Creative Actors Lab

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Max is flying solo in this episode as he talks about doing something he's always wanted to do - voice-over work.  He'll take you through his journey and even cold read a few scripts from Edge Studio, which specializes in voice-overs and has a library of over 6,500 free voice-over commercial scripts, narration, and animation. It's a great place to practice your voice-over skills.  Here's the link to the Edge Studio script library so you can try it out for yourself. 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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This week, Kelley and Max interview their student, Brandon Winget and talk about the acting and writing process. Brandon recently played Keith the Ghost on When a Bell Rings as well as also doing work with Brett Newton of LA Reels for a short film as well. We also put Brandon in the Hot seat and ask him probing question like his favorite sandwich, favorite action movie and we learn more about the love of his life, his wife, Jessie who he met in high school. 

Join us as we learn more about Brandon and how rewarding being a creative coach can be. 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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Kelley is flying solo this week and talks about how to make a resolution to allow yourself to be more creative and not block ideas that might some when you're working on another project. It's those creative detours that can often produce amazing results because you didn't plan them.  We're also looking at having guests on to discuss their creative process and how they get to where they're going. 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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A ghost hunter whose life seems to be in decline learns what the world would be like without him with the help of a fallen angel and a ghost on a fateful Christmas Eve.  

We have a wonderful cast of voice actors, including: 
Mezi Mulugeta as Em 
Dean Atkinson as Jack Bronson
Brandon Winget as Keith the Ghost 
Shiyla Gantt as Jack's Mom, Angela
Justin Deen as Jack's Father, Ted Bronson
Chiron Broderick as Dave
Liz Ireland as Jack's Grandmother, Nana
Tammi Latela as Mrs. Albury
Jaylee Thomas as Frank Jenkins
Carlos Tovar as Chris, the Bartender, and Larry Dane
Amber Grimm as Bruce Dane
Danielle Grimm as Teen Jack
Max Grimm as the Demon and Man
Kelley Cody-Grimm, as the Nurse and Hostess

Join us as Jack Bronson gets some divine intervention from Em, an angel who needs to help Jack so she can get back into the good graces of her "boss" with the help of Keith, the ghost.  It's a heartwarming episode with some spicy language, so it's PG-13. 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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This week's special guest is Queen Evi who talks about a wide range of subjects from first loves, how to govern, and favorite sandwiches.  She talks about her kingdom and how to teach her daughters how to stand in their power. 

It's also a good way to explore any characters by asking them questions and then answering as that character. The questions include: 

• Who was your first love?
• Favorite foods as a child. 
• What do you regret? 
• How would you like to be remembered? 

It helps you deep dive into your character and having some fun at the same time. 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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Max and Kelley discuss a long-lost performance piece Max wrote over twenty-five years ago when we first moved to Atlanta.  The piece examines our inner voice and how important it is to give grace to ourselves even if things are not going as well as we hoped.  He found it recently and wanted to perform it for our podcast audience for the first time.

We also talked about our history of doing radio theater, including for a public radio station, WLRN  in Miami, where we performed on the Pandamonium Midnight Uprising in the early 1990s.  Kelley also talks about other podcasts that are outgrowths of radio theater, including Sarah Wayne Callies' production of Aftershock, a fast-paced thriller about a massive earthquake that destroys the West Coast, causing a mysterious island to rise up from the Pacific and how creating it as a traditional show would be expensive. Still, as a podcast, you let the listeners use their imagination. We also talk about our ventures into doing a production of Sophia's Carol as a podcast dramedy holiday production.  

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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In this episode, Max and Kelley discuss the importance of having consent from your acting partner before doing a romantic scene or a fight sequence. Too often actors might feel pushed into doing something that they are not comfortable in doing. If you don't  have the experience to see if something doesn't pass the smell test, it can be daunting and you can be told you're not being a team player or helping the project.
Max takes a few examples on his own career as caustionary tells. We discuss the importance of advocating for yourself. 

We do discuss how actors can unfortunately get caught up in being coerced into doing pornography when they think they're working on a legitmate project. Max also talks about the nonprofit Fight the New Drug which tries to confront the porn industry and the effect it has on both the people who have left the industry and those who watch the harmful videos. 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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Join Max and Kelley as they explore different interpretations of a monologue from the catalog of The Screenwriter's Grimm. Max offers to coach Kelley on different interpretations of Hey There, Neighbor, in which Detective Angela Johnson confronts her neighbor Kurt, who has been abusing his wife and family. She convinces the wife, Gail, to leave with the children to a safe house and is there to tell Kurt that his family has left him and is safe from his violence. 

We explore how many interpretations there might be with this piece and what might drive the detective to take this family under her wing. Kelley also shares why she wrote this monologue and her own experience with an abusive boyfriend in college, as well as observing telltale signs of abusive relationships with celebrities and neighbors.

We also discuss the show Found on NBC, which has a protagonist who investigates missing people the press doesn't cover and how she was once kidnapped herself. She abducted her kidnapper and now has him chained in her basement and uses him to help her solve cases. 

Thanks again for listing, and have a  wonderful Thanksgiving!

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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Join Max and Kelley as we coach on a Shakespearean Sonnet 116 entitled Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds.  Max is launching a series of The Bard's work on TikTok and would like to work on some sonnets. We look at the poem from different vantage points: as a sermon, a proposal, with different emotions, and from the POV of a wolf. This sonnet was the favorite of acting legend Laurence Olivier. 

For an actor, it's essential to understand Shakespeare even if you don't plan to perform it. Breaking down the language and universal truths is vital for an actor.  Here is a link to Brian Cox coaching a toddler on Hamlet's To Be or Not To Be soliloquy.

We also discuss Shakespearian comedies and the Public Theater, founded by Broadway legend Joseph Papp, whom Kelley had the honor of reading for when she attended Florida State University and was a visiting artist. She also saw Peter MacNicoll rehearse for Hamlet for the Public Theater.  We also discuss the comedies of Shakespeare and how accessible they are to modern audiences.  Here's a link if you'd like to see a 1978 documentary of The Taming of the Shrew with movie legends Meryl Streep and Raul Julia produced by the Public Theater.

If you'd like to download a copy of the Sonnets, here's a link to The Folger Shakespeare Library. You can also download the plays for free as well. 

Thanks, everyone, and remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get creative 

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!

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Join Max and Kelley as we discuss more ghost experiences with Paranormal Investigator and fellow actor Dean Atkinson.  They first met Dean while doing coaching for Acting Out Studios (now 541 Productions) and learned about his fascination with ghosts and otherworldly experiences.  Dean talks about how his wife has been so supportive and even purchased some of his paranormal equipment. We also discussed a few of his acting jobs and working with Nightshift Paranormal Events.  We discuss scary ghost experiences, life, death, power outages, and what makes a good sandwich.

If you want to learn more about Dean, here is his Instagram handle and Facebook page.  For more on Nightshift Paranormal, this is their Facebook page and Instagram. They hold public events and educational seminars on the paranormal. 

Thanks, and stay creative!

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our Instagram page, @creative_actors_lab, Facebook page, @CreativeActorsLab, Linked-In - Creative Actors Lab, and YouTube Channel -  @CreativeActorsLab . If you would like to support our work - this is our Patreon Page.  Thanks so much for listening!