The Vancouver Playhouse is the city’s biggest theatre, and they’re doing auditions for the ‘ensemble’ (also known as ‘the chorus’). Ensemble members do singin’ and dancin’, act minor roles in the play and generally back up the other actors. They may be willing to take a few young actors (probably not in school since rehearsals are during the day) to round out the group, in which case it’s a great opportunity.
(reposted from Drop in Sessions ‘Auditions’ board; original post Apr.19, 2006)
The Playhouse Theatre Co. will be holding auditions for our upcoming production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, adapted by James Fagan Tait and Joelysa Pankanea. This production will be directed by James Fagan Tait and the musical director will be Joelysa Pankanea.
Auditions: May 8,10,11,12 @ The Playhouse Prod. Centre, 160 W. 1st
Rehearsals: Oct 30
Open: Nov 30
Close: Dec 23
Potential hold: Dec 26 – Dec 30
We are looking for actors for a singing and movement ensemble. Auditioners will not be asked to prepare a song but will be taught a section of a piece of music under Pankanea’s direction and be required to do some ensemble movement under Tait’s direction.
PLEASE INDICATE YOUR VOCAL RANGE IE: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano
All resumes and head shots to:
Attention: Chelsea McPeake
A christmas Carol Auditions
Playhouse Theatre Co.
260 W. 1st. Ave
Vancouver, BC
V5Y 1A4
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Biz Studio [[Classes for Young Actors]] in Vancouver, BC
A locally produced documentary called “The Star People Prophecy†is looking for several aboriginal and metis actors. Auditions take place this Thursday April 27th from 7-10:30pm in North Vancouver. See the full listing, including a description of the characters, pay rates (etc.) on ActorsAccess.com.
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Biz Studio [[Classes for Young Actors]] in Vancouver, BC
Have you ever been so engaged in doing something that you “lost yourself†for a while? It’s the experience that in acting we call “getting out of your head,†and it can happen any time you’re so 100% engaged in what you’re doing.
In an article published last week, a couple of researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science found that when people are engaged in a task that involves concentrating 100% on hearing-feeling-touching-smelling-tasting (what they called a “demanding sensory taskâ€) the part of your brain that controls your sense of self actually shuts off! How do they know such a crazy thing? By using an MRI machine to see where blood is flowing in the brain, of course! Here’s a snippet of the hard-science version:
“To conclude, the picture that emerges from the present results is that, during intense perceptual engagement, all neuronal resources are focused on sensory cortex, and the distracting self-related cortex is inactive. Thus, the term ‘losing yourself’ receives here a clear neuronal correlate. This theme has a tantalizing echoing in Eastern philosophies such as Zen teachings, which emphasize the need to enter into a ‘mindless,’ selfless mental state to achieve a true sense of reality.â€
Whew. “Neuronal correlate†indeed – no wonder nobody reads this stuff. What this means for actors is that there’s some hard science evidence that when you really focus your attention on the scene, on listening to the other actors and letting what they say affect you, self-consciousness will melt away (literally – hah!) and you’ll be 100% in the moment.
For anyone who ever gets nervous, or gets distracted by self-conscious thoughts while auditioning or acting, look at this study as useful advice. If you’re thinking about yourself, you’re not paying enough attention to the scene. I tell self-conscious actors all the time to spend their energy on their senses – focus your attention on the scene, on listening to the other actors and letting what they say affect you and self-consciousness will melt away (literally – hah!).
More reading:
Watching the Brain Switch off ‘Self’ on EurekAlert.org
Flow Psychology on Wikipedia.org
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Biz Studio [[Classes for Young Actors]] in Vancouver, BC
