Impending Stage Source Doom.. Or Not?

First off - shout out to my mom. It's her birthday today! (Or at least when I started writing this it was.) Mom, I can only hope to age as gracefully and beautifully as you have. I love you.

Now back to business. I'm starting to get nervous about StageSource auditions. I'm not nervous because of the audition itself. I'm nervous because I feel like I'm not really prepared for it. I have my contemporary monologue nailed down, but I'm going back and forth on whether or not I should use a classical monologue that I've done before (not at StageSource but at other Boston area auditions) or a new contemporary monologue or a classical monologue that may or may not be "too dramatic" for an audition piece. Or fit with the traditional cattle call set up of one contemporary and one classical? (One very wise friend suggested using pieces with two different energies and I've DEFINITELY been contemplating that advice.) Ugh! Now, I'm aware that I've had months to prepare for this audition but I'm still in this boat. (It seems like a number of other people are too - holler if you're one of them!) The question is - why? Was I too lazy to start looking for pieces? I knew this was important so it's not that I'm not taking it seriously. Did I prioritize incorrectly? There were definitely nights post-work where I could have come home and worked but instead went out with my friends. Or am I in this boat because of the "lack of theatre" rut I just experienced? It's most likely a combination of the above. So great, I identified the problem, now what? And how do I fix it in the future? I guess I start by trying not to do too much before Tuesday morning. I devote time each day to preparation and hope that my passion will carry me through. I guess. But passion isn't enough in this business and I guess this set of auditions shall be a wake up call for that. I have no doubt that I'll pull through, but in my 20/20 hindsight, I'm definitely regretting not getting the ball rolling sooner. Oh well, you live and you learn. Back to the drawing board, er... rehearsal in my bedroom?

Dispatches from Michigan: Play Payola?

This is something of potentially disturbing news: EncoreMichigan.com, an important online theater publication based in Michigan, is proposing a fee for media coverage on the statewide theater community. Here is the text from an e-mail sent to Michigan producers:

So again I ask: How much is EncoreMichigan.com worth to you?

How about $25 a month for the next 12 months? (Or $125 per season for the summer theaters?) Or $1,000 to become a Seasonal Sponsor (though May 2011)? Or $2,500 to become an annual Gold Sponsor? Or commit to raising $500, $750 or $1,000 through various fundraisers?

Does this seem dangerous to anyone else here? We're not talking about StageSource here. With an organization like StageSource, a fee makes total sense. We pay into the system, we receive benefits and resources as individuals artists and organizations. But these resources and benefits are not valued beyond their individual worth. For example, our fees help pay for community-wide events, a script library, general auditions, etc. None of these benefits are contingent or directly affected by our flat fee.

But imagine if TheaterMirror.com required a fee? Think about the potential problems with this system...

In all cases, financial support of EncoreMichigan.com does not guarantee favorable reviews or news coverage. As always, we'll continue to call 'em as we see 'em! And once again we will not review children's theater productions.

That's nice to hear, but how can a community really ensure that a de facto "Payola" system is prevented from taking form? In the music industry, Payola was outlawed decades ago, and yet the current system works such that kickbacks are still paid by large record companies in order to ensure maximum exposure to large artists and to prevent independent artists from receiving comparable airplay.

You make all the rules you want, but it will not change the fundamental nature of a system that makes reviews contingent on payment, especially when the payment is based on a ranking system. Who can afford the higher tiers of payment? Big theaters? Corporate, commercial theaters? It's hard enough for small and locally owned theater companies (really, small businesses, which we claim to support in America) to compete with outside touring broadway shows. What's to stop a large producer with tons of New York money from blitzing the donation bin?

I'm not saying that there are any malicious motivations behind this proposal. I'm saying there's a naive notion that this "No favorable reviews for money" policy can be enforced. In the beginning, I'm sure players will play nicely. But time equals complacency. I fear the potential for disaster in the Michigan community if this particular business model is adopted.

Something to chew on...

Best,
K

Nothing Earth Shattering, But Still Worth Writing About

Sometimes when I read a new play I want it to be Earth shatteringly different than anything I've ever read before. I want a new situation, certainly one my brain could not have come up with, and I want to be surprised. But sometimes it's nice to read a play that surprises you with it's simplicity. I just finished reading The Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker. (I'm auditioning for it on Tuesday afternoon.) It's a simply written play, with a simple message: even though we "grow up" into adulthood, life comes in stages and you never know where one will end and the next will begin. It wasn't a play that forced me to think, "Now what IS the symbolism in this character's name?" Or, "What what the purpose of the last two scenes in the play?" I read it, enjoyed it, was surprised by it, and now I'm telling you about it. It was refreshing to read a play where I finished thinking, "Yes, those are real people, and yes I understand what this was about, and yes life is about moments that seem insignificant - but nothing that happens in life is insignificant." (I'm aware that's a run-on sentence, but it's how I think! Deal with it!) The point is, not all theatre has to be stereotypically groundbreaking. A play can simply show you a snippet of real life with characters you can relate to and remind you that life never gets "figured out," it can only be added to. It's possible that this thought is my "Earth Shattering Thought of the Day." So maybe the play does more than I originally thought? What do you think? Read it for yourselves OR you can see it at the Huntington this fall as part of their 2010-2011 season.

- E

P.S. Any other plays get you thinking like this? I'm always up for suggestions!

Brian Viglione Drums Your Face Off

Hey dudes,

Just a quick update today. For anyone who has ever doubted the importance of passion and grace in performance, I give you:




Brian Viglione recording with HUMANWINE. This is a few years old, but I just discovered it on the youtubes. If you know the song, it's awesome. If you don't know the song, just watch how insane this man is as he smashes the skull out of that drumset. The best part is, since there's no other tracks, you can hear the drums on their own and just appreciate the sheer skill and complexity of percussion.

You can bullshit guitar. You can't bullshit drums

Be well,
K

It Pays to be Unique

This weekend, I will be seeing two shows for free. I never win anything, but for some reason this week I seem to have had the angel of Facebook looming over my shoulder.

First, I won Tickets to Actors' Shakespeare Project's production of Timon of Athens, which I desperately wanted to see. No good story here, I just spend way too much time on the internet and happened to be the first person to answer the trivia question:

Which 6 Shakespeare plays have only one word in their name?

(Any guesses?)

I was pumped! But it doesn't end there. Just yesterday, the A.R.T.'s Donkey Show account had a facebook status promotion:

"Want to win tickets for this weekend? Tell us your favorite disco move!"

All of the entries were of real disco moves. Now, I don't know any of the dance moves of disco. But I do like getting funky, and I've been to the donkey show enough to know how to get funky. But I lack the terminology. I figured, oh well, guess this isn't my day. But I did have a funny thought pop into my head...and without thinking twice, I typed it up and hit the enter button:

"The Line of Blow in the Bathroom."

Awkward? Offensive? Irrelevant? All fair charges. But geuss who gets two free tickets to The Donkey Show this weekend?

That's right. We gun' git funky!

Best,

Das Funkster

CoLab teaches through criticism - Arts

Thanks to Brandeis for their interest in us and their commitment to their alums!
CoLab teaches through criticism - Arts

Expenses

New Copies of Headshots: $100
Gym Membership: $67/month
Haircut: $45 (plus a tip!)
Hours Spent Waitressing: $ Exposure to germs and obnoxious people minus weekends
Getting the Part: Priceless

It's not easy being an actress. I'm sure it's not easy being a financial consultant either but this isn't a blog about financial consulting. (Side note: Remember Mad Minutes? Teachers gave them in elementary school - you had 60 seconds to do 60 math problems? I used to "lose them" because I would get so nervous I couldn't fill them enough of them in. So I guess financial consulting was never really in the cards to begin with but that's besides the point. Plus I'm yawing just writing financial consultant title four times in as many sentences. Blech. Moving on.)

The point is, it would be one thing if holding the title "actress" only meant bearing your soul and dealing with rejection and waitressing to make ends meet. BUT it actually means NOT having a steady, fabulously salaried job while ALSO paying rent and dishing out money for a career that doesn't pay. I get asked at least once a week, "If you're so serious about acting, why haven't you moved to New York?" It's not just that I have friends and a life I enjoy here in a city I'm not ready to leave - it's also because New York is a billion times more expensive that Boston! (Also, the Yankees suck.)

So what should we do? At 23, it seems pretty reasonable to work at the restaurant 40 hours/week, attend rehearsals, spend months of savings to jet off across the country, pay for headshots and gym memberships and acting classes, and continue to do what we love, but where does it end? When I'm 33, will I want a family? How am I supposed to help support my family on my actress's salary? It's a little scary to think about. This hasn't been on my mind because I'm responsible enough to consider what will happen ten years down the road. I'm pondering my financial state because of what's going to happen in August. You're going to read an audition announcement soon for Play., our inaugural production. We're financing this out of own pockets, something I am happy to do because I believe in The CoLab, but it's another expense to add to my list. I'm not asking for a pity party, these are all choices I've made but it still drives me crazy that I'm part of an industry that is expensive to live in and painful to live out of. What would you do? I guess choosing acting compromises my financial quality of life, but what are the costs of compromising my emotional quality of life? For this proud actress, that's not a cost I'm willing to incur. And you know what? I'm still scared of trying to do 60 math problems in 60 seconds. But I'd be more afraid if I was considering quitting something I love just because I don't see the benefits from it on my bank statement. Stay tuned, sports fans, with a summer filled with my new show and plenty of CoLabness this girl is back in the game.