Acting Profile

I embarrassed myself today. I was waiting in the queue at my local bank and I over heard a conversation with a lady who worked there and a gentleman. The gentleman had a white t shirt with a new television show printed on it. I cannot remember the name of it, it was something to do with cruise ships. I can’t remember, but I as I waited in the queue and overheard their conversation I looked over at the man with a smile on my face. When he looked directly at me I thought here is my chance. If you don’t ask and be a bit pushy you don’t get. So whilst the man was explaining to the lady about people coming up to him and asking to be on the show. I took the plunge and asked if he had any parts. He looked at the lady and laughing he said, “See that’s what I mean. I keep getting asked” Well… I took that as a no and was a bit hurt to say the least. I explained to him that I was studying acting at college, but he wasn’t interested. I felt humiliated and rejected, but you know? At least I tried.

Like I said yesterday you have to work towards your dream and take the opportunities that come your way. So this man didn’t want me for his show. He walked over to me and in a quiet voice told me he was the shows producer. There was every opportunity that he could have used me for the show, but he wasn’t interested. Maybe the show wasn’t for me. I’m more of a character actress that works best when I am in strong character parts. However right at this moment I would consider almost anything. Obviously I wouldn’t do some things and whilst I do understand the people who want to do porn that is something that I would never do.

I still hope and work towards my dream of becoming an actress. Even if I get rejected a few more hundred times I will still work towards becoming an actress. Even if it means accepting roles in community theatres I will still be happy working as an actress. Because at the end of the day that’s what I believe I was born to do. After all the stuff that I have experienced in my life I still believe that I was born to be an actress and one day hopefully I will get my break.

Many people want to get an acting break all over the world, but in reality only a few actually make it. Whether you are waiting to hear about a job, looking for job positions, hoping to make it because of people you know you can get started right away. If you really want to act and know that you can do it then now is the time to start doing something about it. You could set up a blog like I have. go to acting college or university or try to audition for as many roles possible. Only you have the power to get where you want to be so ultimately you have to do the work in finding that acting break.

You should try to spend time every day planning your career and trying to make a go of it. Remember that if you want to act it is a career just like any other job and you need to be able to commit to it. If you commit a small amount of time each day then you will be amazed at how much you can achieve in just a small amount of time. You can study acting by searching websites and finding information in books. The library is a great place to start looking for books because they are free to lend. The Stage is a great resource and one that you can subscribe to for a relatively low cost. It provides job listings and auditions all around the UK. There are other trade papers around the world. You could arrange to go and talk to someone at your local college about the acting courses that they run. Also you could take part in an amateur dramatic club. Once you start doing something positive about your acting dream then you will start to feel more positively and good that you are actually doing something about it. The industry respects people a lot more who have committed time and effort into their acting career.

Make realistic goals that you can achieve and set time limits in which to achieve them. Be realistic and don’t try to run before you can walk. Very often the first thing you can do is join a drama group or start a college course in drama. Once you start ticking off the goals you will feel more positive then you can go for bigger goals. Just take one step at a time.

Writing a film is an art form just like if you write a poem or short story it takes creativity and skill. There are many approaches that you can learn to help you produce a high class play.

You will first need to understand what goals you want to achieve and what type of film you want to write. Certain key factors must be ascertained first and some planning can reduce the amount of time and effort you spend on writing the film in the long run. Study other films it helps to make you realise what works and what doesn’t. Some films have been adapted from short stories or poems but, if you decide to make an adaptation you need to check that you have permission.

When looking for ideas on which to write about it could be a funny event that has happened to you or a news story that has spoken to you. Look around for inspiration in everything and sooner or later you will find a really good idea that you will like. Once you have found the idea then it is time to start writing, If you have a small tape recorder it might help to carry it around with you who knows when inspiration will strike? Once you have forgotten what sparked off your inspiration then it will be lost forever so make sure you carry a a note pad with you if you haven’t got a tape recorder.

Acting has always been my dream ever since I was a young girl. I remember sitting down in front of the television with my family and telling them how I wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be able to perform, sing, dance and act on a stage. Whenever I went to see theatrical productions like musicals I would sit in awe of the actor’s. Now I go and watch them and feel sick with jealousy. Inside I long to be like them up on that stage performing in front of a big audience.

Recently I went to see John Barrowman give a talk about his success and although I love him I felt envious of his success. Of course, I want him to be successful because he’s fantastic and an amazing person, but I cannot help thinking if only that were me. I haven’t had the same opportunities as other people because for a long time I battled with depression and other mental health problems. I couldn’t possibly begin to say half of what I have been through and whilst I know other people have had difficult lives and I’m not saying poor me because of what has happened in my life I haven’t been able to go for my dreams until now. I’m 31 years old now and in a couple of weeks I will be 32 and I haven’t made it. I’m getting too old to become a successful performer. Hardly anyone is interested in a 32 year old actress. They all want people younger. I look young and though I’d like to lie about my age and would easily pass for a young 20 year old I don’t believe in lying. I want to go to a London drama school, but would anyone be interested in me?

So, here I am having a good old moan. Premenstrual and looking back on my life thinking what if? I knew I should have gone for my dream when I was younger. So what do you think? Is there any chance for me? Could I ever make it at my age?

Method Acting is a way of portraying real emotions within a production. It is getting in touch with past emotions and building them into a character. When Method Acting is used correctly there will be no part of the production that is dead or lifeless. Each moment will be filled with a thought or an emotion.

Around the same time that Stanislavsky brought out books about Method Acting one of Stanislavsky’s students Richard Boleslawsky formed an acting school in New York teaching Stanislavsky’s basic techniques.

Method Acting grew in demand and popularity with the great work of actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean. Other more notable Method Actor’s include Al Pacino, Paul Newman and Robert DeNiro.

Stella Adler taught Method Acting to Marlon Brando and Robert DeNiro asking them to use their creativity and imagination to get under the skin of the character and portray the emotions that the character would experience. Sometimes Method Acting can be taken too far like when Dustin Hoffman once went without washing or sleeping for two entire days in order to understand his character more deeply. Laurence Olivier who starred with him in the film asked why he didn’t just act. Some actors get so involved with Method Acting that they actually harm themselves or someone else. Method Acting is good, but only when you know how far to take it.

There are several schools of thought when training an actor. One of those is an acting technique known as Method Acting. Actors will carry out research where they endeavour to carry out true life situations where the character will feel the natural conditions around them. This will give a more natural performance because the actor understands what the character is feeling and going through. It is about the actor stepping in the characters shoes and understanding their life situations.Method Acting allows the actor to get in touch with their own feelings, emotions, memories and experiences in order to give the performance life and realism. Once the actor can understand their character then they can get under their skin and perform in the most natural manner.

Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky was born in Moscow in 1863 and had a powerful influence on the formation of acting more powerful than anyone else in the twentieth century. When Stanislavsky was 14 he joined a theatrical group organized by his family, and soon became its central figure. Throughout the late 1800s his acting improved and he began to produce and direct plays. Over the process of forty years he invented an approach that fore fronted the psychological and emotional aspects of acting. The Stanislavsky System, or “the method,” as it is now known.

It seems that the performing arts course that I am doing has more of a structure now and we were told tonight that we are going to be doing a small class production in December. We have been asked to look for a news story that we could turn into a production in our class as a group activity. It would be good to do a production about Sharon Osbourne because she is my favourite of all time celebrities.

During the class tonight we watched a short video with news stories in it. It contained some funny clips as well as some serious ones. I was impressed to find out that our tutor had put the video together. I was interested in the group tonight especially when we talked about Stanislavsky and Method Acting. I will talk about method acting in detail another time.

I was pleased when out tutor said we had to do a journal with our work in because I have already started it on this blog so I am already ahead of many people on my course. I was a bit upset today as there is a guy on our course who has been really bitchy towards me. I always thought it would be the girl’s who would be bitchy not the guy’s, but yeah this guy thinks he is the best and wants to put me down.

It’s upsetting that a lot of people who first started the musical theatre course have now dropped out. We used to have 16 people attending the course, but now we only have about 10 people left on the course. It is not good because it shows a lack of commitment. How can you ever succeed in the performing arts world if you are not committed? One of the things you need to do as an actor is work hard and stay committed.

The course that we are doing is pretty basic and for me it isn’t challenging enough, but I like it when we do drama exercises. I am considering doing the degree course after this one because it is more challenging. Ideally I’d love to live in London where it seems there are more jobs for actors. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever make it big, but just working as an actress is good enough for me.

I don’t necessarily want to be famous what I want to do is get permanent work as an actress. When I act I seem to make people laugh I have what you call funny bones. Although I am good at comedy acting I can also sing a bit and do straight, serious acting. Whatever happens I know that I want to work in the area of performing arts, but when you get older it gets more and more difficult to find work in the performing arts world.

Tap was originally called “Jazz Dance” in the 1920’s – 1940’s. However modern jazz dance is softer than tap dancing with more work carried out by the body rather than foot work. There are still a lot of moves that carry over from tap. There are also moves that can be found in other dance styles. The shuffle ball change for example is found in tap and jazz dance.

Jazz dance has lively and fluent movements with moves you would typically find in Broadway productions like Chorus Line. The movements are stylish and swift though they are quite tricky to learn. Dancers of jazz love the way the dance allows them to express themselves creatively and originally. Once you know all the moves then you can choreograph them together and create a unique dance performance.

In order to gain the most from jazz dance lessons it is important to loosen up, stretch and tone the body in preparation for jazz dance lessons. The ability to be flexible and move the body fluently is an essential aid in learning jazz dance. Movements require the body to be flexible and fit. Stretching exercises can really help the body be more prepared to carry out jazz dance lessons.

Movements such as single rotation turns and split leaps should be practised over and over again until they become natural. Watching DVD’s of jazz dance instruction can really help. Watching professional jazz dancers can also really help teach you the basics and gain an awareness of what is expected of you. Jazz dance is fun once you know the steps you can concentrate on putting them all together and that is the most enjoyable part of jazz dancing.

Stagecraft is a term that means the technical elements of theatrical, film and video production. Stagecraft is often used to refer to the technical side rather than the artistic side of the theatre. Most stage-hands will work on the more practical side of the theatre and carry out the designer’s instructions.

Stagecraft is usually carried out by one individual who has the role of looking after scenery, costumes, lighting and sound. In professional theatres like Broadway or the West End stagecraft is carried out by many of people including though not exhaustive of carpenters, painters, electricians, stage-hands, stitchers,costume designer’s and countless others. In professional theatres stagecraft has been taken to a more advanced level.

Stagecraft might seem less important than acting, singing, dancing or taking a more active part in the production but, it is important. Without stagecraft the production would not be able to run because there would be no help to support the production. Even if the actor’s took on the role of stage-hands it would be too much pressure and there would be less time to practise and audition. Therefore for everyone to take part in stagecraft it would have to be a small theatre and be well organised. Stagecraft must be planned and organisation well before the production is performed.