Putting Headshots in Focus

Frequently, when prospective students visits the Conservatory to learn more about our programs and the training they need to have a competitive career in the industry, they are ALSO in the process of getting their first headshot and ask me for the name of reputable photographers. And my response is always – “Hold your horses!”

Before spending the money and time to have your headshots done, you need to know your marketing objective – what you need the photo to be and to do. At the Conservatory, I teach the Business of Acting class, and we devote four hours just to the headshot and resume - along with the rest of the 40-hour class about marketing in general, industry standards and marketing objectives.

A big part of developing your marketing plan is: figuring out the image that will suit you best:
your type. An elusive subject that becomes clearer as you train and develop as an actor. It's very difficult to accurately pin down your type until you begin to explore the craft.

Lots of folks have a picture of themselves to hand out at auditions. Pros have a carefully crafted marketing piece that is well thought out and represents them perfectly.

I also do answer that initial question - my recommendations for photographers are: Clinton Brandhagen and Joe Henson.

NCDA in the Fringe!

The reviews are in! This year, the Conservatory's alumni committee is producing a show in Washington's Capital Fringe Festival. The show features seven alumni from the school as well as an alum director, and long-time readers of our blog may remember the post we originally put up back in March from opening night of the show. There are a lot of considerations that go into producing a Fringe show, and you've really got to be prepared going in. Our show, Late Bloomers and Glory Days, just got its first review, and you can head on over to DC Theater Scene and read it.

Fringe is an interesting beast for a lot of reasons, and showcases one of the things we teach here at the Conservatory: Theatre, and acting specifically, is about problem-solving. Our Fringe venue is very different looking even from the drawings we got beforehand, but especially different from the space where we already mounted Late Bloomers this spring. Between re-blocking entrances and exits, and dealing with the 95-degree heat inside the building, there were a lot of problems that we needed to solve on opening night. But we're all professionals, and once we fixed the issues confronting us during our three-hour tech rehearsal (normally we would budget a week at least), we were able to put something pretty special together.

So come out and see us, support the graduates of NCDA. We've got shows on July 19, 22, 24 and 26, and you can buy tickets online HERE!

End of Echoes into Wonder

ART student Felice Moody checks in to talk about what her crew has been up to. 

So, we just closed “Echoes of Troy” two weeks ago. Boy, was that fun. We had all kind of folks viewing the play: from alumni to board members, to casting directors, friends, family and strangers. We all got a tremendous amount of feedback from everyone and we all grew a little in our craft during this show.

Over the last couple of weeks we had advanced classes in stage combat with Sara Melinda, and on-camera techniques with Stan Kang. It was great having Sara teach us how to kick butt without actually kicking butt. And Stan's got a lot of experience - he's worked on industrials and films I've actually seen and totally knows what to expect in that setting, so he had great insights.

I certainly learned a lot from both classes. I feel so much more prepared. That’s why I love The Conservatory.

We just started rehearsals for David Lindsay-Abaire’s Wonder of the World directed by Shirley Serotsky. This play is HILARIOUS and we are in for some very fun times ahead. Talk to you soon!

Returning to Glory Days

You may remember a few months ago when I talked about the show Late Bloomers and Glory Days that NCDA alumni put on for a weekend. As I mentioned then, we were prepping it for the Fringe Festival, and that time is here!

It’s not just falling back into the routine from the first time, though, as we’ve had to make some adjustments. Conflicts required us to recruit a couple of additional actors to be understudies, and, obviously, we aren’t working in the same space, so that certainly adds new wrinkles. But they’re all good. The new actors make choices that give the show a little different flavor, and the new space – well, Fringe spaces are always kind of an adventure!

We’ve had our tech rehearsal in the space (you only get one – they’re rotating lots of shows through there) and now we’re just gearing up that final push before we open on July 11. For me, one of the most fun things has been gathering photos of the cast from way back when (since the show is about a reunion) for publicity. As you can see from my example, the years certainly do change you. Though, somehow, I actually feel it’s a change for the better in my case.

It has been a lot of fun for all of us that were there the first time to be back together again, and the new actors are old friends, so that just adds to the good times. I think the fact that we’re enjoying ourselves comes through pretty clear in the show, so I hope you’ll have a chance to check it out. You can get tickets and see more about the show here.