I missed the whole personal post last week because I was - wait fot it - working!
I know, utter shock.
Basically following the rather unsuccessful visit to the 24/7 festival Big Gathering (no men needed it seems) I collected an awful lot of flyers and put my name against just about everything on offer. One of those was the Queer Up North's 18th Birthday Bash, where comedian Chris Green (who is most famous for the Tina C character) was unvailing his latest comic persona: stage hypnotist Derek Diamond.
They needed some volunteers to improvise around the themes of characters and to interact with the audience as they arrived. For the night I was Quentin Bullington, Radio 4 presenter. It was a lot of fun, even if I didn't quite manage to have the confidence to manipulate the audience in the way Chris described prior to the event (sorry about that, Chris). What I will say is that all of the main events were absolutely excellent, with Jess Love's skipping performance being particularily hilarious.
I also met some great people and this is always a great opportunity to build up contacts.
One of the people I met who might just be a good contact for work in the longer term (who I won't name as this is hardly the right forum for that) I bumped into the following day as I attended Scriptworks at the Contact theatre. Scriptworks is a forum for new writers to try out their pieces with actors reading their works sight unseen. There's then a chance of feedback from all the other attendees. If you are a North West based new writer then I really suggest coming along as there's a great opportunity for feedback on your work.
I confess that I know about as much about writing as I know about the internal combustion engine (I understand the priciples but wouldn't know where to start when presented with the real thing), but it is great to go along and help. So far, after two weeks of attending, I've heard some excellent pieces. I'm still a newbie there so I'm getting a bit too much attention due to my slightly posh voice. But I think in a couple of weeks I'll be known enough to just turn up, sit at the back and chime in when I agree or disagree with a particular point.
On Thursday I attended an audition for Theatre&, the Learning & Development company. I think it mus have gone reasonably well, if not stellar, as I have received an e-mail saying they've added me to the database for any upcoming jobs. That's obviously a good thing, but on the other hand it means they've not signed me up for a full-time contract.
For those of you waiting patiently for the results of the Normal Heart second audition, the bad news is that it still hasn't happened. We came tantalisingly close on Friday, but then the actor(s) the director wanted me to audition with couldn't make it so an alternative date needs to be announced. I've decided to start to grow an 80's moustache to help. (After all I've no other work getting in the way right now, may as well go all out.)
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Personal News (30/05/10)
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Personal News (16/05/2010)
Not a terribly successful week, when all is said and done.
The Normal Heart second round of auditions have been postponed for another week, so I'm still in play but clearly they're not desperate to cast me.
The Crucible audition on Friday was a blow out, they asked me (as well as two other people auditioning at the same time) to read two portions of the script, the first I don't think I did badly in, but it wasn't really about me, but the second was a disaster. Started fine but couldn't get through some lines - stuttering and unable to read them whilst acting - then I was losing my concentration with the whole acting thing and did something a bit silly to bring myself back (it's a silly thing I do that comes across really funny in rehearsals but apparently not in auditions!). Received an [automated] e-mail this afternoon which seems to indicate a no thank you but that could be a red herring as there is still one more day of auditions. We'll see, but I'm not confident.
The Big Gathering for the 24/7 Festival was very interesting and I made some good contacts but there was nothing for me in the festival. Saying that I am looking forward to going to see them and I've signed up for a couple of things as a result. First up is a writing group who have actors come in to sight read work - I'm doing that for the first time tomorrow afternoon - and the other involves helping with the Queer Up North arts event starting next weekend (including some unpaid corporate style work). Hopefully this sort of thing will at least raise my profile.
I also had a couple of commercial auditions this week - the first of which involved sitting at a computer which someone threw balls at me!!! Neither are looking like I've got a job, but that's commercials for you.
I'm not feeling as hopelessly pesimistic as this post first appears, but it's not been a great week. Feel free to cheer me up in the comments.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Personal News (09/05/10)
Things move with fits and bursts in this industry. Not that much has happened really but I am feeling overwhelmingly confident these days.
I have been recalled for a second audition for Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart", amazingly in the lead role of Ned Weeks. The feedback I have had so far was that my performance was good but they want to test the chemistry of the optional Ned's against the cast Felis (his lover in the play). Chemistry's always a difficult thing to define on stage, and one very hard to produce in an audition, but I will do my best (as I'm sure all the others going for it will to).
Oddly this leads to a minor dilemma. Do I come out to the Producer/Director?
This may seem odd - for a guy's who's blog title specifically refers to his sexuality - but most people are unaware when they meet me, even in the gay bar I work at on Saturday nights most of the punters assume I'm straight. During the first auditions I did drop hints (my ex-partner etc.) but when the Producer told me that he had originally conceived of the project as being completely cast by gay men and lesbians I waffled on about why you wouldn't want to restrict the supply of actors instead of launching into a rendition of "I am What I am". I was even coy when asked if I would be comfortably portraying a same-sex relationship.
If thy are concerned about me being able to deal with this on stage then perhaps I ought to let them know, but on the other hand I don't believe it's relevant and I don't want to appear to be using my sexuality as a way of getting in. Tricky, non?
This of course is good timing for the issue to be relevant. On the Newsweek website this week Ramin Setoodeh launches into gay actors playing straight roles, plainly stating that it's impossible for the audience to suspend their disbelief to that level. Althoughly oddly he says that straight actors can be convincing playing gay. I find this arguement obscene, both as an actor and as a gay man. Part of acting in a romantic role is pretending the person you're playing opposite is attractive to you, regardless of gender age of looks (and I've had to pretend to be in love wih some serious munters on stage and trust me the looks ar harder to get over than the sex). Good actors can convince in whatever role they're playing regardless of what they do offstage, and that is the bottom line of the arguement.
Back to me - tomorrow the Manchester 24/7 festival is holding it's Big Gathering. This is a annual event where the writers and directors of the ten new plays chosen for the festival get to mingle with some actors and start the casting process. I'm never completely au fait with the social aspect of casting, however I will be there and will try desperately not to stick to the corners of the room looking hopelessly nervous. Wish me luck.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Personal News
Just a quickie to let you know what's been going on on the personal, or acting, front.
Since I moved up here I've been mainly trying to get myself known in the City. Obviously getting an agent has really helped, and she's sent me some details of a number of local casing agents and companies - I will be writing to them during May (I wanted to give it a month after my agent writes) and hopefully I'll be signing up to some castinbg workshops later in the year.
I've also managed to move through a couple of temping jobs and - fingers crossed - will be back on double figures in the next few weeks which will give me the spare cash and the flexibility I need.
There have also been a couple of auditions. Yesterday I auditioned for a unpaid production of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, a semi-autobiographical piece about the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York in the early 1980's. It's a great play and I like the concepts I heard from the director. It's also being performed during and as part of the Manchester Pride festival with money being raised towards the Terence Higgins Trust, something which I am proud to support. The audition was neither spectacular nor awful, so hopefully that'll get me something - I'll update you next weekend with the results.
Next Friday I may also have an audition (I'm awaiting final confirmation of the time) for a touring production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Its one of my favourite plays - and it's paid - so fingers crossed.
