So this past week and a half has brought about a lot of new thoughts for me.
That's probably because I went bungee jumping this past Saturday, and there's nothing like flinging yourself off a bridge (twice) to make a person reevaluate priorities and life goals.
In other news, I saw Freakstorm and The Foreigner, which were both wonderful productions. Freakstorm was a smaller, avante-garde show. It's a modern adaptation of The Tempest, and it was an interesting and funny take on the story. The Foreigner has a beautiful set in a lovely theatre with a cast that fits their parts perfectly.
I've also auditioned for a new play reading and Greenstage's Shakespeare in the Park (The Taming of the Shrew and Henry VIII). I've been cast in the play reading and I have callbacks coming up for both Shakes shows. I've been to an acting class, taught two acting classes, signed on for a new Shakespeare class I'll be teaching, and have been accepted into a one night class on some exciting theatre techniques I've been dying to learn. I've also been asked to come shoot some more test scenes for the film I worked on previously.
All in all, as slow as it seems around here, I seem to be staying fairly busy with the theatre industry.
However, since I bungee jumped I've definitely been looking at the last couple months and thinking more and more about the direction I want to take. How much of my career am I willing to leave up to chance at this point? Do I want to just continue to audition for everything I can and hope for the best? Do I want to look into grad schools this next year, already, instead of sticking it out a while longer? Do I want a different market?
It's hard to answer these questions at the moment, but I have an entire summer ahead of me to figure out everything that I want.
I know that I miss feeling like theatre is the largest part of my life. I know that I want to do more meaningful work than I've had the opportunity to do here so far. And I know that I need some more life experience before I can figure out what roles are me, which will help me along significantly.
Either way, it's been an exhausting week and a half, and I couldn't be more excited for this weekend in which I get to relish having two days of nothing but acting filled fun!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Here's to nights off!
Successes of the last two weeks:
1. Had a fun general audition. I don't remember it, but I felt great about it.
I actually ran into a man last night at the theatre where my roommate's show is going into production this week. We were helping set up and they were holding auditions down the hall for another theatre company. This man saw me walking along and turned around and said "You look really familiar." I said, "The only time I've been in this theatre was for general auditions. I'm the girl who exited the stage the wrong way. I hear I was the only one." He said, "Oh, I promise you weren't the only one. But no, I saw your audition. I remember you. You were really good. What's your name?" I introduced myself and he congratulated me and walked on. It was surreal and pleasant, and strange. It's nice to have some form of feedback (no matter how subjective it is) since the theatres themselves don't get back to the actors until necessary. Or at all.
2. Auditioned for Wooden O's. This is a company that performs Shakespeare in the park in the summers. I was ridiculously sick for the audition and thought strongly about cancelling. In the end I decided it would be a year before I had the opportunity to audition again and I wasn't willing to give it up. I went, forgot my headshot and resume, and ended up blanking out on my monologue the first time through. I've never EVER done that before, but I know it won't be the last time in my career that it happens. That's life. The auditors ended up being so friendly. They drew a picture of me to remember me, and they let me redo my audition. The second time I felt fabulous about. Granted, it wasn't a great first impression, but I ended up having a good time and I don't regret the decision to attend.
3. I have an audition next Monday for the other Shakespeare in the park company Green Stage. I hear there is a friendly rivalry, but I would love to work for either. Or both. Someday. I love the classics, and it's fun to be auditioning for them in succession.
4. Last night I attended my first play reading for The Endangered Species Project. They were doing a staged reading of Terrence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy which is based off a true story. It was a phenomenal piece. It's not often performed because it's longer than most plays, and it has a larger cast. It's difficult for many theatres to perform plays with large casts because of the monetary expenses. I fell in love with the piece and I'm determined to read more of Mr. Rattigan's work in the future. A friend from my murder mystery was performing in it, and she was nice enough to introduce me to some great people. I'm excited to see the next show they produce next month.
5. I've seen two shows since Oklahoma. I saw Tartuffe at Taproot Theatre which was fantastic! I loved it so much. I also absolutely adored the theatre itself. The space is one of my favorites. It's a thrust stage (audience on 3 sides, as the Warehouse Theatre was in college) but it manages to have a large audience area that stays intimately close to the stage itself. There's not a bad seat in the house. I would love to perform there one day. I also recently saw Freakstorm at Ghostlight Theatricals. I ended up only being able to catch the second act because I couldn't locate the theatre, but I really enjoyed what I saw. It has an alum from my college, and I had two friends performing in it as well. It's a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. I hope to catch the rest of it this weekend.
Last week I did a lot of research to pick my favorite Shakespeare monologues. I hadn't auditioned Shakespeare in a while, and so I learned some new pieces. Katie and I ended up putting off our acting lesson for the week because she was crazy busy with The Foreigner which is opening this weekend, and I was busy rehearsing for my auditions. It's been nice to have a little time to relax, and some great auditions to focus on.
There's a part of me that's really worried about being bored this summer, especially when all my friends will be busy doing theatre at one of the places I love most in the world. But honestly, I'm so happy to have time to save money and really orient myself to see what direction I want to go next.
I'm almost finished writing the skits for my Comedy Class. I've signed on to teach the Spring Shakespeare class as well. All in all, I've been busy but not too crazy. What a nice change of pace!
1. Had a fun general audition. I don't remember it, but I felt great about it.
I actually ran into a man last night at the theatre where my roommate's show is going into production this week. We were helping set up and they were holding auditions down the hall for another theatre company. This man saw me walking along and turned around and said "You look really familiar." I said, "The only time I've been in this theatre was for general auditions. I'm the girl who exited the stage the wrong way. I hear I was the only one." He said, "Oh, I promise you weren't the only one. But no, I saw your audition. I remember you. You were really good. What's your name?" I introduced myself and he congratulated me and walked on. It was surreal and pleasant, and strange. It's nice to have some form of feedback (no matter how subjective it is) since the theatres themselves don't get back to the actors until necessary. Or at all.
2. Auditioned for Wooden O's. This is a company that performs Shakespeare in the park in the summers. I was ridiculously sick for the audition and thought strongly about cancelling. In the end I decided it would be a year before I had the opportunity to audition again and I wasn't willing to give it up. I went, forgot my headshot and resume, and ended up blanking out on my monologue the first time through. I've never EVER done that before, but I know it won't be the last time in my career that it happens. That's life. The auditors ended up being so friendly. They drew a picture of me to remember me, and they let me redo my audition. The second time I felt fabulous about. Granted, it wasn't a great first impression, but I ended up having a good time and I don't regret the decision to attend.
3. I have an audition next Monday for the other Shakespeare in the park company Green Stage. I hear there is a friendly rivalry, but I would love to work for either. Or both. Someday. I love the classics, and it's fun to be auditioning for them in succession.
4. Last night I attended my first play reading for The Endangered Species Project. They were doing a staged reading of Terrence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy which is based off a true story. It was a phenomenal piece. It's not often performed because it's longer than most plays, and it has a larger cast. It's difficult for many theatres to perform plays with large casts because of the monetary expenses. I fell in love with the piece and I'm determined to read more of Mr. Rattigan's work in the future. A friend from my murder mystery was performing in it, and she was nice enough to introduce me to some great people. I'm excited to see the next show they produce next month.
5. I've seen two shows since Oklahoma. I saw Tartuffe at Taproot Theatre which was fantastic! I loved it so much. I also absolutely adored the theatre itself. The space is one of my favorites. It's a thrust stage (audience on 3 sides, as the Warehouse Theatre was in college) but it manages to have a large audience area that stays intimately close to the stage itself. There's not a bad seat in the house. I would love to perform there one day. I also recently saw Freakstorm at Ghostlight Theatricals. I ended up only being able to catch the second act because I couldn't locate the theatre, but I really enjoyed what I saw. It has an alum from my college, and I had two friends performing in it as well. It's a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. I hope to catch the rest of it this weekend.
Last week I did a lot of research to pick my favorite Shakespeare monologues. I hadn't auditioned Shakespeare in a while, and so I learned some new pieces. Katie and I ended up putting off our acting lesson for the week because she was crazy busy with The Foreigner which is opening this weekend, and I was busy rehearsing for my auditions. It's been nice to have a little time to relax, and some great auditions to focus on.
There's a part of me that's really worried about being bored this summer, especially when all my friends will be busy doing theatre at one of the places I love most in the world. But honestly, I'm so happy to have time to save money and really orient myself to see what direction I want to go next.
I'm almost finished writing the skits for my Comedy Class. I've signed on to teach the Spring Shakespeare class as well. All in all, I've been busy but not too crazy. What a nice change of pace!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Unified General Auditions
Today was the big day.
I didn't over rehearse or stress out or stay up all night the night before not being able to sleep. I was really excited to wake up today, and I got ready, arrived on time, met some nice people, and then did my thing.
It was a fun audition and it was nice to be in front of so many theatre companies at once instead of auditioning for them individually. Since they're all local companies instead of touring/universities/outside regional theatres they can have callbacks as soon as this week--or as late as 5 or 6 months from now when they're searching for people that fit a certain profile.
I picked the 'loud' warm up room, which was for people that wanted to rehearse before going on instead of sitting in silence. It was kind of cool to hear other people's auditions. I haven't had the opportunity to hear many auditions outside of Missouri. I have to say, it was exciting. Everyone was very good.
Kaitie and I talked recently about how perhaps, especially in a market like this, the directors don't care about the monologue that you're performing. They don't necessarily care to hear the words. They're much more interested to see the emotions you play, how you play them, and do you look like someone that fits into their season. There's really no use stressing over what pieces you're doing, because the chances are they don't care.
I got up on the stage and performed my two pieces in that moment. I got some good laughs, and felt a good energy during my more dramatic piece.
Honestly, I don't remember much of it. As it should be, I say. Now I sit around and wait to see if anyone is interested in my resume or my look or my ability.
Of course, I'm awful at sitting around and waiting. So I'm not. I'm moving onward and upward. I have some summer auditions lined up if I can find the time to do them. I don't want to wait and hope for something to happen.
I want to feel like I'm actively pursuing what I love, and I never want to let my day job or the time between auditions get the best of me. I've done a lot of reevaluating this past week, and I have some big plans that don't include me sitting around to wait for an opportunity to come my way!
I saw Oklahoma last night at The 5th Avenue and it was just fabulous. I loved every second of it. I'd never seen it before, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity. The set changes were on par with Broadway, and I had no idea that the theatre even had that capability. The acting and the singing and the dancing were amazing, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face after the show was finished. Of course, there was a standing O.
~
Things I learned in my last acting class:
In a scene your objective is incredibly important, but what you need to work for most in a scene is to overcome your obstacle. By doing this you will be actively reaching for your objective and using your actions.
We read a scene from Cyrano, and Katie and I struggled a little to find the right words we wanted to use for our obstacles. However difficult it may be, it's an incredibly useful tool.
I've been using it on all my subsequent work so far and it's been very helpful.
I had an audition on Sunday that went really well. I did not receive a callback, but the audition itself was a lot of fun, and a great opportunity for me to apply what I've been learning in my classes. I also applied this past lesson in my audition today, though I'm not sure it was to great effect.
But if there's one thing I've learned in the last three years it's that there are only so many things in your control. Your preparation, your presentation, and how you let that affect you. The outcome of an audition is never in your control. I had a great time today and I'll have to see what comes of it!
I didn't over rehearse or stress out or stay up all night the night before not being able to sleep. I was really excited to wake up today, and I got ready, arrived on time, met some nice people, and then did my thing.
It was a fun audition and it was nice to be in front of so many theatre companies at once instead of auditioning for them individually. Since they're all local companies instead of touring/universities/outside regional theatres they can have callbacks as soon as this week--or as late as 5 or 6 months from now when they're searching for people that fit a certain profile.
I picked the 'loud' warm up room, which was for people that wanted to rehearse before going on instead of sitting in silence. It was kind of cool to hear other people's auditions. I haven't had the opportunity to hear many auditions outside of Missouri. I have to say, it was exciting. Everyone was very good.
Kaitie and I talked recently about how perhaps, especially in a market like this, the directors don't care about the monologue that you're performing. They don't necessarily care to hear the words. They're much more interested to see the emotions you play, how you play them, and do you look like someone that fits into their season. There's really no use stressing over what pieces you're doing, because the chances are they don't care.
I got up on the stage and performed my two pieces in that moment. I got some good laughs, and felt a good energy during my more dramatic piece.
Honestly, I don't remember much of it. As it should be, I say. Now I sit around and wait to see if anyone is interested in my resume or my look or my ability.
Of course, I'm awful at sitting around and waiting. So I'm not. I'm moving onward and upward. I have some summer auditions lined up if I can find the time to do them. I don't want to wait and hope for something to happen.
I want to feel like I'm actively pursuing what I love, and I never want to let my day job or the time between auditions get the best of me. I've done a lot of reevaluating this past week, and I have some big plans that don't include me sitting around to wait for an opportunity to come my way!
I saw Oklahoma last night at The 5th Avenue and it was just fabulous. I loved every second of it. I'd never seen it before, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity. The set changes were on par with Broadway, and I had no idea that the theatre even had that capability. The acting and the singing and the dancing were amazing, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face after the show was finished. Of course, there was a standing O.
~
Things I learned in my last acting class:
In a scene your objective is incredibly important, but what you need to work for most in a scene is to overcome your obstacle. By doing this you will be actively reaching for your objective and using your actions.
We read a scene from Cyrano, and Katie and I struggled a little to find the right words we wanted to use for our obstacles. However difficult it may be, it's an incredibly useful tool.
I've been using it on all my subsequent work so far and it's been very helpful.
I had an audition on Sunday that went really well. I did not receive a callback, but the audition itself was a lot of fun, and a great opportunity for me to apply what I've been learning in my classes. I also applied this past lesson in my audition today, though I'm not sure it was to great effect.
But if there's one thing I've learned in the last three years it's that there are only so many things in your control. Your preparation, your presentation, and how you let that affect you. The outcome of an audition is never in your control. I had a great time today and I'll have to see what comes of it!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Babang
Last Friday's acting class was a lot of fun. Katie and I each performed different halves of Stage Manager's opening monologue from Our Town. I took the second half.
It was an exercise in creating personal relationships with the people mentioned in the monologue. Acting Coach said I did very well having an opinion on everyone I spoke about, but that I needed to spend more time 'seeing' some of the scenarios I touched on--such as the death of Doc Gibbs and his wife.
Our next exercise with these monologues is to prepare them as a one on one conversation. Instead of speaking to an audience, we're to speak as we do to each other. In other words, just be natural.
This past week was a crazy blur.
My Comedy Class is chugging along and we did some great brainstorming for our scenes we're writing. I had the kids sketch out their ideas and then we put some into motion so they could better understand the things we're truly capable of accomplishing with our limited means and time. They have some amazing nuggets of hilarity and wisdom inside those tiny bodies.
I've been moved into lead rotations at the preschool now which means--wait for it--I'm teaching theatre classes to 2-5 year olds weekly now as well. This past week we practiced embodying recognizable emotions.
I had my pre-screen audition for TPS this past weekend.
Notes I received:
1. My ring can be distracting, and I shouldn't run the risk of doing anything that will take the auditors' attentions away from my audition.
2. I should change my resume to show that I am a local.
3. Add my singing and dancing credentials to my resume even if it's not something I have a large interest in.
4. The auditors want to hear the character I'm playing and the name of the piece. They have no interest in hearing the author.
5. Think about putting locations for some of the theatres I've worked with.
All in all, I had a lovely audition and the auditors passed me straight through. It was nice to hear feedback before heading into the big room, and they were interested in helping me put my best foot forwards. I didn't necessarily agree with all of their comments, but I definitely know now more of the west coast sentimentality and can plan accordingly.
It was also really fun!
I finished up my rehearsals for the murder mystery and we performed it last night for a sold out audience in a casino barely 50 miles from the border of Canada. I played the mousy(but actually sexy) secretary to the diva author of a trashy romance series. The man I'm supposed to marry is murdered. Last night, the murderer turned out to be my not so secret admirer/ book tour photographer.
It was an exercise in creating personal relationships with the people mentioned in the monologue. Acting Coach said I did very well having an opinion on everyone I spoke about, but that I needed to spend more time 'seeing' some of the scenarios I touched on--such as the death of Doc Gibbs and his wife.
Our next exercise with these monologues is to prepare them as a one on one conversation. Instead of speaking to an audience, we're to speak as we do to each other. In other words, just be natural.
This past week was a crazy blur.
My Comedy Class is chugging along and we did some great brainstorming for our scenes we're writing. I had the kids sketch out their ideas and then we put some into motion so they could better understand the things we're truly capable of accomplishing with our limited means and time. They have some amazing nuggets of hilarity and wisdom inside those tiny bodies.
I've been moved into lead rotations at the preschool now which means--wait for it--I'm teaching theatre classes to 2-5 year olds weekly now as well. This past week we practiced embodying recognizable emotions.
I had my pre-screen audition for TPS this past weekend.
Notes I received:
1. My ring can be distracting, and I shouldn't run the risk of doing anything that will take the auditors' attentions away from my audition.
2. I should change my resume to show that I am a local.
3. Add my singing and dancing credentials to my resume even if it's not something I have a large interest in.
4. The auditors want to hear the character I'm playing and the name of the piece. They have no interest in hearing the author.
5. Think about putting locations for some of the theatres I've worked with.
All in all, I had a lovely audition and the auditors passed me straight through. It was nice to hear feedback before heading into the big room, and they were interested in helping me put my best foot forwards. I didn't necessarily agree with all of their comments, but I definitely know now more of the west coast sentimentality and can plan accordingly.
It was also really fun!
I finished up my rehearsals for the murder mystery and we performed it last night for a sold out audience in a casino barely 50 miles from the border of Canada. I played the mousy(but actually sexy) secretary to the diva author of a trashy romance series. The man I'm supposed to marry is murdered. Last night, the murderer turned out to be my not so secret admirer/ book tour photographer.
These are two of the union actors I was able to work with. They're absolutely fantastic, and it was really interesting to pick their brains about the union vs. non-union market here. Also promising that they can continue to do the work they love here while being union actors. Score!
I had so much fun it was ridiculous. The play was great, and the audience interaction was so different from how I expected. We had to go around to the tables in character and be interrogated by the audience after the play so they could vote on who 'did it'. They asked outrageous questions, and most of them were very serious about choosing the right murderer. It was great to have an audience that was so invested in the outcome, and it felt fantastic to make a difference in a way I normally don't get to with my 'art'.
I can't wait to get back into doing meaningful and thought provoking pieces, but doing this murder mystery taught me a lot about the kind of work that audiences love, will pay to see, and a lot about how to give back to that specific community that is so willing to support theatre artists. Also, it reminded me of why I love theatre. Because it's SO FUN. My cast embraced me right from the beginning and they put so much trust into me. I met some amazing people who I sincerely hope to work with again. I had such a grand adventure last night, and I hope it's the first of many.
After the show, part of our contract allowed the actors to order anything they wanted from the restaurant menu. So I ordered a $40 meal of Grilled Wild Salmon in a honey dill sauce with fresh baked Alaskan Crab over seared asparagus, served with too many tasty side dishes, and a huge piece of red velvet cake for desert. Also, I got to take home some of the leftover audience gifts that didn't get used. Hello bubble bath!
Life just doesn't get any better than that.
I have an audition lined up for Sunday, and my TPS General Audition is scheduled for Wednesday. All in all, I'm trucking along on the 'career' front, though I'm hesitant to refer to it as such until I can quit my day job. Luckily for me, I happen to like my day jobs.
Other shenanigans I got up to this past week: My roommate's 22nd birthday bash!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Acting class
Last acting class:
Katie and I ran our scene keeping more distance between us and it was much improved. Then Acting Coach had us create our environment.
We placed where the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and stairs were. He had us talk about what was outside the windows, what kind of curtains they had, where were are family pictures and what order were they in?
These are all things I learned to do in my acting one class in college. Do I often use this exercise as specifically as I should? Not normally. Did I learn my lesson on Friday in class? Yes. I've become complacent in regards to a lot of my teachings, and that doesn't serve me or my career well. From now on, I'm going to make sure I'm doing everything to the best of my ability. It was an especially nice wake up call since my pre-screening audition for the general auditions is this next Sunday.
We practiced our scene as if we were sitting in an airplane instead of standing in a dining room, which was also helpful because it made us change our tactics and become more aware of our surroundings.
Acting Coach said something worth remembering:
2 things make us move-- 1. The nature of our action. 2. Where we are.
He's right, of course.
Now we're moving onto working on a monologue that is going to help us be more aware of our surroundings. I'm excited to have a new script in my hand!
My rehearsals for the murder mystery I've been cast in have been going well. We've had 2 so far, and we've blocked Act 1, so they're moving along nicely. It's a fun cast, silly play, and a good job. I'm excited for the opportunity!
Katie and I ran our scene keeping more distance between us and it was much improved. Then Acting Coach had us create our environment.
We placed where the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and stairs were. He had us talk about what was outside the windows, what kind of curtains they had, where were are family pictures and what order were they in?
These are all things I learned to do in my acting one class in college. Do I often use this exercise as specifically as I should? Not normally. Did I learn my lesson on Friday in class? Yes. I've become complacent in regards to a lot of my teachings, and that doesn't serve me or my career well. From now on, I'm going to make sure I'm doing everything to the best of my ability. It was an especially nice wake up call since my pre-screening audition for the general auditions is this next Sunday.
We practiced our scene as if we were sitting in an airplane instead of standing in a dining room, which was also helpful because it made us change our tactics and become more aware of our surroundings.
Acting Coach said something worth remembering:
2 things make us move-- 1. The nature of our action. 2. Where we are.
He's right, of course.
Now we're moving onto working on a monologue that is going to help us be more aware of our surroundings. I'm excited to have a new script in my hand!
My rehearsals for the murder mystery I've been cast in have been going well. We've had 2 so far, and we've blocked Act 1, so they're moving along nicely. It's a fun cast, silly play, and a good job. I'm excited for the opportunity!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
How I Live Now
My film shoot last Sunday was a blast.
The film itself will be an animated (VFX) sci-fi romance. It takes place in a futuristic world where women build battle bots to fight space wars. One girl starts to lust after a certain robot and a chase ensues.
What I did on Sunday was a test shoot. This means I spent the day hanging out with a green screen doing most of the fast paced action shots so that the directors and producers could get down the right camera angles, speeds, frames, and marks for the real movie. This way, when they go into production they won't have to take up time figuring all of this out, and can instead get right down to filming.
We filmed my first scene in an underground parking garage at the Microsoft building. We figured out the best way for a 'robot' to chase me, I was giving some marks along 35 yards of the parking garage and then told I had to run it in under 15 seconds. I ran it in 7. I was surprised I could still run that fast since running isn't a huge part of my exercise regimen. We ended up doing this take for a little over an hour. It was a lot of sprinting, but that was great because it was so cold down there and I was the only person on set who could stay warm!
The second shot was a chase scene. They loaded a camera into the back of a truck, and rigged it up. This time I was sprinting a good 60 yards, and was told to race the truck as fast as I could. The first take I ended up beating the truck, and the director fell out of the back. Needless to say, this was a difficult shot to do, because the driver had to try and keep their pace even with me, but I had to try to go faster than the truck.. There were some shots we blew because I started too much in frame, or couldn't make it into frame where they wanted. I ended up sprinting this take about 10 times. By that time, I was finally getting tired.
We wrapped the running scenes, and I got to take a break by driving to the next location. We ended up in our producer's basement with another huge greenscreen. The coolest thing about the day was that every time I tried to help carry something or move something, I would get told, "Stop that! You're the talent. Talent gets to sit and prepare for the scene." I suppose that would have made more sense to me if I had had anything to prepare--like lines. None the less, it was fun to sit and watch the magic happen, and I was lucky to not have to wait for long periods of time. Plus, I got free food all day--yum.
The next scene I finally got to pantomime actions. They put colored dots all over the greenscreen to help them create the robot later, and to give me markers to look at. I did some over the shoulder (OTS) shots, and some wider frame shots. I spent this portion of the day up on a ladder, which will later be turned into some metal rigging of some sort. The robot is supposed to be 11 feet tall. I played with some tech devices in the scene, and then we spent a good portion of the afternoon with me jumping off a ladder onto a mark. I got to try a bunch of different ways to land, and learned a lot about walking out of frame all the way. My last shot was just me walking towards the green screen to effectively go off into the distance.
It was a lot of fun to spend the day using my imagination. I was able to give the greenscreen many different properties and forms in my mind, and got in a wonderful workout for the day.
The best parts? I got paid, and I got an offer to audition for the role! All in all, it was definitely a success. The crew were very nice people who were all really passionate about their work. I'm so lucky to have had the good experiences I've been given here.
Two nights ago, I got an impromptu call from a director I had applied to audition for. Apparently, I fit the bill and they were desperate. I went to rehearsal that night, signed a contract, received a script, threw in a crazy accent, and now will be performing in a murder mystery for Valentine's Day! It's my first paid theatre gig, and it's working with some very talented and experienced people. I'm excited to the max. I'll get to interact with audiences and improv situations. I love that I'm being given the opportunity to do so many different forms of theatre. Dinner/Mystery theatre is one I was never particularly interested in, but now that I've been given the chance, I'm so stoked to be able to try so many different things!
It's a full length script, and a quick turn around. Luckily for me I'm experienced in this art, and know that I'll be able to do it just fine.
Today, I'll be picking up my headshots! I can't wait to see them.
The film itself will be an animated (VFX) sci-fi romance. It takes place in a futuristic world where women build battle bots to fight space wars. One girl starts to lust after a certain robot and a chase ensues.
What I did on Sunday was a test shoot. This means I spent the day hanging out with a green screen doing most of the fast paced action shots so that the directors and producers could get down the right camera angles, speeds, frames, and marks for the real movie. This way, when they go into production they won't have to take up time figuring all of this out, and can instead get right down to filming.
We filmed my first scene in an underground parking garage at the Microsoft building. We figured out the best way for a 'robot' to chase me, I was giving some marks along 35 yards of the parking garage and then told I had to run it in under 15 seconds. I ran it in 7. I was surprised I could still run that fast since running isn't a huge part of my exercise regimen. We ended up doing this take for a little over an hour. It was a lot of sprinting, but that was great because it was so cold down there and I was the only person on set who could stay warm!
The second shot was a chase scene. They loaded a camera into the back of a truck, and rigged it up. This time I was sprinting a good 60 yards, and was told to race the truck as fast as I could. The first take I ended up beating the truck, and the director fell out of the back. Needless to say, this was a difficult shot to do, because the driver had to try and keep their pace even with me, but I had to try to go faster than the truck.. There were some shots we blew because I started too much in frame, or couldn't make it into frame where they wanted. I ended up sprinting this take about 10 times. By that time, I was finally getting tired.
We wrapped the running scenes, and I got to take a break by driving to the next location. We ended up in our producer's basement with another huge greenscreen. The coolest thing about the day was that every time I tried to help carry something or move something, I would get told, "Stop that! You're the talent. Talent gets to sit and prepare for the scene." I suppose that would have made more sense to me if I had had anything to prepare--like lines. None the less, it was fun to sit and watch the magic happen, and I was lucky to not have to wait for long periods of time. Plus, I got free food all day--yum.
The next scene I finally got to pantomime actions. They put colored dots all over the greenscreen to help them create the robot later, and to give me markers to look at. I did some over the shoulder (OTS) shots, and some wider frame shots. I spent this portion of the day up on a ladder, which will later be turned into some metal rigging of some sort. The robot is supposed to be 11 feet tall. I played with some tech devices in the scene, and then we spent a good portion of the afternoon with me jumping off a ladder onto a mark. I got to try a bunch of different ways to land, and learned a lot about walking out of frame all the way. My last shot was just me walking towards the green screen to effectively go off into the distance.
It was a lot of fun to spend the day using my imagination. I was able to give the greenscreen many different properties and forms in my mind, and got in a wonderful workout for the day.
The best parts? I got paid, and I got an offer to audition for the role! All in all, it was definitely a success. The crew were very nice people who were all really passionate about their work. I'm so lucky to have had the good experiences I've been given here.
Two nights ago, I got an impromptu call from a director I had applied to audition for. Apparently, I fit the bill and they were desperate. I went to rehearsal that night, signed a contract, received a script, threw in a crazy accent, and now will be performing in a murder mystery for Valentine's Day! It's my first paid theatre gig, and it's working with some very talented and experienced people. I'm excited to the max. I'll get to interact with audiences and improv situations. I love that I'm being given the opportunity to do so many different forms of theatre. Dinner/Mystery theatre is one I was never particularly interested in, but now that I've been given the chance, I'm so stoked to be able to try so many different things!
It's a full length script, and a quick turn around. Luckily for me I'm experienced in this art, and know that I'll be able to do it just fine.
Today, I'll be picking up my headshots! I can't wait to see them.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Links and Miscellaneous Items
Here is a link to the script for Diss
and Datt, if anyone is interested in the piece itself. It was written by
two underground artists in Arizona in the 90's. They were writing a lot before
the internet became big, and so none of their work is accessible online. I
thought it was so great to be working with material that people hadn't heard of
before, and having the opportunity to shed light on some great writers' piece
was a lot of fun.
The writers were
in a relationship when they wrote this, and the play itself is based on their
relationship. They split shortly afterward and remarried I think. One of them
lives outside modern society now (traveling between small villages and cults or
something of the sort), and the other's whereabouts are unknown.
Purely for my own
cataloguing purposes and not to toot my own horn, I'm going to post the nice
words my director wrote to me after the show. I'd like to keep a record of my
correspondence with my directors, and it's bound to get lost in the shuffle of
my own untamed inbox.
Hi Sascha,
I just wanted to tell you how deeply I appreciated your artistry, commitment of time and energy, and creative intuition in taking Diss and Datt to the stage in less than a week. Your fine tuned interpretive sensibility is inspiring, and it is always a (somewhat rare) treat to see actors work together in such a spirit of mutual shared discovery to find the truest notes of the music of a piece.
Despite the chaos of a Seattle “blizzard” (three or more inches by definition), cannibalistic parking meters, and a truly truncated rehearsal period, you beautifully evoked the key notes of your character while bringing out subtle dimensions through posture and gesture as well as dialogue. It was exciting to hear the little gasps, rapt silences and punctuated bursts of laughter from the audience at all the right moments during the performance.
I will be in touch with you this week to coordinate dates/times that fit everyone’s schedule for the video version.
I have no doubt that the Seattle theatre community will be greatly enriched by your presence here.
Make of each day a festival of joy,
Mitch
My film director also emailed me.
Hey Sascha,
I just wanted to thank you for
joining us on Sunday for our test shots. I really enjoyed working with you.
There is no doubt that you have a bright acting career ahead of you. I'm
looking forward to seeing you at auditions.
James
I'll be posting soon about my film
experience this past Sunday, and the headshots I had the opportunity to take as
soon as I have a little more time. I should get my headshots back by Saturday
to share with you.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Back in Session
It's about time I get back to the roots of this blog.
Things I've learned in acting class so far:
1. Stella Adler is a boss.
2. Objectives are not just what you want out of a scene. In order to make your objective more playable, choose strong actions that are universal and easily physically embodied.
* Old Ex: I want to be loved.
* New Ex: I want her to coddle me.
It's difficult to play being loved, since that is an emotion. However, you can play it by using strong actions such as coddling, hugging, reassuring, teasing, or complimenting.
This is a differentiation I never thought about much in college, though Professor D always told us to use strong words. I'm finding this specific technique much easier to embody because it's broken down better.
3. Actions have three parts: the nature, the physicality, and the tone. You know your action is strong when you can instill the message without the words from the script, and instead saying '1,2,3,4,5.' If you can say 1,2,3,4,5 and your scene partner still understands what you want from them, then you have a strong action.
Actions should also come with a physicality. There are motions that you do when you judge people, condemn them, shake them, blame them, mock them, or apologize to them. If your actions don't require an action from your body (even if it is to be still), then you probably haven't made a very strong choice.
__
Katie and I have been relearning a lot of our old technique in a new way. Stella Adler is very similar to Uta Hagen. Some things are being explained in a better way and it's so nice to have my memory refreshed. Our next class assignment is to rehearse our scene with our actions, but we have to stay 4 feet a part at all times. Acting Coach thinks we get into each other's personal space too often, and I'm inclined to agree with him. We're also supposed to start a '100 Action Words' list without the outside help of movies, TV, dictionaries, or a thesaurus. I'm excited for both.
I had three rehearsals for Diss and Datt before we opened (and closed) last night at Gallery 1412. My scene partner and I were able to dig up a lot of the internal struggle in the scene on short notice, and I had a great time working with him and my director. My director was very hands off, which made it easy for my partner and I to try out a lot of our own ideas until we settled. After the show my director introduced me to his actor/director friend whose, as chance would have it, mother went to my college in the 60s. He actually attended my college's 'rival' school, and roomed with a man that directed at my college my senior year. The theatre world is so small.
I'm excited to be done with one project and moving onto the next. I feel like I'm just barely getting my feet wet. I have my General Audition pre-screen coming up in the next two weeks, so I'm working hard to prepare for that. As long as I stay under the time limit, I should be good to go. I'm really excited for the general auditions because that's where all the larger theatres that will be paying actors to work for them will get to see me audition. The larger theatres don't tend to hold individual show auditions throughout the year, so this is my chance to put myself out there and see what happens.
I've auditioned recently with Seattle Talent Agency, and they put me in touch with a good commercial photographer that's going to take some new headshots for me today. If things go well and I can get a hold of some more details, I might be getting to meet with LA agents once a month or so for exposure and experience. I'm really not looking to break into stardom, which it's been a bit difficult to convince Seattle Talent of. They think everyone wants to be a star. Now that I put myself in a position where I have to make a choice, I have to admit I'm interested in meeting people, learning new things, and seeing where my art can take me. I'm looking forward to new opportunities, but I don't want to limit myself and my career to one avenue at this point.
I'll be filming a short test shoot this weekend for an VFX production. Basically, I get to do some green screen action outside in the cold and rain, and then they're going to animate it, I think. I'm so stoked. I love the idea of running and jumping around in front of a green screen and film crew. I love my job.
I've also been hired as full time with my day job. Things are really moving in a good direction!
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