This is a guest post by Morgan Brayton, one of the students of the 2011 Actor’s Intensive.

Morgan is a comedian, writer and performer who lives in Vancouver with her wife and an excessive number of cats. You can see her on The Debaters for CBC Radio & Television or as one of the hosts on Knowledge Network. Her one-person show Raccoonery!  won the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2010 Vancouver Fringe Festival and is currently nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award. Find her online at morganbrayton.com.

Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you”. This is a stupid idea. Listen, Eleanor, life is challenging enough most days without running about looking for scary things to subject oneself to. Far more practical is to save up all your fear and do something once every few years that strikes abject terror in your heart. That is how I ended up applying to the Arts Club Actor’s Intensive.

I’ve been acting professionally for more than 20 years. By that I mean I have made my living as a film & TV actor, waitress, administrator and bookkeeper. Mostly I am a comedian–which is an actor nobody takes seriously. For years I’ve been taking the road less scary. I’ve talked myself out of being a “real actor” and banished myself to a life of being the funny girl on the outskirts of success. Lately, however, that hasn’t been enough. So, when I heard about the ACAI, I knew I had to be part of it. Learn from some of the most well-respected figures in Vancouver theatre? Sure! Fill some of the gaps in my training? Yes please! Risk finding out that I can’t really do it? Um…

I wasn’t alone. The program brought together a group of 14 students who were, in one way or another, in the same place. Some of us had taken time away from performing to grow our families and were ready to come back. Some of us had been defeated by the demands of a performer’s life and chosen the stability of a day job instead…only to have our hearts wake us up at night, insisting there was something else we should be doing. Some of us were just plain stuck artistically. Whatever the reason, we all ended up wanting more and knowing we had it in us–we just needed help to find it. Enter Scott, Dean, Jennifer and the rest of our coterie of amazing instructors.

The program wasn’t easy. We worked our asses off. We had breakdowns and breakthroughs. We trusted each other. We tried what felt wrong. We failed. We embarrassed ourselves. We supported each other. We got called out. We wrung, we pressed, we spoke through straws, we found the values, we got gooey, we stopped “acting” and just talked. We found out that the places we’ve been weren’t a diversion but a resource. Eventually, we forgot to be scared and started showing just how brave we really are.

Above all else the ACAI gave us, this is what I’m most grateful for. Thank you to everyone who participated for helping me tackle the scariest part of being an actor—my own fear. Take that, Eleanor.

Back row from left: Michael Charrois, Yasmin Abidi, Morgan Brayton, Mike Waterman, Corey Payette, Dean Paul Gibson, Amanda Marier, Bill Pozzobon

Front row from left: Joanna Redfern, Tim Vant, Arianna McGregor, Liz Kirkland, Christina Wells Campbell, Jennifer Clement, Michelle Martin, Matthew MacCaull

Missing: Scott Bellis

From Left Top row: Jason Broadfoot, Tara Fynn, Gardinar Miller, Dean Paul Gibson Middle Row: Ashley O’Connell, Sally Stubbs, Keri Smith, Eury Chang, Heather Cant, Andrew David Long Bottom Row: Christina Wells Campbell, Scott Bellis, Bree Greig, Alexis Kellum-Creer, Khaira Ledeyo

Guest post by Sally Stubbs

Sally is an award-winning playwright and theatre educator who works part-time as a sessional instructor of undergraduate writing and drama.  Also a director and performer, she’s looking forward to getting back on the stage. Just prior to the Actor’s Intensive, her play Herr Beckman’s People was produced by Touchstone Theatre.

“During the month of August, thirteen ‘mature’ actors (most over thirty, some a lot over!) met in the Revue and Granville Island Theatres from 6 to 10 pm every Tuesday and Thursday night and from 10 am to 6 pm on Sundays.  Our mission (or at least my interpretation of it): to build a strong and supportive ensemble, dig back into the work, and reignite confidence and skills.   

The brainchild of Christina Campbell, this new program got off to a strong start under the passionate direction of Dean Paul Gibson and head instructor, Scott Bellis.  They designed the program and worked with us on monologue and scene study.  Rounding out the talented and generous faculty were Kendra Fanconi and Eric Rhys Miller (Suzuki and Viewpoints training),  Alison Matthews (Voice), and Kayla Dunbar (Laban training).

Together we reconnected with old lessons, tackled bad habits, broke through or at least hammered away at some of those habits, and began to amass a new collection of tools to assist with the reality of auditions and survival as working actors.  Our month-long program culminated in an evening showcase for invited guests including artistic directors of local theatre companies as well as theatrical agents.  Afterwards, we hung out and celebrated with great food and drinks in the Revue Stage lobby. 

Intense?  Yes.  Easy?  No.  Am I happy I put myself back out there?  Yes!  It was an amazing process of regeneration.  I’ve been away from acting for too long and knew I had to break through a lot of self-imposed walls to regain my confidence and power as an actor.  Thanks to Dean, Scott, Kendra, Eric, Alison, and Kayla, my talented and brave peers, and myself, I took big steps, saw that power begin to re-emerge, and am eager to get back out there and work.  

I hope the Arts Club Actors’ Intensive 2010 was the beginning of a long and respected tradition.  There are not enough of these kinds of opportunities for ‘mature’ actors.”

A few words from some of my peers:

“This intensive was a great opportunity to dismantle and re-evaluate my approach to the work.  Not only did I pick up some new techniques, but I cleared out some of the junk I didn’t even realize was getting in my way.  I loved every minute of it.” –Heather Cant

“I found it to be a totally re-energizing experience – a much needed brain and body scramble.  I thought I would do a lot of re-learning, but instead found myself learning a whole bunch of stuff for the first time.  The instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and generous.  I loved it.  –Christina M. Campbell

“So much is learned not only from the work I do, but from watching and experiencing the other actors’ process.  It all comes back to trust, trust, and TRUSTING myself” –Bree Greig

“After a few years away from the stage, I was feeling rusty, clumsy, and frankly uncertain about what I might still be capable of.  At the end of the four weeks, I feel I’ve been able to advance beyond where my work had been before my hiatus, and even better, that I have the tools to continue advancing.  For each thing that I rediscovered about acting, I feel I also discovered something new to me (I’m a little baffled that it’s taken until now for me to be able to integrate some ideas I ‘rediscovered’, but eminently happy.)  I’m grateful to the instructors for a substantially improved toolkit, and to my peers for courageously illustrating what we learned throughout the process” –Andrew Long

Thanks All! 

Sally Stubbs

Wow.

With barely any advertising–just listing services and social media–this first-time out-of-the-gate intensive generated over 1800 hits on this website during April, more than 30 applications prior to deadline, and 10 more since.

So, suffice to say there has been interest in what the Actor’s Intensive is offering.

To answer the 2 questions you are about to ask:

1) No we are not accepting any more applications for the August 2010 Intensive. The class has been selected and there is a substantial waiting list should anybody have to drop out.

2) Yes, I can add your name to the notification list for when/if the course runs again.

Just send an email to actors(dot)intensive(at)artsclub(dot)com and I will add you to my the list.  (This is not a spam list, the only email you will receive from me is letting you know that dates have been selected for the next Actor’s Intensive.)

All the best,

Christina, Actor’s Intensive Coordinator