Sunday February 10th, 2012 – Oakwood Apartments – North Clubhouse

10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees can enter to win a FREE 45 Minute Coaching with Loren!

Tuesdays 4:00 – 6:00 pm.

Industry Day Saturday, February 18, 2012

INTENTIONAL ACTING Ages 18+

Tuesdays 7:00 – 10:00 pm

REQUEST AN INTERVIEW: Loren@IntentionalActing.com  or call 818-985-8504

Watching the contortionists at the Cirque du Soleil last night, I realized that they make acrobatics look so easy that I forget how impossibly hard it is.  I took for granted the strength, the flexibility, the practice, and courage it takes to achieve those feats.

Acting is the same.  Great actors make acting seem easy. But I see a lot of actors who take the craft of acting for granted. They think “I can do that” and they audition, go to casting workshops, do showcases, without having a teacher and being in a regular class. By the way, they are the same actors complaining that they’re not booking.

Great acting requires consistent practice, a good coach and personal courage to build the emotional strength and emotional flexibility required to perform great roles. Respect your craft.  Be in class – practice.

In the next couple of weeks before pilot season begins give yourself some fallow time.  Enjoy the holidays with your family, without working, without worrying about how your career will bloom next year.

Rest, relax, reflect.  There will be plenty of time to get things started and to make things happen in 2012.

May joy and peace fill your holidays.

May abundance of love and opportunity fill your New Year.

Thank you for allowing me to be of service to you and your dreams.

Loren

With Pilot Season around the corner you can’t afford not to be.

Where there used to be over 300 pilots made in one season, now there may be only 30.  Studios are not making as many films either which means more movie stars go to television, not just to star in series, but to do three-or-four-episode guest roles. Remember there are over 2000 actors being submitted for every role.  You have to be at your very best when that audition comes in.

Take an inventory – an honest one or it really doesn’t work.  Have your coach or teacher give you feedback.

Here are six questions to help.

1. Are you breaking down a script and making the strongest choice?

2. Are you owning the room when you walk into the audition?

3. Do you adjust quickly if you’re not in the mood or something happens in the waiting room to throw you off?

4. Are you really adjusting to the direction the CD gave you or are you giving them the same thing twice?

5. Are your headshots working for you? Looking like you? Resume up to date?

6. Are you in class? Professional actors, like professional athletes – Practice.

This is your Pre-Season. Take your inventory, practice and get to work!

Feel free to share your inventory results or other questions that might help.

Regardless of this depressing trend, we forget that we are lucky to be living in the Entertainment Capital of the world. Many people around the country and the world would love to be in LA auditioning. I know because I get emails from actors asking how they can get the opportunities that you have.

So when you get that audition, go and be grateful that you have an audition.

Next audition: focus more on being grateful rather than getting the job. Be grateful for the opportunity to be seen by this Casting Director. Be grateful to your agent for the work they did to get you the audition. And be grateful you had the time, money and means to get to the audition.  Notice how the audition goes. I just bet – a little better.

I am grateful to all of you for your support of my business. I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Comment and share your experiences of how gratitude has helped with your auditions.

Come see the one person show I directed: “DANCING WITH MY DEMONS” written and performed by Ruthy Otero – Listed by Variety “Top 10 Comics to Watch” and “One Funny Latina” – LA Weekly.

Wednesday, Nov. 9th  - 8pm

WhiteFire Theatre 13500 Ventura Blvd,(near Woodman) Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

TICKETS: $22 at the door but I’m offering my website followers Disco Discounts:

Option A: 2 tix for $20 (less than ½ price). Enter code: PLATFORMS

Option B: $12 per ticket. Enter code: BOOGIE

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/205108

More info: http://www.myonepersonshow.com/About_Demons.html
www.ruthyotero.com

See you on the dance floor after the show!

Actors can get so driven to create a breakthrough in their career, that they walk into the audition room to get the part, rather than to give a personal, vulnerable, honest performance that comes from the heart. If a performer risks giving something of themselves emotionally, it truly is a gift. Think of your favorite actor or singer and the gifts their performances have given you.

For your next audition, set your intention to Give to the Casting Director. Start with a smile, an appreciation for the audition, and your patience in the waiting room; then make the bow on the box a piece of you in your performance.

“I was a baseball player in school. I had a good arm, I could catch anything, but I was having trouble hitting. I would be like, ‘I wonder if I’ll hit it; just let me hit the ball.’ And then I went away for the fall, learned how to hit, and by my sophomore year I’d come to the plate and think, ‘I wonder where I want to hit the ball, to the left or right?’ Just that little bit of skill and confidence changed everything.

“Well, I had to treat acting like that. I had to stop going to auditions thinking, ‘Oh, I hope they like me.’ I had to go in thinking I was the answer to their problem. You could feel the difference in the room immediately.”

Here are 7 benefits to asking questions in an audition:

1.  Questions allow the director to clarify their direction and note if they made a mistake.

2.  Questions give the Director an opportunity to elaborate on what they are looking for which helps you to know and deliver exactly what they want.

3.  Questions give you clarification so that your mind is free of, “Well this is stupid.”  “Am I doing it right?” and all the other garbage that gets in the way of you being in the moment and giving your best performance when it matters most.

4.  Questions allow you to walk away from an audition knowing you did your best when it mattered most.

5.  Questions show the Director you’ve done your homework and that you’re well prepared.

6.  Questions show the Director that you are an actor who knows how to make a choice and can back it up.

7.  Questions show the Director that you understand and can take direction.

What do you think?  Please comment and use this as an opportunity to help another actor.