HPAG Workshop #5 off the CHARTS!! Talent filled!

November 25, 2012 

The 5th Hollywood Players Actor's Group Workshop! 

Mission Statement by me, Kelly Mullis, started off the workshop.  I talked about my career as an actress and how it is so very important to create your own projects in this business. To not sit by and wait for the phone to ring. You must constantly feed your creativity or you'll get down in the dumps!
NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR CAREER MORE THAN YOU DO!! Therefore, it's completely up to you to make it happen! No one else is going to make you do what you need to do! You must get your head shots taken, get on Actor's Access and LA Casting, do workshops, submit to short films and webseries or even better write your own and make them happen. There are actual people looking on youtube and funnyordie for talent all the time!  If you do something good...people in high places will notice!  So go for it!

After I spoke briefly, each person got up and did a 2 minute intro of themselves. This is such a cool thing about the workshop! I just love hearing what people have done in their careers and where they are.  Everyone is different.  Some are just starting out, some have been at it for a while. I love the passion and the love of acting that comes out from these actors. They all have dreams and they are going for it! That's amazing.

STRETCH AND VOCAL WARM UP
We all stretched and did big yawns to stretch out our faces and our voices.
After we did 3 AHHHHHHHHHs! in a row.
Then we did some Me May Ma Mo Mooooo's! Starting low and going high!  So fun!

WARM UP EXERCISES
I had everyone pair up into two's and had them box or do karate in Slow Motion. It was so entertaining from where I was standing! There were 9 of us including me, I was the odd man out, so I didn't get to box.  That's okay.

After that I had everyone line up in two lines and we did the MIRROR Exercise. First, one side was the mirror and the other was the person in the mirror, then I switched it!  Good one!

Then we did the ALPHABET Letter Throw Game. We stood in a circle and threw the letters of the alphabet at each other. We skipped some letters here and there, so we kept having to start over. Good game of focus and listening.

AFFIRMATIONS!
Affirmations are important for every actor because we can be so hard on ourselves sometimes. We need to remind ourselves that we are unique, talented and beautiful just the way we are. Tell yourselves that often!  OK!?

IMPROVISATIONS
I have a book full of improv scenerios which I cast carefully with people that I know are coming to the workshop.

#1 Improv:  Toni Christopher & J. Michael Hudson.
Toni played a palm reader, with a bad attitude, who J. Michael comes to see. He wants her to tell him his future. Toni wasn't very welcoming at first because he interrupted her Karmic Meditation Session with herself. She finally lets him in for $50 and makes him sit down. She starts reading his palm and pretty quickly realizes that he has a very short life line and doesn't have much time to live. In fact, she gets so freaked out that she puts the plant on lap to hide from him and tells him he only has 3 days to live! She says  "Go out into the world and live life to the fullest!" It was so funny. Toni and J. Michael were awesome in that improv.

#2 Improv: Carl Rolle & Maya Massar

Carl played an airline pilot.  Maya played a crazy highjacker! She busts into the cockpit where Carl and J. Michael (co-pilot) are flying the plane and demands that J.Michael leave the cockpit. She then produces a gun from her waistline and precedes to yell and scream that the pilot turn the plane around and head to South America. She is beside herself with intense hysteria. We don't really know why, but she definitely needs to get to South America. She ends up on the floor, pulling his leg, then back on her feet with the gun in his face. It was kind of funny to watch. I couldn't help but chuckle! Poor Carl, he did the best he could, but in the end, the plane did crash and many lives were lost. Great work you two, way to commit!

#3 Improv: Kelly Mullis & Ashley McGee

I played a woman who has been called in by the bank manager to find out if I'm getting a house loan. I come in very excited about this adorable little house I've found and how I'm going to fix it up, etc. I've filled out all the paper work and everything is in order. Ashley, the bank Manager, looks up my social security number on his computer and my file comes up and it says that I'm not approved! I am so miffed and confused.  We try to get to the bottom of why my credit is so bad. I blame it on a gym that I was a member of that I had a contract with and stopped paying for because they moved. I pout, I flirt, until eventually Ashley gives in to my wishes and approves me anyway! What a guy! I hug him and leave with my new loan.  :)

#4 Improv: Elan O'Connor & Lisa- Mari.

This was one of my favorites of the workshop! So hilarious! Lisa-Marie plays a manicurist at a nail salon and Elan is an old customer who is super excited to hear about the latest gossip.  Lisa-Marie is this adorable blond actress, but she decided to do an Asian Accent for the character! She even did the walk and gestures like an Asian Manicurist. Lisa-Marie's character has to inform Elan that one of the clients at the salon is having an affair with a married man, but that she is sleeping with that woman's husband.  The woman is in the nail salon and they keep turning towards her and smiling and saying hi to the woman! It was so funny. Elan just can't believe her ears. The girls worked off each other perfectly. It was so entertaining. Awesome work girls!

#5 Improv: Kareema & Maya Massar

Maya plays a sympathetic woman who's friend has been accused on a crime. She defends this friend and Kareema is the non sympathetic person who continues to say that that person is guilty and all the bad things that person has done. 








THE COLD READINGS of SCENES

"Eli Stone" starring Maya Massar & Ashley McGee

Maya plays a woman who is looking to hire Ashley, a charming lawyer, to help her with her custody battle with her ex husband.  Ashley played Eli Stone very wonderfully. He was sympathetic to her needs.  Although at first he was reluctant to help her with her case because he didn't feel she could win.  Maya was a very fragile woman as the mother of a young son. You could feel her desperation and sadness.  They did great!

"DAMAGES" starring Elan O'Connor & Carl Rolle
Elan and Carl both play lawyers negotiating a settlement for the case they are working on. Elan was sassy and strong, Carl was a bit on the A--hole side himself.  They worked great off each other. The scene was very back and forth with the sharp dialogue. I thought it was fantastic.  

"OFFICER KILLED" starring J. Michael Hudson & Toni Christopher

This was a very intense scene.  Toni played a wife who's husband had been killed by a landmine that he stepped on. J. Michael was a fellow soldier who was supposed to protect Toni's husband in war. J. Michael explains that he tried to diffuse the bomb.  Toni asked how long he'd been standing on it. J. Michael said one hour. Toni said "He knew he was going to die! Why was he there?! Why did you send him there!?" Toni's face was red with anguish over her loss. J. Michael was stoic. I would like to have had him raise is voice a bit in the role and explode back at Toni with as much passion of their mutual loss as she did.  But otherwise, it was a wonderful scene by them both.

"CHILD CUSTODY" starring Kelly Mullis & Lisa- Marie Gilvery
I played a Social Worker for the City and Lisa-Marie plays a young, single mother who comes to see me and ask when she can get her son back.  I explain to her that the judge gave her a month to get her affairs in order, to get a job, and a place to live and to maintain those things and prove that she can be responsible enough to raise her kid on her own. Lisa-Marie's character is acting a bit twitchy and I ask her if she's on something! Drugs? She denies it and says that she hates all the rule that society puts on people.  I tell her that I will have to report her drug use.  She's leaves in a huff and I have no other choice than to tell my boss about her drug use.  Sad scene. Lisa-Marie did great!  I really believed that she was on something and that her heart was broken and full of desperation.  My character was just mean and not very sympathetic. Well, only slightly caring. 

"PRIVATE PRACTICE" starring Toni Christopher, Ashley McGee & Elan O'Connor
I loved this scene! Toni Christopher plays an actress who fell on stage during a performance and split her head open.  She is getting stitched up by Ashley, who plays a doctor. He inquires about other roles that he may have seen her in.  She's is so adorable and perky. Elan plays another doctor that Ashley has paged for a consult. She comes in and examine Toni's head and asks questions. A moment later, Toni goes into a complete seizure. At first she's sitting on the examination table, the next she's on the floor! Toni Christopher commits like no one I've ever seen. I was really impressed. The actors were a bit freaked out, because I don't they expected that to happen.  Next scene, Toni is fine. She's back on the table being told that she's good as new and her MRI Scans are clean and she thanks the doctors for their help and rushes off to her acting class across town!  Wow! Great scene guys!  Ashley and Elan were great doctors!

"COVERT AFFAIRS" starring J. Michael Hudson and Carl Rolle

J. Michael plays a guy named Auggie who is hooked up to a lie detector machine to find out if he leaked some important secret information.  Carl plays the interrogator.  Carl was crisp and professional with his dialogue. He was very direct and suffers no fools.  J. Michael played the character close to the cuff, with a bit of an edge. I loved the dialogue timing between the two of them. I did wish that J. Michael would have raised his voice more and gotten a bit more irritated with Carl's questions and accusations.  J. Michael admitted that he was second guessing himself about being too big in the scene. But scenes sometimes need "BIG" actions. It makes the scene come to life. It was a good scene though.

"BLUE BLOODS" starring Elan O'Connor, Ashley McGee, and Lisa-Marie.
This scene was very interesting indeed.  Elan plays a woman who's fiance has been murdered after he returned from Afghanistan. He was a hero of sorts in his home town. Ashley is questioning her about her fiance.  Elan explains that he was addicted to pills to get through the mental and physical pain of being in war. Ashley asks about a James Phelps. Elan says that he was her fiance's best friend. Ashley says he was wearing his dog tags when he was killed. Elan asks Ashley if he's been to war. He confirms that he had and understands what Elan's fiance went through. Elan asks Ashley if he'll find out who killed her fiance and he promises that he will with conviction. Lisa-Marie only had one line, but was very present in the scene making Elan feel comforted and understood. It's important to be a good listener in scenes.  Ashley did great as well...I just wish he would have had more conviction with the promise to find the killer, to make Elan believe him. But otherwise, Ashley did great. Elan was beautiful with her emotions. She even had tears in her eyes when talking about her fiance. She really committed to the material.  I really loved this scene!  Great work you guys.

"COVERT AFFAIRS" starring Kelly Mullis & Carl Rolle 
Kelly plays an advocate who has just been on TV talking about more transparency from the CIA and I mention the Director of Clandestine Services by name. Later I meet with the director played by Carl and he's none to happy with me for outing him on TV. He accuses me of trying to push him out of the door.  He says if that happens that there will be someone just as equally bad or worse to replace him.  I scoff at his shallow threats and I am not rattled by his empty promises. Carl is always good at playing those kind of hard characters who are supposed to be intimidating. I am attempting to play strong and smart characters more often myself.  Felt like a good scene.

"BOSS MONA" starring J. Michael Hudson & Maya Massar
J. Michael plays a co-worker of Maya who is playing Boss Mona.
J. Michael is found by Mona sitting at her desk and looking at her email. She is not very happy to see him there at her desk. She goes into bitch over-drive and they have a little office spat.
J. Michael was much more animated in this scene. He was dry and sarcastic. Two co-workers butting heads.  It was a heated scene. Maya was pretty mean.  I liked it! Good job J. Michael! You listened to us and came out of your shell! Good job.

"LEAVING LAS VEGAS" starring Carl Rolle & Kareema
This is a repeat of the scene I did with Patrick a few weeks ago. It was quite a different version. Carl played his drunk character very sweetly and comically. A happy drunk.  Kareema is a brand new actress and was very inside herself during the performance. In time, she'll gain confidence and not be so stuck on the page. I said that I would have liked to have seen her a bit more flirty with him and overjoyed that he decides to stay with her in her apartment instead of a hotel.  But she did well, for someone who has probably never acted before.  Carl was very comfortable in his role.

And that concludes the 5th Workshop of the "HOLLYWOOD PLAYERS ACTOR'S GROUP"!
If you'd like to participate in next week's workshop, just send me a message on Facebook or
call: 323.428.3739 to reserve a spot!!!

SEE YOU ON THE STAGE!!
Kelly Mullis, Artistic Director of HPAG

 We like to do these crazy and then serious group shots! By the end of these workshop we are all so happy and bonded. It's awesome! I love it! Come check it out!

Hollywood Players Actor's Workshop #4....Amazingly Creative!

On November 18, 2012 was the 4th HPAG Workshop and once again it proved to be full of wonderful surprises and unexpected brilliant moments of great talent!

INTRODUCTIONS
I always do my Mission Statement at the beginning of the workshop introducing myself and what I've done in my acting career and why I created the HPAG workshop for actors, writers and directors!

Afterwards, everyone gets up and talks a bit about themselves.  I do this so that we can get to know each other. It's always awkward acting with a complete stranger, so this cuts through that uncomfortableness. I strive to create a friendly, supportive, unpretentious environment so that actors will feel safe to be themselves and take chances with their improvisations and characters when they cold read.  Plus, you never know what actors will bring to the table when they talk about what they are doing and how they are trying to make contacts or get an agent.

Ashley McGee told us that he read something somewhere that if you have a director that you admire his or her work, that it's always a good idea to send them a personalized letter stating what exactly you liked about their work and what movie you're referring to.  However, careful not to mention that you're an actor or that you're trying to get work from them! But just a complimentary, personalized note along with your headshot and resume. It can't hurt and sometimes it will get you called in for an audition for their next project! Who doesn't like Kudos on their work! So remember that kids! I thought it was a great idea! Thanks Ashley!

WARM UP EXERCISES
 We started with everyone on stage in a wide circle and I had the actors run in slow motion, then after a few moments, we sped it up, then we really went faster and faster running in place.  Then we all swam in slow motion, stretching, reaching, then we went faster and faster till we were swimming really fast away from invisible sharks in the waters!

Next we did another "30 SECOND DANCE PARTY"!!!! A real crowd favorite.

AFFIRMATIONS
 I had the group repeat positive affirmations after me.  They repeated them all full of conviction and a warm feeling came over the room! ;) 

VOCAL WARM UPS
 I had the actors who were still in a circle start off their vocal warm ups by taking a big deep breath and then blowing a SHHHHH sound out until they were out of breath. We did this 3 times. Some people can really sshhhhhh for a long time. Impressive!

Then we did a big Yawn Sound for as long as we could! Three times with that one as well.
Lastly, we did SOFTBALL THROW winding back with a Yee and then releasing with a YAAHHHH! It was really fabulous!

IMPROVISATION TIME
While everyone was still in the circle, I started the improvisation after explaining that everyone would have to go into the middle of the circle and sing a song that they knew, but when they started to forget the words or run out of breath, someone had to replace them.  I started with "You're the One That I Want" from Grease. Some people just aren't singers and they stuck with easy songs like "Happy Birthday" and "O' MacDonald Had a Farm". LOL! It was funny.

The next improv game we did was called the "DATING GAME".  This was hilarious!
First we chose our lady and our three gentlemen who would be the bachelors. I sent the lady, which was Gloria Gruber, outside so that she wouldn't hear the 'endowments' or 'personality traits' that the audience gave to the three bachelors.

The personality traits were that James McLeod was an alcoholic, Ashley Mc Gee was a male chauvinist, and Jim McCaffree was 'the perfect man'.

Gloria was allowed back into the theatre and we started the improv. She asked several questions of each man and they played their characters perfectly!  It was really funny.  Gloria ended up choosing 'the perfect man' although she said it would never work because he was 'too nice'. LOL! Isn't that always the case. Great improvisation guys!

Then it was the ladies turn.  Ashley McGee was our single guy looking for love!
We sent him out and chose some great personality traits for our girls.  Gloria was a nymphomaniac,
Kimbra Westervelt was a needy and insecure woman, Kellie was our resident Bitch on Wheels.

Ashley asked great questions. Of course Gloria's answers were very suggestive! So funny. Kimbra was great as the insecure woman and Kellie was just mean as a snake!
Ashley chose Gloria, naturally!  He figured out what each of the girls traits were. It was great!

COLD READING SCENES
The actors were given their scenes and then all paired off to go read them in the hall for a few minutes. I usually give people 2 to 3 scenes to perform. Sometimes we have scenes with 3 character or sometimes 4.  I like working like that, because if feels more like how it would on a set. It's great to watch those big, multi-character scenes as well.

HAWAII FIVE 0
Kellie and Ashley are sharing a drink in a bar talking about work and a candidate they are working for. Then Kellie is in the office and McGarrett and Danny come to ask her some questions about a missing person. Kellie gave the guys attitude at first.  McGarrett was played by Jim McCaffree and Danny was played by James McLeod.  They were very good with good cop, bad cop. However, just to mix it up a bit I had them do the last two scenes with some new direction. I told Kellie to make her character more nervous and scared because she is in trouble. I told the guys to both be really mean to her! It was really good. They all adjusted well.

A BROKEN BOND 
Starring Kimbra Westervelt and James McLeod.  James plays her brother in law who is consoling her about her young son who has been killed.  She is a fragile woman and we soon learn that she's in major denial about her son's death, in fact she is calling him down to help her with dinner. James's character is sympathetic and concerned. Kimbra's character gets more and more imbalanced until she is literally yelling at her brother in law. The transition was wonderful on both their parts. We come to find out that she actually killed her own son. Crazy twist at the end. Very impressive performance by both actors.

SEIZED
Starring Kelly Mullis, me, and Kellie Nicholson. Kellie has drugged my character and she is holding a gun on me. I wake up asking where I am and where's my husband. She starts telling me that she and her cohorts have my husband. She tells me she slept with my husband. I try to go after her, but the drugs don't allow me to move, I fall off the couch. She's cruel and mean. She tells me that my husband has the 'secret files' and that he's a FBI guy. That he might be killed if he doesn't cooperate.  She's just a terrible woman! Fun scene. Although I didn't have many lines and its really difficult to act drugged out like that. Hard scene.

ADAPTATION

Starring Gloria Gruber and Jim McCaffree.  This scene rocked! Jim played Kaufman, a writer hired to write a script about Orchids and Gloria plays a producer and they discuss his ideas for the film. Kaufman is sweating up a storm from being so nervous and Gloria plays the character perfectly as the Hollywood Executive. As she's encouraging his ideas and he just seems to be digging a bigger and bigger hole for himself as he explains how he doesn't want to turn the script into a sappy romantic movie about drugs. It was so funny! Jim played Kaufman just neurotic enough.  I was super impressed. Great work you two!

PREPARING DEFENSE
Starring Kelly Mullis and Ashley McGee.  Kelly plays a lawyer who is questioning Ashley who not only stutters, but is also mentally challenged.  He's been accused of murder, found holding the gun and covered in blood. Ashley's character, Mark, proclaims that he's innocent, but it is apparent that he knows who did the crime.  After some prodding, explaining that she must just get enough evidence to create a reasonable doubt, that he could be put in prison for life or get the death penalty. Mark is worried about telling on the guilty party. Kelly's character lies and says that this other person will not get into trouble.  Kelly's character gets the truth from Mark and he finally, reluctantly gives up a name.  The name of the killer is his brother, Mike.  Kelly's character calls it in and Mark goes ballistic.  Ashley did a great job as the mentally challenged young man with a stutter. He really committed to the part and I felt really good about the scene. I'd love to film that.

GREY'S ANATOMY 
Starring Gloria Gruber, Ashley McGee, & James McLeod. Gloria plays Ashley's sister. Ashley's character has cancer. James plays a doctor who explains the procedure to Gloria and Ashley's characters. You can tell by their dialogue how much they love each other. They played it wonderfully. Teasing each other. Then things take a serious turn when the doctor arrives with bad news. Gloria and the doctor leave the room so her brother won't see her cry. She tells the doctor to do the surgery. They go back into the room and the tension is thick. The doctor does the surgery. Next time we see them, Ashley's character is cancer free and he's in recovery. Gloria hugs the doctor grateful for saving her brothers life. Beautiful work by all!
 

CONSPIRATOR
Starring Jim McCaffree and Carl Rolle. Jim and Carl play old friends in the world of politics. Jim is setting up his old friend Carl to bust him for some wrong doing that he's been accused of and is guilty of. He claims his innocence. "You know me! I've worked my figures to the bone for this country." Jim doesn't like what he has to do to his friend.  They are drinking shots in celebration of something, but it's only to get Carl's fingerprints and DNA off the glass. Jim tells Carl not to worry, that it will all be over soon.  Carl leaves and Jim gets on the phone and tells the person on the other line that he's got the DNA and when this is over with, he's through.  Jim is clearly upset that he's framing his friend.
The guys did a great job. I did some minor adjustment with Carl's character, as I felt that he should jump to his feet sooner than he did when he got accused of this crime that Jim thinks he did.
It was very good both times!

ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME
Starring Gloria Gruber and Kimbra Westervelt. Kimbra plays a New Yorker actress, Tina, and Gloria plays a Boston actress, Catherine. The scene starts with Catherine in the casting directors waiting room area studying her sides when Tina comes in and sits down. She starts complaining about the parking and that she hopes this won't take too long. They soon learn that they are ready for the same role.

The casting director, played by me, comes out and says "Hello Catherine! So great to see you! We're really looking forward to your read. We'll come get you as soon as we can." Catherine says hi back like they're old friends. Tina turns to Catherine and says, "Oh, you know her?" Catherine smiles and nods.

Nervous Tina starts saying how great it is that at part they are reading for is a girl from New York, because she's from New York. Then she start reciting her lines off to the side with great vigor and conviction, full of New York accent and attitude.  Catherine starts laughing her head off. Tina is offended, but Catherine says that she found some irony in the script and that's what she's laughing at. Then Tina starts doing her lines some more, out loud! Catherine continues to laugh harder and harder.
 
"Are you laughing at me?!" asks Tina.
"Nooooo....." replies Catherine...."Yes!"  and bursts out laughing some more.
It was really funny. Gloria and Kimbra worked so great together. It was such a perfect, funny scene!

10 MINUTES to SPARE! LET'S DO MORE IMPROV!!

Jim and Ashley did an improv from audience suggestions which was out of this world hilarious!
Jim played a UPS delivery man who delivers a very important package to Ashley who is very busy with work in his house.  Jim is an overly friendly, talkative man who clearly wants to make Ashley his new friend.  He invites himself inside and starts talking about how lovely Ashley home is and how Feng Shui it is. Ashley is trying to be polite, but really needs Jim to leave the package with him and let him get back to his urgent work. Jim asks for some water.  Ashley gives him a bottle of water. Jim needs a glass. Ashley gets a glass, Jim fills the glass with water, and slowly drinks every last drop as Ashley impatiently waits for Jim to finish. He gives the glass back and still wants to chat. Ashley finally, politely tells Jim that he REALLY must get back to work!  Jim reluctantly leaves with a friendly, "Thanks, have a nice day!" and Ashley is relieved! It was so adorable and funny. What talent those two have!

Final Improv of the Workshop.
Kellie comes to the home of 'the other woman', Kimbra, and confronts her about an affair that she's having with Kellie's husband.  At first Kimbra denies the affair, and then says she didn't know he was married.  The two ladies eventually bond and then they set out to plan a plot to get even. It was really cute and I liked the ironic twist and the end.

IT'S A WRAP
So there you go! Another Fabulous Workshop with the Hollywood Players Actor's Group!
I look forward to see what new surprises will occur at the next one!
If you'd like to get on the list for next week, please contact me via Facebook or call
323.428.3739 or text! Thanks.

SEE YOU ON THE STAGE!!
Kelly Mullis, Artistic Director of HPAG

HPAG Workshop #3: More Magic Made!

November 11th was the 3rd HPAG Workshop at the Shepard Theater.

Eight participates where there, 5 of them were from another workshop that I'm with called "We Make Movies" (wemakemovies.org).

 I began with my mission statement and reason for creating HPAG and told them a bit about myself. Then they each got up and introduced themselves.  Always entertaining.

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.

 Just look at this group shot! I could literally write a show for these people.  I might just do that!

Thanks for reading my HPAG Blog!

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.

Hollywood Players Actor's Group: Workshop #2

November 4, 2012 was the second workshop for HPAG and it was fantastic!

We started off with intros for all the newcomers.  Had 3 New Peeps there to check out "The Hollywood Players Actor's Group".

Did a quick body warm up, body stretch and face stretch,  and then a vocal warm-up.

I had everyone line up in chairs in front of the stage to act like casting directors and each actor
got up to "pitch themselves" in a little exercise I like to call "Who Do You Think You Are?"  It was very entertaining and enlightening.  I think its very important that actors know what "type" they are and what are the best characters they can play. 

Then we played a game of FREEZE TAG where actors act out an improvisation and then someone calls out FREEZE, then take the position of one of the actors and begins a whole new improv scenario.  This was super fun, then got really serious between myself and Shana Carr.

I handed out sides, carefully pre-selected by me,  from film and TV scripts to all the actors and everyone went to a quiet place to run their lines.  After about 20 minutes or so, we all returned and everyone got up and performed.

We started out with a monologue from "Pulp Fiction" that actor, Roger, is working on from last week.  It was much better this time.  He's quiet a character. 

We saw scenes from "Knocked Up" (funny performances from Kristin and Jacob), "Devil in a Blue Dress" (intense, very nice work from Carl and James), "The Outsiders" (two young men in stressing about one of them killing someone), "Covert Affairs" (Carl Rolle, charming, and Roger, as a very sinister character), "Parks & Rec" (silly fun with an ensemble cast), and a beautiful performance between Shana Carr and James Etue in "THE COOLER" which was so honest and touching, I felt like crying.  I want them to learn that scene so we can film it.  It was so very good. (pictured below)

Then the workshop ended with a BANG when Kristin Prickell handed out scripts for two episodes of her web series that she's shooting next month and we did a stage reading of them.  She cast the reading with the people in the group and it was hilarious!  Her characters jumped off the page and everyone had a great time performing them.  Good luck Kristin. It's going to rock!!  

     Carl, James, Shana, Kristin, Kelly, & Jacob!  :)

If you'd like to check out the HOLLYWOOD PLAYER ACTOR'S GROUP just call or email me and I'll find you a scene to read!  Or if you have a short film you'd like to hear read, let me know! Workshops are $20 and they are every Sunday from 3-6 at the Complex, Shepard Theatre!
See you on the Stage!! 
Kelly 323.428.3739