Mary Doherty

Mary is a actor and tutor and all round Good EGG, as a student of hers at ‘The Actors Class’ I wanted to pick her brains for you, because I believe she’s great and sharing is caring. She has also snagged a role in National Theatre’s Twelfth Night this year!!!

Did you always want to act, how did you get into acting?

I started dancing at the age of 3 and by 5 I’m told I wanted to be a performer! So it started pretty young! My mother has a great love for the theatre and so we were often seeing productions. My brother James is also an Actor, so I grew up watching him and being surrounded by Acting. I then went to the Arts Educational School in Tring, which is a Performing Arts School, from the age of 11, so I started my training very early. Tring is an incredible school and it was from there that I went straight to drama school.

What makes theatre an exciting medium for you?

Theatre is where my passion is, I love storytelling and watching stories unfold in front of me, I love being taken on a journey looking at the world through other peoples eyes and being totally consumed in that particular world for a couple of hours. Anything’s possible in that space and that’s magic.

You have had some great roles working at the Globe and RSC and working under directors like Trevor Nunn. What is your most challenging and exciting role to date?

I played Queen Margaret in the Henry VI Trilogy for the Globe, we toured the show around the UK, to battlefields and also played at the Globe itself. Sometimes we would perform all 3 plays in 1 day; 7 hours of Shakespeare was most definitely challenging! It was amazing to see the audience who came to watch the whole trilogy in one day, they really went on the journey with us. Our Director Nick Bagnall was fantastic and really helped us to find the darkness and power within these plays. The role and whole production and cast were incredible and I feel very honoured to have played her.

What do you think are integral qualities for an actor today?

I think Professionalism is key to being an Actor today. Which is why regular training is really important as it instills that practice in you. It’s not just enough to love Acting and be talented. You need to be a great, open Company Member, who has the skills and professionalism required to be in that room.

You now train and teach actors through ‘The Actors Class’ What made you decide to set up these classes?

I set up The Actors Class 4 years ago because I was working with lots of fantastic young Actors who were moving to London, some getting into Drama School, but some not getting in, or not being able to afford to go and with a very limited Cv because they were just starting out, there weren’t many places where they could go for good regular training and classes. I wanted to create a safe and supportive environment where these young Actors could develop their craft, whilst starting to work with top Industry Professionals.

Tell us what’s different about ‘The Actors Class’

The Actors Class is a real family, I meet and work with all the students, so I get to know our Actors very well, which means they have someone overseeing their progress, mentoring them, who can Cast them, help them with Headshots, Agents, Showreels etc. As a Company we make sure we talk about running themselves as a business, as well as training them as Actors, as I believe the two really go hand in hand. We run Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced Courses, once they have completed the Advanced they then go into our Alumni and are given the opportunity to audition for our Industry Course with West End Showcase. Also the Alumni are offered 1 day workshops with top guest Industry tutors. So they feel part of a Company. I believe having a network of people creates it’s own opportunities and is incredibly important.

What would you suggest to people auditioning at drama school now when they go into the audition room?

Actors always get told to just ‘be yourself’, which can feel completely impossible when the nerves take hold. What that phrase means to me, is don’t try to tick all the boxes for the panel, if everyone was the same it would be incredibly boring! Be honest about why you want to be an Actor in your interview, pick the speeches that you connect with in your gut, not the ones you think you should be doing. When they say before your speech ‘in your own time’ it really does mean that! Take a beat, breathe, focus on who that character is talking to and what your character wants. There is no time to warm up into the speech in that room, so, be bold and go for it!

What do you enjoy about teaching?

To be honest, pretty much everything. I absolutely love teaching and I feel very, very lucky to be teaching such an inspiring and passionate group of people. My favourite thing is probably seeing the journey that these Actors go on with us, some weeks are harder than others – as they should be, training shouldn’t be easy! Then each student will have a breakthrough at some point of something that we’ve been working on and that’s why regular training, however and wherever you do it is so important, because it gives the Actor time to develop and learn their habits and time to understand text and techniques so that they have the tools to become a professional actor.

As drama school fees raise and entry becomes unfeasible to allot of people, how do you suggest an actor to keep active?

There are lots of good workshops around, with us, with The Actors Centre, The Actors Guild to name just a few. The most important thing is the word you’ve just used ‘Active’ and that can be achieved for free – Pick up a play, read it out loud, practice your sight reading, get a group of friends together, go to someones house or a park, get on your feet and just keep playing. Actors are like athletes and if we stop training, learning and practicing the muscle will weaken. Acting can be created anywhere, you just have to get up and play!

Could you tell our readers you’re favourite play and why?

I would say ‘Bull’ by Mike Bartlett is my favourite play at the moment. I love his writing, the rhythms, the dialogue, the characters. Bull is like a status masterclass and the play is powerful. Brilliant.

Mary runs “The Actors Class’ website for more info is right here, as I’m kind like that http://www.theactorsclass.co.uk

Actor Awareness workshop

Actor Awareness are holding a workshop and networking event. The workshop will be 2 hours led by Sarah Victoria experienced actress and instructor

Workshops are costly for any Actor. Like a athlete that goes to the gym, actors must go to classes to flex their muscles. The evening will be improv and duolouges. Then the chance to mingle and have a drink at the end. A chance to meet fellow creatives and broaden your network of people

We have 40 places available

BOOK HERE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/actor-awareness-workshop-tickets-27579401733

Rehearsal Space

So Ed Fringe and Camden fringe are upon us and some of you might have shows that you want to unleash on the world. So I have listed some cheap Rehearsal spaces that give great value for money.

Arch 468

Arch 468 in Brixton have fab rates

How Much?   The standard day slot is from 8.30 am to 5.30pm at £65 a day (that’s just £6 an hour). The evening slot is 6.00pm to 10.00pm at £45 a session. http://www.arch468.com/#rehearsal-space/cf5y

Theatre N16 

Theatre N16 do fab rates on rehearsal space- 10am-6pm £45 for the day!!!!

The Cockpit Theatre

• To hire a studio, call 020 7258 2925 (12-6pm, Monday-Saturday) – we take payment at the time of booking so please have your card ready.
• You can also email your enquiry to studios@thecockpit.org.uk
• Also Check out their Vanguard Scheme! You have to be 18-26 but if you check this link out http://www.cockpit.org.uk/vanguard The opportunities and rehearsal space prices are fab.

 

 

London Playwrights Blog

http://www.londonplaywrightsblog.com

London Playwrights Blog was started in 2013 as a resource for emerging playwrights.  Their aim is to bring together the latest opportunities, best resources, and good advice in one place.

This is a fantastic source for all writing competitions and workshops.

The Team

A.C. Smith – Director and Co-Founder

A.C. Smith (Alli to friends!) is a scriptwriter and songwriter. She has won awards from the RSC and Soho Theatre, and had work performed at venues including Soho Theatre, RADA, Southwark Playhouse, Theare503, HighTide Festival, Rose Playhouse Bankside, Pleasance Theatre, The Space, and the Tristan Bates Theatre.  She has worked at RADA as a Playwriting Tutor and as Head of Academic Studies, and as a  Development Executive at First Born Films, nurturing new feature film projects. As a lyricist and bookwriter for musical theatre, A.C. was shortlisted for the Perfect Pitch Award and has had her songs (written with Bella Barlow) performed at the Globe Theatre and on JemmThree Radio. She and Kimberley founded London Playwrights’ Blog as a resource to help writers bridge the gap between their artistic lives and practical goals. She is excited to be expanding this work into new initiatives to support London writers.

Kimberley Andrews – Head of Writer Development and Co-Founder

Kimberley is a playwright and budding screenwriter. She has had work produced at the Birmingham Rep and has developed work with the Manchester Royal Exchange, Wolverhampton University and All the Rage Theatre. She has also written and produced comedy sketch shows at the Hen & Chickens and is currently working on a television project. When she’s not writing, she works as a freelance script consultant and has also tutored playwriting students at RADA. Kimberley heads up our writer development and is keen to create exciting opportunities and resources for emerging writers. Along with the rest of the core team, she also manages the organisation and writes original content for the site.

Sam Sedgman – Head of Editorial and Digital

Sam is a freelance writer and digital project manager. He has managed digital projects for clients including the National Theatre, the Free Word Centre, Pegasus Theatre and Fevered Sleep. His work has been produced at Theatre503, the Warwick Arts Centre and Studio 52 in New York. He has read scripts in the literary departments of the Bush, the Finborough, the Old Red Lion, and Theatre503. He has also tutored playwriting students at RADA. Sam makes sure all our digital assets keep ticking, manages the site’s editorial output, and takes a shared role in managing the organisation. He also writes plays now and again.

Regular Contributors:

Adam Taylor – Columnist, Pursued By A Bear

Adam Taylor is a playwright from Watford. He gained a place on Paines Plough’s Future Perfect 2009 and subsequently had plays performed at Soho Theatre, The Unicorn, North Wall Oxford, the Latitude Festival and Rose Bruford College. Adam has written and performed his own monologues at Watford Palace Theatre, Soho Theatre and the Hen and Chickens. He has written short plays for nabokov’s Present : Tense and Theatre 503. Adam has written two plays under commission from Strode’s College, Egham. He collaborated with Theatre Re to create The Gambler, which was shown at the Pleasance for the duration of the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe and toured to The Roundhouse, The Space, Jackson’s Lane, the RADA Festival and The Cockpit Theatre. Adam also writes and produces his own hip hop as a solo artist under the name CymbalEyes and as one half of the group Versiz with King Cao.

Follow them on Twitter @LDNplaywrights

The Mono Box

THE MONO BOX is a collaborative, not-for-profit project that provides actors and directors  with affordable access to a unique, ever-growing collection of plays donated by industry professionals.

They provide actors and directors access to an extensive collection of plays donated entirely by industry professionals. They support actors to find suitable monologues/scenes for auditions and showcases in a relaxed, informal environment and deliver affordable workshops, direction and Q&A sessions to support actors’ development.

They invite professional actors, directors and playwrights to be in their a collective which fosters and nurtures creative relationships.

Speech Surgeries are monthly events that inspire, nurture and inform actors of the parts and playwrights available to them. Whether you’re looking for a new audition speech or want some advice, Speech Surgeries give actors and directors alike an opportunity to discover plays and ask searching questions in an open, relaxed environment.

NEXT SPEECH SURGERY:  Sunday 10th April  @ 10am – 2.30pm LOCATION: Old Vic New Voices Workrooms, 16 Drummond Road, Bermondsey, SE16 4EE

Or you can have one on one session. They can offer new speech ideas if you’re in need, re-direction, audition technique, advice or just the experience of doing your speeches in front of someone other than your Mum before an audition. Email hello@themonobox.co.uk for more details or to book a session

Check out MonoBox events at  www.monobox.co.uk/#!events/cv9l. They have so many affordable workshops and events by leading industry professionals.

MickSingPro

Workshops are designed to be different from other workshops. We are geared towards the ‘1 on 1’ style as opposed to the ‘classroom’ style. We feel this takes the pressure off the actors and gives you more of a realistic mock audition. Every teacher has their own way of running their workshop so not all of them will be 1 on 1 but each workshop will be clearly labeled. 

A usual workshop consists of doing a scene either in pairs or with a reader. These scenes will either be sent out to you beforehand or will be a cold reading. We also aim to film as many workshops as possible with footage sent out after the session. We will also offer the option of you paying a fee of £7 (£10 for 2 scenes) to download your scene after each session to use for your own private use. There will always be a Q & A at the start or end of each session.

The workshops we do are in compliance with the CDG guidelines..micksingproductions.com

Customer review:

Micksingpro is a company that offers workshops in front of casting directors, it attracts top CD’s in the industry such as Sarah Leung, Jeremy Zimmerman, Dan hubbard and more. I have been to a few of the workshops myself and I have always met fantastic people and a supportive environment. It is a place as an actor to flex some sight reading muscles with various scripts and to ask questions directly to CD’s. I have had a few friends get castings from the actual days but don’t relie on this as it creates a false expectation. Enjoy the workshop for what it is, an opportunity to have a bash at audition and script read throughs infront industry professionals who’ll give you some honest feedback.

Some CD’s are very detailed and all of them will provide their email so you can continue to follow up in email with your headshots and cv’s. Each CD before the workshop will cast you off your spotlight/ccp into a scene and a few days before you will be sent a script. Based at The New Diroma with a friendly company it is a good place to go if you have some spare cash. A workshop cost around £35, less if you become a member and they also provide intensive workshops days and agent showcases

Shoot From The Hip

Ever been interested in improv, want to see unplanned hilarious action up on stage. Every Monday and Tuesday Shoot From The Hip improvisation team provide shows (FREE ENTRY) that are imaginative witty and inspiring.

Mondays- The Camden Head in Islington, 8-10pm

Tuesdays- The top secret comedy club, Drury lane 8-10pm

You can also catch them at MonolougeSlam bi-monthly at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

They have been described as: ”brillantly funny comedy” Spotlight & ”well worth a shot (pun inteded)” Timeout

Improvisation as an actor is exciting as it creates new ideas and thoughts that aren’t planned, you are always reacting to the other person and having to be present in the scene. For any artist improv is very exciting and can help you nurture your imagination and become more confident.

Shoot From The Hip do 8 week workshops and they start this January, they are reasonably priced.

I have had the pleasure of seeing them and I was in stitches, some of the best improv around!

http://www.shootfromthehipcomedy.co.uk

Email: shootfromthehipcomedy@gmail.com

Call: 07805680323

 

Alexander Technique

Alexander Technique

Frederick Mattias Alexander is the pioneer of the Alexander technique which is taught throughout drama schools and conservatoires and is deemed essential to any actor who wants to work within theatre, especially Shakespearean actors. Frederick lost his voice and through self observation and self correction he found re-aligning his body, correcting habitual bad habits and habitual bad posturing, his voice returned. This is probably a rather simple explanation but what Frederick found was that the voice could be improved through correcting breathing problems that had been developed over the years. Alexander technique requires a journey of self discovery, it is a skill that will help you develop as a actor, singer or just in life, getting rid of tension and stresses of daily life.

Stanislavski understood that excessive tension interferes with creating the spiritual life of the character in performance, the Alexander technique deals with this directly. Often people are inhibited or impeding their progress in developing as an actor and the technique allows you to become aware of your tensions, allowing the you to develop new ways of performing.

The Alexander technique improves posture and movement, which is believed to help reduce and prevent problems caused by unhelpful habits. During a number of lessons you’re taught to become more aware of your body, how to improve poor posture and move more efficiently. The Alexander technique is used and taught by classically trained vocal coaches and musicians. Its advocates claim that it allows for the free alignment of all aspects of the vocal tract by consciously increasing air-flow, allowing improved vocal technique and tone. Alexander realized that people who had been using their bodies wrongly for a long time could not trust their feelings (sensory appreciation) in carrying out any activity.

If you have had no training and want to improve the quality and efficiency of your voice, finding cheap and good classes to help you improve your voice could give you the confidence to go for that role, whether it’s a Shakespeare play or a theatre role that interests you.

CITY LIT are based in Covent garden and they have plenty of reasonable courses. They provide 3 Alexander technique class options for around £100-150. The Academy is well respected and you will get your value for money in quality.

http://www.citylit.ac.uk

Meisner

 

As actors, we all strive to become better through training that advances our skills whilst simultaneously giving us access to new ones. We will do the utmost to flex our artistic muscles and learn new things in a creative environment.

Training in acting can be very expensive and time consuming. Any aspiring actors, or even working actors, reading this are aware that you need courses, workshops and training that can fit around work/commitments and are also cost effective.

This section will bring you information on courses, workshops, training…pretty much anything we can find that will be within your reach to attend and afford.

Meisner Courses

I attended a Meisner course back in August run by Alex Vendittelli at The Cockpit Theatre (a fantastic fringe theatre that does events from as little as £1).

He is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and amenable person that engaged us all whilst giving us a good basic knowledge of the Meisner approach. At £100 for 5 weeks, this is a way cheaper alternative than most Meisner courses out there. Meisner is not for everyone – I personally find it to be an amazing approach. It’s such an expressive technique that really helps actors to connect and act on impulse; very organic things grow from Meisner.

Alex is offering readers a chance to attend the drop in sessions for FREE which normally cost £12! In the drop in sessions you don’t participate, but you watch other actors rep; it is a great thing to watch and see the technique in action from an outsiders perspective.

If you fancy a go, pop down for a session. The classes are run weekends and evenings, this link will give you more information: thecockpit.org.uk/class/meisner_technique_drop-ins

Another great Meisner drop in class is the salon:collective’s classes in the technique. They are headed up by Dominic Kelly, who is the artistic director of the salon:collective and has taught the technique for over eight years.

“Meisner Technique emphasizes “moment-to-moment” spontaneity with your acting partner. The goal is to generate behaviour that is emotionally and impulsively truthful within imagined circumstances.”

Drop-in classes:

Completing the introduction course (In order to join the drop-in sessions, beginners must complete the Introduction course first) gives you membership to Dominic’s classes and allows you to practice and develop your Meisner skills in these sessions. We also encourage you to bring scene work, monologues, audition prep and other resources to continue your growth as actors. Before booking please note, the drop-ins are designed as a resource for actors to develop the skills learnt as part of the full Meisner Training, as such you will only be able to work on elements of the Technique you have been trained in as part of the Meisner Technique Stages.

Drop-ins are a great opportunity to be part of the salon:collective’s thriving community of actors and artists.

“Acting is fun. Don’t let that get around.” – Sanford Meisner