Actor's Center Expo Review.

So today I went to Galludet University for the Actor's Center Expo.

5 sessions for $45 (non-member early price), not a bad deal.

The break down... (there were WAY more sessions than what I've mentioned here)

1st session - Yoga
A must have for me when I'm working. I did Yoga for 4 years in college and it changed the way I look at my life and at the world. There is one thing that has stuck with me through the years, "How you face challenges on the mat is how you face challenges in your life." And it's true. Seriously. When I started focusing on finding a healthy way of dealing with my challenges on the mat, I found a healthy way of dealing with my problems in life. It was good touch base again after 2 years and see what I still need to work on. I would love to be in another yoga class, but I don't think the rehearsal schedule is going to allow that. If you're in Alexandria, I totally recommend Hope Lambert at Little River Yoga, she was awesome.

2nd session - Fundamentals of Improv
Taught by Karen Lange of Washington Improv Theater, I took this session out of a seriously masochistic tendency to push myself. I'm weak at improv, I know this, that's why I took the course. To reinforce my "yes, and" so to speak. Well it was great! I actually really enjoyed myself, which was not what I was expecting. I wanted to have an anxiety attack before the class started, but I said fuck it and didn't switch my ticket. I'm glad that I stayed and got to play Oprah & Friends during our "Radio" game. Go cooch cleaning with the help of a nurse! (Don't ask, you had to be there)

3rd session - Working in Voice Over
A panel discussion sort of session where I don't know how much I really learned from it. It was nice to hear and reinforce things I knew about working. Also I really admired the message that unless you are going to really go for this profession, don't bother. I just wish they had been a little more specific about the steps that I need to take to get started (beyond making a demo reel) in the DC area. Melissa Leebaert lead the group discussion. I definitely see why people use her. She's straight forward and talented as all hell. She has workshops going on as well later this month and in November.

4th session - Stage Combat
A basic intro to stage combat, we worked on distance (safety, safety, safety!), knaps, slaps, punches and falls. The class was led by Karin Abromaitis who ended up mentioning David Bouchey (or as I know him Maestro Bouchey). Small world since Maestro Bouchey is who approved my actor combatant certification in Broad Sword my senior year in college. Granted I haven't kept up on it, but I did have one glorious year of being certified. She is working on starting a group called "Women With Weapons" and I'm excited to hear more.

5th session - Chekhov Workshop
Who doesn't want to learn Chekhov from a talented (and handsome!) acting teacher? Thought we really only worked on the 3-fold body I think this really gave me something to work with in rehearsal when I'm directing (or acting, like that happens often). I'm going to try and implement some of this stuff into Watch, A Haunting and hopefully take the work to the next level.

All in all totally worth the price, I'm exhausted but in that good way! Can't wait for Expo 2009.

The Theatre and Social Media Pt. 3

A brief note...

Interesting how last night at BPF there was talk of breaking away from traditional forms of media exposure (i.e. The Sun Papers, etc.) and realizing where BPF can go.

I've also become involved with the Strand and will help them with marketing. Now where to start... Any ideas?

A Director on Directing.

So a colleague of mine made a comment to me about something he had heard from another director in town. I'm going to quote directly...

"He told me that if you really want to be a "known" director in
this area you have to direct musicals as well as strait plays and comedies.
Do you agree?"


Nope. I don't. Not at all. Elia Kazan didn't direct musicals so I don't have to. ;P

Just kidding, but I do believe that you don't have to direct musicals to be known as a director. I do think Baltimore is more of a musical town, meaning that they are very popular here. There is a very different skill set that is needed to direct a musical as opposed to a straight play. I direct only straight plays. Why? A couple of reasons:

1. I have a vile taste in my mouth when it comes to musicals. I can't sing as much as try sometimes and so therefore am bitter... Not really, but there are very few that I really enjoy. They just aren't my thing.

2. I think that straight plays hit the meat of the story more than musicals. Music can be distracting from the actual message of the play, people can lose themselves in the music instead of the issue. There are exceptions to this rule (think Sam Mendes' version of Cabaret), but in general I think straight plays deal with issues more straight on.

Not to knock musicals, but they just aren't my thing. Luckily Baltimore is small enough and if you're good enough, you won't have a problem working.

So I'm curious... Which do you prefer, musicals or straight plays? Why?

Baltimore Playwrights Festival

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Helena Troy for a 2nd place finish in both the production and play categories!

Rich Espey did a fantastic job writing this script, the cast was a joy to work with and I appreciate all the hard work everyone put in. This makes me excited to be more involved in this coming year as a BPF Rep and to direct next year at Audrey Herman's Spotlighters Theatre.

Find out more about the Baltimore Playwrights Festival.
BPF on Myspace.

I also want to thank Rich for his beautiful words about how instead of focusing on how much we hate the Baltimore Sun, we should recognize that its nothing more than a shell of it's former self and we should focus our efforts to spreading the word of Baltimore Theatre. (His words were way more eloquent than my hack job) Though a lot of stuff produced in this town isn't up my alley, a lot is and I'm really excited to be a part of it.

What are you proud to be a part of?

The long road back.

I'm inspired to write about my journey back into the world of theatre because of this post on The Guardian's Theatre Blog. Though my story doesn't involve the loss that hers does, but I connect with that journey back to that thing I love, the theatre.

So I went to college for theatre. I focused on theatre for about 12 hours a day 5 days a week. My weekends in college were spent working to support myself while I went to school. It was difficult, it was heartbreaking and most of all it was wonderful. I loved every minute of it, even if the only days I ever had off were during the summer.

My senior year was super full, though I never seemed to be in class. I directed the first semester and the second semester I was juggling 2 internships.

One at the Intiman Theatre as assistant to the director on Rounding Third by Richard Dresser under the incredibly talented BJ Jones, Artistic Director of the Northlight Theatre in Chicago. An amazing experience working with BJ, he's kind, caring, supportive and has a true love for what he does. He also gave me my copy of Anne Bogart's A Director Prepares, a book that I reread every time I even think about directing a show.

Another one is where I got bit by the marketing bug. I don't really know where my passion for marketing came from, but I think when I was the PR/Marketing Intern at On the Boards (OtB) I suffered a flesh wound. What more could I want? A place to play with my ideas about marketing, learn more about DIY marketing, editing, proofing, designing, web site management, using social networking/blogs to support the arts and to top it all off, the BEST venue for expiremental performance I've ever been to. The highest quality artists perform there. I also discovered my appreciation for dance there. An artform I love to enjoy as a spectator and one that I learn from as a director.

So senior year was busy for me...

I graduated that May and started working at a vet hospital, still continued at OtB one day a week and spent the other 6 at the hospital. Boy did I become worn out and fast. I couldn't even think about doing theatre, I was done. Not done permanently by any means, but done for now. I need "a break" and so I took one.

It was a long journey back, after distracting myself for just under a year. I yearned for what I used to do every day and honestly my life seemed a little empty without. Then finally 2 years and some change after graduating, I finally worked up the nerve to do an audition.

Little did I know I picked a piece from a show that had just been done a few months prior to rave reviews. Way to check on whats going on in the local scene and how that affects an audition piece... Oh well! Learning experience.

I didn't get call backs, whatever. So I saw a posting for a paid stage manager gig and I emailed. Well the paying gig had been taken, but they had an opening for a different show. Actually it was a show that I had seen an audition listing for and had considered auditioning for, but talked myself out of it. I took the non-paying gig and it has snowballed into a lot of other work.

Needless to say I'm happy again. I have my outlet and now that I'm directing I'm redefining my voice as a director again.

So thanks to the people I've worked with so far and thanks to all those I will work with.
I learn from all of you.

What do you learn from?

Follow-up: Social Media & The Theatre

Last week I wrote about how my worlds were colliding and now it's come up again. This time it's actually talking about the debate of people using Social Media (specifically YouTube) to show clips of Broadway plays and what implication that has with Equity actors.

The original blog post:
The Playgoer post on Theatre and Social Media (By Abigail Katz, love her posts!)

The article that inspired the blog post:
Washington Post's article

I find it so amazing that the things I'm pursuing in my professional life is crossing over.

I wonder how I can use Social Media to promote the shows that I work on... More to come on that note.

Simplicty of your needs.

As actors, we try to justify everything we do and say on stage. We create trains of thought, stories to flesh out our character's history, we create a whole new person inside of us. We find truth in a story that was created. We live truthfully in imaginary circumstances.

I do find one thing though... Actors find it very hard to get to the core want/need of the character. They over complicate the simplicity of what we all want. It comes down to one simple thing that will fulfill us completely. For example, in my own life all that I do focuses on one thing.

What is that one thing? Expressing myself. I do theatre to express my artistic viewpoint. I write a blog to express my ideas on theatre and the work I do. I express myself in my work by advocating social media/networking and how I think it can benefit people. As an actor I want to express the character I've created.

We all have one thing we yearn for, the deep dark core of our soul. What's yours?

My Worlds Colliding

So I'm sure most don't know what I do for a living. I am in the association management field, doing membership marketing & services. One of my passions in my professional life is Social Media and I obviously have a passion for theatre since I write a blog about it.

It looks like my world are combining...



Bringing the movie trailer to the theatre and using viral marketing to get the word out. Genius! (I feel like the Guinness radio ad)

I recently ran into someone locally doing this as well. Fuzz Rourk, one of the producers for Bare, the musical in Baltimore, was editing videos one day when I walked into Spots. I asked him what it was, and they were videos of rehearsal that he was going to use to promote the show. The Baltimore theatre scene is already present in the Facebook realm, but this brings up the question as to whether or not social media and viral marketing work for the theatre. Is it money/energy well spent or a bandwagon that we are bound to fall off of?