happening. The cast was tight, the belief in the playwright and the script was flawless, and our ability to pull together and make it work (under fabulous direction I might add) made the show soar. There were kind comments all around, and I don't think I could have picked a better show to work on for the summer.

Here are some of the reviews I could scrounge up, for my own records:

http://artsstage-seattlerage.com/2013/the-clockwork-professor-at-theatre-off-jackson/
http://www.dianavick.com/?p=919
http://copiouslove.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/copious-love-suggests-the-clockwork-professor/
http://www.broadwayworld.com/seattle/article/BWW-Reviews-THE-CLOCKWORK-PROFESSOR-at-TOJ-Offers-Fun-Steampunk-Melodrama-20130726

And take a look at some pictures!




I suppose now that the show is done with I can release the secret that I did in fact play a robot! It was incredibly fun and challenging to keep my eyes from never blinking, control myself from brushing hair out of my face, and trying to conceal my breathing. Any erroneous movement was a break of character, so it was exciting to keep my body so controlled for the duration of the show. And I've never had to be dead on stage for so long. Whew!

The challenges I faced:
-My contacts falling out on stage. Luckily most of the time I was able to grab them in my gloved hands and put them in my mouth to keep them moist. But you try saying your lines with a contact in your mouth and a blind eye. There was one night where I was not able to catch it. It fell out after my deactivation and I spent the rest of act 1 blind. My SM went on stage at intermission and miraculously found it unscathed even though it had landed in the main traffic pattern. Crazy!
-The amount of enunciation on our crazy new world language was definitely hard. I've never done so much vocal warm up and stretching before a show!
-Matching all my movements precisely to my fellow Robot. Especially the one moment when we both have to flick out a feather duster at the same time. If we were off on a movement it was so noticeable and the humor was lost. Luckily it barely happened!
-Popping my rib out of place during a show. That was rough. And then subsequently coming back two days later for industry night and having to do all of my contortion and gymnastic choreography. But I survived and my cast couldn't have been more encouraging and supportive! And my mom was there for those shows..so that was cool. Fun memories, mom, right?

It was an absolute blast. Miss you guys!




Monday, June 17, 2013

The Summer Begins

For some reason I couldn't get my fingers to type anything worth posting this last month, though plenty has been happening.

I closed Starcrossed at Annex Theatre, and I've started rehearsals for my upcoming summer production of The Clockwork Professor by the amazing local playwright Maggie Lee. You can see our kickstarter campaign here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1086790052/the-clockwork-professor

It's a steampunk action, love story--so really it doesn't get any better than that. I'll be doing some dancing, some stage combat, and some strange contortion things.  We've blocked the entire show, and we've moved into run thrus! We're right on schedule, and we'll be opening July 12!

In other news I've had two callbacks, and a SAG audition. My callbacks were for a local theatre company doing some great plays, and I've just heard back from the director of one of them--and I got cast! I had such a fun time at the audition. It was the first time in a while that I got to use my British dialect, and I really enjoyed stretching those muscles. I'll be performing during the whole month of November, and I'm really looking forward to rehearsals, which will be starting in October.  More news to come as the show date gets closer!

I went to a SAG short film audition yesterday--my first. I had seen a posting for it online, and they contacted my agent and that was that. The second I showed up it was extremely apparent to me that I was the only non-union actor there (at least at the time I was called), and then I had the pleasure of double checking when I saw that the sign in list was for SAG-only, and everyone else was on it. Needless to say I was a little intimidated, and I had only discovered a couple hours prior to my audition that I might have the wrong sides. I was reading for a 40 year old character. The older women around me were all reading for the younger character, so certainly something was amiss. But no, I was told by the director as she came out to apologize for us being behind schedule that I was in fact reading for the 40 year old, and would I please read with this older woman (who was reading for the younger character--though she couldn't be much older than me at all) who was infinitely more prepared than I (I won't give you my excuses for not being prepared)?

Of course I agreed and went into the room, where luckily my co-actor read first. I say luckily because this film audition was so out of my league compared to the others I've attended in the city, and I truly felt like I was going to embarrass myself. Instead, I got to watch how she interpreted the sides (though we had different sides, at least I got to watch her movement ) and it was really helpful. In the end, I read twice. Once with the other actor, and once on my own. The directors ended up really liking us as a pair, and I was flabbergasted because I felt completely out of my league. I was confident in my audition, but not familiar with the process and so I was out of sorts. It was really nice to hear positive feedback in a situation like that, and it was also so beneficial for me to watch another actor do their audition. I can only cross my fingers that I'll have an opportunity to work on a project like this with some seasoned film actors who can teach me a thing or two.

I have more filming coming up in the next few months on House of Glass, which will be really fun. I also had the opportunity to do a play reading for a local playwright who will be putting her play on later this year. It was a really amazing script, and I can't wait to audition for the show. I would absolutely love to be a part of it. I was also asked to read a script at a fundraiser of a local theatre, and it turned out to be a big hit.

I've had some really wonderful experiences this past month--and I can't wait for the next month. I have a big audition coming up for a local theatre here. I also will be auditioning for a small touring company. I've become a company member at Annex Theatre, and I'm becoming more involved there. And soon I'll be opening The Clockwork Professor!  Good things to come!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

This time last year

I've been thinking a lot lately about this time last year.

This time last year I was filming a movie which turned out to be my favorite experience of 2012. This time last year I was an assistant at my job. I was figuring myself out, spreading myself too thin between too many projects, and cramming my life full of all the experiences I wanted to have -- all at the same time.

And it wasn't bad. It was fun and exciting and I learned a lot. I also know now, looking back, that doing so much at once is how I lost inspiration. This year, after giving myself time, finding new hobbies, taking breaks, and spreading my schedule out so things don't collide, I've become so inspired.

I'm inspired to try new things. I'm inspired to let go of things that are holding me back. I'm inspired to start trusting myself again. Really trusting my intuition and my desires. I don't feel as lost as I did my first year in the city (go figure), and I'm so excited for the road ahead.

I have new theatres on my radar and I'm on the radar of new theatres. I have a wonderful group of family and friends surrounding me that I can lean on when I need to. And I'm finally starting to feel like I'm finding myself in this market. I feel better about my skills, my technique, my drive, and my path. It just took me a little while to gain my footing.

This year, I've started working with theatres that I love, who are consistently doing work that I love. I've focused on my health and wellness. I've focused on my frame of mind (and my peace of mind for that matter). I've gotten an agent. I've been promoted. I've gotten raises. I've worked with new teaching companies, and met new people that have offered me great opportunities. I've started reading more and writing again. I think I'm just now beginning to see the benefits of working on me.

It all goes to show that treating people with respect, always being friendly and open, and showing people the genuine kindness they deserve leads you to receive the same. I'm feeling so grateful for all my experiences today, and I can't wait for the new ones that are on their way.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

New Website!

I finally made my first actor website! Now, to be fair, it's not completed. I haven't received the CD of my newest headshots to update all my pictures, but it's on it's way. I can officially say I have a website for possible employers to view (and judge me) by. I'm really excited about it.

www.saschastreckel.com


Starcrossed is almost done. We have two more shows left  on Tues/Wed night. I also start rehearsal for my upcoming summer show this week. I guess it won't be 'upcoming' for much longer! I'm ready to get the new script and dig in. It's a new work, so the author has been busy tweaking it for the last couple months. It will be fun to be working with a playwright again.

I wish I had some cool new pictures from this latest production to share with you, but I haven't seen the results of our photocall yet. I'll be sure to post them if I get them. In other news I've joined a new play reading group I'm excited about, and I've been working with my agent on joining all the local casting sites to finally get kickstarted commercially.

I expect this summer will be an adventure in new auditions.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Spring Fever

So I had started some blog posts previously, and hadn't had time to finish them. I just posted one of my previous posts from early April.

It's been so busy I've let time get away from me. My only excuse is I've had a wonderful two months focusing on real life and forgetting to catalog it. Sorry!

Rehearsals for Starcrossed went extremely well, and I've had a great time with the cast and crew. We officially opened on Tuesday night, and can I just say I haven't enjoyed an opening that much in a while. There was so much laughter I had to wait nearly ten to fifteen seconds to say lines sometimes. What a treat!

Tonight I'll be performing in Spin the Bottle at Annex to preview Starcrossed for those who haven't seen it yet. I wrapped all my filming these last two months and I'm just waiting on footage from my commercial. I've taken new headshots and received the results, so you should be seeing those as soon as I have the full resolution images. Next up on my list of things to do is create my website! I can't believe I haven't done it yet.

This week I have three big auditions coming up. I'm very excited to sing and act and do my best to be remembered. Finally having the opportunity to audition for larger theatres here is so exciting for me. I can't wait to be in the room with them!

Rehearsals for my next upcoming show start as soon as Starcrossed closes in a month, so I've got a little bit of down time (which I'll be filling with classes and workshops and auditions). I was talking to a friend yesterday who is struggling with the decision of whether or not she wants to be an actor anymore. Is it worth it? she asked. Am I good enough? Is it what I want to do?  As we were talking and I explained my schedule and the way I live my life around it, I realized how happy I am doing what I'm doing.

I could potentially grab a full time job with a company that will help promote me within, find a better benefits package, have my nights free to myself, focus on a different kind of future. I look at that life, though, and think how unhappy I would be. Right now acting is what makes me happy. I wake up and go to work and look forward to rehearsals and auditions every day. When I get to rehearsals, I'm with friends that I love to spend my time with, and who I'm lucky to have. When I'm on stage I feel like there's no where else I'd rather be. If I could find a job at a theatre here, I'd be a happy camper. As it is, I keep my life free for agents, auditions, rehearsals, and shows. I call out early on the chance of an acting job. I stay up late to work on my characters. I'm more worried about being memorized than I am about planning curriculum. Until the day that changes, I'll never see these choices as a sacrifice. And that is the heart of being an actor--when does it become a sacrifice? When is it time to stop? It's different for everybody.

As for me, I couldn't be more excited for this coming week. There are so many great shows to see in this city, and so many great opportunities to perform. Here's to the beginning of the summer season!

House of Glass Clip

WRITTEN early 4/13

You can watch my 'prequel' episode for House of Glass here: It's been a fast and full couple of weeks since my last update. I had days of filming, hours of rehearsal, nights of performances and reading, as well as multiple auditions. I'm happy to say I've been having a grand old time flying my actor flag, and am excited about the upcoming weeks.

We're finally starting regular rehearsals for my next show at a local theatre here in Seattle. We've been rehearsing about once a week or so, and I'm ready to finally delve in and get to the good stuff. I finished filming a commercial last weekend with a couple friends. It was incredibly silly. I had a southern dialect and got to ride around on a man's back in the middle of a crowded neighborhood. It was refreshing to be working with familiar faces, which is something that hasn't started happening with me in Seattle often since I'm still so new. It was always nice in college to work with people you knew and understood very well, and I'm excited to begin to have the opportunity in this market as well. Sometimes the better you know someone, the better your work can be. Of course, it could also go the other way. I hope to have the link available to watch in the next couple weeks! I'll be sure to post it here so stay tuned.

In other news, I've signed on for another staged reading coming up. I've also had my first read through for my upcoming summer show. It's such a pleasure to get to work with the original playwright on a play, so I'm ready to start this next process coming up shortly.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Weekend of a Lucky Girl


This weekend has really reminded me how to be truthful, humble, and grateful for every opportunity provided to me.

It began after a great acting lesson on Friday with my acting coach. He extended me an offer I've been hoping for for a long while, and I couldn't be happier to feel like I'm moving in the direction I want to. I believe it was a result of a great TPS audition, and quite a bit of hard work. I'm excited for the future, and can't wait to get started.

I had my first rehearsal on Saturday for my next show. I got to sit down with the cast and director and really delve into the script. It was originally written for the local 14/48 festival, which means it was written in about 10 hours, and then the actors had little to no time to learn it before it was performed once and then forgotten about. So, this is the first time it's seen the light of day since that one festival night about two years ago. We had a great talk about characters and background and all that jazz, so I'm ready to dive right on in to scene work next time we meet. Which is in a month. Crazy rehearsal schedules.

This weekend was ComiCon! Which means House of Glass was there, showing everyone our trailer, making star connections (I heard Felicia Day was involved!), and gathering as much money as we could. I'd like to say it was a pretty successful weekend for us, but I didn't get the chance to make it out since I was crazy busy with other things. I can say that I'm very proud of the work that has been put into the project so far, and I can only hope the public chooses to support the production because it's going to be stellar!

Here is the trailer!



Today was the best day of the weekend. It started out with my three hour auditioning class, bright and early at 9am. I brought in a Shakespeare audition piece to work on with the teacher, since he performs so much Shakespeare regionally and has won a lot of accolades for his interpretations and performances. He only had positive things to say to me, so I feel incredibly prepared to walk into my upcoming Shakes auditions with confidence and a little bit of sass. We worked on needing the words, and what my relationship was with my 'scene partner' to make it a little more dynamic and less simplistic. I'm very happy with where the piece is right now, but I plan to continue working it and I'll probably run it by more people before the big day. You can never be too prepared!

After class I had an audition for a new company here, and I had a blast. I got to do some karate, and I was asked to repeat my monologue as a robot. All in all, it was a fun experience with really sweet auditors. I'm always so grateful to directors who appreciate a calm and friendly audition experience. The three women put me immediately at ease, made conversation, and kept me around afterwards to chat a bit. I even got a chance to read some of the script while I was waiting to go in and audition, which is abnormal for a new work, and I appreciated that as well.

Today I was also offered a role in a staged reading coming up soon, which I gratefully accepted. I'm looking forward to working with some familiar faces, and a new company. It's always exciting to workshop a piece too, and be a part of the process from the ground up. Right after this opportunity, I was invited to audition with a company I've been dying to work with! So basically, this weekend turned into one good thing after another, and I've spent my day feeling lucky and grateful and positive about the year 2013, and everything that has happened so far.

I can't wait for everything to come!

Update on shows I've seen:
5XTenn or so
Undo (again)

Thursday, February 28, 2013

House of Glass Promo

Here it is! The kickstarter for my new webseries House of Glass!

Click HERE to go to our kickstarter page and make a donation. You can also watch the promotional video, cast interviews, and other behind the scenes features. New ones will be added every week, and our donors will be getting special sneak peaks and prizes from the director and producers.

I couldn't be more excited! If you're in the area, check us out at Emerald City Comi-Con this weekend as well!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

So, that happened

TPS. Arguably the biggest audition day of the year in the Puget Sound happened last week. I had been working on my pieces with my private acting coach for weeks. I recently started an auditioning class at Freehold theatre, and my teacher there helped me prepare as well.

All in all, as compared to last year, this year I chose better pieces that represented the roles I wish to be cast in. I took a risk this year of adding in a dialect to my audition (kind of a no-no in the rule book, but it was necessary). Last year I took no risks and changed my audition piece on behalf of my prescreen auditors. I felt much more in control this year making my own conscious decision to break a rule. In the end I think it paid off. I received positive feedback from a few auditors/theatre companies. I feel good about the way it went. My time slot was right after a break, so the auditors had all gotten coffee and gone to the bathroom. They were bright eyed, and listening so there was a wonderful energy in the room.

I was no where near as nervous this year, probably because I was much more confident about the pieces I chose to perform, and because I knew people in the audience this year. Right after my audition I had a meeting with an artistic director from an outside theatre company. I also received several emails and was able to do one callback.

Overall I'd say I had a very positive experience, and I had fun!

This past weekend I also auditioned for a larger theatre company here. I had a good audition and ended up being called back. It's the second time I've made it to the final callbacks for this theatre, which means I'm doing something right. I don't think I'm as suited to the role as the other women I auditioned with, but only time will tell. There's only one part available to women, so the competition is pretty fierce.

This weekend I also began rehearsals for Starcrossed. I met the casts of the multiple plays, and we read through them. I had the interesting opportunity of reading for roles I wasn't cast in because some actresses weren't able to make it to the rehearsal. It was really fun to play around with characters since the directors weren't really looking at me for those roles since they've already been cast. I also received some positive feedback about the read through, which is always great. I think it's going to be a really exciting process, and I couldn't be happier to be working with this company.

February flew by. Auditions, classes, private lessons, agent business, and work all kept me really busy. Now I get to start auditioning for the upcoming summer season! There's some great opportunities to do some Shakespeare in the park, and I'm working on my pieces for those auditions now.  With rehearsals now begun, March and April are going to go by pretty quickly I'd imagine.

I'm just having a great 2013 so far! Oh, and my favorite news of the month: Fellow susie Erin will be making the move to Seattle this summer! She came to visit for TPS auditions, nailed them, and now she's working to save the money to come be part of the Seattle family. I couldn't be more excited!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Kickoff

2013. Woah.

I'm ecstatic about the progress I've made on some goals this year, and I'm excited to share the news.

I've been absent from the blogosphere for a couple weeks working out some auditions, some offers, and some great new opportunities.  The most exciting news: I now officially have an agent. I've signed on with Actors First and I couldn't be happier.

There are a lot of agents here in the city, but so many agencies cover so much talent, that it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. I was looking for an agent that would work for me. That was interested in what I have to offer and isn't looking to sign ten more of me in the process. One of the biggest mistakes an actor can make when searching for an agent is not knowing the right questions to ask. How much competition do you have in the agency? How active a role is your agent willing to take in your career?  Are they franchised? Who have they worked with? Those are just a few that come to mind in my specific situation, but I happened to have written a page long list that I brought in to my interview/audition. In the end, it was a great fit and I'm so ready to start on this new adventure!

In preparation I recently took a commercial workshop with a local casting director. Most of the information I had learned in college, but when we finally got up on our feet and started auditioning in front of the camera I really started learning things. It was a very useful exercise not only to be back in front of the camera, but to hear from a CD what it is that she wants to see. I remember in college always thinking about how I looked on camera. Were my expressions too large? Why did my eyebrows move when I didn't ask them too? I thought I put lipstick on, where did it go?

But this workshop focused so much on the intent and action behind a good commercial audition, that all of that stuff went out the window, and we were all truly able to focus on having a great read. I was able to listen to over ten different commercials, which was extremely beneficial since I've never done a commercial audition before. Even after watching commercials, I had forgotten there were so many different kinds!  I definitely feel much more prepared to find myself in front of the CDs in this city and have a great audition!

Recently I've been seeing as much theatre as I can. I've seen:
American Buffalo
Undo
Hamlet
A Doll's House
The Rest is Silence
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

They've all been fabulous, and it makes me so excited to be working in a city that's doing such a great mix of new works and classics. I'm even starting to recognize the big name actors more...I know, it's only taken me a year. I have a list of shows I hope to see before the end of February, and I can't wait to see them all!

I recently turned down some shows offered to me in order to have the chance to audition with a company that I made it my mission to work for at least once. This weekend I had the audition...and the callback--and I  BOOKED IT.

I couldn't be happier to be performing in Star Crossed: And other tales from a devious universe at Annex Theatre this spring!

In other news, I've finished filming my kickstarter for an upcoming webseries I'll be filming in May. It should be released in the next month or so, and I'll provide the link. It's an all female, all action, mythological/sci-fi experience! If interested in the website,  you can find it here.

There isn't much info up yet, but there should be some coming soon. Spoiler alert: I had gun lessons.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

It has only just begun

2013 has been a whirlwind of opportunities, offers, and big decisions already!

I've been having some fantastic classes on Fridays with my wonderful acting coach. I've managed to find some new monologues I'm really enjoying with him, all while learning some new techniques for character enhancement. Who knew 'therefore' was a magic word?

I've auditioned for a webseries, and booked a webseries! I start filming tomorrow for a kickstarter campaign to raise funds to pay the cast and crew. The series itself will be made regardless which is pretty exciting. It's always a joy to find passionate people with new ideas that want to make something crazy. The premise seems to be Greek mythology + Joss Whedon. I mean, how can you go wrong? Needless to say, I'm stoked to meet everyone tomorrow, old and new friends alike, and can't wait to hear about the part I'll be getting to play. I'm crossing my fingers for some combat scenes. I'll also be filling out a non-disclosure agreement, so details from here on out might be few and far between. I don't even know what the turn around time will be for how quickly the episodes will air. Updates to come!

I recently auditioned and got called back for an exciting new play with a pretty new company. I had a blast working with them throughout the auditions. It's been a while since I've felt such a safe and welcoming environment. Because it was an original work written by their company members, they were all very familiar and invested in the direction they wanted to take it. I had a lot of opportunities to read multiple scenes multiple times, which let me play! I love auditions that really let you shake loose and try a ton of new things. That's how actors should always audition, but some processes lend themselves to it more than others. This was a lucky one, and it was a great way to start out the new year! I even got to brush off an old monologue for the original audition. That's always good.

I took new headshots! As I'm sure you can see by the new design of the page. I was lucky enough to shoot with a wonderful New York photographer who happens to be an actor that was originally based in Seattle. I've never had so much fun on a photo shoot before. I managed to nab my friend and favorite makeup/hair artist for my big day as well, so really all I had to worry about was smiling, which wasn't hard at all! I'm excited to start my agency submissions coming up. I just finished touch ups today and sent out a batch to be printed. I should be receiving them within the next week, right in time for my next audition!

I was offered some new jobs with the murder mystery company I work with. I'm really going to have to work on scheduling my time this year. Already things are running together and overlapping, and I know from my experience last year, that I do my best work when I give myself time to focus. I'm working on focusing on what I want most and gunning for that. It's time for me to step back and make some choices about how I'm going to let this year play out. So far --- So Good.