I just spent the most amazing weekend ever! I got to class on Saturday not quite sure what to expect. I knew my agreements, tenets, guideposts, techniques, variables and my lines. I had answered all the guideposts for my scene and was as ready as I could be. After I signed in, a guy came and introduced himself to me as Jonathan. It took me a moment to realize it was Johnny, someone I actually already knew. It was a relief to have a friend there, but it also put added pressure. While talking today we admitted that it was scary to have someone who could bring what happened in…

This has been a really busy week! On Sunday, I was telling my cousin how amazing her dance show was, and she managed to convince me to sign up for her jazz class (at the beginner’s level) on Thursdays. I had already been checking it out, but she just gave me the extra push I needed to sign up. I started Level 2 in improv on Monday, and as per usual, I had a blast! Almost all of the people from my Level 1 class were there, with a few new people as well. Marc, the one who led the free workshop I went to, is the teacher this time…

    Having the week off from classes doesn’t mean I sat around and did nothing, although I didn’t get to meet with my scene partner in the end. Nevertheless, I went to my cousin’s going away party, reread Michael Shurtleff’s “Audition”, had supper in Quebec City, voted in the provincial elections (for a candidate who didn’t even come close to winning), paid my SEVIS fee, went to the dentist, did research for my trip to LA and watched another one of my cousins dancing on stage.     Although I didn’t meet with Michele, my scene partner, I did finally memorize all of my lines.  Now that I have the…

  I met with my scene partner today, and talking to her about what I’ve done and my plans, I kind of feel like all the pieces are finally coming together, that I’m finally making some progress into making my acting dream a reality. Monday was the last improv class of Level 1, but we all enjoyed it so much that we all signed up for Level 2. It only starts September 10th, so I get a week off where my parents are taking me to an amazing restaurant in Quebec City. Probably bad that I’m so excited about food, but I am equally pumped up about the improv I…

This week has had some ups and downs. Although I have found a scene I really like for the Tom Todoroff weekend, my scene partner has gone MIA. She hasn’t replied to my emails, or phone calls, which makes me think she might have changed her mind about the class. This is extremely scary for me, because unless I also opt out of the intensive, I will have to do a monologue in front of an entire class of students who are doing scenes with a partner. My cousin says it is only fair that I go and do it alone, since my partner in May had to do it…

At improv class this week, we did a few exercises that involved taking another person’s lead (mirroring another person’s actions, and trying to answer questions at the same time as the other person). I didn’t really learn something new so much as reinforce my conviction that I don’t really like being the leader. Improv kind of scares me, because you have to go out and put on a show that isn’t scripted, there’s nothing to guide you, you can’t rehearse, learn your lines and prepare, you just have to go with the flow and hope for the best. In all of the activities, I found I was much happier and…

This week, my to-do list consisted of: Finding a Comedic and a Dramatic Monologue for myself, Starting Improv Class, Reading “The Audition” by Michael Shurtleff, and like always, Posting Here! I started looking for the monologues, and have found quite a few, so I am trying to narrow them down, and see which ones work for me. This week, I not only went to my first Improv class on Monday, I also went to their free workshop on Sunday. This may seem like a no-brainer, getting for free something we are willing to pay for, but a month ago, I probably wouldn’t have gone. I am a master at excuses,…

Another productive and exciting week! Since I had the script for the audition, I highlighted my lines, I made cue cards, I practiced emotions and the non-verbal stuff…I was as prepared as I could be, until I stepped into the waiting room. I had arrived at the same time as a guy, Chris, who was auditioning for another film, but had auditioned for the same one as me a few days ago. He informed me that they were now at the 6th draft of the script, while I had pretty much memorized the 4th. I had been warned that things like this happen, but I would have been extremely thrown…

I know I’ve been absent for a while, and I wish it was because I have been so overwhelmed with all of my acting that I haven’t had the time, but I actually haven’t really done much to further my acting career. I never got to go to the Tom Todoroff acting intensive, because a few days before it started, I had this freak accident where I passed out and hit the front and back of my head. I couldn’t drive for 2 months while they ran tests, and I used this as an excuse not to take classes or promote myself. Not one of my finest decisions, but I…

So all the finals are done now, so I have nothing to worry about but work and acting. I am so excited to be starting this, but first, I thought I would share a little piece of wisdom that came to me recently. I have been under the impression that acting was a dream others would think was crazy, that people would judge me on it and think I was silly to believe I could make it. This led to my not telling so many people about it, but I did tell my family. Still, I was pretty sure they were just waiting for me to settle on a more…