Super Fun and Exciting 15th HPAG Workshop!

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! 

Come Join US!!  It's super fun!

A Fabulous 14th Hollywood Players Actor's Group Workshop

February 10, 2013 was the 14th HPAG Workshop. 

We always do funny group shots. One goofy, the other serious! :)

INTRO
We started off in a circle and everyone introduced themselves and said three interesting things about themselves. 

WARM UP 
After a brief stretch, we did head rolls & shoulder rolls. 
Then we reached for the sky, touched our shoulders, then our waists, then our feet. Faster and faster up and then down. Good warm up.

After that we did the Limb Shake from the count of 8 on each limb down to 1.
We did some "shadow boxing" and then we had a 30 second Dance Party!

VOCAL WARM UP 
We began the vocal warm up with some face stretching and scrunching followed by lip trills.
We sang ME, MAY, MA, MO, MOO from low to high.
Then we sang "Doe a Dear". Not everyone knew it this time.
Then we sang "Row Row Row Your Boat" as deep as we could two times.

ACTING EXERCISES 
We did the "Mirror Exercise" where actors are paired up and one leads and the other copies what the other is doing. After a few minutes that that, we switch and the other one leads.  Always good for a laugh.

We followed that one with what I call "Attitude Walk". The actors walk across the stage expressing different attitudes.  The first attitude was 'suspicion'.  The second was 'peace loving'.  The third attitude was that we couldn't stop laughing our heads off.  That one was super fun!! :) Yay!

ORIGINAL SCRIPT READING (17 Pages)
This was an original script written by writer/director Douglas Knox who I know from "We Make Movies".  He's a pretty risque and racy writer. He likes to write about the dark side of life. This script was called "CREW SLUT".  It was about a couple of girls who travel with the band and basically sleep with the band members and the crew guys. Whoever will have them, basically. A new comer is on board and I played "Bubbly" who is a very bitchy, jaded wrangler of the crew sluts.
We had every role cast in the reading and it all got acted out on stage, well, except for the naughty parts. Thanks to the wonderful narration of Kristin Pickrell, we we able to envision every naughty frame.  Thanks to the cast for making Douglas Knox's material come to life.

The Cast of the Reading of "Crew Slut" written by Douglas Knox.

The cast included: Sebina Shah, Sebina Gavrilov, Kelly Mullis, TJ Wichman, Dennis Hodapp, Cheray O'Neal, James MacLeod, Michael Beardsley, Carl Rolle as a DJ and Kristin Pickrell as the Narrator. 

IMPROVISATIONS
Improv #:  Michael Beardsley plays a sales guy at one of those expensive tennis shoe stores where people line up to buy the latest, coolest brand of Tennis shoe.  There are 5 people in line, but Michael tells the restless, irritable group that there is only on pair left and that they must tell him why they need the shoes and he'll decide who they go to.

Well, Sabina Gavrilov starts to use sex to get the shoes, Azra and Sabina Shah who needs the shoes to run a marathon. They almost get into a fight over the shoes, TJ Wichman wants the shoes for his pet Camel who has bad knees. (what?) TJ just couldn't believe how mean everyone was being.  Kareema tries to tell Michael her reason in secret. It actually got pretty chaotic as most improvs with so many players will get, and Michael decided that no one was getting the shoes, that he was going to keep them! So there.  Great job everyone.

Improv #2: Starring Carl Rolle as the Judge. Cheray O'Neal as the R&B/Pop Singing Star, James MacLeod was her manager who Cheray had had a unsuccessful affair with that ended badly, Dennis Hodapp was James's Lawyer and Michael Beardsley was Cheray's lawyer. Cheray had broken her contract with James and was now going to work with Dr. Dre. This improv got pretty out of hand as well.  James and Cheray kept yelling at each other about their affair gone bad.  Carl kept yelling at everyone to shut up. Dennis the lawyer was trying to get a word in edgewise as he kept objecting to everything. Throughout the chaos, Cheray and James went back behind the curtain and implied that they'd 'made up' (via sex) and that they weren't going to sue each other after all.  So the case was dismissed.  Thank goodness!

COLD READINGS

"CSI:NY" starring Sabina Gavrilov, Dennis Hodapp, James MacLeod, & TJ Wichman. Sabina plays a wife who is separated from her abusive husband who has a temper. James and Dennis are detectives questioning Sabina about her relationship with her husband who as turned up missing. Later she is introduced to the man who saved her life who is TJ. Sabina did a wonderful job with the dialogue. She was very natural and they all sounded like they were being filmed for the show. That was the first time I'd seen Sabina Gavrilov act and I was very impressed.  The guys did great as the detectives on the case.

"Delirium" starring Cheray O'Neal, Carl Rolle, Dennis Hodapp, & Sabina Shah. Cheray was the star of this piece due to the difficult dialogue of the hard nosed Senator Hargrove. She's a smart as a whip, fast talking Senator who suffers no fools. Cheray made clear choices of who this woman was and commanded the scene. Dennis and Sabina played other Senators who really were no match to her strength of character in the scene. In a later scene with Carl Rolle as the Chair of the Security Sub-Committee brings the same strong attitude that Cheray has and the two have wonderful chemistry as they banter and discuss strategy. Great work everyone! I'd cast Cheray and Carl in those roles for sure!

"Killer Women" starring Kristin Pickrell and Azra Isakovic. Super cute scene. Kristen and Azra are long time friends discussing a guy that Azra has had a date with. They were intimate and Kirsten is teasing her about it.  They joke and chat as friends do and I just loved their chemistry.  Very cute girls! Good job.

 "Blood Relatives" starring James MacLeod and Sabina Shah. This was a wonderfully powerful scene where Sabina Shah comes home after drinking with friends and James is suspicious and pissed. James is always good as the angry lover. Sabina held her own as the woman who is really to ditch this relationship. It was intense and I loved every minute. I didn't want to scene to end. Great work! 

"Vegas" starring Michael Beardsley and Dennis Hodapp. Michael Beardsley plays the head of the Casino who has come to talk to Texas Billionaire about an issue he has with a guest at the hotel who has supposedly stolen a watch that has been in Dennis's family for a long time. Dennis is pissed and wants to take his business elsewhere.  I felt that this scene was perfectly cast.  At the end of the scene, Dennis's watch is returned to him by Michael, but Dennis goes to another Casino anyway. Great work you two! 

"Sylvia Plath Monologue" by Kareema. Kareema did a great job with this monologue. She sounded really natural. Her eyes didn't know where to plant themselves and she missed a couple of opportunities for some great emotional moments in the monologue. All in all, she did a wonderful job. We'll work on this in the next workshop until its perfect! 

"Company Town" starring Carl Rolle, Azra Isakovic, & Cheray O'Neal. Carl plays a Marine who is a jet mechanic and also seems to be a 'therapist' to his crew member who are ladies. He's a compassionate soul and likes to help everyone. Azra is especially difficult in the scene and asks Carl why is he so nice when she is clearly not nice. Then at the end of the scene Azra got really emotional and started crying. I guess she really felt some emotions come forth in the scene. It is always beautiful when that happens.  Carl did wonderfully well.  Cheray's character was vulnerable in the beginning of the scene with Carl. It was lovely to watch.

Cheray: "My dad wanted a boy."

Azra: "Why are you so nice? I'm not nice."

"Vampire Diaries" starring Kareema, Sabina Shah and TJ Wichman. Kareema plays a witch who knows Sabina Shah's mother, who is a Vampire. Kareema is trying to take a spell off of TJ who is practically reeling and convulsing on the sofa in pain. I was worried about him, because he was really giving it his all. Kareema was creepy and sinister as the witch. Sabina was wonderful with the dialogue, super natural. Can't wait to see more of her work! 

Kristin Pickrell's Audition for Musical with James MacLeod. Kristin had an audition for a musical the next day and wanted to run her scene for us.  She was reading for the lead character of Nicole who is an ambitious singer who wants to put on her own show. She approached James's character to compliment him on his wonderful singing and lyrics and thinks they could possibly pair up. Kristin wasn't giving it her all. We all gave her notes that she needed to be more like SUNSHINE and smiley. After some work and further direction after the workshop, she finally nailed it and her final performance gave me chills.  I hope she gets a callback. I loved directing her in that scene. Cheray O'Neal was helpful as well getting Kristin to the perfect place for the scene! :) yay!

"Emily Owens MD" starring Michael Beardsley, Kristin Pickrell, Cheray O'Neal, and Kareema.  Kristin plays a funny pregnant woman who is in the hospital to have her baby checked on. Michael is her overly protective, loving husband. Cheray is the doctor who gives Kristin an ultra sound. Suddenly there is a problem and nurse Kareema is there to tell the doctor what the stats are. There is chaos and a quick decision must be made to get the baby out. Cheray explains the dangers of getting the baby out early. Michael wants to save his wife and demands that they do the procedure. Kristin is worried beyond belief!  Everyone committed to their roles and I loved the entire scene. Great work to you all.

"Anger Management" starring Dennis Hodapp, TJ Wichman & James MacLeod. Dennis and TJ work on a soup line. Dennis tells TJ that he's homeless but about the life he used to have when he wasn't sleeping on the streets.  TJ feels so bad that he give Dennis some money and wants to give him more. "Here, please I feel bad, I have so much!" TJ says to Dennis as he shoves money in his hand. Dennis was so endearing as the down and out man. TJ was super compassionate.  James plays a lazy soup kitchen worker with a bad attitude who was a war vet. He and Dennis talk about their time in the war.  It was a very good scene.  Wanted to see more of it!

"Client List" starring Sabina Gavrilov, Michael Beardsley, and Azra Isakovic. Michael Beardsley plays the funniest character in this scene. He's a flamboyant wedding planner who loves to introduce himself.  Sabina is the bride to be and her wardrobe session is interrupted by a very upset Azra, who doesn't have time for the ridiculousness of Michael.  The girls seemed like they were in a very different scene then Michael, but it all worked in a brilliant way.  I loved the commitment of the character by Michael! Sabina was great as the harried bride to be and Azra made the scene all about her and her issue at hand. It was perfect casting!  Loved it!

Michael: "You look divine. Ostrich truly brings out your cheekbones."

Michael: "Leslie Kinkaid, wedding planner extraordinaire." Michael killed that character!

Monologue performed by Sabina Gavrilov. Sabina did an impassioned monologue where she tells her boyfriend that he's not what she thought he was and at the end she yells for him to "Get OUT!" It was quite powerful. Great job Sabina! You need to be on TV!

There you have it!  All the fabulous details of the latest HPAG Workshop!

Come out and play with us!  The next Hollywood Players Actor's Workshop is on:

FEBRUARY 17th from 3-6 at the COMPLEX's Shepard Theater! 
If you want to sign up and get on the LIST, please send me a message on facebook,
text me at 323.428.3739 or email me at:  kellyart@pacbell.net

Easy as that!  Workshops are only $20. 

If you are a writer and want to bring something in to see it read, just contact me!

Hope to see you all on the STAGE!!!

Thanks for Reading!

Kelly Mullis, Artistic Director
Hollywood Players Actor's Workshop.

That is one crazy ORB on my sweater! I think this group is blessed!

In this shot, we imagined that butterflies were flying all around us! :)