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Email Address: _______________________ Phone: _________________________
Fax: _________________________________ Cell: _________________________
Gender: M____ F____ Age: __________
1. Demonstrate to me, with proof, that you deserve to be one of the 8 selected for this elite group of actors. How you do this is up to you but one idea is to write up a brief record of what you have been doing to improve your acting and develop into a professional actor. You could also send a testimonial on dvd to me that tells me about your dream. Maybe a postcard in the mail that shows you standing next to an Oscar. Anyway you want to do it is fine. Just come up with some bright idea that communicates why you should be in the Actor Core Group. (Maybe the god or goddess of acting came to you in a dream! ;-)
If you send an email for this, it is to have the word “Proof” in the subject line. Anything that is mailed by regular mail must arrive at #5-2309 W. 43rd Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V6M 2E4, on or before May 24, 2008. Regular mail from Calgary and Edmonton to Vancouver takes 4-5 working days, so mail it early.
2. Demonstrate to me as best you can that you are willing to practice on three separate days a week for 2 hours consistently for one full year - Christmas holidays exempt and 2 other weeks exempt that must be coordinated with me. A simple Promissory Note will work just fine. This can be in email form with the words “Promissory Note” in the subject line.
You have to report to me by email each week after the initial 5-day boot camp on what work you did on your acting, whom you worked with and how you completed your assignment. These emails will be sent to me every Sunday starting on August 24, 2008 and have the word “Report” in the subject line. You will state to me what days and what hours you practiced. You must have practiced for 2 hours at a time, three days a week. The times and days are flexible, they just have to be completed by the end of the week and reported with detail on what you practiced and with whom you practiced. The minimum of 2 hours for each practice session is to improve your ability to concentrate, one of the major qualities of a lead actor.
3. Write an email to me stating how you will support your fellow actors in the group and what responsibility you will take for the success of EVERYONE in the group, not just yourself. Be prepared to answer questions from me as well about your involvement in this group. Give examples of how you will do this. These communications must be in email form with the words “Group Responsibility” in the subject line. If I do ask you questions, they must be fully answered before May 31, 2008.
This is an essential component of the Actor Core Group. It is vital that all members of this elite acting group support each other and work hard to not only improve their own acting skills but those of the actors in the group. Other essential elements include the communication about acting and the acting business regularly so all of you just take it for granted that your career is that of a professional actor. The power of the group becomes much stronger than the distractions of the day-to-day world you have been living in thus far. Most great actors had this kind of group support when they were studying in New York or London or Los Angeles. It is far more difficult to create this kind of group in Alberta but it can be done and already has been with the first Actor Core Group that began last year in Saskatchewan.
4. You must attend a 5-day SUMMER BOOTCAMP in Calgary that will fully launch the group into its year-long intense training period under my coaching. You will be spending 6 hours a day, during the day, each day on acting in the class. You will also be spending considerable time in the evening on homework. This SUMMER BOOT CAMP will commence on August 11 and complete on August 15. If you have a 'day job', then you must firmly state in writing that you can get the time off for that week. No maybes will be accepted. This is not a bunch of exercises. This is an intense study and practical application of professional acting work. We will cover the complete spectrum from auditioning to working in front of the camera on set as well as a thorough delineation of what your weekly practice sessions will involve and how they will work.
If you are selected for the Actor Core Group, you will be required to purchase the complete package on or before June 16, 2008. The reason for this is I am committing a very large portion of my time and energy to this Group over the next year and your completed purchase will be an equal commitment on your part. Payments can be made by credit card or Interac online through your bank.
5. You cannot be younger than 17 years of age by the end of 2008 - no exceptions.
6. You cannot be older than 100 years of age.
7. You must commit to attending a minimum of 6 workshops over the next year. Local casting directors will be brought in to see your work at 2 of these workshops. This is exclusively for the Actor Core Group - no others will be in attendance at these very special workshops. The dates in 2008 are; October 18/19, December 13/14. In 2009 they are; February 21/22, April 18/19, June 20/21, August 15/16.
You also have the opportunity to attend more of my workshops at a reduced fee of just $150. This offer is only valid for the Actor Core Group for the year that you are part of the group. You can attend any workshop I do in any city I do it in for that greatly reduced fee (usually $250 - $300).
8. You must set yourself up with a computer and webcam by the end of the bootcamp – August 15, 2008 - so that I can personally coach you on all your auditions if I am not in Alberta at the time you need the coaching. No exceptions, you must be coached. I don't care if it's just a one-liner. This is part of raising the bar for all the actors in the Alberta Actor Core Group. This was a very successful action with the original Actor Core Group of 07/08.
9. You must purchase and thoroughly study several acting books as assigned by me. This will involve reading assignments, essays and practical assignments that will take you through a full year. The first assignments will begin before the bootcamp in July of this year with the book “How to Stop Acting” by Harold Guskin. This book must be in your possession by June 9th as that is when your assignments start. If you are accepted into the Actor Core Group you must have this book in your possession on that date. No exceptions. It’s not usually stocked in regular books stores, so you should place your order early.
10. You must be a full time resident of Alberta - one actor will be accepted from out of province, but they must be committed to all the workshops and the boot camp which all take place in Calgary.
You will receive confirmation from our office that your materials have been received. If any questions come up regarding your application, please handle them swiftly as all members will be selected on May 31, 2008.
Those selected will be notified by me personally through email.
Good Luck!
Neil Schell
Actor/Acting Coach/Writer/Director
ActorWorkshops.com