More links, Shakespeare edition

I've recently learned (thanks Elana!) that Alexander Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon is online.  This is the two volume set of all the words of Shakespeare, defined, and with citations for where the words appear.  I'm still learning how to navigate it, but oh the possibilities...

And, Rebecca Ennals, AD of the SF Shakespeare Festival, is now blogging! I was particularly excited to read her mid-August post announcing new casting policies for the festival.

And hey, read a little bit about Charlotte Cushman!  I'm learning more about this mid 1800's actor who played both male and female Shakespearean characters. I've added this book to my library cue.

Shout Out to Kneepads!

In the past few months, I've used my kneepads a ton!

My awesome soft kneepads

1) for the Big Driver shoot

2) when I played a dog for the UWAC 36 Hour Playfestival/SF Safehouse Benefit

3) leant them to a summer camp student

4) during the Foolsfury sponsored Mary Overlie workshop

This doesn't include all of the times that I threw my kneepads into my bag 'just in case' for auditions, readings, etc. where I didn't know what the physical work would entail.

I bought these kneepads probably 5 or more years ago from a nondescript martial arts store on Mission street near the Armory.  They were sold per kneepad and I think they were $5 or $6 each. 

They are soft, so they don't make too big of a lumpy shape under pants, like a harder kneepad might.  They have no logos/words on them, so you're not unconsciously advertising anything when you wear them under light colored clothing.

And, most importantly, they keep my knees safer from bruises, bumps, other injuries, allowing this easy bruising actor to leap into highly physical acting related antics with confidence.

Not bad. Not bad at all.


Yes this is a kneepad selfie

Thanks kneepads!!

Books I'm Reading

Give and Take by Adam Grant is subtitled 'A revolutionary approach to success' - I became interested in the book after reading about Grant in the NY Times.  Grant is a professor at The Wharton School and has done extensive research on people's relationship, networking, negotiation and leadership styles, and found that in our interactions with others, people tend to operate as either givers, takers or matchers.  And while some givers burn out, many incredibly successful people in many fields are also givers. 

This book highlights the key differences between burning out and achieving success, and has introduced me to some of my new favorite concepts:

1) pronoia - it's the opposite of paranoia and can be defined as "the delusionial belief that other people are plotting your well-being or saying nice things about you behind your back" - sounds like a great attitude to bring into any casting situation to me.

2) expeditional behavior, a term from the National Outdoor Leadership School, which trains NASA astronauts, among others, and means putting the group's goals and missions first and showing the same amount of concern for others as you do for yourself.  This is the exact name for what I'm trying to cultivate in any group of students who are working on a show together - we put the play and the story we are trying to tell first. 

There's even more interesting and helpful thinking in this book - ideas about how to process the successes of peers or co-workers, and lots of ideas about networking and cultivating relationships - two big keys for any theater professional.

On a totally different track, for theatermakers and others who want an in depth look at the women of the War of the Roses, Blood Sisters by Sarah Gristwood shines a light on the lives of Marguerite of Anjou (the wife of Henry VI), Elizabeth of York (mother of the 'Princes in the Tower') and 5 other women from both Team York and Team Lancaster.  If you're heading into production on a Shakespeare history play, learning more about the details of the day to day lives of these women and how they leveraged their limited power in their relationships with powerful men is pretty fascinating reading.

I'm also very excited about a project that is coming up at the end of June.  I'm part of an event that will not only showcase approximately 30 women theater artists, the majority of them members of Actors' Equity, but will also raise money for a non-profit called SF Safehouse, who provide 18 months of housing as well as lots of other varied support and resources for homeless women leaving prostitution.  The public portion of the event is an evening of short original plays, and takes place on Monday June 24th.  Ticket info is here and you can also find event details on Facebook. 

Story vs. Fact

I've tried to write a post on this concept and how it holds actors back several times over the past year, but once again, Bonnie Gillespie hits the nail on the head in a way better way than I ever could.

Go read ya'll.

And then set aside some time to wade through the archives - she's one of the best resources out there for an on-camera actor.

And Bay Area folks - have you taken a look at Apple Box Studios Films yet?  A new by artists for artists company with a video creation focus - they shoot auditions, edit reels, and put together websites - I haven't had a chance to take advantage of their services yet, but I'm sure I will soon!

Check the blogroll updates!

I've made a few tweaks and changes to the blogroll over there in that right hand column. 

I've deleted a few things that were no longer active, and added blogs that are newish or that are personal recent discoveries.

In particular, check out Melissa Hillman's Bitter Gertrude if you haven't already for an Artistic Director's perspective on the theater world, and both the Works by Women and Works by Women SF sites for interviews and other resources for women theater makers. 

Works by Women and Works by Women SF are also meetup groups with regular opportunities to see shows where women theatremakers are prominently featured.

As a co-host of WWSF, it's been really terrific to be able to support and learn more about what women theater makers are doing in the region.  Our next event is this Sunday, and it would be great to see you there!

NYTimes: In Performance

I'm really digging this new video series the NYT is running.  Called 'In Performance', it's stripped down closeups of actors performing monologues and songs from shows that are currently running in New York (or at least they were when the video was made).  Some recent additions are Tina Packer with an excerpt from her Shakespeare's Women, and a number from Hands on a Hardbody.  There's about 20 videos up at this point, all are brief, and it's a cool way to get a glimpse of a new performer, a new piece of writing or music, without paying for a plane ticket.

One of my favorites is Elizabeth Marvel's monologue from Picnic, but you can find all of them here.

And in what's Valerie up to news:  I'm playing a Fury in a reading at Symmetry Theatre on 4/21 of Carol Lashof's Just Deserts.  Info here.  Also, I'm super excited to be playing the lead in the upcoming film adaptation of Steven King's Big Driver.  This film is currently doing some pre-production fundraising, and you can find more about it here.

Success and Do the Work!

Two things that have got me thinking today are Polly Carl's latest essay on Howlround and the newest Steven Pressfield book.

Polly Carl is asking for new definitions of artistic success in 2013.  In doing my personal new year assessment, I was already thinking about needing to redefine success for myself, so having this essay is a terrific affirmation.

From the essay:

The problem with predetermined paths to success is that for better or worse, the paths are well trodden, and the deep grooves cause us to try and find a way to make ourselves fit into something that has become ossified and unoriginal. And the truth is that not many theater artists, because they are such creative people, can make it down that predetermined road with any regularity.

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, has written Do the Work!, a version of his motivational creative philosophies, that focuses on the granular level, the process of making the art itself, in the face of capital-R Resistance.  It's a creative drill sergeant, and worth having nearby when starting a new endeavor.

I love when he says:

Act, reflect. Act. reflect.

NEVER act and reflect at the same time.

A book and a film to check out

Art and struggle/art and oppression feature prominently in both of these things, and have given me a lot to think about and reflect on in this transition from old year to new.

Thing one: Joseph Anton - Salman Rushdie's memoir, focusing heavily on his post-Satanic Verses life and experiences.  The title comes from the alias he used during that time, taken from the names of his two favorite writers. (Joseph) Conrad and (Anton) Chekhov.  I'm about 3/4 of the way through, but already felt that it was worth recommending here.

Thing two: you may or may not have read the recent New Yorker article about the Turkish women's theater company (full text only there for subscribers, unfortunately).  The article mentions a documentary about the group, and the 2 minute trailer is here.

December Slumps

I could be seriously worried right now.   Compared to earlier this year when it seemed like my agent was sending me out every few days, I've barely heard anything (other than those weird beating the bushes kinds of calls where they need twin native Tagalog speakers or real-life professional chefs who also have rare skin diseases).

I could be freaking out - have they forgotten me? Did someone say something and they've decided they're going to drop me and haven't told me?

I'm not worried and I'm not riding any emotional roller coasters.  Thanks to my audition tracking spreadsheet.  Since I've tracked auditions in a spreadsheet for a few years now, I'm at the point where I can see trends in the audition calendar - and, it turns out that for every year I've tracked December is just a slow month when it comes to auditions.  So I'm fine - it's the calendar, not me.

I'm using these quiet weeks to work audition pieces, look at the bigger picture and think about what I'd like to accomplish in 2013.  Because if it's anything like the last few years have been, January is going to get really busy!

LA Theatre Works

I wanted to read Lucy Prebble's Enron, so I requested it from the library, but I accidentally requested not the   script, but the recording of the play by LA Theatre Works.

And I'm really glad I did!  After listening to the play with a stellar cast, I went to the interwebs to find out more about what I'd gotten.

And it turns out LA Theatre Works has been making audio recordings of plays for 25 years.  They stream a weekly broadcast free of charge, and have a library of over 400 recordings of plays ranging from the Greeks to Shaw to Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. You can buy downloads or CDs at their site, and I found over 40 titles available in the SF Public Library system on CD.

A fantastic resource for theater folks of all stripes.

Check 'em out here.

Tiny Beautiful Things

Maybe you've read Wild - the book with the big hiking boot on the cover, about the woman who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail, a memoir written by Cheryl Strayed.

It turns out, Cheryl has been writing an advice column for an online magazine called 'The Rumpus' - she wrote her column anonymously as 'dear Sugar'  and has recently unmasked herself, and collected her columns into the book Tiny Beautiful Things.  The degree of honesty, open-ness and 'radical empathy' I found in this book struck me to the core.  Actors, please read.  You'll learn so much.

Here's a quote I particularly liked:

When you feel terrible because someone has gotten something you want, you force yourself to remember how much you have been given.  You remember that there is plenty for all of us.  You remember that someone else’s success has absolutely no bearing on your own.  (italics mine)

For me, I know that when I'm not working, auditioning less, feeling vulnerable about my career and my talent, I start to look at those around me who are hitting milestones, moving forward, gaining momentum and at times seem to be passing me in this race (who said it was one anyway?). The quote above is incredibly grounding in moments like those.

Take a look.

Monologue searching - beyond the monologue books

I'm never not searching for monologues, but this is at the forefront for me right now, because my current monologues have been in heavy rotation for about a year, and I need to rotate in some new pieces.

In particular, I need some new classic pieces (my definitition of 'classic' is a play from approx 1950 or before with a non-contemporary approach to language).  How I found my current classic piece was not by picking up a monologue book, but by thinking about classical archetypes, and what ones I'm best suited to play, given my type.  I ultimately decided that I wanted to find an archetypal loyal wife - and I settled on Andromache (wife of Hector, prince of Troy in the Trojan War).  By searching online, I found plays that feature Andromache - by Euripedes, Racine, Shakespeare and more!

I grabbed one version of each of the interesting plays from the library, and decided that the ideas in Andromache's speech in Euripedes' Trojan Women were the ones I could get behind.  Then, I needed to find a translation/adaptation of the play with language that was exciting - depending on the age of the translation and the nationality of the translator (Brit vs. American), I found versions of the speech that were too stuffy, too flowery, too intellectual, and ultimately found Karen Hartman's Troy Women, which felt bold and exciting and fun to read out loud.

I pulled the most personally provoking 55 seconds out of the approximately 3 minute speech, and my classic monologue was ready for rehearsal.

Not Hamlet

Quick! Someone buy me this book!

An essay in the Guardian UK by Janet Suzman shows me that this 1960's LAMDA grad w/RSC & film credits as well as a Dame of the British Empire has been thinking about this topic for a long time. 

A few choice quotes from the article:

What I am struck by – as I write in my new book, Not Hamlet, about the frail position of women in drama – is that none of the women are awarded interiority in nearly the same measure as the male characters.

Women have never been, perhaps never will never be, autonomous creatures, unshackled. Even Shakespeare ducked giving their thoughts extended airtime, as if listening to women was not quite worth it.

RTWT.


And here's a description of the book.

Roundtables from the Hollywood Reporter

For a while now, the Hollywood Reporter has been putting up group video interviews of actors during awards season.  Since Emmy noms are soon, they've just done a set with tv actors.  There are four interviews, roughly an hour each in length, separated into comedy and drama and men and women. 

I found gems in each of these interviews - ranging from Juliana Margulies' recommendation of an app for script work to Johnny Galecki reminiscing about the Roseanne set to Martha Plimpton and the comedy women talking about the intersection of female and comedy to the overall humility coming off of Kiefer Sutherland.

You can watch them at these links:

Comedy Women Roundtable
Comedy Men Roundtable
Drama Women Roundtable
Drama Men Roundtable

Let me know what you think! (I first found this via the website/blog Daily Actor)

Couple o' books!

I've been meaning to write about these two books for a while.  I've had them both out from the library for about 6 weeks, and I'm getting all sorts of great new ideas from them, as well as ideas that I already had, but that were buried under the daily dreck. 

Jason Womack's Your Best Just Got Better has a super motivational title that might be a little off-putting for your inner cynic.  However, from the first exercise in the book, which asks you to write down your ideal day (take 15 minutes and try it), this book had me examining my habits and routines and rearranging priorities.

The Firestarter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte does one of my least favorite things in books.  ALL OF A SUDDEN, ONE SENTENCE WILL BE IN VERY LARGE TYPE. And then it will go back to regular size.  However, many of her points are really spot on, and again, lots of great things to think about, write about, talk about if you're ready to take a deeper look at your systems, priorities, etc.  

Both Jason and Danielle are online and offer newsletters, free downloads, blogging.  Here's a link to Danielle's 'workbook o'fire'  which offers most of the exercises from her book, without the typeface changing size too often. 


BTW, both of these books were referenced in the monthly newsletter of Colleen Wainwright, aka The Communicatrix.  Colleen is a former actor and TV ad copywriter who is now in the business of helping creative people talk effectively about what they do.  Her monthly insightful email is definitely not inbox clutter. Get that here.

I'm an artist and I vote!

Thanks to Barry Martin, theater artist blogging here, I saw this info Monday, which shows the gender gap in male and female voices quoted in news and media, specific to the 2012 election, and women's issues.  It's stunning.  Take a look and then come back.  I'll wait.

I've also seen multiple posts reminding me that on June 4th, 1919, the 19th Amendment was passed by the Senate, after a lengthy state ratification process, and passage in the House a few weeks prior.

As an actor with an every day is different schedule, casting a ballot can be challenging.  But I can't let myself throw away something that women fought for, stood in the cold for, were beaten for, went on hunger strikes for.  I can't throw away my voice when voices like mine are underrepresented so drastically in news and media.

In California, we've got permanent absentee ballot status for anyone who wants it.  Your ballot comes in the mail, and you mail it back, or drop it off at a polling place on election day. Go here to set it up, fellow Californians.  Permanent absentee ballots are also available to residents of Maine, Maryland and South Dakota.  Oregon and Washington are mailed ballots only, and there are 22 more states where one can vote absentee on an election by election basis.  You can also vote early in many states, by visiting your local city hall, usually starting one month prior to the election.  Visit the web page for your state's board of elections to find out more.

A book for actors that's not about acting

I just finished reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.  I highly recommend this book.  It's really easy to read, and a fascinating look at why we do the things we do and how so many of the things we do are habitual.  It's a great tool for understanding yourself, as well as how to break or change old habits and create or build new ones.

Also, the book got me thinking a bit about how actors' lives are different.  We have comparatively few habits and routines - I do different things just about every day.  I go different places to work my multiple day jobs, and my schedule is constantly changing as I add auditions and fold in new projects or say good bye to old ones.  Because my day to day isn't 'routine', there are a lot of things I don't do habitually.

Even so, this book is still a terrific read.  You'll learn about keystone habits, and see how habits are influenced by groups, and understand why even when you build a strong habit, it may still falter under extreme pressure.

An excerpt from the book is available here.  It's a guide to how to replace a 'bad' habit with a better one. 

Big Time Shakespearean Geekery

The dream team of the British Museum and the BBC are back again with another awesome series!  They're calling it 'Shakespeares Restless World' and it's a series of twenty programs, each running approx 15 minutes.

It follows a similar format to the History of the World in 100 Objects series that I wrote about here.  But this time, each program picks an object from the British Museum's collection and uses that as a jumping off point to explore a specific aspect of the history and culture of Shakespeare's England. 

Already pretty awesome, but then they add in a little bit of Shakespearean text analysis on the theme at hand, and my teen Shakespeare geek heart goes pitter pat.

You can find the programs detailed here.  As of this writing, the first five programs are online, and they'll keep adding new ones M-F through May 11th.

Huzzahs all around for Emily Weak, my sister and librarian supreme, who tipped me off to this new series.

A confession

I am an actor who is not good at imagining.  At least when it comes to the objects and things that might surround a character who lives in a time/place from history that is different than my own.  I need some help - a place to jump off and get started.

So I love love love when I can visit historical homes and museums like the Tenement Museum in New York where you can walk through a tenement apartment building and see different apartments restored to reflect different time periods in the building's history.

And I had a great time when I went to Dublin's Georgian House Museum, which is a house from 1794, restored and filled with objects from that time.

And I was super excited to learn about this book, which came out of a joint project between the British Museum and the BBC.  It is what it says - an attempt to cover all of human history, using 100 objects from the collections of the British Museum.  Each object gets its own essay/presentation and was originally presented over a period of 25 weeks (one object/day M-F) as a radio series on the BBC.  And it's archived here.

So, if like me, you aren't the best imaginer, the objects in this book, and in museums and historic homes everywhere, are a terrific resource for our actor imaginations.

fun with spreadsheets 2: the actions/relationships list

Another glimpse into how I use excel spreadsheets to manage my career.  When I joined Actor's Equity, I made a list of theaters in the region that offer Equity contracts.  And then I rated them based on how much of an 'in' I have at those theaters.

Like this:
0 = I don't know anyone there.
1= I've met someone from their casting/artistic staff.
2= I've done a general audition.
3= I've been called in to read for a specific project.
4= I've had a callback or done a reading/small project.
5= I've been cast at that theater.

So my spreadsheet has 3 columns: rating, company name, and next step.

Having this spreadsheet helps me know where I'm at with each company, and what my next action should be with each different theater.  For some companies, I'm looking for an introduction to their casting director, for others, I want to make sure I do their generals next time they come up, and at others I'm pitching myself for appropriate roles in their next season.

Since I've got everything in one place, I can develop specific targeted strategies to move my relationships up the ladder.  I know that zero doesn't turn into 5 overnight - this is a marathon, not a sprint - and that building and maintaining relationships over time is one of the keys to a long career.

I'm going to be sharing info like this at the class I have coming up on February 11th from 1pm to 2:45pm for Theatre Bay Area called 'Navigating Your Life as a Bay Area Actor'  which is part of TBA's ATLAS program, a career development program for performing artists.  If you'd like to take my class (or want to recommend it to someone), it costs $25 for TBA members/$40 for non-members, and you can reserve your spot by calling (415) 430-1140 x10 and speaking to a TBA Membership Associate, or by emailing tba@theatrebayarea.org.  There are a bunch of other great classes too, on topics like time management, goal setting, and PR/Marketing for the actor.  Worth checking out!