First Breath Speech by Speak Well US - Better Voice Better Life Lauren Lovett

We’re wrapping up our 6 month season and taking a little break to circle the wagons and cook up an even better show for you!
 
Jenny Walters is back and we’re talking about walking through your daily life and finding what is nourishing to you and what is depleting -- and as usual I want you to check in with your breath!
 
The Somatic Experiencing author Jenny mentions is Peter Levine (http://www.traumahealing.org/peter-a-levine-phd.php)
 
Don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list on the website (www.firstbreathspeech.com)

We will miss you -- but you’re going to be on our minds and in our hearts! See you soon!

Books:
Actor-y
An Actor Prepares (Stanislavski) - tried and true about how NOT to act in novel form
The Second Circle (Rodenburg) - prior recommend - about acting, being present and harnessing your life-force for good!
Acting In Film (Caine) - it’s a quick read and some if it seems a bit trickster-like, but it’s a unique point of view about film acting from one who has been doing it for decades.
 
Human-y (modern classics)
The Alchemist (Coelho) - if you haven’t read this yet, please do… now, please!
The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) - if you just skimmed this in middle or high school, go back and read it - great seamless example of transparent inner life.
To Kill A Mockingbird (Lee) - story about prejudice vs. compassion - go back and read it!
 
(front list-ish)
Between the World and Me (Coates) - OK I haven’t read this yet, but it’s on my nightstand and the reviews are nuts! Conceived in letter form from the author to his son.
A Little Life (Yanagihara) - I’m not gonna lie, this book is loooong but the writing is acute and one of the 4 main characters is a actor. Takes place in NYC over several decades. If you have the time and the bandwidth for sadness, it’s a great read.
Girl on the Train (Hawkins) - This was the big thriller hit last year and of course they are making the movie as we speak. Can you say unreliable narrator? (I knew you could).
 
Ted Talks:
Researcher Brene Brown in her now infamous talk about vulnerability
https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability
Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor - about the stroke she had in her 30’s which transformed her understanding of existence
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight
Dan Pallotta’s most recent about humanity and dreaming together
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_dream_we_haven_t_dared_to_dream
 
Classes in LA:
Jamison Jones Acting Studio -- just moved to Burbank
The masterclass is an ongoing scene study class Monday nights from 7-11 in Burbank (across the street from Argentum photolab)
Grand Opening for the Burbank space on May 14th at 4pm and on May 19th at 7pm there is a FREE Open class
It's a class about finding your power as an an actor and honing your skill and unique sensibility. It's also about pointing out your weaknesses and your actor ticks and tells and getting rid of them, it's about awareness and specificity and being able to walk in the audition room or onset or stage with your most confident self, with your work prepared and complete.
Email: jonesactingstudio@gmail.com
 
Art of Acting 5-week Shakespeare Intensive
5 weeks, 20 hours per week, 10 of which will be in rehearsal for a play -- by WS!
If you mention my name, you’ll get a 50% discount!
http://www.artofactingstudio.com/classes/shakespeare-intensive/



Audition Class with me - Breathe -- stop choking!
Two Saturdays per month in June, July and August, I will be giving an audition class around breathing. We’ll focus on scenes or speeches you would be preparing for auditions and how to breathe through them (and not hold your breath) so you can stay connected to the inner life of the character and to your scene partner/reader. Come once -- come again.
We will work with whatever you got and make it better! Space TBA in Burbank or Hollywood.
Email me: lauren@firstbreathspeech.com if you’re in LA and you’re interested!
 
Online Class:
How Your Voice Works - Elissa Weinzimmer (Episode #12 - Your Voice and Your Vibrator)
How Your Voice Works is a new online class from vocal health specialist Elissa Weinzimmer, explaining the anatomy and mechanics of the voice in clear and simple detail.
Visit www.voicebodyconnection.com and enter your information to get the first module of the course for free!
 
New mobile headshot with The Headshot Truck -- in LA and coming to NYC soon!
http://www.theheadshottruck.com/
One of my acting students works as a make-up artist for th

How a delightful dancer from
Columbia and a cunning production guy from Quebec created a
successful multi-media entertainment company in LA.

This is the story of Rene and
Donald.

Rene Veilleux and Donald Lopez
are partners in business and in life. I went to their Verite
Entertainment offices in the heart of Koreatown to get to know them
and what they do (which is a helluva lot!). They share some great
insights about what they look for when hiring actors…(Practice
practice practice!)

 

Check out ALL they do here
(http://veriteentertainment.net/)

Like them! https://www.facebook.com/veriteentertainment/?fref=ts

This week it’s me talking to you about your voice. I’ve been noticing people are paying more attention to the way people sound -- especially with the growing popularity of podcasts -- and there have been many studies done of late about how your voice affects both listener and consequently, you.

I give you some homework at the end of the Ep to help you become more aware and more in touch with your voice.


Please send questions and comments to lauren@firstbreathspeech.com

This week Jenny Walters is back to help us break up the hard stones of self-criticism and just curious about our confusion.

 

 

 

From the Wiki for Sankhara:

The Buddha taught that all such things are impermanent (arising and passing away, subject to change), are essenceless (not worthy of reifying attachment or aversion), and are not reliable sources of pleasure.

Understanding the significance of this reality is wisdom. Saṅkhāra is often used in this first sense to describe the psychological conditioning (particularly the habit patterns of the unconscious mind) that gives any individual human being his or her unique character and make-up at any given time.

 

Jenny’s website: http://www.jadetree.la/jenny.html





BIO

Jenny Walters (Marriage and Family Therapist Intern (#80042) earned a B.F.A. from the University of Oregon, and an M.F.A. from University of Illinois at Chicago, before going on to earn a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She received depth psychological training at Counseling West in Sherman Oaks, CA and continues her training with Dr. Sam Rader in Los Angeles. Additional professional training includes Somatic Experiencing and mindfulness meditation.

 

Jenny approaches therapy from the belief that each of us holds the capacity and power to heal. To nurture this innate healing process, she helps her clients become aware of the conscious and unconscious beliefs that shape experience. Jenny acts as an empathic and curious guide as clients experience relief from symptoms, gain deeper understanding and find more meaning in their lives.

 

This week it’s all about web series and all about winner for best supporting actress,Darcie Siciliano!

We chat about her popular web series, He’s With Me (http://www.heswithme.tv/), and about how she learned to accept herself as one who does not fit in to typical “actress” molds, and how she got more comfortable about her own process.

 

Links:

He’s With Me web series (http://www.heswithme.tv/)

Indie Series Network (http://www.indieseriesnetwork.org/)

Indie Series Awards (http://www.indieseriesawards.com/)


Darcie Siciliano is a professional actress based in NYC who has had the privilege of collaborating on stage with Academy Award winner Alexander Dinelaris, Academy Award nominee Michael Weller and renowned actress Kathleen Chalfant; and on-screen with such acclaimed directors as Joe Pytka, Bob Giraldi and Neil Kraft.  She has recently completed her second season on the hit indie webseries HE'S WITH ME - for which she won an Indie Series Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, after being nominated twice. Follow her @damedacia and www.darciesiciliano.com.