Hello world! I'm back! Here are my weekly highlights from 19th-25th June:
Monday: It was the first day of my week off work. Actually I tell a lie, it was my second day off work, as at my day job, the week starts on a Sunday, so at least I had fathers day off and had a lie in (Which was very much needed indeed). I started by going to the gym and listening to a podcast by a member of The Actors Workshop Nottingham about rates and how much an actor is worth. I found it really fascinating, as I’m hoping to make this blog and other creative projects a regular source of income for me to leave my day job.
I also noted and applied for lots of jobs on Mandy and Spotlight, and finally getting the chance to look at my showreel as it needed a much needed update. So far the changes already look so much better. After advice on the Act On This community page after doing regular podcasts on showreels, I knew what I needed to do to make my reel pop. And along with learning lines, for both my Actors Workshop show (which is more of a informal sharing), and for Salad Days, I also did some reaction shots for a sketch I'm going to release onto my social media platforms very soon.
I didn't go to rehearsals that day, but the director was fine with it as we ran through most of my scenes earlier that week (which I mentioned in the last weekly highlights blog). It was a good job I didn't go either as yes we're nearer to the show, so its important to get that final push going, but I needed my body to rest. So by Friday I'll come back stronger than before.
Tuesday: I started filming my second lot of shoots for some sketches I’m making. These included my recent trip to Peaky Blinders in Birmingham (and you can see my full review of the show in my blog page), a sketch on singing and why I think karaoke should be in every workplace, and my thoughts on BGT (which may be controversial).
I also managed to have a chill before class, watching Waterloo Road with some Heinz sausage and beans on toast.
Whilst I was in town waiting for my train, I saw my former crush again. As much as I did want to chat to him, I decided not to, as I can see he made her happy. I'll also message him gradually about how he feels about me, and if its for definite he wants to see where things go with his date, then I'll be okay with that.
Tuesdays class was wonderful. Despite missing a week due to the events in Nottingham, we still managed to get a lot done with our sharing. I even remembered my lines (well, nearly all of them), and separated each character I was playing. These included what they wore, how they walked and what their voices sounded like. So for one character, which was a child, I had a high pitched voice, and for another, it was more of a urban character (abit like Dushane Hill from Top Boy), and it felt amazing just to play around with each character, and my teacher was definitely impressed. However, I realised I brought on of the props with home with me, and the first group are due to perform before mine. However I've resolved this by getting an earlier train next week before their sharing and even helping to set the audience seat before it starts. This was useful as I was due to go to Nottingham anyway for a rehearsal for Salad Days.
Wednesday: Wednesday was an interesting one. Normally it would be "Wellness Wednesday, but I had things to do.
As usual I walked the dog and went to the gym to set me up for the day. Then after a refreshing shower, I facetimed my friend to help me with a Self Tape for an audition I found on Mandy, and a piece for the next Petch's Self Tape Challenge, where I film a song in the style of a monologue, except this time it was a duologue. It'll be posted on my social medias soon, but all I can say is that this song was sung by Judy Garland. I then listened to another Act On This Podcast, with the incredible man that is Jonny Weldon. For those of you that don't know who he is, he's an actor who took the internet by storm during lockdown, and from it he's made a lot of success from his videos.
I then took my time to edit this blog, which includes my day out in Birmingham, which is almost finished. I then ended the day by watching Coronation Street with my dad. Coronation Street is one of my favourite shows, and one of the may shows where I can be seen for the small day player roles. The producer and editor of Act On This got his first TV job on the show, and along with the help of the Act On This community, I will get there as well.
Thursday: Thursday was supposed to be the day I meet my friend for a coffee, but due to money struggles on her end we had to cancel. However, I completely understood, as this is a hard enough industry as it is, and not knowing when you'll get your next paid acting job is one of them. And with inflation and cost of living still a massive issue, I understood fully her situation.
So I spent the day doing some yoga and filming some sketches for the morning, with the first one being on my social media profiles and YouTube channel hopefully by the weekend. I must say though, no one ever told me how much hard work making a sketch is. This picture below says it all! Like seriously why did no one tell me that making a sketch was so hard!!!!
I also continued to write my stories, and my process is to set a timer to just write, whatever comes into my head. It's a bit like Free Writing, which is what I learnt during my National Youth Theatre intake course, but the difference with this is its linking to a subject, so in this case, the synopsis of one of my short stories. So with my layout and the synopsis of the story, I was able to write whatever came into my head, and it seemed to work really well.
I then caught up on Hollyoaks and Malpractice. Hollyoaks is another show where there are lots of day player roles to be up for. I've even wrote a script inspired by a storyline from the show, but I haven't had a chance to film it yet due to my busy schedule. But at the same time I don't want to avoid overwhelm, so as long as I have it with me, and take one step at a time to film it and get it out there, then I have done my job.
Malpractice is anther show I've been watching. It's set in a hospital post pandemic and it is casted by the same people which casted Line of Duty. I'm on episode 2 so far and already I'm hooked and want to know what happens next.
I then also watched a documentary presented by Chris Packham. This documentary was about Chris helping those who are on the spectrum finding his voice. One of which was a comedian called Flo, who wrote a poem which turned into a film to present to her mum, unmasking who she is. And another person Chris met was Murray, who is non verbal and communicates through a tablet. Again I found it really fascinating as he wanted to be heard, but he knew he couldn't so they made a film with a Autistic Voiceover called Harrison doing his voice, and at one moment I cried. I think this was due to the fact that all these people like Murray and Flo want to raise awareness, but yet people don't get it. So it's our job to make people understand.
Friday: Friday was a very busy morning. As usual I went to the gym and I got some stuff from our local Tesco for later on before rehearsals. I'll be honest, this one was the hardest day of them all, as I came out of the gym dripping in sweat. This is the most I have sweated in a long time. Whether it was the fact that I may have a cold coming along or if its just hot, this session was tough but I did it.
I also spent the morning sorting out my budget after I got paid from my day job, and after paying my editor for my showreel, I mentioned that I changed my username on Twitter and drafted emails to send to Casting Directors next week to tell them what I’ve been up to, which included sending my new showreel. I’ve sent a couple out already but just to avoid overwhelm, I’m going to send the rest either the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of next week (as I feel Monday would be more busy as there back from a weekend off). I then edited my latest sketch, but this time in a much easier way. I did this by ordering the clips of how I would like them and then trimming them down ever so slightly, looking at my script to see if it was in the correct order.
I then watched the rest of Doctors as this week was the last week before the show breaks up for the summer holidays. I never know why it stops in the summer and not other shows. Maybe because it’s a day time show, a lot of people will be booking holidays or even filming for when the break is over. Who knows?
I then decided to have my lunch outside as I need to make use of the sun whilst it was there
After catching up on Hollyoaks, I got a called from the guy who’s part of the project. He has asked me if I wanted to write a poem based on an autistic person who formed a bond with a stray dog, who helped her recover from depression. We also chatted about asking someone from the LGBTQ+ community as part of a project he’s planning. I mentioned the person who was in kinky boots who is a drag queen, which peaked his interest. He also gave me the contact of my local newspaper to send a callout for autistic creatives.
I then had another rehearsal for salad days. Once again many people were not here, but it was still a successful rehearsal. We recapped some dances, and did some scenes with who we have got.
After rehearsals I bumped into a former Waitrose colleague and his girlfriend, which was brilliant. At first I thought like I was conscious I was 3rd wheeling, but I wasn't. And thankfully she liked me, and that's what I needed.
Before I went to bed I uploaded my showreel to my social media platforms. Yes it was late but thankfully I had a lie in the next day, and I couldn't wait to share my work with the world. For those of you wanting to see for yourself please see a link here:
Saturday: Saturday as usual is my "Self-Care Saturdays". With it also being my last day off work I needed to make the most of it. I had a lie in where even though I didn't wake up until 8am, I stayed in bed for an extra few hours as I know I won't get this opportunity again. I then posted my sketch on my socials and carried on with my stories. Once again I set a timer for myself to just sit and write. I was surprised by how much I've got done and I've nearly finished the first draft. Fingers crossed this blog or my stories will be able to help me gain an extra source of income, and with the help of my actor friends and advice from those who work in writing stories, this may be a way out and helping me gain control of my career.
I then carried on with another one of my short stories after lunch, but I was struggling to keep the flow going. Maybe this was a sign my energy is starting to drop. Yes it's good to be productive, but there's so much productivity you can take. So I gave 100% into what I gave.
After I wrote my stories I spent 30 minutes reading the final chapter of "Birdgirl", with the rest of that chapter in bed earlier that day. I literally enjoyed this read, and once I finish it completely, I might even keep it just so I can read it again. maybe its for my love of animals, as if I wasn't an actress, I would defintely be working with animals. But who's to say I can't do both? If Dwayne Johnson can be The Rock and a Disney character then anything is possible.
I then learnt my languages whilst I prepped my tea, and it was a nice way to relax to the end of this week off work. I also posted my latest sketch on my social media profile. Please see a a YouTube link here: https://youtu.be/oHfbvif37Ms?si=1AGRRPdF-6TQ1RTP
I chilled by catching up on some TV and also applied for some more jobs on Spotlight and Mandy. I was a bit annoyed though, as a self tape for a job I found on Mandy was no longer available. It was annoying that I didn't get the chance to submit it but at least it got me to film something, which I suppose is good, as the more I learn lines, the easier it'll be for when I'm on set for that first tv role (as yes I do aim for big things but starting small is the way to go).
I struggled to get to sleep that night, as it was just too hot. But I managed to settle down with some colouring in, and before I knew it, I was sound asleep.
Sunday: Sunday was my first day back at work. I was slightly on edge as I forgot my fob for my breakfast. Thankfully the till was not working, so I managed to have something (which is the beautiful plate of goodness below) but once I have found my fob, my aim was to pay that money back ASAP.
After work I watched the rest of Queen Charlotte. What a show. I love shows like these and this just topped the chart. I'm considering on releasing my version of a monologue from the show to show my appreciation for this series along with the excitement of the upcoming third series of Bridgerton.
I then gathered some of the many day player roles in the serial dramas and also any moments I can transcribe for future self tapes to learn. then I started listening to another Act On This podcast, with BBC Casting Director Emma Sylvester. I've seen her on a previous podcast, so I couldn't wait for this one. Normally I don't listen to two podcasts, but because I've got a busy week coming up, I felt as though I had to start so I'll only have about an hour/hour 30mins to catch up on afterwards.
Once I did that, I practiced an elderly northern voice for a character I'm doing in a show which as I post this will be under a month until opening night (which is terrifying). There was a rehearsal on tonight, but because its not at the theatre and it was a further walk, I made the decision not to go. I did feel guilty, but with the possibility of the train being delayed and with there being limited services on Sundays, I didn't want to go knowing it would stress me out. So instead once I practiced the voice I planned my week and even set some new goals for July, August and Septmber. I nearly forgot at that point, but maybe I was so embroiled in what I was doing already I didnt have time to think about it. But my goals were clear, and I can say is that some of them are quite exciting. But for now I shall keep quiet.
After I planned my week, I took the time to do some yoga and walk my dog. And it was a good job I did as it then soon started to rain. I then got up to date with this blog, and developed my skills in Korean and French, working towards these languages as another skill to Spotlight. I then ended this wonderful day with a nice light tea and catching up on some Hollyoaks.
So what gave I learnt this week? Whilst I managed to get a lot done during my week off work, including the things I didn't plan into it, I also learnt about myself and when to stop, take a step back, then come back stronger.
See you next time for another blog, and until then...
This is the autistic actress singing off :)
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