American History

Today's Word of Mouth: I'm a little late with this one, but if you're interested in checking out my writing style, here's the link to my latest review for Theater Jones. I went to DVA Production's presentation of "The Man I Love." This company is owned and artistically directed by a woman named Sheran Goodspeed Keyton. Although I didn't particularly care for the show, this woman has talent and an undeniable personality.

I recently attended WaterTower Theatre's production of Thorton Wilder's "Our Town" Told through the eyes of a stage manager, the production relies almost absolutely on the acting. There's no set and all the characters must pantomime basic acts, including running in the rain, cooking dinner, and managing an enormous milk cow. They go back to the basics of acting, and it sure "ain't" easy to play "make believe" without any props.
Also, to my surprise, I realized that alot of the actors in this show wear jeans. I did some research to figure out when this item of clothing was invented because I didn't believe Americans wore them before 1910. Alas, I was very wrong. Turns out jeans were invented in 1873 by a man named Levi Strauss. Ah, Levi. However, I was right in my pondering to wonder whether or not the costumes were relevant to the time period because according to a cast member, all the actors wear contemporary clothing so the costumes won't detract from their performance. So here's to WaterTower for taking an interesting approach. For more information about the show and the company visit WaterTower's website
-CKB

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.

Today's Word of Mouth: The Amon Carter Museum's photography exhibits:

Ansel Adams
May 29-November 7

Masterworks of American Photography
August 14-January 23

American Modern: Abbott, Evans, Bourke-White
October 2-January 2

Most people think it's easy to point and shoot a camera. How hard could it be? People do it all the time and these days everything is done on the computer. Anyone can buy a digital camera, take a photo, and post it online. But the true art of photography is something of a real challenge.

I took a couple of photography classes in high school. I bought a 35 mm Minolta. It was my baby. I remember when I first started to learn "photography 101". There are so many rules and methods to remember in order to take a brilliant photo. Taking a picture in manual mode is all about knowing how to play with light. You have to memorize f-stops for the aperture. The aperture on a camera refers to the size of the opening in the camera that lets light in. The larger the aperture number the smaller the opening is. The shutter speed refers to the amount of time the shutter on a camera stays open to let light in. When someone takes a photo at night they need the shutter to stay open for a longer period of time in order for enough light to enter the camera. And then of course you have to learn about depth-of-field, action shots, and how to use the chemicals in the darkroom. (I'll be honest and admit that one time I spilled the chemicals all over my clothes and smelled heavily of vinegar and bleach for 2 days)

It's been some time since I've used that 35mm Minolta. Oh, how I miss the days of the dark room. Maybe some day I'll get to go back to one. Until then there's always the Ansel Adams exhibit and my old art portfolio. Take a look at one of my photos right here.

-CKB

This is Our Town...And Our Lifestyle

Today's Word of Mouth: WaterTower Theatre's production of Thorton Wilder's "Our Town" runs September 24-October 24 at the Addison Theatre Centre. Tickets are $20-40. Visit their website for more information.

So I had to, or rather I was "supposed" to, read this book in one of my theatre classes right before I graduated. Let me take this time to apologize to not just my professor but to myself for not reading it when I should have. It's been way more insightful than I could have ever imagined. The book, which I suggest every artist read on their own time, is called Art That Pays by Adele Slaughter and Jeff Kober. It's basically a bunch of extremely helpful tips about how to do the art you want to do without going hungry or homeless. I mean this thing even goes as far as to suggest how to get your own health insurance because well, if you haven't noticed yet, (You probably have, though) being a creative person comes at a heavy cost. Artists choose to express themselves through their art but the fact of the matter is most of them, because they choose to do what they love, have to take a side job just to pay for their bills. Why? Creativity is expensive, lacks funding most of the time, and is often just misunderstood. Oh and well, there a very few positions available out there. It's a dog eat dog world. Survival of the fittest. And hey, even Dustin Hoffman had to clean a few toilets before he got anywhere. And like the authors of the book state, an artist can choose to live a practical life, become a successful doctor, or businessman or woman, which of course are wonderful, steady jobs (Left-brained people I want to thank you for helping me with my math all these years. You are much appreciated, and I don't know where I would be without you) but they don't. They don't have to be poor, but they choose to live their lives the way they do for a reason. Artists just can't not do what they love to do.
But there is a light at the end of my dreary tunnel I've just drawn for you. There are ways to help yourself along with your career outside of reading the book. First of all, I cannot stress how important networking is. Finding a job isn't necessarily all about your talent and experience. There are other components Yes, working hard and showing someone what you have to offer is extremely important but it has a tendency of coming in later in the game when you've already landed the job. Employers want to be familiar with you. They want to see where you've worked and know who they can go talk to about the kind of work you produce. So get out there and meet and greet. Find someone who can mentor you. Let it be someone that you really respect and trust. Ask them all sorts of questions. Take in their feedback. Volunteer anywhere you can and most importantly, make sure you keep up with your contacts. You never know who you'll end up meeting or who can send you where you want to go.
I would also suggest finding a group of friends that you love and trust and know that they'll support you no matter what you do. Friends not only keep up your morale but they too could be a valuable resource for finding that dream job of yours. Mine have been anyway. And they know who they are.
It's also really important to make yourself marketable. Make yourself a Twitter acoount and start following companies that harbor your interests. Get to know them. Tweet with them. Learn about them. Develop your portfolio whether it consists of writings or drawings or head shots. Make yourself a business card. You can even do what I've been doing and start your own blog. (Just make sure you edit your spelling and grammar before you publish anything. It's the professional way to go.)
But the most important tip I think I have to offer is to have enough confidence in yourself to keep pushing forward. You are going to have some days where you feel like staying in bed. You will not get along with everyone you work with or for and sometimes people can screw you over, but with a good attitude, a presentable nature, and a little hard work, you will no longer be a starving artist. Well, let's hope so.
-CKB

DFW Show Listings For September and October

Bored much? We can fix that. Check out all the shows playing through September and October in the DFW area

Casa Manana
"The Sound of Music"
September 11-19

"Snow White"
October 1-17

"The Best Little Whorehouse"
October 23-31

Kitchen Dog Theater
"Betrayal"
September 10-October 9

Dallas Theater Center
"Henry IV"
September 10-October 10

Contemporary Theatre of Dallas
"Barefoot in the Park"
October 29-November 21

Broken Gears Project Theatre
"Pitch Fork Disney"
October 14-30

Dallas Children's Theater
"Miss Nelson is Missing"
September 17-October 24

Method to the Madness

Some say it's a little extreme. James Franco completely isolated himself from his friends and family during the filming of his 2001 TV film "James Dean" in order to capture Dean's lonely and eccentric personality. Robert de Niro and even the late Heath Ledger have been known to use it as well. It's called method acting. And what's even more interesting is that there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to go about doing it. Associated with Russian actor Constantine Stanislavski, method acting requires an actor or actress to rely on sense and emotional memory to trigger a character's true emotions.

Sound a bit confusing? Don't worry. Let me explain the method through my own eyes. When I was taking my acting classes in college, I took a course that concentrated on Stanislavski acting techniques. It was during this class that my professor assigned me one of the most gut-wrenching assignments I had ever had. She wanted us to dig through our memories, find a significant one, sit in a chair in front of about 25 to30 people, close our eyes and describe the memory little by little until we felt as though we were literally in the moment all over again.

Now before I tell you how I did with the assignment, let me just say that taking acting classes really educated me on how willing actors have to be to be metaphorically and emotionally "naked" in front of hundreds, thousands, and maybe even millions of people. It takes guts and courage to do these emotional exercises  and force yourself to relive something that maybe you never wanted to talk about in the first place. But, alas, as mentioned before, that's the point of the method. It helps bring a person's emotions to the surface so that they may bring the personality of a character to life.

And so the day came when I had to sit in that awful chair and relive one of the most untalked about struggles I had been dealing with at the time. I closed my eyes and didn't dare move. My professor started to ask me questions. She started to ask where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. I was in a hotel room, a cold hotel room. I hadn't seen my brother in months. I was away at school and he was very ill. She started to ask me to describe what he looked like when I saw him that weekend. He was quiet, almost silent. His eyes were sunken in and he was afraid to eat anything. He'd wince in pain every few minutes. I had never seen him in such bad shape.

And as my professor was walking me through this painful memory, I was sitting in front of all those people. I coudn't see them, but I felt them staring at me. At one point I just lost it. I couldn't stop crying. I could barely answer the questions she was asking me anymore. She told me to open my eyes and take a few deep breaths. She smiled at me and told me I was brave. It was at that moment I realized how incredibly effective method acting can be. I wasn't even acting at that point. It was completely real.

But although it does help develop realistic acting skills, some might say the method can do some severe harm to a perosn's psyche. While I was relieving my brother's illness, I felt so emotionally drained. I was tired and felt very dark. Depending on the type of role an actor chooses to take on, constantly living through moments of severe negativity on and off set might possibly take a toll on a person. If an actor needed to portray someone who had been in a violent car crash, method acting might require watching car crash videos over and over again for months at a time so that the actor could engrain in their mind the harmful and frightening images that would trigger the necessary emotions for the role. It's enough to leave a person insane.
James Franco's isolation from his friends and family took a harsh toll on his personal relationships as well. It even almost cost him a relationship. He did however, receive a Golden Glove nomination for his work.

So what's the obvious conclusion? Well, there really isn't one particular answer. I personally think method acting is fascinating. Some of the best actors of today's day and age use it. My only concern would be for those who aren't capable of coming out of that dark place after their role is all over. Some say it might be part of the reason Heath Ledger isn't with us today. He threw himself into a role that will forever be synonymous with his career, but it also could have been a role that was so disturbing it was just too much for him to relieve himself from the character when it was all said and done. You be the judge.

But anyway, this post is dedicated to all you actors out there. It takes an incredibly brave person to do it. If you didn't do it, no one else would.

-CKB

Welcome Home...To My World

I've always hated this question: "CKB, What are you going to be when you grow up?" Honestly, who ever knows the answer to this question before they're 25? Maybe a handful of abnormal miscreants and prodegies know what they're going to do at the age of 5, but they aren't the majority. I vaguely remember doing a school project in 7th grade about wanting to be a fashion designer. Yeah, right. And then of course, I used to sit in my living room with my stuffed animals and pretend to be a teacher and practice grading tests that I would make up myself. (I know it's cheesy, but it's my blog, and I'll share all the vomity details I want to.) Let's just say that dream faded far, far away when I discovered how awful homework really was.

 I changed my career goals a million times just like every other kid out there. But I knew one thing to be true: I couldn't live without my creativity. I was always dressing up and making up story lines. I took dance lessons starting at the age of 4. I liked to color, and I despised Math. I started taking photographs in high school and flourished in English, but it wasn't until college that I really realized I could possibly be a great writer if I wanted to. Working as a movie and food critic for my school newspaper, my life choices began to become more clear. Did I want to write for a newspaper though? No, not really. There wasn't enough creative freedom in it and everyone was constantly reminding me of how the journalism industry was dying out. But one feature writing class and editorial internship later, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted some kind of artsy farsty job, I was going to have to learn to incorporate my talent into something that was far more hands on than sitting at a desk in the air conditioning writing for a soon-to-be nonexistant job. So I started working on my public relations skills and spending more time writing about theatre and fine arts and wouldn't you know it finally hit me? I realized what I wanted to do: I wanted to become a fine arts communicator and public relations specialist.

So here I am almost a year out of college and struggling in a dying and unappreciative economy where art is the first thing to go, but I cannot deny my passion for expression. I have a hunger and a yearning for it that I cannot explain. I'm writing this blog so I can promote all the creativity I want. This blog is for those who share in my hunger for art. Because without it, my life wouldn't be the same. So whether you love it or hate it, kick back, relax, and get ready to receive an insight into the wonderful world of imagination. It's going to be a bumpy ride. Welcome to my world.

-CKB