The Year of the Thank You

February 15, 2011 by  

With a new year and a new decade I announced in my February e-newsletter this is the Year of Thanks. There is great things going on in my life, no matter the circumstances, and I want to be thankful for everything.

Being thankful is something I am hearing a lot recently. I have started listening to the Inside Acting Podcast, and their first discussion point with a listener was around the issue of sending a thank you card do a casting director, when it is their job to call you in for an audition.

The second place I am hearing about being thankful is Gary Vaynerchuck, as he is writing a new book Thank You Economy. He has made available a part of chapter one and chapter ten. The basic idea is one have to care enough about every relationship one has connected to their business. Word of mouth has a new outlet, social media.

“Social media has transformed our world into one great big small town, dominated, as all vibrant towns used to be, by the strength of relationships, the currency of caring, and the power of word of mouth.”

But social media is just a tool to foster relationships, and all relationships need care that only real life interactions can provide. So while my year is about being thankful, my life/work is about relationships.

Filed under: Social Media, Web 2.0
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Teaching Artist Interview

February 14, 2011 by  

Recently interviewed by Michael Wiggins (@teachingartist) for the Association of Teaching Artists blog. Here is a quote to get your curious, “Teaching artists are the migrant workers of the arts education field.”

Filed under: Teaching, Theater/Theatre
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Praxis Theatre’s Exit Interview Series

February 8, 2011 by  

Simon Rice starts the Exit Interviews series with the idea that, “Theatre schools are indeed strange places, seemingly full of contradiction.” I am a big fan of Praxis Theatre’s blog, and would probably be a fan of their work if I was living in Canada. One can dream. I thought the series was appropriate for my readers, as many are hear trying to figure out of if BFA/MFA programs is what they need or want.

Some quotes from Horne interview:
“I spent three out for the fours years being really terrified of fucking up and getting kicked out. What you should be doing is fucking up.”
“There is the competition of who can cry the most.”
“I think there are three people still from my class that are acting.”

“You can’t get lower than a B without getting kicked out. Then it becomes a scare tactic if half way through the term when they show you your marks and its a C+ and your like fuck, I have to, but I don’t know how you get better. How did you come up with this number? It is not because I got a certain number of math questions wrong. Those numbers I understand. I am just not as interesting as this other person?

Exit Interviews Part I: Theatre schools are strange places
Exit Interviews: Christine Horne

Filed under: Acting, Auditioning, Chicago, Graduate School, Los Angeles, New York, Theater/Theatre
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#NewPlay #LAThtr Meetup Summary

February 7, 2011 by  

You read the #NewPlay #LAThtr Meetup Summary over at 2amtheatre.com.

I did not add the next meetup dates since it is a national website. You can view all upcoming #LAThtr meetups at the 2amt Los Angeles Meetup page. for quick reference the next three meetups are:

Sunday, February 20th at Celebration Theatre
Sunday, March 27th at Boston Court
Sunday, April 17th Location: TBD

Filed under: Devised Work, Ensemble, Los Angeles, Theater/Theatre
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List of 2011 Los Angeles Theater

February 2, 2011 by  

I am a day late on my weekly Tuesday post, but here it is none the less.

I was tossing away some back issues of American Theatre magazine when I came across the 2010-2011 season preview article. I ripped out the pages and started highlighting theater companies and shows I am interested in seeing. There are various reasons for the below list ranging from from wanting to meet the director of a specific show to curious about the theater company as a whole. In light of the #NewPlay Los Angeles (#LAThtr) Meetup (more meetups are scheduled) last Saturday, I want to get out and see more work.

I would love to hear what shows are you wanting to see this year?

Theater Companies:
Watts Village Theater Company
Coeurage Theater Company
Theater Unleashed
Rogue Machine
Need Theater

Productions:
The Comedy of Errors at A Noise Within, directed by Michael Michetti
King Lear at Actors Co-Op, directed by Marianne Savell
The Watts Project at Cornerstone Theater Company, dir. Guillermo Avilez-Rodriguez
A House Not Meant To Stand at Fountain Theater, dir. Simon Levy

Filed under: Acting, Los Angeles, Theater/Theatre
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