KEEP ACTING DURING THE STRIKE! 

But that doesn’t mean that actors should stop working on the craft. Let’s talk about what we can do to keep training, stay active, and keep our acting muscles fresh, so that we’re ready when the industry opens back up.

 It’s a little scary, and feels strange that the industry has slowed to a crawl. 

With the few projects that are getting through with the SAG Intermin Agreement, the auditions are few and far between. 

What are you doing to be ready when this is over?

 We’ve got to keep working on our craft. The craft of acting is a skill that requires so many different moving parts.  It’s so important that we keep acting right now,  whether it’s improv with friends or breaking down a scene, developing new characters, memorizing a new monologue, or doing fake auditions on camera. 

And if acting class is not an option right now, get your actor friends together and play! Organize your friends and meet once a week at someone’s house, order some cheap pizza, and play. If you’re a SAG actor, you’re probably familiar with improv exercises and acting class.

• Play “Yes And” so you engage your imagination and loosen up that muscle. 
• “Play with the Meisner technique” of repetition, which helps with listening and truthful statements. This allows you a stronger connection with your scene partner, and opens you up to be affected and changed by their presence.
• “Access your emotions.” Two people get up, one starts a scene, and each actor is given different emotions to embody as the scene progresses. This one is fun and powerful.
• Someone could use this opportunity to perform a new monologue.
• You can work on scenes together or do cold readings.

 Hopefully you’ve saved printout from your previous auditions, bring those and flush them out again. Or look up new scenes online. There’s a million different scenes out there.

Mental & Emotional Health - Make friends on the PICKET LINE!

Not only will you continue to work your acting muscles, but the interaction with other actors will help you mentally and emotionally. One of the reasons walking the picket line is so powerful for us, as actors is because we need each other. We’re social beings. In acting class we feed off of each other’s energy, we feel connected to each other and to our work in the industry.

 If we isolate ourselves, we distance ourselves from our craft, the art that makes us feel alive and grounded. Make sure you're not alone. If you don’t have any acting friends yet, find a picket line, go by yourself if you have to or drag a friend or neighbor there with you, and go meet people. 

There will never be another occasion where a bunch of actors are grouped together in solidarity. The energy in the air is electrifying.  Go to the sign in table, put on your strike T-shirt, grab a picket sign, and start walking. Find other actors and insert yourself into that group.

 There is so much love and acceptance on the picket line. Everyone is valued and appreciated.  

And if you’re home by yourself, get your self-taped, audition set up and work on monologues. Get another actor to be a reader and work on audition scenes. Self Tape auditions are a whole skill on their own. Don’t get out of practice.

Keep practicing & playing with your art!

So as the strike moves on, realize that sitting and waiting for this to be over is hurting you. Your art is acting. We are performers.

 So whether we are on strike or not, make sure you are still practicing your art. Find creative ways to stay fresh.

•  If you are still in acting class, great!
•  If you get your friends together and work on the scenes or improv at your house or a park or whatever space you have, great!
•  If you were at home working on Self-Taped auditions and monologues, great!

The point is to keep working in your craft.

The Strike Will End

The strike won’t last forever, and I know it’s scary.  But, the world loves film and television. We’ll be back. So keep practicing your art. Stay fresh. 

When the industry opens up, we are going to be busier than ever. 

I’m here to help and support actors. You don’t have to work alone.

Have a great day!

-Nancy