Tag: acting classes

July 12, 2017 ~ Georgetown Film Conference & The Palace Theater

Posted onAuthorGary WimmerLeave a comment

Georgetown Film Conference

 

All the buzz lately has been about this year’s Georgetown Film Conference coming up this autumn, so in true form the Network Austin Mixer is making sure our audience learns all about it and more by featuring a fascinating panel of guest speakers from the conference, as well as the Georgetown Palace Theater, all gracing our stage at Sherlock’s Pub & Grill on Wednesday, July 12th. They will offer vital information about the film conference to which all are invited, as well as a casting opportunity for a couple of upcoming theater productions at the Palace!

Meet this month’s illustrious panel:

Cindy Weigand, Director of the Georgetown Film Conference
Cindy considers herself primarily a writer having written screenplays for 2 feature films and 1 for a short film. She is also writing a novel inspired by the life of her great uncle who was a pilot in the 1920s. President of BAR-O-BAR Entertainment LLC, Cindy is working on a documentary about the formerly incarcerated with a focus on one man’s journey. Cindy’s day job is working as a substitute teacher. For fun, she enjoys hiking and putting on padded spandex shorts and riding on a skinny bicycle seat for 40 miles.

Jackie Villanueva, Director of Social Media & Advertising for the Georgetown Film Conference
Jackie currently works in advertising for the San Antonio Express News. An award-winning film producer, she has served as Public Relations Director for the Austin Latino Film Association, and has volunteered for the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), as well as for film events throughout Central Texas. She can also be seen throughout the ComicCon circuit working as public relations manager, or volunteering in the hope of finally meeting Stan Lee. In her free time, Jackie likes to watch old science fiction and horror films with her cat, Cornelius, whom she named after Dr. Cornelius in Planet of the Apes.

Jonathan Young, MFA, AEA, Certified SAFD Instructor, and Director of Education & Interim Executive Director of the Palace Theater of Georgetown
Jonathan was a NYC-based Equity actor and voice artist before joining the team at the Palace. Now represented by Erin Franklin at Agence Talent, he works right here in Central Texas, recently appearing in spots for TexPress Lanes and in industrials for Texas Mutual Insurance. He holds a BA in Directing from UCSB and and MFA in Acting from Brandeis University. Some roles under his belt and places he’s performed include:
Stage – The Man Who Came to Dinner; Candlelight Pavilion, The Cat and the Canary and Anna Christie, Berkshire Theatre Group; All in the Timing, Theatre 54 NYC
Tours – National Theatre for Children, American Family Theatre, New York Dinner Theatre
TV – 30 Rock, The Onion Sports Network, and Mysteries at the Museum

Next season Jonathan will direct the Santaland Diaries, as well as cast a couple of plays he’s producing utilizing paid non-Equity actors at the Palace. So bring your same-size headshot & résumé stapled back-to-back for his consideration!

Jonathan also staffs the educational programs at the Palace Theater, and invites anyone interested in teaching students ages 3-18 in any and all performing arts disciplines to bring a résumé to this mixer.

Join us at Sherlock’s Pub & Grill on Wednesday, July 12th! Meet like minds, socialize and network, enjoy a great meal and drink, and get important insights from our panel! Our program will end with a Q & A session, so bring your questions for our panel. And remember those headshots & résumés for the casting & teaching opportunities, too. See you there!

 

Last Month

We extend our deepest thanks to Jason Teresi & Ellen Lloyd for their excellent presentation on Wednesday, June 14th, Behind the Scenes: Realities of the Casting Process.
This rare, behind-the-scenes look at the casting process shed light on exactly how casting directors receive and manage submissions, and revealed the most effective techniques actors use to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. Their insights about Breakdown Services and Actor’s Access, along with the visual presentation, were comprehensive and empowering. We deeply appreciate your time and energy, Jason & Ellen!

 

Come on out and join us at Sherlock’s Pub & Grill @ 9012 Research Blvd. (SE corner 183 & Burnet) on Wednesday, July 12th! Sherlock’s is a cool place with great food, drinks, and hospitality. Arrive early for a drink & dinner, network and meet new friends, enjoy a fun-filled evening with other guests, and get great info. Plenty of parking, too!

Pass along our website and check it for details about each month’s speaker(s)!
Find this month’s mixer on Facebook.
Get on our mailing list and keep up with us on social media:
Like our page & join our group on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Mixing & Networking @ 6:00PM, Announcements @ 6:30, Speakers @ 6:45
Followed by More Mixing & Mingling and Networking

October 12, 2016 ~ The Actor’s School Panel

Posted onAuthorGary WimmerLeave a comment

 

The Actor’s School Panel with Babs George

The Actor's School

We are extremely thrilled to present Babs George and a Panel of Acting Coaches featuring Babs George & Brittany Flurry and a few more tentatively booked from The Actor’s School as our guest speakers on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 @ Baby A’s!

Babs George founded The Actor’s School (formerly the State Theatre School of Acting) in 1993 and has been the Director since its inception. She is a professional actress and has been a member of SAG-AFRA and AEA for over 30 years. She has been awarded many Austin Critics and B. Iden Payne Awards, as well as the Austin Chronicle’s “Best Actor/Actress in Austin” Award. Some of her TV & film credits include a PBS documentary of War of the Worlds, Friday Night Lights, and Sin City. In addition to teaching at The Actor’s School, Babs currently teaches in the theatre departments at Texas State and Southwestern Universities.

Brittany Flurry teaches classes and is the administrative assistant for The Actor’s School. She is an actor, writer, director, and producer. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Acting from Texas State University and studied abroad with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. She completed a two-year Meisner intensive with Richard Robichaux. She is currently working on several projects as one of the co-founders of Team Teamwork Productions. In addition to film and stage, Brittany also performs stand-up comedy and improvisation.

John Ratliff has been performing improv since 2005 and teaching it since 2008. Trained at ColdTowne in Austin and at iO and The Annoyance in Chicago, he’s studied under Liz Allen, Matt Besser, Keith Johnstone, Susan Messing, Mick Napier, and Miles Stroth, among many others. He was in the original and subsequent casts of the Hideout’s Austin Secrets and performed improv for 43 hours straight in that theater’s 2013 Marathon. In 2011 John was named Best Improv Teacher in the Austin Chronicle’s “Best of Austin” Awards and in 2011 and 2015 voted Best Teacher or Coach at ColdTowne.

Marijane (Mj) Vandivier is a professional Equity actress with over 55 years experience. She enjoyed a successful television career for 30 years including film, radio shows and commercial work, and has been an acting and speaking voice teacher /coach for the past 24 years. Mj studied at The America Theatre Wing in NYC. She holds a B.S. from the University of Houston in Psychology and Theatre and is a Certified Lessac Voice/Body Trainer. In addition to her many theatre roles, she just landed a national Walmart commercial and will be seen at SXSW in film that is already garnering much attention:

Barbara Chisholm had a supporting role in the landmark and Oscar-nominated film Boyhood, a recurring role in the Emmy nominated ABC drama American Crime, and an appearance in Friday Night Lights. Chisholm recently starred in the world premiere, one-woman play Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End at the Tony Award-winning Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. under the direction of Broadway director David Esbjornson. She has been voted Best Actor three times in the Austin Chronicle’s annual “Best of Austin” Readers Poll and has won multiple acting honors from the Austin Critics Table, the B. Iden Payne Theatre Awards, and Drama Logue.

Please join us for this talent-packed and highly informative mixer at Baby A’s on Wednesday October 12th, and bring some friends. Arrive early for a cold libation, networking, and meeting new folks with like minds.

 

Last Month

Thanks so much to Samantha Levine, Rob Gonzalez, and Mackinlee Waddell for coming to tell us about this year’s Austin Film Festival and gifting attendees a special discount promo code!

From Gary L. Wimmer:

We were exceptionally happy to have had casting director and author Donise Hardy, CSA as our speaker on Wednesday, September 14th! And what an entertaining and enlightening mixer it was. We started (and ended) the evening by singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Donise, since she just reached 42. Uh, make that 70! Then Donise spoke about acting, casting, and her new book, “Acting Career Basics: On-Camera Audition & Industry Tips” available on CreateSpace & Amazon. Editors Diane Beckham & Ellen Martin were onhand to answer questions and facilitate book signings, and one lucky audience member won the door prize — the book!

Our 3rd and final surprise of the evening was the world premiere of Donise’s new video webshops available on demand at Vimeo: Actor’s WebShops is up and running!

We all extend our deepest thanks to you, Donise, for your passion, intelligence, hard work, inspiration, enthusiasm and professionalism, and as a community, we are all grateful for your continuous contributions, specialized courses and unique insights.

 

Note:  Baby A’s will place pylons on parking spaces reserved for our speakers behind the restaurant.  Please do not park in those reserved spots!

Pass along our website and check it for details about each month’s speaker(s)!
Get on our mailing list and keep up with us on social media:
Like our page & join our group on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Mixing & Networking @ 6:00PM, Announcements @ 6:30, Speakers @ 6:45
Followed by More Mixing & Mingling and Networking