The letter

As I was walking to the mailbox this morning, I knew that there would be a letter and I knew what it was going to say. Maybe it was the storm that is raging across New Zealand that was the omen I had waited for. Let me tell you, last nights weather was extremely foreboding.

So, you guessed it 'Unfortunately, on this occasion, your audition was not successfull.'

I don't really know how I feel about this. Except that I am feeling a little bit sick and there's a big lump in my throat. I guess, I am disappointed. I really would have loved to do the weekend workshop. All the things I could have learned! I guess, this annoys me more than anything else because as I have said before, under my current circumstances I would not be able to accept a place at the school next year anyway. The workshop would have been the only thing I could have done at Toi. Darn.

All of this doesn't mean that I can't be or that I am not an actress. I just have to work harder and find other ways to get the training that I want. These news actually make me want to work harder, not to prove them wrong but to prove to myself that I am worthy of what I am. I am an actress.

In the meantime, congratulations to all of you who got into the weekend workshop. Well done! I'm wishing you all white light, good luck and an amazing time!

Just breathe...

16.09.2010 in my inbox:

Thanks for attending the recent auditions around New Zealand  for the Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) programme  for 2011.

The panel completed their auditions at the end of last week and reviewed all applicants this week.

This email is to let you know that your letter has been sent in the mail  today to your address.

If you do not receive your letter by next week Monday afternoon, you are welcome to email me.
But otherwise please look out for the mail with information about the results of your audition.

Thanks so much.

Bette Cosgrove
Student Services Manager
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School  

DIY

The audition circuit in Wellington is very slow at the moment. This doesn't exactly help if you want to put a reel together. So, I have enlisted the help of my friend Sarah and we've been preparing to shoot our own short scene.

It's a serio-comedic snippet from 'The Mamet Women' by Frederick Stroppel. It is a lot of fun to play! We've been walking around Miramar today, running lines and improving ourselves through the scene, soy mocha in hand, and enjoying the beautiful spring sun. It's going to be a two-women production without any fancy camera work, dependent on natural light and will be filmed in my kitchen. We did a quick test to see how to set up the shot and it's looking pretty good for two amateurs at work. We need to do a bit of tweaking and a bit of luck with the weather but we're set to give it a go on Sunday afternoon. Fun times ahead!

So, don't bemoan the lack of auditions you're getting but get together with a mate or two, borrow a camera from someone and get cracking acting! That is what you love to do, right? Even if you end up not using the material for anything, who cares?! You get some experience and get to play with your friends. What could be more fun?!

Here's some more inspiring stuff. Check out Jack Plotnick's fantastic e-book New Thoughts for Actors here. His techniques take the 'putting on an Act' out of acting and put the spontaneity and fun back in.




So, DIY and have fun playing everyone!

P.S.: Thank you so much Caitlin for putting me onto the New Thoughts here! Check out Caitlin's blog Caitlin Acts. She has just embarked on a new adventure, moving to LA and starting her professional acting career with an internship with great casting agent. Good luck Caitlin!

Am I worth it?

I wrote a while ago about motivation and miracles and how without winning the lotto or some other serious miracle, there is no way that I could accept a place at drama school, Toi Whakaari or any other. Aside from working on winning the lotto, I have obviously been wracking my brain about other possibilities to earn enough money for at least the first year.

I know, I don't even have a call back (yet) to round two of the Toi audition process but I better start thinking about my options, or better keep thinking about them, now. I can't afford to run out of time. Ideas, anyone?! Anyone?!

The audition - Part 3

I have been avoiding to check my foot for bullet holes since the audition because I don't really want to find any there. But as I said yesterday I might just have pointed my gun at the wrong target.

The audition - Part 2

So, yesterday's audition panel was made up by the head of acting at Toi and two acting graduates one of whom teaches at Toi, the other representing the industry. As was pointed out to us at the beginning of the audition drama school is not the real world, it's a stepping stone into the real world.

After a few rounds of freeze tag, head of acting, Jonathon Hendry, told us that was to expect from the monologues part of the audition. The process was going to be as in a workshop, so the panel might stop us at any given moment during the performance to work with us. Brilliant, bring it on, let me show you what I can do!

The audition - Part 1

Today was audition day, finally! At the same time I can't quite believe it's all over - for a while, in case I get to go back for the recall workshop. This whole preparation process had really taken over my life and my mind for the past few months and now all of a sudden the stress of it is falling away just like that. I can feel a migraine coming on - no kidding!

CALL TO ACTION: The Actors Studio needs your help!

So, I know it is the afternoon of audition day and I am going to blog about everything but there is a bigger and more pressing topic that I would like to address first.

The Wellington Actors Studio needs your help!

Barbara has been teaching the Meisner technique in Wellington for over eight years and opened the Studio last October to take her small business to the next level.