Well, that was nice!

Tuesday was kinda busy for me--an audition at a new office AND a callback for a cd that has booked me before. The audition was a lot of fun! Very playful commercial copy. The callback was a strange situation. The original audition was for a commercial that was almost exactly the same as the Cox spot that I did last year--same company, same cd, same director, virtually the same copy. I thought it was interesting that I got called in for it, but went with it. I ended up auditioning for that spot and another spot while I was there. I got called back for the second one, but when I arrived, I ran into the cd and she told me that I could go home if I wanted to, as I was out of the running. Since I had booked a spot with them last year, the company did not want to re-use me. However, she did say that they loved me, and they called her after I was put into callbacks, after they realized who exactly I was...so, it was nice to know that my work was good, and this was a technical issue, if that makes sense. The cd chatted with me for a bit, then had me run into the session room to say hi to the director, since he also did my spot. He was so kind--gave me a hug, told me I looked great, complimented my work and said I was doing things right, since I "went straight to the top again". I left the situation very pleased.

I had a callback yesterday for the fun audition from Tuesday. I didn't feel brilliant about it, but I think that's just the mood I've been in lately. At any rate, I did my job--went in, committed, did what was asked. I did send a thank you card to the cd after the initial audition, too. So, that's good. Hoping that I made some kind of a decent impression.

Class was interesting this week. Did a great, GREAT improv with one of my classmates, who is so talented. I might write it down from memory and see if we can film it. It really sold both of our particular comedic strengths well. I struggled a bit with my scripted scene, even though I did well. I'm pushing myself to do scenes where my characters are angry, since I tend to shy away from that and tend to give myself trouble with it. I think it was successful on a few counts, and I heard nice feedback about it, but I'm still processing it. However, I do know a few things I thought were good moments for me, and I think every time I take on a challenge like this, it is great for me.

Nearly November

Well...been a few weeks since I last posted!

Had a couple of auditions for commercials recently, which made me so happy (had a bit of a dry spell for a bit!). I have a callback tomorrow for one of them, for a cd that has booked me before AND for a company that has booked me before. So...fingers crossed! I'm just thrilled to have the callback. Feels like things are right in the world, if that makes sense. :)

Just got a mention in Bonnie Gillespie's newest 'The Actor's Voice' column on Showfax:

http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/2010_10_25.html

The article breaks down actor bios: what works, what could be changed, etc. Bonnie used mine as an example, which was totally cool--and a surprise! I had told her offhand, via Twitter, that she could use the one I had in my POV article as one to dissect, if she was still looking for samples--had no idea she would! Very cool. Article is helpful, too--bios are often a pain for most actors. :)

More workshops

I had a couple more workshops this week, one with an associate with a major tv casting office, and one with a film cd that has worked on some AWESOME projects (including a recent Oscar winning film). I'd never seen either cd before. I did the same scene for both, and received high marks from both. :) I was pretty tired during the second workshop, which impacted my performance somewhat, but my work was still there, so that's good.

I also had a good night in class last week. I did a scene from Sons of Anarchy, playing a character that was different for me--required a lot more anger and aggression than I normally play. It was a challenge for me, but that's exactly why I chose it. :) At any rate, I had a hard time with it the first few times--although, I was told that you really couldn't tell I was having a hard time, which I guess is nice--but it clicked on the last time through, mostly because I stopped holding back the physical element in the scene (it called for me to grab the other character by the throat, which I did not do the first few times out of concern that I would hurt her--which was amplified because she was sick and had lost her voice). Anyway, I'm happy with how it turned out...and doing the same character again this week!

I signed up for a workshop designed to boost callbacks for commercials...I still need to pay my deposit, etc, but I am interested to see how it goes. I've heard great things about it, and I am hoping it helps breathe some life into my auditioning. I haven't had a commercial audition in over two months, which is a REALLY LONG stretch of time. I don't really know what the issue might be, although I have heard it's been slow in general for a lot of people. I'm trying to keep positive about things and just do what is mine to do--got new headshots, printed some of those, worked with my agents to get the ones they liked online, updated my various casting profiles, etc. So...fingers crossed!

On a total side note, unrelated to acting:

I am fostering three adorable kittens right now, named Ron, Fred & George (after the Weasley brothers from Harry Potter). Please become a fan of their page on Facebook! We created the page to help network them, so we can get them adopted into great homes as soon as possible.

The Weasley Kittens: Ron, Fred and George Need Forever Homes

The page is updated with new photos, videos and information almost every day. :)