Don't Be So Dramatic!!

We talk with Raymond Corrado Knutsen who is currently studying at The Actors Studio in New York (#welljel). He tells us his story and what it’s like training at such an incredible place.

We talk about last week’s talk with Sir Derek Jacobi - referring to crying and taking the audience on a journey. We remember the late Roger Llyod-Pack and a brilliant scene in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. We go through some simple camera techniques that we picked up by watching Michael Caine and Robert De Niro’s “doing nothing”.

This week we bring you an inspiring live talk with Sir Derek Jacobi. Listen as Sir Derek discusses how it all started: working in the Birmingham Rep, with Sir Lawrence Olivier at the beginning of the National Theatre and how luck played it’s part throughout his career. Hear the highs, the lows and and everything in between.

We talk with Frank Barrie, a hugely successful actor who's acted with Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Derek Jacobi. Hear his extraordinary story of becoming an actor and how receiving tragic news sparked off events leading to a record-breaking worldwide tour.

We talk with Claire Evans who was an Agent before moving onto Producing after having a family. We hear what it was like being an agent and the reality of being a Producer. Find out about producing on the Fringe and what it's like taking a show to Edinburgh Fringe. Recorded live at the Union Theatre, Southwark.

Despite us saying in the show it's episode 16, it is in face episode 15. We reflect on the guests that we've had on in the last 5 weeks and discuss whether as actors, we need to have a business mind knowing about marketing and selling. Sometimes when there's less funding and our backs are against the wall, our best work is created.

Listen to the third "Off the Record" talk at the Actors Centre with Paul Clayton. Hear how the careers of Clive Swift and Bruce Alexander began and how they set up the Actors Centre with Sir Ian McKellen being first in the queue!

We talk with Mary Hammond, a very successful singing and vocal coach who’s worked with artists’ across all genres including Chris Martin, Matt Bellamy & Lily Allen. We discuss the fear of singing for some actors and how to get around this. We also talk about the Estill technique and how it shouldn’t be so separate from all other techniques.

We talk with Paul Cawley, an actor and careers adviser for Equity. Paul offers up some career tips and advice for actors including headshots, CVs and passing the "9am Test". We discuss the do's and don'ts of auditioning for commercials.

In this episode we talk with Brigid Panet, an actress, teacher and on the audition panel at RADA. Being in the same drama group as Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave, Brigid tells us her experiences of drama school, working on live TV and reveals some secrets of the audition panel. Brigid runs a “Learning Lines with Confidence” workshop at the Actors Centre and has written her own book "Essential Acting" available on Amazon.