The best book ever for kids who want to act :)

Christmas is coming so what better time than now to give my book a plug. What an awesome little stocking filler this will make for the Dramatic child in your family!

If you are looking for scripts for kids, this is the book to buy, says she with no bias whatsoever :)

I wrote this, as I found it really difficult to find scripts for my students that were relevant to today. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, and I loved Enid Blyton when I was growing up, but I have had enough of scripts about fairies, witches, cats and princesses!!! My scripts are mostly set in homes, schools, playgrounds or shopping centres. The characters are all real; students, friends, parents, teachers, shop keepers or bullies.

You'll find over 60 scripts in this book, all 2-4 mins length. Perfect for live performances, roleplays, short films, showreels and auditions. The scripts are easily adapted to male or females and I really concentrate on developing strong characters, especially in my monologues. I have aimed the scripts at kids from 7-18 years old.

I have 2 children of my own so I know  what they say, how they act and what interests them. From my experience, all the kids who use my scripts have really related to my characters and their situations. It gives me a real buzz to go to festivals and eisteddfods and see complete strangers performing my scripts. This is all the proof I need to know that I have pitched to the right market.

For teachers, I have explored various themes in my book, including bullying, trying to fit in, and parent child relationships  as well as over 20 improvisation starters. Watch my video here as I give you tips on other ways you can utilise the book.

Go visit amazon to grab a copy today and they'll ship it to you right away. If you live in Australia, shoot me an email on this link, HI ANNA and I'll send you a copy.

I'd love to hear your thoughts so leave me some comments, and if you like what you see, please share it round like the chicken pox :)

So you want to work in film and TV? Part 2

Alrighty..... so I'm presuming that if you are serious about getting film and TV work, you now have an agent.  The next step is to add credibility to your profile by doing some training, building up a resume and adding a showreel. 

The easiest way to get experience on set is to work on a few student or independent films. These all have minimal budgets and ask for volunteers. You'll find casting notices for these kinds of films on facebook community pages and online casting sites.  

Showreels are a must so that you can be considered for a role. These need to be short and sweet. If you have no idea what to put on your reel, have a look at my book Cool Stuff For kids To Perform, it's full of short scripts for kids of all ages.

Every credible actor has a resume which is kept constantly updated. List all your experience and any training or workshops you have done on your resume.

Workshops with casting directors are a great idea, as you get to meet the person who is casting actors and get an idea of what they are looking for. Remember every casting director has different ideas, so you need to adapt your auditions to suit the person casting you.

Have a look at my vlog as I talk about all these points in more detail on here.

Once you have compiled all this information you are ready for the next step and that is marketing yourself. Who do you send this information to? How do you approach producers, directors, film makers?

But that's a whole other blog, so stay tuned. :)

So you want to work in film and TV?

As a teacher of Performing Arts and acting, I'm often approached by both the students and their parents about how to take that next step. Some kids are happy doing my classes just for fun and confidence building, but others want to venture into film and television.  It can be a fabulously rewarding and fun path to take, but it's also full of potholes, frustration and dodgy people out to make a quick buck from starry eyed individuals and gullible parents.

The first thing you need to do if you're serious about an acting career is to get an agent. I decided to vlog my chat from here so check out the video below.

Remember if you want to be considered for auditions, you have to put everything in place. An agent is the first step, but you need to keep acting at every opportunity as this strengthens your acting muscles. In my next blog I'll go into more detail about how you can improve your chances to get an audition.

Bullies are Losers

On the weekend I was  thrilled to be part of a music video with a fabulous message - SAY NO TO BULLIES! 100s of industry professionals,  actors and dancers donated their time, and I've got to say, the feeling on set was pretty heart warming. This music video FREE YOU BE YOU really got me thinking about bullies and the way they operate and I realise, unfortunately,  I sometimes come across them in this industry I love.

Have you ever been side stage at an eisteddfod and heard kids giggling and pointing at other performers - bullies. What about in the audition waiting room? You know the kid and mother who talk loudly about all the things they have been cast in. They name drop and act as though they know the casting director or producer, they intimidate you any way they can - bullies. Then there's the ones on set, who constantly push themselves in front of the camera, knocking you out of the way. And don't think this behaviour is just from the children. I've witnessed some pretty vicious looks and snide remarks from the parents as well. Some parents even bully other parents into thinking that their child is inadequate, underprepared, totally wrong for the part or just way out of their league. Some of the conversations I've overheard would make your hair curl.

So why do children and parents resort to this bullying behaviour? Because they want to get the part, win the competition, and they will do it however they can. Same old story, people bully, to pull others down so they can put themselves in a position of power.

My advice to you - ignore the gossip, focus on the task at hand, have fun and don't stoop to their level. Parents - stand back, let your child do their job. Don't be a stage mother. The casting directors, agents, producers and people in power see through the bullies. I've been there when they have said "I don't want to work with that kid again" or "That child's parent is just too hard work."
Remember it's not just the talent they are working with, the personality is equally as important. Bullies are losers!

 

Some of the main cast members from the antibullying music video Free You Be You

 

 

100s of film industry professionals, actors and dancers worked for free to spread the antibullying message.

Visit the Free You Be You facebook page and help spread the message - bullies are losers.

 

I've written a number of scripts in my book Cool Stuff For Kids To Perform which deal specifically with bullying.

Acting for screen or stage?

From time to time I am approached by directors or casting directors looking for children for various projects. Just last week four of my students got to work on a fabulous short film, one scoring a lead role. The thing that always comes up is whether the child can act for the camera, or whether they are only suited to live/stage work? There is a big difference.

The camera is very intimate and picks up every tiny movement and sound, therefore a much more subtle approach to acting is required for film and television. Instead of writing it all down, I thought it might be easier to vlog my thoughts, so check out my little video for all the details.

The best thing to do is set up a camera, your phone or ipad, and film yourself so you can see what you look like on the screen. Always tailor your acting style to suit the environment. Stage acting is for the stage not for film and television.

Eisteddfods - love them or hate them?

Eisteddfod time is here again and every year I ask myself the same question - do I love them or hate them? I've decided to make a list of the fors and againsts...
Love them because :
1. Great opportunity for kids to perform
2. Kids get to watch each other
3. Wonderful bonding takes place at events like festivals and eisteddfods
4. Kids love getting trophies and being recognised for their hard work
Hate them because:
1. They breed competitiveness
2. Kids who don't place often feel miserable
3. It brings out the very worst in stage mothers and bad losers
4. It rewards unnatural '"eisteddfod style" acting
5. I have a problem with judging creativity

Being a creative, sensitive soul without a competitive bone in my body, eisteddfods are not really for me, but many of my students love them. If you or your child wants to take part, my advice is to perform for the love of performing, NOT to win. I have taught students in the past whose parents have pulled them out of sections in eisteddfods if they thought they weren't going to win. What message is that sending to the child? Just last week I heard of a 12 year old being stripped of her 1st place when another mother complained that her performance piece was 11 seconds too long!

Keep in mind that the adjudicators are human beings with their own personal tastes. Unfortunately (in my opinion), many of them love the classics and a certain forced style of acting. I for one, cannot stand another drama about cats, princesses, mice or witches. I don't want to see another performance of Little Women, Charlotte's Web or Anne of Green Gables. I like to see kids performing contemporary scripts that they can relate to. I like natural acting. Acting is creative and as such is very hard to judge, as it often boils down to personal opinion.

If you take part in eisteddfods, do so with a fun attitude. Share the spirit of performance, love your time on stage and above all else, have fun!

 

Some of my students who took part in a recent festival for the sheer joy of performing. I love this festival as the organisers make sure everyone gets a ribbon and if 3 people deserve first place and 2 deserve second, then they award 3 firsts, 2 seconds and so on. We need more festivals like this, that celebrate performance instead of judging it.

Cool Stuff For Kids To Perform

 

The easiest way for me to introduce you to my book is to VLOG it.

Over 60 scripts, including monologues, duologues, trios and fouros, plus more than 20 improvisation starters.

I wrote this book, because I found it so hard to find scripts that were appropriate for my students. The length of each script has been kept to 2-4 minutes so they are perfect for eisteddfods, festivals, showreels, auditions or short films. Most scripts can be adapted easily to male or female actors and I have aimed them at age 7-18 years.

 

School Stuff For Kids To Perform

 

There is a section called School Stuff For Kids To Perform, which is aimed at secondary students and has recurring characters including the geeky, Prudence Thistlewhite and Cecil Muggeridge, the 'popular' Tiffany Golden, the sports jock, Brad Warren and the school bully, Bruce Jones.

 

 

You'll find Cool Stuff For Kids To Perform on Amazon BUY NOW

 

 

Welcome to WAM

My name, Anna Waters-Massey, is a bit of a mouthful so WAM it is!

 

I'll be aiming this at kids who love to act and perform, and their parents who may not know how to get them started or where to go next in their journey.

 

So who am I?

 

I trained as a teacher in Speech and Drama but preferred private teaching, which is what I have now been doing for more than 15 years. During that time I also brought up two successful little performers in my children, Cleo and Joey Massey.

I act on stage, film, TV, do voice overs and made a living as a professional singer for many years. Performing and nurturing talent in others is what I love.

I've written a book of scripts for kids aged 6-18 years and will introduce you to it along the way.

 

 

I'd love to hear your performance stories or queries so please feel free to share them on here. Also share the love by telling your friends about my blog :)