Audition Freedom


Book Description

Imagine what your theatrical life would be like if you could walk into any audition room and find authentic freedom! Freedom to be human, freedom to be happy, freedom to be brilliant and freedom to be nothing but fantastically you? This inspiring not-like-any-other-audition-book by Broadway's top coach will crack your brain open with long lasting shifts that will keep you creating and enjoying powerful experiences "in the room."




Casting a Movement


Book Description

Casting a Movement brings together US-based actors, directors, educators, playwrights, and scholars to explore the cultural politics of casting. Drawing on the notion of a "welcome table"—a space where artists of all backgrounds can come together as equals to create theatre—the book’s contributors discuss casting practices as they relate to varying communities and contexts, including Middle Eastern American theatre, Disability culture, multilingual performance, Native American theatre, color- and culturally-conscious casting, and casting as a means to dismantle stereotypes. Syler and Banks suggest that casting is a way to invite more people to the table so that the full breadth of US identities can be reflected onstage, and that casting is inherently a political act; because an actor’s embodied presence both communicates a dramatic narrative and evokes cultural assumptions associated with appearance, skin color, gender, sexuality, and ability, casting choices are never neutral. By bringing together a variety of artistic perspectives to discuss common goals and particular concerns related to casting, this volume features the insights and experiences of a broad range of practitioners and experts across the field. As a resource-driven text suitable for both practitioners and academics, Casting a Movement seeks to frame and mobilize a social movement focused on casting, access, and representation. Chapter 2 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.




Acting the Song


Book Description

Acting the Song offers a contemporary, integrated approach to singing in musicals that results in better-trained, smarter performers everyone wants to work with. In this new, thoroughly updated edition of the paperback, directors and teachers of musical theater will find guidance in developing and leading musical theater elements, classroom workshops, and the world of professional auditions and performances. A companion ebook specifically for students—including actors, singers, or dancers—contains time-tested advice, exercises, and worksheets for all skill levels, with links to additional resources online. Subjects for both versions cover: Singing and acting terminology Use of microphones, recording devices, and other technology Vocal and physical warm-ups, movements, and gestures Creating a character Finding subtext, interpreting music and lyrics, and song structure Collaborating with other actors Keeping a performance fresh and new Using social media and online audition sites Teachers and students alike will appreciate the sections for beginning, intermediate, and advanced performers. Covering all changes to the industry, education, music styles, and audition protocols, everyone involved in musical theater, from new students to working professionals, will benefit from this rich resource. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.




Research Handbook on Labour, Business and Human Rights Law


Book Description

Inquisitive and diverse, this innovative Research Handbook explores the ways in which human rights apply to people at work, through national constitutional provisions, judicial decisions and the application of rights expressed in supranational instruments. Key topics include evaluation of the role of the ILO in developing and promoting internationally recognized labour rights, and the examination of the meaning of the obligation of business to respect human rights, considering the evolution from international soft law to incorporation in codes of conduct and the emerging requirement of due diligence.




Get the Callback


Book Description

All great auditions require preparation and practice, but what’s the secret to securing a callback? What are the best ways to prepare for that pivotal moment? And once you’re in front of the casting director, what does it take to make the most out of your moment in the spotlight? In this second edition of Get the Callback: The Art of Auditioning for Musical Theatre, Jonathan Flom provides practical advice on the many facets of preparation, including selection of songs and monologues to suit your voice and the audition, organizing and arranging your music, working with the accompanist, and presenting yourself to the casting team. The book gives a detailed description of the actual audition performance and even offers advice on how non-dancers can survive a dance audition. In addition to extensively revised chapters on the audition process and how to build a repertoire book, this guide also features updated chapters on headshots, resumes, and cover letters; voice training techniques from Matthew Edward; advice from musical director Joey Chancey; and a foreword by casting director Joy Dewing. Aimed at professionals as well as young artists, this second edition of Get the Callback is a must-have for both seasoned and aspiring musical theatre performers.




Act Like It's Your Business


Book Description

Many actors treat their profession as a purely artistic endeavor, rarely conceding that there is more to making a living than simply showing up on stage or in front of a camera. By refusing to seriously acknowledge that self-promotion is vital to their livelihoods, many performers can get quickly discouraged by the vicious circle of audition and rejection. However, with a little foresight and planning, actors can learn how to become their own best advocates for a career in the business of show. In Act Like It’s Your Business:Branding and Marketing Strategies for Actors, Jonathan Flom helps actors and others in the arts understand the power of branding. This guide walks the reader through the process of creating a personal brand for a small business and then marketing that brand and broadcasting it through every step of the process—from choosing clothing, arranging headshots, and designing resumes to selecting a repertoire, building a website, obtaining business cards, and networking. Flom also offers advice on such real-world issues as goal-setting, finances, contracts, and day jobs and provides insight and guidance on how to approach agents, auditions, and casting directors. A book of empowerment meant to shift the balance of control to actors themselves, Act Like It’s Your Business is aimed atprofessional performers as well as students who are getting ready to transition from college to career. Structured logically and step by step, this accessible guide will become the standard for nearly anyone hoping to build an enduring career in the performing arts.




THE AUDITION BIBLE


Book Description

As a casting director for twenty-three years, Holly Powell witnessed the casting world from three different points of view: As an independent casting director, as Head of Casting for a Studio, and as a Network Casting Executive. From this unique perspective, she formed Holly Powell Studios, with her mission being to demystify the audition process for actors. Through using her “The 6 Audition Tools Method,” actors are guided into adopting the mental focus of the athlete and learn to control sabotaging thoughts that can derail an audition. THE AUDITION BIBLE: Secrets Every Actor Needs To Know, originally written as a companion piece to Holly’s audition workshops, covers not only audition techniques and tools but answers many common questions about audition protocol. Anecdotal audition stories exemplify what works and what doesn’t during the casting process. Part 1: The Audition is a handbook for any actor auditioning for any venue, be it television, film, theater, a commercial or a webisode. The actor travels through waiting in the lobby, walking into the audition room, the audition itself, the people he encounters in the room, and finally exiting the audition room. Part 2: Auditioning For A Series-Regular Role guides the actor through the four steps it typically takes to book a series-regular role on a network television series: The Pre-Read with the Casting Director, The Callback for Producers, Reading for Studio Executives, and Testing at the Network. Even though the format in Part 2 is specifically geared toward auditioning for television, all actors in every medium will find invaluable information here that will apply to their individual audition circumstances. An audition is an audition is an audition.




Roadblocks in Acting


Book Description

This original, incisive book examines questions relating to the self-imposed barriers – or roadblocks – that actors place on their work. Rob Roznowski demonstrates how roadblocks often limit and constrain actors from accessing the emotional availability required in their unique craft. He then offers a systematic approach for achieving peak performance in order to defeat the self-doubt that can hinder actors. He also offers guidance for educators and directors to compassionately assist actors toward gaining freedom. Incorporating perspectives from psychological consultants, the book book co-mingles psychology and acting theory in a unique way, presenting practical strategies for dealing with a range of roadblock issues that actors face daily, including anxiety, intimacy, self-esteem and trust. This is an ideal resource for practitioners, instructors, and students of acting, theatre and performance at any level.




Autobiography of a Homegirl


Book Description

Autobiography of A Homegirl is the bittersweet story of a black woman's epiphany when, in a 24 hour stretch, her child's father shows up with his white fiancee and, in an historic coup, the first black woman is crowned, "Miss America." When the validity of this coup is challenged, this emboldened mother goes to battle with both inner and out forces threatening her fragile self-esteem. Ultimately, it is the belief system held by both blacks and whites that is on the front lines as issues of race, color, beauty, and the origins of it all, culminate in this psychological journey through the life of a black woman determined to give her daughter what she herself must recoup, a healthy self-esteem. The coronation of the first black "Miss America" in 1983 serves as a backdrop for understanding ourselves, and the complexities of American society brought sharply into focus by the guest appearance of that enduring, indefatigable icon, "Barbie." The play explores how entrenched standards of beauty have affected not just African American women, but all women. Comprehensive Study Guide Notes are included in this edition to supplement African American Studies, Women's Studies, Cultural Studies, Theatre or Playwriting programs and courses in high schools, colleges, and universities.




Freedom's Song


Book Description

Her voice made her a riverboat’s darling—and its prisoner. Now she’s singing her way to freedom in this powerful novel from the bestselling author of The Librarian of Boone's Hollow. “[An] enjoyable faith-filled adventure . . . Sawyer’s episodic narrative and rich assortment of characters fighting for freedom provide the story with many twists and unexpected side-plots.”—Publishers Weekly Indentured servant Fanny Beck has been forced to sing for riverboat passengers since she was a girl. All she wants is to live a quiet, humble life with her family as soon as her seven-year contract is over. So when she discovers that the captain has no intention of releasing her, she seizes a sudden opportunity to escape—an impulse that leads Fanny to a group of enslaved people who are on their own dangerous quest for liberty. . . . Widower Walter Kuhn is overwhelmed by his responsibilities to his farm and young daughter, and now his mail-order bride hasn’t arrived. Could a beautiful stranger seeking work be the answer to his prayers? . . . After the star performer of the River Peacock is presumed drowned, Sloan Kirkpatrick, the riverboat’s captain, sets off to find her replacement. However, his journey will bring him face to face with his own past—and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be free. . . . Uplifting, inspiring, and grounded in biblical truth, Freedom’s Song is a story for every reader who has longed for physical, emotional, or spiritual delivery.