debor009

Actors not only love performing in film but we love watching and studying them. In fact, many of us develop an almost encyclopedic knowledge of classic films and the technique of directors, cinematographers, and our fellow performers. Fortunately for me my husband is also a cinephile and each week, as our schedules permit, we view one or two films in theaters and stream several more. Recently we stumbled into a couple of Indian films that really impressed us. I say "stumbled" because the first - Bajrangi Bhaijaan - was posted at the theater with only its Hindi title; no poster, no screen shots, no plot summary. We took a chance on it because we 'd been impressed by such actors as  Irrfan Khan and his story-driven films  The Namesake and The Lunchbox . (Also, we rather like the energetic dancing and singing so characteristic of the Bollywood films coming out of Mumbai.) Bajrangi Bhaijaan, with Indian mega-star Salman Khan , turned out to be one of the best films we'...

This past summer I had the pleasure of appearing in "Witches," a fantasy comedy by talented actor/playwright Scott Courlander for the Capital Fringe Festival. Fringe Festivals present a wonderful opportunity to premier new works with minimalist staging, and each summer more than a hundred plays and other kinds of performances, involving more than 500 actors and entertainers, get a sneak preview here in the nation's capital. It is worth noting that   Hugh Laurie , Emma Thompson , and Stephen Fry got their start in 1981 in just such a festival - albeit a somewhat larger one, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - and the rest is history. "Witches," a play about a sleepy princess found in an enchanted wood and awakened by three witches with hilarious results, is one of many Courlander has produced through his company, Red Knight Productions . It was not only great fun to do (I earned "Favorite Performance" honors from DC Metro Theater Arts for my portrayal o...

I remember, years ago, reading an article where a woman said she had found this dress that, when she wore it to a special event, the crowd literally parted in awe. One day I will find such a dress. Certainly before I attend the Oscars! These are from Indian designer Manish Malhotra, all hand embroidered. Gorgeous. Manish Malhotra, 2015 Couture Collection Manish Malhotra, 2015 Couture Collection

Comedy is a route many actors use to break into high profile TV and film. It allows you to work large in voice and movement and, in a way, it illuminates voice and movement for drama, because it allows you to see a broader range of what you can do.  I’ve never thought of myself as a “funny” person. Can’t tell a joke to save me. Often referred to as quiet and aloof around those I don’t know well. But I started doing comedy in theatre and found that for me it was the one instance where the phrase “make a bold choice” seemed to make sense.  Plus it’s safe. If you make a bold choice in a drama audition and people laugh, that’s bad.   If it’s a comedy role you’re after and they laugh, that’s good.  I’ve just booked a couple of comedy roles in upcoming productions, one film and one theatre, so I’ve been researching the finer points.  One good source is Scott Sedita’s book The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting and Writing . Sedita provides b...

Actors have all been through this at one time or another: casting liked your r ésumé , looked at your reel, and thinks you might be right for the role. They called you in, you killed the audition, and got a call-back. Maybe two. At some point in that process, you may have heard the phrase that strikes fear in the heart of many an actor: “Tell me about yourself.” (What?!) Let’s face it, a lot of us got into this business because our own lives didn’t seem nearly as interesting as the roles we hoped to play, so “Tell me about yourself” sounds like a trick question. You feel l ike Meg Ryan in the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally , where she says "telling you the story of my life wouldn't get us out of Chicago." Besides, what else do they need to know? They can see you’ve got the experience and can do the role, yes? True, but acting in a film or play is a team effort and if you’re going to be spending a significant amount of time with the rest of the cast (more than a bit part...

I've been thinking about some of the great women's films lately. Films like Two Women , which won an Oscar for Sophia Loren ; The Women , Clare Booth Luce's tour de force comedy, which has been made three times, and others (it's a short list unfortunately.) One that's often overlooked is MGM's 1951 Westward the Women , starring French actress Denise Darcel as a prostitute trying to turn her life around and Robert Taylor as the man charged with bringing a wagon train of women from Chicago to California's Sacramento Valley to marry lonely ranch hands. I don't know why the film wasn't a hit. Maybe it was the poster art that has Darcel in an off-the-shoulder blouse - a la Jane Russell in The Outlaw (and that she doesn't actually wear in the film) - that makes it look like a standard-issue oater. Maybe later viewers linked it with Here Come the Brides , a rather awful TV series that ran for three seasons from 1968 to 1970, about a shipload of marr...

--> There is nothing like a taste of warmer weather to get a person moving. Here in the East the winter cold and snow have been brutal, and I’m one of those people who - if I can’t get out - pace like a caged tiger.   No point in trying to get any work done.   As soon as the snow goes away and I can get out, I sit down at the keyboard. “Options,” as hockey coach Herb Brooks used to say. It’s important to have options. The warmer weather was heralded by robins and the appearance of my little scene in Season 3 of the Netflix hit series House of Cards, playing North Dakota Senator Ann Wallace opposite another robin, series star Robin Wright. It’s television at its best and I was more than happy to have a small (very small) role and to see my name in the credits.  It’s the opening shot of Episode 2. Long-time New York actor David Little is to my left.  Now on to my continuing class with Helen Hayes Award-winning director Serge Seiden at The Studio Theatre, which...