Acting Class Exercises for Kids Part Two - Build a Scene

Contrary to the boring title, this is one of my absolute favorite games to play with all age groups. Why? It's a great way to assess abilities at the beginning of a class session. It stimulates their creativity and sense of play, and I can use it as a tool to immediately begin teaching the fundamentals of acting! This is also a great exercise for working with kids who are so young that they cannot yet "cold read". I hope this helps you in your next class!

*Build a Scene -
Give them a list of 3-5 items that HAVE to be included somehow in their mini-play (ex: the statue of liberty, a tsunami, Disneyland, my grandma, a ferret). Give them 5-10 minutes to create together and practice. They will perform it for you. Then you can "direct" it - give them more specific blocking using Upstage, stage right, etc...., Projection, cheating out, sharing the stage, not stealing focus, when to take focus, and why you should always say "yes" (the most important rule of improv!). It's a great tool for scene work (and if they're young and don't read well), plus they love to be creative!

More ideas for teaching acting to kiddos to come!

Angels Unaware

A lot has happened in the last week.  A lot. I've been blessed in the last few days to meet three individuals (none of them know each other), that somehow knew without asking that I could use a kind word or some support.  What they've done is come alongside me (again, without me even asking), and offer me their knowledge, encouragement and resources as I continue to explore the acting opportunities in Central Florida.  These are working professionals - new friends who I met through one or the other of the many films I've been working on.  And somehow, they knew that I could use a friend.  Someone to toss ideas around with, someone willing to let me bounce ideas off of them, and pick their brain.

Too often, our acting communities around the country like to close their doors and keep out the new - people, ideas, etc...  We are all so afraid that someone else is going to book our job, that we've stopped making friends and helping each other.  The reality of this crazy business is that getting the job has absolutely nothing to do with that other person, but solely with whether casting likes you or not.  Half the time, it has nothing to do with whether you can act or not, but whether you look the part.  Or whether they were bullied by a girl named Erin in 8th grade (no matter how good your audition, you are NOT going to get the part in this situation...).  So why shouldn't we help each other and share information and kindnesses?

How refreshing to meet not just one, but THREE people that are willing to give in the last few days? They have truly helped me out in so many ways already, and I can only hope that I'll be able to give back to them soon.

G'ma Joyce calls these people "Angels Unaware", which is so appropriate and what they truly are.  So thank you, my Angels, for your kindness, support, and knowledge.  For encouraging me and guiding me with no ulterior motives other than to help someone you believe in.

You rock.

Company on Fox 35 - 3 months later

Well, we finally were able to get our hands on the video of the cast of Company on Fox 35, which we shot back in December.  It was such a fun morning, and I'm happy to be able to share it with you this morning.  We're definitely missing some voice parts (it was only about half the cast), and my dress is certainly not flattering me much, but at least I can finally share it with you.

Here you go!

Thanks again, to director Nick Murphy for a great production, and the opportunity to make my stage AND television debut in Orlando all at the same time!

Acting Class Exercises for Kids - "Story, Story, Die"

Since I've been teaching acting to kids for the last twelve years, I thought over the next month or so that I would share some acting exercises and improv games that I've found exceptionally useful with kids. A lot of these would even be great in a school classroom environment! This first game was originally an improv game intended to be played with 4-8 players. Over the years, I changed the format and the rules to work better in the acting classroom. Here's how I play it!


Story, Story, Die -
Have your students sit in a circle, with you (the teacher) in the middle. You will need a title for the story and a genre (if they are old enough to know what a genre is), the kids may provide this or you can. The teacher starts by pointing to one of the students who begins the story. At any point, you (the teacher) can switch to another student. The next student should pick up the story seamlessly. If at any point one of the students hesitates, says umm...., or otherwise stalls, they are out. At this point I usually make them act out an elaborate and funny death, (but maybe not for little, little guys or at a school), hence the title, "Story, Story, Die". The last player left ends the story. This helps them to learn that all important rule of improv - "always say yes," by forcing them to continue a story that didn't ever go the way they intended it to. It's also great for little ones who have trouble with text and reading as it requires neither of those and is a great tool for teaching about storytelling.


Have you played this game before? Do you have any variations to share? Write it in the comments section below!

Fast and Furious February!

 Well, hello there!

What a wild and wooly month it has been!  Here's a quick recap:

-I have been auditioning like a woman possessed.  You may recall that in my last post I stated my goals for the year, including my desire to get my first imdb (internet movie database) credit this year.  Well, I have now booked TWO indie films shooting in March and then in May, and I will get TWO imdb credits for working on those.  So thanks for the good thoughts and prayers - I get to work on two great films, get some exposure, beef up my film resume, get paid (always nice), and cross my first goal off of the list - all in two months!  Up next?  Working on booking that National Commercial.  More on that in a bit!

-My gorgeous sister SURPRISED me and came to visit for a week!  We canoed with the alligators at Wekiwa State Park, went to see the Orlando Magic play (they actually WON that game!), and OF COURSE, took Kelli to Disney World for the first time.  It was amazing.  I cried when she surprised me.  We're settling in here, but it can still get lonely, so it was great to have my beautiful sister here.  Here we are at the Magic game!

-Jason's kind-of cousin Lara came down for a few days visit on her way to a Bahamian cruise for Devon's 30th birthday!  We've seen Lara once a month since October, and are hoping to keep the streak going now that we're only a seven hour drive or short flight away!

-Jason built me a raised bed for growing vegetables!  Planting is on going, so I'll wait to show you photos until I get everything planted by the end of this month!  You know that I LOVE to garden, so it's really special that I have a space for it!

-I am still teaching weekly dance classes for little guys and really enjoying it.  They're so cute, and they definitely keep me on my toes.  It's been great!  Plus, I love my boss and the company I am working for, so it's all good things.

-Gym-ing continues.  I don't feel good if I don't get a work out in every day, and my little belly is slowly disappearing.  I'm trying to get to a competitive size for working on-camera - right now I'm wearing a size 4 or 6 depending on the brand, and my goal is to be in a 2/4 by June.

-Last - I'm working on being very proactive about my acting career.  Dallas Travers - The Actor's Advocate - has been amazing in helping me set specific goals for a day, a week, a month, a year, long-term.  I have a plan for every week right now - of what I need to accomplish to develop my acting career.  Projects for March include identifying and building relationships with ten Casting Directors (I'm working on my list), getting my online presence together (blogging weekly, regular tweets - I'm now on TWITTER!, reworking my website, etc...), and many other tools to help me build my career in the way I want to. The next project is booking that National Commercial, and by June I want to be shifting my focus to getting that Guest Star credit.  If you haven't heard of Dallas and you are an actor, go to her site RIGHT NOW by clicking here.  She has tons of great free tools on her site, and if you live in LA or New York, you can take her class.  GO! (By the way, I don't receive anything for the endorsement - I'm just loving Dallas right now, and think you will too.)

-I shot an infomercial.  It was a blast - I had a great time on set with the crew, and they liked me enough to add extra shots of me.  My two hour shoot became a five hour one - can't complain!


So... follow me on twitter by clicking the link on the top of the page to the right, and check back weekly for more updates on my busy Orlando life!  Hope you had a great February!

Getting Reel...er...Real

The last week and a half has been amazing. I shot a short film called Hell on Earth where I basically looked like I had stepped off the set of the Walking Dead. (Photo below.) Fun!

I've had several auditions - a few commercials and an independent feature. I booked an infomercial, which I shoot tomorrow.

All good things!

Which is great because I have set myself some serious goals for this year. I've decided to share them instead of keeping them against my chest - it makes it more real, and forces me to work harder.

So - my goals for my career in 2013:
-book a commercial (multiple commercials would be better)
-Get my first imdb credit
-book a guest star spot on one of the tv series that shoots here in the South

Big goals - especially that last one. And to achieve that last one, I finally have to get reel. If you're wondering what a reel is, it's a sample of the best of your work on camera. A best hits reel that shows your range.

Because in this digital age, you can't get anyone to seriously look at you for any major role without a reel. Even with the best resume they'll just assume you can't act. So a reel is an absolute necessity. And I'm working on mine. I'm getting reel as it were.

Wish me luck.

Fun with Rob

My brother in law Rob has been in town for the last month, and since he's headed back to the University in a few days (and Jason and I are headed to the Caribbean today) we have been having a blast cramming some last minute fun in.

Friday we headed to Wekiwa State Park to rent a canoe (Jason and I) and a kayak (Rob). We had a blast paddling around, trying to splash each other and we saw so much wildlife in the preserve. It was awesome - we had a blast! AND - I finally had my first wild gator sightings! They were little guys - 4-5 feet and snoozing on the banks in the sun. So cool!

Yesterday we spent the morning volunteering for the Society of Saint Andrew's (SOSA) annual backyard Citrus Harvest. Every year they harvest several tons of unwanted Citrus from local neighborhoods and groves. The citrus is then donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida who distributes the citrus to local shelters and families in need. Very cool. You can see one of the Citrus boxes below.

In the afternoon we stopped for lunch at Robs favorite establishment - Chik Fil A - and then headed for mini golf at Pirates Cove over by Disneyworld. Do you know what happens to those who lose at Pirate mini golf? They end up in the stocks!

Thanks for a great visit, Rob! Stay warm in Idaho! We are Caribbean bound for some sun, run and scuba! (Though not all together!)