Category: Acting

I'm Ready.

1/30/2013

Since my birthday is in January, I always start my New Year right after. I first rang it on on closing night of my show with oysters and champagne. I can DEFINITELY get used to that. I've decided to take it as a sign of things to come for 2013!

Now it's time to buckle down and use my successes of 2012 to push me even further. 2012 was great to me. I worked harder than ever before and did some amazing projects. Now all I want is MORE MORE MORE!! I'm ready to give it my all to GET it all. I'm ready.

I want to be FEARLESS.

I want to SPARKLE.

I want to SURPRISE everyone, including myself!

I will OWN YOU, 2013!

BRING IT.

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A Crucible

1/15/2013

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Well. That's awkward. It seems I dropped off the face of the earth again. It was for good reasons, though, I promise! December was filled with Our Bar, then the Frameworks 3rd Annual Christmas Show, Christmas itself, and...oh yeah! The show I've been in rehearsals for since just after Thanksgiving.

A Crucible.

No, no. Not the one you read in high school English class. That was THE Crucible. This is A Crucible.

"A CRUCIBLE follows the high school drama club at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as it sets out to stage Arthur Miller's classic play, The Crucible. Conflicts erupt when ideas about sexuality and contemporary performance begin to influence the young actors and their POV about the production. The young women and men, fueled by a passion for black magic and avant garde tropes, stage a coup to build a performance that addresses their own lives. This original play re-appropriates the writing of Arthur Miller, as well as Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol's diaries, John Huston's film The Misfits and other texts. A CRUCIBLE is a darkly comic play about the power and problems of performance."

Between rehearsals and working on my Bah-ston and Barbados accents (yup. That's right. This girl has a KILLER Barbados accent), I kind of let the blog slide. But you forgive me, right? And you're going to come see it, right?

Not Sold yet? How about this great review from nytheatre.com?

OR!

Maybe because nycstagereview called me "poignant"?

PERHAPS!

The fact that Backstage says, "Rebecca Kopec Shines..." THAT'S RIGHT!

THIS FEARLESS SPARKLING SURPRISE SHINES!!

Come on. You know you want to. Five shows left: Wed, Thurs, Fri at 8, Saturday 3 & 8.
GET YO TICKETS!

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Lessons Learned

7/17/2012

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Once upon a time, I decided I was tired of waiting for my dream role to fall at my feet so I collected some crazy talented friends and together we CREATED that dream role. Slowly, but surely, that dream is starting to become a reality. Just last week we posted our first casting notice and the emails started rolling in. In fact, they're STILL rolling in. To tell the truth, it was a bit overwhelming at first, but it's proving to be an incredibly educational experience. Here are some things I've learned so far. Actors, take notice. These little tips could easily make you stand out the next time you submit for a project.

1) HAVE A WEBSITE. I can not stress enough how important this is. Your headshot and resume don't tell me anything about you. Yes, I kind of sort of see how you look and what you've done, but I need to know who you are. I need to know we'll work well together. I'd like to see some other pictures of you that are more than just your headshot! And speaking of more...

2) GET YOURSELF A REEL. I know, I know. You're just starting out, you haven't worked that much, you don't have anything that's good quality, the director of the student film you did never gave you a copy, excuses excuses excuses. Guess what! I don't care! Grab a friend with a camera and film a scene! I just need to see what you look like and what you can do. It doesn't need to be perfect and polished, it just needs to be.

3) WRITE A COVER LETTER. If your email is just blank with nothing but a headshot and resume, I'm gonna pass right over you. It goes back to the first point- I want to see something of your personality. Why do you think you're right for this role?

4) BE GOOGLEABLE. (shhh it's totally a word) Say I have a friend who says to me "Oh! I know an actor that would be perfect for this!" so I go to look you up and....nothing. No website. No IMDB. Maybe facebook, but it's completely protected. I want to know who you are before I reach out to you.

5) HAVE A PROFESSIONAL RESUME. To be honest, I was surprised how little looking at someone's resume meant to me. The first thing I looked at was the headshot. Then, if it was the right look (or on the fence) I checked out the website and reels. The last thing I looked at was the resume and for this particular project, only glanced to see if you had worked with anyone I knew. For the most part, I didn't care how much was on it or how important your roles were. Everyone has to start somewhere. That being said, please make it presentable. You would be surprised at how many resumes looked like they were slapped together at the last minute- things not lining up, weird fonts, etc. That equaled an almost immediate no for me.

6) LOOK AT THE BREAKDOWN. I'm not talking about JUST the physical requirements for the role. Obviously if you don't meet the characteristics described in the breakdown, chances are, you're not going to get called in, but that's your own business. No, what I"m talking about is looking at the dates and times of auditions. Please, don't submit for something if you know for a fact you are busy or out of town during those times! They're in the breakdown for a reason! If you see something you're right for but you can't make it, send your materials and write in your cover letter letting us know you are unable to make those particular auditions but would like to be considered if any dates/times change.

8) RESPOND ASAP. After finally agreeing on 18 lovely women to see...even MORE people submitted. Some of them we really liked and would have loved to have seen, but the emails had already gone out. Perhaps we'll have a second night of auditions, and if so, they'll be at the top of our list. But for now, unfortunately, we just don't have the time to see them. Which is a shame because they could've rocked our socks off!

That's all I've got for now. The auditions are on Wednesday and I can not WAIT. I've never been on this end of things!! I'm sure I will have plenty to share with you regarding my thoughts from the Other Side of the Table.

Have you had any Actor Ah-Ha moments in your life recently?

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How a Concert became a Metaphor for My Life

7/3/2012

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If you receive my email updates, you know that I am kind of in love with a young up and coming musician named Ed Sheeran. (If you aren't receiving my email updates, why not?? They're fun!) I was lucky enough to see him in concert a few weeks ago. He's crazy talented live and while I realized I would have a good time, what I DIDN'T realize was how the entire process of seeing the concert would turn out to be a pretty apt metaphor for my life, particularly in regards to my career.

Bear with me here. I came up with this at 3am and it seemed incredibly deep at the time. Now that I've written it out, it seems a little silly, but I'm sticking by it. Because that's how I do.

Just as I have been inspired by talented actors, writers, and filmmakers which led me to the desire to be an actor myself, I was inspired by Sheeran's talent and desired to see him play live (told you it would be silly). It seemed impossible (tickets were sold out, scalpers were charging 6 times as much on Stubhub (I still don't know how that site is legal), I had no one to go with me), Just like sometimes it seems impossible that I will ever "make it" as an actor (the sheer number of people, the fact that I'm starting out so late in my life, questioning if I'm even good enough, etc).

But I didn't care- I wanted it, so I was going after it. I went to the venue in the hopes that maybe a concert goer would happen to have an extra ticket for me to buy at face value, but it turns out I didn't have to worry about that. They still had $20 tickets at the door- much easier than I expected (and cheaper since there was no ticketmaster fee)!

I have been trying to be more fearless as an actor lately. I have made phone calls to people, asked questions and for help, I've replaced certainty with curiosity (Certainty= "the concert is completely 100% sold out" or "this casting director doesn't have any roles for me". Curiosity = "What happens if I show up at the venue?", "What if the Casting Director's NEXT project has a role I'm right for?") I've been doing all of this and guess what? I'm not dead! Which ALREADY makes it easier than my heart palpitations would have led me to believe. That in and of itself makes it easier than I expected.

When I got to the concert, I looked around and was pretty sure I was the oldest person there that wasn't a parent- which is often how I feel at auditions and classes. But you know what? It didn't matter. I had what I wanted and I had an absolute BLAST. I enjoyed every second of it and gained a deeper respect for him as an artist.

Best Part? All the trouble I went through to get it made it all the better. Look!! I learned a lesson!

So, I guess I have no choice. I gotta keep at it until I make it. Oh, and friends, it will be sweet. I'm excited. :)

Thank you, Ed Sheeran and Bowery Ballroom. You've given me the silliest, yet incredibly apt metaphor ever.

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Gratitude

4/8/2012

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As you may have guessed by now, I, Rebecca Kopec, am an Actor. "WHAT!?!" you may exclaim in shock and horror. "Yes," I will calmly answer. I know it's quite a shock. Who would have ever guessed that this girl who has an entire website devoted to having an acting career would, in fact, be an actor? How strange indeed.

Let me tell you something. It's not the easiest thing in the world. I do it because I love it. It's who I am. If I haven't already, I could go on and on and on about why I am an actor and what it means to me and why I chose this profession and blah blah blah blah blah, but that's a different story for a different day. The thing is, it's a pretty darn tough industry. And the stakes are incredibly high because it means so much to me (heh I originally typed steaks. Maybe it's time for lunch....). When stakes run high, emotions run high. And when emotions are running high, well, the lows can be pretty far down there. I have learned one secret to getting through it, however. Well, ok, it's not THAT big a secret, but it DOES make that big of a difference:

Gratitude.

I've always been a pretty grateful person in general, but recently I've taken the next step up and began a Gratitude/Success journal. Yup. I AM that cheesy and nerdy. Every night before I go to sleep, I try to write something in it, even if it's just one sentence. A lot of the time, I'll write a full entry (What!? Me?? Being Verbose??), but sometimes I'll just simply list the things I'm grateful for.

Even if I'm having an absolutely horrible day with nothing going right whatsoever, I'll find one thing to write down. Then another. Then another. And soon, I can't stop and I can not take the giant smile spread across my face.

There's a lot in my life that could potentially knock me down. Maybe I didn't book a job. Maybe I blew an audition. Maybe my career isn't as far along as I'd like. And those are just the acting-related things! But no matter what may be wrong, there are an infinite number of things that are going right. I have A LOT to be grateful for. I have a pretty damn good life. I won't begin listing all of those things now because I've already written another essay. Plus, I have them all written down in my bright pink journal with a Jane Austen quote on the front ("Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery"- How perfect is that?!!?).

Try it. When you finish reading this (if you finish reading it, I just keep writing more and more words. I promise I'm almost done), think about what you're grateful for. Write it down. And just try to not smile while you do so. I'm pretty sure it's impossible.

But, if for some reason that doesn't work for you, check out this site from BuzzFeed: 13 Simple Steps To Get You Through a Rough Day. And if THAT doesn't work...perhaps it's time to seek professional help. 'Cause that site is made of everything good on the planet.

So how 'bout it? What are you grateful for?

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Finding the Joy in Auditioning

3/12/2012

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Auditioning. Bleah. The bane of every actor’s existence. You get all of 2 minutes to prove that you’re the best one for the role. Sometimes you have to do a monologue that you’ve done and done and done 100 million times and yet somehow have to manage to keep it fresh and new and find new moments and discoveries. Other times, you read from sides you received 5 minutes prior and are trying not to stumble over the words while your shaking hands become quite obvious as the paper in them starts making rustling noises.

Last year I was really lucky. I didn’t have to audition much at all. Every show I did was through references. I felt so powerful because I was constantly working. However, I was also incredibly LAZY. Yes, I was doing shows. But they were all on the same level. I didn’t challenge myself. I didn’t try anything new. Sure, there were a few surprises/exceptions, but even those seemed to fall into my lap. I didn’t work for anything.   While this may sound pretty freaking awesome…I felt cheap. I know what I want, and I know I’m not going to get it just waiting for things to miraculously come to me.

Since it had been so long since I last really auditioned, I was definitely out of my element. My brain wasn’t in it. It was time to seek help.   A producer I had recently worked with along with a woman I had taken a class with once upon a time both independently recommended an upcoming class to me. It was called Audition Psych 101 taught by Michael Kostroff. Now, Mr. Kostroff has quite a few credits to his name, many of them well known. I, however, knew him from Veronica Mars. If you know anything about me, you will know that I was (am) mildly (wildly) obsessed with that show. And Logan Echolls (note: Mr. Kostroff did not play Logan Echolls. Logan was played by the deliciously talented Jason Dohring who will someday fall madly in love with me after he is no longer married. I am no home wrecker). Plus, the class was Pay What You Can, so I figured what the hell?

Man, this class…it really helped put me in the proper mindset. It lasted about 4 hours, but the time flew. I took so many ideas with me and ways to really get in the proper head space for an audition. The most important lesson I took from it, however, was the idea that those 2 minutes in the room may be your only shot to play that particular role that you’re reading for- so perform the hell out of it. Make it count. You may never get the opportunity again.

Last week, I was given the chance to audition for an incredible character. I prepared those sides like nobody’s business. I went into that room ready to read that scene like I was up for a Tony. And you know what? It worked. I got the call back. The next day, I went in and again and made sure I was doing it for me. I was in the moment. I was connecting with my partner. I was feeling all sorts of emotions coming out of nowhere. It was as if it was only my scene partner and I in that room; everyone else fell away. It felt so AMAZING. It was so FREEING. At that moment, I didn’t care if I booked the show or not. For those 2 minutes, I got to be Kris. I got to be disgusted and upset and hurt and angry. And when I finished reading the scene?   I was still shaking and holding back tears. I was truly an actor, not just an insecure girl begging to be cast. I was reminded of why I do this, any of it.

Sadly, I did not get the role. I’d like to say it doesn’t matter, but, well, unfortunately that feeling was so good I wanted to get the chance to perform the other scenes that character is in. As easier as auditioning is becoming, I’m still finding it hard to leave the audition in the room and not take it with me after. The better the audition, the harder it is for me to leave behind. If any fellow actors are reading this and have advice on how to do this, please share! I do know, however, that while I may not have booked the show, I booked the room. If I don’t get this role, it’s not because I wasn’t good enough, it’s because it wasn’t the right fit. Some days it’s easier than others. With this all in mind, I know I’m on the right path. When even auditioning becomes a joy, you know you’ve found the thing you were meant to do your entire life.

Thanks, Michael Kostroff.

Call me, Jason Dohring.

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I'm Ready.

A Crucible

Lessons Learned

How a Concert became a Metaphor for My Life

Gratitude

Finding the Joy in Auditioning

RebeccaKopec

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