Hey Bon!
Thought you might dig my latest efforts —
I’m taking a CD workshop soon where we have to pick from the sides she has provided and prepare them. I picked a scene and naturally, I only have the info I’m given on the two pages.
All I know is the name of the show, that my wife is in the hospital, and that’s where the scene takes place. I thought, “Hmm, let’s see if I can get more info on the episode.” So I…
- IMDb’d the show (it’s on its eleventh season, so there are a lot of episodes and cast members)
- hit “command-F” on my Mac to bring up the search box
- searched for the characters’ first names (the only info I have); search returned 3 females and 17 males, in case you’re wondering
- found the two names that have the same last name and noted the season and episode
- found the transcript online for that episode
- verified it was the correct one
- found the episode on Netflix
…and now I know everything I need to know regarding the history of these people.
BAM!!!
Research Mastah!
— Brian
Research Mastah, indeed, Brian! Wow! I am so impressed at your resourcefulness. What I love, especially, is that you’re so cool to share this tactic with others.
Here’s why that act of sharing doesn’t *at all* erode any advantage you’ll have, in this CD workshop: Because most actors will look at the above and say, “Ugh. That’s a lot of WORK. It’s *just* a CD workshop. I get the tone of the show. I can nail this.”
And, y’know, they might be safe with that assumption. But how ninja to KNOW that everything that you *could* find out about how to rock that read, you now know? So ninja! The confidence with which you’ll approach this experience because you basically majored in the subject for a few hours will absolutely shine through.
Way to look like a booker!
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001864.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.