Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Actors Walk to Fight Alzheimer's

Actor Nancy Daly has organized a national team for the Alzheimer's Association's 2011 Walk to End Alzheimer's. Her team, "We Take Care of Our Own—Actors United to End Alzheimer's," will participate in walks in several cities across the country between now and Nov. 5, and is receiving support from Actors' Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Screen Actors Guild.

"My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's two days before Thanksgiving in 2009," Daly said. "I founded the national team, 'We Take Care of Our Own—Actors United to End Alzheimer's,' so that actors across the country could join together to support all of their fellow members who are living with Alzheimer's. It is too late for me to have more time with my mom—she doesn't know me anymore. But maybe this work will bring guidance, support and comfort to other actors and they might be able to have one more month of awareness with their own mom or dad while they still remember their name."

SAG Foundation & Actors Equity Association Announce Joint Conversations on Broadway Event with Million Dollar Quartet!

Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Actors Equity Association have teamed up to present a joint Conversations on Broadway Event with smash-hit Musical Million Dollar Quartet! Union members are invited to this complimentary evening of theatre followed by an exclusive union member only Q&A with the current cast.

When:  Monday, October 10th

Time:  8 PM Show 

Location:
New World Stages 
Stage 4
340 West 50th Street (Between 8th & 9th Avenues)
New York City

Actors to Read for Bellevue Children's Program

Actors and members of the New York community will give back to tonight in honor of Bellevue Hospital’s 15th anniversary of its Reach Out and Read program. From 6:30 to 10 p.m. tonight, noted actors such as Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson will read specially selected children’s stories to an adult audience to raise funds for the program, which promotes parents reading aloud to children. The event will also include an include hors d’oeuvres and wine reception. Tickets range from at $250 to $500.

--Madasyn Czebiniak

Highlights from the 2011 Artios Awards in NYC

The Casting Society of America's Artios Awards, which are presented every year to recognize outstanding achievement in casting, are always an opportunity for actors and casting directors to share their love for each other in a more casual setting than the audition room. This year's awards were presented last night to casting directors at dual ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.

Megan Larche, who began her career at Binder Casting and is now Associate Producer for Fox Theatricals as well as an independent casting director, became a NY board member for CSA less than a year ago. She was recruited to help organize this year's awards show, which was held at District 36 in New York City.

"We all decided we wanted to hip it up a little bit, make it a little sexier," Larche said. "We want to make it more of an industry party, and less about it just being the awards show."

Larche also stressed the importance of events like the Artios Awards, as well as other ongoing initiatives, to create a unified community of CSA casting directors who will communicate and share their experiences in order to learn from each other.

"None of us want it to feel like it's a club you can't be a part of," she said of CSA. "We want it to be a community that you want to be a member of. If you're a good casting director, or associate or assistant out there working, and you're doing good work, we want to know you."

At the Artios Awards with 'Billy Elliot' Casting Director Nora Brennan

Last night at the Artios Awards in New York City, Back Stage caught up with casting director Nora Brennan, who casts children for the Broadway and national tour companies of Billy Elliot the Musical.

"It's very exciting," Brennan said of the annual event. "It's an opportunity for all the casting directors and agents to get together when they're not working, and recognize the best work going on in theater, and film, and television. I think it's a lot of fun, and it's thrilling."

The Artios Awards are presented each year to CSA members for outstanding achievement in casting in theater, film, and television, based on the criteria of originality, creativity, and contribution of casting to the overall quality of a project. In addition to the awards ceremony, the Casting Society of America strives to create a community and promote unity and cooperation among its members throughout the year.

"I know they do a lot of social things together," Brennan said. "CSA has a bowling league, and softball, and those kinds of things, which are great. And I know they're trying to promote a mentorship, which is fantastic. Really, the only way you can learn this is if someone teaches you."

LifeRaft Event Notice--Turning Social Networking Into Branded Social Marketing with The Savvy Actor!

The Screen Actors Guild Foundation invites New York City union members to LifeRaft seminar "Turning Social Networking Into Branded Social Marketing" with The Savvy Actor.

Joel Grey Discusses New Exhibit With Jon Robin Baitz

 Joel Grey is more than an Oscar, Tony, and Golden Globe- winning performer. He is a New York icon, and he has captured the character of the city itself through his work. In MetroFocus, writer and producer Jon Robin Baitz described Grey as “at his core, a very close observer,” and his latest exhibit proves that. “Joel Grey/ A New York Life” is on display at the Museum of the City of New York through August 7.

 The exhibit is essentially a timeline, depicting New York through Grey’s eyes using objects from his stage career and his own photography. “There is a kind of New Yorker who could not live comfortable anywhere else. This applies to Mr. Grey without any doubt,” Baitz wrote in MetroFocus, prefacing his live interview with Grey.

Watch the full episode. See more Metrofocus.

 

QSAC's 'Got Talent 2,' Calling for Performers

Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC) is seeking participants for "Got Talent 2," a talent competition to benefit autism. All types of performers – including singers, dancers, musicians, magicians, and more – are encouraged to apply.

Video submissions are currently being accepted online. Submission deadline: Oct. 31, 2011. A committee of industry professionals will review the videos and select artists to perform in front of a live audience in NYC. Performances will take place Oct. 11, Oct. 25, and Nov. 8, with a grand finale on Nov. 29.

To find out more, including how to submit, check out the full casting notice on BackStage.com at http://tinyurl.com/GotTalent2.

The grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 entertainment prize package, including $1,000 cash. This is QSAC's second annual "Got Talent" competition.

LifeRaft Event Notice - Comedy Writing Workshop with The Peoples Improv Theater!

The Screen Actors Guild Foundation invites New York City union members to a two-hour Comedy Writing Workshop with The Peoples Improv Theater.

When:  Saturday, August 13th

Time:  12:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: 
The Peoples Improv Theater
123 East 24th Street
(Between Park & Lexington)
New York City
http://thepit-nyc.com

Interested in writing for comedy?  Want to have your work seen by a larger audience?  Need to pitch a script to industry professionals?  Learn from the best at the Peoples Improv Theater!  This two hour seminar will cover the basics of comedy writing, from structure and discipline to gathering and pitching ideas, to exploring ways to get your work seen today. Folks from the PIT’s Professional Writing Program have gone on to write for The Daily Show, SNL, MTV and more. Bring a paper and pen and get ready to dive in!

Panel Includes: Ethan T. Berlin & Joe Schiappa

This event will be moderated by Chris Aurilio, Director of Classes at The PIT

Independent Film Week Needs Volunteers

Independent Film Week, the three-decade- old film forum that serves as a platform for emerging artists, is seeking volunteers. The Lincoln Center event will include panels, workshops, and seminars, and is set to run from September 18-22.