Harry Potter's Dan Radcliffe in EQUUS

Katja sent this in. She's right, it's disturbing to see half-clad pictures of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) in the West End revival of Peter Shaffer's powerful (did I already say disturbing) play, EQUUS. See for yourself.

Press Pics of Harry Potter All Growed Up

Why can't kids stay kids!
 

Historical Shakespeare Audio and Video

Encyclopedia Britannica has made available historical audio (and video) for free online. I had to listen to them all, of course. I wonder what the auditioners would think if I did a monologue in a 1930's vibrato, à la Sir John Gielgud, tee hee!

Shakespeare Multimedia - EB
 

The (Un)Glamorous Life of an Actor-for-Hire

I hate doing industrial films, but I also hate not eating, soooo.... Yesterday morning I got up at 4 am, left at 5:15, and returned after 7pm. I had only had one hour of sleep the night before, so you can imagine I was in bed by 9pm.

Industrial films mean things like training videos or informational videos which are shown within a company or an industry - for example, a medical firm might make a video about how to market a new product, or how to interact with clients, or how a good boss manages his people, vs. how a bad one would. In short, they are films not seen by the general public, and are for informational or educational purpose, instead of an entertainment purpose.

While I'm making generalizations, I might as well say that most of them are poorly written, and few of them, at least here locally, are well made. But... generally they pay actors better than legit film work.

There were eleven of us yesterday. In the first scene we were restaurant patrons. The restaurant did not have heat, and we could see each other's breath in the frozen air. For more than an hour, we sat in summer clothes in this freezing restaurant, trying not to shake while cameras were rolling. In the second scene we were outside walking up and down a street as background, while they filmed; in the third, we were in a freezing cafe, and so on. In between the scenes we waited from a half hour to an hour and a half. And so went the whole day.

In industrial films, even more than in legits, actors are cattle. Often you work in sub par conditions, and directors see you as furniture. The one saving grace apart from the paycheck is that you often meet very nice people. The group of actors yesterday was a fun bunch, and we had a lot of time to chat and compare experiences, talk about movies, plays, etc. There were also a couple of nice crew members, who made the day bearable. One guy, whose name I never got to ask, lent me his jacket during a break between two shots in the restaurant, because he'd seen me shiver. It's people like that who give one hope for the industry.

I shouldn't have gone yesterday, because on Wednesday night my doctor diagnosed me with pneumonia, and now I feel like I gained a cold to boot. But I couldn't let my agent down — he wouldn't have had enough lead time to get a replacement for me. And I could use the paycheck.

Thanks for letting me whine a bit, I needed it :)
 

Much Ado about Nerves

Okay, my nerves are starting to jitter a bit. I've been auditioning and acting since I was...7? Why does this still happen to me? Not every time, mind you, but when I really want the part. And it's not a fear I won't do well — I'll give it my 100%, and if I don't get cast, then I just wasn't what the director had in mind, or I don't fit in the scheme of the rest of the cast. I've cast enough things to know that casting depends on so many factors, and ultimately the director's job is to cast whichever way serves the play the best, from the people one has to choose from. I know all the relaxation exercises, but they only help so much when you have 5000 cc's of adrenaline coursing through your veins. Okay, so send good vibes my way at 7pm EST. I'm about to go effect a miraculous transformation from Princess Fiona (troll version) to Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz version) and then, off I go. *jitter, jitter*
 

A Happy Day

Ahh, I've had a wonderful day today!

First, I woke up relatively early for me, and the sun was shining.  After the last few days' rain, it was a welcome surprise, and the world was all clean and fresh and bright.

Then, I talked to my dad on the phone, and he had just gotten hired by a "Big-3" Pharmaceutical to be the Product Manager for a migraine medicine — a huge source of joy for him and for all our family who have been steadily getting more and more discouraged (his previous medical company downsized him out last year).  He was fairly jumping up and down, and I was jumping right along!

I had plenty of time to putz around with before rehearsal, so I played a little FFXI, and left for "Proof" rehearsal at 4pm.  Now, all last week it took me 2 hrs to get to rehearsal.  Naturally, I had reserved 2 hrs for the trip tonight, so it only took me 1 hr and I had time to just hang out and relax before rehearsal.

Next, I totally *rocked* my scenes, and the director had a list a mile long of "good Claire, great Claire" comments, and we got out waaaay early.  Plus, she gave us tomorrow OFF, so I am floating - blissful.

Now I am going to watch "Elizabeth I", Part II on HBO, and play some ffxi, and gloat and float, like a stoat, in a moat, don't miss the boat, you old goat, eeek, I'm rhyming and I can't stooooooop. :P

Love you all,
A

Tags: Proof | Theatre

Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind, yet Out of My Mind

Well, rehearsals have started for both 'Macbeth' and 'Proof' and I am running ragged to New Jersey.  Nothing wrong with Jersey, per se — okay, lots wrong with Jersey — it's just the driving home for over an hour when you've had 14 hours of rehearsal.  Exhaustion. I haven't had the energy to blog, for which I hope you will all kindly forgive me.

I should not be complaining at all though, because I am the luckiest dog in the galaxy.  Both shows have excellent casts and astute directors, and being an overworked actor, as we all know, is a rare and wonderful affliction.

'Macbeth' has proceeded through its "table work" — the part of the process when you sit around a table reading and discussing the text, agreeing on meanings, pronunciations, themes, characters, etc.  This coming weekend we proceed to rough the blocking, i.e., where everyone should be standing and moving in the scenes, and generally figuring how not to bump into the furniture.  The rest of the cast have started fight rehearsals, of which I am not part, since Lady M does not get to wield a sword.  I know!  Ah, well.  I've worked with fencing rapiers before, but never with a broadsword, so that would have been sweet.  As for Lady M, I love her.  I am relishing every word.   Shakespeare really went out of his way to give her some really tasty words and such visceral lines, such powerful emotions and motivations.  I must have done something good in the past for the universe to grant me the opportunity to inhabit her for a while.

'Proof' has just finished table work as well and we move to blocking tomorrow night.  The play has a four-person cast and it could not be stronger — everyone is talented, skilled, and intelligent both in the sense of intellectual acumen and emotional intelligence.  The work is invigorating and challenging.  The text of the play is superbly written from the aspects of plot, character, and fluency of the dialogue — our challenge as actors for this one is being able to stay real, not to do too much 'acting'.  The author, David Auburn, has an impeccable ear for speech and his lines read as if you were looking in on people having real conversations and real arguments.  It will take a lot of emotional finesse and honesty to do it justice — the audience has to believe they are looking in on real people, forgetting they are in a theatre, as much as is possible within the medium.  I think with the cast and director we have, this is an attainable goal.

Tomorrow, or rather today I guess, I have a photoshoot for new headshots.  I can't use the screaming blonde ones and I intend to stay brunette for now at least.  As fate would have it, however, my body has decided that we need to revisit puberty, and I am sporting several hideously disfiguring zits.  No, I'm not exaggerating — these are not cute little reddish 'pimples' but modern relatives of buboes from the Black Death era.  All I'm missing are angry villagers chasing me with pitchforks and torches, else the trolldom is complete.  I sure hope he does airbrushing — the last set were not retouched at all, but one would think a pro would know what to do.  Ha!  If not, I will take my Princess Leia shot to Walmart and have them print me those for headshots, tee hee!

Ariel had her surgery last Thursday and is doing well.  She's wearing her Elizabethan collar, because she tried ripping her stomach open a few nights ago, and she looks like the RCA doggie with her own satellite dish.  Quite adorable she is, too.

Well, I must to bed. Maybe with the help of Clearasil, some fabulous miracle will take place, and I will wake up with flawless, radiant skin.  Ha, yeah, right!  I do profess to be a dreamer, but I'm not THAT deluded to actually believe it!

Goodnight munchkins.  Thinking of you with love.

Katja, when are you coming? Saw the perfect new Converse sneakers for you.

To MacB or not to MacB? that is the Question

I'm back from the callback — he had 3 Lady M's and 3 MacB's.  I can only evaluate the MacB's, since I read with them, but they were closed auditions so I didn't get to see any of my competition read.  I thought I was brilliant — within my own capacity, that is, where I am on my journey, I could not have done better.

If I were the one casting the show, I would see MacB as the lynchpin character who gets cast first, and around whom the rest of the cast must be built. Thus, it depends entirely on who makes the best match with the MacB he is casting.  Oh, let it be me!  I'm finally ready for this role — and of course one cannot be entirely unbiased, but looking at it as objectively as is possible, I think I could be a kickass Lady M.

I'm exhausted — an hour drive to the theatre, three hours of having to be "on", and an hour back is enough to sap the life out of one. I think I'm gonna play a little FFXI just to chill, then it is bedtime.  And thanks for the good vibes, Madeline, Andy, and Nance, and my gents from FFXI — I certainly felt them.

Nigh nigh, A