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	<title>DENNIS BAKER &#187; Auditioning</title>
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		<title>Praxis Theatre&#8217;s Exit Interview Series</title>
		<link>http://www.dennisbaker.net/praxis-theatre-exit-interview-series/</link>
		<comments>http://www.dennisbaker.net/praxis-theatre-exit-interview-series/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:00:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Acting]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Simon Rice starts the Exit Interviews series with the idea that, &#8220;Theatre schools are indeed strange places, seemingly full of contradiction.&#8221; I am a big fan of Praxis Theatre&#8217;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 [...]
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<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/true-community-theater/' rel='bookmark' title='True Community Theater?'>True Community Theater?</a></li>
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<p>Simon Rice starts the Exit Interviews series with the idea that, &#8220;Theatre schools are indeed strange places, seemingly full of contradiction.&#8221;  I am a big fan of Praxis Theatre&#8217;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.</p>
<p>Some quotes from Horne interview:<br />
&#8220;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.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;There is the competition of who can cry the most.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I think there are three people still from my class that are acting.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;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&#8217;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?</p>
<p><a href="http://praxistheatre.com/2010/06/exit-interviews-part-i-theatre-schools-are-strange-places/" target="_blank">Exit Interviews Part I: Theatre schools are strange places</a><br />
<a href="http://praxistheatre.com/2011/01/exit-interviews-christine-horne/" target="_blank">Exit Interviews: Christine Horne</a></p>
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<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/super-sunday/' rel='bookmark' title='Super Sunday'>Super Sunday</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/artistic-diversification/' rel='bookmark' title='Artistic Diversification'>Artistic Diversification</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/true-community-theater/' rel='bookmark' title='True Community Theater?'>True Community Theater?</a></li>
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		<title>Acting Twitter Conversation</title>
		<link>http://www.dennisbaker.net/acting-twitter-conversation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.dennisbaker.net/acting-twitter-conversation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:59:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Had an interesting twitter conversation that I thought the blog readers would like. @dennisbaker: 30 year old actress on @suzeormanshow incurred $30,000. Her excuse, &#8220;I thought I would book something&#8221;. C&#8217;mon #actors get real! @dennisbaker: Actress: &#8220;I was hoping I could just book one of these commercials&#8221; @suzeormanshow: &#8220;Hope is not a finical plan.&#8221; @dennisbaker: [...]
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<p><img src="/images/twitter_logo.png" alt="" align="right" /><strong>Had an interesting twitter conversation that I thought the blog readers would like.</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: 30 year old actress on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/suzeormanshow" target="_blank">@suzeormanshow</a> incurred $30,000. Her excuse, &#8220;I thought I would book something&#8221;. C&#8217;mon #actors get real!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: Actress: &#8220;I was hoping I could just book one of these commercials&#8221; <a href="http://www.twitter.com/suzeormanshow" target="_blank">@suzeormanshow</a>: &#8220;Hope is not a finical plan.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: Actress on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/suzeormanshow" target="_blank">@suzeormanshow</a> makes $9/hr. #Actors learn skills that U cn #freelance at an hourly that allows U 2 pay bills &#038; pursue acting</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/bwaysaint" target="_blank">@bwaysaint</a>: I can believe it &#8211; I&#8217;m $25K in debt &#038; paying it down. You can still &#8220;hope&#8221; no matter what Suze says.Keeps u positive &#038; focused</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/bwaysaint" target="_blank">@bwaysaint</a>:  You just can&#8217;t rely on JUST &#8220;hope.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/bwaysaint" target="_blank">@bwaysaint</a> I think U make the same point Orman is making. The mindset of going in2 debt until &#8220;I book that commercial&#8221; is hope w/out action.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/bwaysaint" target="_blank">@bwaysaint</a>: Exactly. I still hope for that opp. that will take me out of it, but I&#8217;ve stopped spending&#8230;had to. I was drowning! lol</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a> Question Pls&#8211; about the prevalence of &#8220;national&#8221; commercials these days, and earnings abilities for commercial actors?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>wellll.. If they book it yes!! They could do two or three and be good</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> it&#8217;s a crap shoot like everything else in our business</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a> Is that is book 2-3 commercials a month for rent? Realistic?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a> What I keep hearing is the days of the $40,000-$50,000 national commercial are over.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> you know honestly it depends u get lucky ur what the director is looking for ur good. The more u go out the better the chances.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>but yes u can still make that money not often as b4 but u can</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> YesI keep hearing that too! That&#8217;s why I asked her. (you, Danielle) That makes me hesitant to advise it as &#8220;fallback career&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> I am not certain that #actors can make a living in commercials these days. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a> Do you think? Solely from them?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> When has anything acting related bn considered a fallback career?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> Annual Median income of a AEA actor is $0 dollars a year. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yew4oun" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/yew4oun</a> My guess is SAG actors are not too far off.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> Interesting to investigate. I think SAG #actors make more, simply cuz film always pays more than theatre. But not sure, average</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> Commercials have been &#8220;fallback&#8221; career, as long as I was in the business.Many actors in NY + LA used to earn there, as living</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> When I was actively in the business, my consistent income, before I got &#8216;series regular&#8217; type level, was voiceovers. Back up.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> Think she [<a href="http://www.twitter.com/daniellecasting" target="_blank">@daniellecasting</a>] means 2-3 National Commercials a year&#8211;because nationals (vs regional, et al) pay a residual evry airing-</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> I see what you mean. I would also say the percentage of actors, that have acting related back-up jobs, are small.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> I think you are right, but I do know that it&#8217;s very diff in NY and LA. I heard the other nite at a SAG event-NY actors grt av $</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a> I think it also depends on whether an #actor has representation, and the quality and status of their representative.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dennisbaker" target="_blank">@dennisbaker</a>: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/__dana__" target="_blank">@__dana__</a> Luv to hear any SAG stats you can get. I agree, 10 yrs ago commercials were considered backup work.</p>
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<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/free-acting-seminar-in-los-angeles/' rel='bookmark' title='Free Acting Seminar in Los Angeles'>Free Acting Seminar in Los Angeles</a></li>
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		<title>Freelance Artist: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist</title>
		<link>http://www.dennisbaker.net/freelance-artist-debunking-the-myth-of-the-starving-artist/</link>
		<comments>http://www.dennisbaker.net/freelance-artist-debunking-the-myth-of-the-starving-artist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:27:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Acting]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dennisbaker.net/?p=1362</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is an article floating around the internet of an interview given by actor Thomas Jane promoting his new HBO show &#8220;Hung&#8221;. It is about how he &#8220;hung&#8221; on through the hard times to make it where he is today. In the article, Jane talks about how being a starving artist helped him. He mentions [...]
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<p><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=68340&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=47154" target="ejejcsingle"><img src="/images/freelancer_728x90.jpg" width="570" border="0"/></a></p>
<p><img style="padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_utkNgv-Y2Iw/SnYXc0vEXoI/AAAAAAAACo4/1SzY-ofR6So/s400/hung.jpg" width="200" align="left"/>There is an <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/story/1411584.html" target="_bland">article</a> floating around the internet of an interview given by actor Thomas Jane promoting his new HBO show &#8220;Hung&#8221;.  It is about how he &#8220;hung&#8221; on through the hard times to make it where he is today.  In the article, Jane talks about how being a starving artist helped him.  He mentions that at moments in his life he was living off of food stamps and sleeping on park benches.  &#8220;There were a couple times I wanted to quit, but fortunately I didnâ€™t have anything else I could do,â€ he says. â€œSo the thought of quitting would come when I couldnâ€™t find any purchase in the barren soul of the artist, and I carried on.  I think I had that advantage over some of my peers, who were very nervous about not having a car and very worried about the social status of being poor, whereas it didnâ€™t bother me at all.  I actually thrived and had a good time being poor and made fun of people who looked to social status. I was shown the light in India that that was a bunch of hogwash. It was irreversible and untradeable and an absolute gift. It gave me the strength and wisdom to overcome a lot of rejection.&#8221;</p>
<p>While I agree that social status is not something that one should hold in high priority, I disagree with the starving artist myth that is being continually promoted.  The acting field is a business, and to come from that perspective, one will see that the mindset of a starving artist could be detrimental to one&#8217;s career.</p>
<p><strong>Diversify</strong><br />
The current economy is causing the work force to realize something that artists already know, one needs to diversify their work skills.  The age of the freelancer is here.  Many people are having to work many different part time jobs to create a stable finical foundation.  This should not be news for an artist.  As an artist, you need to have many different skills that you can market to many different fields.  Sure you got the acting business down, but that is not going to pay the bills.  What other skills do you have?  Are they ones where you can freelance and create your own hours.  Have you set up a business model to sell your many different skills?  There are many freelance options: wedding photography, child care, dog walking, virtual assistant, etc.  Do you think you do not have any skills?  Well, then teach yourself.  There are plenty of cheap (and free) <a href="http://www.lynda.com/" target-"_blank">online training programs</a> to help you in learning a variety of skills.</p>
<p><strong>Branding</strong><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=68340&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=47154" target="ejejcsingle"><img src="http://freelanceswitch.s3.amazonaws.com/rockstar/200x200.jpg" align="right" border="0" align="right" /></a><br />
Once you have your multiple set of skills.  I emphasize multiple, as things will be slow when you first start out and you will need many different potential ways to generate income.  Now it&#8217;s time for you to <a href="/building-your-personal-brand/?phpMyAdmin=LICj5yiAG4X18dLYp7aJ1hgxLYf">create your personal brand</a>.  Here is a hint: the personal brand is you.  As an actor, you are the product.  Make yourself the product for your other freelance jobs.  This is what Marci Alboher calls, in her book in her book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446696978?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;creativeASIN=0446696978&#038;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" target="_blank">One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success</a>, &#8220;The Slash Effect&#8221;.  An evolving workforce in which people are defined through multiple identities rather than just one job title.</p>
<p>Create a brand that ties in all your skills.  A great place to do that is a website.  As you can see here at DENNIS BAKER LLC, the website highlights my different skills.  With <a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks" target="_blank">Permalinks</a>, it is easy to send a potential customer to the specific page that promotes the skill they need.  If I am promoting my web design skills, I give out the web address &#8220;www.dennisbaker.net/web-design/&#8221;, if I am promoting myself as a teacher than I give out the address, &#8220;www.dennisbaker.net/teaching-artist/&#8221;.  The potential client can read the specific information that pertains to their field, without searching pages that have nothing to do with job they are looking to hire.</p>
<p><strong>Freelance Is About Freedom</strong><br />
Being a freelancer takes a lot of work, but in the end it is about freedom.  Freedom to pursue what you want, when and how you want it.  It may not feel that way at first as you will probably be working more hours in training yourself in the a variety of skills you need, building your brand, and finding freelance jobs.  But for the artist, the positive out ways the negative.  With many freelance jobs, you can work from anywhere.  Take your laptop (and wireless internet card) on set and while you are waiting hours upon hours to be called to shoot your scene, get a couple of hours of work in for your client.  Are you on tour, or away from from home for three months with a theater job, no problem your work can go with you.  Your client doesn&#8217;t even need to know you are not at your home office.  Being a Freelance Rockstar is about maximizing your potential income hours, without having to be tied down to one location.</p>
<p><strong>Share Your Story</strong><br />
I am coming from the perspective of an actor.  What artists in other mediums and fields are creating a freelance model that works for them?  How have you branded and promoted all your skills.  Please leave a comment.  Share your story and help your fellow artists.  Knowledge is power!</p>
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		<title>Building Relationships with Local Theaters</title>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 18:33:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[When a small New York theater company reports that they received 700 submissions for 22 parts in their summer production, it is a telling factor of the odds one actor has in getting an audition, let alone a part. How does this fair for larger regional theaters that hold EPA auditions in New York? People [...]
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<p><img src="/images/audition_line.jpg"/></p>
<p>When a small New York theater company reports that they received 700 submissions for 22 parts in their summer production, it is a telling factor of the odds one actor has in getting an audition, let alone a part.  How does this fair for larger regional theaters that hold EPA auditions in New York?  People stand in line sometimes as early as 5am to make sure they get an audition.  While at the same time, some of these companies still hold auditions, through their casting directors, for actors that were submitted through agents.</p>
<p>Instead of only doing these cattle call auditions, an actor needs to find other ways to build relationships.  What are possible ways to skip the middle man and go directly to the buyers, the directors and artistic directors?</p>
<p><strong>Define Your Area</strong><br />
What regional theaters are in your area?  Define your area.  Is it the theaters that are less than an hour drive from your home?  Is it two hours? Be clear so you can have a purposeful marketing and networking plan.</p>
<p><strong>Research</strong><br />
Once you have made a list of all the theaters in your area, do the research.  Go online and find out what their season is going to be.  From their you can determine what roles you would be right for.  Send an <a href="http://www.premiumpostcard.com/" target="_blank">odd-size mailer</a> of your headshot to the artistic director wishing them good luck on the season and that you would like to submit for a role.  Read any of the plays that are not familiar.  Also research the artistic director.  Are they new to the area?  Are they originally from your hometown?  This information will help when you meet them at opening night.</p>
<p><strong>Opening Night</strong><br />
If the production you are submitting for is later in the season, go see the other productions.  Opening night would be the best night to go, as it is almost guaranteed the artistic director will be there.  Don&#8217;t be shy (also don&#8217;t be pushy or rude) and introduce yourself.  If this is after you sent your mailing, then the artistic director might remember you.  Make the conversation about the current production and the artistic director.  Do not make the conversation all about you and how you would be perfect for their upcoming production.  The point of this meeting is not to sell yourself, but to begin a professional relationship with someone in your field.  Don&#8217;t sound like a needy, out of work actor.</p>
<p><strong>Don&#8217;t Forget the Middle Man</strong><br />
While doing all this work, do not ignore the casting director that the theater company hires for each production.  You can find out who the casting director is in the Playbill of the production you just saw, or maybe on their website.  The artistic director might ask the casting director about you once they see your mailing, or meet you, and it would be good to have a headshot in the casting office so they can look you up.</p>
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		<title>MFA Theater Programs = Ponzi Scheme?</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:15:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Various reactions have come up in regards to Mike Daisey&#8217;s original blog post about MFA theater programs. I like how Daisey responds and reminds the readers that his focus was on &#8220;institutional choice to charge tuition that have no relationship with the craft they are teaching.&#8221; and &#8220;If a teacher is teaching in an MFA [...]
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<p>Various reactions have come up in regards to Mike Daisey&#8217;s <a href="http://www.mikedaisey.com/2009/01/in-my-recent-conversations-with-theater.sht" target="_blank">original blog post</a> about MFA theater programs.</p>
<p>I like how Daisey <a href="http://www.mikedaisey.com/2009/02/noises-off-lessons-in-teaching-theatre.sht" target="_blank">responds</a> and reminds the readers that his focus was on &#8220;institutional choice to charge tuition that have no relationship with the craft they are teaching.&#8221; and &#8220;If a teacher is teaching in an MFA program that charges a tuition its students can never pay through the craft, the onus is on the teacher to justify for his or herself how this can be ethical.&#8221;</p>
<p>Does the teacher, that is within the academic system that charges a total sum of money that can not be paid off within the profession they are being trained for, have a responsibility to justify why this is ethical?  Or do they turn the blind eye because they are getting a steady pay check?  I agree with an <a href="http://www.mikedaisey.com/2009/02/someone-i-have-taught-in-past-is-upset.sht" target="_blank">additional post</a> by Daisey when he states:</p>
<blockquote><p>I would argue that perhaps one of the largest pitfall network effects of a capitalist society is the tragedy of the commonsâ€”in this case it is possible that a universally needed resource (future artists) is being exploited to ensure economic stability for the system today. By telling theater artists today that they must have training, and then making that training out of context to the industry they will be practicing their craft in we hurt the art form as a whole.  I&#8217;ve had some fantastic teachers in my life, and I love teaching myself. That doesn&#8217;t absolve me or anyone else of the responsibility to call out a broken system for its problems.</p></blockquote>
<p>The thrust of Daisey&#8217;s argument lies in the idea that it is very difficult for future theater artists to create theater when they are racked with debt from MFA programs.  Most MFA acting programs pride themselves with the notion they are creating professional artists and not teachers. Yet many MFA actors have to look for teaching jobs when they graduate to pay off the debt from school as well as to sustain a living.  We might not see the ramifications now, but like the Ponzi Scheme, this pattern of behavior will soon catch up with us.  </p>
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		<title>Artistic Diversification</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:58:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[There has been a couple of things rolling around in my head and I think they are all connected. It started when I was talking with a fellow NYU Educational Theatre student who works in the office a major theater here in New York. He was telling me that three other major theaters let go [...]
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<p>There has been a couple of things rolling around in my head and I think they are all connected.  It started when I was talking with a fellow NYU Educational Theatre student who works in the office a major theater here in New York.  He was telling me that three other major theaters let go of all their teaching artists, some that were hired as recently as September.  New York City is getting sacked with major layoffs, with <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/12092008/news/regionalnews/city_full_of_sad_sacks_143389.htm" target="_blank">the national numbers reaching 533,000</a>.  The arts in general are getting hit pretty hard as it seems theater across the nation are closing on a weekly basis as the National Endowment for the Arts found that the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121401718.html" target="_blank">audiences for straight plays are in decline</a>. There are a couple of students I know from the program who are graduating with the disheartening feeling of entering into a field that is not hiring anyone.  Then again does the arts really ever have enough jobs and funding?</p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="295" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aVzcput2Hko&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aVzcput2Hko&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>Which leads me to the idea of diversification.  If any one has been listening to the news recently many people, corporations and foundations have lost millions of money from investing with <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98321037" target="_blank">Madoff&#8217;s alleged Ponzi Scheme</a>.  Some loosing everything as they invested 100% of their savings.  This reminded me of the discussion that is taking places over at the post <a href="/abolish-undergraduate-art-majors/?phpMyAdmin=LICj5yiAG4X18dLYp7aJ1hgxLYf" target="_blank">Abolish Undergraduate Art Majors</a>.  I think artists have been sold a bill of goods that tells them they must pursue their art at all cost and be one with the starving artist persona.  They must have those low paying jobs (waiter, bartender, etc.) so they are flexible for auditions and workshops.  Though with those jobs its hard to pay for the actor&#8217;s life of headshots, classes, workshops and have any real sort of savings for <a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/11/19/all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-emergency-funds-but-were-afraid-to-ask/" target="_blank">emergencies</a> and <a href="http://www.essortment.com/all/savingretiremen_rurt.htm" target="_blank">retirement</a>.  That&#8217;s not to even mention health benefits.  So what happened if the students I mentioned above, and all the other BFA and MFA theater students who will be graduating this spring, thought to diversify themselves.  What if they also took classes or got a second degree in business, computer graphics, or web design?  They could take jobs in another field to build up a savings and afford to pay for all the actor necessities.  If you think you can afford to be an actor because you don&#8217;t need to take classes as you just graduated with a theater/acting degree, than pause here and go read a great article over at Art of Function about <a href="http://artoffunction.blogspot.com/2008/12/youre-never-finished-growing.html" target="_blank">university ego</a>.</p>
<p>Masi Oka, who currently plays Hiro on Heroes, did something similar.   Oka decided to take a risk putting his digital effects career on hold as he pursued acting in Los Angeles. &#8220;While I was working at ILM [in San Francisco], I also studied acting and I got my SAG card.&#8221; Taking a leave of absence from ILM, Oka moved to Los Angeles to immerse himself in auditions. &#8220;Six months passed and I ran out of money very quickly,&#8221; Oka says. &#8220;So when I was looking for a job, ILM told me that they had a LA commercial division, which unfortunately now is defunct, so at the time I worked from there. My intention was never to leave ILM, I just wanted to try acting while I still could. However, I had it in my contract that if I didn&#8217;t get a supporting role or recurring role in a pilot in six months I would have to go back to ILM in San Francisco. At that time I was very naive, thinking getting one pilot should be enough to know if I was going to make it as an actor or not. Anyone pursuing a creative career knows that it&#8217;s about persevering. It&#8217;s a marathon, not just a sprint. So it was a gamble in many ways.&#8221;  After landing many guest spots, and bit parts in movies, he landed his current role in Heroes.</p>
<p>The key was Oka had diversity and was able to work on digital effects (which I am sure paid better than a waiter) to help sustain his acting career.  In computer related jobs many people are capable of working from home.  So once you put in the hours of working at the office, and show that you are an asset, some companies will want to keep you and will let you work from home (or give you a more flexible schedule) so that you can still pursue other careers.</p>
<p>So you graduate and are ready to hit the pavement, get those auditions and nail that job you have been training the last four years for at your undergraduate theater program.  Instead, maybe you take the next year or two and land a job that pays pretty well and has the potential of being flexible in the future.  You might say I could never take a year off to work in a cubicle.  Really?  The entertainment/theater industry is not going anywhere.  And who knows, after that year you might have a good paying job that you can work from home and can afford to go to auditions, classes, workshops and also save money for health benefits and retirement.  Believe me in that year most (if not all) your theater classmates will not have gotten so far in their careers that with a little hard work, you would be able to catch up.  Remember its a marathon, so set your self up with a firm finical foundation to be able to run that marathon and enjoy the scenery along the way.</p>
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		<title>Abolish Undergraduate Art Majors</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:01:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Article Review â€œA Modest Proposalâ€ by Tony Kushner, American Theatre, January 1998 Keynote address to Association of Theatre of Higher Education Conference I donâ€™t think you earn your income as an artist to be an artist. But if you are an artist, the artist is what you do, whether or not youâ€™re paid for doing [...]
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<p><strong>Article Review</strong><br />
â€œ<a href="/docs/modest_proposal.pdf?phpMyAdmin=LICj5yiAG4X18dLYp7aJ1hgxLYf">A Modest Proposal</a>â€ by Tony Kushner, American Theatre, January 1998<br />
Keynote address to Association of Theatre of Higher Education Conference</p>
<p><em>I donâ€™t think you earn your income as an artist to be an artist. But if you are an artist, the artist is what you do, whether or not youâ€™re paid for doing it; it is what you do, not what you are. I regard artist not as a description of temperament but as a category of profession, of vocation. What we call education in the arts is mostly training; it is, in fact vocational training.</em></p>
<p>This being the year of my ten-year high school reunion I could not help but look back to see what has become of my twenty-eight years of living. While the creation of social media outlets like facebook and myspace allows one to easily connect with people from the past, one&#8217;s ideals, hopes and goals of days gone might not so easily within reach.</p>
<p>The summer before my senior year in high school I just had been through a â€œmountain-topâ€ experience at the two-week seminar for high school juniors at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. With all the passion and drive of a hormonal seventeen year old, I was ready to enter my senior year and begin my life devotion to the theater. I quit the basketball team to assistant direct the one play that was produced that year and pursued acting and auditioning outside of school.</p>
<p>That January I read the article â€œA Modest Proposalâ€ by Tony Kushner published in the <a href="http://tcg.org/publications/at/nov08/home.cfm?CFID=12690098&#038;CFTOKEN=22110209" target="_blank">American Theatre</a> magazine. I was floored by his premise to abolish all undergraduate art majors. Being from a small town in central California, where the cows at times out numbered the people and my total graduation class was a couple of hundred students, I thought maybe this was crazy east coast, liberal arts ideals rearing its ugly head. As I read the article I grew to appreciate the ideas Kushner proposed, specifically the desire for young artists to receive an education and not merely vocational training. I wished I could say I followed his advice, but I fell into the trap of training. I moved to Los Angeles so I could get an undergraduate degree in communication and theater. Like many students I thought it was the best situation. I was able to get a degree, study theater and pursue acting in Los Angeles. Many good things came from that decision, a beautiful wife, life long friends and studying with some great mentors, but looking back I wonder if I sacrificed formative years of education at the alter of vocational training. As I pursue a graduate degree in theater education I decided to re-read Kushnerâ€™s article to see what has changed, if anything. Undergraduate art majors are growing more than ever so what can be taken away from the article now?</p>
<p>Kushnerâ€™s proposal is simple: abolish all undergraduate art majors. His thesis is wrapped in the idea that the institutions have exchanged education for vocational training, â€œsince the undergraduate arts majors mill is almost as profitable for cash-strapped institutions of higher learning as pesticide development and biochemical warfare research, certainly considerably more profitable than liberal arts departmentsâ€. Colleges and universities main goal is to make money and with so many people wanting to pursue the arts, the schools are going to go where the money is flowing. What college would deny eighteen year old students the â€œrightâ€ to pursue a major in theater, visual arts, writing, filmmaking, photography or musical composition? According to Kusher, schools that elevated education over training. â€œEducation, as opposed to training, I think, addresses not what you do, or will do, or will be able to do in the world. Education addresses who you are, or will be, or will be able to be.â€</p>
<p>How is one supposed to study to be an artist? Vocational training in of itself is not bad. The article points out there are many graduate programs, conservatories and private schools in all major cities that will be happy to take your money for exchange in how to make it in the profession. Seventeen through twenty-one year old undergraduate students donâ€™t need vocational arts training, they need an education. â€œThink of the liberal arts, in other words, as meta-Acting Training for Life.â€</p>
<p>Kusher continues, â€œThe vocalization of the liberal arts undergraduate education echoes the loss in the world at large of interest in the grand dialectic of life, in all dialectics, in breadth, in depth, in thinking as a necessary luxury, in the Utopian.â€ Jill Dolan in her book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472069071?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=theaidea-20&#038;linkCode=xm2&#038;creativeASIN=0472069071%22" target="_blank">Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theatre</a></em> and in her speech to the Association for Theatre in Higher Education entitled â€œ<a href="http://feministspectator.blogspot.com/2008/08/unhappy-thespians-manifesto-on-training.html" target="_blank">Unhappy Thespians: A Manifesto on Training Theatre Students</a>â€ continues where Kushner left off. She is a practioner of the idea that education should be the focus and models this at <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/arts/arts_at_princeton/theater/" target="_blank">Princeton University</a> where the schoolâ€™s motto of arts education seems to echo what Kushner recommends.</p>
<blockquote><p>Believing that the best training for a career in the theater is a broad-based liberal arts education, Princeton does not have a concentration in Theater. Instead, we offer a certificate in Theater and encourage students, should they have the inclination, to make connections in their artistic work between their fields of concentration and their love of the theater. The program offers the kinds of courses and co-curricular activities that will allow the student, upon graduation, to move into the best graduate conservatories to pursue advanced training in playwriting, acting, directing, design, stage management, and dramaturgy. But most students who take courses in the program do not elect to enter the certificate program; they simply enroll in the courses that interest them. Students with a particular interest in and commitment to the arts, however, may want to obtain the program certificate.</p></blockquote>
<p>This mindset seems to be echoed in the work of Dr. Scott Walters in the writings of his blog <a href="http://theatreideas.blogspot.com/" target=_blank">Theatre Ideas</a> and his work at University of North Carolina-Asheville. In a recent post he describes the sympathy for the students in trying to embrace this type of arts education.</p>
<blockquote><p>And so when they arrive in a class like Dolan&#8217;s, or in my own, they revolt against the attempt [from teachers] to encourage them to think, to develop their own ideas, their own beliefs, and develop them as part of a rich conversation that has been ongoing for 2500 years &#8212; because they know that it is a lie; that once they leave that particular classroom, they will once again be forced to erase themselves. Why go through the pain of developing as a unique individual when one must rejoin the masses again in order to survive, to be cast? I have sympathy for them, because they have been told that there are no alternatives, and those who have revolted against those limited opportunities by college have self-selected themselves into other departments, other field of endeavor.</p></blockquote>
<p>In a undergraduate performing arts program the mentality is to shape the curriculum based on the industry. The problem is that colleges and universities are not supposed to be extensions of the entertainment industry, but rather they are to produce what Dolan calls artist-citizen-scholars. Artists that question society and through their art speak for those that do not have a voice. Instead performing art students are trained to accept the fact that they are viewed by all in the industry as an equivalent of a coke can, a product that is to make money for agents, managers, producers, advertising firms and production companies and if they are lucky have some money left over for themselves.</p>
<p>As Kushner pointed out ten years ago, â€œI can say letâ€™s get rid of it and we donâ€™t have to worry that anything will actually happen.â€ The same holds true now. As long as it makes money the schools will not get rid of undergraduate art majors or offer sufficent alternatives. As an educator what can I hope for is that there will be more teachers like Dolan and Walters who try to change the system from within. Teachers who show the students an alternative so that one or two might see the current form of arts education as a facade and that an education that can truly benefit an artist is much bigger and broader than what is currently being offered. How is this specifically to be done? Kushnerâ€™s suggests, â€œWhat I would hope you might consider doing is tricking your undergraduate art major students. Let them think theyâ€™ve arrived for a vocational training and then pull a switcheroo. Instead of doing improv rehearsals, make them read The Death of Ivan Illych and find some reason why this was necessary in learning improv.â€</p>
<p><span class="technoratitag">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/bfa+acting" target="_blank" rel="tag" title="Link to Technorati Tag category for bfa acting">bfa acting</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/undergraduate+theater" target="_blank" rel="tag" title="Link to Technorati Tag category for undergraduate theater">undergraduate theater</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/bfa+theatre+programs" target="_blank" rel="tag" title="Link to Technorati Tag category for bfa theatre programs">bfa theatre programs</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/american+theatre+magazine" target="_blank" rel="tag" title="Link to Technorati Tag category for american theatre magazine">american theatre magazine</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/tony+kushner" target="_blank" rel="tag" title="Link to Technorati Tag category for tony kushner">tony kushner</a></span></p>
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<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/dont-think-act/' rel='bookmark' title='Don&#8217;t Think, Act.'>Don&#8217;t Think, Act.</a></li>
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		<title>Win Copies of Milton Katselas&#8217; &#8220;Acting Class: Take a Seat&#8221;</title>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[We know you just love the chance to win something, so here at DENNIS BAKER LLC we want to start rewarding our loyal readers. The first giveaway is of Milton Katselas new book Acting Class: Take a Seat. I try to only giveaway books that Iâ€™ve read and would actually recommend. I have began to [...]
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<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/review-acting-class-milton-katselas/' rel='bookmark' title='Review: Acting Class &#8211; Take A Seat by Milton Katselas'>Review: Acting Class &#8211; Take A Seat by Milton Katselas</a></li>
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<p>We know you just love the chance to win something, so here at DENNIS BAKER LLC we want to start rewarding our loyal readers.<br />
<img style="padding: 0 0 0 10px;" src="/images/actingclassbook.jpg" alt="milton katselas acting class" width="140px" align="right" /><br />
The first giveaway is of Milton Katselas new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Acting-Class-Take-Milton-Katselas/dp/1597775924" target="_blank">Acting Class: Take a Seat</a>. I try to only giveaway books that Iâ€™ve read and would actually recommend.  I have began to read it and do enjoy it, a full review will be coming soon.</p>
<p>â€œPreviously only available to Katselas&#8217; students at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse, Acting Class presents the concepts and methods that have helped lead a generation of actors to success on stage, in cinema, and on television. Now for the first time, this all-encompassing book is available to the general public, taking readers and sitting them in the legendary acting class of Milton Katselas, where he not only covers techniques and methods, but also includes valuable discussions on the attitude any artist needs to fulfill his or her dream.â€</p>
<p>Now you know you want to win it, right? Good, because <strong>we have 2 copies to give away!</strong></p>
<p><strong>How to enter this contest?</strong> Simply leave a comment below and weâ€™ll randomly pick 2 winners (deadline for entry is 6pm ET Friday, Oct. 24th).</p>
<p>Thatâ€™s all you need to do! And, if youâ€™re not a lucky winner, you can be a winner anyway by picking up a copy of <em>Acting Class: Take a Seat</em> for yourself.</p>
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<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/review-acting-class-milton-katselas/' rel='bookmark' title='Review: Acting Class &#8211; Take A Seat by Milton Katselas'>Review: Acting Class &#8211; Take A Seat by Milton Katselas</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.dennisbaker.net/rutgers-graduate-acting/' rel='bookmark' title='No Audition Class for Rutgers Graduate Acting Students'>No Audition Class for Rutgers Graduate Acting Students</a></li>
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		<title>No Audition Class for Rutgers Graduate Acting Students</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:38:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[The Rutgers graduate acting program is not supplying its third year students with an auditioning teacher.Â  The teacher for the course went on sabbatical and the administration decided not to pay for a replacement. A student brings in audition material to perform and the other classmates critique it.Â  Most of these classmates have no professional [...]
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<p><img style="padding: 0 10px 0 0;" src="http://www.dennisbaker.net/images/audition.jpg"/ width="300px" align="left" />The <a href="/rutgers-mfa-acting-program?phpMyAdmin=LICj5yiAG4X18dLYp7aJ1hgxLYf">Rutgers graduate acting program</a> is not supplying its third year students with an auditioning teacher.Â  The teacher for the course went on sabbatical and the administration decided not to pay for a replacement. A student brings in audition material to perform and the other classmates critique it.Â  Most of these classmates have no professional acting or audition experience.  And they are paying for this?</p>
<p>How can this be okay in an MFA acting program.  The big sell of these programs is that they will prepare you for the professional life of an actor.  Last time I checked the major component of an actor&#8217;s life is auditioning.  Actors audition far more than they are actually hired to perform.  This is completely baffling.  How is Rutgers expected to be taken seriously as an graduate MFA acting program when the administration is not willing to pay for a teacher to help in such an essential component of an actor&#8217;s career?  As prospective students begin to research acting programs for  auditions at the end of the year/beginning of next year I hope they highly question attending (and paying) an institution who is not willing to put resources into such an important aspect of an actors training.</p>
<p><span class="technoratitag">Technorati Tags: <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for mfa" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/mfa" target="_blank">mfa</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for rutgers" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/rutgers" target="_blank">rutgers</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for graduate schools" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/graduate+schools" target="_blank">graduate schools</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for acting" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/acting" target="_blank">acting</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for auditions" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/auditions" target="_blank">auditions</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for theater" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/theater" target="_blank">theater</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for theatre" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/theatre" target="_blank">theatre</a>, <a title="Link to Technorati Tag category for new jersey" rel="tag" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/new+jersey" target="_blank">new jersey</a></span></p>
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		<title>Free Acting Seminar in Los Angeles</title>
		<link>http://www.dennisbaker.net/free-acting-seminar-in-los-angeles/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:19:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dennis Baker</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Friend and teacher Mick Montgomery is holding a free acting seminar on Saturday, August 30th from 2-6pm at the Actors Workout Studio in North Hollywood.Â  If you are reading this from Los Angeles, I highly recommend it!Â  You can click on the image to enlarge it or read the details below. The title of the [...]
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<p><a href="http://www.dennisbaker.net/images/awsflyer.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding: 0 10px 0 0;" src="http://www.dennisbaker.net/images/awsflyer.jpg" alt="" width="175" height="250" align="right" border="0" /></a>Friend and teacher Mick Montgomery is holding a free acting seminar on Saturday, August 30th from 2-6pm at the Actors Workout Studio in North Hollywood.Â  If you are reading this from Los Angeles, I highly recommend it!Â  You can click on the image to enlarge it or read the details below.</p>
<p>The title of the seminar is <strong>&#8220;Discover the Actor You&#8217;ve always wanted to be!&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>The class will include a discussion on discovering who your inner actor is and will feature an introduction to the Meisner Acting Technique as taught @ the Actors Workout Studio. This is not a sit down and listen to someone talk for four hours seminar. It&#8217;s an active and fun class designed to get you rooted in your body.</p>
<p>Space is limited so sign up today! You can call 310.754.9121 for any questions about the seminar. Also, feel free to send this to any acting friends who may be interested in attending.</p>
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