I believe I started to write a series on of articles on the subject of Becoming an Actor a couple of years ago but I got distracted. I am now going to make a genuine effort to put down my thoughts on what it takes to become an actor. This subject of being an actor will not be covered in just one or two articles. I will try to get all the necessary information across that will be required to help people make genuinely serious decisions on where they wish to go with their careers. I am what would be called middle aged at this stage of my life and I really enjoy being an actor. Like so many others before me and no doubt in front of me I had ambitions on getting involved in “show business” as they call it. From a very early age I always wanted to perform for people. I always found that when I done something good I got great pleasure out of seeing the pleasure other people got from my performances. When I say performances it was not always acting.

An Actor, A Singer or an Entertainer

As I said in the last paragraph I was always willing to perform for people at house parties, school shows etc., etc. I did not consciously decide that I wanted to be an actor. My first memories of public performances was when I was about 7 years old. Myself and my brother were picked from our school to perform on the radio version of the School Around the Corner, I believe. I always remember getting up and singing into this big microphone. The song I sang (if you could call it singing) at the time was something to do with a Leprachaun who mended shoes. I barely remember the start of the song but it went something like “Tic Tac Tú. Tic Tac Tú, la, la, la, and for those who don’t understand what I have written the song was As Gaeilge (In Gaelic) as we say here in Ireland. And you know I suppose I could say that was one of my first professional performances. Yes I remember getting a brown envelope (how apt in the world we live in today) and when I opened it there inside was a crisps Ten Shilling note. I showed it to my mother after the show. That was the last I seen of it. Bless Her! She said she would mind it for me. And so she did, she minded it so well I never seen it again. Anyway I got a bottle of pop and a package of crisps on the way home. So was I now a professional Actor, Singer or Entertainer?

Actor or Entertainer – You Want to Perform

No matter what area of show business that you take part in. Whether it be as an actor, or a singer or an all round entertainer. One of the main ingredients for all these roles is the ability to perform. We must be able to change at a moments notice and perform whatever we are doing. And in my opinion there is no greater thing to see in show business than somebody who WANTS to perform. Some people call it confidence. Yes there may be some of that involved. But that confidence I believe comes from the WANT to perform. If you really really want something you go for it – don’t you! Confidence or NO!

In the following posts I will try to outline how somebody can approach a career in show business, I will try to point out the mistakes I have made in my approach. And I will also try to put a finger on the things that can get in your way when you are trying to put a career together.

If you have any comments or questions I would love to hear them. I would also be more than delighted to have any suggestions for articles that might benefit up and coming artistes in the future. Use the reply box below to post. Watch out for the next article.

Please Support my Friends.

Kitchens4u.ie
Sparkies Electrical Company

Temple Bar – Asking the Questions

Actor Vincent Browning in his latest madcap adventure – Prowling the streets of Dublin’s Temple Bar District asking complete strangers crazy questions. Yes folks lately we have been filming in Dublin’s Temple Bar at the weekend. We are doing fly on the wall type stuff. The show is just an entertainment piece getting reactions from complete strangers to questions that they are really not expecting. Watch and see the reaction to some of the questions in this video clip. We were amazed to find so many different nationalities in Dublin’s Number 1 venue Temple Bar, this area of Dublin is highly poublicised for most tourists coming to Dublin.

Watch the Temple Bar Video

The question we were asking of complete strangers on this paricular night in Dublin’s Number one Tourist Hotspot Temple Bar was “Who Loves Sex More? Men or Women” View the answers in the video below. Enjoy the funny bits too. It gets really funny near the end. There was an old saying in Ireland “Work, the curse of the Drinking Classes”.

If you enjoy the videos please pass the link on to your friends and colleagues. If you wish to comment on the videos please use the reply box below the post. We look forward to getting your comments and suggestions for future videos.

Can we also let you know about one or two of our friends who help us in the making of these videos. We would like to thank the following:

Kitchens4u.ie
Sparkies Electrical Contractors
Underwater-Ireland.com

If you would like to have some promotional videos produced for you or your business please do not hesitate to contact me and I can put you in touch with the guys who make these videos in and around Temple Bar. The videos are a great way to get yourself some publicity on You Tube and other social networks.

My first real music Video. Back in November 2012 I worked alongside Roz Purcell and Rex Ryan in making this video for indie band This Club with the release of their latest track “UP”. Check it out down in the right hand corner of the page. Thanks!

And just to remind you all that the latest piece of Drama that I will be performing in opens on Monday 14th January 2013. So if you can try to make it to the Teachers Club, on Parnell Square West one of the nights it promises to be funny, sad and may be even controversial.

The Poster For The Play

A New Play

The new year will start off with a bang with a great new theatre piece that is being performed in the Teachers Club Dublin. In January 2013 I will be appearing in a new writing piece by author Eddie Naughton. This piece was written over the last number of years and it is being brought to the stage by Frank Allen’s Tobar Na Run production company. The story is about Adrian Phelan an Irishman living in Birmingham England. Adrian, a staunch Irish Nationalist hates everything that is British, but was brought to England by his boss suposedly for a short period of time but is now into his tenth year there. He longs for home and especially his beloved Dublin. He Dreams constantly of being back there enjoying life as only the Dubs know how. But like so many of his contemporaries he forgets that time waits for no man and things change accordingly. The show runs from Monday 14th January to Saturdy 19th January in the T36 Theatre at the Teachers Club on Parnell Square West, Dublin 1.

Just finished a piece with Sheer Tantrum Theatre Company in The Boys School, Smock Alley, Dublin. A Bucket Full of Fire, written by Darren Donohue and Directed by Vincent A. O’Reilly. In this piece I played the role of “Man”. A challenging role in more than one way. Nothing to do with the fact that I was near naked for the whole run. Anyway if the cast could put up with looking at my nearly naked (except for a pair of Y-Fronts (and dirty ones at that) then that was OK with me. I enjoyed the experience and working with a new theatre company and all the members was a refreshing experience. I hope to work with them in the future also.

Below you will find a review of the piece by Irish Theatre Magazine. Enjoy.

“Day comes on a little more; night holds out a little less, a little more, a little less, a little more, a little less…” says Hag (Sinead O’Brien), a withered old crone standing sentinel at a decaying old well. So Darren Donohue’s fever dream of a play begins, itself careening a little more and a little less between seeming states of frenzy and contemplative consciousness. The action, such as it is, unfolds in a theatrical nowhere and no-when, shared by Hag’s mysterious well and a double bed stuffed with two grime-encrusted men: the tightly-wound Maude (Simon Toal) and the magnanimous Blic (John Morton). Echoing Beckettian double-acts like Clov and Hamm or Didi and Gogo, Blic and Maude (the one sporting a dishevelled suit, the other donning a crusty nightcap) battle desperately against insomnia and the intrusive presence of Hag, arguing pointedly with her in biting, telegraphic exchanges. The established triad is disrupted by the sudden arrival of The Accused (Paul Travers), an arrogant representative of some unnamed officialdom who proudly proclaims that he has arrived to be put on trial for an indeterminate crime. This new relational dynamic is established only to then be immediately overthrown by the arrival of new figures (such as Grace Barry’s nameless Girl, who tends to Vincent Browning’s near-naked invalid) or the sudden lurching of a locked hamper, the living contents of which can only be guessed at.

What exactly these characters want, and what has driven them to occupy this unfixed space and torment one another is never made entirely clear. Only basic, immediate tasks drive the action, like Blic and Maude comically switching places over and over in bed to find more comfortable positions, or Hag attempting to draw a bucket from the seemingly infinite depths of the well. The characters themselves come across primarily as ciphers lacking a determinate autonomy. Not that this is necessarily a problem. Studied psychological realism is hardly the aim here. Rather, it appears that what is being presented are the embodied visions of an insomniac slipping in and out of sleep, ensnared by the crazed logic of a dreamscape.

Buoyed by Donohue’s sharp and rhythmic dialogue, this disparate collection of grotesques combines to generate the buildup of a pervasive, unnamable anxiety that lurks right on the edge of the unconscious. And thanks to the play’s brevity and barrelling pace, we’re never overloaded with pompous, metaphysical treatises or the empty philosophising on the nature of dreams or the unconscious. The madcap nature of the world and its inhabitants is enough to get the point across.

Donohue’s text is aided by Vincent A. O’Reilly’s steady direction, which never allows his performers to wallow too long in moments of wistful reflection or lose control when the pace picks up. Overall the performances are solid, with each actor showing admirable restraint in keeping their characters from tipping over into pure buffoonery. Colm Ivers’ lighting transitions ably from one state of this bewildering dreamscape to another, although some actors’ faces seem to be unintentionally lost to the shadows at times. Hugh Glynn’s stark set makes good use of Smock Alley’s Boys’ School venue, its stacked mezzanines and towering stonewalls themselves suggesting the depths of a massive well. The combined result is an enjoyable evening of theatre that, like any discomfiting dreamtime vision, leaves indelible traces as you enter back into the real world.

Jesse Weaver

Playing Doctor Death in A Dying Art – Short Film.

Before I start I must ask the question again – Is there – No Such Thing Free Agent, Casting Directors Cost Less! – You probably cannot make too much sense from this. Anyway, I came home last night after spending about four hours getting some FREE tuition from a friend of mine in the art of Web Development (which I am studying at present) using mysql and php along with CSS. I decided to write an article to see how some of the Long Tailed Keywords work. In the process of writing this article I inadvertently moved into some acting advice. I went off on a tangent talking about Casting Directors and Talent Agents. So I have decided that today I am going to write about the differences between a Talent Agent and a Casting Director.

Talent Agent or FREE Agent

Talent Agent – So what is a Talent Agent – A Talent Agent is somebody who represents a bunch of actors and actresses or anybody who wants to be in show business and performing for payment. The talent agent is somebody you will probably have to write to and make a request for them to put you on their books. If you are successful then you will receive a call to set up a meeting and discuss the terms of an agreement/contract that you and the Talent Agent will abide by. This contract will outline what the Talent Agent will do on your behalf (as your representative) and what percentage of any earnings you earn the agent takes, that could be 5% or 10% or 15% depeding on what you agree, so long as you are represented by that talent agent. A Talent Agent should not look for money up front from people they represent. If you come across people who suggest that you have to make a down payment or deposit, run a mile from them. Even if they guarantee to get you in front of the top directors in Hollywood. And just to finish off on this subject of Talent Agents. Remember they will take a percentage of all your earnings but not ask for an upfront payment from you to represent you. That is why there is No Such Thing – FREE Agent! But there are many, many good Talent Agents, after all they have to earn a living some way.

Casting Directors Cost Less!

In the last paragraph I hope I explained what a Talent Agent is clearly enough for you newbie actors and actresses who are coming into the business. So you are probably wondering why this paragraph states that Casting Directors Cost Less! Well the reason for that is this!

The Casting Director in general works in tandem with your Agent or Talent Agent. Depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on. We in Ireland call our Talent Agents – Agents – where in the United States they are known as Talent Agents.

The Casting Director is hired by the production company to find the best talent for the roles that they have available in a show, film, play whatever. It is the Casting Directors job to trawl through thousands of images that appear on Talent Agents Websites of the people the Talent Agent represents. For Example:

The Casting Director will request people of a certain age, height, eye colour etc etc., from the Talent Agent. Then the Casting Director might pick one or two people who they think are suitable for the role to come and audition in front of the Casting Director and maybe the Director and some of the producers. If you happen to audition in front of just the Casting Director then he/she will make recommendations to the producers and the director of who in her/his opinion are the right actors for the job.

A Casting Director does NOT represent actors and a Casting Director does not ask you for a FEE in any shape or form. Again if you come across a Casting Director who does request payment from an actor, then get those trainers on and get ready to run. The Casting Director gets a FEE from the production company. Think of it like a Finders Fee! That is how the Casting Director earns their pay.

You see on numerous occasions I have seen so many Casting Directors Stating that they are not Talent Agents and do not send in Resume’s and Photos to them looking for representation. So do youself a favour and remember the title to this article. No Such Thing FREE Agent, Casting Directors Cost Less! You will now know the difference and maybe you can explain it to other new actors and actresses who are just venturing out on the long journey to stardom. It might also save you a few euro/dollars!

You will get used to this at the bottom of my blogs it is just a bit of publicity for some brothers music Visit this link Ronsanband.com

Never Stop Learning

You see I am not only an actor but I am also studying website design and programming and up until today I did not fully understand the implications of keywords. But a person I met at the WordPress Meetup in Dublin last week was kind enough to give me 4 hours of his time today to talk me through some web development tactics and techniques. As I always say you never stop learning. And one of the tactics I came to understand was the usefulness of long tailed keywords.

Casting Directors Dublin or Hollywood

Whether you are an Actor from Dublin Ireland or from Hollywood there is one thing we all have in common and that is Casting Directors. We as actors have to come up against these industry professionals and try to impress them enough to get their approval and move us on to the next level in this business. What is a Casting Director I hear you ask? Well for those who are unsure. A Casting Director is the person who is entrusted by the Production Company to find the best talent for the producers and Director of the Show, Film, TV Series who will then decide who gets the part. And if you are an actor you must never make the mistake of mixing up a Casting Director with an Agent. Agents or Talent Agents as they are known in Hollywood and throughout the United States are people who represent the actors. The Casting Director will request certain people with certain looks from the Talent Agent, actors and actresses that they have on their books and they represent. And a Casting Director will never ask you for money to audition for them and furthermore a talent will not ask you for money so that they can represent you. But be aware that a Talent Agent will take a cut or percentage of your earnings as payment for their part in the deal. I hope this has been helpful. As I said this piece is really about testing my long-tailed keywords – todays test is – What Acting Dublin Ireland or Hollywood with Casting Directors – now lets see what type of ranking we get for that keyword. Watch out for my regular blog too.

Oh and the unashamed plug for my brothers band Ronsanband.com

THEATRE REVIEW -
“Through The Dark Clouds Shining”, Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin, 2009
” . . . .The cast skillfully portrayed the spirit, the humour and concerns of the characters, especially Vincent Browning whose monologue as Burke was compelling!”

Acting – What is acting, Part 2 – Following from my last blog on the subject of getting into acting or starting an acting career where I started to outline things that you should do and know if you are not in a position to have expensive acting lessons. As I stated in the last blog, acting is something that is probably in every one of us. Some of us just bring it out better than others. And if you want to make a career in acting be prepared for a long hard road. Well in 99% of cases it is important to be aware that you are not just going to make it overnight. Even though some 1 or 2% do, but they would be an exception not the rule! You must understand that everybody has a different opinion on what is acting, if you know what is Mean.

What is Acting

So “What is Acting” have you ever bothered to ask yourself that question. I have on several occassions. I have also asked the question to other actors and those who consider themselves An Actress, you in todays world everybody is called an actor whether they are male or female, in my experience anyway. Again I ask the question What is Acting? Well in an effort to answer this question clearly and as informatively as possible I would say:

1. Acting is basically one person taking on the persona and dialogue of another person whether real life individual or fictional.

2. Acting is that person projecting that personality they are portraying in a very real and lifelike way.

3. Acting is being able to do all the above while also hitting your objectives and making other people feel that you are that person or thing or whatever you are supposed to be.

I am unsure if this is very clear but if you can in another way of speaking pretend to be somebody else so well that people really believe that you are that person well then I think that you are on the road to success. This is why in my last blog I said to be aware of your surroundings. Watch people when you are engaged with them. Watch their mannerisms, watch how they might say something, watch how they might look when they are telling you something happy, watch how they move their facial expressions when they are telling you something sad. These are all things that you can bring to your craft as an actor or actress when you are building a character. You see when you read a script, you immediately can get a picture in your mind of how this character might act, their mannerisms and other features of a character. The words of the script can immediately give you a sense of where the character might be from. So be aware of your everyday surroundings and take mental notes of things that you might be able to bring to a character when the time comes to create your masterpiece.

Casting

Casting – This is another area that will require you to bring all those things that you have learned plus all those mental notes that you have kept when you go to a casting. Casting Directors are the first ones who will either see potential in your acting ability and it is them that you will have to impress in order to be in with a shout for a part in that play, film or TV Series. Then will then recommend you to the Director and then he or she will discuss with their team who is the best actor or actress to cast in the role. So if you have all your mental notes along with any teaching that you might have then bring it all out at the casting session.

IMDb, Star Now, Agents

As an actor or actress you will need to show off your talents. So how do you go about that. Well just like with the acting lessons which most of us actors find hard to fund because of lack of work and cash you will find that there are lots of websites out there ready to make you a star. Well be aware – and don’t say you were not WARNED – There are lots of website that will promise you that they will make you a star, and once you have gone through the process of signing up to their promises the page with the – FILL IN YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS HERE – will appear. These websites I feel are a waste of time. Yes you might get some extra work from them but for what it is I think they are just on the make. There are plenty of websites where you can sign up and get your face out there. For instance take IMDb this is a website where all the big named stars and directors display their CV’s and any other important information about themselves. You can sign up for a FREE account but after doing that you can only access certain areas of the website. If you want access to all areas then you must pay a fee. Say something like $150.00 per annum with a monthly fee taken from your credit card directory. I have to say again that this is a website where you might need to be seen, but have we all got that kind of money to throw at these sites. I think an honest answer is probably NO!

Watch out here for more information about the acting and actors profession. I will be adding more hints and tips daily. Spread the word with friends and family about my helpful blog if you will.

And Finally, yes you’ve guessed it my unashamed plug for my brothers and their music. Listen to some of it here Ronsanband.com

Me as Pat’s Bocock in John B. Keanes, “Sive”.

So you want to be an Actor! Where do you start in your acting career? How do I get going in the acting business? I don’t really mix that well so how am I supposed to get to know people who do acting? These are just some of the questions people will ask themselves when they are deciding on embarking on a career in the Arts/Acting Profession. I always wonder when I see people like Ryan Tubridy and Blathnaid Ni Coffaigh working on TV and when I find out that they have been working in the business for so long I am surprised. Surprised I say because I never seem to see the same adverts they seen in the Newspapers, well maybe I was not looking in the same newspaper that day! A little thing called luck ciomes into play. And it is the same with acting. Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, there just one or two of the well known ones. Luck plays a big part in anything we set out to do. Sometimes you can create your own luck, but sometimes it is just about being in the right place at the right time. So how do we start in the Acting Profession. Well . . . .

Acting School

Acting school is all well and good depending on what era you were born in and what type of background you come from. For instance I came from a working class background in Finglas and Inner City Dublin. And when I was a young boy I wanted to be in a Drama School. I used to feel a bit aggreived when I would see the Belvedere boys coming from Waltons Music School, in Frederick Street, (I lived around the corner) pulling the trolleys with big accordions in them or some other type of instrument. I remember thinking I would like to do that. But unfortunately coming from a family of 13 children it was not built into the family housekeeping budget to have music lessons or acting lessons for any of the children. In saying that an older brother of mine learned to play the guitar and he passed that skill down through a lot of my brothers and I would say about 6 or 7 of them are competent guitar players and musicians. See them here Ronsanband. But from what I remember that was the only way you were going to learn an instrument or display a talent, other than singing at the numerous Hooleys that were held in the house on different occassions. I say house but it was a FLAT or Apartment as they say in the US.

Life is a Stage

Life is a stage and if you cannot afford to go to expensive acting classes or drama school then use what you have around you to hone your acting skills. After all acting is about one or two things. 1. Being able to take on the persona of somebody else and deliver what they would say (writers script) in a very natural and relaxed way. 2. Acting is about reacting to what other actors say, again in a natural manner. So if you cannot afford to go to the drama school try out practicing with friends and family. Oh I know your shy and you could not do that! Well you are going to have to overcome your shyness and get on with it. Life is too short for shyness. To overcome your shyness or embarrassment whichever it is maybe start off by doing some poetry reading aloud in your bedroom, and if somebody comes in don’t stop just keep going. After all when you are acting you will have to get up on the stage in front of a room full of people and perform so think about that. And if you are working on film there will be all the crew and director present watching your performance. As I said at the start of this paragraph Life is a Stage, so use it to your advantage, you don’t have to tell people when you are standing in a group that you are about to ACT, just take mental notes of what is going on. When somebody speaks or says something to somebody else in the group, watch how they say it and also try to take note of the reaction of the person they are saying it too. Then imagine that as a scene from a TV series or film or stage show and think, could I do that when there are camera’s and microphones and lights pointing at me. If you can then I think you have a natural ability to act. That is tip number one, so find out if you really do want to have a career in acting. Check out this blog for more hints and tips on Acting every day! – YOUR COMMENTS ARE ALSO WELCOME!

And remember in the Acting Business you will need to network extensively and have a lot of luck. Just like these lads need now in the Music Professions Ronsanband.

Image from Sports Bank Website.

I was amazed listening to the news last night that over 40,000 Supporters of American football teams Notre Dame and Navy have travelled here to Dublin to support their college football teams in the first opening game of the American Colleges Football Season. To get to have the game played here in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium is a coup in itself, but to have 40,000 of their supporters join the two teams is one heck of a logistics nightmare. But hey, that is not our problem we are just delighted to have Notre Dame and Navy and all their Marching Bands and Supporters here in our fabulous city. And unfortunately Navy I am afraid that you will be in the minority this weekend because we Irish will be shouting for “The Fighting Irish” Notre Dame. Best of luck to both teams in today’s game.

Notre Dame – A Night at the O2

As part of the 4-5 day celebration of having these two great college football teams from the United States here in Dublin, there have been lots of events to showcase our City, Country and the talent we have here. As part of the celebrations there was a gala that went on in Dublin’s O2 arena. Probably a front room sized venue compared to what they might have in the US. But probably a little more intimate, after all it only holds around 9,000 people. The show was screened live on RTE and was hosted and presented by the beautiful mother of 7 children, our own Miriam O’Callaghan. Miriam done a wonderful job and this show was beamed all across the US so anybody like Damien Dempsey, Brian Kennedy and Colin Dunne just a few to mention who performed on that show done themselves no harm whatsoever and were showcased very very well. If I was to make a criticism of the show it was that unfortunately it was sometimes a bit hard to hear the performers as the backing orchestra/bands were coming across a little bit too loud. But it was a great show otherwise. Even the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) got in on the act, with a welcoming speech and some little nuggets of information about the Groundsman who worked in Notre Dame for most of his life after leaving in the 1930′s.

Martin Sheen

It was nice to see on the big screen during the show Hollywood actor and honorary Irishman Martin Sheen give a rousing speech promoting Ireland. His enthusiasm for this country came through 200% when he asked companies big and small to come and help to get this country back on its feet. He went as far as to say “Our Country” which was something that I found quite moving. During his speech a banner showed on the screen under him for Connect Ireland a website and organization where industry and individuals can get information on how they can get involved in the recovery of Ireland’s economy. If you are interested in playing your part then you can contact them here Connect Ireland. Well I will sign off now by just wishing our American Friends, Relations, and Cousins a happy holiday here in Ireland and I hope they all have a great and safe time and if they can afford it they may come back next year for The Gathering the official event to welcome all people of Irish Decent back to Ireland. Oh and by the way watch out for my new website promoting Ireland it is called THE HOOLEYLAND. Coming Soon.

As ever I would like to give a little plug to my two brothers and their rock music album. You can listen and buy the music here Ronsanband.com

Please leave your comments via the comments box below. I would love to hear from you! Go Irish, Go Irish!