|
Brian Patacca has cultivated an incredible list of COVID resources for actors. Everything from creativity resources to finance to health, he has covered it all! Check it out here.
0 Comments
Humans!
Do you need an agent? What about a better one? I know finding an agent can be tough that’s why I’m so excited to share this incredible – and totally free! – resource from my friend Brian to help you. I first became acquainted with Brian over quarantine, and he offered to create something special for you guys. There are TON of creative coaches out here in Los Angeles, but he is legit. He is down to earth, kind, and extremely generous. Between you and me, he’s crazy pants for giving this all away. I tried to tell him, but he insists… Brian Patacca created the Agent Email Super Pack so you can write emails to agents that actually get opened and lead to more meetings. This free download includes 40+ email templates plus a step-by-step guide telling you exactly how to make the templates your own so your message stands out each and every time you click send! And it’s got the best URL ever… www.DearNewAgent.com IN THIS FREE DOWNLOAD, YOU’LL GET:
See what I mean… he should NOT be giving this away for free. :-) If you’d like a better way to reach out to agents without looking like you're desperate or feeling like you're being annoying, you’ll love every page of the Agent Email Super Pack. www.DearNewAgent.com Wishing you lots of luck on your representation hunt! I get asked a lot about monologues--what monologue should I do, what does contrasting pieces mean, etc.
Here are some thoughts on monologue hunting: -Your monologue choices let people know who you are as an actor. So, choose pieces that are within your type and brand. What do you have to say? How is your voice different? Let your pieces reflect that difference. -Contrasting doesn't have to mean funny vs dramatic. Contrasting can be light vs dark, broad character choices vs subtle character choices, contrasting actions, contrasting characters, etc. However, don't be so broad with how you contrast your pieces that you go outside of your type/brand. This will just confuse casting. For example, my type is strong willed, determined, gritty, fighter, leader women. If I chose a monologue of a delicate flower (like Laura in Glass Menagerie), that wouldn't be representing my type. If I paired that piece with Lady Macbeth (who is my type), then my buyers are left confused. -Choosing a monologue takes time. Yes, you will go through and read a lot of plays that will offer up nothing in terms of monologues, but in the process of reading all of those plays, you are understanding story, characterization, that playwright's voice, structure, tone, mood, etc. Read read read. In the process, you'll learn a ton. You might even find a monologue. -Don't be afraid to piece together chunks of dialogue in order to create your monologue, BUT you should always keep in mind playwright intention when doing so. Don't be so willy nilly with your editing that you compromise the story. Story is king (or queen). Also: Start identifying your leaders, heroes, and inspirations—the people who lead in the way you want to lead. Who are the content creators? The writers? The producers? The actors? The stand up comics? The people who shake things up, create opportunities, and are champions for diversity and creativity? If you get stuck, look for people who are from your hometown, who are of your ethnicity, sexuality, religious background, etc. Chances are they are writing and creating from their experiences, and if you have a shared experience, then chances are their work will resonate with you in a profound way. For example, I’m from the Mississippi Delta, which is a very specific place with a very specific culture. A lot playwrights come from the Mississippi Delta (Beth Henley, Tennessee Williams, Katori Hall, Ida Mae Holland), so all of these lovely creators and writers are on my inspiration list. I can feel their work in my bones. Monologue resources: Obviously, there are millions of resources out there--these are just a few: https://newplayexchange.org/ abebooks.com for discount books and plays Adam's website: https://www.adamszymkowicz.com/monologues.htm https://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/home Friends! Check me on out the hit podcast, On That Note, Mortals! I had such an incredible time chatting with these gals. We cover the industry, Shakespeare, technique, and wine :) Link here.  A few weeks ago I went down a TedTalk blackhole (as one is wont to do), and I came across what was, at the time, the most viewed TedTalk in the history of Ted. It was Simon Sinek's powerful Ted Talk on how great leaders inspire action by being connected to their "why." If you haven't seen this talk, STOP READING, AND WATCH IT NOW. I'll wait... This reminded me of one of my first assignments that I give to my students, which involves them getting clear on their why. I've included the assignment below; give it a try :)
Factor in the freakout/Get clear on your "why." I would like to reframe the term "freakout" when it comes to moments of questioning that will invariably pop up during your career and probably during your time at school. Let each "freakout" be an invitation to reaffirm your choice to live an artistic life. For your journal, I would like you to create your "why"--why you chose an artistic life, why you want to be an actor, why you want to dedicate your life to an art where only 2% of people are able to make a living (not a famous living, just a meager living). Create a "why" that feels strong and resonant for you. It can be one phrase, one sentence, one paragraph--whatever honors you and your creativity. Don't take this lightly or treat it flippantly, but also don't become paralyzed by the notion that your life's choices must be summed up in one tidy sentence. Allow yourself to return to your "why" throughout your time at school and throughout your career. Let it change and grow, just how you will change and grow. It doesn’t need to be long, but I encourage you to make your “why” bigger than yourself. One of the best whys I ever received was, “I’m doing it for my ancestors.” Your “why” should be bigger than your love of acting. If this assignment confuses you, here is a great article from Forbes. This article focuses on helping the reader find their purpose, but I think it can also help you find your "why:" This is also a lovey example of getting clear on your why. In episode 7 of Audrey Helps Actors, she and her guest discuss the importance of getting clear on your why. Here is a great list of quotes from famous actors as to why they chose this career. I recently found an excellent article by Margie Warrell, author and leadership coach, all about using this quarantine as an opportunity to rethink your life.
You can find the full article here, but one of the most helpful moments in the article was a very simple exercise you can do today to help you reevaluate your life. She says: "Albert Einstein once advised that we should not aim to be a person of success but a person of value. Being a person of value requires anchoring ourselves to values that transcend our ego and compel us to reset our ‘life compass’ on the highest and holiest vision for our lives. One that aligns to the deeper truth of who we are, harnesses the best we have to give, and calls on us to step into our lives, and into the world in a wholly new way... ...Living purposefully requires constantly resetting our attention on the things that matter most. Yet ironically enough, things that matter most are rarely things at all. Rather they’re the values upon which we want to build our lives; they’re the attributes of the person we aspire to be; they’re the mark that, in our heart of hearts, we feel most called to make... ...If you’ve often felt tired or yearned for some spark of life to be ignited within you, then perhaps it’s not that you’ve been too busy, doing too much. Perhaps it’s really because you’ve not been doing enough of what your deepest self wants. So take seize the opportunity to seize this quiet hour in the long arch of your life. Take yourself somewhere quiet and, whether on a keyboard or with old fashioned pen and paper, reflect upon your unexamined answers and the deeper questions we too rarely take time to ponder: What values do I want my life to stand for? What mark do I wish to make? What kind of person do I want to be others? As life’s end, how do I want to measure success? I hope that answering these questions posited by Margie will either affirm that you are on the right path or help you course correct your current path to one that is more fulfilling and more aligned with your values. At the end of the day, how we define success for ourselves, I believe, is intrinsically tied to our why. Our whys are linked with our values. As artists, we are constantly told by others what success should look like for our own careers--fame being the most common marker. But only YOU can define what success means. Tomorrow, I'll do a deeper post on finding your creative why. Oh, The Rebels! The last of our Four Tendencies, and only making up 17% of the population, Rebels like to do things their own way. In fact, if you ask them to do something or when an outer expectation is placed on a Rebel, they are less likely to follow through with that expectation. Because of this, Rebels often become amazing CEOs and entrepreneurs. They forge their own path and take on projects that genuinely light them up. All of the tendencies are equally valid and important, but each one has its own set of strengths and weaknesses:  Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your tendency can better help you understand how to set up structures and solutions in your life:  Knowing the tendency of others can help you better understand how they fulfill expectations and requests:  Now that we have taken a deeper look at each tendency, we will be discussing the thought patterns that often times crop up surrounding our feelings of self worth with these tendencies. Stay tuned!
Today, we will be doing a deep dive on Questioners! Questioners will uphold outer expectations, but they first need justification. In this way, they turn an outer expectation into an inner expectation--the justification makes the expectation something they want to fulfill. Making up 24% of the population, the favorite question of The Questioner is: Why? All of the tendencies are equally valid and important, but each one has its own set of strengths and weaknesses:  Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your tendency can better help you understand how to set up structures and solutions in your life:  Knowing the tendency of others can help you better understand how they fulfill expectations and requests:  Tomorrow, we will be doing a deep dive on the last of the tendencies--The Rebels!
Friends! Yesterday, we did a deep dive on one of the four tendencies, the Upholders. Today, we will be looking at the Obligers. I am definitely an Obliger; finding out that this was my tendency really helped me understand how I could build better structures in helping me reach my goals. Making up a whopping 41% of the population, Obligers need outer accountability to meet any inner expectation. All of the tendencies are equally valid and important, but each one has its own set of strengths and weaknesses:  Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your tendency can better help you understand how to set up structures and solutions in your life:  Knowing the tendency of others can help you better understand how they fulfill expectations and requests:  Tomorrow, we will be doing a deep dive on Questioners!
Yesterday, I did a post on Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies. Over the next few days I'll be posting about each tendency and the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Understanding your tendency can help you set up more efficient and effective structures in helping you achieve your goals. It will also help you better understand the others in your life :) The charts I'll be referencing come from Alex Chen's 15 minute Review of the Four Tendencies. You can read it here--it really is an excellent overview. Today, we are doing a deeper dive on Upholders. Upholders readily meet inner and outer expectations, but they will uphold inner expectations first. An inner expectation is an expectation placed on yourself by yourself, such as: I'm going to work out 5 times a week. An outer expectation is an expectation placed on yourself by someone else, such as: I'm going to work out with my friend 5 times a week because they want to exercise more, and they need the accountability. Making up roughly 19% of the population, upholders are highly disciplined and love schedules and routines. All of the tendencies are equally valid and important, but each one has its own set of strengths and weaknesses:  Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your tendency can better help you understand how to set up structures and solutions in your life:  Knowing the tendency of others can help you better understand how they fulfill expectations and requests:  Tomorrow, we will be doing a deeper dive on the Obliger Tendency :)
|