#studentsoftheater

[amyjeppesen-blog]

I had two audition and on camera workshops with Matt Newton during my time at NTI, and I can say without a doubt that he is one of the major influences for my acting today. He's smart, honest, and straight-forward. He'll change your life, if you let him. The 7 C's To Auditioning is on the Backstage website, as well as many other posts by Matt. They are really helpful!

[amyjeppesen-blog]

Some more really great rehearsal music. I highly suggest listening to some of their other stuff as well. We used this song as an improve piece during my work at Complicite. It has some really great mood and tempo changes to play with. Don't be afraid to put something on and see what happens.

[amyjeppesen-blog]

Check Yourself At The Door

I am a tense human being. For some odd reason or other (possibly dealing with my personality and being raised on a farm with nine other siblings) I seem to take the whole world on as my own personal problems to deal with. Which, mind you, is not the right thing to do at all. A very good thing to learn as an artist, and as a human in general, is to become aware yourself. Know how you are doing in life throughout any process, and to acknowledge when you are not in a good mindset to deal with the things around you. If you're having a stressful day, or something in your life is not going well, it is your artistic duty to your peers around you to acknowledge where you are, find out what you need, and get what you need figured out so that you can focus on the work. You can't just leave everything at the door. It's a good philosophy, but most people cannot compartmentalize their lives to do that all the time. Know yourself well enough to know when you need to step out of that rehearsal room for a few minutes just to clear your head. If you see that need, go do it. It does nobody any good to just keep ramming the same walls over and over and over. If you need to talk it out with someone, find that someone. No one will judge you or criticize you or be offended by you if you are aware of your personal being. Basically: Be aware of what energy you are putting into a room. Also, along this same line, be aware of your people. Know how the room is feeling. If things are tense or feeling dead, stop. There is no good reason for work to continue if nothing is getting done in that work. If it requires a 30 minute or hour chat, or maybe a break to get a solid hour of work in, I promise that that will benefit you more in the long run. If your whole team is on your side during the process, everyone will be ten times more willing to give extra time to a project when they feel like their voices are being heard. As my singing coach, Anne Tofflemier, always says, "Always focus on the work and not on yourself."

[amyjeppesen-blog]

Amy's Must Reads

The Chairs Are Where The People Go - Misha Glouberman

Mythology - Edith Hamilton

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat - Oliver Sacks

The Weir - Connor McPhearson

Miss Julie - Strindberg

Tribes - Nina Raine

Thugs - Adam Bock

The Proposal - Chekov

Tis Pity She’s a Whore - John Ford

The Tamer Tamed - John Fletcher

Middletown - Will Eno

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s what I’ve got for now.