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Broadway Review July 12 and 13 at the Onyx
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When in the course of human events...
STEVE INSKEEP
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
RENEE MONTAGNE
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
PAUL BROWN
— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,
JEAN COCHRAN
And to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
JULIE McCARTHY
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
DON GONYEA
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
DEBORAH AMOS
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
AUDIE CORNISH
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
MIKE SHUSTER
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
MARY LOUISE KELLY
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
SYLVIA POGGIOLI
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
DAVID GREENE
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
CHERYL CORLEY
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.
NINA TOTENBERG
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
ERIC WESTERVELT
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
ELIZABETH BLAIR
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
ADAM DAVIDSON
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us, for protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States.
ROBERT SMITH
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world; For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent; For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.
MARA LIASSON
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences, For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies.
LINDA WERTHEIMER
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments; For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
TOM GOLDMAN
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
JACKIE NORTHAM
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
MICHELE KELEMEN
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
ARI SHAPIRO
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.
LARRY ABRAMSON
A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
SUSAN STAMBERG
We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
SCOTT HORSLEY
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
COKIE ROBERTS
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.
RENEE MONTAGNE
And that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances,establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
STEVE INSKEEP
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
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Careful on the 4th
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A Nation Divided Cannot Stand
Photo: The Lincoln Memorial by Art Lynch (2010).
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Copland's 'Lincoln Portrait': Honest Abe's Oratory, Tailored For Orchestra
Categories: What's New
July 4, 2012
Brooklyn-born Aaron Copland was an American original in more ways than one. It's not just his music, with its openness and simple elegance. It's that he expected ballet dancers to act like cowboys, pianists to play blues and orchestra players to accompany political speechmaking. His Lincoln Portrait, composed during World War II, matches words from our 16th president with symphonic music.
Copland spoke to NPR about it in 1980, saying that he got some of his inspiration for the Lincoln Portrait from an unlikely source.
"I was reading a biography of Abraham Lincoln by an English lord — Lord Charnwood," Copland recalled. "I picked it up someplace at a railroad station in a paperback. And I got some of the things quoted in my Lincoln Portrait from that book ... So that was a lucky chance, my having found that book. I thought it was so odd for an English lord to want to write a biography of Lincoln. "
Lincoln Portrait was commissioned by conductor Andre Kostelanetz in 1942. It was soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Copland meant for it to boost spirits during that difficult time. You might recognize a couple of American songs embedded in the music: Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races" and the folk song "Springfield Mountain."
This special new performance (at the top of this page), produced by NPR Music, features the U.S. Marine Band, also known as "The President's Own," conducted by Col. Michael J. Colburn. The narrator, who begins about halfway through, is Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell.
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Happy 4th of July!
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“The Old Man” on HISTORY channel’s “Pawn Stars,”
Richard Harrison, also known as “The Old Man” on HISTORY channel’s “Pawn Stars,” was spotted at Blue Man Group in Monte Carlo Resort and Casino on Saturday, June 29. Following the performance, the reality television personality and co-owner of the world-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop attended a private, VIP meet-and-greet and posed in photos with the Blue Men.
**high-res photos available upon request**
ABOUT BLUE MAN GROUP LAS VEGAS
Blue Man Group, the world-renowned entertainment phenomenon, has turbo charged its newest production on the Las Vegas Strip. The mega-enhanced show is a thrilling, energy infused performance that is incredibly engaging and ridiculously funny. Born of the creative urge to explore the unknown, Blue Man Group is an explosion of color, humor, music and technology that comes to life every night at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. To kick off each night, Blue Man Group offers a glimpse into their world with a free Procession, an energetic and interactive luminescent parade that makes its way across the casino floor at 6:15 p.m. (excluding dark days).
Blue Man Group, the world-renowned entertainment phenomenon, has turbo charged its newest production on the Las Vegas Strip. The mega-enhanced show is a thrilling, energy infused performance that is incredibly engaging and ridiculously funny. Born of the creative urge to explore the unknown, Blue Man Group is an explosion of color, humor, music and technology that comes to life every night at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. To kick off each night, Blue Man Group offers a glimpse into their world with a free Procession, an energetic and interactive luminescent parade that makes its way across the casino floor at 6:15 p.m. (excluding dark days).
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Blue Man Group box office, any MGM Resorts International ticketing outlet, www.blueman.com/lasvegas or call 1.800.blueman. Fans can also keep up with the latest Blue Man Group Las Vegas news and events via Facebook at www.facebook.com/bluemangroup or Twitter at www.twitter.com/BMGVegas.
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Full Length Feature Auditions:. SAG Modified Low Budget
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Study your craft!
It may be location work that comes and goes, but it is work.
Nevada talent are also finding work in other cities and markets.
You must be good enough and prepared.
Register with the casting companies and as much as you can make yourself available for background work (if that is the type of work you wish to do or if you are new to the industry). See the lists and links on the right hand column of this blog for contacts, ideas and starters.
Stay on top of their work, and offer your talents in whatever way each office or location casting director prefers.
There have been roles cast as well, but as always most actors are brought in from LA. We can change that if we are prepared and able to show our talents fully at auditions.
Casting directors have stated that they must be very picky in bringing in local talent to audition, because the level of ability must be at a high level, a professional level, and actors must be truly knowledgeable and skillful to get the opportunity to be cast.
Sign up with agencies (SAG talent is suggested to sign an exclusive and may be represented only by SAG Franchised agents), network with agents and managers, get to know your fellow actors and stay on top of your craft.
I urge you to go to acting classes in our community to heighten your talent and skills as they apply to film acting.
The SAG Conservatory is a start, but it is not a school, or ongoing training. The Conservatory is for surveying what is out there, hearing from professionals in the business, and to be honest, networking with fellow talent.
Private classes are available with several good people teach steadily throughout the year. Some are located in office parks (for example Hollywood Bound on west side, or Michael Plasited's Empress Theatre), others in "far off" places (actually very close) out of their homes, park district offices or schools. I keep it no secret that I offer classes through Casting Call Entertainment on Fridays, at my home or though Boulder City Park and Recreation (for a low $40 a month, most of which goes to keep the Park District operating).
Both UNLV and CSN offer acting classes and coaches. Both also offer on-camera training. There is an added benefit for older talent. Both offer free or low cost training for actors over 55, at-risk performers and in some cases performers with disabilities. Call the theater and film departments for additional information.
Local middle and high schools offer theater departments. There are local non-profit and for profit schools and training centers for talent of all ages as well.
The important thing is to continuously increase your abilities. Auditioning for plays (and hopefully getting a role) is another way to gain vital experience. If you want the opportunity to conceivably get a speaking role, get that training and keep at it. Acting on stage may be different than film, but there is a reason most working actors do theater. Theater is our heart and the heart of our craft.
Get that training and continue it. One class does not make you an actor.
And in the words of one of my teachers, "be and applicant not a supplicant." Go in and consider your audition or interview what you do best, the time you enjoy and practice your craft. Do not go in and beg for a job, name drop, or take up unneeded amounts of the casting professionals time. Use your craft and do your job well.
Get the training!
-Art Lynch
For additional information click on "read more" below.
Yes, I do offer acting classes, private coaching or advice..
Adults, teens, children! There is room for all and plenty of reasons to join the fun!
If you want to act, if you enjoy acting, you are already an actor. That does not mean a star, a celebrity or competitive in the field of acting. But acting applies to many aspects of life, and can be used to teach, to pray, to entertain, blow off steam, or reflect the world as only an artist can.
How good you are, how skilled, how studied depends entirely on how much you want to put into it.
There is aptitude and there is talent. Both can be developed to meet the needs of your church, community, professional theater, film, television, conventions and other areas where actors ply their craft.
For over a decade I coached acting full time, with part time for most of my adult life. As a youth I found friendships, experiences, and passion putting my own talents to use. I love acting and believe in actors. It is not a closed club, but something that lives deep within all of us.
I have worked with and have references from students in all age groups, from 4 to senior citizens.
I do not pretend to be some sort of star, or an expert, just a coach, trainer, teacher and someone who believes in you.
Ask my students.
I was taught this lesson by the likes of Dick "please don't squeeze the Charmin" Whipple, who gave to Nevada, Nevada SAG and to beginning actors with all his heart. He told me never to give up, as he gave me his first gigantic black and white video camera, the one he used in teaching his students.
Click on "read more" to find out more....
Acting Classes
I offer private, small group and group lessons for reasonable rates. I taught acting full time for over a dozen years, plus have coached talent for most of my adult life. Contact me direct at art.lynch@artlynch,org or call 702-454-1067.
You count, not my ego, or anyone else. I do not talk down or market against any other teachers. You can judge for yourself. I do advise you do not get sold by star studded sales or talk of the work a coach has done in the industry. What they have done, other than coaching or teaching others, is their career, not what will make yours. Experience has value. But in the end it is the work you do, how they help you to make the most of your potential, and the way you use your talents that counts. What a coach or teacher can bring out in you, and what other students can offer you, are what really counts. Every class has value and potential for talent, just not all talent. It is better to be working the craft in workshops and on jobs, than simply talking about it.
I teach courses and individuals through motivating their own interests, talents, strengths and finding fun ways to work on your weaknesses (if any). I keep on top of the industry and know what the industry is looking for. But in the end only you can make your dreams, aspirations or goals come true. Any teacher is only as good as the passion and talent of their students. I also help students have fun, find things within themselves they never knew they had, and develop the skills needed to be an actor, regardless of how they eventually apply those skills (see postings on this blog, my bio or contact me directly at 702-454-1067).
I offer very reasonable courses through Boulder City Parks and Recreation. Courses are on Saturday mornings, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Courses include voice over, acting, auditioning and improvisation. Prices vary, but the general cost comes to $60 a month for up to 8 hours of classroom time. Private lessons are $20 an hour. This money is paid to the Park District and cannot be paid directly to me. I am blessed to do what I love, help actors, only blocks from my own home. Contact Patty Sullivan
for details. Boulder City is much closer than you may think. BC is ten minutes from Henderson, twenty minutes from the Las Vegas Strip and a half hour from downtown Las Vegas I teach courses at Casting Call Entertainment. I am not "four walling," but I offer the same quality of instruction as at BC or in any of my previous coaching positions. At this time my primary class meets Friday afternoons between 5 and 8 at their studio, near Flamingo and Eastern. Addtional classes at other times are always forming. Private coaching available. On Camera and film classes also available. Talk with Sharry Flaherty.
Internet based one-on-one and small group lessons are also available, offered to individuals or groups no matter where you live across the globe.
A full service site for actors is under development at artlynch.org. When completed it will include a detailed glossary with links, interviews, links to other sites offering lessons and information, current news, audition information and more. This blog is a small start to the final project.
Stage and screen skills, voice over, character development, cold reading, scene study, auditioning, improvisation, public speaking, confidence building, theater games and on-camera technique are among the courses or material I have to offer.
ta
Acting Material on this Blog
Actors and acting, shown on the right side of this blog, has links to articles, postings and lessons. Industry Media Links take you to sources for news, contacts and audition postings. Actors links offer a broad spectrum of links which not fall easily under the other categories. SAG related links to various major SAG events and news. Stuff for Actors and industry links to additional resources. It is important to note that all of the off-site links may bring you to sites that are selling products, services or information. I have chosen those where you can also access free information without being asked for your personal information or funds (the exception may be trade publications).
I believe in talent; all talent.
Feel free to repond to, critique, suggest or submit items for my acting blog. It is there for you and for all those who love the craft, dream of stage and screen, or believe in themselves enough to want to remain on top of industry trends, terminology and opportunities.
Classes forming now!
Boulder City
(702) 400-3254 / 294-0335
Lessons by arrangement or
Ages 8 to 13 5:30 PM
Teenagers and adults 7 PM
Lessons by arrangement or
Ages 8 to 13 5:30 PM
Teenagers and adults 7 PM
Las Vegas.
702-369-0400
Fridays 5:30 to 9 PM
Private and other course on requests
Fridays 5:30 to 9 PM
Private and other course on requests
702-454-1067
and
On-line.
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Why attack other actors?
Maybe its the heat, but I have been hearing an increase in actors and acting teachers bashing each other rather then concentrating on their own craft and their own students.
We are all in this together.
Competition is something or sports, or politics, not the study of a craft we love.
Help each other. Build with each other. Raise the tide of Nevada talent.
And pass on the passion for the craft, the art and the profession to your fellow actors, your students, your friends...
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ACTING COACH, WORKSHOPS, CLASSES
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"Stones in His Pockets" at McMullan's Irish Pub...Theater at the Pub!
BNTA presents the International Smash Hit Comedy
STONES IN HIS POCKETS
A play by Marie Jones
A play by Marie Jones
Directed by Troy Heard
Starring: Miles Coleman & Jeff Tribbitt
Starring: Miles Coleman & Jeff Tribbitt
July 11 – Aug 9, 2013
Shenanigans inside McMullan’s Irish Pub
4650 W. Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV 89103
4650 W. Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV 89103
Stones in His Pockets is the hilarious and poignant story of an Irish Village turned upside down by the arrival of an American film crew. When Charlie and Jake are cast as extras in the movie, they discover that Hollywood’s romanticized Ireland stands in stark contrast to the reality of their daily lives. Winner of the 2001 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and Best Actor (Conleth Hill), the play features a two-man cast (Miles Coleman and Jeff Tribbitt) taking on more than a dozen eccentric characters, from the film’s spoiled American starlet to the star-struck locals.
Stones in His Pockets ran for more than three years in London’s West End before moving to Broadway where it was nominated for 3 Tony awards and received the Laurence Olivier award for Best New Comedy.
“An inventive and riotously funny comedy!” – Associated Press
General Admission = $15
For tickets and more information visit www.BNTofA.com
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Wyatt Earp and Vintage Vegas
1905, Interior photo of the Arizona Club. Man standing with legs crossed is Wyatt Earp. This business was still around till the 70's.
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"God of Carnage" auditions
![God of Carnage]( "God of Carnage")
James Gandolfini, left, and Jeff Daniels in "God of Carnage," by Yasmina Reza, at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in 2011. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)Las Vegas Little Theatre
James Gandolfini, left, and Jeff Daniels in "God of Carnage," by Yasmina Reza, at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in 2011. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
Las Vegas Little TheatreOpen auditions for God of Carnage.
July 8 & 9 at 7pm
Location: Las Vegas Little Theatre 3920 Schiff Drive, LV
Performing in the Fischer Black Box, September 6 - 22, 2013
All roles are open, please click here for character details.
A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses, and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than just their liberal principles in tatters.
All roles are non-paying. LVLT is a non-profit company and all roles are on a volunteer basis.
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Franz Kafka...philosopher, poet, playwrite
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10 Tip List for Artists
Always Learning
As we enter the long weekend (at least here in the States), I thought it might be a good time to share some tips and advice from those who have achieved great heights in their chosen craft.
Let’s talk acting, stage acting, screenwriting, editing, cinematography, and composing.
As always, discussion welcome in the Comments section below.
Happy Creating!
RB
PS – For those celebrating the 4th, have a terrific (and safe) holiday weekend.
ACTING – 10 Monologue Tips from Ruth Kulerman
1. CHOOSE AN AGE APPROPRIATE MONOLOGUE.
Now I could do Juliet’s monologues deliciously but they’d call Bellevue or the loony bin, since if Juliet had a grandma it’d be me. Just because you can play 35 doesn’t mean you should choose Lady M’s letter scene–if you are 17 years old. The saddest audition I ever saw was an exquisite innocent angelic awkward 12 year old singing a sexy, come-on suggestive bump and grind number. I wanted to cry–but only after choking her parents and beheading her coach! Completely inappropriate, in every area. Age appropriate is a must for monologues. You can sometimes gender bend but almost never add or subtract too many years.
Now I could do Juliet’s monologues deliciously but they’d call Bellevue or the loony bin, since if Juliet had a grandma it’d be me. Just because you can play 35 doesn’t mean you should choose Lady M’s letter scene–if you are 17 years old. The saddest audition I ever saw was an exquisite innocent angelic awkward 12 year old singing a sexy, come-on suggestive bump and grind number. I wanted to cry–but only after choking her parents and beheading her coach! Completely inappropriate, in every area. Age appropriate is a must for monologues. You can sometimes gender bend but almost never add or subtract too many years.
2. MAKE IT SHORT.
Cut, paste, chop if necessary. They truly can tell if you can act in about 10 seconds. Do not indulge in anything over a minute and a half. I recently chopped and hacked and pieced and pasted Constance (‘King John”) for a student so that her monologue would be more interesting, more dramatic, SHORTER than Shakespeare wrote it. The actress was horrified, bewildered. “Can you do that?” she quivered. Yes.
Cut, paste, chop if necessary. They truly can tell if you can act in about 10 seconds. Do not indulge in anything over a minute and a half. I recently chopped and hacked and pieced and pasted Constance (‘King John”) for a student so that her monologue would be more interesting, more dramatic, SHORTER than Shakespeare wrote it. The actress was horrified, bewildered. “Can you do that?” she quivered. Yes.
Nothing is sacred. You can add words, reverse line orders — drop in excerpts from other scenes. Merely state you are doing “an adaptation.” One of my most successful monologues inserts a short (maybe six measures) old British folk song in the middle and end of Mistress Quickly’s Death of Falstaff monologue (Henry V). Shakespeare wrote dozens of lyrics to be sung in his plays. He just didn’t happen to write this particular one. My feeling is that he would applaud the insertion — especially since it works!
3. TELL A STORY.
Yes, you can tell a story or create a whole range of colors in a minute and a half. Just don’t select something that rambles around and goes nowhere. Select a monologue that has more than one color: Remember the first rule of all acting is “Thou shalt not bore thy listener,” regardless of who the listener is — even those sadists behind the audition table who chose to hear monologues instead of sides. Your monologue must be interesting. If it is a chatty, breezy bit of fluff, find a spot for a bit of melancholy or a couple of lines with “edge” to them. Which brings us to…
Yes, you can tell a story or create a whole range of colors in a minute and a half. Just don’t select something that rambles around and goes nowhere. Select a monologue that has more than one color: Remember the first rule of all acting is “Thou shalt not bore thy listener,” regardless of who the listener is — even those sadists behind the audition table who chose to hear monologues instead of sides. Your monologue must be interesting. If it is a chatty, breezy bit of fluff, find a spot for a bit of melancholy or a couple of lines with “edge” to them. Which brings us to…
4. KEEP IT CLEAN.
Do not select something splattered with curses or obscenities, something overly suggestive, outwardly suggestive, or just plain suggestive. One of my teenage male students just brought me a pile of monologue books to go through and select something appropriate for him to use when he auditions for drama school. I have found one monologue in two entire books, so far. The compilers are obsessed with sex and obscenities. “Oh, but,” you say, “so are 17 year old boys! Hence the topics are appropriate.” Maybe. In context of the entire play (which is a trifle too long for an audition!). But avoid obscenities at auditions.
Do not select something splattered with curses or obscenities, something overly suggestive, outwardly suggestive, or just plain suggestive. One of my teenage male students just brought me a pile of monologue books to go through and select something appropriate for him to use when he auditions for drama school. I have found one monologue in two entire books, so far. The compilers are obsessed with sex and obscenities. “Oh, but,” you say, “so are 17 year old boys! Hence the topics are appropriate.” Maybe. In context of the entire play (which is a trifle too long for an audition!). But avoid obscenities at auditions.
Besides being sex laden, the works chosen in those two monologue collections were just plain boring. I am perfectly aware that one man’s “dull” is another man’s “delightful.” At some point you just have to trust the dramatic tastes of those whose advice you seek.
5. DO NOT CRY.
6. DO NOT LAUGH.
7. DO NOT YELL.
Let your audition committee cry or laugh but not seek under-the-table shelter because you are yelling at them. Being able to cry on cue doth not an actor make. Being able to yell doth not drama make. Don’t out-Herod Herod. That is, avoid something full of noise and bombast and sound and fury. (Reread Hamlet’s advice to The Players.) Think of ear drums. Think of tedium. They want to see if you can act, not bellow.
And if you have to laugh at something you yourself have said in your monologue, well that’s just pathetic. It also suggests you don’t trust either the material or yourself. If people are not laughing during your monologue, laughing yourself is like holding up an audience cue card. Personally I prefer dead pan delivery if at all appropriate in a comic monologue. (A sad reminder: a committee can laugh and laugh and still not cast you.) Do not let the committee’s response to your monologue be a Geiger counter to your chances of being cast.
8. AVOID DULL MONOLOGUES.
There are lists all over the place of worn-out, overused monologues. One way to avoid an overused monologue is to avoid the “monologue books.” I bought batches of them in London and adapted them to America (changing words like “lift” to “elevator,” if necessary.) Amazon has a UK site. Go surfing for a couple of monologue books. Why shop for monologue books at Amazon UK? Because most of their contemporary monologues won’t be known here.
There are lists all over the place of worn-out, overused monologues. One way to avoid an overused monologue is to avoid the “monologue books.” I bought batches of them in London and adapted them to America (changing words like “lift” to “elevator,” if necessary.) Amazon has a UK site. Go surfing for a couple of monologue books. Why shop for monologue books at Amazon UK? Because most of their contemporary monologues won’t be known here.
9. CALL IN A COACH.
The safest bet is to take a dozen or so monologues and have a coach who knows her/his “stuff” look them over with you. Look. Not work on them with you (although that might also be helpful.) It takes about 20 seconds for a good coach to know if a piece will work in general and to know if it will work for you in particular.
The safest bet is to take a dozen or so monologues and have a coach who knows her/his “stuff” look them over with you. Look. Not work on them with you (although that might also be helpful.) It takes about 20 seconds for a good coach to know if a piece will work in general and to know if it will work for you in particular.
10. LIKE YOUR CHOICE, IF YOU CAN.
And at the bottom of the list, right where it belongs, do something you like. Actually liking a monologue is not really terribly important. What counts is how well you do it and how interesting and appropriate it is. I am not fond of that Duchess of York cursing Richard III monologue, but it has landed several roles.
And at the bottom of the list, right where it belongs, do something you like. Actually liking a monologue is not really terribly important. What counts is how well you do it and how interesting and appropriate it is. I am not fond of that Duchess of York cursing Richard III monologue, but it has landed several roles.
THEATER ACTING – 10 Tips From Olivier Award Winning Actor, Roger Allam
1. Learn your lines so well that you never have to worry about them.
2. Keep a notebook about the play, the character, the period, your moves. It'll help you remember what you have done so far – especially if you're having to rehearse in your spare time rather than all day, every day.
3. Never go dead for a second on stage. Even if you are doing nothing, do it actively. Listen.
4. If something goes wrong – say someone drops something – don't ignore it. Try to deal with it in character.
5. Warm up your voice and body. Get used to the size of the auditorium; if you don't know it already, go to the worst seats in the house and have conversations with people on the stage so you get to know what kind of energy is needed to be heard.
6. Be ambitious. The great actor, director and playwright Ann Jellicoe commissioned writers like Howard Barker and David Edgar, and put on magnificent, large-scale plays in Dorset that involved the whole community.
7. On the other hand, probably avoid Aeschylus's Oresteia or anything by the German dramatist Heinrich von Kleist.
8. Try not to worry about embarrassing yourself. That's a lifetime's task.
9. The Victorian actor Henry Irving said: "Speak clearly and be human" – but if you listen to his recordings, the boundaries of that are pretty vast. James Cagney said: "Never relax, and mean what you say." I think that's pretty good.
10. You are released from the miserable aspects of having to earn your living in this marvellous business called show, so have fun: be as serious as you like, but enjoy yourself.
SCREENWRITING – 10 Tips From The Great Billy Wilder
- The audience is fickle.
- Grab ‘em by the throat and never let ‘em go.
- Develop a clean line of action for your leading character.
- Know where you’re going.
- The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.
- If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.
- A tip from Lubitsch: Let the audience add up two plus two. They’ll love you forever.
- In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they’re seeing.
- The event that occurs at the second act curtain triggers the end of the movie.
- The third act must build, build, build in tempo and action until the last event, and then—that’s it. Don’t hang around.
FILMMAKING – 10 Zero Budget Filmmaking Tips Courtesy of the Raindance Film Festival
1. The Story Is Everything
Nothing glues you to the screen more than a good story. If the story is there, does one really care about the budget of the film?
Stories and screenplays have four main elements:
Firstly, your story must have characters with a specific goal. A specific goal is one that can be measured, so at a point in time we can see whether or not the character achieves or fails to achieve the goal. For example, if your character’s goal is to move out of London – this is a weak goal. We all want to leave London. It’s dirty, expensive and increasingly dangerous. But if the goal of your character is to leave London by noon tomorrow, or else… then we have a goal that is easily measured.
Secondly, your story has a setting. The setting can be usual or unusual.
Thirdly, there are the Actions of the main characters and finally what they say, or Dialogue.
The trick of a good storyteller is to weave these four elements together so the seams do not show. When a writer achieves this, we say they have mastered the craft of storytelling. But not necessarily the art of storytelling.
2. Location Location Location
There are two expensive components to a film shoot. Image capture (camera) and the locations.
Moving a cast and crew from location to location is time consuming, and expensive, regardless of your budget.
If you can reduce the amount of location moves, or eliminate them altogether, then you are a huge step closer to reducing your budget.
Locations in this scenario suddenly have a huge impact on the script. To learn how, we need only to look at some of the most interesting films of the last few decades: Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Kevin Smith’s Clerks, Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It , Orin Pelli’s Paranormal Activity and George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. These films have one thing in common: limited locations. In fact, they would each make excellent stage plays. The trick, it seems, is to take a bunch of actors to a limited location and chop them up. When you do this, you will essentially be filming a stage play. But a stage play filmed as a stage play is boring. Turn your limited location script (which is essentially a stage play) into a movie successfully, and you will have, what the moguls in Hollywood call, Talent.
3 Image Capture
Choosing the camera that suits your script and your budget is simpler than ever before. Most likely you will be shooting on a digital camera. Two elements of any camera you should look out for are: compression and lenses. Remember that all digital cameras generate the same signal. What influences the image quality are the lenses you film through and the numbers of pixels per frame (compression)
The ultimate no budget camera trick is use a little known fact of British law: security camera footage can be recovered if you have been the victim of a crime. The UK is covered in security cameras, some private and some publically owned. By law, if you suffer a crime, the police will request a copy of the tape from the camera owner.
Recce the CCTV cameras in your neighborhood, write a screenplay, re-enact a series of ’crimes’ and presto – you will have your movie shot – for absolutely nothing.
4. Sound
It isn’t the look of skin on skin that turns you on in a sex scene. It’s the sound of skin on skin. Professional filmmakers spend much of their time considering and creating the sounds that go with their pictures.
It is a fact too that our brains are wired in such a way that when we need to strain to hear what the actors are saying, the picture goes dim. Good clean sound with interesting effects added in is the quickest way to make your images, even those shot on your mother’s humble video camera, look great.
5. The Bucks Are In The Music
The fact of film revenue and distribution is that the main revenue streams are from the sound tracks for your film. This is because the musicians unions are much stronger than the actors, writers and film unions. After you film leaves the cinema (if it was lucky enough to get there in the first place) the main revenue streams a movie generates is for the mechanical copyright royalties for the sound track.
Filmmakers are usually the last to understand how music royalties are decided, registered and administered. Explaining music copyright law is something that falls outside this short article.
Briefly, Filmmakers can get cheap of free scores by composing and performing it themselves. Remember that there are three music copyright streams: composers, lyracists and performers. Or, by getting an unsigned band to perform, or to acquire the movie rights to an existing band by contacting them through their agent, or estate if deceased. Research the track you are interested in through http://www.ppluk.com/
6. Get Organized
Nothing is more disheartening than showing up to help out on a mate’s shoot only to spend an hour looking for a screwdriver. Disorganisation is totally unforgiveable and easily preventable by advance planning. Make sure you know where everything is, and make sure everthing and everybody shows up at the right place at the right time. If this is not within your organizational ability, partner with someone who is.
7. Your Friends Cannot Act
It is always tempting to get a few friends together to make a movie and use them as actors as well. This usually leads to peril because your friends are not trained actors. They may have spent hours and hours with a video camera in front of the bathroom mirror, but they will not know how to act in front of a camera on a set. When your friends think they are acting well on set, you will probably be so shocked at their hammy performances that you will be unable to direct them without running the risk of destroying your personal relationship.
Far better to advertise for actor/collaborators at local theatre and acting schools, hold rigourous auditions until you find a stallar cast of talented unknowns than use your friends.
If you have a suitable script and some money, you can approach a casting agent who will then pimp your script and your project out to established actors who might we willing to do it for nothing if they like the script, their role, and have been offered a suitable cut of the profits.
8. Build A Following
In the good old days (pre-Valentines Day 2005) filmmakers would submit their films to a series of film festival and tour with their film building the hype for their film until they received sufficient distribution offers to finance their next project. By making and touring film after film, a filmmaker was able to build up a loyal fan base which would guarantee them and their producers a predictable revenue stream.
The explosion of social media has changed the landscape and created two types of filmmakers: those who loathe and abhor social media, and those who embrace it.
Contemporary filmmakers can use social media to create a following of people eager to sample and appreciate their latest work. Astute filmmakers employ two producers: one who deals with the traditional production work flow, and one who deals with social media.
A first step for any filmmaker is to register the domain name for their production company and film title, as well as Facebook and Twitter profiles. Often these are sold on to eventual distributors, as was the case with Paranormal Activity.
A great way to build your list is to comment on relevant articles, like this one. You can comment below.
9. Are You a Filmmaker, a Content Provider or a Communicator?
Whatever your goals are, remember that you need to decide what it is you are doing.
Filmmakers make films and hope to cruise the festival route until they are discovered and become festival darlings.
Content providers are professional filmmakers who deliver movies whether dramatic, corporate or documentary at a price per minute.
Communicators are filmmakers and content providers who have something to say using the power of moving images with excellent sound, well crafted stories and good sound tracks. Communicators will also consider a host of different mediums including short two and three minute episodes for mobiles (mobisodes) or internet (webisodes). Gaming and phone apps are also provide interesting storytelling possibilities with a host of different strategies for monetizing content current being debated around the world.
10. There’s No Such Thing As Luck
I believe that luck is earned through a combination of hard work and karma, If you maintain your integrity and your passion, success will surely visit you.
It’s A Wrap
Nothing is as powerful as a good movie. And by using the medium of cinema you are able to influence and change lives. It is people like you htat can make a difference and make this world a better place.
FILM EDITING – Some Tips And Advice From Ron Dawson
- Every frame counts: I get so detailed in my cutting, that I’ll shave off individual frames from some shots. Keep in mind that for most of my work there are 24 frames in a second. So I’m literally saving off fractions of a second. But those fractions add up over a four, six, or ten minute film.
- Cut out “ums” and “uhs”: most of my work is primarily comprised of b-roll over dialog from interviews. There’s no reason to keep the “ums” and “uhs” that people say when they’re trying to remember something, or if they’re stuttering over their words, etc. Not only can you shave quite a bit of time out, but your subject will be happy you made them sound more intelligent.
- Don’t repeat: often I’ll be interviewing a series of people all talking about the same topic (e.g. employees at a company I’m doing a corporate video for; brides and grooms of a wedding photographer for whom I’m doing a promo; etc.) Inevitably, they will all at some time make a similar or identical point. For the most part, I’ll use the best sound bite from just one of them as it relates to that one point. (However, this is not a hard and fast rule. There may be times when you may want to include a very specific aspect that every single person mentioned, and string them all together to make a strong point. For example, if five people in a row state how a photographer made them laugh.)
- Aim for a specific length: it helps if you have a specific length of time to shoot for. For a web promo, 2-2.5 minutes is ideal with 4 minutes being tops). Most broadcast TV commercials have to be exactly 29.5 seconds. In “Hollywood,” studios are always imposing strict running times. If you’re committed to a set time length, that will force you to make the hard choices to cut out what isn’t absolutely needed.
- Save longer versions along the way: in my process of cutting down the films I work on, I’ll duplicate the sequences I create, then rename them with sequential numbers (e.g. promo pass dump, promo pass 1, promo pass 2, etc.) The “dump” sequence is the very first dump of all the footage and synchronized audio. Each subsequent pass is shorter than the last. If I ever need to go back to get a sound bite or visual I cut out previously, I just open it up and copy and paste the clip I need.
- Be mindful of the message: if you’re creating a commercial piece meant to communicate a message, always keep that message in mind.
- Split it up: sometimes you can split a video into multiple parts if you feel that the information you have is too important to leave out, but adding it back in will make the piece too long. For my photographer promo clients, I will almost always have a complementary shorter video that has additional interview footage from their clients. (Note: that’s complementary with an “e,” not an “i”.
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) Think of them as “special features.” It gives the viewer the option to dive deeper into a specific topic if they want, while keeping the main promo short and tight. - The human eye and ear are amazing: we can actually take in quite about bit of information in a relatively short amount of time. Use that to your advantage. Sometimes all you need is a split second to communicate a world of information.
) Think of them as “special features.” It gives the viewer the option to dive deeper into a specific topic if they want, while keeping the main promo short and tight.CINEMATOGRAPHY – 10 Tips From The Master, Roger Deakins
1) “To me if there’s an achievement to lighting and photography in a film it’s because nothing stands out, it all works as a piece. And you feel that these actors are in this situation and the audience is not thrown by a pretty picture or by bad lighting.”
2) “When you move the camera, or you do a shot like the crane down (in Shawshank) with them standing on the edge of the roof, then it’s got to mean something. You’ve got to know why you’re doing it; it’s got to be for a reason within the story, and to further the story.”
3) “There’s nothing worse than an ostentatious shot or some lighting that draws attention to itself, and you might go, ‘Oh, wow, that’s spectacular.’ Or that spectacular shot, a big crane move, or something. But it’s not necessarily right for the film — you jump out, you think about the surface, and you don’t stay in there with the characters and the story.” (Note: That’s a sort of a combination of #1 & 2—but worth repeating.)
4) “I am finding that my lighting becomes more and more simplified as I gain experience, which facilitates moving the camera more easily. I always operate myself and so I am very aware of the flexibility I need as an operator. With that in mind I have always tended to light for the situation and not a single shot. It is hopeless to light a close shot, however brilliantly, only to find that the lighting used can in no way be justified in a wider view.”
5) “On the Coen’s film that I am shooting right now we are averaging about 11 set ups a day whilst the screen time can vary from 6 minutes to 2 minutes depending on the scene. My set up time averages around 20 minutes. Normally the first set up will take the longest and my time will generally coincide with hair and make up time. For that reason it is usual to do the most complex or widest set up first. We rarely work more than 12 hours on this film and some days are shorter. The film has been very well prepared and I have a clear idea of the way we will shoot each sequence.” (Note: Comment was made in 2008 so that could have been A Serious Man)
6) “I have never been a fan of filters to soften an image. I used a black pro mist for a film I shot in 1985 and have regretted it ever since. I have done some tests with the Alexa ‘footage’ adding a selective amount of grain and I will be doing this for certain sequences of the film I am shooting right now. However, that choice is one of personal aesthetics and not because i feel the image from the Alexa looks too sharp or ‘electronic’.”
7) “I usually dim down a tungsten lamp if I want it to match a household practical source.” (The color temperature of the tungsten bulbs is slightly cooler than typical bulbs found in most houses.)
8 “Most of the films I have shot have been based in reality, so it follows that much of what I do is founded in a naturalistic approach.”
9) “There was no additional lighting used for any of the snow scenes (in Fargo)…we just dug out the snow, which was quite deep, to lay down dolly track as we needed.”
10) “I would suggest the choice of location is the most important one if you have little money in the budget for lights. You might consider the films of Terry Malick. They utilize very few artificial sources.”(Note: If I recall correctly, on The New World—which was written and directed my Malick—DP Emmanuel Lubezki did not use a single light and earned an Oscar nomination in cinematography.)
COMPOSING – Tips from film composer Heather Fenoughty
- Get involved as early on as possible
The sooner the composer is involved with the production, the sooner that the soundscape of the film becomes one of the priorities for the rest of the team. Often the director and/or the producer (or even the writer right back at the idea’s conception) will have a notion of the music or sound right from the start, sometimes a very clear vision of it.
However, production is geared up to serve the picture, there’s no two ways about it, and human beings, as brilliant and ingenious as they can be, can really only concentrate on one thing at once (if they want to do it well), so sound is quite often relegated to a lower priority.
Keeping in touch puts the film’s sound front-centre in their conscious minds from early on. I’m not talking about daily updates, and even if you don’t actually write any music at all until final cut it also keeps it in your mind too. It can allow your subconscious to mull over the themes, to bring up any questions about tone and purpose.
In turn, this will have the added bonus of making you more creative - allowing your subconscious time to bubble up with new ideas - and more efficient as you will have had ideas way before the deadline.
Rather than consciously racking your brains for ideas or resorting to stock phrases, it’s simply a process of getting it all these lovely, new, original ideas up and running in whatever sequencer you use (or on paper if you absolutely insist… but, to quote Toby in The West Wing, “paper’s for wimps” <tries to find sequence on YouTube to share with the world! Promise will find it eventually> )
- Communicate with your director
On film - features and shorts - the director is king. Lots of bowing and “Yes, your Majesty, no, your Highness”. Mostly caviar and truffles. Mostly.
Ok, maybe not, but the film is absolutely his vision, his baby, his heart and soul out there for all the world to see. If it isn’t these things then it might not be worth the world seeing. It is the composer’s job, yourjob, along with everyone else on the crew and in the cast, to realise that vision.
No two directors work in the same way so developing a rapport and a sense for how your director communicates and works is pretty essential if, at the very least, you want to enjoy your job.
- Communicate with the editor
Having a back-and-forth dialogue with the editor is essential. When schedules are getting tighter and tighter and the deadline is looming, it’s often the case where I’ll work on sequences before the locked off cut. And what I do with the sound may then inform what the editor, under the supervision of the director, does with the scene - the pacing, the ordering, maybe even cutting a line of dialogue, and then that’ll inform my next draft and so on.
Lots of the editors I’ve worked with like to use a temp(orary) track to cut to, that will give a rough idea of tone and pace, and that might also inform the style and speed of music that I end up writing for the final cut.
- Be really clear about tone/mood/emotion
This is the core of the musical score. Pin this down in your dialogues with the director and editor, and the music will write itself. If it needs to be sad, write something that makes you feel sad as you listen to it with the picture (if the picture’s not ready yet, the pictures as you see them in your head resulting from your early - see tip 1 - conversations with the director - see tip 2).
This sometimes actually isn’t the same as writing sad (or whatever the emotion is) music, though. If you’re underlining what’s already in the scene, why write anything at all? You might not even need to if the scene’s that good .
If the director isn’t clear about the prevalent tone/emotion in the scene, work out what’s the emotional journey through the scene, the highs and lows, the exact points at which it changes. But I’ve found it really has to be one emotion at a time. If you’re trying to create more than one, each becomes diluted by the other: it’s as if their emotional frequencies (sounds a bit new age…) cancel each other out and you end up with something a bit wishy-washy and generally unsatisfactory.
- Be really clear about purpose
Is the music diegetic (of the world of the film, that the characters can hear, eg. on the radio) or non-diegetic? Is it there to heighten the emotion of a scene that just isn’t emotional enough on its own? Is it there to counterpoint the onscreen performances (eg. the character acts happy but the music is sad to illustrate what she really feels), to add another layer of meaning? Is it simply there to disguise a clunky edit?
These are all questions to consider, you don’t necessarily have to have answers to all of them straight away, but it’s good to put them out there and, if there’s time to play around with the sounds, experiment. Ok… maybe this is ideal-world scenario. Usually there’s little-to-no-time at all for experimenting so get answers to these by the time you’re embarking on your final draft of the score.
- Check there’s no instruments, sounds or styles that the director really hates!
Some people really hate the sound of a harp. I don’t know why. I think it’s pretty. Or that Proteus oboe - hey Snuffy*, you know what I’m talking about…
- Know your kit
When the deadline is looming and you’ve got a good chunk of tune floating round in your head and you’ve just got to get that genius idea down quick as possible cos the director’s round to listen to it in an hour… well, you get my point. Plus it really stunts your flow if you’re constantly checking the help file, and looks really rubbish if the client’s in the studio at the same time. You gotta work fast! Time is, after all, money, and all that…
If you’re at the stage where you’re composing for a feature (and it’s paid, not a freebie for the ol’ CV) then you’re probably pretty au fait with terms such as sample rate, bit depth, digital audio file format types, omfi files, SMPTE timecode, that sort of thing, and the procedures you need to go through on your specific kit to deliver your music files to the dubbing facility. If not, there’s links to click, there’s no excuse ;-).
This is all about setting the director and/or producer and/or execs minds’ at ease: you know your kit inside out, and you can deliver on time in a format that is most convenient and efficient for them. And so they can relax… where the music’s concerned anyways… who knows whether that distribution deal’s gonna come off…
- Check your copyright
Just to be on the safe side, check what you’re actually selling them. Intellectual Property (IP) and Copyright law is a bit tricky, and if you’re in any doubt at all about a particular deal or contract it really is worth getting someone in-the-know to look over it. If you’re in a musician’s union, such as the MU or the British Academy of Composers, they have a legal service for this sort of thing if you feel you need it.
I get my publisher to have a look at it, not only because they’re incredibly experienced in this area, but it’s also in their better interest to get me a good deal on the copyright side of things as that’s how they get paid from me, through broadcast royalties. And you can’t get royalties if you sell away your copyright.
So, as general advice which I’ve learned from experience, keep your copyright and sell licenses to use the music in association with the film and its advertising.
These can be exclusive or non-exclusive (this latter one is the best kind as then you can sell further licenses to use the music to other productions), are generally world-wide (or, as really extreme back-covering, state “throughout the universe” - talk about thorough) and for the lifetime of the copyright (or “in perpetuity”).
You can even have your own draft contract ready if you’re super-organised and well-prepared. Just in case.
- The customer is always right
Within reason, do as many revisions as time and money will allow. So long as you’ve had all the conversations in advance, everyone should be on the same page and it’ll just be instrumentation tweaks and timing edits. And the director can change his or her mind about the direction you’ve taken, and that’s ok.
Get really clear on the new direction and go with it. Even if you’re not entirely convinced: if the director wants more cowbell, put in loads more cowbell, really go to town on it, make it the best cowbell ever! If he loves it, it’ll end up in the final cut and then you’ll be glad you didn’t do just a half-arsed version .
The music you’ll cut can always be used in it’s current state or cannibilised for another cue or even another production; recycling is good for the planet (and your bank balance). Keep the director happy and he or she will come back for more, not just because your music is exactly what he or she wanted but because he or she enjoys working with such a professional, receptive, responsive and reliable composer ;-).
And finally…
- Whatever the project, write the best music you’ve ever done. You never know who might be listening.
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The Evolving World of Dance: FREE for all talent from the SAG Foundation
Dancers! RSVP now for the "Dancers Forum: The Evolving World of Dance" on July 25 with Nigel Lythgoe Adam Shankman, tWitch, Kym Johnson, and Julie McDonald!
This is co-sponsored by the SAG Foundation, SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, the Actors Fund, Career Transitions for Dancers, Dancers Alliance, and the NEA.
RSVP Here: http://www.sagfoundation.org/
We will also livestream this event if you can't make it in person. Please share widely!
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American history as portrayed by actors...and why they do it!
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Evening with Casting Directors
LifeRaft Live Stream Event
The LifeRaft program is proud to host a panel of stellar veteran casting directors. With a combined work experience in over 338 films and 57 television shows, these panelists will share stories and anecdotes as they reflect over their careers. Come and gain a big picture perspective of what it is like for these industry professionals to work with agents, managers, directors, producers, studio executives and actors.
**The Event will be Live Streamed**
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
7 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. CT / 10 p.m. ET.
To watch the panel go to sagfoundation.org/livestream
Email questions to LiveStream@sagfoundation.org or tweet to #SAGF
No RSVP necessary
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
7 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. CT / 10 p.m. ET.
To watch the panel go to sagfoundation.org/livestream
Email questions to LiveStream@sagfoundation.org or tweet to #SAGF
No RSVP necessary
Meet the Panelists:
Ronna Kress
Mindy Marin
Jeanne McCarthy
Vicki Thomas
Video will be archived immediately after the event at http://youtube.com/sagfoundation.
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Golden Rainbow Ribbon of Life Hilights
GOLDEN RAINBOW’S 27TH ANNUAL “RIBBON OF LIFE” SPECTACULAR RAISED MORE THAN $152,000
TO ASSIST THE SOUTHERN NEVADA HIV/AIDS COMMUNITY, JUNE 30
Production astonished audience with unforgettable tribute-themed performances
High-res images available:http://tinyurl.com/lgs7bgd
Photo credit: © Tom Donoghue
Golden Rainbow celebrated 27 years of service to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada at its 27th annual “Ribbon of Life” fundraiser at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, June 30.
“Ribbon of Life” raised more than $152,000 and drew in a crowd of 1,424 attendees. The extravaganza’s lineup included world-renowned, two-time Grammy winning singer Jon Secada, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” star Michael Grimm, and cast members from the Las Vegas Strip’s premier shows. TV personality Chris Saldaña and Edie of Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity hosted the spectacular that featured special tributes to legendary artists Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Joel, The Bee Gees, Stephen Sondheim, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Liberace, Kenny Kerr; NBC’s “America’s Got Talent;” films “Dirty Dancing,” “The Lion King,” “Funny Girl,” “Nine;” and Nkosi Johnson, a South African child who made a powerful impact on public perceptions of HIV/AIDS and its effects before his death at the age of 12. Aside from Secada and Grimm, this year’s acts included performers Clint Holmes, Josh Strickland, Wes Winters, Frankie Moreno and Reva Rice; vocal groups Mo5aic, The Las Vegas Tenors, Human Nature and Celebrity City Chorus; members from Jubilee! and VEGAS! the Show; and many more.
In addition to the fundraising spectacular, Golden Rainbow hosted a silent auction with exclusive prizes including tickets to some of Las Vegas’ top shows, dinner at the city’s best restaurants and trips to premier destinations. The celebration continued at Mingo, Kitchen & Lounge for the official “Ribbon of Life” after party where cast members and guests came together to honor the success of the show. For every “Sweet Sensation” drink purchased, Mingo, Kitchen & Lounge donated $2 back to Golden Rainbow.
All proceeds from “Ribbon of Life” benefit the nonprofit’s efforts in providing housing and direct financial assistance to the Southern Nevada HIV/AIDS community. As a result of the last year’s fundraising efforts, Golden Rainbow provided 8,184 nights of shelter, 527 days of utility assistance, 1,054 days of transportation and medical and dental assistance to more than 500 households in 2012.
“Ribbon of Life” 2014 is set to return to The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in July. For more information on Golden Rainbow or to order copies of this year’s “Ribbon of Life,” please visit www.goldenrainbow.org.
Photo credit: © Tom Donoghue
Download high-res images here: http://tinyurl.com/lgs7bgd
About Golden Rainbow
Golden Rainbow is a nonprofit organization that provides housing and direct financial assistance to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Founded by members of the entertainment industry in 1987, Golden Rainbow is committed to serving the HIV/AIDS community through fundraisers like Ribbon of Life and HIV/AIDS related education. For more information, visit www.goldenrainbow.org or call 702.384.2899.
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