#100daysofselftaping

What can you do in 100 days of creating? This question was posed by a friend of mine. Well, really it was someone on the internet. But the challenge was taken up by the wonderful Charissa, a friend of mine from Seattle, now living and working in LA. She decided that for 100 days she would put something down on film. I followed her progress through instagram and other social media platforms, and I have to admit I was really impressed. And inspired. 

Why couldn't I do that?

So here I am, following in her footsteps. Thank you, Charissa, for the inspiration. I have decided that I will complete the #100daysofselftaping! Today was day three. I am going to work on it in conjunction with my daily writing goals as well. I think the two will go nicely hand in hand. 

Over these 100 days I think I will learn a ton. Mostly though, I want to become much more comfortable in front of the camera. I have been a stage actor all of my life, and I really want to branch out. I did a few short films earlier this year, and had an absolute blast. Really, I just want to make sure I am as versatile as I can possibly be. Film work pays good money. And, more and more the television being produced is smart and interesting, the sort of work that I would love to be involved with. 

Increasingly, even stage casting briefs ask for submissions from actors with show reels. I do not have one. I have been meaning to get one for a while, but it is a difficult task. It is nearly impossible to get cast in any sort of film project without having a reel already. And, while I have done a few short films, I have not amassed enough footage to create a full reel. There are companies you can pay to film one for you. However, these full service reels are incredibly expensive. To top it off there is no guarantee that the results will be any good. There are many acting on camera classes available across London. I have taken a few, and I plan on attending more. However, these also cost money. So I have been trying to figure out ways to maximize the results for the money that I will have to put in. This project, I hope, will be one way of doing that.

I have already experienced a few of the obstacles that I will face over these next 100 days. One of these is finding material, I have turned to the internet to help me with this task, but I know it will be a struggle. Another is that I don't have experience with the business - I have only been in for one commercial casting, and I have limited experience on a film set. Hopefully the classes that I take will be able to help with this. 

I know I will come across many others before my 100 days are done. For now though, I am excited. Who knows where this could lead! 

Day 2 - Exercises in discipline

Its day two of my challenge to myself. Already I am struggling with what to fill this space with. I have made several initial attempts and none of them have been quite right. So rather than trying to explain myself, or come up with anything insightful, I will simplify.

What is it that I want?

Mostly I want to avoid the usual pitfalls of an actor out of work. It's all too easy to lose focus and get discouraged. I know, as every actor knows, from experience. So, lets get a little more specific. Having a daily regime is helpful, but what else can I gain from this.

I would like to improve my writing first of all. I don't think of myself as a writer. Yes I can do it, but I lack the ideas. And, yes it has been pointed out to me that if I wait for inspiration to strike it will never come. So here I am, not waiting. I don't know if I want to write fiction, but I do enjoy analytical writing. In the past, this blog has served as a forum for me to share my thoughts on shows I have seen. This is definitely something that I would like to continue.

I have set myself another task to partner with my daily writing. A performance based task. Already I have had some thoughts about my project and this space will be useful in helping me clarify those thoughts. I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and I want to make it count.

These are my main goals. Well at least for now. I am sure they will change as I start figuring out what I need and want. Maybe I will do some creative writing, maybe not. Who knows. At least the task has begun. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you about my acting task.

Begin again, again!

Hello again!

Its been a long while since I have updated the adventures of Captain Kate. In that time many things have happened. Many adventures have advented, many battles lost and won. Too many to recount now, although I may at a later date. Almost certainly.

I am returning to my chronicles again for a few reasons, These are not necessarily the reasons for which I started chronicling. When I set out to catalog my capers it was with the aim of sharing them with friends and family afar. Now, I find I want them more for myself. I have reached a point, a familiar point for you all I am sure, where I need a bit of a nudge. I need to get myself out of a rut and force myself to get up and running again. This is a place I have found myself before, and one I will surely face again in my future.

I have good friends who are full of good advice. And often the advice I am given is to get out and make some work for myself. Now, like many, I often feel that this is out of my reach. It is all too easy to create barriers and obstacles for ones self. And barriers sure are daunting. So I have decided, that rather than attack these barriers head on, and most likely become discouraged when I cannot bring them down in one fell swoop, I am going to be sneaky and chip away at them. Hopefully without them noticing.

So to that effect I have set myself a few tasks, one of which is this. I must write. And I must write every day. At some point I will probably give myself more parameters for my writing. I do love having parameters to work within. But for now the challenge is to do, and be consistent. I have other tasks, but I shall go in to them at a later date.

Now I know that these are not terribly original musings, nor are they hugely insightful. They may not be entertaining to read or follow. I might not make all of my entries public. But for now I just need to shout in to the void, to get myself going. Please forgive me my ramblings and feel free to go your separate ways. For now, it is enough for me just to say that I am here. And thus, it is begun.

A Week at the Theatre

Before I move on to more current events I would be remiss if I did not mention my recent theatre excursions. I wont lie, I absolutely love living in London. However, there are things I really miss about living in Seattle. One of things I miss the most is the regularity of my trips to the theatre, along with my theatre going partner, the fabulous Margaret.  So when I heard that she was leading a theatre tour in London I literally jumped up and down with excitement!And due to yet another stroke of luck I was able to attach myself to the tour group and see a full schedule of incredible theatre.

During the course of the week we saw an amazing range of plays - from the classical to the contemporary, from the comedic to the dramatic. All of them inspiring and enjoyable in different ways.

We kicked off our theatre tour at Shakespeare's Globe, with an absolutely gorgeous production of The Tempest. Now, although I know the play quite well, I had never seen The Tempest performed live. I would feel confident in saying that this was perhaps a near perfect experience of this play. Not only were we at the Globe, which is a gorgeous space - and really it's hard to find a better venue to see a Shakespeare show, but the productions itself was just lovely. Everything was presented simply, there was no need to update or embellish anything or add ridiculous gimmicks, just a clear and classic beautiful presentation of the show. And there were some really lovely performances. I particularly enjoyed the lovers. And Roger Allam, who played Prospero was just breathtaking. His control over his voice, and the crowd is just stunning to experience. You could hear a pin drop during his final speech. All in all just a wonderful way to start the week.

From Shakespeare we moved along to the Grand Dames of British Theatre. First up was Helen Mirren in The Audience, a play about the weekly audiences the queen holds with her Prime Ministers. The show was really fascinating, but I found myself really wishing I knew more about the history of British politics. I occasionally got a bit lost in trying to figure out where we were in history. Even with this lack of foreknowledge I found the play riveting. Watching Helen Mirren transform herself throughout the evening, playing the queen at many different points in her long rule, was a master class in itself and really incredible to watch. Apparently the script is constantly changing to fit current events. We saw the show quite soon after the death of Margaret Thatcher, and this had already been incorporated into the script in some really interesting ways. I would have been interested to see the play beforehand because I think the new material added some very interesting depth to the second act.

The following night was Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw in Peter and Alice a brand new play about the real life people that the characters of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland were based on. I think out of all of the theatre we saw that week this was my favorite. It was certainly the play that stuck with me the most, that I found myself thinking about and mulling over in the coming weeks. The play itself had gotten mixed reviews, most said the performances were wonderful but the text was not terribly strong. I am not sure I would agree with that. It might not work as well without the right people in it, but the play itself was incredibly powerful. It ran straight through, without and intermission, and took the audience on a huge roller coaster of emotions during that time. I found it really powerful. And oh my goodness were the two of them amazing!! Just gut wrenchingly wonderful and heartbreaking. I loved it.

A bit later in the week we mixed things up with a production of Pinter's The Hot House. Now, I will fully admit that Pinter is not one of my favorite playwrights, and I think that this is because I haven't seen many good productions of his work. Often they are terribly overwrought and slow, and just kind of painful to sit through. Not so with this production (well ok there were some issues, but I will get to them in a minute). The play itself was fast paced, and incredibly funny as well as being intensely dark and creepy. Simon Russell Beale and John Simm, along with the rest of the cast, were just phenomenal. However my fellow audience members and I found ourselves rather distracted during the first act.

Let me set the scene for you: For this production the theatre had placed about four rows of seating on the stage itself, behind the action. Most of us who were sitting in this extra section had given some thought to the fact that we would become part of the production. We all wore muted colors and arrived prepared to be on our best theatre behavior. Then at the last second we were joined by two others. Now, I am not sure where this couple came from, but they did not seem to be your typical Harold Pinter audience. In fact I am not sure they had ever been to the theatre before in their lives. They behaved more like they were at a football game than anything else. You could smell the booze coming off of them in waves. And not only did they chat with each other throughout the first act they tried to pull the actors and the rest of the audience into their own personal experience of the show. The woman announced loudly just how famous John Simm was every time he came on stage. The two of them made out for a large part of the act, kicking those in the seats around them in the process. And just generally they were the absolute worst theatre patrons I have ever ever experienced. You could see the growing frustration in the actors and the audience members around them. At one point the poor woman sat directly in front of the two of them tried to intercede, reminding them that they were not the only ones trying to enjoy the performance and asking them to lower their voices. She found herself then being shouted at by this woman and eventually had to give up. When the lights came up at intermission I went and spoke with one of the ushers, who knew exactly what had been going on and assured me something was being done. Apparently the director had also been in the audience, and was absolutely livid! So this couple, who bolted to the bar as soon as the lights came up, were asked politely to leave the theatre. The woman immediately began a tirade about how she had two children, and that the theatre staff couldnt treat her that way. It turns out that they could, and did. And really, what does having kids have anything to do with the way you behave at the theatre?? It was an absolutely astonishing display, I have never experienced anything like it. It really is unfortunate that they didnt just kick them out earlier, as I think most of us missed a lot of the first act. However, once they were gone the experience became infinitely more enjoyable. The relief in the room was palpable once the second act got under way.

The rest of our theatre going time was much less dramatic. Margaret and I closed off the week with a new play at the National, called The Table. The production was sleek and lovely with some really lovely performances and great music. The play itself was perhaps not an enduring work - it took quite a long time to tell you just whose story this was, and was a little unfocused. But, you can really tell just how much care and time goes into the productions at the National. It is really nice to see shows, especially new works, that feel that solid and secure - and this was the show put in their temporary space.

The final show of the week was our musical choice - Merrily We Roll Along, and what a great show to end on. A really great production as well. The show itself may have some snags structurally, - as Margaret said, it is rather difficult to recover from having your 11 o'clock number 20 minutes into the show; but it still really an enjoyable ride. And wow that number was a doozy, just fantastic! I do love a Sondheim show.

Since then much has happened and I have lots of stories, which I will get to in good time. Really I think I just need to start saving them all up for my autobiography. For now all I will say is that this summer is certainly going to make an interesting chapter!

Catch the Rabbit!

Well, it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. We are just reaching the end of our third week since we began rehearsals (the second full week) and we have already done 5 performances, with one more to go tomorrow. Of course, we still have to put up an entire other show in the mean time, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Let's see, three weeks ago I had just gotten the show offer. I spent the weekend in a state of suspense. The only concrete information I had was that we would be touring two shows 12th Night and The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. The rest - which roles I would be playing, how many people would be in the cast, where we would be performing; all a mystery. This was both quite nerve wracking and just a little bit exhilarating. Just a little.

To say that we hit the ground running would be an understatement. We jumped right into blocking in the very first session, assigning roles as we came across them. We were taught music on the fly, by ear, and to make things more interesting I have had to learn to play the flute! Now, to be fair I did play the flute years ago. Many years ago. Like, 15 years ago. Its been an interesting experience. Well, to be honest it has been a pretty hectic experience. Its been a little overwhelming, for everyone I think.

With all of that, we put together the entirety of Peter Rabbit in about a week. This is a show that involves music from beginning to end, split second costume and character changes and lots and lots of running. Throughout the show I play a bunny, a mouse, a cat, a farmers wife, a flower and a bird. I speak in 3 different accents - none of them my own. I play three instruments, take part in two chases and a fight scene, build and break down a pretty major set (including a stage). All that and more. And that's only one of the shows.

We have spent this last week taking the show to schools in the morning and coming back to rehearse the Shakespeare in the afternoon. Remarkably this week has actually been a lot more relaxed than the last. I am sure we will go back to a state of panic next week when we have to solidify all of 12th Night in a week, but we'll leave that for then. For now I am going to enjoy an evening on the couch, then early to bed to learn my many many many lines for next week.

This is my Keychange

It is kind of incredible how situations can change. Last week I was stuck at home, worried that I was reaching the end of my time here in London. Although things had been going well - I got my work visa, my first professional job, my first voice gig and a voice agent - auditions were few and far between. I took a long hard look at my finances and had to admit to myself that I couldn't support myself on my savings for too much longer. The big shows had pretty much all finished casting, and I didn't really have anything on the horizon.

Then I got some auditions! As we finally round the bend into the warmer seasons theatre companies have started casting open air and summer touring shows. I had an audition last week for a Shakespeare production based about 2 hours outside of London. And another audition for a touring show doing Shakespeare and Beatrix Potter - a unique combination if you ask me.

And well, to cut a long story short, I got the call this afternoon. I got the job!!! I will be touring 12th Night and the Tale of Peter Rabbit through the end of the summer. This means many things - mostly that my visa will get renewed and I will get to stay in the UK for another year!

Very very excited. Now off to go celebrate!

Climbing the Walls

I don't handle free time very well. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a break every once in a while, or that I don't know how to manage my own time. No, what I mean is that I really don't like not having a project. In the past I have always filled my time with as much organized activity as humanly possible. In school this meant taking twice the number of classes required, after I graduated that meant working multiple jobs while performing in the evening. Needless to say I thrive under pressure and I like a full schedule.

Now, for perhaps the first time in my life I find myself unable to do this. On my visa I am only allowed to work in the arts. This means that I cannot get a civilian job to help either pay the bills or pass the time. This is a big problem for me. What it does mean is that I can really focus on theatre, which is part of the reason I moved to London in the first place. I found myself working a full time job that made me really unhappy, and I wasn't doing the work I wanted to. So now I am in a situation where I cannot take another job. It is a weird experience. I am kind of losing my mind a little bit!!!!!

Like any period of unemployment it has its ups and its downs. On the up side it does mean that I can focus completely on what I want to be doing. I get up and I often have the house to myself, so I can sing and be as loud as I need without disturbing anyone or feeling self conscious. I joined another audition listing site, one that I am in control of so I can submit myself for auditions. Up until now I have left that mostly in the hands of my agent. And as someone who is used to taking care of everything myself that has been rather difficult for me. I have a few auditions lined up for the next week, so hopefully something will come from one of those!

The downs are all the normal things you would expect. Anxiety about money, frustration at not having a job, fear that I will never get one. Nothing that is out of the ordinary. The trick is trying to avoid dwelling on all of these worries. I have learned that this is difficult to accomplish while cooped up at home with possibly the worlds worst cold. Not quite sick enough that I was bed ridden, but too sick to accomplish much. However I am now fully recovered and back up on the horse.

Even while I was sick I did manage to accomplish something, actually it was something really important. I finally got myself a voice over agent! This is something that I have been working on for about a year now. After one false start last year I have actually achieved one of my big goals for the year. Very very excited about this.

In all honesty, although it has been a very frustrating month, I am actually in a pretty good place professionally. In the year since I graduated I have managed to sign with both a theatrical and a voice agent.I have auditioned for a handful of shows, including a few West End productions. I have had one professional contract with a prestigious company. And I have managed to secure for myself (for the time being at least) a UK visa. Not half bad. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, and I am sure quite a lot of frustration and anxiety to go with it. But all in all, I'd say absolutely not bad.