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No cinematographer or film editor, no matter how gifted, can
turn a terrible performance into a great one. The right actor
can give a screenwriter's words exciting new depth and dimensions.
Actors are essential for conveying emotions to an audience, for
bringing the words and ideas in a script to life. Even animated
characters rely on the personalities of behind-the-scenes
performers.
Imagine that you are an actor. You have worked primarily in New York
theater, but have decided to try your hand at working in film. You
pack your bags and head to Hollywood. In Hollywood, you meet other
actors and enroll in workshops to continually hone your instruments:
your voice, your body, and your imagination. You seek out an agent
and have some publicity photos taken.
Once you are lucky enough to secure an agent, you are sent on
interviews where you meet casting directors and read for parts.
Over the course of two months, you try out for 23 roles and are
chosen for none of them. Finally, you are cast in a film. It is a
minor part, but substantial enough that if you do well, you will
enjoy more work and exposure. After the shock wears off, you begin
to prepare.
Acting is not just changing a facial axpression or the way your voice sounds,
but is about becoming one with the character you are attempting to portray.
It is easy to just pretend you are someone else, but much more to actually
"be" that person. Intense training is essential in several areas of acting
in order to perfectly "be" the object of your protrayal. Here are some
of the facilities I have trained at or are currently training at,
and think these are some of the best around.
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The Historic Canton Theatre
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I have had nothing but good experiences from working in almost every
professional production at the former Equity playhouse, the Canton Theatre,
during the 2005 season.
For over 90 years, the Historic Canton Theatre has been a shining star
for entertainment As early as 1911, the theatre was first used to show
slides and silent movies in downtown Canton. Later, in the early 1920’s,
the theatre changed owners and was renamed the “Bonita”, which held movie
showings on Fridays and Saturdays.
During this era, the popularity of the theatre grew rapidly. The theatre
was soon renovated, expanded and renamed the “Haven”. It presented the
people of Canton first line shows, including their first talking motion
picture,“Singing Fool”, starring famous singing star Al Jolson.
The “Haven” continued to be a movie house for several more years until
the late 1930’s, when the theatre was sold to the Martin-Thompson Theatre
Company. The newly named “Canton Theatre” was then remodeled to reflect
the art deco design so popular during that time. The spectacular new
theatre had improvements that were truly unique, such as a steel skeleton
for improved stability and safety. The fireproof walls and sprinkler
system insured that no fire would last long. New air conditioning and
heating systems were installed in the theatre to make it more
comfortable for larger audiences than ever before. New restrooms and
dressing rooms had a modernistic design. Red and blue uniformed employees
at the “Candy Bar” sold candy and popcorn from the new popper while an
array of bright neon lights surrounded the theatre, bathing it in colorful
beauty. The theatre’s stage was bigger than ever before. The new “Canton
Theatre” was indeed a splendid site at the Grand Opening on September 30,
1940.
The “Canton Theatre” played the best motion pictures that had been
produced at the time. It was described as a “thoroughly modern sound
and movie palace, with all the comfort, light and cheer that denotes
a first class picture theatre housed in the larger cities”.
The theatre continued to show movies for 30 more years, but by the mid
1970’s, the popularity of the theatre declined dramatically. It was too
out of date for people. They wanted to see movies with the convenience
of drive-ins and with many more choices. As a result, the theatre sat
idle for many years and subsequently went into disrepair.
In 1994, the theatre was purchased by an individual for restoration.
The City of Canton then acquired the property in 1997 and later deeded
it to the Downtown Development Authority, in order to secure financing
for restoration, which soon began. The Canton Theatre is now an elegant
grand facility bringing Broadway productions to downtown Canton and the
surrounding area for its fourth wonderful season.
For additional information on the histroic Canton Theatre contact
Dave Neace at 770-704-0755 or visit them at
http://www.cantontheatre.com.
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The New York Film Academy
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I spent the summer of 2005 studying film and drama theory at Princeton
University under a program sponsored by the New York Film Academy.
The Academy was founded in 1992 on a belief that a top qualify
education in filmmaking should be accessible to anyone with the drive
and ambition to make films. The Academy opened its doors in 1992 in
Robert DeNiro‘s Tribeca Film Center. Since that time we have grown
into our own facilities in Manhattan‘s Union Square and Soho. We also
opened Film Academies at Universal Studios in Los Angeles and St.
Catherine’s College Oxford University, England. We hold One-Year and
short-term programs throughout the year in these locations. During the
summer we offer our short-term programs at a number of additional
locations, including Harvard University; Princeton University;
Disney-MGM Studios-Florida; Paris, France; and Florence, Italy.
Each year hundreds of students of all occupations, races, ethnicities,
and of a wide range of ages from around the world benefit from the
extraordinary education offered at the New York Film Academy. Today,
little more than a decade after the first students graduated, the New
York Film Academy is considered one of the most prominent fixtures of
film education in the world.
The New York Film Academy was designed for a new generation of
filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, producers and animators who
share a passion for motion pictures and want to learn by making
their own projects in a hands-on, intensive program.
Filmmaking demands the integration of many kinds of knowledge. It is
the integration of knowledge that distinguishes the New York Film Academy
from many other film schools. In our courses students learn not only how
to operate a camera, light a scene, or edit film. They learn how all
the aspects of filmmaking relate to, interact with, and depend upon
each other.
The many different programs of the New York Film Academy share a
philosophy that balances in-class instruction by award-winning
filmmakers with an intense exploration of the medium through practical,
hands-on work. For us, learning by doing means requiring each student
to make a series of short films. This takes them through the entire
filmmaking process.
Each student writes, produces, directs, and edits each film, then
screens it and engages in constructive discussion and critique. The
student applies the experience gained through this process to the next
project, and the learning process continues.
For additional information on the New York Film Academy contact
them at 212-674-4300 or visit them at
http://www.nyfa.com.
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The Tisch School of the Arts - New York University
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What are my plans after high school? Three letters: NYU.
For more than 35 years, Tisch School of the Arts has drawn on the vast
resources of New York City and New York University to create an
extraordinary training ground for the individual artist and scholar
of the arts. Our undergraduates learn their craft in a spirited,
risk-taking environment that combines the professional training of a
conservatory with the liberal arts education of a major research
university.
As one of the nation's leading centers of undergraduate and graduate
study in the performing and cinematic arts, Tisch offers programs of
study that incorporate state-of-the-art facilities; a collaboratively
oriented community of award-winning faculty members; internship
opportunities with established professionals; and the incomparable
artistic and cultural resources of New York City. Whether you study
at the Institute of Performing Arts, the Maurice Kanbar Institute of
Film and Television or the Skirball Center for New Media, you will be
encouraged to give full expression to your talents as you develop the
skills necessary for a successful professional career. As a Tisch
student, you have the opportunity and the privilege to follow in the
footsteps of such illustrious Tisch alumni as Oliver Stone, Alec
Baldwin, Spike Lee, Amy Heckerling, Ang Lee, George Wolfe, Tony
Kushner, Marcia Gay Harden, M. Night Shyamalan, Nanette Burstein and
Brett Morgen - men and women who have admirably succeeded in
redefining the performing and cinematic arts.
For additional information on the Tisch School of the Arts at
New York University contact the office of the Dean
at 212-998-1800 or visit them at
http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.
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The Atlantic Theatre Acting School
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David Mamet said, "Acting is a craft". And it is. I had the great opportunity
to meet the Dean of the school while working in New York city last summer,
and have decided this is where I want to study in conjunction with the Tisch
School of the Arts at NYU. The school works closely with NYU and integrates
Practical Aesthetics into the school's already stellar theory program.
The internationally acclaimed Atlantic Acting School has helped
aspiring actors fulfill their dreams for over 20 years. Founded by
David Mamet and William H. Macy, Atlantic has the only conservatory
program in the world that offers in-depth training in Mamet's unique
and influential approach to the acting profession - Practical Aesthetics.
The school's mission is to ensure that each graduate masters the
essential physical and analytical disciplines of acting, as well as to
empower every student with the skills necessary for success in the
profession.
For additional information on the Atlantic Theatre Acting School
contact them at 212-691-5919 or visit them at
http://www.atlantictheater.com/school.htm.
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The 24 Hour Plays - Horizon and Syncrhonicty Theatres in Atlanta
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The "24 Hour Plays" was an incedible experience! Imagine a
production where sixteen of Atlanta's top playrights,
eight top directors and forty top actors create, direct, and
perform eight plays within a twenty-four our period. With
many metro-area casting directors, media outlets, and other
industry leaders watching, these eight uncanny and unbridled
productions come to life the way only Atlanta's actors can
portray them. This annual event is sponsored by the Horizon
Theatre and the Synchronicity Theatre, two local and powerful
professional theatres in metro-Atlanta. I will say that I had
a ton of fun scene blocking, memorizing dialog, and working
with some of Atlanta's hot directors and other actors.
Now in their 19th season, Horizon Theatre Company has been
bringing exciting area and world premieres of contemporary
plays to Atlanta's audiences under the leadership of
Co-Artistic Directors and Founders Lisa and Jeff Adler
since 1983. A professional theatre with a reputation for
excellent ensemble acting, Horizon produces outstanding
new plays by today's playwrights that reflect and challenge
the lives of the diverse people living in the urban
Southeast. Horizon has introduced Atlanta audiences to the
works of such well-known contemporary playwrights as Rebecca
Gilman, Wendy Wasserstein, David Hare, Terrence McNally,
and David Ives, as well as plays by talented emerging
writers. In addition to producing its five-play mainstage
season, Horizon also develops new plays through workshops,
readings, and through their annual New South Play Festival,
dedicated to plays from, for and/or about the South.
Horizon also offers a New Horizon series of off-night
performances, and develops new audiences and artists
through the Horizon Playwriting Education programs,
Teen Ensemble and Senior Citizen Ensemble programs.
Horizon's home is an intimate 200-seat theatre located in
Atlanta's eclectic Little Five Points business and arts
district.
Synchronicity Performance Group was founded in 1997 by
Rachel May, Hope Mirlis, Julie Oshins and Michele Pearce.
They had a desire to work collaboratively and bring gutsy
work to the Atlanta stage. They wanted to create a “sacred
space” where artists feel free to come together and do
their best work: a nurturing and soul-feeding environment
with a focus on women artists. With their first production,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution recognized Synchronicity's
"professionalism and panache" calling the company a
"refuge where artists can take on challenging material and
shape a production on their own terms."
For additional information on the Horizon Theatre contact
their Teen Ensemble Teachers Rosemary Newcott, Tom Marquardt,
or Marylou Newcott at 404-523-1477 or visit them at
http://www.horizontheatre.com.
For additional information on the Synchronicity Theatre contact
Rachel, Hope or Michele at 404-325-5168 or visit them at
http://www.synchrotheatre.com.
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You can review my work and training experience with new interactive links
here or at
Actorsphere.
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What is an acting section without pictures? Below are the links
to both on-site and off-site images of Hillari B. Fowlkes
pertaining to acting. We are currently working on MPEG versions
of some of her performances, so look for the them soon.
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Works Cited and Related Links
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Listed below are some popular acting sites and where to find
more information about this area of the performing arts.
All links will open up in a new browser window.
Works Cited in the Introduction:
Cinema - How are Hollywood Films Made?
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