Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage

$100? Really? : Celebrities [Sometimes Totally] Suck

I shouldn't be blogging about this, and I will (for the moment) retain complete confidentiality to protect the individual in question.  But I've recently become part of a situation I find -- in equal parts -- absurd and hilarious all at the same time.  If roughly $11,000 wasn't on the line... it would certainly be a touch more top-heavy on the latter.

I run two webdesign companies -- one caters to the "struggling" actor, the other to the successful corporate conglomeration, product, or celebrity.  It's obvious which one pays the [very high] overhead I have, maintaining a loft in Venice, CA and a space in New York.

And while I've been doing webdesign professionally for over nine years, sometimes the whole "young female / struggling actress" thing comes into play.  

"Celebrity Status" : Italia, Chapter Four.

Day One on the MSC Poesia.

A humongous mistake has been made.

Okay... perhaps not a humongous mistake, but more like a humorously, deliciously, slightly off-base one.

The MSC Poesia staff thinks that my partner and I are celebrities.  

When we opened out cabin door on the 8th floor of the ship (8th floor?  Seemed a little lofty when we checked in, but whatever) we were greeted by a mini-suite, a hand-written letter by the entertainment captain, and a window.  A WINDOW!  There was even a chair in the first room.  A flipping chair.  That's big news for what was supposed to be (or what I assumed) a rather small cabin.

"Dear Ashley and Paolo... we are thrilled to have two celebrities on our ship..."

I quirked a brow.  "What did you tell them?"

Nothing but our credits.  Funny the way things are received internationally.  Now!  Time to explore...

-- Amused, Ashley Avis

The "Unity" Ball.

For any dancers out there... I figured i'd mention I'm going to be part of an interesting non-for-profit event occurring November 13th at the Bohemian National Hall (73rd Street).  Guest of honor is Dancing with the Stars' Edyta Sliwinska -- a very expensive 'individual' to have attend, which I think is silly considering all profits of the event go to helping blind children -- but who am I to scoff at paying someone 10K to simply walk into a room -- the even is going to be utterly spectacular with no corners missed.  Wine, food, dancing... what could be better?  Plus a few surprise network series regulars, too.

http://www.unityball.info/

-- 10K, really Edyta? Ashley Avis

Hello From New York!

I think I can officially call myself bi-coastal. Last week I was searching carmax for cars and today I am reading plays for my industry showcase in New York. It’s all so funny how things work. Here’s what went down before I left.

I needed to take a leave of absences with my internship and job. The agents at my internship were very happy for me and said they’d see me  when I returned. My job didn’t take it so well at first. My trip went from being 2 weeks long to 5 weeks long in the matter of a day. I don’t think he liked that, at all.

When Reading Gets Dangerous

We opened The Mystery Plays this week, and it's been so great having an audience with this play. The show is a roller-coaster, but I think it leaves the audience with some positive messages, and I'm glad to be a part of it.

But there's a temptation that comes with the opening of shows that I am not yet strong enough to fight: the desire to read reviews.

An Actor Prepares

    The one thing I've always struggled with as a professional actor(which is what I like to call myself) is how much to prepare and how to prepare. This is especially true for film work. I just shot a short this past friday with some college friends. It was a zombie short - but somewhat ambiguous as to whether there were really zombies. The character I played experienced a head injury that ends up impairing his sight and hearing, so it's unclear what is real and what he thinks is real.

    My buddy pitched the film to me a few weeks ago as something they'd been batting around for a while. "That sounds like something you'd really need the actor to carry for you, the film wouldn't work without them." Then I convinced him that I was the one who could do it. He didn't need much convincing, he likes me, we've known each other for a while, and have a really good working relationship.

    

The Best Laid Plans

Things are slowly, slowly coming together for my impending move. Submissions have been sent, phone calls made, the glimmers of meetings shining on the horizon. My apartment is getting packed together and as of Saturday, I will begin my nomadic tenure in Chicago.

Auditions! Auditions! Callbacks! Callbacks!

Holy cow, I don't remember the last time that I had so many auditions and callbacks in one week!  Lots of commercial opportunities and even a TV audition too.  And what's even more odd, is that I'm not obsessing about them and they're going well!  I'm relaxed and focused, but I'm also having fun.  I'm not getting all of the lines "right," but I'm making stronger relationship choices and it seems to be working.   

I lost my 11th avail in a row last week (As Ann Hu might say, "Susan Lucci'd again!") and I had to turn down an opportunity to perform in a show at the Disney Concert Hall because it was non-union (a good story tho for another blog).  And while there were no tears shed, I do think it kicked my competitive nature into high gear and perhaps reminded my agents that I was somebody they should send out again with a little more vigor and imagination--I even had a "pretty girl" audition this week!

A quick story about a callback I didn't think I was going to get but did:

Hello, Italia... Shoot for Juan Carlos : Chapter 3

Early morning mist, galavanting over a cityscape cooled by dawn.  Enter Venice, Italy... and a $&#@-load of  [more] jetlag.

5 o'clock in the morning was never so utterly fruitful.

Thanks to having the internal clock entirely ransacked, I awoke this morning at an absurd hour and managed to throw on a (crushed by international travel) ballgown, swipe on some red lipstick and a dash of eyeliner, and frolic groggily out into the sun-laced fog of Venezia to do a photoshoot for ethereal dress-designer Juan Carlos pre-teach-a-bunch-of-old-people-the-Cha-Cha transatlantic cruise.  Yay for traveling with an amazing photographer.

If curious, check out the images that resulted:  

 

Free Breakfast!!

What's one of the best thing about living in hotels?  Free breakfast!! I want it, and I'm gonna try to get it at every city I can. 

With every new city, I get a sheet from the company manager explaining the different hotels and what they offer.  We review the information and then we can pick what hotel we want to stay in.  The first things I look for are a gym...and free breakfast!  In my mind free breakfast extends into meals way past breakfast time.  I always grab extra apples and yogurt and bread for later.  Why not let free breakfast extend into free lunch or free snacks before the show??