Actorcast

For the season three finale of Actorcast, we are joined by entrepreneur, producer, writer, and Sundance award-winning actress, Emily Grace! Emily is teaching actors how to create opportunities for themselves through writing and creating their own work, which is a topic that I am very passionate about! We discuss how writing your own work can create opportunities for you as an actor, some of the difficulties actors struggle with that can be solved through writing, and how writing helps us grow as artists.

To learn more about Emily and to register for her free workshop, please visit https://writeyourdreamrole.com

Emily Grace is an entrepreneur, producer, writer, and Sundance award-winning actress. Through her company, Pickford West, she helps actors write their dream role so they can stop waiting for the industry to pick them and put themselves on the map. Inspired by the pioneering actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Mary Pickford and Mae West, Emily helps actors create success on their own terms.

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In episode 059, we talk about the importance of listening as an actor. We often focus on the lines we need to recite without realizing that listening to what is happening and reacting realistically is just as important. Some of the most powerful performances come from listening and it's often the listening that makes for more interesting acting rather than speaking.

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For episode 058 of Actorcast, we are joined by Andrea Osvart! Andrea has had a successful career as an actress and now she is imparting her wisdom to fellow actors as a coach. In this episode, we talk about Andrea's career as an actress, why actors get in their own way, and what actors should prioritize. We also discuss our relationship to social media as actors. You won't want to miss this one!

To learn more about Andrea and her work, please visit https://andreaosvart.coach or book a call at https://andreaosvart.coach/book-in-a-call/.

Andrea Osvart is a multi-award-winning European actress, with nearly 25 years in the industry and over 50 credits starring opposite movie stars like Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Heath Ledger, Clive Owen, and J.K. Simmons. Andrea's mission is to educate actors about long-term success and career longevity through her method.

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For episode 057 of Actorcast, I am joined by actor, singer, and producer, Brennan Srisirikul! Brennan is truly an inspiration and I enjoyed my conversation with him immensely. Brennan is paving the way for disabled performers in the entertainment industry. In our discussion, we talk about how Brennan became a performer, how disability breeds creativity, and the struggles that exist for disabled performers in entertainment. We also discuss Disabled Down Center, the concert and training center that Brennan started alongside past Actorcast guest, Danielle Demchick Pretsfelder, and which is providing immense opportunities for disabled performers.

To learn more about Brennan and his work, please visit https://www.disableddowncenter.com

BRENNAN SRISIRIKUL (He/Him, Creator, Producer) – Born in Bangkok, Thailand, and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth, Brennan is a singer, actor, producer and speaker  He is proudly disabled. Favorite stage credits include: Pillowman, Breaking the Code and Titanic, the Musical. Film/TV: Yuna's Lunch. Music videos: "Sticks and Stones" (Atlantic Theatre Company). Brennan has also performed his solo show In My Own Little Corner around the East Coast.  He produced several short films as well. Brennan received his B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre from Rhode Island College. Brennan is the creator and producer of Disabled Down Center, an annual benefit and training program of Disabled performers and allies.

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In episode 056 of Actorcast, we talk about the age old dilemma of technique versus instinct. As actors, how much should we rely on technique, analysis, and psychology versus instinct, presence, and being in the moment? I'm confident that these two perspectives can work in harmony with one another and it's all a matter of when in the process to focus on each.

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In episode 055, we are joined by none other than Austin Pendleton. Austin is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the wide world of acting. Having trained with him myself, I was excited to share his perspective on the show. We talk about what initially fueled his excitement about acting, some of the strongest skills that successful actors have, and what were some of the biggest takeaways that Austin learned from his acting teachers.

Austin Pendleton is a playwright, actor, director, teacher, and a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1987. He received critical acclaim in 1964 for his performance as Motel in the original Broadway cast of “Fiddler on the Roof.” He appeared in “The Last Sweet Days of Isaac” (for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance and an Obie Award), “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Goodtime Charley,” and “Up from Paradise” as well as many other plays. In August 2006, Pendleton played the Chaplain in Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children” with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in the Public Theater production. As a director, Pendleton has worked extensively on and off-Broadway. His direction of Elizabeth Taylor and Maureen Stapleton in Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” garnered him a Tony Award nomination. In 2007, Austin Pendleton received a Special Award for his contributions to American theater at the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards.

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For episode 054 of Actorcast, we are joined by Danielle Pretfelder Demchick, a talented casting director who is doing some amazing work in advocacy for inclusivity in the entertainment industry! I very much enjoyed my conversation with Danielle, and I don't have any doubts that you will learn A LOT in this episode. We chat about Danielle's career in casting, her time at Nickelodeon, and her role in the various advocacy work she does for performers with disabilities. We also discuss the best ways for actors to building professional relationships with casting directors.

You can check learn more about Danielle by visiting https://www.dpdcasting.com and @dpdcasting.

Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, CSA (she/her/hers) has been an active member of the New York casting community since 2004. Nickelodeon was her casting home for over 14 years, where she tapped into her love of developing young talent. From live action and animation, scripted and unscripted, long form and short form, and even podcasts, she has and loves to cast it all! Some highlights from her Nickelodeon years include The Astronauts, The Barbarian and the Troll, Blue’s Clues, You, Bubble Guppies, Dora the Explorer, Drama Club, Wallykazam, and Welcome to the Wayne.   Since her departure from Nickelodeon to open her own casting office in April 2022 The co-VP of Advocacy for the Casting Society of America, her work elevating underrepresented communities has been barrier breaking.  A leader in the organizations Equity in Entertainment committee, she serves on the board of both the Casting Society of America and Casting Society Cares, where her focus is on Training & Education. She serves as a faculty advisor for RespectAbility and she is on the Actor’s Fund’s Looking Ahead Advisory Board.

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In this solo episode of Actorcast, we talk about why it is so important to know why you are an actor. We talk about why we need to find an interior reason to pursue this craft rather than relying on external validation. So long as we have a reason, we can persevere.

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I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking with Kathleen in episode 052 of Actorcast! This is a wonderful episode for all of you aspiring actors out there. Kathleen discusses why she became an actress, the struggles and hurdles she had to overcome to get to where she is today, and how actors can create sustainable careers. She also shares stories from her time on sets like The First Lady and Billons.

Be sure to follow Kathleen on Instagram @thisiskathleengarrett.

Kathleen Garrett is an actress, voice-over talent, writer, audition and voice-over coach. She is a recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award, The Drama Critics Circle Award, Garland Award, LA Weekly Award, Robbie Award, and Ovation Nomination. She is one of the few actors to be awarded the international Clio Award and The Women’s League of Advertising Award (Lulu Award) for Best Performance in a commercial. She won a SAG AWARD for her work in THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7; and she is in not one but two of the hottest shows of 2022: recurring in Netflix’s smash, record breaking hit, INVENTING ANNA as Sasha Thomas, and in the star-studded Showtime hit, THE FIRST LADY as Laura Bush opposite Viola Davis.

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Whenever I get the opportunity to chat with Anne Bogart, I feel like my mind explodes as I develop some new insights into the vast world of theatre. This is why she was an amazing guest to have for our season 3 opener. Anne and I discuss her latest book The Art of Resonance and what inspired her to create this book after writing so many others. Anne shares her definition of resonance, we talk ethos, pathos, and logos, and we also talk about some of the most effective ways to connect with an audience.

To learn more about Anne and her work, and to purchase The Art of Resonance, please visit https://siti.org and https://www.amazon.com/Art-Resonance-Theatre-Makers/dp/1350155896/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15F789I5TH314&keywords=The+art+of+resonance&qid=1657309386&sprefix=the+art+of+resonance%2Caps%2C63&sr=8-1

Anne Bogart is a Co-Artistic Director of the ensemble-based SITI Company, head of the MFA Directing program at Columbia University, and author of six books: "The Art of Resonance," “A Director Prepares,” “The Viewpoints Book,” “And Then You Act,” “Conversations With Anne” and “What’s the Story.” With SITI, Bogart has directed more than 30 works in venues around the world, including “The Bacchae,” “Chess Match No. 5,” “Steel Hammer,” “The Theater Is a Blank Page,” “Persians,” “A Rite,” “Café Variations,” “Radio Macbeth,” “American Document,” “bobrauschenbergamerica” and “Hotel Cassiopeia.” Recent opera works include Handel’s “Alcina,” Dvorak’s “Dimitrij,” Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars,” Verdi’s “Macbeth,” Bellini’s “Norma” and Bizet’s “Carmen.” Her many awards and fellowships include three honorary doctorates (Cornish School of the Arts, Bard College and Skidmore College), A Duke Artist Fellowship, A United States Artists Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rockefeller/Bellagio Fellowship and a Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency Fellowship.

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