Happy New Year 2013

2012 has been a whirlwind of adventure. I left the safety of college and home behind as I moved across the country to a city I'd never been to. I have worked over five jobs this year. I've been cast in nine shows. I've made amazing new friends and family that I hope to have for a very long time. I've watched my close friends find success in their lives and have been there to celebrate with them. I've found my own successes and made new goals and I'm so excited to achieve them.

First on the list: I got the call today that I've been cast in my first webseries! What a way to start 2013! I've been wanting more film on my resume, and I had such a blast at the audition. I was given some strange sides to read, but the CD had me trying really fun things with them. They laughed, they whispered, and I had a good feeling but you just never know. I was very excited to get the call because this project will hopefully be including some fighting for me, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on getting more techniques on the resume!

Next up I'll be taking new headshots with the talented Danielle Barnum. Last year I got new shots that got me quite a bit of work, but I've heard from many lately that I need an update. I'm looking forward to sending these out to some agencies.

Agency submissions are at the top of my list for 2013. Submitting is as important as receiving representation, because it's about getting my name and image out there in the ether of Seattle. I'd love to start booking work in the commercial/film industry out here, and this is the first step to doing so.

I have an audition coming up on Sunday for a local theatre company that's been producing some exciting new works. I can't wait to meet new people and work with new companies this year.

I've been so lucky this year to work with such a broad network of artists. I've made so many new friends, and looking back to this time last year I've not only grown as an artist but I've grown so much as a person. I'm more confident, more willing to take a risk, and more excited than ever to see what the future has in store. I'd like to thank everyone that helped make 2012 one of the most exhilarating journeys of my life so far. I even had the joy of visiting family this Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I missed out on last year. I'm more inspired now to continue on this crazy life of working to make ends meet financially just for the thrill of the chase in my art. Normally I'd say I dare 2013 to be better than the year before. But this year, I've learned I don't dare. I do. I'm going to do everything I can to help 2013 surprise me!

Happy New Year all!

Acting journal update

I've been doing a lot of new monologues recently for my Adler acting lessons, and for my own memory I need to write some things down.

A couple weeks ago we worked on the actions: To reveal, to declare, and to dream. In other words, exposing intimacy. Acting coach C reminded me that every action we choose to perform must further the conflict of the plot. There is always a forward motion. In so doing, I must be careful not to 'act the past'. I performed Kitty Duval from The Time of Your Life, which I hadn't read before. It's a very whimsical and yet truthful piece about life after the Great Depression, and how people survived. In this monologue Kitty recounts her past in a dreamlike state. I was given the note to not act the past, because in terms of 'dreaming', Kitty is dreaming her past like it's happening now. If I were to put my current opinion of past events into the monologue, it is no longer dreaming.

Acting coach C and I also talked a lot about how people go to the theatre to see conflict resolved. They want to watch people fight the battles and demons they don't necessarily allow themselves to confront. It's a good reminder that all theatre is action, and that without this action we are not telling a story.

This past week I learned about Big Ideas.  Big ideas are such things as: good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, hypocrisy vs. integrity.  These are universal battles that everyone can relate to in some facet. Some scenes are not just about the people and situation they find them self in. They are about ideas, universal ideas that audiences everywhere can connect with. If we, as actors, never reach the big ideas in a scene and focus instead on the personal battle a character is going through (playing the emotion, as they say) then often an audience has not understood and we have not done our job. Big ideas, in my case this week, were used to remove emotion and stop me from making a scene too personal. The scene was no longer about how my character felt about her mother, but instead about how she felt about her values and the way they clashed with her mother's. I've definitely used similar tactics, but I'd never had it explained in quite this way. I found it very useful.

In other news, I bought my acting instructor's book: The Actor's Script, and I'm loving it so far. It's a good breakdown of the way to approach a script, with some Stella Adler thrown in.

The way of the world

After the terrible events in Connecticut on Friday December 14, 2012, I read this article by an actor about why we do theatre. It's really very inspiring, and I wanted to share it:

http://bramongarciabraun.com/uncategorized/connecticut/

In it the author talks about how his acting instructor taught him that theatre is done to save people in times of tragedy. It helps them cope, breathe, and find a direction to move forward in. I was taught the same things by my acting instructors.

Some times it's easy to forget the larger reasons why I do theatre. Of course it's fun, a form of self expression, and an unbeatable outlet. But I also do it because of the impact it has on others. I do it to help, to teach, to serve a greater community in ways they can't serve themselves.

I was especially hard hit by this tragedy because not only are my parents teachers, but I'm one as well. The children I teach daily are the same ages as so many of the victims. I don't have many words to describe this experience, but I know that it will serve as a reminder to many that life is priceless and these are times of change.

It is the duty of theatre to help in times of change. I urge everyone to help in whatever way they can. Do a good deed, compliment someone, express yourself and help others. Share your love of something with someone else. Hug a child. Hug a teacher. Most importantly, open yourself to something new and do it for all of the children and teachers that will never have the chance.  Love.

Here is one artist that is helping in his way:
http://jasonrobertbrown.com/2012/12/16/twenty-six-names/

Seattle Year One Recap, a little early

In the last month I've been reading more plays, performing more monologues and perfecting my audition technique, catching up on some good books and movies, and just generally taking a step back and getting my head on straight.

I've made some life changes, reevaluated some goals, and started my next phase. If you're interested in some of the articles that have been helping me out lately, here are some links:

The Wal-Marting of American Theatre

The Empty Spaces of American Theatre

I've become a TCG member, renewed my Theatre Puget Sound membership, looked into some big regional auditions and theatre companies, and chosen my next headshot photographer! I have some auditions on the horizon and honestly after the last month of my life I can't wait to get back to it. I even signed on for some winter classes at Freehold Theatre!

I'll be taking a break from so much teaching  to start working on myself again. I've decided that I'm not ready right now to be devoting so much of my time to others instead of my own goals, so after some hard choices I've finally put myself on the track to getting more of what I want. Whew.

Who knew so much could happen in one month? Not this girl.

Also, I've received the link to the website for the film I filmed last May. If you want to see some of the production photos with the talented cast and crew here it is:

http://technolust.decodedfilms.com

They hope it will be completed by October 2013! I'll be helping to promote it coming up soon, and I can't wait to film another.

Here's a recap of the acting experiences I've had since moving to the city a year ago:

Dis and Dat with Underkulture Theatre, a two person absurdist piece that really stretched my physicality and imagination.

Murder Mystery plays with Murder Mystery Players. I've done two now, and will hopefully continue to work with this fun national company. There's always a quick and dirty rehearsal, a sold out crowd, and an exciting fight scene to be had.

Hoodies Up! with BrownBox Theatre, a company that prides itself on producing working by, for, and about African Americans in a city that doesn't tend to do work that allows them many roles. All the proceeds went to the Trayvon Martin foundation. Theatre for a cause is the best kind of theatre there is.

Techno Lust the movie. It started out as test shots in February, then again in April, and then I was cast for the full movie in May. Out of all my experiences this year, this was by far my most exciting. For 5 days I knew what it was like to really do what I want to do, and it only inspired me to continue to work towards the goal of having that as many times as I can.

The Taming of the Shrew with Greenstage. Outdoor theatre for 3 months with one of the best casts I've had the opportunity to work with. Greenstage reminded me why I do theatre and what it means to be a family with the people you work with. I couldn't have had a better summer.

Connecticut with the Seattle Fringe Festival. I had the opportunity to work side by side with a new playwright at the return of the Seattle Fringe Festival. It was so amazing to be a part of the history of Seattle in that way.

Dead Man's Cell Phone with Burien Little Theatre. I took a chance on hoping to get cast in this production, and I couldn't have been luckier to be a part of it and meet so many talented members of the theatre community.

This list is not including the countless auditions I went on weekly that allowed me to continue to perform again and again. It does not include the numerous callbacks I received only to have to move on to the next show. It doesn't include the shows I was cast in or offered that I had to say thank you, but no thank you to. And it doesn't include the films I began filming that were cancelled part way through. As a point of reference, it also doesn't include the shows I stage managed, helped to direct or teach, write, or worked on in any technical sense.

Overall my first year in Seattle offered me so many amazing opportunities. No, it hasn't been everything I expected. Sometimes budgets aren't large enough to accomplish all the hopes and dreams of a production team, sometimes schedules conflict and rehearsals aren't always timely and efficient, and sometimes you don't have time or know all the right people to do the things you want to do. But what Seattle has taught me this year is that I'm doing the right thing.

This city is so encouraging to its artists. There are so many people here waiting for the next show to come out, and so many people hoping you'll be the one they see in it. Directors can't wait to meet you, actors can't wait to work with you, and companies are stretching their creativity and ingenuity by producing new works that are bubbling over with relevant and stimulating themes that make you laugh and cry and stomp your feet with frustration.

I literally cannot wait for year two.

Musings of a Procrastinator

Readers, it's time to come clean. I've been having a procrastination problem lately (in procrastination time, that means a while). It's been almost a month since my last update, so here is my confession:

I was sad to see Dead Man's Cell Phone end. With it went my claim to being a working actor of the moment. However, I was gaining back my valuable free time and prescious working woman hours that help me save some extra cash for the future big move to the next stage of my life. I hugged my loving cast goodbye and we shared a fond final cast party to remember the good times.

I felt so lucky to have many of my friends able to come see me perform these last couple months. I've been on an acting spree, and in a way I think I lost sight of some of the things I think are most important in my life. When acting becomes a chore instead of a release, I know it's time for things to change. I found myself doing wonderful pieces, but I felt less and less like I was giving them what they deserved from myself. I felt like I spent so much time spreading myself between projects that I wasn't fully embodying any one thing in a given moment.

Now that I've had time to take a step back and evaluate these last 8 months of crazy acting experiences, I know what I'm looking forward to doing in the future. I'm ready to start taking some classes again. I want to do more than my weekly acting class and really feel as though I'm working on my craft with like minded people. I want to feel that every production I step into means something to me and that I have something to offer it. I don't want to split my time, I want to work hard and improve as much as I can every time I do a play. I want to always learn something new, and for me I think that means I need to go back to basics for a little while.

I'm on the hunt for a new heashot photographer, and I've got some good leads. I'm trying to weigh how much I want to pay for these new shots with the quality I expect to get. At my age, these shots might not last me very long, and I don't want to shell out $500 for a one year investment if I can avoid it.

I'm starting to put out feelers for work outside Seattle. I never imagined myself as a one market woman. I want to travel and move from regional theatre to regional theatre. But in order to accomplish that dream I have to remember to not get stuck in a one market mindset. I need to constantly research audition dates and seasons that I'd like to be involved in. I need to pick my newest audition package. Luckily, with the help of my fantastic personal acting coach, I have a great new many options to choose from.

I think I'm really just working on finding myself again. I'm rediscovering my passion for this art and where exactly I want to go with it. I love my job being a preschool teacher. And I love that I've been given the opportunity to be a freelance teaching artist with many great new companies in the Puget Sound. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't love teaching the way I love acting, and I don't love staying in one place when I feel there is so much more to be discovered.

I have big plans, and phase one of my transition from college student to graduated woman is complete. I have acted my way into eight new credits, become a bonafide theatre for youth educator, and continued my education by privately studying Stella Adler all in one year's time. I continue to work at The 5th Avenue Theatre which I adore, and I've been working on seeing more theatre.

Recently I've seen: A Mouse Who Knows Me (A New Musical), Scapin, LAPDSMU 2, Rabbit Hole, Cardenio, and Language Art. I've been pushing myself to really use my time for me now that I have the time to spend. It's been incredibly fulfilling to be able to see more theatre and remember all the reasons why I love my job so much.

Here's a recap of the last month:

1. Opened and performed in the Northwest premiere of a new murder mystery with a fun and funny cast. We had a sold out show to a really great audience and I had the opportunity to act and rehearse with some old friends. I'm looking forward to my next outing with them. I really adore this company, and though I never imagined doing murder mysteries, every time I work with them I remember all the reasons I fell in love with theatre to begin with.

2. I opened and closed Dead Man's Cell Phone after a four week run. We had sold out shows, two rousing talk backs, and a whole lot of fun. I learned a lot--and really, that's all you can ask for.

3. I admitted to myself that it was time for new headshots, and now I've been fighting my common sense and my thrift to find a photographer that meets all my qualifications.

4. I've found a new direction for myself in the form of focusing on making me a better artist. I'm going to accomplish this by making more time for myself, continuing to expand myself outside theatre, seeing more theatre, and reminding myself of technique. I'm truly excited to get back to work on me.

5. I've been teaching more. A lot more.

I'm ready for a week at home with family, and then I'm ready to find my focus and start honing in on what I want again!

Whereto Gumshoe?

Sitting in a coffee shop appreciating the free wi-fi and limited time I have to kill before rehearsal tonight I'm thinking about all my experiences the past month and a half. So many things have happened that I haven't had the time, energy, enthusiasm, or words to express.

I've been working non-stop on overlapping projects, driving from one rehearsal to another, teching one show after the next, opening and closing, running and striking. It's been the most wonderful experience. I've loved every second of it.

When I'm investing myself in things that I love i.e. theatre, I find so much more passion in my jobs. I teach better, I learn better, I love better. I find it difficult to not be working on something I love doing, because I'm so used to being able to do it all the time.

I'm about to take a break from running around like crazy, and I'm really hoping I last more than a week without my frustration coming out. This last month I've been preparing myself for the sudden downslide I'll have when my next two projects end. I'll be going home for Christmas, and because of this I can't take anymore projects right now because I would miss rehearsals or performances.

I think I've grown in a lot of ways. I realize now that taking a break is good for my health. It's good for me to refocus on being a real person with other passions and adventures. It's healthy for me to do things besides theatre, and it makes me a better artist.

I can use this time to submit myself for future projects, really sharpen my technique in classes, research grad schools, write like I used to, and find new creative avenues to express myself in. I can find time to read, to bake and cook, to travel, and to go see theatre.

If there's one thing I want to do better this year than I did last year, it's the amount of theatre I attend. It's so important as an artist to not only keep up with the work around you, but to appreciate it and learn from it. Theatre artists do theatre for a multitude of different reasons, but I think it's easy to forget that as a theatre artist, it is important for us to be given the same things we want to give to others who see our work.

I watched a movie last night for the first time in over three months. How ridiculous is that? When I think about it, I've probably watched less than ten movies since moving to Seattle. I pack my schedule so full that I only make time for certain things. Normally these things are all things I want to do and love to do. But doing the same things over and over does not make you a well rounded individual. It doesn't stimulate you or push you.

I plan on pushing myself harder in these next two months than I have previously--but in different ways. I'm going to focus on me.

I've spent the last couple months in rehearsals with a lot of different artists and the thing that separates me from most of them is the amount of time I spend on myself. I spend a lot of time on my career and theatre and acting, but not a lot of time on other things I used to like. Such as writing, designing, biking, reading, running, having a life.

These last couple months I've had more of a life than I have in the past year and it's felt so good. I can't wait to do more of it. I think taking a break is going to be really good for me. Maybe I'll learn something new..

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall--Where does the time go?

I can't believe I let the time get so away from me. I have a lot of events to comment on, and many things I've learned but I'll start with a recap.

The month of September flew by with rehearsals for the Fringe Fest and Dead Man's Cell Phone every single night. It wasn't long before I hit tech week for the Fringe, and we were finally putting the show together. The thing to know about fringe festivals is that the pieces put on are either imported/invited from other cities where they've already performed, or they are new works that haven't been performed yet. In our case, we were still pulling everything together by the time we were given our two hours on stage to tech. Because so many plays were using the same four venues, we were given a limited amount of time to go cue to cue through our play and work the kinks out.

In our two hours we managed to get through the cue to cue, but not through an actual run of the show. Because one of our actors had been scheduled at work the days previous, we hadn't actually done a full run with all the actors in about four days. So by the time we opened on a Wednesday night at 9pm, we were doing our first run of the show!

Personally I enjoy doing the kind of theatre where you get to fly by the seat of your pants sometimes because I think it can teach and remind us of valuable lessons such as listening, controlling adrenaline, and trusting your fellow actors. With about nine people in the audience it felt more like an open dress rehearsal, but it also felt great to put the show on after two months of rehearsal.

We had a wonderful four day run, with intimate but enthusiastic audience turnouts. Saturday was our best performance, I thought, because many of our fellow fringe actors showed up to support the work.  At the end of the run, I attended a short after party given by our playwright, and it was really nice to sit down with everyone who had put so much time and hard work into making his dream possible. We got to talk about our favorite points of the show, and reaction we heard from audience members. I was also given the greatest gift I've ever been given for doing a show, and better yet--I was paid! I didn't expect to get paid for this show, but it sure was a nice bonus.

The weekend of the Fringe Festival I also attended two productions: Disco Pigs and LAPDSMU. Both were just fantastic shows. Disco Pigs is a two person play written by the Tony-Award winning writer of Once, Enda Walsh. It was not only a fantastic piece of literature, but a wonderfully staged and fully realized production. It included one of my favorite sets I've encountered in a while, with life size tinker-toys, and ABC building blocks. I had the most amazing time being an audience member of this show. I enjoyed it from the opening lines (shouted in an Irish brogue while one character pushed another on stage in a shopping cart) to the closing lines (said in tears). Stellar performances given by two extremely capable actors. I wish I could have seen it twice. LAPDSMU was just hilarious. I had a lot of friends performing in it, and I laughed the entire way through. I can't wait to see the sequel!

After the Fringe was over, I moved directly into tech week for DMCP, which was really exhilarating for me because:
A. I finally got to focus on one show for the first time in three months.
B. I hadn't been through a week long tech process since college (inside a theatre that is. Shrew had two weeks of outside tech).

I had a great time finally grasping certain things about the show that I hadn't quite focused on before, and really tuning in with my cast. Opening night was a blast! We were really prepared to go onstage, and I felt great about finally getting an audience.

I've had a lot of fun in this process because I've learned some things about myself. It's easy to forget to use the lessons you learn when you're in school. It's also important to remind yourself why those lessons were important and to use them whenever possible. I also learned a lot about knowing when it's a good time in your life to be working on two projects at once. I had a lot of fun doing two shows, but as an actor it's important to be able to give your all to a project, and if it's not possible to do that, then it might not be a good idea to accept two project. In the future, I'll need to weigh my options carefully. I always want to do my best work on a project, and luckily for me, I had two extremely supportive casts that were accepting of my engagements. Both shows worked out great!

Fortunately, I had a week to get in the right place and really buckle down with myself. We've had two reviews for the show (both good), and we've been getting pretty good turn out too! To a small theatre, it really is all about butts in seats!

After I opened DMCP, I went into rehearsal for an upcoming murder mystery. It's with a company I've worked with previously that's always a lot of fun. There's always a quick and dirty rehearsal period of about a week and a half, then a one night show with a generally sold out crowd at a dinner theatre. I love these shows because you get to interact with the audience as an actor, which is abnormal and I like flexing muscles I don't use a lot. We'll be performing this upcoming Wednesday, so we'll tech this next week.

After this show, I'll finish running DMCP by October 21, and then I'm taking a little time to myself for once. I picked up four new teaching gigs this week that have me booked Monday-Thursday at four different schools in Seattle. I'm teaching keyboard, dramatic play (The 3 Billy Goats Gruff, musical Michael Jackson Style), and another theatre class. I now teach age 2.5-10. Life is crazy.

I'll have some deeper insight coming up soon, but for now, I've got to go to rehearsal!

Here's the link to the reviews:
http://burienlittletheatre.org/blog/2012/09/reviews-for-dead-mans-cell-phone/
Here's the link to the production photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/burienlittletheatre/sets/72157631663098235/

Be a part of the future

The auditions have slowed down these last couple weeks, and things aren't nearly so crazy as they were before.

Two weekends ago I auditioned for a new work. It was a really unique script that deals with many contemporary issues in society, but it approaches them in a very engaging way. I had a blast at the audition because it was the first I've been to yet where all my friends were auditioning too! I didn't have the chance to audition with any of my friends, and I didn't end up getting cast--but crazily enough many of my friends did.

I'm excited to see the production when it opens in April. I love that Seattle offers so many great opportunities  for new playwrights. There are many up and coming playwrights in this city that have their work produced on large and small stages area wide. It gives this theatre community a forward energy. Everyone in Seattle is working towards making American Theatre a staple of this country, and new artists are constantly coming to and emerging from this city with great ideas and a passion for producing inspiring premieres that make their way all over the country and the world.

Now, this doesn't mean the work pays well, or that the production value is always high--but I think it's important to remember the things that can be taken away from being a part of this new play movement. The opportunity to workshop a piece and be the first to perform it is a heady feeling. The Fringe Festival show I'm in right now is a new work, and I'm part of the premiere. In many of these circumstances, actors have the chance to work directly with the writers, which provides great insight to the characters and situations they find themselves in.  I've learned to deal with changing dialogue, and cutting scenes. There is also something wonderful about contemporary voices in theatre, and gaining the ability to approach these new, unheard voices.

Play writing is an ever evolving art form, and every play gives an actor a gift by allowing them to find something new in themselves and in their craft.  When performing great American works of theatre, there is often an idea in everyone's mind of how it should be done, or possibly how it's never been done before (which can either be the best or worst experiment). With a new work, there isn't a presupposed idea, no boundaries or guidelines, and ultimately a freedom that can help to foster an intelligent dialogue and a natural openness to new ideas.

New works were a selling point when I was deciding to move to this city. Since I've been here they've presented exciting opportunities, but nothing so great as a national tour (or even a small scale educational tour) or a lead in to a larger job. Many new works do not lead to future career opportunities in this city, but I think that if American actors think or continue to think of new works as purely a stepping stone in their career, then America will never truly gain a theatre to call its own. As long as playwrights continue to write, and someone somewhere continues to be generous enough to fund their work, and actors continue to take time out of their career catapulting shenanigans then eventually we will help to make the future of American theatre.

New works in Seattle are so accepted as part of the community. They are exciting and dominate a good portion of the work done in this small market. As long as new plays are being produced throughout the country, American theatre will continue to move forward. Continuing to perform the classics and the modern realism genre that were born out of war-time society will always be pertinent and effectual. But as a country with no National Theatre, it is up to the playwrights to find their own niche and funding that will help their work spread to the public. Being part of a new work is being part of the future.

Read a great article about Seattle playwrights here: http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2019076947_playwrights09.html

In other news, I also auditioned for another local company that does a lot of new works recently. I'm still waiting to hear back from them, and in the mean time I'm making sure I'm off book for the two productions I'm already a part of.

Rehearsals have gone by so quickly for the Fringe show. We actually open and run next week starting Wednesday. When that closes, I'll be starting Tech Week for my second show. In other words, I've been very busy rehearsing on two separate sides of the city, memorizing lines and blocking, and promoting the shows. I'm excited to be getting closer to opening, because the audience is what it's all about!

I've learned a lot about different directing styles in these processes. I've been lucky to have worked with two very collaborative directors that appreciate actor input and ideas. Both rehearsals have helped me find a voice I didn't know I had as an actor. I've been allowed to really dig into scenes with my casts because the directors have been so willing to discuss different methods.

I've also learned a lot about juggling shows. What I've taken away from the experience is that doing multiple shows at once can be great. I have stretched my creativity and learned new things. It can also be exhausting and frustrating to miss one rehearsal for another, or to have six hours of one rehearsal and then four hours of another with only an hour break in between. And as tiring as this can be, I still find it to be an incredibly fulfilling experience that I feel grateful to have. That's how I know I'm doing the right thing for me. I'm curious to know other actors' opinions on the subject.