Acting in Columbus Newsletter | May 2011

ACTING IN COLUMBUS featured in OSU's THE LANTERN Campus Newspaper

2011-05-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

Student short film hits the big screen by Matt Kraus

Many actors dream of seeing their work make it to the big screen. Now, for a small group of Columbus actors, this dream is about to become a reality.

"Beyond a Reasonable Doubt," a short film starring students of the local acting studio, Acting in Columbus, will be screening at the Gateway Film Center at 6 p.m. Sunday. The film's plot is based on the 1954 teleplay "Twelve Angry Men."

For Beth Sopko, a member of the film's cast, this is the first time a performance of hers will be shown in a movie theater. She is anxious to see the finished product.

"I'm a little scared just to see myself," Sopko said. "I'm excited because I enjoy the work, but it makes me a little nervous."

Aaron Geib, another actor, said the screening will provide an excellent opportunity for the acting students to evaluate their performances.

"It makes you aware of things that you might not necessarily be aware of," Geib said. "Until you actually see yourself doing it, that's when it all comes full circle."

Richard Mason, who directed the film, founded Acting in Columbus in 1998. He believes that giving acting students a chance to actually shoot a film and see it in a movie theater will allow them to improve their craft.

This is the third version of "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" that Acting in Columbus has produced. Each version has had a different cast featuring students of the Advanced Acting for Film class. Production of the film occurs during the final weeks of class, after the students have spent several sessions learning about the work that goes into making a film.

"I found in my acting classes there was a gap between what actors were learning in class and what they needed to know to work on a film," Mason said.

"Actually doing a film at the end of the class puts everything in context that I just taught."

Chris Martin, the film's cinematographer and editor, has been involved with the "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" project since the beginning. He and Mason had previously worked together on a documentary project.

"Learning the craft of acting is one really tough skill," Martin said. "How to do that in front of a camera and a production crew is a totally different skill. It's the kind of thing that you have to learn just by being around it."

Geib said taking acting classes has been an important experience in his life, and he feels it's an opportunity more people should take advantage of.

"I wish that they would make an acting class mandatory in every high school as part of the curriculum," Geib said. "If you have any kind of shyness or awkwardness around people, start taking some acting classes. It will teach you really quick how to get rid of that."

Mason said Acting in Columbus classes don't only focus on acting, but also on the process of auditioning for roles and the work that needs to be done to keep them.

Many Acting in Columbus students go on to work in commercials and films. Geib was cast in an independent feature film that will begin shooting in a month.

UPCOMING AUDITIONS

2011-05-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

Short Film “Ms. Heebie”

Motion Picture Production department at Wright State University - Directed by Alex Taylor

A story about Marge, a child-like, middle-aged daycare provider who wants more than anything to have a child of her own. Developmentally slow and socially awkward, Marge finds it impossible to connect with adults, including her own brother. Having no friends other than her dog, and a strange uncomfortable relationship with her remaining family, Marge is confronted with just how different she really is.

Marge: (mid 30s-late 40s) Lonely, alienated and child-minded, Marge’s only desire is to be loved, unconditionally. Her life-long passion has been caring for children, whom she relates to easily. Her peers view her as strange and find her difficult to connect with.

Pete: (late 20s-30s) Younger brother of Marge. A loving husband and protective father, Pete works hard to give his family the best life possible. However, he has recently grown concerned that his sister and her strange nature may jeopardize his family’s safety.

Trisha: (late 20s-30s) Pete’s wife, Trisha, is a happy house-wife and mother. Gossipy and a bit vain, though well-meaning, Trisha believes that she “has it all”, and therefore has a tendency to be judgmental toward others.

Penny: (5-12) Penny is Pete and Trisha’s daughter. She adores her aunt Marge with whom she shares a close bond. Her innocence is over-shadowed by her spunky individuality which sets her apart from other children her age.

Open Audition: Saturday, May 6^th 2-6pm

Columbus Metropolitan Library

845 Parsons Avenue

Columbus, OH 43206

For further information, please contact Colin Gleason

colingleason@hotmail.com (614) 256-2180

Open Casting Call

“Your Rear Window”

Sarah O Donnell, an interdisciplinary artist whose work ranges from filmmaking, videos, sculpture and installation is a current MFA candidate (2012) at the Ohio State University.

Sarah is directing and auditioning actors for a performance / adaptation of Hitchcock’s iconic film, Rear Window. This project will be a reinterpretation of the film version, using live actors, a stage set of Jeffries’ apartment, and large scale projections. This is a conceptually driven project that will be an unconventional approach to film and theatre narratives and their relationship to real and recorded spaces.

Currently only the male lead character, L.B. Jeffries is being cast. Later auditions will be held to cast supporting roles.

L.B. Jeffries: Caucasian, Late twenties to late thirties. Average build, light to brown hair. Professional photographer who after an accident is confined to a wheel chair in his Greenwich village apartment, with nothing to do but watch the neighbors. Begins to suspect a neighbor of murdering his wife.

Actors invited to audition will be provided with a short, monologue, (one end of a phone conversation). For the auditioning actors should also be prepared to take part in improv exercises, both with and without other actors. The ability to play with and invent material, react to a situation, a cue, or even inanimate objects will be an important determining factor in the casting process.

Actors with experience in improvisation, site-specific performance, non-narrative roles , and performance artists are highly encouraged to audition. Looking for a talented actor with a wide range as well as an open mind and a desire to experiment! This is an opportunity to work closely with a director in order to develop the core of a central character from the inside out.

The project will be developed over the spring and summer, with performances projected for early fall.

A time commitment of weekly rehearsals, as well as workshop meetings, can be expected with an increase in regularity as the project gets closer to performance. A project stipend will be provided. (Amount to be determined)

Please respond to O-Donnell.2@osu.edu with a resume, headshot (or current picture), and cover letter.

Auditions will be scheduled in advance and held on Sunday, May 8, 2011 in the afternoon and evening, on the OSU campus. Call backs will likely be held the following week.

Victoria Justice Gets Lead Role in Paramount’s ” Fun Size” shooting in Cleveland this summer!

2011-05-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

Victoria has booked the coveted leading role in Fun Size, Paramount’s edgy coming-of-age comedy which sees TV creator Josh Schwartz making his feature-directing debut.

The script, by Colbert Report writer Max Werner, centers on a sarcastic teenage girl who is forced to take her little brother trick-or-treating on Halloween, then loses him and must find him before their mother finds out.

Victoria, who stars in Disney‘s Victorious, won the role over a small army of teen actress hopefuls, including Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Jane Levy (from Showtime’s Shameless).

As for the plotline, “Fun Size” tells the tale of “a sarcastic teenage girl who is forced to take her little brother trick-or-treating on Halloween, then loses him and must find him before their mother finds out,” according to THR.

A summer shoot in Cleveland, Ohio is being planned for what Paramount envisions to be a PG-13 project.

Acting for TV Commercials - Introduction to Acting for the Camera

2011-05-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Acting in Columbus Don W. currently appearing in a PENN STATION regional commercial.

Acting for TV Commercials - Introduction to Acting for the Camera
Sunday, May 22, 2011 1:00pm - 8:00pm $175
Learn how to audition for and break into the local commercial and industrial industry. You will learn how to make the first contact with the agents. By taking this class you have the opportunity to show the agents that you are serious about pursuing this type of work.This workshop will give you experience with the actual audition process:

You'll work on-camera all day doing both prepared and cold readings, and receive plenty of feedback from instructor Richard Mason.
Script analysis skills: We have written our own textbook that breaks this process down and makes it simple.

Comfort in front of the camera: How do you stand? How do you hold the script? How do you deal with your partner and the camera at the same time? What is a slate? What do you do with your hands?
Practice at doing all types of commercials: Scene work, improv, one-liners, bite and smiles, handling products, etc. You'll also learn how to market to the casting directors, all about pictures and resumes, how the unions work, etc.

Featured in the Columbus Dispatch - Click here to read the full article: Fresh faces seek dramatic acclaim 'Acting for TV Commercials' preps aspirants for the small screen

Head Case: Actors Acting Against Their Best Interests By Paul Russell

2011-05-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

Often in my private one-on-one classes there comes a point when I realize that the actor sitting in front of me is too much in their head. To borrow and mangle-by-paraphrase Arthur Miller: Their craniums are living thoughts of quiet desperation with destructive speculations ricocheting off one another:

Is there something wrong I'm doing that is causing my career not to flourish?
Why am I not getting to the goals I want?
Failure must be my fault.
I suck.

Just like my actor-students, we all at some point in our journey pull ourselves into these destructive weigh-stations of negative reflection. Yet when that nagging inner-voice routes its phantom calling to our cranium, we sometimes have the tendency to wallow in the false comfort of empty self-pity. There is no substance within the wretched thoughts to offering the soul healthy nourishment.

Recently I was hibernating in the mountains. I went there with the intent on completing a manuscript project. As days of solitude passed I found my mind was lonely for company and began...

And… that's where I stopped. Literally. Writing this post ceased. Several months ago. I got lost in my head as I was writing about others getting lost within their head. (Oh doctor? Heal thyself.)

I toiled on and off on my project (still not complete but progress is being made). I sulked, channel-surfed the 900-plus offerings on my mountain cable, and wondered why people wander Craigslist as I myself was doing the same. I was getting nothing done fast. Doubts, anxiety and a constant nagging in my head of what's next? plagued me. I bet something similar has happened to you at least once. (If not, please share the pills you're taking with the rest of the class.)

Aside from stimulants (legal and non), there is a way for you to get out of your head and back to life. First realize that everyone goes through similar. No one, not cocksure politicians, celebrities or all-star athletes is exempt from having doubts about their abilities or future.

So if it is any comfort -- the S.S. Self Doubt is decks full of people just like you. Once you realize that then look for ways to sink the ship. Don't wallow on an endless journey that has no final destination other than death. Find channels for improvement on your course that is life.

If that doesn't completely soothe the synapses into some form of sanity then it's time to get out into the world to get out of your head. And that's exactly what I did several days after I stopped my initial writing of this post. Below is a note that I posted on my Facebook account when I returned from an outing in my mountain home region.

Denial Bile

Ya know sometimes ya just gotta say to yourself, Screw it! I'm not going to deny myself some fun and partake in life's pleasures.

Like many in the arts, I've always been pulling coin together to get by. As my brother often says of me, "Russ, you can squeeze a penny to last a week." Why, yes. Yes I can.

And so today I gave myself a present -- a day at Camelback, a popular ski resort in the Poconos. Back on the slopes after a four-year absence. Back to doing something from my youth. Getting on two slivers of waxed wood and heading down the side of a mountain at suicidal speeds. So what if the day cost me a hundred bucks? I had fun. Cold frigid fun. But fun nonetheless. (And some of those snow boarders are irritatingly cute.)

And so I got to thinking about how many of my entertainment friends and yet-to-be arts acquaintances deny themselves a pleasure that would make them happy because they fear not having money afterward.

Ya know what? Screw it. You gotta live once in awhile. For if not; then you're already in the grave.

So go out and do something indulgent. Something just for yourself. I dare ya. (Oh, man am I gonna hurt tomorrow morning.)

But I had fun acquiring the soon-to-come soreness.

Tylenol anyone?

Ow.

Besos, Paul

And for days after I was out of my head; living once more. Pain free in both body and spirit.

So if you find yourself one day being plagued by the Eeyore "Woe is me" inner voice tell him/her to f__k-off and to find refuge elsewhere. You have a life to live. Get out of your head and out into life. 'Nuff said.

My Best, Paul

Paul Russell's career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly thirty years. He has worked on projects for major film studios, television networks, and Broadway. He is the author of "ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor." For more information, please visitwww.PaulRussell.net.

CRAFT NOTES by Ed Hooks

2011-05-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

EMOTION AND ACTING

Though actors practice their craft in an arena of emotion, emotion itself has zero theatrical value. You can cry and scream and pound your fists on the floor with all of your heart, and it won't keep the audience in their seats. To the contrary, if you do that kind of thing too much, you will hasten their exit to the lobby concession stand.

The study of acting begins not with an exploration of ones emotions but with an understanding of the theatrical transaction. If you want to be an actor, start by asking yourself why. What's in it for you? If fame and fortune and dreams of your own lovely emoting self on a movie screen are near the top of the list, I recommend going over to Starbucks for a nice warm latte and some reconsideration of your goals. People who come into acting because of a self-esteem deficit are asking for trouble. If your motivation for acting is self-flattery, then it might make more sense to try to get on the next edition of Fox-TV's "American Idol" or "The It Factor".

Acting as an art form is an ancient and honorable way to spend your life, and it has nothing whatever to do with fame. Its roots are in religion and shamanism. It is about helping the tribe get through a tough winter. When you act, you are helping the tribe understand its humanity. There is a purity and integrity of purpose to it. An actor traffics in stories, intelligence and emotion, but not to feed his own needy ego.

HOW EMOTION IS USED IN ACTING

Artonin Artaud correctly observed that "actors are athletes of the heart." An actor must have access to the full range of his emotions if he expects to affect the audience on an emotional level. Audiences empathize with emotion, not with thinking. Indeed, the audience will put up with thinking just so they can get to the emotion. As a paradigm, thinking tends to lead to conclusions, and emotion tends to lead to action, but the emotion must be connected to the story being told. The fact that an actor may be able to cry on cue or work up a good sweat is neither here nor there to an audience.

If an actor lacks access to his emotions, he will have trouble acting, it's as simple as that. If he is out of touch with his own emotions, then he ought to work that out in therapy. An acting class is where you learn acting as an art form. While it is therapeutic and liberating to act, it is also true that acting workshops ought not to be a substitute for psychotherapy.

Not too long ago one of my Chicago students told me that he had never been angry enough to hit another person. That is of course not true. We have all been angry enough to hit someone. If he clings to that false notion, he will damage himself as an actor. I pointed this out to him, and that is as far as I'm going. I will not have this man throwing pillows around the studio, recalling childhood traumas and beating his breast in raw exercises so that he can get a hold on the truth that he does in fact feel anger.

I remember a young actress I taught in Los Angeles who claimed never to have experienced profound love. She had the quickest smile and whitest teeth I have ever seen, and she was extra intelligent. She also turned out to be anorexic and almost died not too long after she told me about not feeling love. Her issues went way beyond anything that an acting teacher should touch.

Emotions are automatic value responses. One person may be afraid of a mouse when the next person is not. One person will be terrified of walking on a dark street at night, and the next person will not. One person may be delighted by the Christmas season, and the next person may approach it with foreboding. (Ebinezer Scrooge maybe?) It is a factor of values. Emotions do not hover in space in a causeless manner. Emotion is connected to reason like the thighbone is to the hipbone. Emotions go off all the time. They are common currency for us humans. An actor needs to be in touch with his own feelings and those of the character. You may be portraying a character that is woefully out of touch with her emotions, but you can't do her justice unless you can access your own emotions.

EMOTIONAL EXERCISES IN WORKSHOP

In my own classes, I don't have my students do disconnected emotional exercises. We get on to the scene work because, in my view, actors act. If an actor hits an emotional block during the scene work, then we talk about it and try again. Maybe I'll have the actors in a scene do an improvisation that might shake loose emotion, but it will be an improv that is connected to the scene.

This whole subject of emotion and acting is on my mind because of a conversation I had yesterday. A Chicago actor walked into my studio and told me about an unfortunate experience he had in a Meisner Technique class. He said he had participated in a repetition exercise that escalated out of control. Back and forth the actors went, increasingly hot under the collar. Then the other guy spiked and picked up a stage prop, hurling it across the room. The alarmed teacher immediately called a time-out, and fortunately nobody was injured.

Meisner technique is good stuff and so is the repetition exercise, within defined parameters. Good acting requires that we listen and respond, and Meisner himself would probably have had a heart attack if watching an actor toss a chair across the room like that. I want to be careful not to impugn Meisner qua Meisner. The thing that bothers me about this story is that the actor was evidently indulging in unfettered emotional indulgence in an acting class. I don't see what possible value this kind of thing has to acting in the real world, and I can see many ways it can be harmful.

Yes, we are emotional beings. And yes we traffic in emotions when we act. But acting is an art form, a discipline, heightened reality. It is not a place where we just let it all hang out.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

2011-05-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Getting the part - Thirty-Three Professional Casting Directors Tell You How to Get Work in Theater, Films, and TV by Judith Searle

Written in conversational style, each section of the book opens with an introduction to a casting director. Following each casting director heading is a list of questions appearing in bold print. Each question leads to a detailed answer - also written in conversational style. The informal style makes it easy to read and follow - and makes a reader feel that the director is sitting in a chair in front of them - telling them how they "really feel." They are direct in their answers and frank about how things really work in getting a part.

Appendices contain: Casting Society of America members, resume examples, breakdown services samples, and union membership requirements. Following this is a list of books and periodicals for further reading.

This book makes a great companion to the classic: Audition by Michael Shurtleff.