A whole week in findings one’s self may seem a little pretentious to some, but in my case it’s been the most wonderful, creative and fulfilling week I have probably ever had, not just in NYC, but in my little 29 years of living.

I cannot express how much passion for my life, my being as a person, and living I have inside me at the moment. A total shift of mindset has helped me accomplish this, with a little help from some old and new friends.

How can meeting people you have never seen before change you in such a significant way? I found myself alone, shrugged over a beer in a beautiful candle-filled bar, a bar that I have never been to before, with faces I have never seen and conversations I thought I would never have. Is this fate entwining in my life, or is it just coincidence that I’m here?

Being here in New York, in a new country, a new culture and a new way of life, is a total reality check for me, in more ways than I ever could have pictured. Learning about one’s self is actually a lot harder than it seems. We all know ourselves pretty well, or do we? I have found out things about myself in these last few weeks and done things that I never imagined myself thinking let alone actually doing. Don’t panic (mum) I haven’t got tattoos or piecings, taken drugs or been violent in any way, shape or form. I’m talking about the reality of life; challenges and overcoming them in a positive and outgoing way, spinning that negative into something positive, and reaping the rewards as a result.
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Is a mirror looking at you or are you looking at it? Does the sun shine on you or do you shine on it? Are you walking to your destination or is your destination becoming closer to you? When it rains is it such a bad thing or is it a sign to refresh your soul? Do we smile because we are happy or because we are hiding something? Questions, Questions, Questions.

Today I woke up with all these questions swirling around my mind. Maybe it was because I just had an outrageous 10 hours sleep and my brain was in overdrive, maybe it was a sign for me to answer them or simply just to acknowledge them.  More questions…. Hmmmm.

After actually looking into the mirror mirror on my wall,  I realised I just think too hard, but I like it in a weird and wonderful sort of way. It’s good to listen to your brain and your body even if it is on the odd occasion. It’s not necessary to know the answer or even understand it, but it is good for the soul to listen and absorb all of what is going on with you at this present moment in time and ask yourself, how am I today!

I shelved this article for a few days before I posted it and just stewed over what I had written during my walks around this energetic city, asking myself each and every question. And do you think I found the answers? —  hahah NOPE – but I did come up with some very interesting conclusions; STOP THINKING SO HARD!!!

So the moral of this story is…….. I’ll leave that one up too you!!

Ah! Acting as Journey. That idea has never seemed as strong to me as it is now, as I said goodbye to one semester and embarked on my last few months here at NYCDA. From the moment before to the event of the scene, to benchmarks and character arcs; I’ve learned that going from point A to point B is an essential part of an actor’s work, and perhaps, the meat and potatoes of a good story. A lot of us young actors get stuck in the emotion. We wind up wallowing in a feeling (mainly because we’re just happy and surprised to be feeling something at all, in the first place!) and then we end up spending an entire scene playing the problem or an obstacle instead of the wants and needs of the character.

A great thing that my scene study teacher has said is that “a scene always has to move somewhere and you do too”. When you get up in front of that camera or on that stage, you are about to go on a journey- or take a road trip (if you enjoy analogies as much as I do). That can seem kind of scary and overwhelming, but what’s wonderful about it  is that you are never alone. You’ve got a scene partner in shotgun, who keeps you alert, active and focused on the road. And then, of course, there’s no way to get lost because, lo and behold, you’ve got a map! Your script serves as your guide, and the choices you’ve made and personalized are your roadsigns, helping you travel from point of view to point of view.

But don’t fall into the trap of over-analyzing your route (which, sadly and annoyingly enough, I find myself doing much of the time). There’s a difference between preparing emotional guideposts for yourself, and intellectualizing every step you have planned along the way. There’s a different between firing off line readings, and playing off what your scene partner is actually giving you. And most importantly, there is a huge difference between thinking (and forcing) what you THINK you should be feeling, and living in the moment and truly being in the experience.

I try to keep those things in mind when I’m both preparing and playing a scene, and you should too. Soon your acting travels will become relatively painless (and of course, I’m talking about for your audience!)

Take care and ride safe!

Today all I can think about is how lucky I am. I am healthy and happy, with a fantastic network of friends who love and care for me. I have an amazing family who love and support every decision I make, and I am at a place in my life where I feel very safe and protected.

Today remember how lucky you are, how loved you are, how special and unique you are.

Life is a journey, a journey of challenges that we can overcome, struggles that we face and conquer, sadness that we turn to happiness. Only you can do this for yourself, at a pace that you feel comfortable with. This is your life, your body, your soul and your path. Walk this miracle of life wisely and enjoy every minute of this gift you have been given.

Happiness comes from the heart and it will express itself through your soul. You will radiate this to the entire universe. Be proud of who you are, and shine like the light you are.

Artists and Social Causes.  The two go hand in hand and have a long history together.

Here’s my latest discovery: Charlize Theron.  Like many of her contemporaries, she’s not content to sit around dieting and having her nails done as she waits for her next big Hollywood film.  She started her own production company, and makes it her job to get to her office on Sunset Boulevard when not on the film set.

In addition to handling her acting career, Denver & Delilah Films handles her charitable contributions.  One of her many charities is helping to equip mobile health clinics that travel throughout South Africa helping to stop the epidemic spread of HIV among the teenage population.

So, where do you stand?  What charities are calling to you?  Will you be ready to lend a helping hand when your career has placed you in a position of focus? 

Your voice will be heard.  What do you have to say?

In an email I recently sent, I unintentionally typed “breath easy” instead of  “breathe easy.”

How embarrassing! I hate careless typos. Hate ‘em. They don’t insult my sensibility; rather, the words actually look misshapen to me. If gambling was based on spelling, I would win big in Vegas. I love my spelling ability. If I see a misspelled word on a store awning or on a sign in a store window, I will never enter that store. That insults my sensibility.

If the written word is going to represent me, dang it, those words will be specifically chosen, and certainly spelled correctly. This is the job of the actor, to communicate as specifically as possible.

People don’t read books anymore, newspapers are dying, publishing houses seem to have lowered their standards; colloquialisms and street lexicon have dumbed us down even further.  For example, “What happened?” is an appropriate question to ask at the scene of an accident. Maybe it’s something your parents have asked you upon entering a living room full of empty bottles, Cheez Doodles, upside-down chairs, remnants of a card game, and broken things.
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Over the last 2 weeks, I have been researching Laura Linney. Actually, it’s been more than that since I’ve been working on this since I started at NYCDA almost 10 weeks ago now. Geez, how the time has flown by. I still can’t believe this English/Essex Boy is studying in NYC.

Anyway, back to Laura Linney: What a person. She is not just brilliant in acting but a true ambassador for life.

Last week I was saw the excellent play Time Stands Still. (Go see it, it’s a must.) I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to the National Radio Press Q&A session afterwards, where several news reporters were there to ask questions. Of course, Laura Linney ready for a grilling from them, and from the audience as well. Ladylike, gracious and full of politeness, even at awkward moments Linney commanded the stage with elegance and poise.
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I’ve only been taking Audition Technique for a little over a month, but I can already tell that this surprisingly specific training is truly going to make the difference between getting the job and not getting the job. Many young actors don’t realize that the actor’s real work is the audition; I’ve been told that quite possibly 80% of my time and effort will be spent either trying to get auditions (or an agent and manager who can get them for me), preparing for said auditions and then, of course, going and coming from auditions.  I might get to spend about 5% of my time on an actual set, if my cards/the stars are played right/aligned.  Then, of course, my remaining 15% of  time should be spent on more training and networking…but will probably be spent either watching entire seasons of HBO shows and/or playing Frontierville. (At least I’ll have control over something, am I right? Ha, ha…sigh.)
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The first week of school is done and I have only one thing to say. I am SO GLAD to be back. Actually, I have only one OTHER thing to say: HOLY CRAP, this is going to be a challenging year. After spending my Labour Day weekend labouring over 4 screenplays, learning a monologue (and reading its screenplay) and writing a river story, I’ve determined that this type of work is NOT for the faint of heart. Or the lazy of heart, either. I won’t lie, it gets a little painful 3/4 of the way through, but when all is said and done, I am ecstatic to be doing the work. I spent my entire summer indoors, remember? I’ve been aching for this type of stimulation since July.
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Recently I took hiatus from shampoo, because I stopped caring.
The effects are mild; it looks as if I grow pomade out of my scalp.
Recently I’ve hit a low. You know about the lows? Those feelings you get when it feels as if everyone and everything is flying past you, and it seems like nothing’s working out or going as you think it should. Feeling so “low” in fact that it induces states of prolonged lethargy, and a general lack of wanting to do anything at all, even be social? I’ve heard some people refer to these episodes as “fits of depression” which I find to be a little too on the mark . . . so I sugar coat it with terms like; the lows. It gives me hope simply in terms of the phrasing; if we’re in a low then there has to be a balance; there’s got to be a high out there somewhere. It seems really hard to fly when you barely have the boldness to get up off the ground though.

But I realized something. I realized the significance of one of the main lessons that all of the teachings of comedy at NYCDA underlined time and again: Pain is funny. Not hysterically fall on the floor and soil yourself funny necessarily, (those are the best kinds however) but it is always worth going back and smiling at. It’s a great way to lift the smog of the “low”. Even if you can’t laugh at it, even if it’s got you so down in the dumps it just doesn’t seem like there’s anyway out of the dark. It’s usually at these junctures when we become very open and aware of other people’s pain. Such as an 80 year old man using 2 canes to walk down a steep street, at about the speed of a sprinting turtle, yelling “HELP ME! IM CAREENING OUT OF CONTROL! WONT SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP??? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!” I think that, if anything, will bring a small chuckle to even the most weary and morbid wanderers of the streets. Now the 80-year-old is fearing for his life, Lord knows he’s never traveled at such speeds of fractions of a mile per hour, but all the same he’s suffering on some level, and we’re laughing at him. We explode when our umbrella breaks in the middle of a rainstorm, conveniently at the end of our worst week at work, and look over only to see somebody laughing hysterically because we looked ridiculous. It’s funny really; laughter is spurred on by comedy, comedy is spurred on by pain and the misfortune of others. So if someone’s laughing, that means someone’s crying, which is a melancholy fact, unless of course you’re watching America’s Funniest Animals, in which case nobody cares, but that’s beside the point. The point is; cherish your pain, because there is funny in it, and take every chance you can to laugh at something . . . because being sad sucks.

Fantasy football drafting

Since early July I’ve been preparing to draft my fantasy football teams for the upcoming season.  At this point, I am quite familiar with NFL teams and their offensive philosophies, and I have pored over players, along with their individual offensive production over the past few seasons.  (Had I studied like this when in college, I would have aced my Probability & Statistics class!) If this means nothing to you, suffice it to say that my friends and I put together 12 cyber-teams of real-life players, to form a league. Howsoever these real-life players perform on any given Sunday is what they do in the league. Scores are tallied, people win, people lose, you laugh, you cry, you can earn bragging rights over your friends, (or strangers), and you can win money too!

Sometimes an athlete is not put in the best situation to succeed, even at the highest levels. A recurring theme in my preparation is that of athletes being put in the wrong roles, thus hindering their production. In the minor leagues, slugger David Ortiz played for a team whose philosophy on hitting didn’t cater to his power. This held him back from growing as a hitter, but he played the way he was coached to play, hitting singles, (sometimes). In football, someone might be a “3rd down specialist”. Why must he wait till 3rd down to specialize? Does he just not like 1st or 2nd down? How is someone a “possession receiver”? Isn’t that the job, to catch the ball? If a defensive player is a pass-rusher, is he not as qualified against the run? (He could easily tackle any of us readers) Certain types of runners won’t/can’t play to their potential if the coaching philosophy doesn’t capitalize on their strengths. An athlete, in any sport, needs to play to his strengths. All people, not just athletes, need to do that.
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The weather has been much more agreeable lately, so I’ve happily decided to lift my “outdoor boycott”  for the time being. Besides the necessities of life, other great instigators for venturing into summer heat are visits from international friends! The allure of New York’s attractions was an almost gravitational force for me when I was growing up in Canada. However, the day I moved to New York and had to drive a U-Haul through the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour was the day the wide-eyed tourist in me died forever. The first six months I was here, I was just happy if I could get to school on time without my head exploding.
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Tonight, as I was looking at my Facebook, I was struck by an epiphany. As if my eyes were opening for a second time. And I saw right through the fake allure of it. The smoke and mirrors and the shiny dangling keys that were everything pop culture wanted you to indulge in. And I thought instantly of every picture I’d ever seen or any headline or article I’d ever read that depicted a poor country suffering from genocide, disease, and in general the really short end of the friggin’ stick. Or of a business being taken to court over monstrous acts, which usually devastate a large demographic of innocent people. Who they claimed they were “trying to help” when they were really just being manipulative, greedy, and will probably get away with it anyway. I felt as if for a split second, I had woken up from the hazy mind vice that is the neon lights, bright colors, and hypnotizing eyes staring back at you. And I began to dream.

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To celebrate his graduation from elementary school, my 10-year-old son, Ben, decided to make some quizzes for his parents (revenge, no doubt, for all the 5th grade tests he had to take)… He let us decide what our subjects would be.  His father asked for a baseball quiz – a slam dunk.

I panicked, since I haven’t really taken a quiz in about 30 years, other than those Facebook quizzes (which I don’t think you can get wrong…) So, figuring I’d stick to my strong suit, I asked him to make me a Tim Burton quiz.

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