Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
28 April 12 2018
How can the business be made easier for parents?
Welcome to our weekly discussion forum for key issues facing those working in theatre and the performing arts. This week, we ask…
t H e g r e e n r o o m
Jenny rubbing my hands together for this one.
Adam i’m not a parent but i have watched the struggles of my friends who are when they try to work (especially in theatre) and it’s heartbreaking.
gary i don’t think parents need any help from the business, to be honest. i’m a bit of a Tory on this one.
Adam Empathy, listening, creating an environment where parents (or indeed carers) feel able to raise the issue without prejudicing their chances of getting work.
gary To be a parent is enormously energising and stimulating – a blessing – it helps make life and work better in every way. if performer parents of disabled or ill kids aren’t getting help from Equity/employers, that should be looked at, of course – that’s different.
Jenny The industry is still in the dark ages regarding flexible working in the business. it needs to be dragged kicking and screaming
into the light. Not just for parents but for carers and people returning to the industry.
Vivian Also for pregnant women. Why are parts automatically restricted because you are pregnant? pregnant women continue working until their third trimester, quite often, and work in every facet of society (more or less). That needs to be reflected on stage and screen.
Jon Yeah, usually when a character is pregnant it’s made into a plot point – nobody ever happens to be pregnant in a play or on TV.
Vivian Being pregnant historically has meant not telling the agent until you have to, then not telling industry people, then disappearing for a year and re-emerging with a fully grown human beside you. pregnancy isn’t a trick, a disaster or something to be hidden. pregnant women are still your female characters.
Jenny it’s a balancing act when both parents are in the business. lots of help from grandparents and adaptable childminders. Also i’ve found some theatres especially are really
parents in performing Arts, which campaigns on behalf of parents working in theatre, protesting parental pay at the House of Commons earlier this year
BLak
e ez
ra
Dee Cannon Acting coachHow did you start in theatre?i have been around the acting profession since i was very young, watching my mother (the late) Doreen Cannon teach and direct at the Drama Centre london where she was head of acting for 20 years. i was always fascinated by the acting process and absorbed a lot of insight before i dipped my own toe in the water.
What is the best piece of advice you have for acting students today?Make sure you have a strong skill set behind you. Know your craft inside out. imagine you’re an athlete – always having to keep your acting muscles limber.
What would you change about acting training in the UK?More classes in audition technique for TV and film. Also the art of self-taping, which is a fairly new phenomenon, but essential for any actor entering the business. i believe that, outside of auditioning for drama school, monologues are redundant. it is all about knowing how to work on sides (audition scenes) and be proficient approaching them.
What is the best part of your job?Working with actors from all over the world and travelling to different countries. i feel privileged to work with so many diverse cultures, which i find both challenging and invigorating.
And your least favourite?Meeting students who tell me they “just want a career in film and TV” and ask how they can get an agent without having trained, read an acting book or showed any interest in the culture of theatre.
Who are the practitioners you admire the most or who should students look up to?Uta Hagen and Stella Adler. They draw from the practical side of Stanislavski and although they are no longer with us, they’ve left their legacy.
What is the one skill that every successful actor should have?Knowing how to make informed choices and how to nail self-tapes.
Is it important for actors to study theatre, even if they want a screen career? Unequivocally, yes. it’s essential to be an all-round actor.
Dee Cannon was talking to John Byrne
Q & A
JuLi
a Be
nJa
min
Jon DrYDen tAYLor is an actor, writer and editor of The Green Room. If you work in theatre and would like to join in the conversation, email [email protected]
