catching up

So when we last left off I had promised to update you guys on a casting workshop I attended and then fill you in on the UCLA Writer's Faire.

Better late than never.

So Saturday, before heading to work (boo!), I attended an early morning casting workshop given by a casting director at one of the most successful television shows on the air right now. He was fantastic. As an actor, I always love attending workshops run by casting directors because they are direct, honest, and incredibly down to earth. They don't give you a lot of romantic advice like "pursue your dreams, always!" but really stick to being grounded and noting that first and foremost, this is a business. Ain't that the truth.

He ran his workshop much like the way I've always wanted to run an acting class: he gave four or five actors at a time the exact same script, sent them out into the lobby, then had us come in one at a time and asked the rest of the class, based off each actor's script read, whom they would cast. I love that! So many acting classes are about the internal process of an actor or finding a more emotional connection with a person or object, etc., etc. But what a lot of actors really need to do is sit in on a casting session that they just auditioned for, and listen to why or why not they would be cast. SO informative, and I received some really great feedback from the class and a very awesome compliment from the casting director. Yay!

After work on Saturday, I picked up my friends from the airport and we headed back into the (scorching hot, very on fire) valley. Ugh. Thank God for central air-conditioning.

On Sunday morning my friend Isaac and I had decided to attend the UCLA Writer's Faire, held once a year on the UCLA campus for those interested in writing poetry, novels, short stories, and screenplays. Isaac and I decided to split up and attend different courses so that we could compare notes later on...so with our powers combined, it would be like we attended 8 seminars instead of 4! We will rule the world!!

Sorry. Where was I?

Okay, so me being who I am, the Writer's Faire starts at 11 AM. I pick up Isaac at 8:45 AM. Because a) I'm neurotically early to stuff, and b) I had no idea what the parking situation was, where I was going on campus, where the classrooms were where each seminar was, and did I mention I'm neurotic?

We arrive at the campus at approximately 9:15ish and follow signs for where to park. Only the signs are lying jerks, because all of the parking that is available is for those with pre-paid parking passes. So I kind of...squeeze...my car into a structure that I'm clearly not meant to be in, and Isaac and I look at each other and realize the risk is too great. So we get out of the car, meander around campus, dodge the other cars driving around aimlessly, also lost (we weren't the only ones!) until we found live, breathing human beings, then got directions to the parking structure where we were most likely supposed to park the first time.

We get back in the car, drive, and find an information booth where we can pay for parking. And the following conversation is not made up, I could not make this up for the life of me:

Me: Hi, we're here for the Writer's Faire, do we pay for parking here?

Parking attendant: Yep! What's the password?

Isaac and I look at each other. We can tell she's not joking, but I check, just in case.

Me: Um, are you joking?

Parking attendant: No, she told me there's a password you're supposed to get from the website in order to get free parking.

Isaac and I ignore the fact that this sentence makes absolutely no sense (who's "she?" anyway?) and look at the sign on the booth that says "PARKING - $10."

Me: Can I just...PAY...for parking?

The parking attendant thinks about this for a moment.

Attendant: Okay, yeah, I guess you could do that too.

So I drive approximately two feet away after paying for parking only to let curiosity get the better of me. I lean my head out the window.

Me: Just out of curiosity, what WAS the password?

Attendant: Twilight.

And somewhere, Stephanie Meyer is laughing.

So once we had paid for parking we wandered around a bit, accidentally got ourselves lost in a creepy medical building, then found the Writer's Faire exhibit and got to our classes on time. All four of the seminars I attended were on screenplay writing, which is what I'm trying to focus on right now in addition to my acting, and most of these mini-classes were about structuring screenplays, creating memorable characters, and having the self-discipline to just stick with the writing and the re-writing of a script.

All in all, a very productive and informative weekend...but also very exhausting. Ugh. I came back to work on Monday already craving another weekend...but at least I've got a three day weekend to look forward to :)