Show up for your Auditions

So, after a full work day, I had a commercial audition and had to forgive myself for the technical lack in my performance. These days I always show up. I am fully me and fully available when I go to auditions. I'm mostly free of the head trips I used to take. I don't think about the other actors...except the usual things that people think like...oh she's pretty or he's animated...things like that. But I'm no longer competing with anyone any more. I believe that if a job is mine, then it's mine. If it's not, then I'm not going to get it no matter what I do. So, where does that leave my auditions? Well, it leaves me building a body of experience, continually developing my craft and hopefully creating relationships with the casting directors and crew.

I was happy and had fun and was free both before and in my audition. However, I failed on the technical. I was supposed to be talking to my teenage son (who was not there)...who would sit about my height...but I looked (when speaking to him) to his plate on the table in front of us instead of where his head and eyes would be. It's ok. I do have training. And they saw my resume before they called me in. And I've auditioned for this CD in the past. I thank them always and the staff who actually held the audition.

I can't even say that my audition was off...lol....it's more like it was free of technical qualities...which of course does not create a callback, but that's ok. Now, I know I should probably jump back in to Carolyne Barry's commercial class and brush up on my skills...get some of the cobwebs out. I've been working quite a bit this year...compared to the relatively quiet 3 years past. So, time to sharpen the craft and step back in to class or somewhere where I can get in regular acting workouts.

So, thought for the day....always show up for your auditions. The technical can help, but not if you are not fully present. If you're showing up and dropping the technical, then get back in to class or go find a play in which to perform.

If fact, life feels better all the way around when you just show up!

Reply to the Actor's Studio

These emails were part of the process in auditioning at the Actor's Studio. I've added links to information in IMDB and on the web. The letter from the Actor's Studio was in response to my resume and headshot that I sent to them upon their request (Sarah Jean Fry).



The email from the Actor's Studio read:

Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 10:09 AM
Subject: RE: The Actors Studio - reply requested



Dear Sarah,

Thank you for sending this information. Could you please specify how long (years/months) you studied with each of the teachers you name below?

Thanks,
Rachel (name changed for privacy)



My reply to the Actor's Studio:

Date: April 13, 2010 12:31:06 PM PDTTo:

Subject: RE: The Actors Studio - reply requested



Dear Rachel,

I go by Sarah Jean not Sarah having been named after two people. Thanks.

My acting course of study is long and full of variety. I performed in a play in junior high school, and then in college took acting as a minor, and studied under Jenna Worthen at SMU. She was an amazing teacher and was the one under whom I developed a passion for acting.

After completing an MS in another area, I returned to Dallas and took a marketing job and then rediscovered acting and have been acting ever since.

I worked in the theatre as a stage manager for several years (while working full-time as a marketing professional during the day) and then the artistic director at the time I was heavily involved in with one theatre, Mark Hawkins, challenged me by putting me in a publicly held play reading. From there, I studied under Gail Cronauer at STAGE for a year or so. Then I studied under Grant James and Jeff Alexander (simultaneously) for about 4 years. In the meantime, Allan Miller began coming to Dallas to teach quarterly. I began studying with him on a quarterly basis and proctored and acted in his class for 2 years. During the 5-6 years of acting in Dallas I was always in classes and did a lot of non-union work, mostly industrials and commercials. I often participated in showcases through STAGE, Pazzo Mente, and later another venue before moving to LA.

When I moved to LA, I studied with Allan another year or so also assisting him with a play that he was directing at the time call, "The Great Genesha." Then feeling the need to expand and develop my career, I took all of Carolyne Barry's commercial classes and all of her improv classes (one-by-one, more or less back to back) . I also took a variety of seminars and short term stints with Susan Lanier (1 year), Steve Carpenter (an 8 week course) and others who suggested they had a different method that I might explore. I was thrillled to discover Zina Provendie and studied with her for about 2 years, the last 6 months of which she taught me in the retirement home to which she moved. She died a year or two after that. I was sad to know another great teacher who had passed.

I then studied for a few years (off and on) with Jeramiah Comey. I took a year off and then discovered the Ivana Chubbuck Studio last year (2009). I studied with Deryl for about 6 months and had to take time off for surgery.

All this time I have had talent agents, represented by Marquis (and later Linda McAlister in Dallas) and since 1998 in LA by the Jana Luker agency. I still audition commercially having recieved callbacks for McDonalds and other national commercials recently. My Wells Fargo commercial ran for 3 years.

In February and March of this year, I played a mother in Life with Kat & McKay (webisode not yet released, although some episodes can be found in IMDB) and a waitress for a short film, shot in assocation with NYU, called Broken Mirrors.

I am an actor and will always be an actor, however, I don't have the luxury of not having a day job. So, I also work full-time at NBC Universal...always networking and always keeping an eye out for an acting opportunity in an otherwise shrinking universe of acting jobs. So, in total not counting high school or college, I've been studying acting for about 16 years and continue to audition for commercials and occasional TV/film parts when the opportunities arise.

I would love to audition for the Actor's Studio. Please let me know what other information you may need.

Thank you for your interest.
I appreciate it very much.
Sincerely,
Sarah Jean

Auditioning for the Actor's Studio

I'm blessed to have the uncanny life that finds me when I forget to follow my heart. My day job consumed most of 2009 and much of the first quarter of 2010. In spite of my lack of attention to my acting career, I had the wonderful good forture of doing a couple of webisodes in Q1 including an episode of "Life with Kat and McKay" and a couple of episodes in "Broken Mirrors." And then I was asked to audition with a friend at the Actor's Studio. And that's how it happened that I found myself auditioning for the Actor's Studio (LA) today. It was fun working with Mikhail and it was a beautiful spring LA day. It was thoroughly enjoyable and felt like another day in the life of Sarah Jean - busy, interesting and fun.

It reminded me of my ride with Allan Miller back in Dallas. He would come to Dallas quarterly and teach. The last year before I moved to LA, I proctored his classes and the last time I took his class, I drove him from the studio back to North Dallas where he was staying.

I remembered that he had a given me a task in a scene that required specific actions. He was tough and often looking for more, but in that particular scene, I found the zone. I knew it, he knew it and he knew I knew he knew it. It was the coolest thing. So, when we were driving to North Dallas, he asked me,"So, how do you feel about today's work?" And I said,"You know. It just feels good. It feels like a good day." He and I chatted about things other than acting that day, because there was nothing more to discuss about acting. The work was done and we decided to savor it and chat about life.

Driving back to Studio City today, I remembered my ride with Allan back in Dallas that day. It was one of the many days that led up to today's audition. And the many days and auditions and work are all part of the journey. Auditioning for the Actor's Studio was a land mark moment in my journey, and lucky me, today was another good day.

Know your industry

I think it is increasingly important to be an expert in your field to have a long-lasting and prosperous career. An acting career is no exception. However, I also think it is very important that you understand other areas of the industry. It will give you an additional edge in the short run and may only keep you current in the long run.

For instance, you should know the difference between a grip and a gaffer on your set. Additionally, it's important to know the difference between an executive producer, a line producer, and associate producer. It will be particularly helpful if you understood some of the dynamics in the industry around those names and what they and how the different jobs can be viewed differently depending on the project and the people involved and how deals were set up. Knowing what it means to be above the line and below the line are important keys as well. These are just a few examples. This is not an exhaustive list nor is it sufficient to just look up these terms.

I took Robert McKee's 3 day "Story Seminar" a while back and remembered learning tons about writing scripts. And though I write, I have not undertaken the act of writing a script. Even so, I learned a lot of things that will help my acting. I recommend at least a basic script writing class for all actors who are serious about acting. I have a friend who recently told me that the reason her film didn't make it in to Sundance is because the acting wasn't good enough. She accepted the responsibility that she couldn't get the performance she needed from her actors and took an acting class to learn their language. Now that's taking charge of your career! Some of the actors on the rise that I know help out casting directors for free when they can. They learn for free and are appreciated by those they help. There are tons of things to do in this industry between auditions.

I'm one of the lucky few who started in production and moved in to acting. That's exactly opposite of the way others usually graduate in the industry. A lot of actors begin acting and move in to production. A lot of successful actors become directors and if you take some directing classes you'll have a better understanding why that is a sometimes a natural progression of things.

I did temp work at several of the major studios and learned a lot by being a temp in the Stills Department at Sony, being in the Global Real Estate Department at Universal (when it was Universal), and other things. While the RE department wasn't directly related to film making, it helped me understand the complexities of the studios. It may never be anything specific that I use per se but having an understanding gives me confidence and allows me to speak intelligently whenever I'm on a studio lot and someone strikes up conversation in line at the commissary or on the way to the studio store.

If you can get on the lots to do headshot drops, I recommend you go around lunch time if you can. You can eat in the studio commissary and meet people just waiting in line. Don't go in with an agenda, but do go in with an open and curious mind. This industry is full of extremely and creative people and it takes many teams to create a thriving studio.

Also when you understand the studio system, you can be a very empathetic person when it comes to people who actually call you in for auditions and even those who have to consider you for the next big television series or their independent film. If you've ever been lucky enough to contribute to making independent films or motion pictures of any kind, then you know that enormous amount of work, effort, imagination and creativity that it takes just to put a film together. Do you know it takes similar efforts to get distribution and creating the marketing tools necessary to get the word out? There is much to know. I recommend you learn as much as you can as you go. Stay focused on your acting, but know other parts of your industry. It may just give you edge that gives you the confidence and the appreciation of others that help you book your next role.

As is always the case, the choice is yours.

My best,
Sarah Jean

Writing Read Worthy Material for Others

There are lots of days when I don't add to this blog because my name is on it. What I say matters because some day my career will take off and what I've written here will either support my future career or hinder it. What I say will either help other actors or not.

I feel a lack of freedom that I hadn't expected because my goal is not to freely wander through my thoughts and my career but rather to actively assist other actors, should they care to come here to read.

I rarely name people in the industry who I know because either I don't know enough people or I know people who are inherently private like me, but lead a somewhat public life because of their careers in the industry.

There is one person who I'd like to name who barely knows me, but who is well known. His name is Stephon Fuller. If you're ever interested in reading one of the most interesting blogs an actor ever wrote, go to Stephon Fuller's Long-Ass Blog. I was highly complimented when, after reading my blog, he added "An Actor's Journey" to the name of his blog. I think Stephon is one of those people I believe will take a step-by-step approach to a very successful and fulfilling acting career. As far as I can tell, he lives and breathes his career and the people whose paths he crosses every day. He has had thousands of hits on his blog and if you're reading this I highly recommend you read his. Go to "Stepon's Long-Ass Blog" .

Cheers,
Sarah Jean

Break Over - Dreams Renewed

I wrote back in October about being finished with long work hours. I was wrong. I put in beyond 40 hours for another 4 months at my day job and only stopped doing that this week when I fell ill. I’ve been miserable, coughing, wheezing, resting but not sleeping and running a fever. You get the idea. This went on for about 8 days when I finally got in to see the doctor. That was yesterday. I am still wheezing and coughing and sputtering, but significantly less so. It turns out I have Bronchitis and the antibiotics after a day have improved my health by 20%...more than the previous 8 days combined. Thank goodness for my doctor. She’s excellent.

On this Sunday past (today is Friday), I put my “Relax the Back” chair on the patio and was able to take a cat nap for about 45 minutes. It was the best snooze I’d had in a few days and the best I had until last night when the cough syrup with codeine kicked in. While I was out on the patio, I had my eyes closed but was awake much of the time.

I didn’t realize how alive my neighborhood is. There was a cacophony of life sounds all around me. Pigeons talking to one another, birds singing - not sure what kind they are, planes going by every half hour or so, cars on the highway in the distance passing by like the sounds of distant ocean waves, occasional pedestrians walking by underneath me caught up in conversation about this and that. Neighbors voices from across the street and next door in other apartment buildings floated up through the air from time to time as the afternoon waned. I think one fire truck and a paramedic went by at some point, too.

I know from reviewing the housing market around me that there are roughly 5000 people per square mile in Studio City and surrounding cities, but until Sunday, I hadn’t particularly experienced it as such. It doesn’t feel congested to me though, because I’m from the East Coast and in our cities there, high rises are everywhere and it is a very different world. Even so, my current neighborhood is teeming with life and possibilities.

As for acting, it has taken a back seat to my day job now since June 2007. As of last Thursday as I was coming down with my illness, we held TAZ, the Actor’s Society that two friends and I began a year and a half ago. It’s invited only and we never discuss it with others and it will probably never be mentioned any where but here. It is for us to grow ourselves and our careers. I got the idea one day at a SAG Foundation event (the ones I rarely attend) and Robert Duvall at one point said,”Go up with a group. That’s how you make it in the industry [the movie making industry].” A short time after, I approached two friends who I trusted and TAZ was born. Since then we’ve grown to a core of about 15 actors. In the beginning, we met weekly and after the first three or four months, we moved to monthly meetings. We all bring reports about what we’ve been doing for our acting careers and we offer each other insights and suggestions about how to further our careers. This past Thursday, I was exhausted and on the downhill slide of health and freely shared, much more so than I am apt to when I am well and rested. I shared and others, who have also been distracted by day jobs or paying the bills or whatever distracts us from our dreams, offered suggestions and insights…and most importantly compassion and empathy. One of the guys said,”It’s time to play again.” I cried and all of us responded emotionally, most eyes welled up in empathy, each of us having traversed various difficulties on our dream quests. With all those eyes empathetically reflecting back to me, I renewed my belief in my dreams and my career. Though dormant lately, my dreams are far from over. They are just beginning.

We meet again in a couple of weeks and I’ll be ready with a better report than those recently shared. We all will. Being sick and awake nearly a full week has given me lots of time to think. I’m grateful for that time. It has helped me regain my focus of dreams rather than a job.

If I were to offer other actors any suggestions, I’d say,”Form a group and go up together. Keep your dreams alive.”

Taking a Break and Coming Back Stronger

I took the promotion at my day job for which I am truly grateful. I love my new team, and for a day job in an office, I have a terrific set of responsibilities and get to work with lots of different people. Given that my new job started mid-July, I had tons to do to ramp up and was putting in some pretty long hours.

Since I was starting a new day job, I didn't sign up for classes or receive coaching from any of my current teachers. This may have been one of the best things I could have done for my career.

My day job is now fully ramped up and on its way, ever-changing but reasonably stable, and not requiring hours much beyond 40. It also allows me flexibility to continue pursuing my dream, too. :)

I feel refreshed and am excited about recent auditions. I'll comment on some of them in other posts.

Taking a break can be a very good thing, particularly if you're feeling down about your career or feeling burned out. You can come back fresher and stronger. You may even find that while you've been on hiatus, you've learned a few things and gained a new point of view. These can all be very helpful in moving you to the next level.

It's pilot season part II right now. Good luck!