And… Loving It
We’ve now started week two of the sell-out show GET SMART . It’s officially “A Hit”. I was so happy to have some dear friends in the audience, and there is such a positive energy that I only know of when I perform.
When I say that the show is a sell-out, it’s actually bigger than that. We’ve now been told that there is a waiting list for those who couldn’t get a ticket. This show is really getting a great response, and this is heart-warming for all of us.
There is something very important to remember when Actors find themselves in this happy situation, and that’s to remain focused on the work at hand. We’ve had a break of 4 days, and there is always the chance that we can be comfortable and relaxed and lose the positive nervous energy that propels us to work at our peak. Read more
What Next?
We’ve completed a very successful first week of the very funny play, GET SMART, and it feels great. I told an Actor friend today who asked me about the show that if he hadn’t booked a seat by now, forget it because we’ve sold out. Although I would have loved my friend to see the show it’s very satisfying to me, as it is to all of us involved in the production, to have such a success.
I am being helped ‘back on my theatre feet’ as it were, by good people and a good show. In past posts I’ve alluded to the sentiment that confidence is the life-blood of strong performance, and I have had, to be honest, major set-backs in self-confidence. Over the past 13 years (actually more than that), I’ve had important life events that fairly knocked me into the dust, and been surrounded by certain personalities that Read more
Those Who Don’t Know
I’m continually amazed at the small-mindedness of some people. There is the notion among the ignorant that because you’re on-stage, you cannot hear a cellphone, or a conversation in the audience. Because the Actor is performing, some people think that they must be so “into” their character, that the Actor is oblivious to anything outside, like we’re zombies in a trance.
I’m in a show where I have to deliver lines via a microphone from a separate place in the theatre – namely from the lobby. As I am performing, the canteen / kitchen staff (who have their jobs to do to be sure) think that it’s okay to rattle plastic bags, collect glasses and bottles, and pretty much clean up. Read more
Full House Opening
I’m a very lucky man. We had our general public opening night tonight and it was a blast. I’d forgotten the thrill you get on such a night, and I’m sure these words won’t really do it justice, however I’ll attempt to describe the experience as best as I can.
We’ve been rehearsing for a little over a month I think, and I believe I can speak for the cast and crew when I say that we’re all very happy with the material and with each other. We all have the same goal: to enjoy ourselves and to entertain the audience. The show we’re putting on, GET SMART, is a good one. It’s bloody funny. Read more
Would You Believe…
This is the eve of the opening night of our show entitled “Get Smart”, and I’m very happy to have the pleasure of the acquaintance of our wonderful cast and crew. It’s been a few weeks of rehearsing, and now all we’re in need of is an audience.
It’s an hilarious show and I’m sure the audience will have a great time. I haven’t been on stage for a few years and I’ve learned and re-learned some valuable lessons along the way.
I’m sure you’re all aware of how different it is to work on stage from screen acting. I just love both arts ( or should I say sciences), and the differences are sometimes slight, other times massive. Read more
Good Signs
Have you ever read the book “The Alchemist”? If you haven’t, may I recommend it as an excellent read, and one that is quite important to new Actors.
I heard a story years ago, about an old man who combed the beach daily looking for a valuable stone. He did this for years and years, sometimes finding something that looked promising, then realising it was junk, casting it into the ocean. Time and time again, he’d pick up a stone, turn it over once or twice, then throw it away. He was so accustomed to this routine, that when he finally picked up a really rare stone, the genuine article, he didn’t recognise it, and cast it away. He died old, worn out and disappointed, without ever knowing he’d actually held the cherished orb in his hands. Read more
Another Happy Customer
As a follow-on to my post entitled “Diary Of A TV Commercial Shoot“, here’s a transcript of an e-mail I received from my agent on Thursday 9 July 2009. I have ommited names for professional confidentiality.
Hi guys,
Just wanted to pass on how incredibly proud I am. Just got off the phone with the client from [name of client] who said that my actors were brilliant, so easy going, beautiful to work with and that their client was soooooo happy with last weeks tvc [television commercial] shoot.
I feel like a proud mother hen!
[name of agent] x
I phoned my agent and thanked her for her feedback.
Actor’s Block
We all know about Writer’s Block, right? I remember sitting in a hairdresser’s shop waiting for a trim (that indicates how long ago this happened, as I’m follically bereft these days) when I was reading a magazine article about the singer / songwriter Paul Simon. He was talking about his difficulty writing, before the wonderful album “Graceland” came along. He spoke of the utterly blank realm where nothing, absolutely zero, comes to mind.
There have been times when I’ve been standing by, ready to shoot a scene. I’ve learned my lines, I’ve understood what the director wants from me, I’m clear about what I’m to do, yet for some reason I just can’t get it together. Concentration is not the problem. Tiredness? no. It’s as if someone has stolen any momentum in my brain, and I stand there, dumb and confused. Well, I’m going to call this Actor’s Block . Read more
Setting Up
The cast and crew got together today to do some painting and various other set work for the play I’m rehearsing. The play is called Get Smart and is based on the hilarious 1960’s sit-com written by that madman Mel Brooks and Buck Henry.
It really is wonderful to play this as I rate Get Smart (along with F Troop) as the best of the best of the 1960’s, which I regard as the golden years of television.
We raise the curtain on this very funny espionage tale, fighting the evil KAOS, on July 24 2009 for a strictly limited run.
Diary Of A TV Commercial Shoot
Today I went to a television commercial shoot that I’d been hired for, and I decided to make a small journal of the main things that occurred. This is to be a national television and press campaign. I have left out any identifying details for obvious reasons of confidentiality.
- 0736hrs. Left home for location. With me are the wardrobe articles asked of me by the agency. This includes a certain item of clothing that I added for my screen-test on June 22nd 2009, and a bag with a book and a bottle of water. The temperature is 3 degrees Celcius so I am rugged up.
- 0806hrs. I arrive at the location, a private residence in a leafy suburb in an affluent suburb of Perth, Western Australia for an 8:30 AM call. Happy I got here early. Crew and Director already here setting up, as expected.
- 0815hrs. Shown into the house by Production Assistant (PA) where we’ll be camped for the shoot outdoors.
- 0826hrs. After being shown where we’ll be costumed-up, we are now just awaiting the make-up artist to arrive. We settle our bags down and briefly chat with the owner. I jot this down start to read my book. Read more
