October 12, 2016 ~ The Actor’s School Panel

 

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 LevineRob 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

September 14, 2016 ~ Donise Hardy, CSA & Author

 

Book Signing: Donise Hardy, CSA & Author

book cover cropped bordered

This month I, Gary Wimmer, am thrilled to announce that our speaker will be our very own Donise Hardy, CSA, Casting Director, Acting Coach, and now Donise has earned yet another title to her name, Author!

As you may know, Donise and I have been organizing the monthly Network Austin Mixer for the past 12 years. It would not be what it has become without Donise’s passion, intelligence, hard work, inspiration, enthusiasm, and professionalism, and as a community, we are all grateful for her continuous contributions, specialized courses, and unique insights.

Donise’s brand new book, “Acting Career Basics: On-Camera Audition & Industry Tips“, is a guide to on-camera auditions and contains many industry tips that only an insider such as she would know. Released just this summer, it is available from CreateSpace & Amazon. But books will be on sale at a deep discount of just $12 — sans postage, since they’ll already be at the mixer!*

Editor Diane Beckham, who created the page design and production of the book, and Ellen Martin, who helped edit it, will also be onsite to facilitate book sales & signings and answer questions.

As if this month’s mixer couldn’t get any better,

Donise will have a special announcement for the audience, and

There will be a Door Prize!

 

Last Month

We are extremely honored to have featured Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Assistant Director of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, as our guest speaker on Wednesday, August 10, 2016! Sylnovia provided an overview of the department, particularly as it pertains to funding for film, television, gaming, and other arts & media, among them the Cultural Funding and the Creative Content Incentive programs of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division. She spoke about many of the programs offered by the City of Austin, how to apply for grants, where to find such information and more, then underscored how much she and her department work to get people involved and fund projects that meet necessary criteria. Sylnovia then introduced 2 members of her staff, Jim Butler, Multimedia Manager, and Anna Bradley, Art In Public Places Coordinator, who described their respective programs. In all, it was a superb mixer, and we urge everyone to check out their links and information. Thank you for a most informative & inspiring presentation, Sylnovia, Jim and Anna!

 

So please join us for this special mixer at Baby A’s on Wednesday, September 14th, and bring some friends. Arrive early for a cold libation, networking, and meeting new folks with like minds.

* If you want to buy the book at the mixer, then please come with cash or checkbook.

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 begin @ 6:00PM, then the Speaker starts @ 6:45.