saturday looks good to me

Posted in Uncategorized on August 31st, 2007 by Andrew

(This post is from the blog of the Mother of Invention Acting School in San Francisco (www.utteracting.com): an acting class in San Francisco for serious, motivated students.)

This is my New Favorite Band That I Just Found Out About. Their sound is a throwback to lost 60′s AM pop, with a little experimental whatevah thrown in for good measure. Sometimes he sings, sometimes she does. The lyrics are great, check out in particular “When the Party Ends”. Some other great song titles include “We Can’t Work It Out”, “You Work All Weekend”, “No Good With Secrets”, “Dialtone”, and “When You Got to New York.” The album to start with is “Every Night.” They have a new album coming out AND they’re coming to SF in the fall. Yippee!

Cheers,

A
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Mother of Invention Acting School

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clothes make the pimp

Posted in Uncategorized on August 30th, 2007 by Andrew

(This post is from the blog of the Mother of Invention Acting School in San Francisco (www.utteracting.com): an acting class in San Francisco for serious, motivated students.)

Hi all,

This article from the New York Times talks about the recent legislative backlash agains wearing your jeans low. Officials are arguing that it’s indecent. Well, whatever you think about that, it does make the point that what you are wearing MATTERS, particularly if you are an actor. The article talks about how wearing the baggy pants is sometimes a statement of disrespect for the Man. It also briefly recounts the history of the zoot suit, the uniform of urban minorities in the US in the mid-twentieth century. During WWII wearers of zoot suits were actually the victims of riots in L.A. Who knew that Rodney King happened before it happened?

Anyway, given all of this, I have to say that the relectance of students to go to the thrift store and find themselves some appropriate rehearsal clothes for the characters is thrown into sharp relief. I spend precious time in class speaking to this issue, and send Group Posts about it as well, and it’s still not unusual for people to show up to class to do their scene in their street clothes. I see this as symptomatic of a largely unconscious reluctance to transform, to take up someone else’s PART. This unconscious reluctance is the actor’s spiritual public enemy number one. We have to be ruthless with, and give no quarter to, this nasty demon who tempts us into the doldrums of inaction and “I’ve already thought about it/dealt with it.” Fortune, as a wise man once said, favors the bold!

Cheers,

A
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Mother of Invention Acting School

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cassie powell books cal shakes gig

Posted in Uncategorized on August 27th, 2007 by Andrew

(This post is from the blog of the Mother of Invention Acting School in San Francisco (www.utteracting.com): an acting class in San Francisco for serious, motivated students.)

Hi all,

I am happy to report that longtime Mother of Inventioner Cassie Powell will be playing Viola in the California Shakespeare Festival’s touring production of Twelfth Night. The show will tour to schools thoughout California. AND it’s a musical production, and Cassie landed the role with NO prior musical experience or training. This means that for the next year Cassie’s primary income will come from acting! Right on, Cassie!

A
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Mother of Invention Acting School

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SURPRISE!!!

Posted in Uncategorized on August 26th, 2007 by Andrew

(This post is from the blog of the Mother of Invention Acting School in San Francisco (www.utteracting.com): an acting class in San Francisco for serious, motivated students.)

“I’ve been to a marvelous party; I couldn’t have liked it more.”

–Noel Coward

Tonight, I joined longtime Mother of Inventioners Cassie Powell and Larry Guth in Sausalito for a surprise party for their classmate and former scene partner Dawn Scott, who is heading off to Denver to the National Theater Conservatory to embark on her acting MFA there. It’s a FANTASTIC deal because all of her tuition is paid, and she gets a stipend. An MFA program that doesn’t leave you enmired in debt! What a concept! She will be studying with a longtime student of Earl Gister’s, one of my teachers at Yale. She is also going to be taking a class in TRAPEZE! As if Dawn could possibly be MORE fabulous than she already is, but if there is a way, I guess Dawn on a trapeze would be it. Anyway, the party was great to be a part of, because people from every corner of Dawn’s multifarious life were present, at a beautiful waterside restaurant, where we got to watch the sun set on our beautiful city, and smile for the last time in a long while on our friend as she leaves to walk the road of happy destiny. We are all with you Dawn!

xoxox

A

Mother of Invention Acting School

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learning to love you more dot com

Posted in Uncategorized on August 22nd, 2007 by Andrew

(This post is from the blog of the Mother of Invention Acting School in San Francisco (www.utteracting.com): an acting class in San Francisco for serious, motivated students.)

This is the site of the truly awesome Miranda July, an art world sensation/filmmaker/actor. Maybe you caught her movie Me and You and Everyone We Know, a couple of years ago. If so: ))<>(( If not, it’s definitely worth a look. On her website, she has all of these assignments that you can do, to sort of get your creativity, introspection, and self-expression on, such as interview someone who has experienced war, or write a press release for an everyday event, or take a picture of what’s under your bed. I saw her do a kind of show at Yerba Buena a couple of years ago (Cassie Powell took me to it), and it was something that, in the words of the Smiths, I won’t forget too soon.

Cheers,

A

Mother of Invention Acting School

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