February 17, 2013 was HPAG's 15th Workshop!
INTROS
In the circle, I had everyone say three fascinating things about themselves. One of the actors had taken an energy vitamin and it was making him sweat profusely. We had a special guest visitor to the workshop who was an ER DOCTOR from New York City. He was so cute and his energy was wonderful. Too bad he's not an actor! Glad he's saving life in NYC however. And one of the new members was wearing this cool scarf that she and her mom make and sell. So much talent!
SPECIAL THANKS TO JAMES MACLEOD: For bringing his wonderful camera to the workshop and taking the fantastic photos that are included in this blog. Thank you James! You rock!
WARM UP
First we took three deep breaths and with each breath I called out a phrase for them to ponder while breathing deep. First was "I am Love". "I am Light". "I am Peace."
After a quick stretch and Head Roll, we did slow motion running in place and then we got faster and faster. We followed that with slow motion Swimming, faster and faster.
Then we did this really cool exercise where we run in a circle and when I yell "Together!" We'd all grab hands and come together in the middle of the circle with our hands up in the middle. Then we'd go back to the circle and run in the opposite direction until I'd call out "together" and we'd do it again. Three times of that lovely exercise. It's a feel good energy creator!
VOCAL WARM UP
We did some face stretching and scrunching followed by a big vocal YAWN! Then we did some
Ahhhhhh, ooooooo, eeeeeeeee....starting deep and then going higher and higher.
AFFIRMATIONS
I had everyone repeat these affirmations:
"I am a great Actor".
"I will never give up on my dream".
"I believe in my talent".
ACTING EXERCISES
(Sense Memory)
I made everyone act out that they were really COLD on stage.
Then I switched it to that they were all in a SAND STORM.
Finally I had them act like it was really super HOT on stage.
(Special Walking)
I had the guys line up to watch the girls. I went first and had all the ladies, one at a time, walk across the stage as SEXY as they could. Some where not so comfortable with that.
Then I had the girls line up to watch the guys and I had the guys walk across the stage with their best SWAGGER. That was hilarious. Then I had the guys walk across like they were really GAY.
Again, super funny!
IMPROVISATIONS
"Bus Stop" starring Azra Isakovic and Rachel Quinn. The bus is late and Azra has to get to her doctors appointment. Rachael is totally chill on her way to yoga class. Azra says that she was on the Cruise Ship from Hell that was floating around for 5 days with no food and bathrooms and she's tired of 'waiting' for things (buses, food, bathrooms, etc.) Rachael tries to convince her that she needs to chill out and do yoga and that she'll feel so much better if she does. The bus never did come, but the girls got along splendidly.
"The Dating Game" (1 man, 3 ladies) starring James MacLeod as the bachelor and his three lovely contestants (who all have secrets) were
Kelly Mullis, who is a total rich Daddy's girl but still a Virgin. Then we had
Sabina Shah who was the perfect woman, but already married (she just wants to get on a reality show really bad) and then we had
Kerry Liu who is a sex Maniac, but also a Hit Woman. It was pretty funny.
"The Dating Game" (1 lady, 3 men) starring Kerry Liu as the bachelorette. The male contestants were
Dennis Hodapp who seems like the perfect guy but he still lives at home with his mom and he doesn't have a job or a car. Then we had
Jehangir Pirzadaj (the doctor) who was playing a super rich man due to his computer software company who is actually really cheap and doesn't want to spend any of his money. And finally we had
James MacLeod who is a total womanizer, but who is actually gay. Kerry had a good time grilling these guys. Dennis was hilarious as the broke looser. James kept hitting on Jahangir and those two made more of a love connection than Kerry did with any of the guys. It was really funny. They all did great!!
COLD READINGS
"The List" starring Dennis Hodapp, Azra Isakovic, James MacLeod and Jehangir Pirzadaj. Dennis was off book on this one which made for a very interesting and entertaining character to watch. He played a Priest and when Azra let's him know that she's got some dirt on him, he panics and that was fun to watch. Jehangir and James both did great in their roles. Azra was a little dangerous vixen and she played the role wonderfully.
"Betrayal" starring Kerry Liu and Sabina Shah. Kerry played a mother in this scene. Sabina was wonderful as the bitter friend who likes to party and has bad relations with men. Kerry thought the scene was sad. It was sad. The actress were supposed to play the other characters. Kerry was supposed to play the party girl and Sabina the mom. I didn't catch it until it was too late. It would have been a whole different scene. Mmmmm.
"Franklin and Bash" starring Rachel Quinn, Dennis Hodapp, James MacLeod, and Jehangir Pirzadaj. Rachel plays an assistant to a man, Jehangir, who helps people live out their last wishes. Dennis played the lawyer who questions Rachel's character about if she was in love with her boss. And would she do anything to protect him as they scam old people out of their remaining fortunes. Rachel did a great job playing the innocent assistant. Dennis was fabulous as the grilling lawyer. Jehangir was terrific as the non-assuming boss.
"Assistance" starring Azra Isakovic and Sabina Shah. Azra and Sabina play good friends in this super cute scene that they were off book on. They trusted that they knew the dialogue and they worked well off each other and it was adorable. Good job girls.
"CSI:NY" starring Sabina Shah and Dennis Hodapp. Sabina plays the wife who is being question by Dennis to get info about her husband who was found dead. Sabina did a great job of not giving away any clues as to her guilt. She seemed utterly surprised to find her hubby dead on the floor. Dennis was wonderful in questioning her about their relationship.
"CSI:NY" starring Kerry Liu and James MacLeod. The scene was a long one, so I gave it to two other actors to get a different take. Kerry played the role perfectly as the 'non-guilty' wife. James says that it's strange to think that she would be with such a large man. Kerry said that all the women would look at him and be jealous of her. Then she noticed that he was in contact with this other woman and she was sure he was having an affair. Well, that was not the case and the results were that she was guilty of murder from a mistake that she herself made in assuming the worst. Great work you two!
"Murder in Manhatten" starring Rachel Quinn, Kerry Liu, and Jehangir Pirzadaj. Rachel plays the daughter to Kerry's character and they are talking about the murder of a friend. Rachel tries to convince her mother that when people die, it's not always murder. Kerry played it so fabulously that I felt like I was watching Madeline Stow in "Revenge" as she perched herself on the edge of the table and spoke in a very rich woman way. Rachel was adorable as the daughter! Great casting. Jehangir plays the love interest to Rachel and as they chat, the attraction is obvious and at the end, they end up making out in the scene. Super fun and cute.
"Nashville" starring Kelly Mullis and James MacLeod. Kelly played Brandy, the young country singer on Nashville who has hired Ozzy played by James to take care of her mother and make sure she doesn't drink again. Kelly is tortured by the past of a time when her mother wasn't such a good mom. Kelly wants to forgive her mom and hopes that James can help her with that goal. James was wonderful in the role and Kelly, me, felt very connected to the material and everyone seemed to like the work. That was fun to play! :)
"Southland" starring Rachel Quinn, Dennis Hodapp and Jehangir Pirzadaj. Rachel plays Lydia, the detective with fellow detective Ruben, played by Dennis as they investigate a murder. A witness comes forth to help them. This witness is a rich stranger who bought the victim a pair of expensive shoes and asks them what will become of the dead man now. They convince him to claim the man and help in the price of the cremation. Rachel and Dennis were great as the detectives. Jehangir played the role of the kind samaritan wonderfully well!
"The Glades" starring Azra Isakovic and Dennis Hodapp. Azra is being questioned by an obnoxious detective who is scarfing down BBQ. Azra plays a vegetarian who is answering questions about her step dad who she hates. The scene went well, but for some reason the actors didn't go into the next scene and I didn't get to see enough. They were just beginning to get into character when the scene came to an abrupt halt. I'd like to see that scene again actually. But it showed promise.
"Hawaii Five-O" starring Dennis Hodapp, Kerry Liu, James MacLeod, & Jehangir Pirzadaj. Dennis plays McGarrett in this scene, Kerry Lui plays Kono, a fellow detective. James plays Danny and they are all trying to figure out what happened to Jehangir brother who is missing and a boat that was found adrift in the ocean. Everyone did great in this scene. My favorite was Jehangir as the 'could be guilty' of seeking revenge on his own brother's murder. He was kind of snide to the detectives and it really worked for the character. James was mean right back to him. I loved the scene.
"The Middle" starring Kerry Liu and Jehangir Pirzadaj. This scene was so cute. Kerry plays a woman on a job interview to work at a dentist office. She's kind of an awkward spazz but, so is the adorable dentist that she wants to work with. She's does a sales pitch on herself and it's so endearingly adorable, he can't help but hire her! Kerry rocked this scene and so did Jehangir, as he brought the perfect energy to the character! Great work!
"Jerry Maguire" starring Sabina Shah and James MacLeod. Sabina and James were pretty much off book on this scene. It was great. Sabina plays his ex fiance who thinks that she and James might have a chance together. James who plays Jerry Maguire tells her that it's over. The energy was good in his scene. The back and forth banter was good. I would have liked it to be a bit more clean cut. I'd like for them to work on this scene and get it perfect!!
"Veteran's Wife" starring Azra Isakovic, Rachel Quinn, and Kelly Mullis. Azra plays the wife of veteran who was suffering from PTSD and seeing a therapist, Kelly, for his disorder and she prescribed him with so much medicine that he ended up stopping taking them and he went off the deep end and killed himself. Azra was very emotional in this scene and it was beautiful to see. Rachel was the perfect supportive friend. I played my role in a very 'professional' manner, except for the part where I take a swig of vodka from my flask because I 'don't do well at funerals'. It was a sad scene.
"Southland" starring Kerry Liu, Dennis Hodapp, and James MacLeod. Kerry Liu killed the role of Maureen the Hooker who is having a retirement party! I specifically chose this scene for her to do because of the great dialogue. I knew that Kerry could do it justice and she did. I recorded it and she rocked it! She loved doing the part. She said she wished she could always play that character. She was funny and endearing. Dennis played a small role in the scene but he was good. James was an extra! LOL! The scene rocked! Great work Kerry!
Original Monologue written and performed by James MacLeod. James wrote this monologue that he performed! It was wonderful. He plays a cop whose partner gets killed and he is guilt ridden. He turns in his badge and his gun due to the dishonor that he feels. I was super impressed! James seriously needs to be on a TV show as a regular character as a police man or detective. He's perfect for that!
That concludes another wonderful workshop of the Hollywood Players Actor's Group!
Next Sunday is the OSCAR Awards....but we are still having the workshop, so if you'd like to get on the list for this coming
Sunday, Feb. 24th 3-6 PM at the Complex...please send me an email, text or call 323.428.3739.
Thanks for reading and we'll see you on the STAGE!!!
Best,
Kelly Mullis, Artistic Director
Hollywood Players Actor's Group!
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"Basic Instinct" starring Kelly Mullis and Dennis Hodapp. Kelly, me, played the Sharon Stone character. I've also wanted to play that character. I just did her really straight and serious with very confident and flirty undertones. Dennis did really well in the Michael Douglas role. We have decided to memorize this scene for next Sunday. I think it'll go really great once we get off book. :) Can't wait. 
