Eight participates where there, 5 of them were from another workshop that I'm with called "We Make Movies" (wemakemovies.org).
After intros, everyone got on stage for a little stretching and relaxations exercise. We then did an improv game called "THE BALL" where we threw an imaginary ball around the circle of actors.
Then a vocal warm up of Me, May, Ma, Mo, Moo! Starting low and then getting as high as possible.
Vocal warm up was followed by positive affirmations for actors! We know how insecure we actors can get. Affirmations are VIP!
Then we did a 30 Second Dance Party! I got that from a recent episode of "Grey's Anatomy". It's a great warm up! :) Everyone liked that!
We did some Sandy Meisner Repetition exercises. Two at a time on stage. Very fun. Good one to get people to listen to each other and respond truthfully.
IMPROVISATION TIME!
I have a book of situation set ups with conflicting characters. I carefully choice and cast each improv per the actors who were to play them and they rocked these improvisations.
First up, we had Eric Altman and Jim McCaffree. Eric was a client who was seeing a therapist because of a reoccurring dream about falling off a cliff. Jim, the therapist, tries to convince Eric that it's because he's guilty of something. Eric retains that he is not guilty...until he realizes that he actually is guilty. Eric committed fully to the character. Jim was a wonderful therapist who took copious amounts of invisible notes. So funny! :)
Next was Patrick Duncan and new actress, Kachiri Irizarry, did an hilarious improv where they are trapped on an elevator and Patrick is calm, cool, and collected and has faith that help will arrive soon and Kachiri plays a freaked out girl who cannot be reasoned with. At one point she starts to disrobe (only her sweater) and she also jumps on Patrick's back. Oh my! You never know what might happen. It was quite hilarious. Finally the elevator begins to move again and Kachiri runs away with a quick goodbye.
Carl Rolle, plays a police chief who meets with his detective, Bivas, to tell him he's out of time on this case that the detective has been working on for 6 months. There was some serious yelling and conviction during this improv. Bivas objective was to get one more week to solve the murder case. After some back and forth, the police chief finally relents and Bivas gets his week. It was intense to say the least. Just like something you'd see on a police show on TV!
Jeff McGrail played a lawyer to Eric Altman's client character who is being accused of murder. Jeff wants his client to take a plea bargin which would give Eric's character 2 years in prison. Eric insists that he's innocent and will not take the plea deal. Once again Eric was intense and emotional. Jeff McGrail was very convincing as a lawyer. Maybe because he is a lawyer in real life!Lastly, Nikki Nemzer and I did a cute improvisation where its the morning after a hot date that Nikki was on and Kelly, my character, really really badly wants to know what happened on the date! Nikki isn't one to kiss and tell, driving my character over the brink. I say, "Well, you showered when you got home, so I know what that means." She still won't tell me anything. Then I got on to explain that all I ever do is read "50 Shades of Grey" and that I'm living vicariously through her, that she just has to tell me something that happened! Nikki says that's gross! Then tries to teach me dating tips by using our water bottles. Finally Nikki tells me that the guy dumped her! What an unexpected twist!
MEN!!!
SCENE WORK:
I handed out the sides to all the actors that I had carefully selected for each actor that I knew was coming to the workshop.
First cold reading of the night was "OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY". Jim McCaffree plays a hard boiled lawyer, with a pension for donuts, who negotiates with another lawyer, played by Nikki Nemzer. What a legal team these two would make with their jabs and lawyer lingo talk. Their timing with the fast paced dialogue was spot on. Nikki was sassy and confident. Jim was funny, authoritative, and a cut throat negotiator! They finally settle or don't they! Just when you think they might, they don't. But they stay friends just the same. Good stuff you two."AMERICAN BUFFALO" played by Eric Altman and Bivas Biswas. They play two guys who are about to commit a robbery. Eric's character, Don, gets nervous when he sees that Bivas's, Teach, has a gun. He's very uncomfortable and worried. Bivas is cool and stoic in the role of Teach. You hang on to each word. The tension builds between the two characters. Then the cops are seen on the street below. I didn't want the scene to end. It was great!
"LEAVING LAS VEGAS" starred Patrick Duncan, as Ben, an alcoholic who is literally trying to kill himself by drinking himself to death and Kelly Mullis, me, who plays Sera, a hooker with a heart of gold who falls for Ben and wants to take care of him.
It's an unlikely romance between to people living on the fringes of life. They have found some peace and solace in each other's company.
Patrick really connected with the material and played this broken man who'd given up on life. I played Sera as vulnerable as I could with conviction that I wanted Ben to be my man and I would accept him as he was. No questions asked. "You can never ask me to quit drinking" says Ben, "Do you understand?
"I do, I really do!" Ben agrees to move his things into my apartment so that I can take care of him and my character is so happy.
"OWL & THE PUSSYCAT" starring Carl Rolle & Kachiri Irizarry. Carl Rolle plays a play bird watching playwrite or is he a peeping Tom? Kachiri plays the Hooker who lives next door who got evicted because Carl's character tells the manager about her job. Kachari comes over and Carl tries to get her to go to sleep. She's a neoratic, winy, pain in the rearend. Carl patiently coddles her and barely tolerates her crazy behavior. Very endearing chemisty between these two. 
"PRIVATE PRACTICE" starring Nikki Nemzer and Bivas Biswas. Bivas works at a bookstore where Nikki frequents. Some flirting ensues. The chemistry is palpable. The scene continues when Nikki returns to the bookstore with only one remaining request and it's a good one...let me tell you! Let's just say, these two should work together on a film one day!
"LAS VEGAS" starring Jeff McGrail, Kelly Mullis, Patrick Duncan and Eric Altman playing out a scene in which a gambler is caught cheating. Patrick Duncan played the Jack character who is played by Dennis Quaid on the show. I played the Mia character. Eric played the cheating man who gets busted. It was a wonderful ensemble piece. I'd cast all of us in those roles if I could. "OCEANS ELEVEN" starring Jeff McGrail and Kachari Irizarry playing Danny and Tess. Danny returns to Las Vegas and meets with Tess, an art dealer, to give her one more chance to take him back because he's moving on with his life. He's just been released from prison and he needs an answer now. Tess knows that he hasn't changed a bit and she's not going to take him back. Kachari played Tess very well, with just the right amount of attitude. Jeff was funny and charming as Danny with just the right amount of confidence and arrogance.
If you'd like to check out the Hollywood Players Actor's Group, please send me an email to:
kellyart@pacbell.net or find me on facebook and message me there!
See you on the Stage!
Best,
Kelly Mullis, Artistic Director of HPAG.
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