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Look Under The Rock posted:I feel really uncomfortable that any discussion of racism has been completely removed from the script. That's part of what would make me uncomfortable (in addition to my general philosophical positions above). quote:It's also kind of uncomfortable to hear White Lady read the "southern black woman" pronunciations of words as written in the script ("new yawk" etc). That would also make me uncomfortable. quote:uggggh I just can't decide what to do. If you're close enough to the director, maybe just bring up your dilemma and see what reaction you get. "I'm uncomfortable because of X, but Y doesn't necessarily seem any better. Can you help me understand your thought process so I know where you're coming from?" That sort of thing. Then maybe you'll get an answer that either puts you at ease or solidifies your feelings one way or another.
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Jul 12, 2013 04:33
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It's bad enough when Hollywood whitewashes a character, but when it's done on the stage (where I feel a lot of the real battles have, can be, are, and will be fought), then it's just depressing. Before I moved to Chicago, I really loved the idea of doing Hairspray or West Side Story, but the idea of having a lily white group of community theater actors butchering the racial messages in those shows disgusted me. They were shows I considered off limits because we couldn't do them justice. Conversely, at rantmo's insistence I saw a production of Julius Caesar with an all-female cast a couple months ago and it was one of the best theater experiences I've had, full stop. Yes, I probably take this too seriously. It really gets under my skin, though. But at least you're doing a show that seems to be female focused rather than all the MEN MEN MEN MEN MEN scripts I see. So there's that, at least.
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Jul 12, 2013 16:06
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Geekboy posted:Before I moved to Chicago, I really loved the idea of doing Hairspray or West Side Story, but the idea of having a lily white group of community theater actors butchering the racial messages in those shows disgusted me. They were shows I considered off limits because we couldn't do them justice. Earlier this year, I saw a production of Hairspray where, even after segregation has supposedly broken down, all of the black characters are still stuck dancing in the back while the white characters dance in front. This was done without a trace of irony.
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Jul 12, 2013 16:56
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Just had the opening night of Diving the Estate at my local repertory theatre. I haven't done a straight play in over two years so it was nice to be doing that kind of work again. We did butcher the final scene, though. The risk of live theatre I guess. It went well despite that. We have six more shows over the course of the next month and a half, hopefully all the kinks get worked out by then.
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Jul 13, 2013 08:14
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York_M_Chan posted:I thought this thread would appreciate a text my friend got (he's red): That is physically revolting behaviour, and I hope your friend followed up on it. I've worked with some people whose opinion of themselves was probably a little over-inflated, but never anywhere near so aggressively vitriolic. Golden Bee posted:ANOTHER of my plays was licensed for Australia. My third play's been approved a while through my rep, but stuff on their end is complicated so it's not up yet. Would you be able to expand upon this at all? I live in Adelaide, and some friends/acquaintances from AC Arts get together once a fortnight for play readings. The times I've gone so far we've mostly looked at and discussed relatively new and interesting Australian plays, and I'd like to keep an ear to the ground in case it comes up. Alaemon posted:My personal thing has always been that if you need to change the text of the play you're performing, you're performing the wrong play. It's one thing to me if you have the author handy and they give you the approval, but I have no patience for bowdlerization. On the other hand, it's also sometimes fun to simply create a new perspective on an old story. Last year I did a production of the Merchant of Venice that was set in a vague 50's-60's era office building environment, where the director had decided well ahead of casting to make Shylock a single mother and lean towards questions of gender discrimination in the workplace. All told, it was received fairly well. But, to clarify, it seems as though that's probably not the kind of text alteration you are describing. Basically what I'm saying is just that I can also understand the school of thought that doesn't hold the exact text as sacrosanct, especially considering the vicissitudes of production. Geekboy posted:Conversely, at rantmo's insistence I saw a production of Julius Caesar with an all-female cast a couple months ago and it was one of the best theater experiences I've had, full stop. CAMP FARTING ROCKS fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Jul 14, 2013 |
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Jul 14, 2013 15:03
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Zazi posted:
It's children's theater but if you want I can PM you the details. Might not be worth a trek for a 40 minute show, but it depends where you are and I'd certainly be curious about the details of how it runs.
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Jul 17, 2013 19:39
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Golden Bee posted:It's children's theater but if you want I can PM you the details. Might not be worth a trek for a 40 minute show, but it depends where you are and I'd certainly be curious about the details of how it runs. Sure, send 'em through. I can't promise I'll be able to check it out but having the details will definitely help!
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Jul 18, 2013 13:26
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I'm about to finish a six-week summer intensive acting program at the William Esper Studios in New York City. I've been doing well enough that I believe I will be invited back for their two-year acting program. I'm stressing out about the decision. I've made a pros and cons list, I'd love to hear what people have to say. Pros: The list of alumni is incredible, Sam Rockwell, Jeff Goldblum, Kathy bates, Aaron Eckhart etc. It's a well-recognized studio. In six weeks I've already noticed a change in my acting, and I think I could greatly benefit from the training. This would be some of the last training I would ever need. The networking benefits would be immense. Cons: It's two years of my life, $25,000, and the opportunity cost of being out of the workforce and auditions for two years. I would be locked in to a set schedule. Who knows what I would miss? Facts to consider: Type: I'm a 24-year-old 6'3" white male with dark features. Fit. Money isn't as huge of a factor as the other parts. I just moved to New York on March 1. I've already been getting some great callbacks, such as the final six out of 150+ applicants for The blue man group and the 2nd round of call backs for "Sleep no more". I'm incredibly torn about this. Thoughts?
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Jul 19, 2013 04:53
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Think of the 6 week program as a BFA and the 2 years as an MFA. It seems best to me to finish the 6 weeks, get real world experience with your new, changed acting style and then go back later for the 2 yr program. I would go audition with the 6 week program credit on your résumé and see what comes up. If you have solid acting gigs with the 6 week credit you can always do that for a while and come back for the 2 year program later. If you are not seeing any solid offers for acting gigs, accept the offer for the 2 yr program. Unrelated, for any techs out there, Doug Fleenor is taking his RV cross country and showing off his DMX controllers and other stuff right now. I saw his demonstration this week. If anyone gets a chance to check it out he has some pretty cool stuff, especially the Edison light wall that was used on Glee.
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Jul 19, 2013 07:59
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I think Burger Crime is right. I just went up to talk to some people about getting my masters but they suggested that I waited a few years until after I had finished my BFA. If you are already getting some callbacks I would hold off on that opportunity until a bit later. I'm sure if you maintain contacts with the teachers from the program your future audition for admittance will be easy.
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Jul 19, 2013 13:32
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The best thing you can do is get a few years under your belt before going into grad school. I've seen some grads come straight out of their BFA. And it's never pretty.
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Jul 22, 2013 23:22
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I'm watching Slings and Arrows with a non-theatre friend. I've missed talking about this stuff so much.
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Jul 23, 2013 02:50
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Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:I'm about to finish a six-week summer intensive acting program at the William Esper Studios in New York City. I've been doing well enough that I believe I will be invited back for their two-year acting program. I'm stressing out about the decision. I've made a pros and cons list, I'd love to hear what people have to say. I just made this decision myself (about to attend first year of an MFA in Acting program) so I completely understand where you're at. In your particular situation I would speak with the folks at Bill Esper's studio and ask about deferring their offer for a year. As others have said, the experience of actually being out in the workforce and eating poo poo with the rest of humanity is invaluable. You already have the Esper name, which carries a TON of weight in New York, on your resume, and this will give you the chance to experience life as an aspiring actor and see if it's worth putting a 2 year, $25k investment into this dream. A lot can change in a year. That said, the two years probably won't kill you type-wise (you're pretty similar to me) and I'm sure the training would be excellent. PM me if you have any questions about the process . . . basically I auditioned for grad schools two years in a row before joining my program, so I know where your head is at right now.
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Jul 24, 2013 17:58
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Well, I was accepted to the 2 year. I have a week to decide. looking at the courseload and what it would entail, I'd only be in class 13 hours a week. That would mean I'd have enough time to audition, work outside of class, wait tables etc. We will see. I think I'm probably going to jump onboard. I don't have platinum, otherwise I'd PM you. One of these days...
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Jul 26, 2013 04:46
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Who has two thumbs, speaks limited French, and is about to build a set for a community theater production of a Russian comedy? This comrade! I hope I don't gently caress it up and kill everyone.
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Jul 26, 2013 05:13
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Who has two thumbs, speaks limited French, and is about to build a set for a community theater production of a Russian comedy? This comrade! I hope I don't gently caress it up and kill everyone. What's the set like? Just pulled a 16 hour day...now to sleep for 3 hours and head back in to see what I can finish before everyone else shows up...
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Jul 26, 2013 07:26
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Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:Well, I was accepted to the 2 year. I have a week to decide. looking at the courseload and what it would entail, I'd only be in class 13 hours a week. That would mean I'd have enough time to audition, work outside of class, wait tables etc. We will see. I think I'm probably going to jump onboard. If money isn't a problem then I say do it, but be clear on their policy on outside auditioning during the program (they may want you to concentrate on classwork). And congrats!
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Jul 26, 2013 20:48
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r0ff13c0p73r posted:What's the set like? It's really basic (vaudeville proscenium, footlights, a window) but it's the first thing I've done outside of a classroom. Everyone's being very vague about everything so that's all right now. I'm just glad I still have my backstage handbook to tell me how to assemble poo poo.
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Jul 26, 2013 20:52
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Magic Hate Ball posted:It's really basic (vaudeville proscenium, footlights, a window) but it's the first thing I've done outside of a classroom. Everyone's being very vague about everything so that's all right now. I'm just glad I still have my backstage handbook to tell me how to assemble poo poo. That sounds pretty awesome. Take some process shots and start building a carp portfolio! Backstage Handbook is pretty great, but sometimes it can over complicate things, don't hesitate to settle with a simpler solution even if it's not in the bible. r0ff13c0p73r fucked around with this message at 07:52 on Jul 28, 2013 |
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Jul 28, 2013 07:49
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Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:I'm about to finish a six-week summer intensive acting program at the William Esper Studios in New York City. I've been doing well enough that I believe I will be invited back for their two-year acting program. I'm stressing out about the decision. I've made a pros and cons list, I'd love to hear what people have to say. William Esper is one of the best/most respected acting teachers in NY. If you really want some serious acting study for two years and don't care about getting a degree out of it (and the money isn't an issue) then, it's a pretty solid option. Where's your training from, if you don't mind me asking? (Are you a dancer? You must be if you were in callbacks for Sleep No More) On the other hand, keep in mind that you can be in acting class AND audition/work as an actor. Not necessarily with William Esper (I don't know how they organize classes outside of their big certificate program) but with SOMEONE. If you're not sure about committing two years of your life, I'd say don't, and in a year you can always decide you HAVE TO do it and do it then. edit: oops, I didn't see this Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:Well, I was accepted to the 2 year. I have a week to decide. looking at the courseload and what it would entail, I'd only be in class 13 hours a week. That would mean I'd have enough time to audition, work outside of class, wait tables etc. We will see. I think I'm probably going to jump onboard. 13 hrs a week is not much if the money is no object. On the other hand find out how it interacts with working professionally during the program -- it's probably something every student asks, so be up front about what you want.
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Aug 2, 2013 21:56
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Rashomon posted:William Esper is one of the best/most respected acting teachers in NY. If you really want some serious acting study for two years and don't care about getting a degree out of it (and the money isn't an issue) then, it's a pretty solid option. Where's your training from, if you don't mind me asking? (Are you a dancer? You must be if you were in callbacks for Sleep No More) Yeah, I joined up for the two year. I'm assigned to Suzanne Esper, Bill's wife - she's spectacular. Apparently Bill, while still one of the most brilliant teachers alive, has mellowed out over the years. His wife still has a fiery, passionate approach that is loud, brutally honest and incredibly nurturing. Some of the best training I've ever had. I'm not a dancer, actually. My physicality still needs work. The Sleep No More audition was to interpret instructions into movement, to come up with your own movement piece. A lot of the dancers tried to show off technique and prowess instead of doing something honest that made sense with the instructions. They weren't called back. The second was an exercise with text, using it as a 1 on 1 with the casting directors as another actor. It was an interesting audition, I had a ton of fun. I got some training in undergrad (BA Theatre) at the University of British Columbia, some stuff with Seattle Children's Theater growing up. Did a one month summer thing in Oxford with BADA. This will be the first real conservatory thing I've ever done though, a little daunting, but very exciting. I'm still able to do shows while in the program. If I get involved in something big enough that it might help launch me career wise, they can make arrangements to drop for a term or a year or whatever and come back later. That said, I should try and avoid getting involved with anything touring if I can help it. poo poo is nuts. Everyone in this city is an actor or dancer or whatever. We will see! OSheaman posted:If money isn't a problem then I say do it, but be clear on their policy on outside auditioning during the program (they may want you to concentrate on classwork). And congrats! Thanks man!
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Aug 2, 2013 23:24
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Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:poo poo is nuts. Cool! I've worked with William/Suzanne's son and he's one of the best actors in the world so it worked out that he lived up to the family name.  It's a highly regarded studio (along with Michael Howard probably one of only a handful of places where it still means something that you studied with them) and I know they produce very skilled actors. It sounds like this could be great for you. Good luck!
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Aug 3, 2013 03:37
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Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:Thanks man! I'm actually moving to New York myself for my program so maybe we'll meet in the street somewhere!
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Aug 5, 2013 04:42
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Rashomon posted:Cool! I've worked with William/Suzanne's son and he's one of the best actors in the world so it worked out that he lived up to the family name. OSheaman posted:I'm actually moving to New York myself for my program so maybe we'll meet in the street somewhere! What program?
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Aug 7, 2013 07:48
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Sweet_Joke_Nectar posted:What program? MFA in Acting at Columbia
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Aug 8, 2013 02:11
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OSheaman posted:MFA in Acting at Columbia You get to study under Kristin Linklater! Really jealous, I was trained by people that studied under Kristin and even though I am doing lighting design now, I still really value the acting training I received from them. Also congratulations on getting into the program! Burger Crime fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Aug 8, 2013 |
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Aug 8, 2013 03:55
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Thanks! Yep three years of the ladder exercise incoming for me.
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Aug 8, 2013 16:12
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r0ff13c0p73r posted:Take some process shots and start building a carp portfolio! People do that?
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Aug 8, 2013 17:34
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Yea carp portfolios are a thing. A friend of mine even has a Facebook fan page for her work as a scenic carpenter.
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Aug 9, 2013 19:29
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bunnielab posted:People do that? It's not usually required for carp jobs, but it's one of those extra miles that makes employers happy if it's done right. Though more and more jobs are requiring visual aids of some kind with a resume. TDs have their draftings, SMs have their prompt books, etc.
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Aug 9, 2013 23:43
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Hey theatre folks I need some advice. I'll be graduating in May and I have a non-theatre job lined up for the summer that I need to work because  , but after that I guess it is time to start trying to work as an actor time  .I know I need to work part-time jobs, but what do you do when a job conflicts with potential audition/acting opportunities? I can't imagine a job exists that would be cool letting someone call out frequently for auditions. Anyone have advice they could impart?
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Aug 15, 2013 15:36
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RebBrownies posted:I know I need to work part-time jobs, but what do you do when a job conflicts with potential audition/acting opportunities? I can't imagine a job exists that would be cool letting someone call out frequently for auditions. Anyone have advice they could impart? It starts with being very upfront and open with potential employers that you're an actor and that you have this second career that exists alongside your day job(s). Will that make it harder to find a job in the first place? Maybe, but if you're honest about it, you'll have better experiences. From there, it pretty much depends on where you're working. If you're working retail or food retail, you're going to have a very different experience than in an office. Some places will let you trade shifts with other people, Starbucks was great about that when I worked there, but that's not universal by any means. Obviously, no matter where you work, the more lead time you can give for audition conflicts the better. The key is to be classy about it, and that will sometimes mean turning down auditions in favor of your job. Temp work can be a great middle ground, if that's an option, given the scheduling flexibility that it can have, but even then, you need to be as transparent as possible about the potential for conflicts. Really it all boils down to being forthcoming and classy and not coming across as entitled or superior but it turns out that that advice applies to everything else in life and theatre.
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Aug 15, 2013 16:27
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We have a couple understudies stepping in for two performances this weekend. One has no experience. The other has a zillion lines. We had a pickup rehearsal last night and it was horrifying. So, we have enlisted one of the makeup guys as a prompter. None of the shows I've worked on have used a prompter, so I don't really know what the procedure should be. We won't have a chance to rehearse with the prompter. It's on me to inform them of their duties. What should I tell them? Any way to make it easier on cast members who have never used a prompter? Edit: someone added acetone to our spirit gum. Is there a way to save it? Every person in the cast wears some sort of prosthetic. Uggggggh... Look Under The Rock fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Aug 16, 2013 |
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Aug 16, 2013 00:39
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r0ff13c0p73r posted:It's not usually required for carp jobs, but it's one of those extra miles that makes employers happy if it's done right. Though more and more jobs are requiring visual aids of some kind with a resume. TDs have their draftings, SMs have their prompt books, etc. Madness. I don't think I ever got a theatre related job through anything other then a personal recommendation or a "gently caress it, we just need warm bodies" type deal. A theatre I used to TD for did a Kickstarter to help fund a staged version of "Neverwhere" they are doing and I gave them a hundred bucks. And then realized that only by abandoning art and doing event poo poo was I able to afford it. I think I am going to give them more and see if I can help in the build or something. I really do kinda miss it.
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Aug 16, 2013 00:59
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bunnielab posted:Madness. I don't think I ever got a theatre related job through anything other then a personal recommendation or a "gently caress it, we just need warm bodies" type deal. If you're just starting out, with only college level stuff on your resume, it definitely helps. It also depends where you're going to work. If you are trying to get on the overhire list for Local 1, then it probably is a waste of time. If you're applying to a master carpenter position at a high end regional, it can't hurt and will only help.
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Aug 16, 2013 03:20
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Tech question for people out there. I'm working in a house that has some strand units and on one of them the threads on the unit that hold the yoke bolt are completely stripped out so the bolt will not tighten at all. Would it be safe to rethread it and put it back in the air or should i just junk the whole unit? The theatre would like to keep it but will do whatever i recommend.
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Aug 16, 2013 16:40
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Anyone know of a database that reviews agencies? Outside of Imdb and google. I have a meeting with Wayne Scherzer of Roth and Associates East coming up, Trying to learn what I can. He was recommended by two actors whom I deeply respect, but that's all I have to go on.OSheaman posted:MFA in Acting at Columbia *Drooooollll* That's spectacular! I live in the UWS, we might run into each other after all! Sweet_Joke_Nectar fucked around with this message at 09:31 on Aug 17, 2013 |
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Aug 17, 2013 08:49
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Look Under The Rock posted:
This is probably too late, but your spirit gum is screwed. Acetone can take off spirit gum- adding it to the stuff will kill it, or has in my experience. I would go ahead and buy a new bottle or two. Also, what show are you doing where everyone wears a prosthetic? Curious.
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Aug 19, 2013 18:18
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I have some photos from my first ever attempt at dance lighting and am open to criticism or ideas to improve since it is my first time. The photos are all taken by me so if you want to share them anywhere public just PM me first.   
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Aug 20, 2013 05:44
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What kind of piece was this? It looks really intimate. The colors are nice- I think if you played more with side light you could give their bodies a lot more dimension.
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Aug 20, 2013 07:27
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