New project: New adventure

Have you heard about the #100daysProject ?
Well I've decided to start one! 
Over the past few months I've been focusing on writing more consistently and making new personal gains, as well coming up with new sets of challenges and lessons. 
I've also helped fellow writers with their projects, story editing, writing skills, and motivation.
Fellow writers and actors ask me all the time: how did I learned to write, what keeps me going, where I get ideas etc. I tell them it's a practise, a practise of continuously letting the creative freak-flag fly so that I don't suppress my own great ideas when they actually come. (That and actual skill and structure)  
So for my 100 days I'm going to continue with that trend, by doing #100daysofWritingPrompts to motivate myself and others. 
If you'd like to join me, and stretch your writing and creativity mussels feel free to follow me on twitter @JaneEHancock where every morning I'll be posting a prompt.
You can use this any way you'd like. Write a poem about it, journal about it, work through that chapter of your novel with the prompt in mind, write a short film where one character only says this in response to everything. You chose, those are a few ways I'm going to challenge myself with it.
I'll also be posting some of the results on my blog and here on facebook and I would love to get other people involved and sharing too! 
When was the last time you did something, by choice, with purpose, consecutively for 100 days? I thought so...
To actors who want to write their own work, to storytellers who want to try poetry, to anyone with fears but big dreams: if you intend to sit down to write that 'thing,' that 'work of art' which you predict with change you life, I can assure you that if you don't already practise writing, it is fricken hard! 
If you want to be involved, tweet, instagram, blog, or whatever using these hashtags: 
#100daysofWritingPrompts #100daysProject  #day1/100
& whichever prompt I write each day ex: #prompt 
Of course anyone is welcome to use the prompts for creative inspiration at anytime, but I suggest pushing yourself and participating. No one will be monitoring you, especially not me, so this is also a practise of self-motivation and integrity. Let's encourage each other by sharing challenges and successes along the way.
I'll be starting first thing tomorrow morning. Who's ready to join me and have some fun?

Thoughts on writing by a rebel.

               Write. to write. to share.
         to break free. to un-fear the feared. to open little parts of me up for discussion.
  Up for review. up for more. up for connection.

Show. Show and Tell.
               Make. make stuff. make me. What hasn't been said.
                                                             What hasn't been seen.

    Do you want to see me?
I want to see me, hear me and know me. feel. Make me feel. make you feel. easy, hard, vulnerable,
  challenging, soul searching. solid.

Pain. Gain. Rain or Shine. be mine. Love. Joy. Pain.
Learning. Earning.     I'd like to get both from writing.   from sharing my stories - up on a fireplace.
                                                                                     on a stage. on the page

We tear open our hearts, and re-awaken the past, someday, for new, better, future ways.
                  How many ways can you say     one     thing?

I love
I dream                      
                                     to write is to scheme.

                     To keep it together. to not. to be okay to not be. that is the question at play.

                                 Play.
         Write a play.  Be a play.  play.  play act.  Re-act.  Enact.  Action!

              Move forward. Good. Bad. No...     neither in writing maybe.

      Maybe no new stories. maybe not interesting. maybe not new. maybe that's ok too.
  Just my filter, my Brita.            My journey, my way of telling you to look at you.
            How great would it be, to all look inward & love?

But once it's down what to do? How to pitch, sell, make, do. Share.

Sharing is caring? What if. no one like?
                                           everyone loves?
steals, changes, abuses, doesn't "get." doesn't pay.          can't say it's real then.

When is it a job, a career, a path.   which path is less taken?  less trodden.
        Don't want my heart or art trodden upon.
Once upon a time...

So many stories. so many journeys.         How to make it worth it to tell, to make, to share, to sell, to pay for.
What if my joy could pay for my life, and all my other joys?      Toys.

We like to play with toys, tools. all part of story.
        We like to play with hearts.  games.  two of hearts.  three of spades.

Dig up that inspiration with a spade!
                             Fresh stories dried under the dirt of mediocrity of boring.

What is boring?
                          What is stimulation.  food.  sex.  knowledge.
     20 questions on a road trip through Life.  always navigating. always questioning.

    Do some not? Do some just float, be ok with that.  water.  water to clean out that dirt
                                                                                      & shake shit up.

       To shake a soul with words is noble is brave is wacky and crazy and weird.

      Love is weird.                           I AM WEIRD.

 we used to write with ink, now we write with spell check.
     thought this is written by hand, these words will probably make it onto a laptop. a hard drive. soon

                   Good for us. Look what we did.

Are we expanding or limiting ourselves?            Filter or tool?

Tools to talk to strangers would be more helpful. lend a helping hand.
                                                               know your bloody neighbour.
 our 'Neighbors' down south spell that differently.

I haven't always been good at spelling. or ever.

                                           I write too fast.  head too full to constrict to words written nicely with proper spelling.
                This made me feel like a bad writer. bad english. Bad person.
My grammar is great, but when the muse takes over she doesn't care.  She just wants to tell. to entertain.
                           to enlighten.
                                  to write it out.

I imagine that's how runners feel.   I think they're crazy to love that.

                                                                      Maybe I'm crazy to love this?

Oh I probably am!   But really, isn't grand? to be a little wild, to be free.
to be me.

Jane Hancock 

05/11/15

The questions we ask ourselves.

Today I filled out and submitted an application for an opportunity which I very much desire to be a part of.
The application posed several questions for us to answer: Why I want to be a filmmaker, how would I  describe myself and my work in one sentence, a bio, my inspiration, and what do I want to talk about in the film industry these days.
All of these were challenging to answer, but in a fun way!

It was the final question that took me off guard, and into mini tailspin over the last few days as I've been working away at the app:

"How do you consider your chances to succeed in the film industry as a professional film actor?"

Wow. Blunt.
Well the statistics say slim to none, but my grandmother totally thinks I'll be famous, so wheres the in-between? 
I've spent many a sleepless night debating this, many a coffee with a girlfriend too, but never have I ever had to seriously consider it and answer it in 1000 characters or less for a panel of film professionals. 

(If you're not an actor, I suggest you listen to this song, it's an example of our way of life)

I hope I'm not the only who worries, who stresses, who wonders where I'm going with this whole acting/filmmaking thing. I don't think I am.

After some mediation and listening to my heart, this is what I came up with for my answer. This is me, and how I feel today. I wanted to share it, for anyone else out there who sometimes feels frustrated too:


It's not a sprint, it's a marathon; a life long marathon full of joy and disappointment. 
It requires persistence, and inner honesty to be an actor. Plus everyone else and their dog wants to do this too. 
I don't know the 'chances' of success because sometimes decisions are based on height, or hair colour, or being in the right city.
I work hard to hone my craft, stay in touch with my agent, and create my own work to stay creatively fulfilled. 
By taking classes, workshops, doing yoga, personal growth, seeing as many plays and films as possible, and knowing deep down why I want to do this crazy job, I know I will succeed. 
Maybe one day, with all my hard work, that will lead me to be in the right place in the right time when they need someone with my hair colour who is 5'4".
In the meantime I find joy in the auditions, even the rejections, patience in being 'put on hold' and acceptance when the choice comes down to someone else.
Even with the stats, I continue to believe that my skills and love for this profession will lead me to success.



Fingers crossed they weren't looking for a business plan!

Happy Tuesday. May you listen to your heart today about why you are an artist.

xox

Jane

Dance like it's the roaring 20's

I love TED talks.

Usually when I watch them I feel inspired, moved and also mildly inadequate.
Recently I watched one which left me feeling inspired, moved and really proud of myself.

A few weeks ago I had a birthday. I turned 25. Normally on my Birthdays there's a slight sense of panic and 'what am I doing with my life!' This year actually passed by quietly, without that. I actually feel solid with what I'm doing with my life and where it's going. In the past I was always stressed I hadn't accomplished enough! But now I see things a little differently.

In this Ted talk Meg Jay talks about how 30 is not the new 20. How being a 20-something is actually a sweet spot to get things moving in your life, not just a time to grow up while putting off adulthood. Finally somebody agrees with me!

Constantly people ask me why I do so much, work so many jobs, have so many projects on the go. People ask me why I got engaged so quickly. Why I don't relax, take it easy? What's the rush? they say.

There is no rush, I just like living my life.
I have high expectations for me and my life and I want to start working on them now, well I want to start working on them yesterday, but patience it's my strong suit. I've always been extremely persistent, driven, and I often over-extend myself. But I like that, I function well with my to do list full. (Many thanks goes out to Omnifocus, the magical app that keeps my life together!)

The only thing with me is that I'm not very good at owning it. At talking about my wins, achievements, and success. With some reading, journaling, coaching, therapy, and talks with my fiancé, I've come to determine this is because of my deep rooted fear of failure. I don't want to admit my successes - because I'll also have to admit my failure, and then it viscerally and literally feels like the world will end!

So in the blog post I'm admitting some wins, in hopes of overcoming my fears, and to inspire others. To not slide through your twenties, or any decade for that matter. Get passionate about something and make it happen!

Here goes: I've recently completed my second short film this year, and submitted it to it's first film festival in LA. I got my first 'Director' credit on IMDB for the other film I made this year. I'm looking into distribution options for both right now. When I Saw You is currently at the Cannes Short Film Corner. I just got cast in play which will be going up in October. I got put on hold for a major commercial and even though I didn't get it, I did get a very supportive email from my agent, which feels like a win. I'm currently working on two-three writing projects. (that varies depending on the week.) Tonight I'm back in acting class at The Foundry, doing Shakespeare, my favourite! And tomorrow I'm planning a special event to inspire other women to do any of the above, if it moves them.

The statistic of female roles in front of and behind the camera are dropping. And I want to do something about that. I believe women have stories to tell, and ways to connect and change the world!
Tomorrow night I'm organizing an networking event: The Female Voice in the Film Industry, with a panel discussion.
A great panel has come together and I'm so excited to talk with them on the topic of women's roles and the voice we have or could have.

If you live in Vancouver and want to experience this, and connect with other women, please come check out the event!
There are limited tickets, and a capacity at the venue, so I'm encouraging people to buy their tickets in advance.
If you're interested, here's the link with all the details:
http://thefemalevoiceinfilmnetworkingevent.brownpapertickets.com/

If you are in your 20's and don't feel so driven, that's ok too. This blog is in no part a judgement. But watch the TED talk. And please believe me when I say that every little step, each day, is what actually moves you forward, not aging.

Enjoy being a 20's something. - And might I add that with The Great Gatsby in theatres, every 20's is cool again!

This is a little inspiration for me. To remember that failing, falling, and making mistakes is part of it all:

 "Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again."  - Vincent Van Gogh

Have a wonderful week!

xox
Jane

Is it all a Scam?

So I'm riding the bus yesterday, and I hear this couple talking. I'm not really listening, because personally I use bus time to people-watch and day-dream about film scripts, but they said something that grabbed my attention:
"blah, blah,... total scam!! Blah.. blah"
And it got me thinking, what is a scam?

I try to remember back to the first time I've heard the word, or maybe the first significant time.
I was maybe 11 or 13, and my dad shared an interesting email with me to see what I thought about it.

"Dear Sir/Madam,
I am the Prince of (important far away Country). I am (blah, blah) and I have X amount of $$$ that I want to give away to you!
Please give me all your banking info and sell me your soul. (blah, blah)
P.S. Thank you for helping me out!"

It was slightly more eloquent than that, and very official sounding. I was in the childhood frame of mind that yes, of course, we should indeed take the money off this person's hands! That is when my father explained to me that is was a scam.
Though he didn't really explain what a 'scam' was.

Since then I've heard the word used for all sorts of things! "Those shoes are so over priced, what a scam!" "My massage therapist keeps telling me I NEED to come back, what a scam!""My email's been hacked, don't open the messages, it's a scam!"

Last week I even caught myself using the word. I had an audition to put on tape, (for a US pilot that shall go unnamed) and in doing my actor due-diligence I research the project to find out anything I could about plots, scenes, other actors, etc. And what do I find? About eight news articles on the first page of Google telling me all about the actress who's been cast in the role I'm auditioning for! But it's being shot in Canada, so apparently they 'have to' see a certain amount of Canadians. What a scam! Or is it?

The main reason 'scam' has been on my mind is actually because of a sticker. A sticker you might be seeing around town...

Two friends of mine, Sage Brocklebank and Patrick Sabongui are making a movie called SCAM. And they gave me some stickers to hand out and stick about town, to raise awareness about their film.


Their production company, Dreams Beyond Thirty, brought you “Felony” The Fringe Play, the award-­‐winning smash hit at last year’s Vancouver International Fringe Festival. Their latest venture is a new movie, “SCAM”: an electrifying crime drama about the very real phenomenon of telephone fraud, the scammers who perpetrate them and the elderly victims they prey upon. 


Fascinating right? But the way they're making their movie is actually what's interesting! The film is an entry in the CineCoup Film Accelerator: a nation-wide competition that awards the winner with a ONE MILLION DOLLAR budget and a guaranteed theatrical release in Cineplex Odeon theatres in January, 2014. 

You know what a big fan I am of creating one's own work! The contest ushers in the new generation of independent filmmaking so that micro­‐budget films can compete with Hollywood blockbusters!  

They need some help. Because Cinecoup is about the people. People's involvement and people's opinion's actually matter.
The more 'likes' and fans they get on the site, the closer they get to move towards that $1 million!

Meet the team and check out the trailer because we can help them reach number 1! How cool will it be, when they actually make their movie, to be like 'Ya, I voted for that, helped make it happen, no big deal!'
That could be you!

Have you ever been a victim to a scam? On their facebook page they want to hear about it. Big, small, hilarious, tragic, they want to hear it all!

I decided that my taped audition situation wasn't a scam, it was a reality of the film industry. A reality we have here in Vancouver, because we rely so much on LA. That's why I want to help build an industry here, and this Cinecoup project is helping with that!

Support work that's being created and made in your backyard, because trust me, it comes full circle!

xoxo
Jane

Busy Bee and being me.

This afternoon I had a great meeting with my mentor Julia Benson. We talked about all the projects I have on the go, my wins and what I really want to work on for forward my career.

All of that was super helpful, but the best part of meeting with her was our conversation about finding more joy and gratefulness in what we already do. After reading an article this morning all about being SO busy, I checked in with myself and Julia about what I really want in life, what really makes me happy and what makes me sing.

This article was shared with my by my acting teacher Bradley Stryker and it has a great outlook. I really want to share it with all you, because I'd like to grow to be less of a hard working, pushing, busy bee and just BE a little more. Check it out here, and see if any of it rings true for you.

I have also published another guest blog with AnthroPhysique, which has a similar topic, about how we push ourselves without listening... It's health related but I think it can be applied to all areas, and I'm striving to do a little more of that in my life.

Happy Friday all, enjoy that sun!!

xoxo
Jane

Another Guest Blog over at AnthroPhysique

Interested in following what Chad and I are calling #TheJaneExperiment ??

Check out the latest update.

I talk about how fit I am and and how I LOVE running!.... not.

http://anthrophysique.com/2012/06/29/run-jane-run/

Have great weekends!

Happy B-day Canada, you're looking pretty good for your age.

xoox

Great article about being a writer...

http://kellyoxford.tumblr.com/post/25930198150/last-weeks-latimes-article-ran-in-chicago

What she says is really truthful and inspiring and I hope to have the guts to do it. Push through the waiting, the crap and enjoy writing because I love it!

What do you do despite the fact...?

The content, rather than the frame.

Stuff.

Sometimes I feel so stuck up on the stuff. The 'Can I pay my rent?' 'Does my agent like me?' 'What the hell is my brand?' 'Should I get a haircut?' Stuff.

This evening I went to a forum for the mentorship program I am involved in, (Fulfilling Young Artists) the topic was auditions.

I usually experience such workshops to be focused on 'hitting your mark' or 'how to use the chair to your best advantage.' All fine, dandy, and helpful to learn, but the Mentors this evening spent a great deal of the time chatting about what feeds us, as artists, outside of our auditions. Outside of our work.

This has been something I've been working on lately and there was much that I really needed to hear:

Mainly, it was a healthy reminder of how my acting doesn't actually mean anything about me as a person. And I forget that, all the bloody time!

Of course, it's me, so I look at that, journal about it and get therapy on my issues such 'needing to be seen' or 'seeking love and approval.' But when I don't feel fulfilled elsewhere in my life, it feels like acting is my only life boat to creativity, passion, and freedom of expressing myself.

Yes, it all come back to feeling fulfilled. Something I'm still figuring out, possibly always will be.

As I was thinking of what that might be for me, (thoughts included family, art, kids laughing, music, great fabric, and dancing around my living room) I was reminded of a quote from A Course in Miracles, saying that "life is about the content, not the frame."

Our world, our culture seems so hung up on that frame! (pun intended!)

It's easy to get caught up in the 'should' of life or the little things like 'Are my headshots great?' and 'I need this, I need that' and blah, blah, blah.

Some days I forget to take the time to connect to why I really do this. Without that I think we lose sight of our bliss, and then out comes jealousy and spite to rear their ugly heads.

I want to tell stories, share my truth, and create amazing art. But for a while I was only doing that in my acting, either in class or at the rare few auditions I did get.

As of late I've been finding other avenues for my 'creative energy' to flow, and I seek to find gratitude for the opportunities I do have to do art in my life!

I'm especially grateful and happy that I took a plunge and got back into writing, it is a huge source of joy for me.

But I had avoided it, because 'It's not a good plan B' and maybe 'Anyone can do it' or 'It's another time-consuming hobby which makes no money and takes time away form building my acting career!'

Complete crap.

It makes me happy, gets stuff out my head, and apparently even inspires other. I have also been dancing more, belting in the shower, thinking of setting up an art corner in my apartment and finding more and more writing projects (Including a short one woman show I will be mounting in August - - more to come soon!)

Yes, I still really want my agent to call, and I'd love to book a guest star or audition for a Carl Bessai film! But maybe, hopefully, over time, I will get to the place where the audition will become just another time to play!

I'm making myself a goal; to focusing on the love, the joy, and the bliss in all the areas of Art that I adore. Instead of future tripping about that darn outside frame.

I challenge you to look at your life, and wonder how you could chose to embrace different avenues of art, even in small baby step ways.

Have a lovely week!

xox

Guest Blogging!

Hello all!

I know I've neglected my blog as of late but I've had some fun projects brewing; one of them I get to announce today...

I will now also be guest blogging at Anthrophysique.com!!

If you would like to follow me there and read my first blog, take a jaunt right over Here, and see what I'm cooking up!

I have some exciting new blog topics on the way on this site as well!

And since it just decided to start pouring rain here in Vancouver I may sit inside and finish one up this afternoon!

Also if anyone is interested I may bring some guest bloggers on to my site, or even do some v-blog style interviews. Interest? Thoughts? Requests?

Have a great day! Hugs, xoxo

My first Video Blog

So here, for the first time Video Blogging!

Check it out on Youtube.

I decided to add a little more multimedia to my blogging. Upon some recommendations, I'm occasionally going to be doing videos to go along with the writing.

This week's topic: Lazy men and a fulfilling side job.

It was a one take wonder with my laptop camera, and super fun to just talk to a screen!

More videos to come, with hopefully better lighting, and maybe less rambling!

Have a lovely Monday!!

xox

Goals, to-do lists, and baby steps

There are going to be days, maybe weeks, and probably the odd month or even year when this industry, and maybe life in general just feels kinda like death. This may sounds rather dramatic; so if that never happens to you, and you don't believe it ever will, thats cool, fee free to stop reading now.

But for many of us, (yes, totally projecting and generalizing), sometimes its feels like when it rains it pours. No this is not a reference to the weather here in Vancouver, because as I write this post it's shockingly sunny.

In these times of need, stress, or lack of calls from the Agent, there are many distracting or uplifting things to do. Have a cocktail, go to Yoga, watch a chick flick, eat an entire bag of Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion potato chips, (that might just be me?) etc.

But instead of feeding the fear (possibly literally), I'm of the frame of mind that a little push and shove goes a long way. And choosing to make stuff happen can be pretty awesome.

For example, last week I was feeling a blah, 'the industry is slow' kind of energy. But I met with my new Mentor, Julia Benson (I'm in an amazing mentorship program called Fulfilling Young Artists -more on that later) and we had a really good chat about what I wanted. To do and who I wanted to be and how to get there. Then we set some small, measurable, accountable goals for this week, and I put effort towards them and they were way less difficult then I projected! But it puts that energy out there, more than sitting on the couch or at the beach.

So what I'm saying is it can be a little tough to get out of the 'depts of despair', but finding out what makes you happy, what makes you tick and what keeps you going in whatever path you choose is a wonderful thing.

I hope everyone has someone in their life they can sit down and tell their dreams too. And as much as I like 'believe in your dreams and they will come true!' It takes a little effort too.

Having a a to-do list is super helpful, and I'm addicted to them but that can be daunting. To start, think of what you want to accomplish, think of some steps and then pick one, just onefor like, the next week. See how it goes! You might even move on to more of the list, or you might fail. Either way you'll probably learn something!

If you're interested in finding out more about Fulfilling Young Artists, its' a program that matches working Professionals in the Acting Industry with young aspiring actors. Over a 6 month period we work together to set goals, create projects etc. You can follow them on twitter if you like. @FyaCanada All of there info to their new website etc is on there.

If you feel like you don't even know what 'next steps' to take, try checking out the Actor's Deliverables class at The Actors Foundry. Matthew Harrison is super helpful at guiding you in the right direction and giving you a good kick in the pants to get you moving!

This post may have been a little 'positive attitude' preachy, but I do honestly believe a few little baby steps can get the momentum going, sometimes we think the stepping stones are way father apart than they actually are. Plus if you miss, it's a chance to enjoy falling in the water!

Hope you all have a lovely day and get a chance to enjoy some free Vitamin D!

xoxo

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