Cast Resources Helpful classes for auditionees
Talks by Matthew Harrison Why you came to acting: Out of fearful defence, we complicate the simple craft. When we are willing to face our fears, look in the mirror and know who we really are, we can shed the self inflicted complications. "That's most of what I teach"
The Actor's Foundry is Vancouver's comprehensive facilitator for the professional actor that bridges the gap between training and career. We equip actors with training, support, guidance, mentorship, industry liaison, marketing, publicity, and project involvement vital to the working actor -- a complete support structure from which the actor can forge a lasting, successful, and rewarding career. http://www.actorsfoundry.com |
|
The Paradox of Acting:The better an actor knows and is ok with him/herself, the more they are lost in character, AND the more the audience truly knows them.
|
|
Character and characterisation: Audiences confuse and reward "Characterization" for "Character". We often to realize that the highest compliment an actor can get is "but I only ever see him/her doing it". It's the humanity behind the characterization that makes Johnny Depp's "Jack Sparrow" the best loved "Character" in recent history.
|
|
'Character': 'Character' can often become a hiding place. A distraction from the actual task at hand. Everything you need to know about the character is in the text. Do the work to discover it.
|
|
Character Is Action: We can tend to confuse and complicate the creation of character. Things like 'back story' are only relevant as they serve to clarify the actions. The are NOT THE POINT. Character is ACTION.
|
|
Technique: Only use teachers who want to wean you off them! Too often, 'teachers' get it wrong, and focus on 'technique' incorrectly. The purpose of any technique is to remove blocks that keep you from craft and process, so the true, accidental results, will never occur. Get to the CRAFT!
|
|
Mistrust Instincts: We WANT to follow our instincts. The trouble is that when it comes to story our initial instincts are intellectual choices that are not born of story understanding, so most often they're wrong. Remove the word altogether and do your job.
|
|
The animal in acting well vs. ego: Reality is the day. If as an actor, you are working from your head, the audience's animal will repulse it - exactly as we do to "fake" or "self-centered" people in real life.
|
|
What to bring on the first day of team rehearsal: "Blocking" does just that when it's not discovered through process. To START with blocking is to lock a performance down before the story is understood. On set, the FIRST TEAM REHEARSAL is where the professional actor needs to fully bring their best work - their most important acting - so that their full understanding of the story will define the blocking and not the other way around.
|
|
Confidence: "Confidence" is a misused term that produces falseness. Actors must pursue self awareness and let themselves be fully seen.
|
|
Craft not art: We actors want to think of ourselves as artists. When we're doing the work, this is not the case. When we accept that we are CRAFTSPEOPLE, we pave the path to artistic freedom.
|
|
When you are an artist: The art happens separate to the craft. It's crucial, but must have it's specific time for exploration. The "art" is building your instrument through self exploration, and personal growth.
|
|
Acting is animal: We intellectualize ourselves away from the animal, feed the ego, and create false behaviour - OR we allow for true human ANIMAL behaviour to occur - that's Acting.
|
|
This Link will give advice about auditions in general, but keep in mind that particulars about M.S.D. The Musical's auditioning dates and requirements will be posted soon on this site, and on that of Creswick Theatre Company.
http://www.newlinetheatre.com/audition-tips.html
The following youtube clips offers some practical advice on auditioning for musicals:
http://www.newlinetheatre.com/audition-tips.html
The following youtube clips offers some practical advice on auditioning for musicals:
|
|
Please check out the last page on this site (after the blogs), titled Direction. There is an excellent workshop, and an interview with Larry Moss there.: Gary
|
Tony Winners Jessie Mueller and Lena Hall have been performing all their lives. As they share their stories about Working In The Theatre, see what goes behind preparing to go on stage eight times a week on Broadway and so much more.
For more information on The American Theatre Wing please visit: http://www.americantheatrewing.org |
Never taking a decent picture of myself, I thought I'd post this advice to the site, for people like me, who could use Tom Ford's 'Portrait Tricks for Movie Stars':
- Find your Best Angle: Find your best shots and discover what that angle is.
- Pose: You Have to Act: cameras don't read minds.
- Avoid Noon Photos: Early morning or late afternoon are best. Overhead light needs a hat.
- Position your body: Leave hands alone, one leg slightly forward, and lean your body. Look grounded by opening legs a little, to look anchored to floor.
- Button up Jackets: A buttoned jacket thins you.
- Gaze above lens: Instead of staring into lens, focus on top of it. This opens your eyes. Tilt chin down slightly, and peek up through lashes.
- Don't break pose. Pose!. Cool and natural on camera just looks stupid.
For Character Doubling and 1st impressions about the characters press button marked characters:
For Charts of who sings which songs, and when? press button marked Who's Songs is this? |
Commedia dell'Arte
Here I present a series of short films fro the National Theatre, all made by Deborah May. A short film giving an overview of the history of Commedia dell'Arte. In this film Didi Hopkins from commediaworks describes the influence of commedia dell'arte on modern theatre and other dramatic formats such as film and television.
Shakespeare's play, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is explicitly mentioned as having been influenced , and applying the principles of Commedia dell'Arte. I've found these and had to post them:Gary |
|
This film is an introduction to the world of Commedia dell'Arte. Learn about all of the stock characters in Commedia, the masked and the unmasked, their status, their physical shapes and their characters. This film was made from a two day workshop with young actors held at the National Theatre with Didi Hopkins from Commediaworks.
The shape in which the character types are organised is organised in that of 'The Tree of Life' from the Kabballic tradition. Gary |
|
|
Commedia companies toured outside of Italy, to France and Spain, and so Gromalot evolved, a nonsensical babble speak that carried the truthful emotional intention of a character. This language meant that audiences were able to understand the action on the stage and enabled commedia dell'arte to become an international type of theatre.
|
Each commedia character has a specific physical shape and way of moving. This film was made over a two day workshop with a group of young actors and lead by Didi Hopkins.
|
|
|
This film looks at ways of physicalising the primary emotions: joy, grief, fear, anger, surprise, love, laughter and how to use this in a performance rather than 'acting'.
Watch the actor used to ilustrate the primary emotions. A joy to watch. Note too, the genuine sound of the laughter.: Gary |