The trailer for the episode of Fringe I'm on...

So exciting!! The episode of Fringe I was in airs this Friday night.

I'm interested to see how it all turns out!

Here's the trailer

Want to work? Create your own!

Its' slow. It's dead. And it's raining.

I know it's easy to sit at home and complain and wish there were more auditions, trust me I do it sometimes too.

But last night in my class at The Actors Foundry, our teacher Bradley Stryker was talking about how exciting his trip to the Soho Film Festival was. How New York was a city full of energy, an energy of people creating great art. For the Love of it!

I think we need a little more of that going on here in Vancouver.

What if it's not a competition for work? What if we all make the effort to create more, be more excited about the projects we're doing? Think of the kind of work we could all have!

Personally, there are always so many projects, plays, scripts I want to work on, but it can be hard to get started.

That is why I have so much respect for those people that go out and do it!

So this blog goes out to them. Support your fellow artists, who are putting themselves out there.

First I want to talk about some lovely ladies called The True Heroines.

They have come up with this amazing concept, a combination of live cabaret shows and starting a web series. Please check out their website and their new project, an indie go-go campaign.

Every small donation helps. Literally. So skip your fancy latte today and tomorrow and support some genius creative work.

Or just share their page and tweet it out there.

More info here.

On Monday Night I had the pleasure of going to a workshop of a new Musical. Most people don't know what goes into writing a musical, but it's a lot of trial and error and workshops and well, have you been watch the TV show Smash?

This show is called Dumped and it's play tonight though to Friday at Studio 16 on 7th between Fir and Granville. Check out their Facebook event for details.

It's absolutely hilarious! (I mean unless you're always lucky with love and find romance super easy and not awkward at all...) It's a great night of entertainment for only 15$. The cast is full of fellow CCPA Alumni and everyone is obviously having an amazing time.

Which is what this is all about isn't it?

If you love it, do it. Find a way. I know I want too, so maybe there will be some updates on that coming soon.

In the mean time, think of what you love to do, and do it! And help support those who are. Its karma babe, what goes around comes around so lets build a supportive artist community here in Vancouver!

Have a lovely Wednesday, go dance in that rain!

xoxo

PS if you know of any other fun projects out there, share here and spread the word!

Happy Birthday William Shakespeare!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

As You Like It: Act 2, scene 7

Today is William Shakespeare's Birthday, and in case I haven't mentioned this before, I am so in love with him.

Well not him as a person, because I don't know him, but his plays.

From the first time I read A Midsummer's Nights Dream when I was about 10 or 11, I was enthralled by the poetry.

I can't explain it, but I've always loved it, and always just 'got it'. It's one of those things that I actually sit around and read for fun.

Plus he was a genius, wrote the most amazing sentiments ever, and invented most a huge portion of our language. He's probably the most quoted person.

Some of my favourite shows, monologues or scenes that I've ever done have been Shakespeare. I really feel that Iambic Pentameter is in my bones or blood or something.

In honour of Will's b-day I'd like to put out into the Universe my dream Shakespeare Roles:

Juliet

Ophelia

Katherine

Viola

Olivia

Lady Macbeth

Rosalind

(these are just a few at the top of my list!)

One of them I've already had the pleasure of playing; Katherine in Taming of the Shrew, and I hope to play her again one day.

What are you favourite Shakespeare plays? Do you love his works as much as I do?

There are also quite a few great Shakespeare movies. Shakespeare In Love is one of my all time favourites, as is Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet. And a few months ago I saw a film called Anonymous, it debates who really wrote the plays. It was very interesting, really well made, even if I want to disagree with its subject. I highly recommend it, for the acting and the costumes! Oh ya, costumes, I could do about a dozen blogs on my love of that!

Anyway, have a great Monday!

"O, how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day;
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
And by and by a cloud takes all away."

Proteus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (I, iii, 84-87)

(I'll be reading sonnets while I wait for my laundry to be done...)

xox

We slate, we dance, we sell things: Commercial Auditions!

Aka; how to make a fool of yourself and have a blast or feel like a fool and have no fun at all.

Commercial Auditions are weird. SO weird.

I've only been to a few, so I'm no expert, (and trust me there are experts) but I thought I would dedicate a post to them because they really are in a class completely of their own!

Let's start with the Slate; (audition speak for saying your name to the camera.) Oh but wait, most people say their name super fast, and with no energy, because we're used to saying it all the bloody time. So make sure you say it slowly enough to understand and like its the most frickin exciting thing in the world! So natural right?

The dancing; I seem to have to dance in a shocking amount of Commercial Auditions, probably like 90% of the ones I've been too. And it's not just me, I hear others have to do this too. The dancing is often preceded or followed by: making faces to the camera, punching the air, showing your armpits, fake-eating something, or hair tossing. Just kidding I've never actually had to hair toss in an audition. (truth: it's a secret dream of mine!)

Sometimes they ask you seemingly normal questions like, "what do you do for fun?" or "Tell us about yourself!" But somehow, after dancing or whatever, it's easy to forget how to speak or think of anything interesting to say. I believe this is a skill that comes with practise, or prepared topics which are guaranteed be awesome. I'm pretty sure thats what most of my teachers told me to do. (note to self, think of some of these things...)

The Selling of Things: It's probably non-union, therefore 'Project X', so you usually have absolutely no idea what you're selling. Take an educated guess.

I know actors who LOVE Commercial auctions, and one's that HATE them. Here is my opinion:

They can be fun, if you make them fun. Yes we might look stupid passing a fake laptop around or smiling while we eat soup all sexy, but really it could probably be so much worse.

If you book one, awesome, the money is usually pretty good and building an acting career is slow and expensive. And if you don't, hey you got to be a little silly for 15 minutes out of your day!

Theres lots to be argued about, regarding how you feel about selling things, and doing it non-union and why etc. and those are questions you can ask yourself. But trust me, the whole audition process is so much easier if you don't judge it.

I also think life is easier if you don't judge it.

If you're looking for tips and skills on Commercial Auditions there are a couple great workshops here in Vancouver. One taught by Henry Mah and Linda Darlow, which I did about a year ago and was really helpful. You can find out more info about their workshops here. And there's also one at The Actors Foundry taught by Jeb Beach, which I've heard great things about, more info here. If you're going out a lot and not booking or not getting called back, try one. It couldn't hurt to know a little bit more about how the process works, could it?

In the mean time, think happy thoughts before you slate your name!

You can choose to have an awesome day and an awesome audition, if you want that.

Have a great Monday!

PS: Any blog ideas or topics you'd like me to cover? Send them my way! jane@janehancock.ca

xoxo

I read a blog called The Daily Love and it always has amazing quotes at the top of the email each day, here are two I read today that really inspired me, and are very true to what I could use to hear right now!

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"

- Dr. Seuss

"The awe, inspiration and talent you recognize in others are but a reflection of the same thing in you. I highly suggest you do not seek the approval or recognition of those you admire but instead cultivate in yourself that which you see in them. There is a dormant creative genius within you - let them out!"

- Jackson Kiddard


Hope you enjoy these little messages and have a lovely Sunday!

I've been thinking of some interesting blog topics and I can't wait to share them with you. Tomorrow I have a Commercial audition, more on that and how crazy weird those are coming soon!

Xox

How the other half lives: In the room with Casting...

Being a reader.

On 'that' side of the table. The Enemy. The best friend. "It was the reader's fault!"....

I'm dispelling the rumours, sharing my personal thoughts, and boy, do I have lots to talk about!

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of once again being a reader for Casting Director Ann Forry at Callback Casting.

It was an insightful, educational and super fun experience, to say the least. Also, so much more fun than my day job!! (No offence to my Boss, if he's reading this...)

It is an absolute pleasure to watch Actors bring their work into the room. They have so much hope, and this 'fighting chance!' energy about them that can be enrolling, exciting, and a thrill to watch.

But, I was amazed at how many actors completely forgot there was a reader when they came into the room. In fact they may not have even noticed me if the Casting Director didn't introduced me. I know I'm not, like super important, but seriously; I'm your life line, your human connection in that room, the one you can be vulnerable with, yell at, hate, fall in love with, whatever. It's a brief moment of connection and it is SO great when that does happen. But letting down that fear, that ego, to really do it, is like climbing a metaphorical intimate Everest!

But where's the fun in not doing that? Isn't that what we do? We are often called to ask ourselves; (or are asked by those who think we're crazy) Why do we do what we do?

The Director even asked a few actors that question in the room. Talk about on the spot!

Finding this out for yourself, just you, is part of the journey of self knowledge I think all actors take. All humans take. (And maybe cats, because I like them and they're cute.)

As I have more opportunities to be 'the reader', I am more and more inclined to remember what my teachers/mentors have said, and believe that it's the Actors who truly bring themselves into the room and to the character, that really shine.

Well, how do we do that? How does one put a finger on that?

Let's re-trace our steps right back up to the Self Knowledge topic!

Lots of people shrink from that word, it is daunting, and it can be scary. But as I've come to learn over the past year or so, and from doing a lot of personal digging, it's actually really kind of Awesome!

The thing is, no matter how much we network, or memorize monologues, or nail down our 'branding,' if at the end of the day we don't know who we are, and what we want, how will we ever understand human nature enough to honestly convey and relate to a character.

I am so grateful for all the books, and people and courses that have inspired me to look inward and 'be the change I want to see in the world.' It's a lifelong journey I hope to always be on, side by side with Acting. For me the two are hand in hand, one in the same.

Before we go, I do have a few more parting comments on Auditions:

- It's true, they really do want you to succeed, they want you to be great, they want to cast you!

- The reader actually wants to help you, to connect to you, they want you to rock it!

- Have fun in your auditions, it's a long day for those people at the table.

- And please, please, Thank your reader. People notice, just saying.

For more questions on general audition tips, decorum, my ideas, etc. or my opinions/experiences with my own personal growth path, please feel free to contact me at jane@janehancock.ca

Have a Happy Wednesday! xoxo

My very own WEBSITE!

Is up and running with domain name and all!
I'd been mulling over the whole website and how to make one vs get one made etc for a while. Then a friend recommended a site to use and I spent a few days playing with the features, failing, learning, getting frustrated, getting excited, and eventually created my own website on my own through trial and error. It felt good. I bought my domain name and my genius friend Lucas set that up and now it's a real website!!
I'm still tweeking it and updating, and I have to write an 'about Me'/Bio section which is on it's way. More updates will come while I'm working out how I write that, I'm sure. (so weird to write 'about' one's self...)
Since I'm so excited about my learning experience and the cool outcome, I'm pretty pumped to share it:
Please take a gander over to janehancock.ca and check it out!
I would love comments and feedback on how easy or not it is to use and any other recommendations!
It's also mobile accessible and it pops up on a Google search!
Hope you all have a lovely Saturday, I'm off to decorate Easter eggs with my nieces and nephew!
Hugs and Love xox

Side note, I draw amazing stick figures...

And everything makes more sense when shown with stick figures!

Tribute to my friend Rod for sharing this video with me, and I'd like to pass it along too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RgdcljNV-Ew

This is something I've been learning about and studying lately. If anyone has interest in this or wants to chat more about it and applying this 'self love,' I'd love to discuss.

It would be great to one day see how this ideology could be applied to many aspects of a person's life, and make great change in the world...

What do you think?

Enjoy!

Hope it's not too manic of a Monday.

xox