You would think that at my age I would have long since figured some stuff out...and for the most part, I have. Not everything, certainly, but I'm okay with being a work in progress. Maybe what I'm encountering now are reminders of what I knew or thought I knew, but hadn't fully internalized.
Since my last posting the play I was in ("The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night") finished it's run. I will admit that initially, I was a bit skeptical about the play and my part(s) in it. Okay, I'm ashamed to say that on a couple of occasions I was a little whiney. But I also consider myself professional, so I looked at it from the standpoint of what I could bring to the production and what I could learn from the experience.
It was challenging in a number of ways, not the least of which was that I actually changed characters while on stage. I went from being a priest downstage to becoming a shady slob as I moved upstage. I felt good about my performance. People said I pulled it off.
I also got to know my fellow cast members as we worked on the production and as is usually the case, they were a great group of dedicated, passionate people. I would count myself fortunate to be able to work with any of them again and I look forward to seeing them in their future productions. The play was a huge win.
I continued taking an acting workshop through Pentacle Theater. It primarily utilizes improv and has a wide variety of people at various acting skill levels, so it's always different, always challenging, and I always learn something from it. It's a half day on Saturdays and helps me meet other people who share my interest/passion in acting, so it's another win.
Another class I took was with Shelly Lipkin, a great actor, screenwriter, and teacher. His class was specific towards acting on film and I really appreciated his professionalism and relaxed approach to teaching. It's still not the easiest thing for me to watch myself on film, but I'm getting better at separating myself from myself and just looking at the performance to see what is believable, what's not, and why. I can't thank Shelly enough for the experience and for his warmth. I consider him a friend and highly recommend his class. Another huge win for me.
This last Saturday I attended an Auditioning Workshop through The Studio Northwest in Portland and taught by Paul Weber of Paul Weber Casting. Paul was so knowledgable and professional, but what struck me the most was his warmth when working with students. A genuinely nice man who I hope to work with again in the future. The Studio Northwest was also a great host and I know they go the extra mile for their students, so I'm definitely looking into other classes/training they have to offer.
Finally, I received an email last night from Lori Lewis with Free Spirit Casting letting me know that I had booked the role of Professor Cuthbert in the short film "Broken Pieces." I will be talking with the director later this week and will film my scenes at the end of this month. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement.
Getting back to my initial opening comments: We're told all the time to work hard, keep a positive attitude, show gratitude, be kind to others... and each of us knows it's not always easy to do any one of those things, let alone all of them. Yet if you boil it down to DO WHAT YOU LOVE it becomes so much easier.
You want to work hard, because you love it and it doesn't even feel like work. A positive attitude becomes more of a second nature because you start seeing the good in what you do. You start feeling gratitude for the people around you who share the same passion and who are eager to help you tap into yours. And of course, it becomes easier to be kind to those same people, but also to others because many aren't fortunate enough to be able to do what they love...and we naturally come back to gratitude.
And if you're reading this now, I'm truly grateful you stopped by. If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to drop me an email at wmartin926@gmail.com. You can also see me on my Facebook Page. Finally, you can find more information about the things I touched on using the links below. Take care.
Pentacle Theater
Shelly Lipkin Acting Classes for Film
The Studio Northwest
Paul Weber Casting
Free Spirit Casting
Since my last posting the play I was in ("The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night") finished it's run. I will admit that initially, I was a bit skeptical about the play and my part(s) in it. Okay, I'm ashamed to say that on a couple of occasions I was a little whiney. But I also consider myself professional, so I looked at it from the standpoint of what I could bring to the production and what I could learn from the experience.
It was challenging in a number of ways, not the least of which was that I actually changed characters while on stage. I went from being a priest downstage to becoming a shady slob as I moved upstage. I felt good about my performance. People said I pulled it off.
I also got to know my fellow cast members as we worked on the production and as is usually the case, they were a great group of dedicated, passionate people. I would count myself fortunate to be able to work with any of them again and I look forward to seeing them in their future productions. The play was a huge win.
I continued taking an acting workshop through Pentacle Theater. It primarily utilizes improv and has a wide variety of people at various acting skill levels, so it's always different, always challenging, and I always learn something from it. It's a half day on Saturdays and helps me meet other people who share my interest/passion in acting, so it's another win.
Another class I took was with Shelly Lipkin, a great actor, screenwriter, and teacher. His class was specific towards acting on film and I really appreciated his professionalism and relaxed approach to teaching. It's still not the easiest thing for me to watch myself on film, but I'm getting better at separating myself from myself and just looking at the performance to see what is believable, what's not, and why. I can't thank Shelly enough for the experience and for his warmth. I consider him a friend and highly recommend his class. Another huge win for me.
This last Saturday I attended an Auditioning Workshop through The Studio Northwest in Portland and taught by Paul Weber of Paul Weber Casting. Paul was so knowledgable and professional, but what struck me the most was his warmth when working with students. A genuinely nice man who I hope to work with again in the future. The Studio Northwest was also a great host and I know they go the extra mile for their students, so I'm definitely looking into other classes/training they have to offer.
Finally, I received an email last night from Lori Lewis with Free Spirit Casting letting me know that I had booked the role of Professor Cuthbert in the short film "Broken Pieces." I will be talking with the director later this week and will film my scenes at the end of this month. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement.
Getting back to my initial opening comments: We're told all the time to work hard, keep a positive attitude, show gratitude, be kind to others... and each of us knows it's not always easy to do any one of those things, let alone all of them. Yet if you boil it down to DO WHAT YOU LOVE it becomes so much easier.
You want to work hard, because you love it and it doesn't even feel like work. A positive attitude becomes more of a second nature because you start seeing the good in what you do. You start feeling gratitude for the people around you who share the same passion and who are eager to help you tap into yours. And of course, it becomes easier to be kind to those same people, but also to others because many aren't fortunate enough to be able to do what they love...and we naturally come back to gratitude.
And if you're reading this now, I'm truly grateful you stopped by. If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to drop me an email at wmartin926@gmail.com. You can also see me on my Facebook Page. Finally, you can find more information about the things I touched on using the links below. Take care.
Pentacle Theater
Shelly Lipkin Acting Classes for Film
The Studio Northwest
Paul Weber Casting
Free Spirit Casting
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