Gruelling Performances

Here's a rather odd looking picture of me, with the crew over at the Well Worn Theatre Co. I attended a workshop by Webber, which might I add, was one of the most riveting and physically challenging, as well as stimulating and informative workshops I had ever frequented. The WWTC runs regular classes/ workshops on Wednesdays, at the NSA Downstairs theatre (National School of Arts, BraamPark), which incorporates various mediums of physical theatre, to address social and diasporic issues.

If you would like to attend one of the classes, or find out more about the Well Worn Theatre Co. please visit them, by logging onto their Official Page

UPDATE: Open Auditions

UJ 2013 Arts & Culture Open Auditions: TODAY

To those of you headed for the 2013 open auditions call for various acts and performances, taking place at the Con Cowan Theatre (UJ) Bunting Rd, adjacent to the SABC, please note that the times are as follows:

10:00 - 11:00 REGISTRATION in Foyer
11:00- 15:00 AUDITIONS commence and work up from there

Remember, you need to PREPARE
1.) Any 2 min monologue - from TV, Film, Stage productions and even small musicals
2.) Extra 2 min- demonstrate any other related talent

Venue:

Con Cowan Theatre
University of Johannesburg, JHB
Auckland Park, Bunting Rd Campus
(opp. KFC)

AUDITION: UJ Con Cowan Theatre Productions 2013

Auditions will take place, on Monday January 28, 2013 at the Con Cowan theatre at the University of Johannesburg. Auditions are for the theatre's 2013 arts and culture program, which will see performers working across shows, exhibitions, and other related cultural events.
Auditionees are to prepare any 2 minute monologue, after live-application on audition day, in the foyer of the theatre. A 2 minute time frame will also be allowed, to demonstrate other artistic ability.
Times have been announced as, 11:00-15:00
and applicants are asked to come early, to avoid disappointment and other arising setbacks.
For more information, head on over to Artslink

or visit the UJ page

Monologue

Tomorrow is my first class at the, Brumilda Van Rensberg Acting Academy and Agency. As you know, I am so super excited to commence this course, and start working in the area, I've been dying to work in, for a really long time. The Brumilda Academy is an amazing one, because it is run by Brumilda herself, former Egoli actress and South African household name. Some of the other classes are taught by other actors, directors, producers, and scriptwriter's, etc. The course equips one with the necessary skills, in order to start pursuing careers in the creative industries- moreover, the course offers exposure and agency representation for an entire year, after the course; meaning that in some way, or another, there is work guaranteed for you. 

Ahead of the first class, we were asked to prepare:

- Introduction 

- Any 1 minute monologue

-TV link- introducing show (e.g. Top Billing), or own

-News- with 3 headlines

-Song: 2 verses of any well-known song

-Learn words to, "Lion Sleeps Tonight." [Bring props]

-TV Commercial (Own) or copy one

Below I have attached the 3 possible monologues, I might do. The first one by Arnold Beckoff, is the same one I had prepared, a month ago, for the Youth Development Programme at the Joburg Theatre, and I really like it. There are so many elements I can resonate with in Beckoff's monologue; for those who don't know- Arnold is a drag queen, and in this opening scene of the movie, he seems to be offering a critique of his life and choices, thus far, using wit and a thick, raspy voice ton convey this. He remains relatively calm throughout, and becomes expressive by the pronunciation of certain words- he is also in the process of applying make-up, and staring into a mirror. 

I really love the movie-cum-play, The History Boys. It is a mellow, yet eerie account of life at an old boy's school, where boy's will be boy's; where stereotypes are sampled, and before a lens, zooming in to expose the somewhat, secretive and shunned world of 'teacher-scholar' friendships, with astounding results.

Mysterious Skin, is the book-turned-movie, directed by Gregg Araki, and starring, Joseph Gordon Levitt as the central protagonist of the story. The plot follows the life prevalent after Neil (Levitt) was exposed to, and molested by a former baseball coach, along with another boy, whose own anxieties and fears begin to merge with the main plot, before there's an intense moment of merging in the film. 

Torch Song Trilogy
written by Harvey Fierstein

Arnold Beckoff: I think my biggest problem is being young and beautiful. It's my biggest problem because I've never been young and beautiful. Oh, I've been beautiful. And God knows I've been young, but never the twain have met. Not so as anyone would notice anyway. Y'know a shrink acquaintance of mine believes this to be the root of my attraction to a class of men most subtly described as old and ugly. I think he's underestimating my wheedles. See, a ugly person who goes after a pretty person gets nothing but trouble, but a pretty person who goes after a ugly person gets at least cab fare. Now, I ain't sayin' I never fell for a pretty face, but when les jeux sont fais gimme a toad with a pot o' gold and I'll give you three meals a day, cuz honeys, ain't no such thing as a toad when the lights go down. It's either feast or famine. It's the daylight you gotta watch out for. Well face it, a thing of beauty is a joy 'til sunrise. (drags on his cigarette) There's another group you gotta watch your food stamps around: The hopeless.


The History Boys


 Dakin: "How does history happen?" I asked Irwin, and he couldn’t answer. But now he knew. Nothing special. Skid on a corner...ordinary stuff. Irwin had never been on the back of a bike before, so maybe going round the corner he leaned out instead of in and so unbalanced Hector. Trust him to lean the opposite way to everyone else. But he had no memory of what caused it. The last thing he remembered was me asking him out for a drink. Something we never did, incidentally. Still, at least I asked him. Barr the accident, it would have happened.




Mysterious Skin

Neil: [narration voice-over] And as we sat there listening to the carolers, I wanted to tell Brian it was over now and everything would be okay. But that was a lie, plus, I couldn't speak anyway. I wish there was some way for us to go back and undo the past. But there wasn't. There was nothing we could do. So I just stayed silent and trying to telepathically communicate how sorry I was about what had happened. And I thought of all the grief and sadness and fucked up suffering in the world, and it made me want to escape. I wished with all my heart that we could just leave this world behind. Rise like two angels in the night and magically... disappear. 

Talent Promo & Development Programme

The word, Impikelelo simply means; persuasion, or rather directly, go on towards your goal, and that was exactly the agenda behind the godsend-of-a-creation of the Impikelelo Talent Promotion & Development Programme. The initiative was created in order to sustain, nurture, develop and groom emerging local talents, of every genre, from Music to Drama, and it seeks to enable aspiring artists to achieve their dreams of entering the entertainment and arts industries alike, as trained, well-groomed and like-minded individuals.

Joining up for the programme will expose vernal artists to the otherwise "closed" world of arts, and also assist them in driving towards their goals. While I am not sure whether or not there's a fee for the programme, by reading through the description of the company, which can be found here, I am certain that participation could only lead to heaps of success and life-altering opportunities.

There's currently an opportunity to do a photo shoot+ interview, which will be included on the Impikelelo website, launching Monday, August 6 2012, and the reel will be made available and ready-for-viewing throughout the next year, and information pertaining to that can be found on the Impikelelo Facebook page. However, please note that the photo session and interview will be taking place as soon as tomorrow, so make arrangements to be available, if you're interested in attending.

Audition Notice

Hello fellow Artists!

Producers for the popular, SABC 1 show; Intersexions, are currently casting for the second season. Auditions will kick off in Johannesburg, and move to Cape Town and Durban thereafter. The show is plotted around the "AIDS infection chain", and first premiered at the end of 2010 with 25 independent but interrelated episodes. 

For those of you who are interested in auditioning for the show and would like more information, please click here. The producers have uploaded scripts onto the TVSA page, which hopefuls are expected to familiarize themselves with, and rehearse ahead of the first auditions, taking place this weekend, 4 August 2012.

The venue information and times for auditions are as follows:

Johannesburg

Date: 4 August 2012

Time: 10h00-17h00

Venue: Bassline, 10 Henry Nxumalo Street, Newtown   

Information for the other cities have so far not been made available, but do keep referring back to the TVSA homepage, or here if you're looking to audition in another city.

Source: TVSA

Academy of Drama and the Performing Arts

For those of you who don't already know, this autumn I will commence a short, yet very reputable drama and performing arts course, coordinated by Brumilda Van Rensburg, and other exciting SA actors, and writers, etc. The course is going to be fulfill in so many ways, and I cannot wait to reap the rewards. 

The world of Performing Arts has always appealed to me, from a very young age. I love acting, singing, imitating, painting, sketching, designing, writing, producing and directing. I love that I am so inclined towards the artistic realm, because if you're an artist, you will know that art is the greatest liberty, and that the greatest expression, arguably, is art!

For those of you who may be interested in doing the course this autumn, or at a later stage, go to this site for all information pertaining to the course. I eventually settled with the Brumilda Academy, because it is not only a training academy, it is also an agency that helps students find roles in all the different parts of the performing arts; from TV to Stage productions. It's a fun, eccentric, and seemingly challenging course that will definitely, as it seems, equip one for a career in the drama and performing arts field, even if as just a mere beginner. At the end of the course, students are conferred with certificates and a show reel of performances and photos, etc, that will shape a portfolio. Even the final exam sounds fun, though I won't give too much away.

The course is affordable, and runs on Saturdays, starting August 4, with classes from around 9h00 to 17h00, taught by different actors, etc, every week on a different subject.