Contrary to what most people believe, studio time is not all about parties and bringing in as many people as possible to fit into a small space. Quite the contrary actually, as maximising studio time greatly helps with furthering careers for those recording as well as everyone involved behind the scenes such as the mixing engineer, producer, and the talent’s agent. There are only a few ways everyone walks away satisfied, and oftentimes it’s difficult to get everyone involved to agree on how something should be.
UK Black History Month has ended on a high, with the annual Powerlist announced at the end of October. The celebration of the most influential Black Brits of African or African Caribbean heritage honours a list of 100 people who have shown exceptionality in the last year. The list is then published in book format, […]
Lake Victoria Basin Talent Development and Adolescent Health (LVDAH) is a national nonprofit organization committed to creating safe spaces for adolescents. It is an organization which nurtures young people’s talents by providing opportunities and infrastructure for them to express themselves, perform, and grow.
After thirty years of presenting entertainment at corporate events, I, like many others in my field, have had to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of virtual production. The changes have asked much of me. Here are my current preoccupations on an industry transformed overnight by our pandemic-driven mutable world.
Don’t let your dream of touring or working in the USA become a nightmare! Do your homework, plan well in advance and follow these essential tips to success.
With all of the forward motion in the entertainment industry over the past few years, I just can’t believe that we still live in a culture of “Us vs. Them.” I’m talking about actors, musicians, “the talent,” vs. technicians. Even in my list, I’ve used a term I’m used to hearing: The Talent. Here’s the thing, I am also the talent. The spot ops are also “the talent.” The stage manager is also “the talent.” The deck crew, the A2, the board ops, the wardrobe techs, etc. are all “the talent.”
With more than 20 years of Broadway casting experience (including Tony-award winning heavyweights such as Wicked, Rent, and Hairspray), casting director Rachel Hoffman (Tesley + Company) knows a thing or two about life behind the table. She recently spoke with the Ensemblist to give her take on what it takes to be a standout in a crowd of thousands.
If you think you might quite like to be an actor… it’s TOUGH. Get used to that now, stop wishing on a hope and a prayer, and start putting in the hard yards. Realistically, it takes 10-20 years of climbing the ladder before you can claim to be an established ‘in demand’ actor unless you get very, very, VERY lucky. All the actors you see on TV and in movies, didn’t just arrive there by chance. They worked HARD. Every. Single. Day. FOR YEARS.
Pursuing a degree in musical theatre or acting is a process. It can also be very costly and stressful. There are increasing demands and requirements placed on students hoping to get into a top performing arts program. Each and every year the competition continues to increase.
Here are 5 tips to help you command the spotlight.
“You haven’t worked a hard day in your life”. A friend and strong supporter of the arts recently stated this to me, and the candor this individual had about my work ethic took me by surprise, mostly because I had assumed that this person knew the rigors of my profession (pit musician). While I smiled and laughed at the comment with the necessary grace and humility that was required of the situation, it did make me consider this persistent cultural idea that musicians and theatre artists do not “work”.
It is fair to say that many or most people in the arts and entertainment world hate opportunists. Those people who cut you off in the middle a conversation if someone “more important” walks over. Those people who, while they are talking to you at an event or an audition/interview will be looking over your shoulder or around the room for someone better; someone who can further their mission.
There are so many talented artists out there and yet we are all feeling, at one time or another, that the same faces and names are showing up in Playbills and credits.
What Have You Been Up To?
Recently faced with retracing the path I’ve been on over the past 15 years, the scent of nostalgia yields to the freshness of perspective that it lends.
“So, what have you been up to…?”
Who would have thought that that was such a loaded question?
It was asked sincerely, and it jolted me to reflect. Often in this situation, we review chronological milestones to the best of our recollection; A zig-zaggedy ride that reveals wild improvisation, and how much we are affected by unforeseen circumstances.
