New Poll: Wicked Trivia!

Wicked Trivia

The next few polls will be testing your theater trivia knowledge! We'll see if you know these random answers to these random questions from different shows. Just a fun way to test you brain and maybe learn something new about a show once the poll is closed!

I'm starting you out with an easy one :)

Cast your vote down to the right! 

                                                                                                                                      

Perfection

Just a few wise words on the idea of "perfection"

"If you focus only on "perfection" then you are not focused on the process that takes you in that direction. You are self defeating yourself twice...not giving yourself to a process, and trying to get to an impossible product. When you are rehearsing, you can deam certain actions "mistakes" or discoveries. Failure at perfection isn't really a failure since winning perfection doesn't exist. You can't fail at something that isn't possible. When you connect to your core, and to your breath, then you are finding the flow. When you practice you are practicing the PROCESS that lets you create, not the product of creation."

~My acting professor and director, Denise Myers (a.k.a. brilliant super-woman)

Third Guest Writer: "You actor types are so sensitive"

Third Guest Writer: A woman with 25 years of experience in theater who now teaches!!! You definitely want to read this!

"Perhaps I should tell you a little of my background: I have over 25yrs as an actress, I am an ensemble member of The Moving Dock Theatre Co./Chekhov Studio Chicago where I occasionally teach, I also teach acting at Terra Sounds School of Music and Art"

"I have been thinking quite a bit about what it means to be a 'sensitive actor'. I think the most widely held idea is that a sensitive actor is that individual whose feelings can very quickly and sometimes overwhelmingly go into a heightened state or that these individual's feelings run deeper than most others'. These are things I have heard in regards to myself and other actors, as well as most artists, all of my life. They assume that a sensitive actor is someone who is overflowing with waves of big swelling emotion that they can barely contain, the person that cries at the drop of a hat, etc. 

"You actor types are so sensitive!"

 Ring a bell? I really don't think actors can lay a claim to feeling more than most any other human. Everyone shares the same rich tapestry of emotions and for the most part feel them just as keenly. Perhaps there is a connection to sensitivity as to how the actor is able to more easily reveal his emotions, and I should say, must do so for his job. The capacity for how readily the actor expresses his feelings, and the choices as to how, show the actor's ability and artistry. I think there is a connection here as to what it is to be a sensitive actor. It is all a part of the whole, yes? But the challenging task for the actor is to express the inner-life freely, without hesitation on stage, without forcing his feelings or getting in his own way.

Well, what I have been contemplating in regards to the root of an actor's sensitivity, is that the heart of this lies nestled within the word itself. It has to do with the senses. Or in the case of an artist, his openness to what his senses are trying to tell him. How receptive he is at taking in his surroundings through his senses. How open he is to the stimulation evoked by contact with his scene partners and his environment and atmospheres through the senses. The difficulties for the actor are when he then tries to immediately identify or jump to a self-pressured feeling about what he is experiencing, or aim at a dry analysis of the moment...he then misses the moment completely! 

The sensitive actor must be open to the physical sensations that he is experiencing in the moment and allow them to just to be...to occur. It is in this allowing of the experience that he can then listen for the impulse to do, in order to respond to this sensitive input. This will inherently awaken the feeling life of the actor, and the actor's creative imagination, and begin to silence the intellect. (The logical, reasoning intellect is the scourge of the actor, it kills creativity). Then the actor's feelings can come alive and begin to play organically not in a forced way. As long as he is willing to allow for this to happen. He must listen without analyzation to what has been awakened and what it urges him to do in the moment. The filtered-through character, of course, and shaped by the context of the play's circumstances. But first, before we invite character, the actor must be willing to let his senses inform him, to allow himself to be awakened. If we are diligent and disciplined to staying open to the input our senses are receiving off stage, in our everyday lives, we can then develop our capacity to listen to them on stage or in front of the camera. They will become accessible and one of the greatest tools that an actor can have.

It lives in the giving and receiving with our partners, how we allow ourselves to be influenced by the atmosphere of the play, how when our character runs her hand along the sheets she can feel the body of her lover who is no longer there... I think perhaps it is this sensitivity to how one experiences, one perceives that raises the actor to artist. This is what is exemplified in the 'talented' actor. Can this be developed? Can we grow our capacity for sensitivity? Absolutely. Experience the moment. Now is now. Stay open."

Now on Facebook!

The blog now has a facebook page to help grow the audience and to keep you updated while making it easier to communicate! 

Go give us a like and share with your friends! 

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Poll Results! What you want more of...

The results are in! 

Information for Actors from my acting classes- 41%

Current Issues in theater- 35%

Broadway News- 17%

I like the posts as they are- 5%

So it was a close call between theater issues and info for actors from my classes- I'll keep posting both and a little bit of Broadway news as I see it! Comment if there's something else you want that I didn't cover!

ALSO

Looking for suggestions for the next poll! Let me know! 

Act with abandon

The importance of acting with abandon has dawned on me. Professors always say during class showings that "this isn't the performance, so it doesn't have to be just right at this moment" and I always try to do that but it's difficult, of course. We've been taught to please our teachers and authority figures since we were so young so it seems unnatural to just allow yourself to mess up in front of them.

 I always tell myself before I go up for a monologue or scene in class that it doesn't have to be “perfect” but I still usually end up not letting go like I’d hoped to. As I've begun to grow here at college I've suddenly somehow just been able to gradually let myself go. I am now allowing myself to experiment and not care about the people watching. I am doing it for me. I’m so glad I am finally able to do that. In the end, it just makes you stronger and I think it makes it all more fun.

Step outside of your comfort zone. Be okay with being uncomfortable. 

Les Mis Cast to Perform at The Oscars

The film cast of Les Miserables will be performing at The Oscars, tomorrow, February 24. They will be performing a medley of songs from the show, including the award-winning musical addition to the film, "Suddenly". This is the cast's first onstage performance and they have supposedly been wowing producers in rehearsals. You don't want to miss this great event in Les Mis history! It has already been a huge year for Les Miserables and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

The Oscars begin @ 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, with red carpet coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m.


Did you miss it? Here it is!
(click below to view)

Les Miserables Live at the Oscars 2013

Another Guest Writer! Great Advice!

Another great submission by an anonymous writer- twitter account @thtrmajorproblems. LOTS of great advice!

"College Theatre: Transitioning & Measuring Up 

In high school, I guess you could say I thought I was good. I was in every dance and theatre show at my high school since my freshman year. (I started theatre in middle school and fell in love!). By my senior year, I quite frankly felt like the shit. I never acted snobby, I was always humble and never excluded newbies, but I knew where I stood. Most people in school knew me as the dancer/performer. They would always ask me about upcoming shows, etc. I had a lead my senior year. I was overly-involved, writing monologues for shows, teaching other students dances, scheduling extra rehearsals for principal roles. I also won best dancer 2012. Naturally, I got an ego boost.

The day I walked into my college's performing arts center to declare my double major in general theatre and dance performance, I literally almost cried tears of joy. And then there were classes...where I met people and witnessed astounding talent. Some of my classmates have been involved in over 50 shows, wheras I've been in about 10-15. Most have been taking dance and vocal lessons for most of their lives! For a while, I was really upset about this. I was discouraged that I wasn't as good as these ridiculously talented people. I knew I had the passion, but would I ever have that much talent? Don't let these feelings stop you from pursuing your dream! That transition from big fish to little fish is tough.  Don't forget, you're only a freshman...you are atcollege/uni to learn! You will, without a doubt, get better if you apply yourself. Just imagine how good you will be in a few years. So take a breather. Don't beat yourself up. Audition for a few shows. Remember why you're doing it.

Tips / Advice / Things I wish I'd Done 

If you plan on majoring in theatre, dance, music performance, etc...prepare yourself! 

• Take a tour of the arts building and performance spaces! I was shocked to discover that all three performance spaces at my college seated less than my high school auditorium does!  
• I suggest attending at least one show at the college to view the talent and skill level. Compare yourself to them. It might sound like an awful idea, but it's the only way to know where you stand, to discover your strengths and weaknesses, and work on improving yourself as a performer. 
• Try to get as much experience as possible beforehand. Do lots of community theatre, take acting, dance, or vocal lessons if possible. Don't depend solely on high school theatre experience! 
• Get experience in ALL parts of the theatre, if you're going into tech, try performing and vice versa. It's extremely helpful. Most colleges require you to take both tech and performance classes regardless of your concentration. In general it will make you better at what you do by being aware. Well-rounded is always a plus. 
• Make sure you always have one comedic and one dramatic monologue ready to go, as well as a song if you're going into musical theatre. 
• Consider your career path. Are you going to perform? Teach? Write plays? Start a theatre company? Figure out what you are going to do, and decide if double majoring or adding a minor would be a good idea! 
• Be involved! Join any theatre or dance group on campus from improv to ballroom. Go see the shows! Develop relationships with professors. 

• Follow @thtrmajorproblems on twitter, for issues of theatre and dance majors, relatable & funny quotes, more advice, and pure awesome(;

1000

1000 pageviews already?! Wow! Seems like traffic to the site is really picking up which is great! Glad to see someone likes what I'm writing!

Take advantage of the guest writer opportunity as well as the ability to comment and vote in polls!!

(Currently on a rehearsal break from Machinal. That's why the post is so short!)

*Below is a special picture I took of the director and an actress from the sidelines of Machinal rehearsal a week or two ago!*

I'll be posting more soon! Keep sending in your theater stories, tips, info, etc. and voting in the poll!


-xoxo

Dramafest 2012

For the past three summers I have attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in New York. I could go on and on about how great this place is but that's not what this post is about.

Before attending Stagedoor in the summer, campers have the opportunity to write short plays and send them in to be chosen for the fantastic Dramafest. Dramafest showcases 5 of the many plays that were sent in. These five playwrights that are chosen will have their plays published by Samuel French.

The first day of camp session, the chosen plays are announced and the playwrights choose a cast that they immediately begin rehearsing with. This past summer I was lucky enough to be chosen by Derek Speedy for his play, In Your Wildest Dreams. The show was essentially just mind blowing. One of those shows that makes you really think.

It was an absolutely amazing experience and the script is now published along with the other four plays from the second summer session. (There are 3 sessions over the course of the summer.) The 10 other plays from the other two sessions of the summer are also all in the book shown below!!! So exciting to see my name and the names of my fellow co-actors and directors on the pages of a Samuel French script!! Here it is!

Our First Guest Writer Post!

Our very first guest writer, Jeremy Fillipp, everybody. *Applause*

"As we all know, there is a lot we can say about theater. It makes us laugh, it makes us cry, and it lets us live through someone else's eyes while we create moments that we never forget. The one thing that I have to say about theater is that it changed who I was. I first started doing theater in High School (better late than never), and that was just the start of it all. Before, I was probably one of the most shy kids that you would have ever met; I didn't initiate conversations with people, I was an only child, and I didn't have any hobbies. The summer before my sophomore year, my friend encouraged me to audition for Guys & Dolls that was being put on at a local theater in my town. I had never sang in front of anyone before and I had never performed a monologue for anyone before either. I auditioned and by the end of the day, I found out that I had made it into the chorus! Long story short, I auditioned for every show since and by the end of my sophomore year I was playing leads and supporting character (mostly in plays.) I also was twice a student director, a part of a writing team for an original play (which I wrote scenes for, directed a couple scenes for, and also acted in.) Now I am no longer afraid to be who I am. I am outgoing and more confident than I have ever been. Currently, I am living and going to school in NYC and it would be my all-time dream to perform on the big stage. Follow your heart and never give up and be the best you can be is what I have always been told. There is no one out there exactly like YOU, so make it count! :) Follow me @jeremyfillipp"

Guest Writer Opportunity!

I'd like to give you all the chance to share anything about theater on this blog.  Yes, you. Any type of information, any tips, stories, whatever you want! 

WHY? 

I think we all learn from each other in this community and I'd love to showcase you guys- especially since, as I mentioned earlier today, it is tech week and I won't be able to post as much. 

HOW?

Just write up whatever you want on the blog, email it to me, and include whether or not you want it to be anonymous. 

lexis.danca@gmail.com

I can't wait to get this going, I think it will be a really cool experiment! So PLEASE, I beg you,  don't be shy. Share. 

500 Pageviews! Update!

celebrate good times

Yay!!! The blog has reached 500 views thanks to you lovely people! You're great and I'm so glad people are reading - and hopefully enjoying- Theaterisms. Go ahead and subscribe via email or "join the site" to get constant updates. 

twitter

If you haven't yet, be sure to follow us on twitter @theaterisms and use #theaterisms when you tweet about something theater-related! Help spread the word. It's a great way for you to be updated on posts and it's also a great way for me to connect to you!

https://twitter.com/Theaterisms

stumbleupon

Yes, if you haven't heard, we are on stumbleupon now! So there's a chance you may find us as you go about your internet browsing. If you do, give us a thumbs up!

interaction

I'm so glad to see that the poll is getting some attention- keep it going! Now let's take a step forward-- Please, comment on posts. Share your thoughts, ideas and suggestions! I'm just waiting for that to happen so that it can be showcased and add to the blog's outreach. I would love at any point for you to let me know your thoughts on the blog. 

Thank you for reading, you terrific people. We're on a roll so let's keep it moving! I love posting about what I learn and I love sharing with my theater community. 

xoxo 

Tech Week Blues

Tech week-- a.k.a. Hell week. 

(This post is not very informational, it's just me sharing about my crazy life at the moment- just a heads up)

It's happening to me right now. I'm holding up. Barely. Rehearsals all the time. No time for anything else. I don't know when I'll get my homework done. If anyone wants to do a four page analysis of Our Town for me tomorrow please just let me know. 

OHH TECH WEEK HOW I LOVE AND  HATE YOU AT THE SAME TIME. 

Of course I love it. It's the next step in the process of a show and it's so exciting to see everything start to come together. All of the people who we, as actors, haven't seen yet throughout the process get to show us their work and it's so cool! They work very hard too and it's important that we recognize that. 

SIDENOTE....I think I'm going to make a post on the importance of being appreciative of your crew.....

But of course I also hate it. Because I don't have time for things like, I don't know, eating, sleeping, homework. Just that semi-important stuff. 

Well that's my life right now. So that's also why I haven't been posting for the past few days. 

WHO FEELS MY PAIN?! 

Let me know. Comment. 

My first journal on my Movement Class

A Taste of What My Movement Class Really Is

When I heard that I had to take a class called Beginning Movement for Actors, my immediate thoughts were that we’d be looking at different character types and learning to move around that type. For instance, how to make your body look like an old character, a young character, a snobby character, a sullen character, etc. How would that person walk? How would that person sit? How would that person carry themselves? I thought we’d be taking on specific character roles and putting on that hat for a class.

But now, after a few classes, I feel that this class is more about feeling comfortable to move in your own body, and then making those decisions as your own actor for how to portray a grumpy, old character, or a snobby yuppie. In fact, this class has already helped me begin to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I am completely free to experiment with what my body allows me to do. Whether it be shriveling into a ball or stretching so far I that I feel like my limbs are going to rip off; whatever it takes to help me develop a character. 

There’s no sense in being self-conscious as we go through this experimental time in our lives. This class is a chance to develop what we were naturally given.  I look forward to working this more and really finding myself and how I can use what I have to make myself a stronger actress. There’s no way to be successful in putting yourself out there if you’re not comfortable moving in your own skin, or if you don’t know what you’re working with. 

SO now when you read posts about my experiences from my movement class, this is the class I'm talking about!

New Poll!

New poll is up! 

I REALLY need your feedback on this one. It's for you. What do you want to read more about? 

Broadway News?

The discoveries I find in my day-to-day theater classes?

Issues in Theater?

Or are you okay with how things are?

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE ON THIS ONE! It will only benefit you! :)

Poll Results

Well out of the two votes the poll got, the answer was unanimous.

🌟NON-EQ and eventually EQUITY 🌟

What do you think of the results?

Suggestions for the next poll please?!
Comment below!

We are our own instrument

As you've probably noticed, as actors, we don't have an external instrument that we need to keep clean and maintained. Well that's because we are our own instrument. Unlike musicians, our bodies are all we have: Our voices our physical selves. And it is so incredibly important that we remember that and take care of our instrument. 

WELLNESS IS KEY.

Wellness to me, is being in good mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. Each of these aspects plays into our daily lives and are essential to making one feel happy and fulfilled. I feel that good mental health means giving myself time to simply do nothing. I don't mean constantly, of course, but when I have an incredibly busy day (a.k.a. all the time) and my mind is just racing nonstop from the moment I wake up, I take advantage of even twenty minutes I may have to just be. 

I often will come back to my room and lie on the floor and completely relax all of my muscles and let my mind drift off in order to stop thinking so much. I think those mental breaks are extremely important. This also helps my emotional health and spiritual health. As long as I allow myself time to just chill completely I can let my mind wander to wherever it needs to go to make sure that I am emotionally and spiritually stable. 

And of course, physical wellness is huge as well. As actors we have our bodies. That's it. So we need to take care of ourselves as much as we can and that includes exercise and eating well. I feel that between the many dance classes I have and my meal choices I do pretty well in that category. But it's always hard not to splurge. And that's okay. Splurge if you want to. Once in a while it's no big deal.

I want my body to be in good condition for a long time so I find it important to be PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE. Be conscious of it now instead of coming across problems later and trying to reverse the issues. 

Wise Words From My Acting Professor

In my Movement for Actors class this week we worked on sitting in chairs. Yes. Sitting in chairs. How to sit in chairs effectively. This may sound absolutely ridiculous but you see, as an actor you cannot be "eaten by furniture" as my acting professor, Denise Myers, tends to say. If you are not engaged in the core while sitting in a chair onstage, you are being eaten by said chair. You have to be in control of the chair. You need to know before you use it, the different ways you can move in it. 

Now you may be thinking, what if my character needs to slouch in the chair? How can I still have an engaged core and good posture while doing that? Well it's hard to understand through words but look at the difference: 

Slouched, with unengaged core

Same position, engaged core

Do you see it? Which one is going to give you more presence on stage? I'd like to suggest the second. 

Now, our assignment was to deliver our monologues from a chair. We had to stay in the chair throughout the entire monologue so it was our job to find ways to use the chair to the fullest. One girl in my class ended up in the position above at one point in her monologue. However, before she began, she said, "I was working with how to slouch without really slouching in the chair and using my core but I don't know if I'm going to do it right so yeah I'm scared that's not going to work out." My professor responded with a brilliant phrase, 

"Don't brace for failure, await fulfillment." 

I don't think anyone could have said it better. And with that the girl went on to just do what she could. There's is no use in going into something thinking you've already messed it up. Take advantage of the time you have to rehearse and practice your craft where you can take risks and experiment to see what works out. That's what it's all about. 

New Poll!

To the left you will see a poll about whether you plan to go non-equity, equity or both! It's something to think about if you plan to be a future performer and I'm curious! 

If you're not quite sure, take a look at the Page to the right, Equity vs. Non-Equity where I interviewed actors in both situations. They give great feedback and it definitely helped me out!

The poll closes on February 18 at 9:00 pm so get your votes in! I'll post the results when it's over.

"Once" takes home the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album

After winning Best Musical at the Tony's last year, Once did not go unnoticed at the Grammys. They took home the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album beating out Newsies, Follies, Porgy and Bess and Nice Work if You Can Get It. 

We're almost at Once's one year anniversary and they seem to be doing quite alright. They continue to play sold out shows at the Jacobs theater along with a few major awards under their belt. It's no doubt everyone is falling slowly for this fresh, new musical.

Movement for Actors is Different than Normal Movement

After learning so much last semester in my Movement for Actors class I am looking forward to applying it to my work this semester. Now that I have sort of grasped the basics of movement, and how to use *tactics to enhance my performance, I am excited to play more. I want to allow myself to find myself more in my body and use it to my advantage to see what works best for me. I am excited to make more discoveries within the knowledge I have already accumulated.

That being said, I am also interested to see where else I can go with the new information I learn as the semester goes on. I can't wait to see how we can apply the tactics and other movements to objects as well.

So far we have only explored ways to move ourselves. And you wouldn't expect it at first, but believe me, it is essential to know how your body can move and work in order to be a successful actor. It all has to do with your core. I'll do a separate post about the core and how it plays into the acting process because it is such a huge aspect.

Anyways, it will be interesting to see how an actor should move with objects and props. I know that the actor must have an opinion about everything around them, so it will be interesting to see how a chair, for example, could affect my character differently than a spoon might...

Acting requires a lot of thought....

*Comment with questions about what exactly tactics are and I will post about it.

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Swing, Actor, Actor

Swinging from a Script

I've been cast as the female swing for an expressionist play by Sophie Treadwell call Machinal. The show is fantastic and I can probably now call it my favorite play. But I'm not cast as a specific role. I am a swing.

In case you're unsure, a swing in a play is basically an understudy for all of the roles. So in this show there are 5 females. Besides the leading actress, the Young Woman, each girl has about 3 roles. So I go to every rehearsal and learn all of their blocking and all of their lines. Sound like a lot of work? Well yes, it is. I have been highlighting and color coding up the wazoo.

It is a lot of work. I mean, the amount of organization necessary is pretty crazy. I pretty much have to have a filing cabinet in my brain of the different girls in the show and where they are when. BUT it is so incredibly rewarding as well. 

DID YOU KNOW that in order to be cast as a swing in professional theater, you have to have been a swing in the past. 

So I'm really excited to have this opportunity because it will ultimately give me more opportunities in the future. I also really love seeing rehearsal from a different perspective. Instead of being up and active in the scene I can sit back and see better where the director is coming from. I'm learning so much and it's helping me grow tremendously.