Since the end of PDP‘s last regular acting classes, we’ve had a lot of people asking when Nikki would be teaching again.  And while it may be a cliché to say their interest was overwhelming, we really were overwhelmed to find out how much those classes really meant to people.  So we looked for the kind of “limited-engagement events” I’d mentioned in that post.

The first of those events came in the summer, as Nikki led a summer acting camp at The Rose Theatre Company.  And parents and kids alike responded really well to Movie Magic.  So when the opportunity for another workshop… well, arose, it made great sense to return to the theater.The idea behind this one-day workshop – which Nikki called Act Fast! – is fairly simple, and well grounded in her experience as an actor.  Change comes quickly in the entertainment industry, and (thanks in large part to technology and social media) the casting process moves at an ever greater pace.  The result is that actors only have a few moments – sometimes even seconds – to make an impression on talent buyers (filmmakers, casting directors, agents, etc.).  Ergo, Act Fast!, designed to help actors learn how to make that impression a good one.

The workshop came together with a fitting speed, and so it was yesterday that we met at the theater to put Nikki’s latest class of actors through their paces.  Since we wanted to duplicate the audition experience as exactly as possible, I was there to check the students in, accept their headshots and résumés, and make sure they properly filled out their forms.

We had a nice turnout, a good mix of both newcomers and alumni.  They were a talented and enthusiastic bunch, and responded well to the audition “exercise,” and to the scenes they were given to perform.  We had a great time working with them all.

As I’m writing this, it strikes me that I’m not that far removed from the younger students in the class.  It wasn’t so long ago that I was working my first audition (for Dream Healing).  I knew so little then, and having a part in making this class happen is a reminder of how much I’ve learned, and from the best possible teacher.

Thank you, Nikki.

And thanks to our students, to Jessie and Chris at the Rose, and to all of you for following along and supporting us.  We’ll be posting info on any future workshops as they’re announced, so watch this space (and especially watch this space) for the details.

Until the next return engagement, “be seeing you…”