Ever played ‘Trivial Pursuit’? Well, that little hub that holds all the multi-coloured pie pieces is how I view artistry. The context behind this conclusion occurred some years ago when I was feeling a bit burned out creatively.

I was working as an actor, and auditioning, a lot. This, as we all know is a rare and precious occurrence for most actors. And I felt strongly that I wanted to embody my gratitude for my good fortune by continuing energetically in my personal commitment to always ‘bring something to the table’ every day, for every meeting, and in every scene.

But I felt as if I was in a creative chokehold- an inability to keep my artistic voice freely flowing, coupled with an aggressive refusal to refuel through an acting class. The last thing I wanted to do was to be an acting student again. I didn’t and don’t now feel that I’ve learned all there is to learn, but I just wanted to stop, well, talking. Still, the urgency to shine brightly through my work, and words, was not going to diminish.

It occurred to me that if artistry was as this one hub and each art form a separate coloured slice of the pie, then if I were to give myself over the creative process of another discipline, surely, my development in that other would affect the whole. Well, that was the theory in any case. But would it work?

I longed to paint. When I was a teenager I had a sketch book that I was in constant communication with, and filled its pages unselfconsciously with my rendition of wherever I saw beauty. Tiny, perfect pumpkins, clapboard houses, my boyfriend’s feet. When I decided to move to London and become an actor I stopped drawing almost entirely, as if I could not afford to share out any creative focus between two practices. But I did pack my sketchbooks with me and have accumulated many more over the years, their empty pages like a banquet waiting for me to feast. The hunger finally became too much and I found a painting course every other weekend at the City Lit.

When the teacher asked us to state in turn why we were on the course and what we hoped to achieve, I felt immense hope and pleasure in saying, “I’m Tanya and I want to be a better actor.”

That course gave me the opportunity to give myself over to a creative process of which the outcome was entirely inconsequential for me. I watched other students in the group grapple and struggle with higher stakes than mine, art teachers and professionals, needing to advance. For me, if the experiment didn’t work, it didn’t work. At least I had sensuous time of creating, in silence.

It shone a light on how high stake I had always placed in what I was creating in acting. How much I made everything matter. The painting course allowed me to walk a new path of trust and release when I approached my work anew. I learned that trust and release did not mean sloppiness and neglect. I went back to work with more power, but a soft power, a knowing, an acceptance.

My mentor writes, “Art, quite aside from any questions of skill or its lack, is the emotion, the pleasure of expressing one’s life exactly as it is. Art possesses a universal quality. It possesses a life force similar to that of nature itself.” –Daisaku Ikeda

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Head Casting Director, Amy Reece at The Network Studio.  Amy works at Perry/Reece Casting.  This busy office casts MOW for the Hallmark Channel.

Amy was really great.  She talked about how she started off as an actor and then broke down the process for auditioning for MOW’s in her office. She said that often times, you may be auditioning for one role, but because they cast several projects at once, you may be considered or even cast for another role in another film!

Afterwards she passed out sides from various she has cast for a cold reading exercise. My scene was from the “Love Comes Softly” Series.  Sadly, my scene was short, only 2 pages compared to may other longer scenes in the class.  But I am familiar with the first film in the “Love Comes Softly” Series, so I felt good about my scene.  I just hope that Amy keeps me in mind for future projects!

It’s 6am on a Monday.

I was woken up by our carbon monoxide alarm. That’s correct. The alarm that beeps if you have dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. You should get one.

I’m not sure if ours is working. It’s beeping, but not at the rapid rate it is supposed to beep at if there is immediate danger. I unplugged it and opened some windows. Hopefully I won’t die.

I figured this would be the perfect time to introduce the first couple months I spent in Los Angeles without a job or place to live…

I spent the summer with my mom in Europe and Israel. We’re Israeli, so that should explain the Israel part of the trip to you. It was incredible. I rode a bike and there were no bombings. It was safer than LA.

Our trip home took about 30 some hours. We flew from Tel Aviv to Paris around 1am.. waited about 8 hours in Charles de Gaulle.. then flew from Paris to New Jersey.. had a delayed flight… and finally made it to Santa Ana around 11pm. That’s what happens when you book your flight late and refuse to pay too much.

The next morning was my first day in Howard Fine’s Comprehensive Technique class in Hollywood. Class begun at 10am, which meant I had to leave Orange County around 6 to beat the traffic. Somehow I made it.

I was terrified about finding the right acting studio in Los Angeles. Somehow the first studio I tried turned out to be the most incredible place to study. I’ve been promoting Howard Fine shamelessly. He truly knows how to communicate with students. He’s concise. He says only what is necessary and is completely honest in his critiques. Aside from that, he has a love for the theatre. I never thought I would find a place that promotes live theatre in Los Angeles.

The studio was an oasis for me in LA, especially as I spent the rest of my time there searching for a job as a server. I never noticed the recession until I had to walk the streets in heels for two months handing my resume to every food establishment in this city. Every employee that greeted me looked at me with pity and secret jubilation that they were not in my position. No one was hiring. I heard horror stories about thirty people showing up to interview for one opening. I thought I might make it as a working actor before I got a job serving.

If you’re planning on moving to LA in the near future, be prepared for the blisters. Have some extra money, of course, but have a hell of a lot of band-aids as well. You will have to quite literally pound the pavement in this town. Once you find a parking spot, you won’t want to move your car for the day. If you’re doing your search in heels, you’ll begin to think you’re a dancer when you look at your feet at the end of the day. The one day I finally got an interview at a restaurant I had three blisters on my toes that just happened to pop a few feet away from the restaurant. I thought I had stepped in a puddle.

Yes, it is disgusting.

I got the job, though. Somehow I got a job.

- Jordan.

I missed class last Tuesday because of a rehearsal for “A Simple Conversation”, so I made up my on camera class on Thursday.  My scene was from “CSI New York”.   

I have been really overwhelmed for a couple weeks now:  rehearsals for the AFI Film, 2 days of filming, moving to a new apartment, finishing up my job at AIA Studios, and starting a new job as an apartment manager.  I prepared my scene for class, but I have to admit, I did not have the time to work on it as much as I usually like to.  So when it was time for me to work on my scene in class, I was a little nervous.  But overall, it went well.  I tripped on  a couple lines, but I just kept going. 

I really enjoy my craft and will look forward to my next scene in class.

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Freddy Luis at AIA Actors Studio. Freddy is a Casting Director at Engine Media Group, a big office casting office.   Freddy gave us great tips for auditioning.  He said that an actor should always know who is going to be in the audition room.  If the writer is going to be in the room, do not change a thing.  And always be confident with your choices.

Afterwards Freddy passed out sides from films he has cast.  I was given tough sides from a Sci-Fi Film where I played a character who was visually half a 60-year-old man and half 20-year-old woman and speaks like a 60-year-old man. This character is a manifestation of the imagination of the main character.  In this scene I was also threatening the main character. Freddy said to be confident with our choices, so  I just went for it.  Hopefully I made a good first impression!

Tonight I returned to class with my comedic scene from “The Class”.  I was excited.  This was a fun scene to work on.  My character, Nicole, has just run into her old flame.  The problem, she is a unhappily married woman now. 

I really enjoy working on comedy.  Christinna has been pulling a lot of great comedy scenes for me to work on.  I want o perfect my comedic skills and I hope to work professionally in a great comedy someday.

Tonight I attended the second week of “Adjusting your Audition for Different Genres” with Casting Director, Kendra Castleberry, at AIA Actors Studio.  

This week:  The Procedural.  I was given sides from “Castle” and asked to read for the part of Detective Beckett.  I love the show “Castle” and was glad to see that I was not only reading sides from the show, but they were also sides from an episode that I have not seen yet.  The last thing you want as an actor is someone else’s rendition of a scene running through your head.  So, I was able to make it my own and I received some nice feedback from Kendra.

After a short hiatus for my European Vacation, I returned to my weekly acting class with Christinna Chauncey.  It felt to great to be back, even though there were a lot of unfamiliar faces in class.   

Christinna alway pulls the best scenes for me!  The characters she gives me are the types of roles I would be called in to audition for.  Tonight she did not disappoint and I was given a great scene from “CSI: NY”.   The character: Summer Hamilton, a high spirited, blonde chatterbox from Idaho. Summer is a new applicant to the program who has been sent over to the crime scene to meet Detective Mac Taylor.

Next week I will return to class for the “call back”, using the same scene, dressed appropriately for the character.

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Tara Tracey at AIA Actors Studio.  Tara is the Casting Associate at Valko/Miller Casting, a huge Casting Office.  This busy office casts great comedies such as “Two and a Half Men”, “The Big Bang Theory” and “Hank” as well as “Sons of Tuscan” and “The Secret Life of an American Teen”.

Tara was so sweet.  A Midwest girl as well, I immediatley felt like someone I could be friends with.  Tara talked about the different casting process for each show.  She also gave encouraging news, that co-star roles and under 5’s are often cast from actors who she has met at workshop! 

Tara passed out sides from “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory”.  I was given funny sides from an episode of “Two and a Half Men”.   I played one of Charlie’s “latest conquests”, a starstruck girl who happens to work in Allen’s office.  Comedy ensues.  My scene partner and I received some laughs and Tara told us that we would go “straight to make up”.  Yay! 

Thanks to Tara Tracey for teaching on a Friday night!

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Kendra Castleberry at AIA Actors Studio.  Kendra casts “Castle”, a show I like a lot, in Donna Rosenstein’s Office.

Kendra’s workshop is in entitled “Adjusting your Audition for Different Genres”.  This will be a 3 week workshop. 

This week: The Dramity.  I was given sides from “October Road”, a show that Kendra previously cast.  I played a guest star named “Melanie”.  This was a great scene and I got some laughs, which is always a good sign!

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Commercial CD Megan Foley. The workshop was at AIA Actors Studio in Burbank.

I auditioned, and was called back for, a Clairitin Commercial that Megan cast over a year ago, but have not auditioned for her since.  So I was really looking forward to meeting Megan again. 

Megan was all about the Q&A’s, and since there were various level of actors in the workshop, there were many questions that were answered.  Megan’s tips for commercial audition was to always “pick 3 different ways of saying a line” and “think about saying it to 3 different people in your life”. 

Megan passed out a series of commercial lines from an Acura commercial and each person in the class was asked to choose one line and prepare it 3 different ways.   I chose the line ”They give excellent service and after the repair someone always calls to ask me how the service went.” My characters: a casual friendly woman, a valley girl and a “Desperate Housewives” gossip.   When Megan told me I had a Bree kind of feel, I knew I hit the nail on the head!

Thanks to Megan for teaching and answering so many questions!

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Jennifer Lurey at AIA Actors Studio.  Jennifer is the casting associate at Paul Weber Casting.  This busy office casts for the Stargate franchise as well as a number of Movie of the Weeks.

Jennifer passed out sides from Stargate Atlantis, and a couple MOW’s she has cast for a cold reading exercise.  My scene was from “Stargate”  I read for a character named “Carter”. 

I had a good scene and I felt good about the workshop!

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Commercial CD Beth Holmes. The workshop was at AIA Actors Studio in Burbank.

I audition often commercially, but I have never auditioned for Beth, so I was really looking forward to this workshop.  Beth was great.  Very laid back.  She told us that she had started off as an actor but realized that it wasn’t really her passion.  She had gone to graduate school for theater, but ended up getting her first job in casting through this experience.  Now Beth casts comedic commercials.  Recently she has also opened up her office for theatrical work and cast a pilot.  

Beth passed out sides from various commercials she has cast for a cold reading exercise.  I was paired with another woman in class and was given commercial copy from a McDonald commercial. It was a quirky kind of commercial and I felt really good about my reading. 

Thanks Beth for sharing your expertise!

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Stacey Rosen at AIA Actors Studio.

Stacey casts the majority of Movies of the Week (MOW) in this Industry.  Many of the films that she casts are seen on the Lifetime and Hallmark Channels.  It was fascinating to hear her journey as a casting director.  And she really broke down step by step what the audition process is like in her office and her likes/dislikes when it comes to actors. Very helpful and interesting.

Stacey was very prepared and had prepped sides for each actor prior to arriving to class.  Each scene was from a MOW she had cast.  I was given a scene from a MOW based on a true story.  In the scene, the character is talking to a therapist about a terrible event that she recently endured. Stacy did not pair us with a partner, instead she read with each actor, just as she would in a casting session.  I received very good feedback from Stacey.  She gave me a couple notes and redirected me for the “second take” and I felt even better about my performance.

I wasn’t going to stay for class because I was feeling SO jet lagged (it was my first day back), but I am so glad that I pushed through it.  Stacey was so informative and I felt great about my scene.  What a nice evening.

Last night I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Dylann Brander at AIA Actors Studio.  Dylann casts two great shows, ”Hawthorne” and “The Cleaner”.

Dylann is awesome.  She made me laugh and I liked her right away.   After Q&A’s, Dylann passed out sides from both shows she casts for a cold reading exercise.  I was given a great scene from “Hawthorne”.  I read for a character named Candy, a nurse with a big heart.  My scene partner and I did well our first read and Dylann did not re-direct us.

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Sunny Boling of Morman/Boling Casting at AIA Actors Studio.

I really liked Sunny right away.  She really enjoys her job and is really funny.  Sunny has been casting for 10 years and formed Morman/Boling Casting with her friend Meg Morman 5 years ago.  

Sunny passed out sides from various film and television projects for a cold reading exercise.  I was given a quirky sitcom scene from an unnamed show.  I’ve been working on my comedy skills and this character was a great character for me . My scene partner and I got a lot of laughs from the audience.  I even heard Sunny laugh out loud, which is a really good sign!

What a great evening.  Thanks to Sunny for braving awful traffic and teaching at AIA!

Steve Anderson

The Open Studio for Actors, a new actor training series under the direction of Steve Anderson, announces Open Studio Sessions for Actors. The goal of the open studio is to provide a safe, creative, and empowering atmosphere for actors who wish to explore their potential without a major time or financial commitment.

There is no advance registration for the open studios; actors simply show up and pay for each individual session. Each open studio session will include relaxation, kinesthetic awareness, and various exercises designed to give the actor the tools to layer sense of stillness, focus, place, relationship, character, impulse, and intention-driven action.

Actors are encouraged to bring scenes or monologues to work on.

Steve Anderson earned his MFA in Acting in 1991 and has been teaching and directing ever since. He has worked with actors from the beginner to the Broadway pro and is consistently regarded as a gifted acting teacher. For testimonials and more detailed information, please visit www.steveandersonacting.com.

WHAT: Open Studio Sessions for Actors

WHEN: Monday evenings in Sept., beginning Monday, September 7 from 6-8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Artfare,  55 N. 6th Avenue, Tucson – 3rd floor

FEE/REGISTRATION: $10.00. No advance payment or registration
required. Simply pay at the door. Credit cards are not accepted.

WHAT TO BRING: Bottled water, towel, scenes and/or monologues to work on

QUESTIONS: Contact Steve through www.steveandersonacting.com or call
him at 520.981.0145.

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Erica Silverman, Casting Associate at April Webster Casting.  April Webster’s office casts a number of successful TV shows and movies such as LOST, Criminal Minds, Fringe and the new Star Trek Movie.  Erica works specifically on Criminal Minds. 

Erica was so sweet.  Prior the class she chatted with me and my fellow co-workers at AIA.  When class started Erica passed out sides from various projects that she has cast.  I was given a mother/daughter scene from a Indie Film.  It was a dramatic piece with a lot of tension between the two characters.    I felt like my scene partner and I gave a really good cold-reading. 

Erica also gave a bunch of great tips for audition for Criminal Minds.  She said that they have anywhere between 8 and 25 co-star and guest star roles to fill AN EPISODE!.  Wow!  I hope that I will have a chance to audition for Erica sometime in the future!

“The Academy is a door into a wonderful community of actors who truly, wholeheartedly love what they do, and I am honored to be a part of it.” -Chris Pine

ABOUT THE ACADEMY: By Jeanie Hackett, Artistic and Academy Director

At Antaeus, we believe mastering the acting challenges of great classics takes a lifetime. And we believe that wanting to take on these challenges is what makes for great acting. Here, we’re constantly putting young artists-in-training together with seasoned professionals — in the classroom, in readings, workshops and in full productions. So that skills, work ethics, inspiration are not just taught but ‘passed down.’

At Antaeus, you learn through study and by osmosis from some of the most talented and acclaimed actors and directors in the country, as you take part in a program that makes the utmost demands on your instrument: voice, body, intellect and talent. Antaeus is a company of artists who share your passion for great acting, great language, great human stories. The exhilaration of this lifelong collaboration—artist to text, artist to process, artist to artist – is what informs our productions and feeds our hunger for exploration and theatrical truth. It’s why an ongoing ensemble company can make theater that can thrill audiences– and maybe even make a difference in the world.

“Taking classes at Antaeus has been an incredibly illuminating and fruitful experience for me. The unique thing about the Academy that I feel is lacking in other courses in this town, or anywhere for that matter, is the inspirational way we are encouraged to look at the text and our characters. Antaeus does not produce “cookie-cutter” actors but inspires us all to think outside the box and really home in our unique selves, which then creates unique characters and a truly spectacular result, which is captivating theatre.” -Rebecca Mozo

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
Academy training programs are for established professionals and upcoming, early-career actors. Our ability to give students the opportunity to explore complex texts in front of an exciting array of esteemed actors, directors, and instructors makes us unique among Los Angeles acting schools. Created in part so that we could get to know the work of younger actors for company projects, actors in Academy workshops become a part of a community of artists who cultivate and nourish a passion for the greatest (scripted!) hits of all time.

Our astonishing roster of ongoing Academy guest moderators includes some of the finest actors, directors and acting teachers in the country: Annette Bening, Alfred Molina, Daniel Sullivan, Stefan Novinski, Kate Burton, Jonathan Lynn, Tom Moore, Jessica Kubzansky, Dakin Mattews, Brendon Fox, Art Manke, Bart DeLorenzo, Gordon Hunt, Austin Pendleton, Nike Doukas, Olympia Dukakis, Susan Sullivan, Michael Hackett, Barnet Kellman, Sheldon Epps, Andy Robinson, Stephen Wadsworth, Mark Rucker, Simon Levy, Jeanie Hackett, Susan Sullivan, Andrew Barnicle, Jeffrey Nordling, Arye Gross, Armin Shimerman, Jean Louis Rodrigue, Rowena Balos, Stephen Collins, Alan Mandell, Stephanie Shroyer, Blythe Danner and Gregory Itzin among many others are regular guests in our scene study and Shakespeare classes.

We believe that working on great material with a variety of experienced teachers is the best way to create dynamic, flexible actors who can excel, inspire, and amaze, whether working on stage, or in film or television. Actors coming to the classics for the first time have the opportunity to become familiar and comfortable with a wide range of dramatic literature and acting styles. Well-trained actors coming to us from graduate programs have the invaluable experience of testing their technique against real-world scenarios: multiple points-of-view, methods — and directors. Thus, the workshops provide both a safe and supportive atmosphere and one that mirrors the realities of the professional world where actors are called upon to adapt to many different styles and ways of working over the course of a career.

Most Academy workshops culminate in invited presentations of scene work for the company; in doing so we hope to foster a community of artists who share a common artistic language as well as a dedication to a company spirit of working together to create vibrant, moving, entertaining theater.

“The space, the people, the instructors made it so that I dared take my acting to higher levels and push myself to the limit. It made me feel like an actor again – not an auditioner, which is how LA sometimes makes you feel.” — Kristin Proctor Campbell

CLASSES OFFERED

CLASSICAL STYLES
A fourteen-week scene study class for actors from 18 to 35 years old. Each four-week segment focuses on a different aspect of classical theater, including modern classics. In the Fall, each month is divided into Shakespeare, the Greeks, and work on Shaw, Wilde and Coward. The Spring session covers Chekhov, Ibsen and Strindberg, American Classics, and Moliere and Restoration Comedy. Jeanie Hackett (actress, teacher, and author of The Actor’s Chekhov and Towards Mastery) is the principal moderator with a variety of guest moderators leading the class every other week.

Class Details & Requirements
Classical Styles meets Tuesday evenings from 7 -11 pm and culminates in a scene presentation open to Antaeus members and invited guests. Students are eligible for casting in Antaeus Company readings, projects, and productions, and the presentation is the primary way Company members get to know students and their work. 24 – 26 students participate in each session, students do at least three new scenes and two reworks over the three month period. Admission by audition only. We look for strong, classically trained actors, as well as younger actors who show genuine potential for meeting the challenges presented by classical texts.

“One of the best parts of Antaeus is that the class leads to a performance. You get the excitement of moving towards something.” –Ryan Spahn

SHAKESPEARE WORKOUT
Experience the challenges and rewards of playing Shakespeare in sessions moderated by a rotating group of L.A.’s top actors, directors and acting teachers. An ongoing, year-round program, SW features a different guest moderator every month.

Class Details & Requirements
Open to actors of all ages and levels of experience, the workout focuses on text analysis, monologue and scene work. Open to actors in of any age with the discipline and potential skills for classical work. This workshop meets Tuesdays from 2 – 5 pm for twelve (12) weeks. Actors new to the workshop commit to an initial 12-week session; returning actors may join the workshop on by the month. We are looking for actors of any age eager to learn or re-discover the skills required for dealing with Shakespeare’s text.

INTENSIVE IMMERSION
These workshops focus on a single playwright, style, or acting technique, are led by a master teacher and culminate in a presentation for Antaeus Company members and guests. In the past, these workshops have included Dakin Matthews’ Intensive Immersion in Shakespeare and John Achorn’s master class in Commedia dell’Arte. Future Intensive Immersions may include a workshop in myth and mask work led by Andy Robinson, a Russian Theater/Chekhov Immersion led by Jeanie Hackett, and a Language in Shakespeare workshop led by Gregory Itzin and/or Alfred Molina.

Class Details & Requirements
These two-weekend long workshops are open to actors with extensive experience in classical theater, and by audition to actors who have completed Classical Styles. Actors recommended by Company members will be accepted without audition. Workshop fees vary according to program and length.

This morning I attended a Hosting Intensive with Casting Director Kat Raphael.  The Workshop was AIA Actors Studio.

In the workshop Kat covered the basics of hosting: the responsibilities of a host, finding your expertise, and incorporating this expertise into promoting yourself.  We were also given time to to prepare a 30 second pitch for ourselves explaining what we felt our brand represents, and what we uniquely brought to the table.  Last we worked on camera in a mock casting session.  Afterwards Kat gave us notes about our pitches. 

This class was very interesting and eye-opening.  I would love to host a show on a great  on a network such as TLC or HGTV.  Also, after walking around on the Entertainment Tonight set, I can help but daydream of the day I might work as a correspondent for ET.  Let’s see what my future holds

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Pam Dixon, CSA Vice President and top film casting director.

Pam is casting the new “Green Lantern” as well as several other feature films.  I liked Pam, she loves what she does, and casts both independently and for a company called.  She is also very maternal. 

Pam was so busy in casting today that she asked if AIA would provide sides for her class. I was paired with another guy in the class and was given a comedic scene.  I feel pretty confident about my comedic skills and was excited about the scene.  Though my scene partner just didn’t seem that into the scene. In our first performance for Pam, that pacing was really off and way too slow. Pam gave some notes and we were given another chance.  I can only worry about my own performance, so I took her notes.  The second time the scene was much better, but I still don’t think it was where it needed to be.  It was disappointing.  But that’s the way things go sometimes at these casting director workshops.  You’ve got to take the bad with the good.

Overall, it went fine.  But I know that when Pam teaches again at AIA, I will surely take her class again to show her my skills as an actress.

60-year-old Lynette Alice “Squeaky” Fromme was released from prison today after serving over 30 years for the attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford in September 2005. Wearing a red robe, and brandishing a semiautomatic .45-caliber gun, she was wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents before she could fire. At the time of her sentencing she was the very first person sentenced under a new special federal law dictating a life sentence for assaults on U.S. presidents. The statute was enacted after the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She was granted parole in July of 2008, but because she had escaped a West Virginia women’s prison in 1987 (and captured 2 days later about 2 miles away trying to be near Charles Manson whom she heard was dying), additional time was tacked on and she wasn’t released until today. “Squeaky” Fromme had been a member of the Charles Manson “family” where she was given her nickname probably because of her voice. She was deemed a “model inmate” by prison officials in 1978, and was moved from West Virginia to a prison in Pleasanton, California, but was sent back to the West Virginia prison when she hit another inmate with a hammer while gardening on the prison grounds.

As a young girl in the late 1950s, Fromme was a dancer in a square-dance group called the Westchester Lariats, who appeared occasionally on “The Lawrence Welk Show” in 1955 and toured the United States and Europe. She attended Orville Wright Junior High School, was A and B student, and actually befriended the late comic Phil Hartman (News Radio, Saturday Night Live) and the two took an acting class together! Mr. Hartman once described Fromme as “very sweet, very shy.”

(Sources:  Associated Press;  The Internet Movie Database; Rottentomatoes.com; and TRUE CRIME: The Very Strange Story of Squeaky Fromme by Kara Kovalchik)

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Michael Testa of Shaner/Testa Casting.

Michael casts for the hit show “Cold Case”.  And it has been my goal to audition for a co-star or guest-star role on ”Cold Case” for 2 years now.  So I was excited to meet Michael at AIA.

I could tell that Michael really enjoys his work on “Cold Case”.  He also casts a number of independent features and passed out sides for a mock casting.  The sides were tough for a cold reading, meaning each of us was given about 10 minutes to look over the sides before our performance, but I gave it my best and was actually “cast” in my group.  Yay!

Let’s hope that I get that big auditon sometime this year.  I would love to play a murder victim!