a letter to the person i will not be working for in four months...

aka. my agent:

it's a shame that i'm even writing this letter as i really had high hopes for our working relationship after our initial meeting.
okay, maybe i'm lying.

prior to meeting with you, i met with 3 out of the top 5 agencies in toronto who all had the same feedback: 

- great talent with a lot of potential

- encourage you to work on building an even larger body of work

- please focus on gaining some union status as that will lead to more opportunities to work with established professionals and gain more connections in the business

- please re-submit within six months

- wish you all the best, blah blah

so, if i'm being completely honest, i came into this relationship with every intention of leaving you once i fulfilled the majority of these requirements.
i also felt that during our initial meeting i made it perfectly clear my disinterest in doing anything in the musical/live theater world for a good while.

flash forward seven months later and here we are:
you've gotten me a total of 10 auditions - 2 of which i've self submitted for and 3 of which i had to literally beg and plead to be submitted.
(i still have a feeling that you didn't actually submit 2 of the 3 self-taped video submissions to their respective casting directors but that's another issue in itself...)
oh and, you're still constantly sending me information on theatre auditions in and around the city.

now, i'm one to give credit where credit is due.
so, i do have to mention that of the 10 auditions, 3 of which were for casting directors i had never auditioned for before.
so for that, i thank you.
but that's about all i'm going to thank you for.

i'm constantly doing my part in trying to stay on top of what's casting in the city and have emailed you a few times about projects i feel fit my specs.
responses like "saw it. didn't submit you" irritates me to no end.
but you know what's more irritating?
seeing fellow actor friends of mine with very similar specs and weaker resumes booking projects that you weren't even submitted for...
let's not forget, refusing to submit me for american projects shooting in the city because "the chances of them casting a non-american is unlikely" even after informing you that i am a DUAL CITIZEN!

i'm on casting workbook, aaaction auditions, actors access and mandy a ridiculous number of times a day and for you to send me a submissions list that contains an overwhelmingly large number of projects I submitted MYSELF for, is beyond disturbing.
being scolded for EMAILING you "outside office hours" was laughable.

i could go on but this letter slowly turning into a short story and i can feel my blood pressure rising.

but here is where we stand:
it is tuesday march 26th, 2013 and as of this moment, i have accomplished a vast amount of the items on the "list of requirements" i was given by other agents.
i have also decided to call in some reinforcements to help make my submissions to these agencies much more effective this time around in the form of a working consultation with one of the city's finest acting coaches.
lucky for you, he's in LA until the first week of may or else i would have already started my agent search for 2013.
so, it seems like i'm stuck with you for 40 more days, 20 more hours and 41 minutes...

long story short, get your sh*t together or i'm gone.

deuces,
TA

"keep calm and be patient" - goals part dos

"people with clear, written goals accomplish far more in a 

shorter period of time than people without them

can ever imagine."

i'm well aware that i've already written a blog entry on the importance of setting goals.
but apparently, i didn't write them down effectively as i've had absolutely NO AUDITIONS this month...

*dying.

i've been checking in with an actor friend of mine who has very similar specs and she, too, has had no auditions this month.
so, i guess that's a consolation.

since i have so much downtime, i decided to re-visit my goals for 2013 and perhaps, focus my attention on the time leading up to the summer months (which i'm hoping and praying will be busy).

i present to you, my goals for (the rest of) march - june 2013:

i) book an actor or SOC role (or two) on a union project  

ii) contact ACTRA toronto as soon as i receive my first union credit and begin the paperwork needed to become an apprentice

iii) as soon as you're all set up with ACTRA toronto, contact YEAA and start attending meetings - set up connections!

iv) continue practicing and working on my craft in the downtime - get together with contacts, watch movies, practice cold reads, etc. 

v) and lastly, don't get discouraged!

until next time.

xoxo, TA

goals are dreams...with deadlines.

"our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must

feverently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act."

- stephen a. brennan

(you'll quickly realize that i, "toronto actress", LOVE quotes!)

this particular blog post is pretty much self-explanatory - my goals for 2013.

i think it's important to write down any goals one may have as it gives you a clear focus on what you want to achieve. it is only then that you can then formulate a plan of attack as to how you're going to go about achieving said goals.

so, with all that being said, here are my GOALS for 2013:

i) book union gigs - an actor or SOC role on degrassi, la complex (*this list was written before the show was (unjustly) cancelled), hannibal, port hope, beauty and the beast, saving hope, rookie blue, cracked, MOW, feature film, etc.

ii) obtain FULL ACTRA MEMBERSHIP - i've come to realize that if one wants to be taken seriously in this industry, union status is a must!

iii) join YEAA - network! network! network!

iv) self-tape for projects in the US - i need to start taking advantage of my dual-citizenship...ness.

v) immerse yourself in the acting world!

vi) keep training! 

vii) diversify your special skills.

now, on to the HOWs:

i) coaching prior to auditions, isolating myself for an hour before auditions, arrive at least 30 mins early;  relaxation exercises, use nerves to benefit (ex. practice lines after doing jumping jacks so you're used to increase heart beat, etc.)

ii) goes back to #1 - don't forget about ACTRA classes for additional credits!

iii) as soon as you get (i) and (ii) under control, THIS!

iv) movies at the TIFF lightbox, film festivals, watching inside the actor's studios, etc.

v) classes and privates at lewis baumander's, john riven (*keep emailing), second city...

vi) keep horseback riding, sign up for silks class, take dance classes, etc.

hopefully writing down these goals and the creation of my vision board (i will post it in a later entry) will help me remain focused on my goals and the steps i need to take to achieve them.

xoxo

TA

allow me to introduce myself...

why hello there...

let me take a moment to (quasi)introduce myself - my name is “toronto actress”. clearly, that’s not the name my mother gave me but it’s the alias i’m choosing to use...for now. basically, i’ve taken a page out of backstage’s “secret agent man” and have chosen to keep my true alias a secret. perhaps, one day i will reveal myself.

i’ve been wanting to start a blog for a very long time but never really knew exactly what i wanted to blog about. then it dawned on me - why not blog about the struggles of being an up and coming actress in toronto? through acting classes and various other blogs of similar natures, i’ve come to realize that there a lot of us in the exact same boat. so, i’ve decided to start documenting my experiences as i navigate through this crazy, crazy world.

if anything, this could be a way to document the strides i’m making as an actress and will be a great resource for the days i’m feeling down and out...

thank you for coming on this journey with me.

...and, away we go!

xoxo TA

ps. the title of this blog - "it's a long shot but i say why not" - comes from one of my favorite kelly clarkson songs, long shot.
the words of this particular song really resonate with me and i often play it when i'm feeling discouraged.
take a listen :)