I LOVED that show as a kid and I even learned how to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in their made-up language Ubbi Dubbi. (Twubbinkubble, Twubbinkubble, Lubbittubble Stubbar...)

Now, however, the Zoom everyone is talking about is an online app that is connecting people who are stuck in isolation in order to flatten the curve for COVID-19. I'm amazed at how easy it is to use and how well it works. You just click on the link I send you, follow the instructions and you can join us for our first acting class in this strange new way of being in the world.

I did a quick survey on Facebook and a LOT of folks responded, so I bit the proverbial bullet and created a Zoom hangout so we can all get together and keep working during this slowdown. I had my first Zoom session with John Taber, a talented young actor who has been doing private coaching with me online, and it went really well. 

Look for another email on Tuesday morning, March 31, with more details, but if you aren't on my email list, just use the information below to get signed into the Zoom meeting. (Note that I am using a password for this meeting. If you want to forward this to anyone, please feel free to do so and include all of this information.)

Wayne Pyle is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Wayne Pyle's Ongoing Zoom Acting Class
Time: Mar 31, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/291116297?pwd=R1hFYmV5Uk5KSHM5bzRXdWEwTDZmdz09

Meeting ID: 291 116 297
Password: 090379

There is NO CHARGE for joining us on Tuesday evenings and no obligation to participate if you do. You can just come and hang out and listen if you'd like. Seriously. I know everyone is struggling right now and I want to make sure we keep working so we're ready when things start up again. 

If, however, you would like to make a donation through Venmo or PayPal we will certainly accept anything you're able to contribute to keep us going. You can find me on Venmo at Wayne Pyle or on PayPal through my email address wayne.pyle@gmail.com

I am also still offering private coaching through Zoom or Skype for the usual $65/hour. We can work on acting either technique or the business, prep a monologue, work on your reels or voice over or talk about how you can prepare for when auditions start up again, pretty much everything we could do in the studio. You can still book private coaching through my booking app by CLICKING THIS LINK.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday evening.
​Stay well! 

Hello, Hudson Valley Actors.

I hope this post finds you all healthy and in a good frame of mind. We do have confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Paltz. Please heed the calls for social distancing, hand washing and staying inside as much as you can. 

For the near future it looks like we will not be having any classes at The Carriage House in New Paltz. I am working on projects we can do together to make this time productive and as stress-less as possible. Heidi and I have no work and minimal income since film and tv production have shut down and I'm sure a LOT of you are in the same predicament. If anyone would like to talk for any reason, please shoot me a text to (917) 655-5853, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

I posted several videos last week, but they understandably got very little response, so I wanted to post them here just in case they got lost in your email. I've been trying to use an email program called MailChimp, but I'm afraid my posts may be going into your Spam folders. Please check on that for me and make sure you add me to your address book.

​Crystal Tweed did an excellent job with the first online VO GYMDO challenge. Listen to her recording below.

John Taber and I had our first online Skype private acting coaching session. He did an EXCELLENT JOB working through a scene we are going to shoot with him and Willoughby when all of this social distancing is in the past. Here's a screen shot of our session. I wrote this scene for him and Willoughby based on an event that happened to Willoughby in Summer Camp last summer. We also went through some improv games and acting exercises all while staying at home! If you're interested in online private acting coaching, drop me a line at wayne.pyle@gmail.com!

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay informed. Keep me posted and let me know if you NEED ANYTHING and I will do what I can to help. We will get through this!

Much love, 

​Wayne

Greetings Hudson Valley Actors!

We are working on positivity during this challenging time and ways to keep stimulated financially, intellectually and creatively.

Heidi Eklund of Hudson Valley Casting is offering affordable Virtual Private Coaching and Consultation for Actors during this brief pause.

Now is the time to get things ready for when we can get out there and make communal art again. Films are still prepping and work will be coming soon.

Click THIS LINK to find a session that works for you.
______________________________________________________________
​VOICEOVER AUDITION NOTICE
Seeking Fluent Latina (F) Spanish Speaking VO artists
Seeking Fluent (F) GERMAN Speaking VO artists
Seeking Fluent (F) FRENCH Speaking VO artists
Seeking Fluent (F) DUTCH Speaking VO artists
30-60 years old
Location of recording: IN PERSON in the Hudson Valley Region of NY (Self-Report)
Type of recording: Pharmaceutical
Rate: $600 NON-UNION (full buyout, unlimited usage)
Dates: TBD
Date of this posing: 3/12/2020
30-60 years old
Location of recording: IN PERSON in the Hudson Valley Region of NY (Self-Report)
Type of recording: Pharmaceutical
Rate: $600 NON-UNION
Dates: TBD
CLICK ON THE Link FOR SUBMISSION INFORMATION
http://www.hudsonvalleycasting.com/…/fluent-spanish-female-…

Although things have definitely slowed down due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, we are still holding class and having private coaching sessions.

Our ongoing Monday night VO GYMDO (like a karate dojo for voiceover) had no students so I made a quick video about different types of microphones you can use for voiceover and what each of them sounds like. As you'll hear in the video, some options are much better than others. If you'd like to join us for the VO GYMDO, it's only $20/session.

In the Tuesday night Ongoing Advanced Scene Study class we had a discussion about auditioning nerves and ways we could be even more prepared for auditions. My recommendation is to keep focusing on how you want to "change the other person" in the scene and working deeply on SPECIFICITY and SUBTEXT to keep the moments alive. By working on how you are trying to change the other person, you can trick your brain into forgetting that you are acting or doing something to be nervous about, and instead get it to focus on the task at hand. We discussed ways to find the subtext by really looking at the given imaginary circumstances and using our "AS IF" to find ways of giving those moments authenticity.

We then worked on each scene and tried to work on our stillness and tempo during the scenes. You can check out what we did in class BY CLICKING THIS LINK.

We will be having THE CAPTURES METHOD 101 class tomorrow night from 6:30-7:30 pm. It's going to be another drop-in class where we'll explore acting games and exercises that examine the elements of The Captures Method in more detail. It's only $20/session for this fun ongoing class here at WPAC.

Please keep us posted on your activities while we wait out this pandemic. If you'd like to schedule a SKYPE/FACETIME private coaching session in the meantime, you can schedule one through my booking site by CLICKING THIS LINK.

​How do we JUST engage and be authentic and JUST DO IT?

This is what we are exploring in ADVANCED ONGOING SCENE STUDY for FILM & TV. How can we get to where we just engage in an authentic way? How do we get out of our own way and do the GOOD ACTING or even the GREAT ACTING?

Some of the ways that we can do this is to make sure we've really looked at all of the given imaginary circumstances (specifics) and ENGAGE with them in an IMAGINATIVE way without over-thinking.

Some other questions worth considering:

• Who would you like to worth with?
• What challenges you?
• Where would you like to be in 5 years in your acting career?
• When will you give up fear and ENGAGE with AUTHENTICITY?
• Why are you doing this (any of this)? (Having a REASON why can really propel you and a character forward.)
• How can you be more open, vulnerable and engaging? How can you CAPTURE our attention?

Also...be kind.

Here is the link to your files from class:  ADVANCED ONGOING SCENE STUDY

President's Day is the time for SALES, SALES, SALES! So we decided to record a few President's Day sales VO commercials in the VO GYMDO last night. The copy was tough and it was fast! We worked on our katas, got our tongues and brains up to speed and stepped up to the mic to give the President's Day copy our best shot.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE PRESIDENT'S DAY FILES

We also gave out our FIRST LEVEL ribbons! As you progress through the VO GYMDO you can earn higher level ribbons until you become a BLACK RIBBON in VO GYMDO.
​
Here's a photo of the smiling LEVEL ONE group from last night.

What an exciting two days we've had at WPAC!

The VO GYMDO is in full swing and we have about 10-15 actors at VO GYMDO LEVEL ONE status! We'll be doing a pinning ceremony when the ribbons arrive in a week or so.

Just like a karate dojo, as you progress with your VO katas, you'll do a shia test (a test to move to the next level) and get a different colored ribbon for each level. Eventually you can become a VO GYMDO blackbelt in VO.

​Everyone had a great time recording a PSA for Coats for Kids and a commercial for SUPERCUTS. You can listen to all of your files from the VO GYMDO by CLICKING THIS LINK.

Please remember to download your files onto your devices ASAP so that I can clear the servers. We're getting quite crowded on our Google drive right now.

The AUDITION MASTERY INTENSIVE for January 2020 is now COMPLETE! These folks pictured above did an awesome job. Their self-tapes were submitted on time and they used all of their resources to get themselves submitted. That already puts them above a group of actors who can't even seem to get their self-tapes turned in.

We worked on our acting and auditioning skills in class, talking about ways to stand out to a casting director, how to prep an audition script and how to enter and exit the room for an audition with a casting director.

Heidi Eklund, casting director of Hudson Valley Casting, watched the actors and gave feedback for each of their in-room auditions. She was very impressed with the enthusiasm everyone brought into the room.

We threw a few trip ups into the mix and occasionally asked folks to do a cold reading script to see how they did. The results of not having "line pressure" for the cold reads showed us how we have to let go of "line pressure" either by being completely memorized or by making sure we can easily reference the script during the audition in order to give us the best chance at acting the scene.

I think if you look through the audition tapes and compare the self-tapes to the improvements made "in-the-room" you'll see a big change. Now the trick is to get your self-tape auditions to look as professional as possible. Refer to your Audition Mastery Self-tape Checklists often!

HERE IS A LINK TO YOUR FILES

For those of you who missed out on the Audition Mastery Intensive, but are interested in brushing up on your audition skills before your next audition, drop me a line at wayne.pyle@gmail.com and I'll send you the information for the next intensive.

Very impressive work, everyone! Please keep me posted about your auditions and how they go.

WP