Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille

I had my first meeting today with my six future classmates and Judylee Vivier, the head of the MFA Acting department at Brooklyn College. Professor Vivier shared with us a beautiful passage that really spoke to the journey of an actor, and I had to share it!

Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille

"There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium: and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not  your business to determine how good it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly--to keep the channel open. You do no even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."

This passage really resonated with me. Particularly the bit about it being "not your business to determine how good it is, nor how it compares with other expressions." Can you imagine a world in which actors did not compare themselves and their performances to other actors- a world in which we allow ourselves to be free enough to follow our impulses, regardless of what they look and sound like? It's something I strive for constantly and this piece reminded me how important it is to do so. 

Are you regularly able to "keep the channel open"? If not, what challenges prevent you from doing so?

Catching up...

Wow! I've only been out of town for three weeks, but it feels like three years! I promise a more substantial post soon, but for now, here's a link to my wedding photos.

In other news- I'll be running my 3rd Tough Mudder on Mother's Day! I'm psyched! Check out the course here!

Anti-Violence Art Show at the NY Aquarium

Yesterday was my last day teaching for three weeks, and though I'm THRILLED to have the time off for the wedding and honeymoon, I'm going to miss my little ones like crazy. They're all convinced that I'm going to have a baby soon because "That's what you do when you get married" but as I tell them all the time, I have 180 children at the moment- why on earth would I need any more?

Last night, my students' work was displayed in an Anti-Violence Art Show along with the works of a few other YWCA afterschool programs at the NY Aquarium. I adore my students and I love my job, but admittedly, the areas that the YWCA serves are under-served in many ways, and violence is a very real part of growing up in Coney Island, Brownsville and some of the other rougher parts of Brooklyn. Under the guidance of my colleague Erin Welsh, the kids created artwork that reflected how they felt about the violence that surrounds them, and what they hope for their futures. Words cannot express how proud I am of my accomplished, intelligent and talented students.

With some of my awesome students!

With the art and drama specialists from my YWCA site!

Why I LOVE Donors Choose!

Got $10? $5? $1? Teachers spend SO MUCH personal money on supplies when classroom budgets fall short- Donors Choice allows you to pick a classroom project to help fund and the kids in the class send thank you's! Joe and I donated to Donor's Choose as one of our Wedding Favor Charities. Check out their website!

Calling all Playwrights and Filmmakers!

We are now accepting submissions for:

Mind The Art Shorts Festival

Celebrating the creative forces behind short plays, films, & musicals

April 18th – May 8th @ Center Stage, NY (48 West 21st Street)

If you have a short film, short play, or short musical, then submit your work and be a part of this incredible festival. Your piece will have two showcasing opportunities and a chance to win one of the following prizes!

Winner of Best Short Film will receive:

$250 Cash Prize & A Festival Distribution Package!

A Festival Distribution Package is an opportunity for the winners to have their short film submitted to film festivals around the world. Mind The Art Entertainment will, at our expense, create an individual custom-made package for your film to showcase it internationally. Under the guidance of our Filmmaking and Production Divisions, your film will undergo a year-long development and marketing analysis and will be submitted to film festivals around the world that are suited to your film. You will also be granted the opportunity to work with our Filmmaking Division and attend networking events, screenings, and industry gatherings.

Winner of Best Short Play or Musical will receive:

$250 Cash Prize & A Production Development Package!

A Production Development Package is a producing opportunity in which Mind The Art Entertainment will take a full-length play or musical by the winning playwright and begin a series of intensive workshops to refine it en route to constructing a full-scale production. The ultimate goal is to produce the piece within the next year in a theater in NYC for a three week run with a fully professional creative team. The winner of this package need not already have full length material written but can develop a piece from scratch with Mind The Art Entertainment.

How do I apply?

It's easy! You can apply online or by mail, and the submission fee is only $20. We are looking for short material that can be easily showcased. If you are selected to participate in either the film or theater segments of the festival, you will be given two public screenings/performances. It is important to note that we are not producing the short play or musical for you; rather, you will get 2 time slots, and it will be up to you to present your material as best as possible. You will be given a tech time slot before your performances to set and rehearse simple cues in the performance space. We are seeking material that is innovative, original, highly creative, and rich in artistry. The winners will join our ranks as resident artists of the company as we develop their projects over the coming year. Films will be showcased between April 18th and May 1st. Theatrical pieces will be showcased between April 29th and May 8th.​

For Film, the online deadline is April 8th at 11:59pm. First, pay your submission fee of $20 at www.mindtheartentertainment.com/Festivals.html. Then email a link to your movie to projects@mindtheartentertainment.com with your contact info and the billing name you used to pay your submission fee. Do not include trailers, cover letters, resumes, long bios, production stills, etc. Only include the link to your film, your contact info, and the name used for billing so we can verify payment. Anything else will not be considered. We are looking at the artistry of the submitted film and that film alone. 

For Theater (Play or Musical), the online deadline is April 8th at 11:59pm. First, pay your submission fee of $20 at www.mindtheartentertainment.com/Festivals.html. Then email a script (for musicals please also include at least one song) to projects@mindtheartentertainment.com with your contact info and the billing name you used to pay your submission fee. Do not include posters, cover letters, resumes, long bios, production stills, etc. Only include the script (and at least one song, recorded or sheet music, for musicals), your contact info, and the name used for billing so we can verify payment. Anything else will not be considered.

If you do not have a link to your film online or your script or music isn’t available online, please pay your submission fee online and then mail a DVD of your film or for theater a hard copy of your script (and a CD or sheet music of at least one song for musicals), along with your contact info and the billing name used to pay your submission fee, postmarked no later than April 6th, to:

Christian De Gré / Mind The Art

346 Gates Avenue #C2

Brooklyn, NY 11216

That's it! We will email you a confirmation of your submission, and the participants of the festival will be announced on our website and Facebook page on April 11th.

Once accepted into the festival, 5 finalists will be selected in each category (Film & Theater). These will be chosen based on an audience ballot. The grand prize winner in each category will be chosen by the Board of Mind The Art Entertainment and a panel of industry professionals. Be a part of this festival and enter for the chance to have your work showcased! Get your work out there for people to see!

Win this festival and you will not only join our ranks as a Resident Artist, but will also have your work developed, marketed, produced, and supported by an award-winning production company!

For more info or to Apply please go to:

www.mindtheartentertainment.com/Festivals.html

For an example of our work come see Mind The Art’s acclaimed production of The Timing of a Day, playing April 1^st-17^th at Center Stage, NY. Tickets at www.mindtheartentertainment.com

Vote for me?!

I've entered TheaterMania.com's Facebook Contest to select the trophy chaperones for the 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards. I'm so geeked out about this possibility! The 5 male and 5 female contestants with the most votes will advance to the finals, and they'll pick two men and two women to be a part of this honored tradition and be on national television and worldwide media (a dream come true for this aspiring actress). 

Voting takes 5 seconds and is free! Simply search for TheaterMania.com on Facebook (or click the link), "like" their page, and then scroll down their wall until you find the photo of me below, and "like" the photo!

Pretty please? :)

xoxo

Spreading the Love

That's me and the guy I'm going to marry in 24 days. We love each other. A lot. I'm fairly certain my wedding day will be one of the happiest days in my life. And if I'm going to be THAT happy, then I want to share some of that happiness. In lieu of traditional wedding favors, Joe and I have decided to donate to our favorite charities. I've included those organizations below. Please take a moment to stop by and check out the amazing work they're doing.

I'm pretty sure our guests won't walk away disappointed that they didn't get a baggie of Jordan almonds and a customized matchbook...