Once Upon a Zoom

by Jamie Soltis
One of the nice things about acting is that we don't have to buy materials in order to practice our art. Of course, there are plenty of other ways to spend our hard-earned money--on training, on headshots, on scripts, on renting rehearsal space...but if we want to, we can just open our little mouths and recite our awe-inspiring monologues while doing the dishes, free of charge!

But of course, corralling other people to recite with you is often helpful--dare I say, necessary--when you're rehearsing a scene. And may I be so bold as to say, it might even be more fun, too? 

None of us are strangers to ruts. We can go months--or years--without work, which gets depressing, which leads to a lack of enthusiasm, which leads to a lack of practicing. (Right? This is common? Or am I just revealing too much of myself here?) It's difficult to leave the house sometimes. But I think this is a place where the internet can be a great tool. Obviously nothing beats acting in real life with (real) people. But hey--sometimes it isn't an option. And to be honest, since most auditions these days are done by self-tape, it might be a good idea to practice the medium as much as we can, ideally with the help of fellow thespians. Lucky for us, we're all a part of a community that includes about 500 performers--the EAG membership!

I'd like to compile a list of EAG members who are willing to be readers and/or craft-practitioners (is that a word?) over Zoom. Anyone who is interested can send me ([email protected]) their name and email address/phone number, and I'll share the list with the group. Then you can reach out to each other if you need a scene partner for an audition, or if you just want to practice for fun. 

Things like this already exist of course: personally, I take to WeAudition when I need a reader. (Or when I want to BE a reader! You can make a little bit of money doing this.) It's not free to join, but it's relatively cheap--$10 per month. 25% off if you use code EAG25. And you pay your reader, too. I think it's worth it--I've met some super talented people there, and it feels good to support other actors--but I also wanted to connect all of US so that we have a free option. Because I love free things!!!

So again, email me if you'd like to add your name to the list. In the meantime, I'll be watching Arrested Development and calling it research.

Dramatically yours,
Jamie