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Line-Learning tips

Three quick tips – there will be more. 1. Understand Following on from my last post about the Audition that Went Wrong, sadly not a hit West-End Play but an opportunity that I didn’t play well, I moved on quickly to thinking about how to move forward. I decided that I needed a challenge. I knew that drying in the audition wasn’t related to any general ability to learn lines – I’m fine with that usually - I explain in the previous post what I think happened there. But it had happened and so our old constantly-waiting-in-the-wings pal Mr Nag poked his head out and mumbled, ‘Well yes but what if you’re just not up to it any more. You are getting on a bit you know.’ The challenge I set myself was to learn a monologue from scratch and record it. This would put Mr N back in his box and give me something positive and encouraging to work on. I enjoyed learning the role and finding a way into it. This is one of the joys of acting. Yes, learning lines can be a mechanical and t...
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Audition Tips 2 – Reader, I fluffed it

What just happened? If you’ve read my other posts you’ll get the sense of an upbeat, positive attitude with a sprinkling of gung-ho bravado and a bit of self-help-book-ism stirred in for good measure. Today I am more reflective. I signed an NDA before the audition so let’s just say that it was a prestigious one, a step up for me to a role with a well-known casting agent for a well-known director. I got my agent’s message on the day after filming for another job. I was on a roll having landed two jobs that month, both of which had unexpectedly brought invitations to more work; and then this exciting audition. Not so much the icing on the cake as the opportunity to take the cake home and have another delivered soon with extra goodies. There were a couple of lines to learn overnight – no problem. I had them by bedtime, had them when I woke up and just checked on the train on my way. As always, I arrived early and found the audition location. I was called early and, you know...
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Stubborn stands, tenacious travels

What on earth drives a man in his sixties to suddenly decide, ‘I’ll become an actor. I’ll only take proper paid jobs, no SAs (supporting artist, walk-ons or extra work). I’ll find an agent, join casting sites and put myself out there’? Probably the answer is our old friend with the scythe, a bunch of crumpled-up calendar pages and the wry smile. She hangs around for all of us but likes to remind us of her presence as we hit those Key Performances Indicators on our travels to the Final Destination. She is a friend; without Madame Scythe there’s always another tomorrow. She reminds us that there isn’t so it’s time to act. There was a desire, an intention but also a couple of those blockers that we all tend to bring out to wither before dinner and scupper before supper our hopes, dreams and ambitions. My number one was that I would look foolish if I failed, my number two was a complete blank on how to start because if I didn’t get any work I would look foolish as I failed… An unmerr...
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Audition Tips 1 - Preparation

Here are a few tips I’ve picked up from my auditioning experience and from the wisdom of others at my Confidence for Auditions workshops. This blog relates to the all-important preparatory stage, from when you first get the nod to just before you enter the room. In other blogs I’ll focus on being in the room, self-shoot auditions, and reflecting on and learning from audition experiences. Its important to stress that I’m just offering my thoughts and gathered experience so take nothing as gospel and formulate your own plan to suit your style and lifestyle. 1. Auditions – love ‘em or love ‘em Why are you in this business if you don’t like auditioning? They’ll be your life as an actor. They’re the door and the way through the door. More than this, they’re a free opportunity to do yours stuff – and that’s why you’re an actor, right? To act. Every audition offers you that opportunity and sometimes, as in the case of some recalls, you’ll even pick up a little money. What’s not to like?...
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‘Am I any good?’

‘Am I any good?’ The title of this blog is in inverted commas because it typifies a question I’m often asked in one form or another by people I’m mentoring or at my Acting Confident workshops. The workshop is focussed on confidence for auditions and as we talk amidst the various exercises and role-play scenarios, someone will ask the question, either with courage directly or in a roundabout way as in ‘there are times when I doubt my ability’ or ‘sometimes I think I’m not cut out to be an actor’. It’s a question I used to ask myself – when I wasn’t an actor. It was one of those blockers that stopped me taking any steps to find out. I don’t think I ever verbalised it, either in conversation or internal monologue but I think it was always there in some form or other. My attempts to answer the unspoken question was to seek approval from others. On the whole it didn’t come. I did a great course at the Actors Centre on film and TV acting. It was run by someone who’d had a regular role i...
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