The Hubbard workshop and another day as an extra!

Hey everyone!


So I said that I would get back to you on how the Hubbard workshop went, and here I am, writing to tell you! Basically it is a full day, 10-5 and it costs 30euro, and is part of the Cinemagic 'festival' (if thats what you call a week of workshops and Q&A's....). Cinemagic.co.uk are a Northern Irish company I believe and set up a week full of workshops, Q&A's with directors, writers and actors, for the benefit of those who are looking to gain a little more insight into the industry.

The workshop for the Hubbards, was basically a group of probably 30 people, who would perform a monologue for Ros and John Hubbard, who would then give critical feedback! It was extremely insightful to listen to everything they had to say about some pieces and their feedback was extremely helpful. At the end of the day, there was a question and answer session and then we all packed up and went home!

I know it doesn't sound like much, but just to hear what they had to say about auditions and how they audition young actors and what their take on their industry is, was really so helpful, and I would really recommend that anyone interested should definitely take part next year! The do this workshop in Dublin, in the Burlington Hotel every year in collaboration with cinemagic, so please google Cinemagic and keep up to date with their workshops! Of course, with the Hubbards workshop, you can only do this workshop once, as they don't need to see you perform twice. They are hugely influential and just to get them to see you perform a piece, that ideally shows the best of your capabilities is a huge opportunity not to be missed!

And yes, some people will get auditions from the workshop, specifically the young females of 15-17, just purely because they are casting for someone of that age  right now, I believe. And who knows, next year they might be casting a character that may suit you! So go!! And also their memory is incredible! I met Ros Hubbard in London for a quick hello, literally two minutes and she remembered me! That was two years ago! So this is definitely an opportunity not to miss out on!

The following day, Fair City called again and asked if I'd be an extra for the day. So I did!! Up at 6.30 to be at the studios for 8am!! I was there until 3 and was used in one scene for approximately 5 minutes! Now I know thats an awful long time to sit around, but I can do whatever work or watch whatever movies or read whatever book I want, in the green room until I'm called! And as far as I'm concerned, that is way better than doing a minimum wage job for 6 or 7 hours to get the same amount of money! So it's all good for me!!

I don't think I'll be writing again about the Fair City extra work, as it is usually always the same. You sit with someone on set and you mime a conversation, or you drink/eat the food given, or you sit and read or search on your phone. Basically, you will be in the background, keeping occupied! And thats the life of an extra! Ha!

Any experiences you have had? Anyone else been to a great workshop recently? any feedback on this blog what-so-ever? Don't be afraid to contact me or tweet me @appeleyes2 with any comments or questions!!

Thanks so much for reading!

Peach Out!! xx

John Dawson Acting Workshop

So I spent Saturday and Sunday in an Acting For Camera and Audition workshop with John Dawson and I thought I'd go through a little bit of what happened for anyone who is thinking of doing it.

www.facebook.com/DawsonDramaWorks
www.dawsondramaworks.com

We were asked to prepare a 2 min max monologue from a play, film or tv script, but that was not shakespearean. It had to be contemporary and suitable for camera. I know some casting directors disapprove of using anything from a play because they normally don't transition well.
   So before I even got to the workshop, i had my work cut out for me. Because all the auditions I have been to have been for film or tv, I was always given SIDES to work from and never had to prepare a monologue. So I was now faced with the job of finding one, and here are some of the monologues I came up with:

Vesper from Casino Royal, the scene where she meets Bond on the train and surmises his history by the clothing he is wearing. (this is on youtube)

Olive Pendergast from Easy A, has a monologue at the very beginning of the movie to camera.

Erica Albright from The Social Network, I'll post the link for the text here: http://www.monologuedb.com/dramatic-female-monologues/the-social-network-erica-albright/

and that was it really. It had to be a monologue suited for my age, and it had to be a role that I would love to play. So I was wrecking my head for ages trying to think what role I would love to play, and then finally on Friday (the day before the workshop) I realized, by simply looking at my desktop screen, there was a collage of photos of Rooney Mara as Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.... DUH!!!

So I chose to do a monologue from the original film script, in the revenge scene! Yay! So now I had a monologue for a part I would have killed to play!!!! (obviously I didn't do it as much justice as Rooney, but hey ho!)

So on Saturday morning, I arrived at his studio in the Stoneybatter Area, and we were all introduced to John and each other before we were all thrown right in at the deep-end to perform our monologues straight away. We would then end up performing them again, with some direction at the end of the course! And the improvement was remarkable! We were all given a DVD of all our work that occurred in front of the camera so that we could see our progress and practice!!!

Through the course of the weekend we would be learning how to perform a monologue from a subjective view (To Camera) and an objective view (looking off camera) We were also taught how to relax in front of the camera and just feel comfortable in the room. We also learned how to do an audition successfully and how to cold read.

I have learned so many valuable things over the course of the two days, and here are some of the most valuable tricks I learned:
1. Don't cut yourself- when you're performing a monologue or scene to camera for an audition, don't freeze at the end or cut yourself, keep acting beyond the words!
2. When going into an audition, ask what Frame you are in and how much can you move.
3. When Cold reading, hold the paper up at eye level and away from your face, so off to the right for example, so the camera can pick up your face even when you're looking for your next line.

I would highly recommend this workshop if anyone is looking for a small two day workshop in order to just gain that little bit more of an insight into what auditioning is really like. You will definitely pick up great tips along the way! And the workshop is really fun and you will definitely enjoy yourself!!!

Thanks for reading! If have any questions just post below! x


Peach Out!

what to do in an audition (from experience from audtioning in ireland)

So I thought I'd start making more of these posts that a lot of people want to know about. so if anyone has any questions they'd like answered please tweet me @appeleyes2 and I'll put up a post or I will reply to your tweet with the answers.

So let's begin with, what to do in an audition and in this post I will include the preparation and the actual audition.

Scenario 1:
Ok, so lets presume you were asked to attend an audition, and lets presume they have asked you to prepare a monologue:

Find a monologue that suits your age and your characteristics. So if you're more into comedy do something funny. And likewise if you think dramatic monologues are more comfortable for you to perform then choose a dramatic one.

There are plenty of male monologues out there, and there is loads of ones for women too. Males I'd suggest anything from Shakespeare's plays (likewise women) but also some good monologues can be found in Howie the Rookie and Terminus (Mark O'Rowe-irish actors), also there's Enda Walsh's Disco Pigs and Conor McPherson's Rum and Vodka.

Women there are two characters in Terminus (Mark O'Rowe) a young(B) and older character (A). Also there are good monologues in Brian Friel's Faith Healer. But I'd definitley recommend Sarah Kane's works (mostly 4.48 psychosis) and also Caryl Churchill. She rights brilliantly for female actors. and Billy Roche too writes amazing female roles.

Those are just a few suggestions.

Then read the monologue and learn it off.

Do it in the mirror. 100 times. or a 1000 times. however long it takes until you stop acting and actually start being the character.

The most important thing I can offer here is to learn your lines. Know your character. Read the whole play. This will help greatly!!!

Your audition starts when you walk in the door. Be confident. Find something in your character that you can identify with and so you will be that character. The director/casting director will introduce themselves then they will chat a bit and then they will ask you to start in your own time.

Do it. Do it with confidence. Do it with Style.

and then they will thank you. and you will leave. that is the end of your audition!!

Good luck!!

Scenario two: Getting sides from the script.

if you have an agent they will no doubt have sent you sides (pieces of the script with your character's lines on it for the audition).

learn your lines! always always learn your lines!!!!

Then it's pretty much the same as above. Practice loads and do it with confidence!

90% of auditions you will go on will reject you. For not being the right height, weight, body type, hair colour, eye color, anything at all!!!

This game is all about rejection. The best thing to do is to stay positive, relax and enjoy your experience. Try feel good after your audition and put it to the back of your mind, maybe even treat yourself afterwards! I find this helps loads! get yourself a lil desert or ice cream or whatever you want. you've earned it after all that work!!


Best of luck!!!!!


Peach out!