Grab your place while you can. Our final Beginner’s Acting class before the summer break starts next week. There are still a few places left so give us a bell or an email to guarantee six weeks of silliness and laughter for yourself. Hurry. It books out every time! Yeah, get out and about! Sure, what else would you be doing with those long summer evenings, except acting the maggot? Read some of the testimonials to help make up your mind.
Worth pondering over these thoughts from 85-year old Nadine Stair when she was asked this very question.
If I had my life to live over again,
I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
I’d relax.
I’d limber up.
I’d be sillier than I’ve been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances,
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would, perhaps, have more actual troubles but fewer imaginary ones.
you see, I’m one of those people who was sensible and sane,
hour after hour,
day after day.
Oh, I’ve had my moments.
If I had to do it over again,
I’d have more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else- just moments,
one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute.
If I could do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had to live my life over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances,
I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
I would pick more daisies.
– Nadine Stair
Also worth having a read of what Mrs. Mindfulness has to say about slowing down. She thinks we all ought to hurry up and slow down!
Want to work on some of your ideas or generate fresh ones with a fun group? Spice up your summer with this great creative writing class for beginners. Generate some sparkle this summer by tapping into your creative side of a Tuesday! Our next 6-week Beginners’ Creative Writing Course is open for booking now. It will take place in Temple Bar on Tuesday, June 6th, 2017 and runs until Tuesday, July 11th, 2017. All classes will be from 7.30-9.30pm – €180 per course.
“I loved the course. Niall was amazing as were the other participants and I revived my thirst for writing. I went in with an idea I had started writing about. It was due to our “non-compulsory” homework for the course that a TV show proposal I wrote ended up getting commissioned for a pilot by a TV station. Everyone had different interests, which is what made it so much fun and it was really laid back. Couldn’t recommend it more to get your creative juices flowing. I did it for the craic and it delivered big time.”
If you have any queries or want to book your place, email us at actthemaggot@gmail.com
C’mon, folks! You better book fast. Places are quickly disappearing on the new Summertime Act The Maggot class!
For more information on this fun acting class have a read of this and like our Facebook page to get updates. Call us at 01 4967021 or 087 374 4926 or actthemaggot@gmail.com to book your place. Our six-week classes cost €180.
Starting out in acting is full of challenges. There are so many things you need to do. Find the right acting class. Find the right audition material. Find the best headshots. Stay in shape mentally, emotionally and physically. So what about the actual auditions? Actors often spend so much time juggling everything else, they often forget to focus on what they actually bring into the room. My advice is to develop really good meditation muscles. It will not only help your concentration, focus and well-being in general, it’ll keep you sane and in tip-top shape once you get cast and have to spend long energy-sapping hours on those hectic TV and film sets. Here’s an interesting post about what you should do once you get into the audition room with a casting director. All valid points. I would say that point 20 and 21 are most important. That’s what it is about after all. Highlighting your talent and your artistry. Remember, there is nobody else in the whole wide world who can do it like you can do it. Now, put the time in, breathe and go get ’em!
Beginners Acting for Adults, Beginners’ Creative Writing and Beginners’ Drawing. Why do people Act The Maggot? What do they think about their experience? Take a look at some more testimonials.
“It was a brilliant experience for me. Somedays I felt very tired going to class and came skipping out. It felt a very safe platform to try out acting as a beginner while also encourging you to go outside your comfort zone. It was a great way to meet new people with plenty of opportunities to get to know people outside of the class also. People were from different walks of life which was lovely and added to the whole experience.”
I loved the course. I revived my thirst for writing. I went into the course with an idea I had started writing about. It was due to our “non-compulsory” homework for the course that a TV show proposal I wrote ended up getting commissioned by a TV station. Everyone had different interests which is what make it so much fun and it was really laid back. Couldn’t recommend it more to get you creative juices flowing. I did it for the crack and it delivered big time.”
“I really enjoyed the different backgrounds and different ages of participants and that it was focused on people with no acting experience. It took a lot of pressure off doing the course. Some of the exercises were very interesting like the mindfulness have encouraged me to research more into that area as well. It’s very good. A friend of mine has signed up to it recently as well.”
“It is fun, creative, easy going but with just the right amount of challenge to keep it interesting and really worth going going back to each week. I found it great for my self confidence and well being to speak in front of others and to be creative, play and use imagination in the company of like minded people while being facilitated by someone who ensured it was safe and fun.”
https://plus.google.com/+ActTheMaggot/posts/7BXbNbqxvJw Fantastic stuff. Conquering your fears. Getting out of your comfort zone. Making new friends. Memorising lines. Performing in front of a live audience. It seems like yesterday this bunch rocked up to try their hand at our flagship course in Beginners’ Acting. They completed six short weeks of improvisation and general mayhem. They got bitten by the bug and returned for Level 2 where they continued with improv skills but also dug deeper into character and text and the result?!! Hey presto – their first foray on stage. Well done all. A great night. We are all looking forward to what they pull out of the hat in Level 3 – where they will concentrate on scenes. Now that is a performance worth waiting for. Roll on summer time. If you are thinking about dipping your toes in, drop us a line and join our fun community. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and you can track the progress of our new Beginners’ Drawing class on our Instagram and Pinterest pages. We also have another fun Creative Writing class for Beginners kicking off on June 6th in Temple Bar. Bag your spot today! More classes happening in May and June, actthemaggot@gmail.com
Relevance.
Perhaps? Let’s see.
Most heavy weight or complicated subjects cannot be discussed on air live in a radio studio, much less on television. And often, right now, is just too early to dissect an issue. It hasn’t even been digested. It’s too raw. It’s too cooked. Too silent. Too loud. Too in your face. On air, the segment, the sound bite, the phone in, all of it is not working. Things are begin left out. We are not getting the full story. The time does not permit it. There is no conclusive argument – “that’s all we have time for folks, I’m going to have to cut you short there”, how many times have you heard that? Or how frustrating is it when all you hear are lots of white men talking over one another in a studio and nothing is really said or heard. And, although social media is definitely more inclusive and it is good for picking up on stuff or catching the gist of a news story…..you can just forget about Facebook and Twitter for informed debate unless you have hours upon hours at your disposal for wading through the miles of rants, inaccuracies and the repetition! How about theatre then? Can it be a place of relevance? As opposed to this high brow, obtuse, irrelevant place where middle-aged people go to fall asleep before their steak dinners. Is a play the result of one writer tap tap tapping away beside a burning flame in a dusty garret? Yes and No. But mainly, No. The playwright is a very specific kind of writer. Albeit still poor. And when paid, still underpaid but that is food for another day. The playwright writes for the stage. Is thinking orally all the time. Thinking how people think and talk. The playwright covers many angles. Looks at a story, event, issue from the point of view of different characters and that is key. We are in a very exciting period for theatre. Now more than ever, we need discourse, debate, analysis and I’m sorry but the media machine is not doing its job of facilitating this. In real time, current issues are lost to the next, hottest story in the blink of an eye. And what was of vital significance yesterday is all but forgotten by today. There is also very real menacing legal fears. Can we print this? Can you say that? Ah the beauty of fiction. Theatre can revisit these real time issues and light them up again. Put them under the microscope. There is something about it being “up there” on the stage, the rational and the emotional fused. Stories made flesh. Maybe we can see things more clearly. Tf successful, a good play can truly cast some new light on a subject. And then, maybe then, we can have a proper, satisfying, conclusive argument afterwards in the pub. Imagine that?! Now that kind of theatre might even lead to change or God forbid, action. It might lead to better journalism and better theatre again. Osmosis. Dare I say it? A better world. The Abbey theatre is now being run by two new directors from Scotland and things are hotting up there. Neil Murray and Graham McLaren have just announced three brand new short plays as three urgent responses to issues that are happening right now. Take a look at their most recently announced short play line-up for May and treat yourself to a ticket. I for one am definitely going to check out A Whisper Anywhere Else today!
If you haven’t met Isla Nelson yet you are in for a treat. Her comedian Dad gives us her take on everything from Celebrity Culture to Easter to Valentines Day. Enjoy!
Procrastination is part and parcel of being a writer. It can be seen as a positive. Your creative process actually needs you to indulge in day-dreaming, doodling, dawdling, journaling, cooking, cleaning, chatting, visualising in order for your stories and characters to emerge before you organically. Think about the positives here? Lots of amazing home-cooked food, spring-cleaned presses and sheds all through the year, not to mention the tons of entertaining doodles left all over the house. You just cannot force your characters to life. You have to let them appear. Often, doing some activity which is antithethical to writing can ironically help us write! But finding the idea is not enough. Focus and hard graft is necessary to see it through to completion. Having a deadline can really help put some fire into your belly once you get started on that story, script or poem. If you want to find a competition or bursary to apply for, read about lots of opportunities for writers here. If you would like to try one of our evening courses to get you going, take a look at our Beginners’ Screenwriting and Beginners’ Creative Writing coming up after Easter and early June.