Lovin' L.A. - Lights, Camera, Action!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! That's exactly the feel of lovely L.A. which the Theatre VCU Seniors, some Alumni, and myself traveled to for LA Actors Connection Feb. 5-12. Hosted in the heart of Universal Studios at the Universal City Hilton, the convention was just a skip away from Downtown L.A. and a hop away from North Hollywood, really putting us in the middle of the film and television industry.

L to R - Ashley Davis, Adriel Hunter, Crystal Johnson prepping for a workshop              Our audition sides for"Dexter"

At Actors Connection, we would meet up to 3 casting directors, managers, and/or directors a day, some for interviews and others for seminars. These guests worked with companies from ABC, NBC, and FOX to HBO/Showtime, Indie films, and national releases. Most casting directors would cast us in material they've provided, giving the actor 10 minutes to prepare and then share with the rest of the class and the casting director. Q&A's as well as feedback on scenes would follow and as each industry guest was different, we got to hear widespread opinions and ideas from professionals in the industry. It was our job to take what works best for us and make our own plan to guide our journey. Dallas Travers, actors advocate and head of the #1 company for marketing in Los Angeles, was a highlight in trip as she shared the truths about branding yourself as an actor and what it means to put yourself in the industry.

We learned many things at Actors Connection, from how to stay in touch with the industry guests, choosing L.A. or N.Y.C., the casting process, to having a memorable interview, being yourself, and practicing our craft through mock auditions. Many of us attending the conference imagined it to be more along the lines of auditions yet it was designed to be more of educational seminars with informative mock auditions and learning. It was still great to have connections and sessions with the industry professionals so that if we do move to L.A., we have opportunities for contacts and the search for real auditions.

 VCU Seniors and Alumni explore the city

When not in seminars or workshops, you could find us at our hot spot, the Hilton Pool & Jacuzzi. The weather was in the high 60's, low 70's and the heated pool and jacuzzi was the perfect place to relax and digest the things we've learned. The hotel being in such a prominent area, their were several opportunities to bump into renown people. One night in the jacuzzi I met the man who has the patent for creating a new camera lens that will allow a camera to shoot in 3-D. One day Jenn & Courtney met Tyrese Gibson, R&B singer and actor, in an elevator. Two nights later the Grammy's had arrived and many stars were in town and checked into the Universal City Hilton. Of course we did leave our hotel and venture into some fun restaurants and make various trips to the grocery store and the 24-hour Subway. We got to spend our free nights and the Wrap Party, featuring theatreVCU alumni living in the city, at the end of the week in Universal Studios City Walk which included great music, food, shopping, entertainers, and more. It was a fun place to be!

L to R -- Jennifer Ferguson, Courtney McCullough, Gentry Roth, Walid Chaya loungin' at the pool

I was lucky to spend a night out of the hotel with VCU alumni Ashphord Jacoway, exploring Highlands in Hollywood and networking opportunities outside of the conference. I found that meeting people is not so hard as L.A. is filled with industry folks and everyone wants to work with friendly, fun people. I also got to get a feel for a "week in the life" as Ashphord showed me where she worked, taught me about different places all over the city where auditions take place, how to use the bus and metro system, and how this all generally fits in her week. I even got to stay overnight at Ashphords place in a warehouse transformed into a very modern looking artsy apartment in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. It was good to get a feel for being and living in the city outside of what the luxurious Universal City Hilton provided.

A delicious restaurant in Beverly Hills

One day after the conference while visiting Jennifer, a family friend of mine, I had the chance to take a tour of Beverly Hills and the "Hollywood" side of the city. I also got to eat at "The Chaya" a restaurant named after me (haha, I wish!!), often featured on "Keeping up with the Kardashians". I also got to stroll the streets of "The Grove" a famous shopping center in Beverly Hills. Many celebrities shop and dine here as the strip is known as the "ultimate entertainment destination". Mario Lopez hosts NBC's "Extra", interviewing various Hollywood figures, and it shoots live from The Grove. While I was visiting he interviewed Sara Rue from "Shedding for the Wedding" followed by some of the cast from "Mr. Sunshine". I was chosen to ask an interview question and go to be featured on national TV part of the show asking Rue what motivates her. This being my last day in L.A., it was defiantly the fun "cherry-on-top".

  L to R - Sara Rue, Walid Chaya, Mario Lopez on NBC's "Extra"

Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. This show featured L.A. stage actors and some better known New York talent. It was nice to return to the theatre after spending so much time working with a camera in mind.

Bright rays of sunshine only held back occasionally by some clouds and rain made for a beautiful time in Los Angeles, California filled with tons of information on the film and TV industry and many connections, both professional and personal. Thank you to the wonderful Christopher Dietrich, Executive Director of Actors Connection, and also to our other new friend, fellow actor, and fantastic reader, Darren O'Hare. Truly an inspiration adventure!

Headin' West! UPTA in Memphis--2011!

On February 3 the TheatreVCU Seniors, a few fabulous alumni, and I attended the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions, better known as "UPTA", in good ole Memphis, Tennessee. As an actor/director, I had the opportunity to participate in both the acting auditions, as well as the job services interviews.

Actors from all over the country are each given an audition number and sectioned by groups as auditions span over 3 days. They have 90 seconds to showcase themselves in their best light. Personally, I did 16-bars of a musical song followed by a contrasting contemporary monologue. Some actors did two songs and a short monologue. A lot of actors who auditioned and didn't do a song, found that companies were less likely to call them back, as the majority of companies present were auditioning for their musical-heavy season. Within the next hour after each groups auditions, callbacks are posted all around a room. Excited and antsy actors walk around the room marking down companies that have further interest in them and what hotel room they are in. Now actors must go to each hotel room and sign up for a second audition--and the race around the Marriott begins!

 L to R - Gentry Roth, Sarah Pruden (Alumni), Walid Chaya, Elyse Thaler

One of UPTAs sponsors was REDBULL, and what a better way to get a conference running than by giving away mass-loads of the "energy drink that gives you wings". Chatty elevator conversations and hyped callbacks made the experience zoom by. For our VCU actors, auditions and callbacks were all finished by Friday night, but I stayed for the Job Services interviews. On Saturday, theatre technicians, directors/choreographers, and administrative personnelles had the opportunity to sign up for interview times with companies that have openings for jobs they are qualified for. I personally interviewed with several theatres from positions as a casting intern to the assistant to the company manager. This was a great chance to network and meet the executive faces in the theatre scene.

Memphis is a great time and UPTA was a quick, smooth sail from start to finish. In our time outside of the conference, many of us ventured into the city for great music and even greater BBQ! There was a blue-grass and country music festival playing on Beale Street, a main attraction in Memphis, for around the clock fun. Closer to the hotel we found neighborhood restaurants where we could run to for a quick meal or spent quality time together at the end of the day. Tennessee and UPTA were a fun start to our seniors travels, as straight from UPTA most of us flew directly into Los Angeles, California for our Actors Connection conference. Our journey westbound only continues!