INTRODUCTION
This year I have focused on identifying what works for my practice; by testing different approaches in rehearsal and evaluating which techniques supported me most in delivering an embodied and responsove performance. I am also trying to anticipate the greater responsibility for my craft that will come with graduating into the industry and building my “brand”. With this in mind, this marketing portfolio will detail essential learning moments throughout the year as well as the marketing materials I have created for my final year of the course.
BUILDING MY SOLAR SYSTEM
At the start of the Artistic Development Industry module, I felt very unsure of myself and my capacity to manage the business side of acting. I learnt from a workshop with the co-Artistic Director of Fidget Theatre, Ruth Cooper-Rowan, that actors can find support from personal sponsors, a board of trustees, fellow creatives and arts charities. I have begun to form my network already from creatives at The Actor’s Workshop Bristol, Leeds Conservatoire and other short courses and productions I have taken part in. Figure A shows a list of these existing contacts with those I aim to reach out to most regularly highlighted in pink.
One of these contacts is Cheryl Stapleton, a performer, teacher and, as I have recently found from my research, the artistic director of ‘Learning Through Theatre’. This is a touring theatre company centred around Commedia Del Arte and clown. After taking part in some of her workshops and expressing an interest in training more in this area, Cheryl shared her email with me. I think that she is a great contact to have as she has already seen some of my work and has a huge amount of knowledge in a very niche area of theatre. I would like to keep this kind of play in my practice as it is becoming more of a lost art in the industry currently.
From my research, I looked into artistic directors of regional theatres, theatre companies and agents that I might like to work with. As I would like to establish bases in Leeds, London and the South West, I made sure to dig into the networks in these different areas.
The Wardrobe Theatre, led by artistic director Matthew Whittle is a company with a close connection to associates from the company ‘Closer Each Day’ (an improvised theatre soap) and ‘Sharp Teeth Theatre‘ led by artistic director Stephanie Kempson. I appreciate the importance of close-knit regional networks in creating new opportunities and artistic converations. Devising and theatre making is something that I feel very excited by as it’s a chance to collaborate with others and put your own mark on the industry. After graduation, I aim to reach out to these companies and try to establish myself in my home area.
MY CASTING AND CAREER GOALS
I have started to see my teachers from a new angle, as working actors themselves and as extensions of my solar system. Now that they have a clearer understanding of me as a performer, I have started asking them where they see me in the industry and the casting brackets I may fall into. These conversations have helped me to build a stronger foundation for my artistic identity and create more informed opinions on the work I’d like to pursure.
Some people’s impressions of my casting surprised me, including: ‘uptight’, ‘boss’ and ‘clinical’ characters, as they seemed to conflict with my appearance and self-perception. I am excited that this allows me to dig into characters different from myself and subvert first impressions in a compelling way. I have now made a considered effort in class to explore characters on the flip side of this. Notably, in a recent scene study lesson, I found a duologue from Choe Moss’ ‘Run Sister Run’ where I played a drunk and erratic character: Ursula. This role challenged me immensely as I found my very calculated internal dialogue as the actor was interupting the free spirited nature of the character that I was hoping to find. With direction from my teacher to lose any sense of plan and simply wait to be affected by my surroundings and scene partner, I was able to let go and trust my instincts more with this slightly unfamiliar casting. Having a strong awareness of my casting will help me to consciously expand my playing range and challenge potentially restrictive casting labels.
HEADSHOTS
It’s very important to have acting headshots that you feel confident to share with industry professionals. They are often an actor’s first impression and can also be very expensive – averaging around £300 for just a few photographs. For these reasons, a good amount of research into photographer and style is needed to get them right.
In my research, I looked at other actors who I feel come across with a similar look and vibe to me, and who have had work that would interest me. I have always loved the KneeHigh Theatre company. I feel that one of their actors, Katy Owen (see figure B) could have some overlap with my casting types in theatre – she is short and petite in stature, and has a youthful tomboyish energy. She often plays young, physically expressive characters on the fringes of society – roles that I would also be interested in.
This headshot was taken by photographer Ori Jones. I think that Katy’s outfit of the black top, brown dungarees and wispy tied back hair present her as an actor suited to playful and experimental theatre. She looks like she has just come from a rehearsal workshop. Whilst I think it is a positive thing for her to come across in this way, I feel that her headshot gives more of a sense of the kind of actor she is and less of her character casting types.
To me, the best headshots are ones where they are taken ‘in-character’, presenting a snapshot of an emotion or story.
For my headshots, I would also like some more texture and colour in my face than this one for a raw and natural look. Again, I do however feel that the slightly washed-out and blurred look suits Katy’s acting style as she seems almost clown/mime-like; tying in the physical comedy in her work.
It is clear to me now that the success of my headshots will depend on how well they align with my casting types and the work I want to make. Conversations with teachers about my casting have also helped me to narrow down the impression I’d like to give.
Another headshot photographer I looked at is Kim Hardy. Based in London, her shots are quite experimental and offer a range of different textured backgrounds. I would like to have a choice of backgrounds so that I can see what best works with my skintone and brings out my character the best.
I like this shot (see figure C) because it has some life and fun to it. I like that, unlike with Katy Owen’s headshot, this actor seems to be playing a character or emotion and has a clear relationship with the camera.
As I am interested in playing roles in both classical and contemporary genres, on stage or screen and spanning styles from drama to physical comedy, my main priority with my headshots will be to show my versatility as an actor. I think that a physical gesture like the one in the photo gives an impression of spontaneity and naturalism that would suit submissions for contemporary work.
I think that a different top choice here would bring out her features more and reflect her casting more closely. I would say that this person could play quite a business-like, classy or confident character and so if I were her, I might switch out the baggy brown striped hoodie for a brightly-coloured fitted shirt.
I came across the AKTA headshots scheme on Instagram where, if you are not in a financial position to pay full price, there is an option to pay a subsidised fee of £75. After exploring their website gallery and deciding I was a big fan of their shots, I submitted an application and will be getting my headshots with them this summer. Some of the shots I liked most are shown below.
In summary, I think that the key elements of a good headshot are the use of complimentary colours (background and clothing), simple makeup and editing (raw, natural look) and expressions that feel emotionally interesting and embodied. I’d like to feel comfortable enough in my photography shoot to play with some bold gestures and faces.
From watching To Kill A Mockingbird at Leeds Playhouse and seeing Anna Munden (aged late 20s) in the role of Scout (aged 6-9) I saw that this is definitely a role I could see myself in and one that could be available to me with my playing age being much younger than my true age. I’ve also been told by several teachers that I could play an intense, controlling or slightly psychotic role such as Villanelle in Killing Eve or Lady Macbeth (older casting type). I kept this in mind when creating my headshot plan (see below) and decided that going from dungarees and pigtails to pinned back hair and a blouse could present my casting age range effectively.
In my research I found that both Anna Munden and Katy Owen are associate actors with Miracle Theatre Company, based in Corwall (south west). This company makes experimental work, often with music incorporated, which aims to maintain the tradition of ‘travelling theatre’. I think that a lot of the skill I have currently would lend themselves to this style of theatre (playing the violin and guitar as well as writing and devising work).
MY CV
When creating my CV I looked on the backstage website at an example they gave (see figure D).
Inspired by the CV from the example of figure D, I chose a clear and simple layout for my CV so that it is easy to navigate quickly by casting professionals. I used a templace from Adobe and filled it out with the key information that I could see some graduated from previous years at the Conservatoire also included (see figure E). Of the graduate CVs that I looked into, I felt that this one had one of the most varied displays of skills and experience.
Zoe has a a car driving licence and DBS check within the skills section of her CV which I feel makes her more employable as many of the jobs that I saw on Mandy and Backstage mentioned a licence being required. I am currently organising my driving lessons so that I can have a licence by the time I graduate.
I included my skills, contact information, credits, attributes, training and a shortened version of my biography at the end. I will be sure to ask my teachers for some feedback on this CV as acting CVs can vary, for example, I have seen that some include a bio and others don’t. Even with my research into this area, and personal satisfaction with the resume I have created, I still feel slightly unsure of whether it matches what is expected by agents and casting directors.
I made the space for my name and headshot quite big so that they stand out and are remembered. I thought that by having two columns for my information, like in figure E, nothing would get squashed at the bottom and go unnoticed. I also know that it is recommended to put the most important information (physical attributes and credits) near the top of the page. My bio was a later addition to my CV and something that I may remove after some feedback from teachers. I currently see my acting CV more as a practical checkbox of characteristics and skills than an expression of my creative identity. I think that once I have gained credits from my third year season, I will be able to share this work and connect it to my personal brand. It was important to me to mention my skills in writing, devising and theatre making as I want it to be clear that I am an actor interested in creating work and opportunities.
BIOGRAPHY
I found writing my biography (see below) very challenging and spent a long time editing it to say something different about who I am as an artist and the work I’m excited about. It was a little unfamiliar to write about myself with so much praise in the third person but I think that being over-modest in a biography doesn’t do you any favours. I decided to view this as an explanation of the actor I am currently but also the actor that I am working hard to become.
Describing myself as a ‘spirited and daring actor’ I felt gave me a bit of edge and the impression that I arrive into a rehearsal space with bold offers and my own artistic opinions. The opening sentence presents me as being quite high energy so I chose to ground this by then describing my work as ‘instinctive, emotionally connected and driven by a love for stories and language.’.
It didn’t feel like a cliché for me to write that I am driven by a love of stories and language as this really is a big part of why I am an actor. I want to tell stories and embody characters with as much respect and intention as I can. In this process of creating my industry materials, it has been enjoyable to start to see my brand forming in a way that feels authentic and unique to me. Similar to my aims with my headshots, I wanted my bio to let people know of my very broad interests and training (writing and music) so I chose to reference this. In these very early stages, I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself into any creative avenues and instead want to be open to trying whatever opportunities present themselves. My second year projects are my most recent work but I will be sure to update these credits once third year comes around so that it is clear that I am engaging creatively with my network.
SUMMATIVE STATEMENT
In an acting class near the start of the year our teacher Alex said that the point of our training isn’t to turn us into actors who can produce some amazing work on a good day and poor work on a bad one, but to increase the average standard of our performance. This is something I have refered back to regularly in my self-reflections, allowing me to see classes as workshop spaces to make mistakes and gather useful data. Letting go of perfectionism has helped me to develop a more positive internal dialogue, which I feel will support me in building a creative brand for myself that I can take pride and ownership in. So as not to forget my training and important lessons like these, I have started to create my ‘Acting Bible’ which will be a resource I can refer to after graduating. This year I have worked hard to build an acting process that can serve me across many different project styles – I hope that this process will become more ingrained with practice.
In our American project in December, ‘The Rimers of Eldritch’ directed by Jessica Millward, we were given a lot of work to do independently which before this, I haven’t had any experience of exploring with a full length show. I was suprised by how much I appreciated the time we spent on table work, character objectives and world building as I often have the instinct to get a text on its feet immediately. In this process, I discovered how a deeper foundational understanding of the text can support performance choices later on in the process.
In our Shakespeare module in February, me and my scene partner found that we had quite similar working styles and could play with exercises that in larger ensemble projects we haven’t had as much time for. We decided that every time we rehearsed our duologue scene, we would bring a new energy or intention. This made every rehearsal so much more enjoyable and allowed us to find the elements of our character that felt truthful and embodied, holding onto these for the final showing. I was very pleased with my marks in movement, voice and acting for this project and see this positive skills feedback as a sign that my fundamental techniques are becoming more ingrained in my performance with practice. In future projects, where appropriate, I now aim to confidently suggest new avenues for a scene or exercises that we could try as an ensemble. This could be good practice to develop directorial skills, another creative route that I am interested in exploring.
I found our comedy block to be initially very difficult with jokes not landing and characters sitting uncomfortably in my physicality. It felt like many of the techniques we had picked up from other classes didn’t apply. I took this as an opportunity to silence my perfectionist voice and become curious about the failures of the scene. In one particular showing of our scene from Scandal Town by Mike Bartlett, my group had decided on some physical blocking for particularly comedic lines to give us some perameters to play around. Once we were clearer with our acting intentions and listened more actively to others in the scene, we suddenly started to get laughs and positive feedback from our audience and teacher. I think that these classes were important for me in letting go of control and letting impulses steer my choices in a scene. I’d like to work some more on comedy as I think there is more that I could’ve done to form my own acting process for this specific style, including exploring exercises that introduce ideas of character’s status, hidden intentions and embodied physicality.
We were recommended in an Artistic Development class to contact five people, seven times throughout the year, automatically signing communications off with our name, headshot and spotlight link. The people could then be added to our professional network (‘solar system’). To me, this guide felt very manageable and gives me a practical framework to maintain engagement with creatives in my circle. I aim to set aside 30 minutes in the week to send out emails and update myself on the work of the people around me. Artistic development doesn’t worry me anywhere near as much now as at the start of the year. I feel more certain in my identity as an artist and am sure that if I keep up with my plan to develop my network, I will be able to market my brand effectively.
Overall, I have picked up some very useful lessons in letting go of control and perfectionism and being more responsive and playful in a scene. The projection and clarity of my voice has signifiantly improved, something I feel is not just as a result of vocal techniques becoming more embodied in my practice but also a greater comfortability in expressing my thoughts and advocating for myself. I see curiosity as my main tool for overcoming challenges in a rehearsal room. Next year I am excited to apply techniques in skills that I have developed this year and become more familiar in performance styles that differ one ones I have explored previously (e.g. comedy and physical theatre).
