Actors unite.

[lola843]

My background: I have recently rediscovered my unyielding love for acting. I was never the type to get in front of a crowd or take the initiative to bring any unnecessary attention to myself. I was told I had a knack for talking to people but my confidence was never there. Until I participated in my first small play sophomore year in high school. It was a Charlie Brown Christmas, I enjoyed it but it was a very small play and not the best of experiences. I figured acting was fun but not necessarily for me. That all changed Senior year though, first semester I auditioned for Get Smart and to my disbelief landed a role as Agent 99. At first I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was pretty sure I was going to kill the male lead, his personality and mine clashed but after the initial learning curves I fell irrevocably in love with the art of acting. I took a break for a little over a year, college and a whole new phase of life was beginning and I just didn't know where acting was going to fit in. Beginning of my second year though I decided that I was going to audition for Streetcar Named Desire. I did so and landed the role of Stella; I got to work with some wonderfully talented people. The rest is pretty much history I now know there's no going back and hopefully I'll be doing plays here and there from now on.

For this Post: Anyways now to the point of this post. I hope that this will become a place for fellow actors to discuss upcoming plays and tips they've discovered while acting; I also hope this will be a great tool for those looking to audition to hopefully get the encouragement they need to go and audition. Please share your stories of how you came into acting, your experiences and any tips and tidbits you may have for us less experienced actors.

[_Odessa_]

Just saw this thread! What a great idea!

This weekend, Saturday and Sunday I have an upcoming musical I'm really excited about. It's no big production, just the Christmas musical at my church, which is definitely not a small church. It's meant to be for elementary schoolers, 3rd-6th grade, but we're doing a different play this year and there's a major role they needed covered by someone older. Now, I'm pretty active at my church, I'm the singer for the youth band, which I usually sing solo. Our highschool choir does Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat every year, and I always take it seriously and love acting and singing in it. The choir director came up to me one day, and said, "Sara, I have a solo for you." She didn't mention until a bit later that it was actually two big solos, and numerous lines, even an evil laugh. To sum it up, I really enjoy my part. Villains are the best! I play a rich diva landlord who owns a warehouse that a bunch of nice people are hosting charity events and a Christmas play in, then I hire spies to find out what's in the boxes that are being shipped to the warehouse (gifts for the needy), to find out they are celebrating Christmas so I basically yell at them a bunch of times that they're evicted from the property and I'm going to call the police. Then I witness their Christmas play still going on outside the property without their things and they continue to show kindness to me, and I have a massive change of heart. My solo goes from the (angry and) whimsical "I Don't Like Christmas" to "I Love Christmas!" Anyway, it's pretty fun. I like evil laughs, never thought I'd be good at one, but look at all the neurotic characters I've played in the past!

[I'll continue later about my story with acting ;u;]

[lola843]

Odessa that sounds like a blast! I always find the characters that call for a lot of emotion a really rewarding to personify. My role as Stella really called for a lot of emotion as far as anger and hysteria by the end of the play. This was the first character I found that I got very much emotionally involved in. There was one point where we were doing a scene where I broke down in hysterics and it took me a few minutes to compose myself and switch to another scene where I needed to be happier. Acting take way more out of you then a lot of people take into account. There really is a fine line between keeping yourself and identifying the character you are portraying. I love the feeling though, and I've said I never feel more myself than when I'm playing someone else. That sounds like a really fabulous role though and I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it! Getting to be mean is always a blast. (I think that's what saved me in my audition for Streetcar... I had really good 'emotional chemistry' with the actor that ended up being the male lead.) Acting is such a blast I'm sure you'll do fabulous.

[sanctuary;]

hello! mostly just marking this so I can see the experiences and advice of others - I've always harbored a guilty desire to act, even though I've never had the pleasure to be in any productions, or even have any lessons.
the experiences that you have shared so far sound amazing though <3

[meowool]

I don't act loads, I'm originally a dancer!! But I did CATs and Miss Saigon with my school before I left for uni. CATs was very fun and jolly and if we made a mistake while singing we could just 'wash' our faces. Then this year we did Miss Saigon which is very different to CATs emotionally. The first act is alright because I'm the same character for most of it. (Bargirl) But the second act is demanding because I was a (different) bargirl, vietamenese civilian and a dancer. The scene with the help was so draining!! After our first rehearsal of that scene, I got home and had a nap!! Also after reading up on the Vietnam war, made me realise that all my characters had no hope practically of surviving.
I've always been a chorus member or a small role before, and I like because you get to work with loads of people and you get to be several characters which is always fun!! Secretly I would like to do this as a job but it would be difficult...I might stick to doing local productions/ in uni!!

[lola843]

Welcome Dalek skittle and meowool! Glad you stopped by! I'm off to work right now but I'll be back later and will reply to both of you.

[pizzas and scream]

i wish I had it in me.
just so I can stir up drama in real life with gurllia theater, or what ever they call it. if not, direct it.

but I can barly vlog in front of a camera and get even phone shy.

or at least take the acting lessons to "fake it untill I make it"

[lola843]

Ok so to reply to Dalek Skittle. If find anything you're interested in play wise just do it. I'm living proof that you don't have to have any formal prep or any prep at all really to be in any productions. Just go audition, you never know where it'll land you.

Meowool sounds like you've had a blast so far! I would like to do musicals but just don't think I'm musically gifted enough to even think about it. And plus singing in front of a crowd is terrifying to me. But I'm sure CATs was a blast. And sounds like miss saigon was taxing but I'm sure very rewarding! Love this in depth roles. And I am also in the same boat... Career wise I just don't know that it would work.

It's very rewarding Barmy Smary to do any part of the theatre experience. I highly recommend it. You don't need any lessons just go audition, it's a blast!

[pizzas and scream]

Ok so to reply to Dalek Skittle. If find anything you're interested in play wise just do it. I'm living proof that you don't have to have any formal prep or any prep at all really to be in any productions. Just go audition, you never know where it'll land you.

Meowool sounds like you've had a blast so far! I would like to do musicals but just don't think I'm musically gifted enough to even think about it. And plus singing in front of a crowd is terrifying to me. But I'm sure CATs was a blast. And sounds like miss saigon was taxing but I'm sure very rewarding! Love this in depth roles. And I am also in the same boat... Career wise I just don't know that it would work.

It's very rewarding Barmy Smary to do any part of the theatre experience. I highly recommend it. You don't need any lessons just go audition, it's a blast!

Nah, not originated stage acting. The one where you go in public and do the pretend.

[hachi.]

Awesome Idea! I'll have to do a post later about what I do!