When I left you last, I shared all the work that went into producing a promotional photo shoot and my tips and tricks for photo shoot success.
A lot has happened since then – I’ve been working tremendously hard to get this show off the ground as the months slip by.
HIRING A DIRECTOR
First, I’ve hired a Director. Not just any Director, but an incredible one that I’m so thrilled to work with. And finding the match was no easy feat. It went roughly like this:
1. Ask friends and acquaintances for personal director recommendations
2. Post an Ad up on Playbill specifically detailing what I was looking for in a director. Full text of that ad, in case you’re trying to write something similar:
Dressing Room Lessons
For the past six months I’ve been trapped in a dressing room with some of the many extreme personalities found in the theatre world. From this I’ve observed not only the business advantages of always presenting yourself in a professional manner, but also the personal benefits that come with having a good attitude. In my first post I warned of the occasional philosophical side-note I would be including in my posts, get ready for side-note #2 because this story is more than deserving of a philosophical exploration.
Let’s read some character descriptions:
I’ll Have My People Call Your People.
I recently decided that my 3+ year old phone was just not cutting it anymore. Everyone around me was upgrading to iPhones or Androids, and I was still trying to make my way in the world with a regular, call-and-text-only phone. I was beginning to feel left behind in the dust. People expect to be in constant contact! When someone e-mails me, they expect to hear back immediately, and considering I have a survival job and had no access to e-mail on my phone – I was screwed!
Flashback Friday: Getting Seen at EPAs as a Non-Eq
Hey y’all! I’m starting a new blog series called… wait for it… FLASHBACK FRIDAYS! Where every Friday (surprising, right?) I’ll feature an old blog that I think deserves to see the light of computer screen again. It will be a great way for you to catch up and get to know us, the writers, if you are a recent convert to Green Room Blog.
Starting off our series is a post by none other than our founder, The Redheaded Actress! We recently read about The British Dancer’s shiny new Equity card, and now you can (re)read how Redhead got hers! Here goes!
“I really admire those of you dedicated non-union actors who get up at the crack of dawn to trudge to the Equity building in all types of weather and with all types of outfit possibilities and being prepared for all different sorts of audition scenarios, only to sit in the hallway outside the actual lounge for hours at a time, unable to use the bathroom in the building and with chances running pretty high that you’re not going to even get to audition that day…” Click here to read more!
“I’m in love with a wonderful show”
Dear Green Room Blog Diary,
I hope you don’t mind me being self-indulgent and gushing about the fantastic dream I’ve been living in the past 10 weeks. If you do…well, I give you permission to skip this post.
I’m currently performing the musical South Pacific, at a resort in southern California. It’s my second time playing this role, and this production is the regional premiere since the Lincoln Center production. 2013 is the 55th anniversary of South Pacific the movie and it just so happens that our show’s producer is good friends with none other than Mitzi Gaynor, who played my role in the movie. During tech week I found out Ms. Gaynor would be attending our press night during opening weekend.
Hmmm. So let me process….Mitzi Gaynor, Nellie Forbush from the movie South Pacific, who EVERY classic musical theater nerd has watched “wash that man” right out of her hair, was coming to see ME play Nellie Forbush? No pressure, right???
One Fact That Will Keep You From Being Overwhelmed Ever Again
If you are feeling overwhelmed – whether it be by your career, the state of your love life, your day job, or personal matters, read on, mi amigo.
As actors … and as people, we forget this one tiny, ever so important fact: Everything starts in the mind.
Let’s look at the facts.
FACT: Our mind instructs our body what to do.
24 Hours, A Radio Play Challenge: The Writer
I’m getting a little too old for pulling all-nighters. Back in college I thought nothing of staying up all night to cram for finals, taking the test, then going out to party! But now (many years graduated) I’m still recovering, days later, from the Radio COTE 24-Hour Newsroom… a radio play challenge.
Was it worth the dark circles, dull skin, confused brain and extra coffee budget? Heck yes! What a ride. Here’s the scoop:
24 Hours, A Radio Play Challenge: The Director
One of my favorite things about NYC theatre is how many 24 hour (sometimes 48 or 72) festivals there are here. The first thing I ever did after graduating college was Assistant Stage Manage and be a playwright for a 48 hour festival. Now, I’ve directed 5, written 3, acted in 2, staged managed once and produced one for festivals of this style and it’s an experience I just love doing over and over!
For those who don’t know, a 24 hour play festival is when plays are written, rehearsed, teched, and performed in (about) 24 hours. Playwrights, Directors, and Actors randomly get paired into groups to work in, and are usually given certain guidelines to follow (i.e. a prop to use, a line, a theme, etc.) so all the plays have something in common. It is intense (although gets easier the more you do it) but a worthwhile experience. Since it’s usually just a matter of signing up or filling out an application, it’s a great way for early career theatre artists to gain experience (while for those who have experience it’s a great way to create art within a time limit).
The Green Room 