If I knew then what I know now

September sees the fresh faced arrivals at many drama schools and colleges throughout the UK and means that the streets of Covent Garden are adorned with the latest intake of students at the Royal Ballet school. None of which is a bad thing of course.

What is worth pointing out to the same drama students though is that although the quality of teaching that they may have might well vary a little from institution to institution, they industry may well regard those venues (and their teaching) as vastly different. As I'm sure you've all been told before, Life isn't fair. Deal with it.

I was sitting and thinking about what I wish I knew when I started my training at City Lit? What would have made my life, not easier per se, more perhaps productive? What traps I could potentially avoid I guess.

The short answer is that I wish I realised that I had one mouth, two ears, and sometimes only half a brain. I admit that I was one of those students who needed to understand the reason behind the exercise that the teacher was putting us through. If, as often was the case, I didn't grasp the point of the exercise then I would spend a huge amount of energy trying to fathom it out rather than just getting on with it and seeing what followed.

My end of term reports often intimated that I was being too analytical and too cerebral and that I needed to not fear the visceral response sometimes. What crystallised the lesson for me was when a teacher, the immensely talented and hugely patient Jonathan Dawes, took me to one side and said "Imagine you're standing on a kerb or a wall. Balance right on the edge of it. Allow yourself to fall and deliver your lines in that moment of uncertainty and freedom." To this day I often find myself taking a character I've got trouble finding and, using bits of dialogue, I go and balance on the steps by the Renoir cinema and I play. Just play. With the words, the meaning, the timing. In that play I find a huge release of my own expectations and preconceived ideas about the character. As I topple forward, or backward if standing that way, off the kerb my instinct kicks in and my focus is not on me, or the character. I cease to exist. My attention is on the fall. The journey if you like. And in those moments the first glimpses of a character can sometimes be seen.

It's worth saying that Drama School, any Drama School, will be the most supportive, inclusive, welcoming, safe space for you to learn your craft in. So don't get caught up in petty squabbles between students and especially not between students and staff! You may or may not wish to include 'Romances' in the category of 'Petty Squabbles'.

Having seen relationships blossom and die between students in the same acting class I would suggest that although a dalliance might well be fun, be aware that if the relationship sours you may well have two and a half years of having to sit in the same room with, and reveal the deepest darkest secrets of your soul to, someone who you previously adored but now wouldn't pee on if they were on fire. Needless to say this added frisson can bring a useful element to some examples of scene work but may well interfere with others.
Let's not forget that the relationship may well have an impact on others in your class too. It may be that you and your partner want to work almost exclusively with each other on scenes too. But that would limit the learning that you both have ultimately.

We learn by being exposed to other actors. If we repeatedly, and misguidedly, seek to work with only someone we love, or even just 'fancy' in some cases, then we are limiting our own experiences. It is an actors  job to seek out new experiences and to challenge ourselves by, perhaps, working with the people we feel least inclined to work with. After all once you've left the safe environs of the drama school you will inevitably be faced with the situation one day of turning up to the first day of auditions and finding someone standing there you really would rather wasn't. If you don't have that experience of working with all sorts whilst at college you may find that you are thrown when the cast doesn't all gel perhaps. Even if they don't, and sometimes even with the best will of all concerned they just don't, you still have a show to perform so you have to behave professionally and in a civil manner. At least until the final curtain falls on the run.

To sum up this post, drama training should be fun. A play is called a 'Play' for a reason after all, so play. Play with character, with emotion, I would say play with yourself but I fear that may be misconstrued.

Be aware though that the start of training is precisely that. I loved my time at City Lit and I learnt loads. I also now know that I've learnt infinitely more about the business since graduating than I did in my time there.

Most drama schools seem to skirt around the 'Business' side of the business so I want to say a few words about that but I think that'll have to come in the next post.

Immersive experience

My recent relative silence here and on Twitter has been due to my involvement in something new for me, immersive theatre.

I know that this is something that divides both audience and critics alike and I am someone who has been to immersive, interactive, theatre and hated some of it as much as I've loved others of this ilk. 

What was interesting for me was the huge amount of improvisation required to keep the audience firm in the belief that they had become immersed in your world, and that that world was different to their own. 

Working in a damp disused railway tunnel takes its' toll on your voice unless you remember to support it correctly and so does no daylight for 9 hours a day during rehearsals but the whole thing was made much more enjoyable by having a great cast who were all phenomenally generous, and a fantastic director whose vision resulted in the creation of something that defies classification and straddles genres with ease. 

From audience reactions we knew we had something good happening but we could not tell how good. And then we found we had been nominated for an Off West End Award (Offie) and collectively smiled a huge smile. 

It's not that we do this for the recognition of course but the way this particular show is set up there is no chance for the audience to applaud the cast and some find that a little difficult after working so hard for so long, so the good reviews and the nomination serve as our collective applause and we, as one, salute you. 

I should also say here that the show is Jack the Ripper's London, by Crow Theatre and directed by Natasha Campbell. We are resting the show for August whilst some set changes happen and then we'll be back in September ready to amaze and delight. 

Twitter and How to Use It

Sometimes life has a habit of getting in the way of even the most well planned of things. That is what has happened with my blog of late. Life, in the form of my own insecurities and foibles, has left me rather distracted of late so I have neglected my blog for almost two months.

I shall try, but won't promise, to provide a blog post at least once a month from here on in.

This particular post is being written at the request of one of the most highly regarded headshot photographers around, Mr Michael Wharley.

He is off to the NSDF conference this year and has asked if he can feature me as an example of an actor who uses Twitter effectively. Once I was over the shock of being asked if he can use my Twitter page as an example we talked the topic over a little and I decided that I would blog on the slightly wider topic of "How to Use Twitter if you're an Actor"

Not meaning to sound like I know what I'm talking about, and absolutely not meaning to lecture but it does strike me that there are some very simple rules to follow when using Twitter as a professional tool no matter what your profession.

Firstly there is the little matter of picking your name. Pick it carefully.

As much as your Equity and Spotlight names are your brand name so is your online presence part of the same brand. The fact that your schoolmates might well have called you Wobblybottom or that you really did have an email address that was "punanimaster@...." is something that you need to leave behind you.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, smacks of a lack of professionalism more than having an unprofessional online name. Your email address, even if it's a free web-based email, and your Twitter account are professional tools and need to be treated as such. The simplest solution is to just try to get an account that matches your name as closely as possible. If you have to veer away from that because some other person has already nabbed your name then so be it but don't veer off into the inane or profane.

If you want brand consistency across all platforms then I would suggest looking into sites like NameChk which allows you to check name availability on almost all forms of social media or Know'em which does something very similar but also allows you to check domain name availability and then gives you the option to pay for a service which will register your chosen name on up to 300 websites in one go. Personally I didn't much see the point in the pay service when you really only want to grab the top sites anyway but the option is there to use if you so desire.

Now you've got your page reserved what do you do with it?

This is Twitter we're talking about here so I will stick with that, although these can be extended to other social media sites too of course. Twitter allows you to change the background to your page. So change it. Even if you just tile your main headshot over the page that is something. And use a professional headshot as your avatar too.

I know these may sound like idiot guides but heigh-ho... Now you've set up your page you need to start to follow people. Personally I think there is limited mileage to be gained from following the celebrity Twitterati as you will not really be able to engage them in conversation. (Even if you do you will probably be speaking with the web manager employed to Tweet on behalf of the celeb anyway.) When I started out I found the Twitter accounts for as many of the London Fringe theatres I could find and then followed them. I looked at who they followed and followed them. That way I quickly built up a list of people I was following who were at least interested in theatre.

Read their posts. Reply. Ask questions. And above all else be prepared to help out too. If people need a retweet of one of their messages then retweet it. If you're stuck for something to say then ask who you can help.

I treat Twitter as part of the job of being an actor. Of course it doesn't improve my acting per se, nor will it get you auditions but if you follow film and theatre production companies, directors, and above all else casting directors, then you will hear about things in the pipeline often before they are public knowledge and that gives you a chance to be helpful.

There are some fringe producers out there who will look at a Twitter presence and if you've a growing following on here and someone else has none they will tend to offer parts to the actor who can readily market an upcoming show to their following.

Twitter isn't just about getting bums on seats though. Acting can be a very lonely profession at times and online social media can provide you with support and guidance in those times when you are ready to quit. And everyone has those moments sometimes. If you have engaged with people and shown compassion then you will get compassion back in return.

Speaking personally and entirely subjectively here I can say that there have been times when Twitter has given me room to vent and let off steam and others when it has given me strength and succour to continue. It has also put me in contact with some wonderful people who produce work that I truly admire. Of course, overtime, as you build your own online presence your personality will start to shine through. That is a good thing. You cannot expect to be entirely business focussed all the time and it's to be encouraged to have opinions on things and to Tweet them too.

I have seen people use paid-for Follower tools on Twitter. I decided long ago not to go down that path as even though they would generate a large kick in follower numbers it is doubtful that many of them would be even vaguely interested in theatre, film, or acting in any form so what would be the point of having the number for the sake of the number. I would rather quality over quantity any day.

As I've said before, spend time reading the Tweets from people who you follow. And reply. Twitter is a modern day version of the chat over the garden fence and it's going to be a very dull conversation if only one person talks all the time.

Be proactive. Be helpful. Be mindful too.

By mindfulness I mean don't flood your timeline with a million tweets about your undying love for Justin Beiber/One Direction/Twilight etc. It might well be that you will marry one of them but it gets very dull, very quickly when all you do is tweet about them. So think about what you post. Share the things you like. Share the things you really don't like. Share enough to allow people to see who you are beyond just being an actor.

Showcase Shmocase

Well it's been almost a month since I was here last and what a month it's been!

I've been to lots of drama school showcases, some of which have blown me away with the display of raw talent on stage, others of which have made me wish for a lightening bolt descending from the skies to strike the director who deemed their ideas worthy of being a showcase. I can't stress enough how terrible some of them have been.

Back in the day when I was approaching my own showcase it was drummed into us by our head of faculty that the job of the showcase was to, unsurprisingly, showcase us. It was not to give us all equal stage time if that time meant we could shoot ourselves in our feet. Metaphorically speaking of course. Well it seems to me that some drama schools take the view that all students need to be given equal stage time regardless of ability. Hence I've witnessed singing that was flat, voices that were indistinct, acting that was timid and utterly mind-numbing and I've also had to sit through umpteen excerpts from the same handful of plays over, and over, and over again. Even the food on offer has started to take on a relentless sameness. Standing around in the bar afterwards chatting to agents they all share the same view.

Drama school showcases invariably take place in the lunch hour so that busy agents, casting directors and producers can justify getting out of the office for a bit longer than an hour and seeing something entertaining and finding new talent. The new talent is undeniably there but the "entertainment" factor has been absent by and large. Making the audience laugh, or even making them smile, makes them more predisposed to like the actors they see on stage. Boring them or picking scenes that all feature two people screaming profanities at each other gets rather tiring.

The most entertaining, and arguably most successful showcase so far this year has featured a mixture of duo and monologues together with larger company pieces and even the odd song. And no this was not a Musical Theatre showcase, they're an altogether different bag usually featuring a large degree of shirt movements revealing toned six-pack abs, row upon row of preternaturally white teeth and any number of Stiles and Drewe songs segueing into hard bitting dramatic scenes where the leading candidate to play Dandini in panto this season in Margate is allowed to flex his acting muscles by declaring himself in love with the beautiful girl opposite him whilst struggling to hide his penchant to punctuate sentences with a demonstration of a jazz hand or two. But they are entertaining nevertheless.

I have to say the thing uniformly lacking in most of the drama showcases I've seen so far has been simply that. Drama. Mainly scenes are underacted with the actors showing scant connection with the text and not able to project vocally beyond the first two rows of the stalls. This has been the case in even the smallest, and oddest choice of venue, the Fortune Theatre where the showcase also suffered from being badly lit.

Why do I go if they're so bad I hear you say? Well, not only do I live moments away from the majority of venues but I also have a job to do. I'm an actor, a director and now a producer. When I go I am looking at, and for, actors. Sometimes the design of the showcase makes it hard for the cream to rise beyond the sea of little UHT milk capsules bobbing about. I beg the people tasked with creating showcases to remember what they are there to do and to showcase the talent. But please please please make the hour entertaining. Mix it up a bit. If you have one black actor please use something other than Blue/Orange to demonstrate his skills. Why not let him do Coward, or Crimp for that matter. Shake it up. Be bold. Let your imagination fly and let your students take wing rather than shackle them by lacklustre direction and no imagination.

Things are afoot in the land of Actorvist

As some of you, primarily those of you who follow me on Twitter, already know I've not been my usual self recently. I've been battling with a long drawn out period of depression which is somewhat at odds with my creative urges.

The depression not withstanding I've appeared in two plays this year and played a part in two feature films, one a very large budget, high profile franchise and the other a much more modest affair. I've also been thinking about writing a couple of ideas that have been bubbling away in my head for a while.

Well, whilst I've been doing all the above I've resorted to comfort eating.

My depression, when it descends upon me, makes me switch off from delicate little pleasures that one often can find in subtle flavoured foods and seek solace in the huge highs of sugary, or overly spicy, or savory foods. It's like my brain cries out for some kind of stimulation whereas my body needs no energy as I'm not really able to do anything but just function.

So, as I have been known to consume a whole M&S cheesecake in one sitting at times over these past six months I've inevitably put on a few extra pounds. Pounds that I am now determined to drop.

I know that this is nothing to do with acting per se but it is to do with this actor and as such I think it's important to share the highs and lows on here with you all. I stress that I am not looking for sympathy. If anything that would be counter productive, but I ask for your understanding if I am quiet at times, seemingly withdrawn perhaps. Trust me when I say my mind is working overtime analysing the minutia of what's going on around me and probably, misguidedly I admit, leaping to conclusions about who it impacts me.

Depression is not something I would ever trade in for anything else. It's a part of me and it is one I value. Usually it means that something I am doing is not in my best interests even though it seems like it is. It's a yardstick if you like. One to measure my own progress through Life against. OK so it can derail me from time to time but it is valuable and it does give me insight. The slow discovery of what is fundamentally against my own self interest, be it professionally or personally, might well take months but discover it I inevitably do. And this time it's taken almost a year I think but I have slowly had the realisation dawn on me that I am not supporting my acting endeavors to the best of my ability.

I have been guilty of allowing myself to become distracted by ephemera. By the idea of chasing Twitter followers perhaps, of thinking that if only that specific person came on board that specific project that I am involved with then I would suddenly be catapulted into the limelight. I've come to realise and to accept that the person responsible for how my career progresses is me. Just me. It's me that decides what roles to take. It's me that decides if I am prepared to work for nothing other than vague promises of future roles. It's me that has to schedule my time to allow further study and growth. Me. Nobody else. It is also a relatively recent discovery that it is only me that I have to satisfy. I don't have to fret about when I will perform in a "proper theatre" as my parents ask on a weekly basis. Nor do I have to worry about when my name will be above the title of a movie poster on huge billboards.

This is not a sprint. I may well be 45 years old but the time I spent as an economist before becoming an actor is not an impediment that has to be fought against. If anything it's a strength. I do not have to race to being acclaimed a rising star or anything of the sort. All I need to do is to continue to train, continue to stretch myself and above all else continue to remember that I love this business. I love the doubts and fears on stage. I love the camaraderie on a film set. The pressure of the rehearsal room. The tick, tick, tick on a film set when the light is fading and the DoP really doesn't have time to reset the lights to give more time to get the shot before the day wraps. I love it all.

Accepting that I do, and that that really is enough seems to quieten the voice that psychologists call the "Critical Parent" that lies within me as it does with in us all. That voice that says you're not working hard enough. Or suggests that if you haven't written your long awaited screenplay by now you never will. Or calls you fat. Well frankly that voice can go take a long walk off a short pier. I enjoy acting. I enjoy writing. And that's enough.

I know I'm rambling here (as I always do I hear you say!) and I want to wrap up soon so all I will say is that I am lucky. I know I am. I'm lucky enough to have had a greatly rewarding career before I turned to acting and I'm luckier still to have found a second one to follow. I have a great support network of family and friends. The person who hasn't been 100% supportive of me has recently been me. And that has now changed so be prepared to see a change in the me that you meet. I have silenced my own critical parent.

Onwards and upwards! And always, always, remembering how lucky I am.

I forgot to say how helpful one little book has been. And that book is this one... Sunbathing in the Rain by Gwyneth Lewis. It's a remarkable telling of her own journey through depression and out the other side.

Topics for discussion

As some of you may well be aware I've been somewhat lax in keeping this blog up to date with new, pithy, insightful comments. Well that will now change.

I've asked on Twitter and will ask again here for what it is you want me to cover about the world of acting.

So far I've been asked to discuss why it is that Art is important and also how to create a firm sense of place when you're on stage or in the audition room.

I was debating going in to detail about recent productions I've seen and what works, and what doesn't, and thought that might just become a rehash of the reviews I write for Remote Goat and also now for Bargain Theatre so came to the conclusion that doing that wouldn't make for good reading. So, I think, to mark my return to the bloggersphere I will tackle the big one. Why is Art important?

But I'm not going to tackle it right away because I'm hungry and it's lunchtime. So this post serves as an introduction to what will follow... and also as a question about things you'd like to see me tackle. Let your minds run free. Mine frequently does, hence the three pages of a one man show about a gay vampire that are currently sitting on my desktop asking for attention... More about that later I think. Until then, happy lunchtime!

New Year reflections - kinda

So it's 5th January 2012 and so long 2011. You were a right pain in the arse at times and yet at others you seduced me with your softly spoken voice and your puppy dog eyes. Still, you're last year so no point dwelling on what I didn't manage to achieve now that 2012 is here and there's loads that I want to do with my future. And that doesn't include dwelling on the past. However 2011 does deserve a quick glance over and the time it takes to reflect a little.

Due to a number of personal factors, mainly featuring a huge amount of building work going on at home that meant that I was unable to dwell in my chosen dwelling place for month after month, I will own up to saying that I allowed myself to become distracted from acting. And from theatre also.

Casting my mind back I had though that the larger part of 2011 had been consigned, with the rubble, into the Skip of Lost Chances, but when I stop and think about what I managed to do in 2011 I realise that I am being unfair and am guilty of allowing a small period of upset to tarnish a good year.

I'm not going to bore you all with the details but suffice to say I made some superb contacts last year and I got recalls for some really rather scarily big league producers. OK so I didn't land any of those roles but I learnt loads. For example I learnt that it's not always wise to say that you "weren't impressed with a script and that you thought it might run in the provinces but no London audience would ever come and see it" even when it was truly terrible. It's better to say "Great script! Love it! Love it! LOVE IT!" and then just be busy if they want to cast you.

For the record I learnt those two gems from a friend who spent most of November and December wondering why he hadn't had a recall for that particular project. One day he'll learn. Perhaps.

Should I stay or should I go?

Hunting around for a topic to write about is sometimes easy and sometimes not. A bit like Life really. Especially when that life belongs to an actor.

So, being a generous soul, and not being able to think of something to write myself, I donned the cloak of generousity and asked the Twittersphere what topic(s) they would like me to write about on here.

After strenuously examining the vast number of reply I had (thanks Rhonda! Glad to know someone reads this!) I thought I would deal with the most popular topic that cropped up. Once.

The single reply to my offer read as follows:

How about a piece dealing with Office Politics during a project? Possibly emphasizing (she's American so she's allowed to spell like that) how to handle your work when the project is a kind of disaster and everybody is grumbling and complaining.

When do you leave?

How do you make that decision?

Why should you stay?

OK, how do you deal with office politics in a production, which doesn't have an "office" but a rehearsal room which can be fraught and tense, and exhausting. And then shifts to a stage which can be a whole myriad of things all at once?

When all about you moan and whinge what do you do? What do I do?

I'm always honest here and I've no reason to change that. Also I only ever write about my own experiences as that it what I have to draw on in my life and it's that life that, at times, has meant I've had to deal with awkward decisions. But as to how you deal with office politics in a production there is one rule. And for me it's an absolute. And that rule is don't get drawn in to petty political squabbles in a production.

It's fine to offer an opinion when it's requested by the director, or even when another actor asks for help but avoid at all costs getting into the You're Right/Wrong type of arguments where you have to take sides. Be diplomatic.

Says I. Who in one of the first productions I was found myself in a nonsense of a production. A director without a clear vision. Without the ability to explain to the cast and crew the essence of his vision without saying "It's all in my head. I'll know when it's right".

This same director regularly would turn up late, sometimes by as much as 3 hours or more, to a 6 hour rehearsal. And then he would explode at the cast and crew for not being "on it" immediately when he arrived. He would undercut the choreographer at every opportunity, mainly by listening to what they said, watching what they'd got us doing and then saying "that's not right. It needs to be like this...." and proceeding to rechoreograph entire routines. He would, and did, arrive in the wings two minutes before curtain up and hand a cast member a prop whilst saying helpfully "this will help your character be real" before they walked on to a stage to do a song and dance routine. Now carrying a brand new, unrehearsed, unrequired, unwarranted prop.

But that was the actual production.

Back in rehearsal cast were regularly kept waiting, as I said for hours on end, by the director who would then break every 20 mins for a smoke and a coffee and wouldn't allow us more than 15 minutes for lunch.

One cast member, a good friend of mine, left and the following day (8 days before opening night) the director arrived, about 2 hours late, and I should add the director had the only key to the rehearsal space, and gathered everyone together to publically attack the now absent cast member. Who, it must be pointed out, had left because he couldn't cope with the utter disregard the director had for the company.

I had spoken to a teacher of mine about the situation and she gave me sage advice which I still go back to today. I said to her that I was tempted to walk. She said if you've signed a contract, or even if you haven't you never walk. Be utterly businesslike and professional but never walk. Her advice dealing with the tardy director was as follows....

1. Explain why you are not happy. Clearly.
2. Set out some rules of conduct for the director.
3. And for the cast.
4. State the outcome if the director breaks the rules.
5. Be prepared to carry them out.

In this circumstance, the discontent was because the cast were regularly hanging around outside the rehearsal room for a minimum of 20 mins and a max of perhaps 150 minutes. We had no warm up time. No structured lunch breaks. No structured end times.

To deal with this it was suggested that the rehearsal rooms were open 30-45 mins before our rehearsal call times, thus allowing people to warm up ready to go for the start of the rehearsal.

Also that the director had to be there by the call time for the rehearsal. If he wasn't, I said I would wait twenty minutes and then go home as I could work better there by myself than waste time waiting for him to arrive.

Oh and we had a known schedule for breaks and for lunch. Of course we weren't going to walk out when the clock hit lunchtime if we were in the middle of something but everyone knew that about 1pm we would break for one hour for lunch. And at 11am and 3pm we would break for refreshments/smoke etc.

That way everyone knew what the rules were. From that day on the rehearsal room was open everyday 30 mins prior to the call time. The director was never late. We all had rest and felt able to go on. If someone hadn't made a stand we would have all been utterly exhausted and probably been injured during the run itself.

It's not that this is strictly to do with office politics but there is something important here and that's that although the relationship between Director and Cast can at times be fraught, and at others beautiful to behold, everyone in a company has a job to do. Just because someone has a bigger title than Actor does not mean that they can ignore the feelings and sensibilities of the cast. Nor should the cast be prepared to lay down some simple, professional, rules of conduct.

This was a Fringe production but that is not the point. Assuming that because a budget is small the process would automatically be "difficult" is wrong. I've had the utter delight of working with gifted, visionary directors on Fringe productions with minisucule budgets who never failed to show their cast utmost respect and never once allowed their professionalism to be compromised by budget restraints.

Everybody pays to be in a production. Producers pay money and stress. Cast pays in blood, sweat and tears. But when everyone treats all the others involved with respect it's amazing how much more fun it is. And how much better the final result is.

So, young actors out there, don't be scared of saying if you think something, or someone, anyone, in a position of responsibility in a Company is out of order. On the big issues obviously. Don't waste time over the small stuff. But remember it's not your job to undermine the director. It's about being professional at all times and expecting the same of all others.

Lives and loves of a Reviewer Pt 1

As some of you know I write reviews for Remote Goat... bravely I do so under my own name.

I just thought I would share some of the things I've seen recently so you can see for yourselves it's not all champagne and starlight in the world of the reviewer!

I know it's lazy blogging but I thought it might be interesting to see if any of you have seen the same things and if you agree or disagree. Or just want to comment at all!

So the next few posts will be reviews of shows I've seen... in the order that I have experienced them. Of course I have blogged about some of them previously and you'll be able to figure out which ones I've referred to elsewhere in the blog yourselves I would imagine because you're an intelligent lot!

It isn't just what you do on stage

Yesterday I went to see the work of an up and coming theatre company who are striving to reinvent the Rep Company for the 21st Century. They strive to provide a year long training program built around the experience of putting on three full scale professional productions throughout the year.

After the experience of yesterday I would still say that these are lofty ambitions and deserve support, however this is a business not a fairytale adventure and sometimes businesses need to be tough in order to teach people valuable lessons.

It was apparent from watching the assorted cast of some 17 young people of varied talent get to grips with the reworking of this classic Greek tale of lust, revenge and death, that some of the basics need to be attended to urgently.

There really is scant point in staging a full scale professional production when the cast are in obvious need of speech lessons. There is no point putting on what is ostensibly a college production and calling it professional.

Perhaps equally importantly the actors should all have drummed into them the importance of an online presence. I was trying to write up my review of this particular play this morning when I realised that my task was made much more difficult than usual due to the utter lack of photos and biogs in the literature handed out at the theatre. It could not be too arduous a task to have a couple of pages with just a headshot and the name of the actor next to it could it? I'd think not. But nevermind, I thought, I'll turn to Google and will go through the names listed and call up the relevant Spotlight or Casting Call Pro pages for the actors concerned.

I think my biggest shock wasn't that most of the cast are not listed on either site (as far as I, with the help of Google, could ascertain) but more that the few who were listed had not bothered to update their online resumes in quite a while. In one case that "while" equates to five years. None of the actors listed the current production.

Wearing one of my other hats, this time as Director, I constantly look out for actors who get added to my list of people I would want to work with in the future, or at least see how they develop over the next few years, but none of those on stage made that list yesterday purely because of the lack of ability to identify them.

Even a wall of headshots in the theatre would have helped!

I would hope that young actors, and those just starting out in their careers who may have a few years of Life on their side, would realise that most casting these days is done online initially. And that in order to improve their chances of getting roles, of actually just getting seen, then their online presence is just as essential as their technical knowledge.

Getting my claws in to making plans

I've been thinking what it is about Humankind that makes us put self generated hurdles in the way of our own success.

Something has caused me to think that, although I subscribe to the view that when we're ready for something the Universe will present it to us, sometimes when the Universe thinks we're ready we are all to quick to disagree.

Perhaps it's not the fear that we will fail but the fear that we will be successful that holds us back from trying new things until we're absolutely ready for the trials and tribulations (as well as the joys) that new experiences will bring.

Personally I'm a little guilty of, until recently, ruled out the prospect of even entertaining the idea of going on an extended theatrical tour. I've not actually said as much and I've even gladly thrown myself into the audition process for some high profile tours, but somewhere in the back of my mind has been the creeping, gnawing worry that God knows what I would do if I'd ever been lucky enough to be cast in one of them.

Being the human keeper of two cats I had, I thought, planned for the eventuality of going on tour in so much as I had lined up a variety of friends who had kindly agreed to either take the cats in as house guests or, perhaps with less disruption to themselves and the feline fellows, spend a lot of time at my home and care for the kitties there. In situ. However it's become obvious to me that this was not preparation. This was me creating an obstacle.

My thinking runs thus...

Brilliant tour job comes along:
I ace the audition naturally, and am perfect for the role;
I accept the job;
Then approach the cat keepers of choice and ask if it's all ok that they do indeed look after the furry critters.

That train of action can only have one of two outcomes. They either say Yes. Or No.

Previously I had convinced myself that I would ALWAYS be able to find someone to look after the cats and therefore I would never find myself in a position where their welfare would impact my working as an actor. It really was a wake up call this week when I realised that there are in fact people who are highly skilled in looking after cats when their owners are out of town. They are called catteries.

Now in order for me to square the whole process of putting my beloved boys in to what I at times have called a "Cat Prison" means I have to have a seismic shift in my thinking. About catteries, about what it is to "care" and about my job as an actor.

The only person responsible for my furthering my career is me. I enlist people I trust and value to help me along the way. People who I learn from (either formally like a brilliant singing teacher) or informally such as the person I see when I look in the mirror...

I know that this post is largely about cats, but if you've seen Jasper and Peluche you'd know they're not just "ordinary" cats! Still, the process of making them ready to be put in a cattery if necessary, and of making my brain accept that this is the right decision as it frees me up to do something I love, work, without punishing them as I had first thought, is a long and convoluted one. I have searched using the power of Google and have found a number of local catteries on the outskirts of London. I will go and visit any that take my fancy and I will try to determine their suitability to care for my precious pussycats.

Although I am not planning on putting them in a cattery in the immediate future, and I know that I will shed a tear when I do so for the first time, I have to be ready so that when that offer of a 3 month tour on Broadway materialises (or more realistically a 3 week tour of rural Wales) I am ready and have few obstacles in my path that I have not thought about and resolved.

This business is a business and like all businesses planning is key. The old adage "Fail to plan, plan to fail" comes to mind here. But in this case it's not that I am guilty of failing to plan it is just that my plans were unrealistic and unworkable. Who am I to build my career paths on the need to have others there to give me help when, if, I need it. I am me. I am responsible for me. And mine. And my career. And I won't martyr it on the alter of long held misconceptions or unrealistic expectations of others.


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Of course if people have experience of housing their pets in a London or Home Counties cattery then please feel free to recommend or warn in the comments section!

Studio 2 - Somewhere

I'm currently part way through rehearsals for a drama pilot for the BBC. A studio drama pilot.

What's so special about that I hear you ask. Well if you consider that it's the first studio drama to be filmed at BBC TV Centre since 1996 then I think it's something of note.

Walking around TV Centre (TVC) it's clear that studio facilities are not being utilised. A senior producer today said that the "studio was restricting for writers" and suggested that having to contain action to a minimum number of sets was a restriction many writers would not want.

So instead of producing studio dramas of note the BBC use the gem that is TVC to churn out light entertainment shows that chase ratings. It's a public service broadcaster who has the luxury of being given a few billion quid a year to produce output. Surely some of that cash can be used to make studio drama that's relevant to today.

I've been told stories of every studio being full all day, every day. I've also been told that the BBC now directly employ only two cameramen. The rest are freelance. That being the case where is the apprentice structure for the technicians to learn their craft? It used to be in Wood Lane but now it's gone. Perhaps the view, also espoused today by a BBC Exec that they can "no longer compete" in the realms of producing drama has led to a culture where the first though is negative when it comes to producing quality studio drama. The second is, the Americans do it well so let's just buy some in.

The BBC is a public funded, public service broadcaster. How is it in the public service to not produce quality dramas at home? In studios they own. How can it be in the public interest not to nurture new talent both in front of and behind the camera?

That would lead to us exporting talent and finish products. That's not a bad aim for a public service broadcaster to have somewhere is it?

Hold on tight. You're in for a bumpy ride.

I've been asked to post a few words of wisdom about this business aimed towards the younger, recently graduated, actor. So here they are:

1. You're lucky to be entering one of the most fun professions in the world.

2. You're unlucky to be entering one of the most frustrating professions in the world.

3. No matter how prepared you think you are for an audition/meeting/first day on set, trust me, you're not.

4. Never forget that this is a business.

5. This business is the acting business. It is not the Star & Fame business.


I don't mean to put people off becoming actors at all, because it's something that is exciting, vital, challenging and fun all at the same time and it means that I've been lucky enough to meet some remarkable people. And I hope to meet many more.

Talking to a lot of younger actors recently has made me aware that a large number of them seem reluctant to remember that this is a business. For example I was at BAFTA on Saturday just past and it was only the younger actors present who were embarrassed about having business cards and seemingly mortified at the prospect of handing them out.

Acting is a business. You are promoting yourself all the time. Every time you walk into an audition or casting, every time you are in rehearsals, on set, at a screening, a party, you are still an actor looking for his next job. Though if people think you're constantly looking to see what they can do for you then you'll get nowhere fast.

Networking, and that's what I'm talking about here, is much more about what you can do for them. Help other people make connections. Put investors and producers together. Listen out for castings that aren't for you and suggest actors for the roles. Either directly to the casting director or producer if you can or failing that then make sure that the casting is brought to the attention of the actor concerned. If you hear of a friend going in to see a casting director and you know something that may help, tell the friend. For example I know of a powerful casting director in London who seems to have a pathological dislike to coffee. And perfume. So, if you're called into see them, never wear perfume or aftershave, and if they offer you a drink, don't ask for coffee. Yes I know it's seemingly ridiculous but it's sometimes the small things that matter.

Talking of small things I turn now to business cards. Ah the minefield that is the Business Card. A few tips:

1. Don't skimp on the paper quality;

2. Have a picture (of you) on the card;

3. Put your professional name;

4. Remember your business card is public domain so think about phone numbers, email etc.

I know that some of the above seems counter intuitive but I shall explain. The paper quality, and size of the card itself, varies hugely. I've come unstuck using a very popular online card printing company whose paper stock just isn't as good as it could be. And they have non-standard card sizes which look odd. And cheap.

Why is this important? Well your business card is, literally, your calling card. If it's cheap and nasty then it doesn't suggest that you take yourself seriously as an actor. Likewise your headshot. Get a proper one done by a decent photographer who specialises in taking actors headshots. They are not the same as fashion or family portraits. And you find out who's good by asking around.

Make sure that your card has your headshot on it somewhere. When your card inevitably comes adrift from your hardcopy CV or headshot in the office of that powerful producer or casting director they'll still know exactly who you are if it's got your picture on it.

The public domain/safety issue is one that I've only just taken on board myself. My first few batches of cards listed my personal email and mobile phone number as well as those of my agent. Now I don't. I just list my name, my agent details and my spotlight number. It's enough. If any professional wants to find me they can with that information. I've already got the proofs in for the next batch and they just list my professional name and Spotlight number and nothing else though. Not even a picture. And yes I know that is a risk, and runs counter to my previous point but I'm convinced that if you think you're good enough then they will take the time to look and if they want you then they'll contact you.

Oh, about agents now. I can't tell you how many times I hear young actors lament that they haven't got an agent. How, if only they did, they'd have auditions for the Donmar/Royal Court/National Theatre/Next Big Thing on TV etc... I'm guessing that these actors think the agent's job is to get them work. Well here's a shock to the system but it really isn't the agent's job to get an actor work.

The agent, your agent, has a role which certainly touches on getting you work but that responsibility is yours alone. His (or hers) is to act as an intermediary in contract negotiations and to try to get you the best contract possible. Of course any agent worth his salt is going to be suggesting you to producers, casting directors etc and getting doors open for you, but it's your job to get the work. And to get the work you can't go easy on continuing the training that you get.

Even during the lean times, for there will be lean times, in fact especially during the lean times, do courses and classes to remain fresh. Every chance you have to sharpen your acting skills take it. Add accents to the mix. Learn a foreign language, a musical instrument, how to ride a horse, a motorbike. Something. Anything. Just learn. Widen your life experience, travel. Meet people. Talk to them but more importantly sit and listen to them. Observe. It's only by observing the minutiae of real people going about real life that we can hope to be real ourselves when we're a character.

Forgive my rambling thoughts this morning but I want to return to the agent topic a moment longer. I like, genuinely like, my agent. I enjoy being in their company. I like the sense of family that the actors on their books have. It's a big mutual support network and some of them have very rapidly become friends. I don't understand how an actor can work with an agent who they don't like, or even as someone mentioned last week, that they are scared of. The agent needs you to go out and earn or else they earn nothing. You need the agent to open doors, put you up for jobs and to negotiate contract terms for you so you both need the other. Such business relationships should be built on trust, equality, honesty. And of course it helps immensely if you actually do, genuinely, like each other.

Final two thoughts, when one job ends every actor thinks that they'll never work again so you're really not alone with that thought. And final, final thought, even with the business side, the endless rejection, the terrible pay, the doubt, worry, anxiety, etc it's still huge fun! Plays are called PLAYs. So do precisely that. Play and have fun. But hold on tight as you're definitely going to have a bumpy ride!

Rest assured

I want to assure you all that Actorvist will not become just another theatre review blog as some of you fear.

I am however going to share those reviews on here that I write elsewhere when I feel that there's something worth seeing (or avoiding) and hope to bring it to a wider audience by including it here.

Normal service will be resumed later today though with a blog about how my confidence gets sky-high after a random piece of good news or the promise of a decent carrot being dangled in front of me just slightly out of reach but close enough to be able to taste it only to have it come crashing down again when that hoped for phone call doesn't materialise. How I console myself with Burts Chips or some other delicious piece of comfort food! And don't get me started on the thoughts that run through my head when I see a huge long list of submissions from my agent and wonder why only a few people wanted to see me!

Now I'm off for little corporate role play so adieu!

Sometimes we're faced with tough choices and I've had one to deal with this week already.

I write reviews for Remote Goat mainly so that I can get to see a lot of theatre for very little cost, but sometimes I wonder what that cost might actually be.

I'm not talking about my sanity here, but what I'm talking about is that I have to review what I experience and I can't help but wonder if posting a negative review, or even one with negative comments in an overall positive experience might prejudice future producers, directors and actor colleagues against working with me?

I know it shouldn't do so and that they should respect that I'm doing a job and would expect reviewers, even those who are friends, to review any production that I am in, and any performance that I give on stage or immortalise on film, an accurate and fair review. But there's a little tiny nagging voice of doubt at the back of my head that makes me hover long and hard in thought before hitting the "Submit Review" button when I've got copy waiting to go.

Where I have no hesitation at all in writing about poor performance are those times when a restaurant or private members club like Shoreditch House for example, or a retail outlet like Orange fall woefully short on service.

Picture the scene at Shoreditch House at Monday lunchtime. A smattering of people on the sun loungers pool side, the single swimmer in the pool calmly swimming lengths, perhaps ten members in the restaurant/bar indoors and a large number of staff who dutifully ignore members. I was there with a friend who is a long standing member and even they commented that the service on a Monday is "usually" a little slow but that waiting for almost an hour for drinks to arrive was taking the pee somewhat. There was even a staff member seemingly more interested in watering the plants, by hand with what appeared to be a jug of ice, than he was in taking beverage and food orders. I am fully aware that I now sound like a spoilt little thesp but I wouldn't have expected to wait for an hour to order drinks. This is in a venue that prides itself on service and style. Really? Still, I have to say I'd happily return and laze by the pool even if you have to wait hours for service just because the view of the City from that rooftop is magical.

And now to Orange. Let's set the scene... about 9 months ago I bought a Blackberry Curve 8520 on payg because, as an actor and writer it is important for me to have access to email and the web wherever I happen to be and also as an actor it's important to know what my monthly outgoings are. So far so simple...

After a period of weeks the phone started to slow up, lock up at times, do weird things like not recognise any of the music tracks that I'd synch'd to it via Blackberry Desktop. Eventually, after about 8 months of slowly deteriorating service on the phone I took it back to my local Orange shop. Which just so happens to be the one that I bought it from too. I explained that the phone was locking up, dropping wi-fi, generally misbehaving to the point where it would need rebooting a couple of times a day.

I was delighted to receive stunningly seemless customer service in store as the assistant agreed that what was wrong with my Blackberry was not acceptable. She also mentioned that it was one of a number of "known" issues with the Curve 8520. I arranged delivery of replacement handset for the next day and thought "well done Orange! Brilliant service!".

The replacement handset arrives and all is good. For a week. One week. 7 little days.. Until the handset locks. Again. And again. At the end of the week the replacement handset was regularly dropping calls, not playing tunes stored on it, and a number of times an hour I would see something like (and I paraphrase here) Application rim_messaging not working or Application rim_phone not working... and, as had previously happened, if I received a phone call whilst I was texting or emailing someone then the phone would lock up, it wouldn't show me who was calling, just would freeze. After perhaps as long as five minutes it would suddenly spring to life and reveal that it had opened every single app on the phone. Although not being a technically minded person I knew that this was not right. So I returned with the handset to my local Orange shop once again but this time seeking a refund or credit note and the ability to upgrade my handset by paying more money.

I can't tell you how shocked I was when the assistant in the shop said that I can't do that and that I was "stupid" to think that I could. I asked her to call customer services and after much protestation about me being "difficult" she did. Only to then argue with customer services about whether or not they would let me spend money in their shop. After about 40 minutes or so I gave up and tried emailing customer services. No reply. I searched online forums and found the email to the Executive Office and thought they'd reply. Nothing. So then I resorted to Twitter. I found the name to of the guy who does PR for Orange and sent him an open tweet. He responded by asking someone else to get in touch. They have. I have an email address which I've forwarded everything to and now I'm waiting for their reply. They've said they'll sort it all today but I've very little faith now in anything that Orange, or its staff, say.

I'll reserve judgement before heading off to 3 though. And I'll keep you all updated but I will return to more acting type themes once this "issue" has been resolved.

Train of thought... tangental

It's been a few days since my last blog entry and I've been wrestling with what purpose this blog will serve long-term (if any). It was never meant to be a day by day account of my life and my thoughts, anyway that's what Twitter is for, so that means that this space has to be reserved for bigger, more complex issues. Perhaps I will use this space to campaign against arts cuts, or maybe I'll have a space where I can enter the debate about actors, professional actors, people with years of training being expected to work for nothing other than the opportunity of working with a "really talented crew/director" or on a "really exciting" project which may, at some vague point in the future, perhaps determined by the removal of all reality shows from our screens, lead to some work on some future project.

Perhaps I'll use this space to talk about how being an actor is not all about what you do on stage or on screen but also includes the business side of things, and then maybe include the steep learning curve that that necessitates.

Maybe I'll ramble on endlessly about the quality of the paper you use to print your business cards on actually, really, being a matter of importance and then wax lyrical about the subtle off-white colouring, the tasteful thickness of it, and Oh my God, if it has a watermark.


The thought even struck me that I should perhaps mention that the "casting couch" is alive and well in London in 2011 and go into detail, without mentioning names of course, about the audition I had with a female producer of uncertain years who made it clear to me that if I wanted a big part then so did she. But I thought that might not appreciate that sort of salacious story. I even thought about taking that and running sideways with it into the minefield of delights that can be the "showmance" but then I thought long and hard about what I would write and decided I will write whatever comes into my head and make no apologies for doing so. All of which brings me to write this....

What hope is there for an actor when the casting calls that land on his desk include wonderful ones such as "man, heavy breather, white, decadent, sleazy haircut" and this comes the week after I go to a casting for "Man.. Not Albert Einstein." Seriously guys, is this really the way you want to conduct your castings? 


"Hello Easy Casting Services. How can I help you?"
"Well I'm trying to cast a project and need your help."
"Sure, what's the breakdown?"
"Man. Oh and can you make sure he isn't Albert Einstein please?"
"That it? Age? Height? Hair colour? Size? Any of that important?"
"Erm... no. No. Not really. Just make sure he isn't Albert Einstein."


How on earth can you cast something when you have no idea what it is you're looking for?


I'm not meaning to be obtuse here but I really don't understand the thought process that goes from seeing a character take shape on a page and ends up being "oh anyone who isn't Einstein". Just for the record, I'm not a virgin to the casting process as I've assisted in casting an increasing number of short and feature films. 


(I apologise for this now turning into a bit of a rant but I'm in my groove and going with the flow here!)

And whilst I'm on the subject of casting I've just come back from a play (which shall remain nameless but my review of which will appear tomorrow on a certain fringe theatre listing website) in which the casting choices were just odd. The youngest actress, playing the youngest character, was a dream. The middle one... so so... and the one playing the mother.. well.. ahem... erm... I'm reminded of the "nice buttons" review that Coward is reported to have given once to the son of a friend after his lamentable performance in a play that Coward had the misfortune to sit through. At this point I'm about to mention my mother who, when I saw her last week and after talking her through all the projects I've completed whilst she's been cruising around the seas in the some boat or other, and then going through the meetings and the various fires which currently have irons of mine in turned and said, "That's all very interesting dear but it's not real theatre is it? Or real films are they?"

According to the world my parents live in, for they are both as bad as each other sometimes, but it's just mum that says things, it's not "real" theatre unless it's within Zone 1, has tickets for sale at TKTS and garners at least a 4 star review in that most august of newspapers the Daily Mail, and similarly it is not "real" cinema unless it has posters in the Tube advertising it, Redd Pepper voicing the trailer, and preferably Colin Firth in it too.

Parents! Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. At least not until I know for sure where the will is!

Gratitude

When I graduated last summer from City Lit I set myself some goals and targets and made some promises to myself about how my acting would progress in the short term.

I said that I would, within one year, have acted in straight drama and a musical on stage, done some student films, short films and at least one feature and that I would have an agent who I respected and who understood me and where I was coming from and also how to market me.

I also said that I would have weekly acting lessons, join a yoga class, run at least 4 miles a day and get myself a decent singing tutor too. Well I've done yoga twice in the last year, run a total of 17.3 miles as of yesterday and had some fantastic lessons with Kate Hughes at the Ian Adam Singing Studio. As for the rest, well as much as I would have loved to have had weekly acting classes it's time for that old excuse of Poverty to come to the fore and claim another victim.

As for credits earned though, I've done stage musicals and straight drama, even on tour in Hungary. And I've amassed a number of film credits, student, short, and two feature films with a third and forth to follow hopefully within the next six months. And yet I feel that I'm not working hard enough, that I'm not achieving what it is I want, or need, to achieve. All this is with a great agent who I genuinely like and respect too.

I suppose the biggest issue for me in this my first year out in the world, is how to stay motivated. I had thought that I would, from 10 - 4 every day be going over audition speeches, doing voice exercises, stretching, reading plays, writing letters to casting directors and generally promoting myself but instead of those lofty ideals I find myself more often than not, wishing I was back at class with the people I grew to know well and to love and to trust. Those people who you share laughter and tears with. The same ones who lift you up and inspire you and also at times infuriate the Hell out of you and make you want to punch someone.

The support structure that you have in a class setting where you spend hours with the same people week in week out is something that I think a lot of people miss when it's not there. I know I do. Of course you get something similar to that in a rehearsal room or on set but it's not the same and let's not kid ourselves that it is. I don't think it's that everyone's out for themselves on set, in fact I know that's not the case, but it's not possible to walk onto a set and immediately forge an emotional connection as deep and as meaningful as it would be with someone who has seen you weep as you reveal how painful experiences in your life have been, how raw some things still are after years, decades even.

I suppose, as much as I love the guys I've been lucky to work with this year from those in Follies who persuaded me I could in fact sing, to those involved with the Overcoat, especially the director, who pushed me to new levels of emotional truth and to all those who've given me the chance to learn and to grow in front of a camera, especially Survivor Films for seeing in me the capacity to play a lead role and for giving me the space to truly play that role. In front of the camera. Discovering things about myself and my character. I miss those I trained with. I miss the frustration and the camaraderie. I miss the annoying little habits and I miss the annoying big ones too!

I don't want to dwell on the past however, that's not my intention here. Far from it in fact. What I wanted to do was to say a big Thank You. A heartfelt, gratitude laden, genuine Thank You to the people I trained with. All of them. Including you Patrick! Collectively you pushed me. You gave me a safe space to start to explore Me and I don't think I ever said how grateful I was until now.

So thank you one and all. Thank you all of you teachers who've confused and frustrated me and pushed me to be who I am today. Thank you to the students I shared the ride with. Thank you to the people who've cast me in productions this last year and thank you to my friends and family for their unceasing support. I am grateful to you all. More than you can ever know.

Procrastination

Honestly, if procrastination was an Olympic sport I'd be a sure thing to win gold at 2012.

I'm sure you all know the situation. I've got lines to learn, and others to refresh, and what am I doing? Well suffice to say the kitchen's not been so clean in years, the cats are both nicely groomed and content after being bathed (yes bathed) dried and groomed, and I can confidently inform you all that the macaroons from the Covent Garden branch of Laduree are literally divine.

After my four and a bit mile run this morning I popped into Laduree to pick myself up a little treat and the woman behind the counter greeted me with a smile and said, "Bonjour Monsieur! Do you know we 'av only been open for, erm, quatre days and you 'ave been in every single one so 'av a macaroon on ze huis!"

I'm not quite sure where she originally came from but I'm guessing it's not Essex.

Moving on, I'm sitting here with a screenplay open, and I have an odd way of learning lines. Simple repetition doesn't do it for me unless it's a monologue. I wish it did. It would be simpler that what I have to do instead. For I have to retype the entire script out with all the other character dialogue on the right hand side of the page and mine on the left. Honestly I've no idea why I need to do it this way, but currently I do. So, laptop open, printer cartridges full, paper loaded, coffee made, cats asleep I open up a New Document page in Open Office... and I type... a whole line. Not even mine but a whole line nevertheless. And then the phone rings.

"Hello mum"
"Oh hello...."
"What do you mean 'Oh hello'? You dialled me!"
"Oh yes.. well I... oh never mind...How did your audition go at the weekend?"
"That one in Cambridge?"
"Yes that's the one, we're looking forward to having a trip out to see you somewhere nice like that, and in a proper play at last.."
"A 'proper play'? So those Shakespeare and Ibsen ones you came to see weren't 'proper'?"
"You know what I mean. In a proper theatre. With a box office..."

and so that conversation went on for about 20 more minutes. After which I obviously needed a little pick-me-up so I decided to pop to Laduree and grab a little macaroon... I didn't even get there because I bumped into an old friend, someone I trained with, who was on his way to meet an agent who I know socially. He suggests I come along to say Hi, which I do. Anyway, 2 hours after popping out to grab a little something as a pick me up I'm back home. Looking at the same document open on my laptop. The same one line glaring out from the screen and the same 142 pages of screenplay to go through.... and then my inbox pings and I've got email... I click on it and it's someone asking me to contribute to her new blog... Just random thoughts and stuff about being an actor in London just starting out etc... I make like the man from Del Monte and say Yes and then start thinking. Hold on, I thought, I used to make a living out of writing random stuff so why not do it again? And if I was going to do it, then why not put it on my own blog instead of giving it to someone else to use?

Great! I'll write a blog! Now, if only I knew how to go about hosting one... do I want to be "Anon" so I can be brutally honest, or will I put my name to it? I decided to go semi-anon as I've posted the blog address on Twitter and Facebook so it's not exactly hard to find out who I am.... Of course I will reveal more as I reveal more about the life of the man behind the actor's mask... Now I really ought to get on with some work.. oh hold on, Deal or No Deal's on!

Welcome to the Actorvist

This is my very first blog and my very first post within it so I'll introduce myself.

I'm an actor. Note the absence of a capital A in that word please. It means a lot to me that I am an actor and not an Actor. I'm young in mind, eager to learn and eager to share my experiences of the audition trail, the endless networking, the plethora of decent scripts that never seem to hit my desk after standing by and letting the rubbish ones through, and the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, the laughs and the inevitable tears that being at the foothills of this business bring.

I'll be honest. I'll not tell tales. And I trust you will enjoy my rambling thoughts as they unfold.