Recently in Personal Category
Whenever I get called to audition for something, I read the scene and visualize what it would look like as I'm reading it. Like moving images in my head. Like I'm watching a movie.
Of course I factor in the genre and medium when doing this. I don't look to put on a performance. I simply bring myself to the character (be myself). When an actor tries to give the CD what they think they are looking for, it comes across as bad acting.
I make the best choice I could make in my opening line/moment and use internal pause. I also make sure my instrument is free.
Before I went to audition, I read the scene and it was hilarious! The show is a straight comedy. Most actors would play it very comical but you have to be realistic and logical. My character is not part of Alec Baldwin & Tina Fey's little click. My character is a police officer so I should play it straight and real, which makes the scene even funnier.
The 9-11 anniversary, I’m sure, is a sad day for most of us, yet there’s a story that’s come to the fore over the last few years, an old story, but one that’s finding renewal, and one that I think not only helps transform one’s experience of 9-11 into a positive frame but also carries a message for all actors, for all artists.
Below, you can see a clip from a film by Ric Burns (American Experience: New York: The Center of the World), a clip that I’ve been looking hi and low online for -- and I finally found it.
Watch the clip and think about acting, or any art you do. Ask: Why do we do it, really? What draws us? What is “it” -- what’s its value? Answer: It is everything -- it is priceless.
Shakespeare was right -- life is a stage, and a stage is life, our life, our larger life, and we rise to meet its possibilities. The heightened words and text take us there:
HOW IT BEGAN: 8:45AM, Tuesday, New York City, September 11, 2001.
8:45AM. I woke right up.
My eyes just opened.
I didn't know why.
I had just lost my job, the beginning of the long long unwinding of the late 20th Century technology bubble.
Of late, I had been waking up more or less on my own - but usually an hour later.
My bedroom was cool, gently breezy, late summer morning peaceful. I felt fully relaxed, but surprisingly awake. Lying on my side, through my 5th story window, I was looking west, at the river, at the hills of the shoreline, New Jersey right across the Hudson from my apartment on the upper West Side.
A perfectly morning.
OK, I thought, I'm up, so let's get up. I had some calls to make, so I plodded into the kitchenette, sunshine and green, to make some coffee, and while it was brewing, I called a company somewhere in Nevada.
8:55AM. I needed a replacement part for something - I can't remember for what now. I remember describing the problem, convincing the woman on the other end of the line, on the other side of the country, to send me the part, and she asked for my address. I told her, and she immediately stopped me: You live in New York City? I said yes.
Pause.
Do you know what's happen at the World Trade Center?
She didn't sound alarmed, but time stopped - it was an ominous, out-of-the-blue question, from someone somewhere in a little town in Nevada, so early on a perfect late summer morning . . . I said no, and she said a plane has flown into one of the towers . . . it's on fire . . .
Each Friday (more or less -- mostly less), I like to post what I call either "Fired! Up Fridays" or "Great ARt!sts Friday." Today it's -- "Great ARt!sts Friday!"
Today, Courtney Love and I became myspace friends -- yes, she does have 53,000 other friends, and counting, but I know our's is special.
Latel
My answe
A while ago -- a long while ago, I think -- I submitted this blog to the Performing Arts Category in Blogged.com. Blogged.com offers ratings and reviews of the blogs in its directory based upon the quality of writing and how often a site is updated. Blogs are initially reviewed by the Blogged.com “team”, but if enough visitors rank and review the blog, then that takes precedence.
Well -- yesterday, out of the blue, I got this in my in-box from Ms. Liu & the Marketing Department of www.blogged.com:
When a person seems so alive, so full, so present and here, it doesn't seem possible that such a person could really die -- but, of course, they can . . .
Randay Pausch passed away today from pancreatic cancer in his family's home in Chesapeake, Virginia.
The Apostle Paul counsels us in the 13th Corinthians, verse 11: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.
Yet there are some childish things that should not be put away, and they are -- our Hopes and our Dreams. As Randay Pausch shared with the world in his last lecture, they are what we begin with, and they will be with us in the end -- if we keep, hold, and cherish them always.
And in living, and in dying, he showed us something else:
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.
~ William Shakespeare
Thank you Randay Rausch, for sharing with us, and for giving us so very very much . . .
Time is All That Matters:
Many actors and actor blogs, at some point, get around to talking about their "day job." I won't get into why this is, and or what a "day job" is to someone who's goal is to become a professional actor, but suffice to say that I've avoid the topic here since this blog's inception -- until now.
Now . . . I want to share.
The outpouring of grief and love for Tim Russert has been, I think, to many people, a surprise -- but it shouldn't have been.
If you have time in the coming days and weeks and months and years, browse the tributes to Tim Russert on youTube, and you'll be struck with two questions:
What kind of person am I?
How will I be remembered?
Tim Russert's impact and influence went well beyond his journalistic excellence. His greatest excellence was the lasting and positive and uplifting impact he had on his friends and his family. Tim was showered in love because he gave so much to those he loved.
An old old Irish blessing and prayer: Remembered Joy
Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free!
I follow the plan God laid for me.
I saw His face, I heard His call,
I took His hand and left it all...
I could not stay another day,
To love, to laugh, to work or play;
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
And if my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss...
Ah yes, these things I, too, shall miss.
My life's been full, I've savoured much:
Good times, good friends, a loved-one's touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief—
Don't shorten yours with undue grief.
Be not burdened with tears of sorrow,
Enjoy the sunshine of the morrow.
Work in Deborah Carlson/Word of Mouth Studios on really, Really, REALLY cold reading has been paying off:
I did a monologue by "Sydney," a cynical divorce lawyer from John Patrick Shanley's Where's My Money for a new 13th Street production of resident playwright Tom O'Neil's The Cat and the Moon, based on the poem of the same name by William Butler Yeats.
I got called back for a cold reading of the script -- no preparation: the director just put the script in our hands and we traded off reading parts -- cold.
I had nothing else to go on but the rhythm & structure, "no spin," "no attitude" -- I just breathed deep, didn't skim, slowed down, kept it clean, stayed innocent, discovered my way though the text, and lo and behold, the character just came out by itself.
You don't create the character out of your opinions, your subjective feelings, or ideas, or concepts -- you find the character, in the text, in the sentences, in every word, in every syllable:
On March 7, 2008, Jeff Buckley’s version of Cohen's “Hallelujah”, went to number 1 on the iTunes chart after being performed by Jason Castro on the seventh season of the television series American Idol.
A few days later, Cohen was inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of his status among the highest and most influential echelon of songwriters:
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
There was a time you let me know
What's real and going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Last fall, 2007, I made it a goal to start using "meet-and-greet" resources (e.g., Actors Connection, The Network) to meet agents and casting directors in order to start to open doors to professional opportunities. Right off the bat, however, I knew I didn't want to be scatter-shot about it, i.e., going everywhere to everything. The more I thought about it, about how to use these types of resources, the more I realized how really clueless I was about how best to use my time and money to pursue these potential opportunities. I realized I needed some experienced, professional, expert guidance. So, I asked the Universe for help.
Enter: The Actors Alliance and One On One. Both are like Actor's Connection and The Network, i.e., they function as middlemen between actors (sellers) and casting directors, filmmakers, agents, managers and producers (buyers), but you need to audition for The Actors Alliance and One On One to be a member, and then you can take part in their agent and casting director's workshops and meet-and-greets -- and their audition process is not just a formality, i.e., last fall, I auditioned for One On One, but I was rejected for membership, so I've taken the advice and feedback I got from that audition, and I'm going to try again later this month.
However, I decided to try to kill two birds with one stone, and I took One On One's feedback and advice and today I went in and auditioned for membership in The Actors Alliance. Harry O'Reilly auditioned me (a terrific guy, a professional actor and successful businessman with a great ear and eye in terms of training and coaching actors), and he congratulated me on my audition technique and told me that Deborah Carlson's Word Of Mouth Studios had trained me well (I always knew she had, and I've worked hard, but this was terrific validation nonetheless).
I passed! I'm now a member! This has been a MAJOR goal of mine for almost a year now!
The Herald.
Without noise came the Herald,
past the furious flags against a Snap Blue Sky.
Thundering nothing, heralding nothing, it stood at the end of the world, at the edge of the sea,
tiny waves lapped and danced and laughed at his feet as they eternally ever had without sound, without care, without effort.
And the Herald softened, relaxed, looking into forever, with no time at all.
And then he laid down to sleep with the eternal stars as his keep, and his dreams raced ahead,
announcing, announcing, announcing . . .
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch is dying from pancreatic cancer, and he gave his last lecture at Carnegie Mellow university on September 18, 2007.
The topic of his lecture was not about his work, not about computational algorithms or immersive virtual reality systems -- its topic was instead:
Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.
The lecture, just for his students, colleagues and visitors, swelled to over 400 attendees in the large McConomy Auditorium. It was recorded and released on youtube where it became a world wide phenomena.
The Apostle Paul counsels us in the 13th Corinthians, verse 11: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.
Yet there are some childish things that should not be put away, or at least not thought of as childish things, and that is -- our Hopes and our Dreams. They are what we begin with, and they will be with us in the end -- if we keep, hold, and cherish them always.
Give yourself a quiet uninterrupted hour and 15 minutes to listen to his lecture. He's a very successful happy guy, and he gives some great advice, but what stands out, in the end, is what we think are the most important things are not really those things -- it's something else: it's not what we get (though that is very important stuff!) -- it's what we give, and we give though the realization of our hopes and dreams:
Born John Charles Carter on October 4th 1924 in Evanston, Illinois, Charlton Heston's career spanned an almost unprecedented 50 years of stage, television and film work, winning the SAG Academy Award for Best Actor in the film Ben-Hur, which itself won eleven Oscars, unprecedented up until almost 40 years later when James Cameron's Titanic tied Ben-Hur for the most Oscars won by any film.
His energies and talents in his later years went more towards promoting traditional conservative causes, such as the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.
I want to formally welcome Christopher Stadulis as a contributor to this blog.
I first meet Christopher during auditions for The Upside Down Mirror (produced by The Riant Theatre).
He invited me to join his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/actingsuccess) -- I did, started reading his blog there, and I was blown away with his mindset, focus, and positive attitude about becoming -- and BEING/REMAINING -- a professional actor.
Hello all,
I have been acting now for 3 1/2 years and have learned a great deal from working with several industry professionals and books which I have read.
My approach to my craft and business has changed dramatically. I understand that this is a business and I am the CEO of my own company and must always showcase myself in the best possible light. I shake as many hands as possible, always remain professional and positive, be open to change and most importantly, BE MYSELF! I submit for every project I can but focus my time, energy and money on areas that are geared towards my type. And it's extremely important to know your type/product. Meaning if a CD, Agent or Manager ask you, "Who's getting your work?" What they are trying to find out is if you were auditioning for roles in the BIG leagues, which Actors are getting the roles that you'd be perfect for based on your type. This is part of knowing your business.
I received this from Stuart Stone Casting of The Acting Insider:
Dear Friends,As you may have known, one of my very favorite people is Judy Kerr the author of Acting Is Everything: An Actor's Guidebook for a Successful Career in Los Angeles, Expanded Gold.This week her beloved husband, Ron Gorow died. My love and heart go out to Judy at this time.Here is a message that was forward to me:
Hi Everyone,On Thursday morning, my dear friend Ron Gorow, husband of my wonderful friend Judy Kerr, passed away after having a heart attack.Ron passed away peacefully in the morning while watching TV and having a sick day at home since he ha da cold. His beloved wife Judy and his favorite cat Brother were by his side.We can be grateful that Ron did not suffer at all. He lived a happy and fulfilling life that included doing work he loved and accomplishing many of his life's goals.
Most of all, he was able to share more than 25 years with Judy whom he loved so much. Together they were able to have many new adventures and support each other's professional and personal growth throughout the years.heir family is so sweet, loving and supportive,making a difficult time like this easier to bear. Needless to say, everyone is in shock and we find it hard to believe that Ron has been taken from us .There will be a celebration of his life next Tuesday,March 4th from 6 to 9pm at Vitello's. Please keep Judy in your thoughts as she goes through this difficult time. She is surrounded by love,support and caring and is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances. She is heart broken. Love, Robin.
Judy is based in Los Angelus, so (I suspect) not as many actors know about her here in NYC as they do in L. A. -- but they should. Judy has written a terrific book, Acting is Everything (it certainty is, at least at times), she's a wonderful coach -- and a wonderful person. You can see an excerpt from one of her workshops below:
You can send an email of condolences to Judy through her web site, Acting is Everything.
Some Upcoming Announcements of Note:
The Last Jew In Europe has been extended again @ the Triad theater, 158 W. 72nd Street, NYC: the first extension was into February and now it's been extended into March (only two days, so far: the 5th & 9th), April (4 days so far, the 6th, 9th, 27th & 30th), and May (8 days: 4th , 7th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 21st, 25th, & 28th).
I've been cast (actually, more randomly picked out of a hat, but fortune smiled on me anyway -- it's a great role) in Ten Grand's Cold Cut Reading Series. Ten Grand is an up and coming off-Off-Broadway theatre company that has recently moved into new space occupied by the Algonquin Theatre Company on 123 East 24th Street, NYC. Ten Grand and Algonquin will be joining forces on various upcoming productions. I'll be reading the part of Wayne in Philip Hopkins' An American Book Of The Dead on 02 . 26 . 2008.
I've been cast in a new play by Joel Shatzky called Other People. Rehearsals start around 03 . 03 . 2008. The show opens on Thursday 04 . 03 . 2008 and runs for two weeks at the Impact Theatre in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn NY, just north of Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and Grand Army Plaza & the Brooklyn Public Library.