Tag: actorlife

My First Scene Back!

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I wanted to share that my first scene back as a returning student of the Richard Lawson Studios went up on November 7th! My scene partner and I put up a scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2” in his Tuesday scene study class, and we both did a great job in our first take! We delivered the product that we locked in during the final 20 percent of our rehearsal process. Keep reading below 🙂

This class is a virtual one, so all of the scenes and exercises are performed via Zoom. And this works out beautifully because my scene partner lives in the U.K. The stage manager called our scene, and we started. I had to stop the scene after 10 seconds because I didn’t configure my screen correctly. I was looking out at a sea of classmate thumbnails, and I couldn’t find my scene partner LOL! I could hear him, but I couldn’t see him. I’m glad I stopped the scene to ensure I could deliver my product. Otherwise, I would have regretted it afterwards during my assessment. After I made the technical adjustments and verified that I could only see him, the stage manager called the scene again. Keep reading below 🙂

I felt great about our scene. I felt like we delivered our product. I was able to let the scene go once I called “scene”. I felt present during the assessment. I talked about what I worked on. I expressed that one of the things I wanted to explore in the second take was what physically happens to me after Axel Foley leaves my office? Do I have heartburn or indigestion? Do I pull a whiskey bottle from my desk drawer and take a shot? How does my exasperation with Axel reveal itself physically in that final chapter of the scene? We received a great assessment and are excited to apply the notes and bring the scene back for a second take. Keep reading below 🙂

My scene from “Yellowstone” is scheduled to go up in my Thursday scene study class on November 30th, and that will be in person on stage. I can’t wait to share how that goes as well. Until next time! And for fun, below is a screenshot of our final rehearsal:

Let’s Rehearse! The Finale.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I hope you’re all having a great week. For the past four weeks, I’ve been sharing my rehearsal process experiences for scenes I’m working on for my acting class at the Richard Lawson Studios. Keep reading below 🙂

In the finale, I wanted to quickly share the final 20 percent from the rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard Lawson to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something consists of research and gathering information. The second 40 percent of the time you have to work on something involves implementing and applying the research and information you gathered in the first 40 percent (aka getting it up on its feet.) The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Keep reading below 🙂

My first scene back as a returning student of the Richard Lawson Studios is going up on November 7th! It’s a scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, and I am now in my 20 percent. I’ve made my choices. I’ve worked out my blocking. I’ve worked out my wardrobe. I know what I will talk about during my assessment. I am not changing anything around. I’ve locked it in, and I will continue working within this 20 percent with the remaining rehearsal(s) we have and when we perform the scene on Tuesday. (And with the other scene I’m doing from “Yellowstone”, which goes up on November 30th, I will also be approaching the final 20 percent soon.) Keep reading below 🙂

I’ll let you all know how the scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2” went in next week’s blog entry!

Let’s Rehearse! Part 4.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I hope you’re all having a great week. For the past three weeks, I’ve been sharing my rehearsal process experiences for scenes I’m working on for my acting class. Keep reading below 🙂

In part 4, I wanted to share two videos from the rehearsal process. My scene partner (who lives in the U.K.) and I are working on a scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, and we are in the second 40% of the rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard Lawson to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something consists of research and gathering information. The second 40 percent of the time you have to work on something involves implementing and applying the research and information you gathered in the first 40 percent (aka getting it up on its feet.) The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Keep reading below 🙂

In the first video, you will see one of the many improvisations we did to explore the history of our relationship. In this take, we decided to improvise Axel solving his first case, and the more celebratory nature of that event. This was the first time I allowed myself to relax and be a little more chill around Axel…so that was a good discovery. In the previous improvisations, I was more strict and tough with Axel. See video below 🙂

In the second video, we implemented some things like behavior and subtext frome one take to the next. The second 40 percent of implementation involves trial and error and experimentation. It’s failing forward. We are implementing the things we gathered from the first 40 percent to start bringing these characters and this scene to life. See video below 🙂

Let’s Rehearse! Part 3.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I hope you’re all having a great week. For the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing my rehearsal process experiences for scenes I’m working on for my acting class. Keep reading below 🙂

In Part 3, I wanted to share my experiences of going through the second 40 percent of the rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard Lawson to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something consists of research and gathering information. The second 40 percent of the time you have to work on something involves implementing and applying the research and information you gathered in the first 40 percent (aka getting it up on its feet.) The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Keep reading below 🙂

It had been a while since I last rehearsed a scene in person, so this second 40 percent was like learning how to ride a bike again. Here are some highlights from “Yellowstone”. Rehearsing face to face, in person, was a wildly different experience. I had to deal with another person in the flesh, and the level of energy and impingement was higher. More visceral. There was no Zoom screen keeping us apart or keeping us safe. We did a rough walk through and I blanked out on my lines. “Oh yeah. I need to remember how to walk and talk again!” I found myself being uncomfortable with stillness and feeling like I needed to move. I found myself being uncomfortable with arbitrary movement and feeling like I needed to be still. I implemented different ways of sitting at the top of the scene to discover which position would put me into the belief and experience of my actual event and moment before (I haven’t nailed this sitting position yet.) Keep reading below 🙂

Back at my office, I watched one of our recorded Zoom rehearsals, and took notes of what I wanted to change from my performance. Funny, I record all my auditions to see if my work is translating on camera, but this was the first time I recorded rehearsals for scene work. Duh! Recording the rehearsals and watching them afterward was invaluable. I spotted a technical and performance thing that I wanted to change. In this second 40 percent, we also had a couple of rehearsals over Zoom where we identified one emotional throughline at a time and played it throughout the entire scene to see what we could discover. Keep reading below 🙂

For “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, we did a series of improvisations to carve out our relationship and to implement some ideas we wrote down from previous rehearsals. It was great to see how several of the questions we asked and the research we did together made their way into our improvisations. Through these improvisations, we saw how the history of our relationship evolved and progressed to the present-day scene we are doing. I also began implementing the beginning of my character’s wardrobe and his physical stance in the scene. We implemented our subtext in a few of our run throughs and also implemented ideas into certain sections of the scene. I also recorded these improvisations and watched them back to study my performances. Keep reading below 🙂

See you all next week where I will share an improvisation or two from “Beverly Hills Cop 2” and continue the journey through the second 40 percent.

Let’s Rehearse! Part 2.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! Last week, I mentioned being inspired by a series of rehearsal technique workshops at the Richard Lawson Studios and how I couldn’t wait to get into rehearsals for two scenes I’m working on for class. I also talked about utilizing the concept of 40/40/20 in my rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. Keep reading below 🙂

In Part 2, I continue going through the first 40 percent by sharing a few handwritten notes I took during my rehearsals! Think of it as a visual, inside look into my first 40 percent of the rehearsal process (notes aka the secret sauce I am using to create and make sense of what is going on before my scene partners and I get our scenes up on their feet.) As I mentioned last week, the first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to research, gathering information, asking questions, and writing things down for further investigation and research. And please know that for each question or note that I wrote down in one rehearsal, I came back with answers and ideas for the next one. My scene partners did the same with their own questions and notes. (Also, a shout out to my scene partners for inspiring some of these questions and notes you’ll see below.) Also, there may be SPOILERS if you haven’t seen “Yellowstone” or “Beverly Hills Cop 2”. See you all next week where I will share my experiences with the second 40 percent of the rehearsal process. Keep reading below 🙂

Some of my notes from the “Yellowstone” rehearsals:

Some of my notes from the “Beverly Hills Cop 2” rehearsals:

Let’s Rehearse! Part 1.

Chasing The George

Now that I have fulfilled the required acting exercises as a returning student of the Richard Lawson Studios Thursday scene study class, it’s time to put up some scenes! I remember Richard working with two students earlier this year on the rehearsal process. Over the course of several weeks, the class got insight on how to rehearse effectively. Inspired by this series of rehearsal workshops, I couldn’t wait to start rehearsing my scenes. Over the next few weeks, I will be blogging about my experiences with the rehearsal process. Keep reading below 🙂

It feels good to be rehearsing and acting again with my fellow actors. Whether it be via Zoom or in person, it’s great to be working out again as an actor. I’m currently rehearsing a scene from “Yellowstone” (as Jamie) and “Beverly Hills Cop 2” (as Inspector Todd). My scene partner for “Yellowstone” is located in Los Angeles and my scene partner for “Beverly Hills Cop 2” is located in the U.K.! The training continues no matter where you are in the world. Keep reading below 🙂

Utilizing the notes I took from the rehearsal workshops, I knew that I wanted to apply the concept of 40/40/20 with these two scenes. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. Whether it’s an audition that’s due in 48 hours or a script that you want to have completed by a certain date, 40/40/20 can be applied to help you utilize your time sanely and successfully. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to research and gathering information. The next 40 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to implementing and applying all of the research you’ve done. Get it up on its feet and work it out. The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Don’t change a thing during this last 20 percent. Keep reading below 🙂

The first 40 percent of these two scene rehearsals was about research. For me, that entailed reading the script out loud over and over again with my scene partner. That entailed stopping and asking questions as we read the scene. That entailed looking up words and other things within the script that would help us make sense of the scene. That entailed writing ideas down. That entailed reading the scene out loud again and again with nothing on it and then reading it again and again with a singular choice in mind. That entailed identifying the Abbott and Costello (aka the differences) between my character and the other character. That entailed filling out the character chart for these scenes and writing in my subtext, my emotional through lines, and my chapters…and then modifying those things several times as I discovered more about the event of the scene, my character, my relationship with the other character, etc. I took notes during each rehearsal and gave myself homework to advance myself before the next rehearsal. Keep reading below 🙂

I remember my scene partner in the U.K. and I looking at the cultural differences between an American and an English person and how that can work its way into the dynamics of our relationship in “Beverly Hills Cop 2”. We looked at race and how that also affects our relationship since he and I are both people of color within this police department. We also devoted an entire rehearsal to researching Detroit, its police department, rankings within the department, crime statistics, etc. Keep reading below 🙂

For “Yellowstone”, we explored the journey of Jamie and Beth’s relationship as brother and sister over the course of this series. We looked at how and why we fight. We looked at our upward mobility and white-collar professions versus those of our other siblings. We looked at the Abbott and Costello of our characters. We looked at the dynamic of race and how that has come into play in the past because I’m Latinx and my scene partner is white. If you haven’t seen “Yellowstone”, I won’t give away anything about Jamie, but it works in the reality of us playing siblings. Keep reading below 🙂

I also wanted to share that I always feel like I’m a terrible actor when I read a scene out loud for the first time with my scene partner LOL. I always think to myself, “Let’s get this first reading out of the way as quickly as possible.” Once I get past that first reading, I’m good to go! And soon, I’m like, “Actually, I’m a good actor.” Reading it out loud and putting nothing on it is the first order of the day for me when I start rehearsing any scene. In this way, I can hear what is going on and start getting a lay of the land. I can also hear what my acting partner is bringing and providing in real time. And I’m not trying to act anything in the first few rehearsals. I’m trying to figure things out. Keep reading below 🙂

See you next week where I will share some of my handwritten notes from my rehearsals and continue the journey through the first 40 percent. (I’ve also provided links below to the next four parts of the rehearsal process and journey for your convenience.)

Let’s Rehearse! Part 2. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/10/15/lets-rehearse-part-2/

Let’s Rehearse! Part 3. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/10/22/lets-rehearse-part-3/

Let’s Rehearse! Part 4. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/10/29/lets-rehearse-part-4/

Let’s Rehearse! The Finale. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/11/05/lets-rehearse-the-finale/

Why My Artistic Anniversary Was So Special!

Chasing The George

On August 26th, 2021, I celebrated 19 years of living in Los Angeles. And what made my anniversary so special, what made it a full circle moment, was that I shot a role on an Amazon Prime feature film that day!

19 years ago, I flew out to LA on a one-way flight from NYC, armed with one suitcase, my leather CD book, and a resolution to pursue my artistic dreams full-time. I had no job lined up. I had no apartment lined up. I had no car lined up. I just had my dreams that out-created what I temporarily lacked. When I landed in LAX, I got into a taxi and immediately quoted Madonna when she landed in NYC in 1977 and got into a taxi as well: “Take me to the center of everything.” Madonna’s taxi driver took her to Times Square and my taxi driver took me to Beverly Hills LOL. The rest, as they say, is history.

As I sat in my trailer on August 26th, 2021, I was filled with so much gratitude. Shooting a role on my 19th anniversary of living in LA was not lost on me. But beyond the role, I was filled with so much gratitude because I am still doing what I love to do. 19 years later and I am still actively involved as an artist. 19 years later and I am still going. 19 years later and I am still standing. And it’s such a testament to my raison d’être, my career bus that contains a community of persons, places, and things that keep me going. My community. My DOIN (Declaration of Independence aka business plan that we learn to create and build at the Richard Lawson Studios.) My DOIN is so important and I literally pulled it up two days before I booked this role to add and edit some things within it.

I am grateful to still be on this journey when a lot of people have stopped their own artistic journeys to pursue other endeavors (no judgement by the way!)

I am grateful that since I landed in LA 19 years ago, I have become a more causative, 360-degree artist. To know that 19 years later, I have weathered the highs and lows, the ups and downs. I mean, come on: The Covid-19 pandemic could have destroyed and obliterated me, but I found myself so creatively plugged in during 2020 by attending classes over Zoom, by working on my writing, by building my own rocking self-tape station and being able to film self-tape auditions, by submitting filmed monologues and scenes to various casting director open calls, by teaching classes over Zoom, by researching various industry topics, by attending artistic panels over Zoom, etc.

2021 has also been filled with artistic excitement. Some highlights:

**Self-tape auditions for TV series on Hulu, Netflix, Fox, HBO, ABC, etc.

**My feature film script placed as a semi-finalist in a big industry writing competition (Scriptapalooza) and it will be promoted to a network of 125 producers for one whole year.

**The same feature film script film script also placed in the top 15% of discoverable projects on Coverfly.

**I placed as a semi-finalist (in the top 6% of applicants) for a program with the Writers Guild Foundation.

**I’m waiting to hear back from other established industry writing competitions and programs.

**I revisited and rewrote a TV pilot script and I am now revisiting and rewriting another feature film script.

**Weekly career administration group meetings where we hold each other accountable to our artistic goals.

**Attending weekly classes.

**Writing meetings with the PDP 3.0 collective.

**I bought printer ink so that I can print up my sides (yes, even buying printer ink is a big win!)

**Relationship map building and outflow.

**In the 36 hours leading up to my film shoot, I had to complete two Covid tests, I had wardrobe fittings, I taught class, and I had to film two self-tape auditions for two different primetime TV series on ABC (one of which was due in six hours!)

So, as I sat in my trailer, the last 36 hours was not lost on me. 2021 was not lost on me. 2020 was not lost on me. My 19-year anniversary in LA was not lost on me.

Happy Anniversary!

Featured photo courtesy of: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/champagne-glasses-happy-anniversary-card/5051937310033.html

Why My Anniversary Was So Special!

Chasing The George

On August 26th, 2021, I celebrated 19 years of living in Los Angeles. And what made my anniversary so special, what made it a full circle moment, was that I shot a role on an Amazon Prime feature film that day!

19 years ago, I flew out to LA on a one-way flight from NYC, armed with one suitcase, my leather CD book, and a resolution to pursue my artistic dreams full-time. I had no job lined up. I had no apartment lined up. I had no car lined up. I just had my dreams that out-created what I temporarily lacked. When I landed in LAX, I got into a taxi and immediately quoted Madonna when she landed in NYC in 1977 and got into a taxi as well: “Take me to the center of everything.” Madonna’s taxi driver took her to Times Square and my taxi driver took me to Beverly Hills LOL. The rest, as they say, is history.

As I sat in my trailer on August 26th, 2021, I was filled with so much gratitude. Shooting a role on my 19th anniversary of living in LA was not lost on me. But beyond the role, I was filled with so much gratitude because I am still doing what I love to do. 19 years later and I am still actively involved as an artist. 19 years later and I am still going. 19 years later and I am still standing. And it’s such a testament to my raison d’être, my career bus that contains a community of persons, places, and things that keep me going. My community. My DOIN (Declaration of Independence aka business plan that we learn to create and build at the Richard Lawson Studios.) My DOIN is so important and I literally pulled it up two days before I booked this role to add and edit some things within it.

I am grateful to still be on this journey when a lot of people have stopped their own artistic journeys to pursue other endeavors (no judgement by the way!)

I am grateful that since I landed in LA 19 years ago, I have become a more causative, 360-degree artist. To know that 19 years later, I have weathered the highs and lows, the ups and downs. I mean, come on: The Covid-19 pandemic could have destroyed and obliterated me, but I found myself so creatively plugged in during 2020 by attending classes over Zoom, by working on my writing, by building my own rocking self-tape station and being able to film self-tape auditions, by submitting filmed monologues and scenes to various casting director open calls, by teaching classes over Zoom, by researching various industry topics, by attending artistic panels over Zoom, etc.

2021 has also been filled with artistic excitement. Some highlights:

**Self-tape auditions for TV series on Hulu, Netflix, Fox, HBO, ABC, etc.

**My feature film script placed as a semi-finalist in a big industry writing competition (Scriptapalooza) and it will be promoted to a network of 125 producers for one whole year.

**The same feature film script film script also placed in the top 15% of discoverable projects on Coverfly.

**I placed as a semi-finalist (in the top 6% of applicants) for a program with the Writers Guild Foundation.

**I’m waiting to hear back from other established industry writing competitions and programs.

**I revisited and rewrote a TV pilot script and I am now revisiting and rewriting another feature film script.

**Weekly career administration group meetings where we hold each other accountable to our artistic goals.

**Attending weekly classes.

**Writing meetings with the PDP 3.0 collective.

**I bought printer ink so that I can print up my sides (yes, even buying printer ink is a big win!)

**Relationship map building and outflow.

**In the 36 hours leading up to my film shoot, I had to complete two Covid tests, I had wardrobe fittings, I taught class, and I had to film two self-tape auditions for two different primetime TV series on ABC (one of which was due in six hours!)

So, as I sat in my trailer, the last 36 hours was not lost on me. 2021 was not lost on me. 2020 was not lost on me. My 19-year anniversary in LA was not lost on me.

Happy Anniversary!

Featured photo courtesy of: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/champagne-glasses-happy-anniversary-card/5051937310033.html

I. Am. Superman.

Chasing The George

Hello fellow actors, writers, producers, and other fabulous artists! You’ve heard me say this before and I’ll say it one more time: Superman is the reason why I wanted to become an actor. I too wanted to save the world and possess super powers!

Looking back at my life, I see how I have become my own version of Superman and how that has manifested itself in different ways: As an actor, a writer, a producer, a family member, a friend, a partner, a teacher, a student, a human rights and political activist, a HUMAN FUCKING BEING. I have truly demonstrated the qualities I see in Superman: strength, resolve, positive change, give, protection, and yes, fun times. Yes, fun times (Superman can have fun too!)

Being Superman is part of my raison d’être. It’s what keeps me going in my career because in everything that I do, “the world will see that Superman can also be brown and queer because I AM THAT.” Always have. Always will. It’s always been there and I’m utilizing it. I remember being told at a young age that I could never be Superman because I have brown skin. And I made a commitment to myself to become my own Superman. To not limit myself.

Superman can exist in all forms, and throughout my artistic journey, I keep affirming to myself that I am Superman. And hopefully, others around the world will be inspired to become their own Superman (or Batman or Wonder Woman or Spider Man or whatever you want!) Don’t limit yourself!

So who is your own personal superhero that inspires you? Which superhero are you, if any?

Thanks for reading!

Fun fact: I decorate my daily planner (no pun intended with The Daily Planet!) with Superman stickers! It helps to reaffirm my artistic administration.

***Clip of Superman is property of D.C. Comics and I pulled the video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0D7ovW5_nM

How To Respond To Your Friends’ Successes

Chasing The George

HELLO! HELLO! HELLO! (as RuPaul says!)

It’s so nice to be back. I hope everyone is thriving both personally and professionally. I have been missing in action because I have been focused on both the acting and writing sides of my career from self-tape auditions for co-star and series regular roles to submitting my writing content to various competitions and writing programs to just being fabulous 🙂 I am grateful that I was able to stay connected and grounded with everything that occurred in 2020.

I hope to continue blogging on a more consistent basis so that I can include all of you on the journey I’m on to have the career I want, while also sharing the lessons and advice I am learning along the way.

The major catalyst that brought me out of blog hibernation was a friend and colleague of mine who I had the pleasure of talking to over the phone recently. A powerhouse of a person and artist, we caught up and by the end of our conversation, she asked, “What happened to your blog?” She proceeded to tell me that my blog was a way for her to stay connected and in the loop.

And so here we are. Do it now! And because we both had a synchronistic week that helped us to reconnect, I knew what I wanted this blog entry to be about. You see, before we called each other and caught up, I had been wanting to write a blog entry about how to respond or react when your friends are winning and succeeding. So, here is my take, my advice, on that. Because the way I responded over the phone when hearing my friend’s successes is a way you should respond as well.

When your friends are winning, be happy for them! Celebrate with them! Cheer them on! Because what goes around, comes around. If I react with a sense of jealousy or resentment, then I’m just putting out a negative energy that A) They feel and B) The universe feels. And I’ve just cut myself off from any abundant, wonderful inflow that can come back my way.

Be happy for your friends! Today it’s them. Tomorrow it’s you. We are coming up together. They are not better than me. I am not better than them. We are in this together. And so when my friend shared her wins, I was truly enthusiastic and proud of her.

I remember attending an alumni panel in LA. The panel was made up of industry types from actors to TV executive producers. I saw some friends of mine in the audience and this was the first time we had seen each other since graduation. Afterwards, we caught up during the reception portion of the event and we got to the famous question, “So, what have you been up to? What have you been working on?” When it was my turn to share, I did so with enthusiasm, excitement, and a real sense of wanting to share. When I was done sharing my recent wins and successes, there was a silence in the air before they said, “Well. What have you been working on?” and they proceeded to the next person. I didn’t receive any acknowledgement. They were filled with jealousy, envy, and resentment. As if I had done something wrong. It feels shitty when you feel people resenting you for the hard work you’ve done. Needless to say, I kicked them off of my career bus with the quickness.

If you’re struck with jealousy, ask yourself why. There are plenty of opportunities out there. There are plenty of jobs out there. There are plenty of doors that can open. There are a myriad of ways to create for yourself and get yourself noticed. Stay the course. It takes work. A sustained effort. Keep track of your journey so that you know where you started, where you are now, and where you are headed next.

So when your friends are winning, respond like Queen Meryl Streep below:

Featured image courtesy of cottonbro at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-toasting-wine-glasses-3171837/