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Wednesday 25 February 2015

Another Year, Another Scam!

Oh how this industry attracts scam artists and dodgy characters. Sigh....


Sad but true, there are a number of them:
Dodgy agents (too often)
Agents who overcharge
Creepy photographers (shudder)
Photographers who overcharge
Acting teachers with no qualifications or industry experience
Acting teachers who overcharge
'We can make your child a star' scams (Puhlease!!!!!)

Please note the recurring theme of overcharging here because that is a big one. 
Whether it be joining fees, online memberships, tuition fees, commission, upfront charges for this and ongoing charges for that...make sure you check all the details thoroughly.
Even the most careful of us can sometimes be scammed. I had dealings with a dodgy agent who skipped the country, thankfully I didn't get ripped off but many I know did. 
When searching for agents, photographers, tuition and other industry professionals, do your homework. Google them, ask other industry people their opinion and if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't!!! My favourite quote that I tell my kids to apply to pretty much every situation is:
"When in doubt, pull out."
Trust your gut instinct and go into every meeting with your eyes wide open.




There are hundreds of talented kids, pretty girls, cute boys, amazing singers, dancers and actors in the world. For some reason, everyone wants to be famous these days, so these scam artists have a huge pool of gullible, desperate wannabes to draw on. 
Don't let their promises of unrealistic stardom and success draw you in.


For most kids, performing will be a creative outlet for fun which will help them gain confidence, body awareness and build communication skills. These are fabulous reasons to perform.  Don't expect them all to become famous or uber successful at it. When you start applying pressure, it's not fun anymore. Those that love performing for the joy of it are the winners.

Stage Mums


I've been drawing on all the experiences my friends and I have encountered in the world of performance and put together a comedy web series called Stage Mums. The characters, Shaz and Trace are besties with 'super talented triple threat' daughters. They will go to any lengths to give their daughters opportunities to showcase their amazing talents! 
As amusing as it is, ironically, all of the storylines are based on facts.

Don't be like Shaz and Trace in Stage Mums.

WARNING - mild course language

In episode 5, Trace discovers a fabulous listing on a casting site. The Mums decide to enter their talented triple threat daughters.



In episode 6, Shaz and Trace realise they paid money to a dodgy company that promised to put their daughters in front of American casting agents.



In episode 7, Shaz and Trace are interviewed on National Television about the scam they invested in.


You can watch all episodes of Stage Mums by following the link STAGE MUMS



This industry is awesome and performing is addictive, just don't be a victim. Learn from your mistakes, research thoroughly, trust your gut and have fun! 


As always, I'd love your feedback so please leave a comment, tell me about any scams you might have unwittingly been involved in, subscribe, like and share with your friends.

Anna :) 

Sunday 25 January 2015

Scripts....written for kids!!!

Every year I go to eisteddfods and festivals with my students and see the same boring scripts about cats, witches and princesses. Occasionally there are a few Monty Python scripts thrown in, great, but dated. Then there's the ...yawn factor...the old classics of Little Women and Anne of Green Gables or for the older kids, Waiting for Godot. Or the totally inappropriate ones where kids play adult roles!!! What the??? I'm sorry but why would you give a kid a script written for an adult, then get them to put on a poncey accent???  
Am I being to harsh??
Frankly my dear I don't give a damn!
These are not the sort of scripts I think kids should be performing.
Give them something they can relate to.
Give them something written in the language they use.
This is the reason I wrote Cool Stuff For Kids To Perform.




Yes, blatant self promotion here, but it's the beginning of the year so I'm hoping you might be open to something new, contemporary and fun!
I wrote these scripts specifically for eisteddfods, festivals, showreels and audition pieces. They also make great short films. All scripts are 2-4 minutes in length and adaptable, so most parts can be played by males or females. They are written for kids aged 7 to 18 years and there's over 60 scripts in the book.
If you are a teacher, I've also thrown in 20 plus improvisation activities, fab for those days when you don't know what to teach. For goodness sake, do yourself a favour and buy a class set. If you teach privately, suggest that your students all buy a copy. I promise you this book will be used over and over and parents will be happy to buy a book instead of an app!
If you are a kid reading this, why not use the improvisation starters to write your own script?
Here's an example of one:




So I'm guessing now, you are saying, "OMG I really want a copy of this book."


For those who live in Australia, I can post directly to you, so leave me a comment or reach me on my facebook page. For my fabulous international readers, you can buy from Amazon. Just visit my website and all the links are on there:
I've also made available a few individual scripts for sale. 
You will find them on my website as well.
If you'd like some ideas of how best to use my book, check out this vlog which is packed full of suggestions.


 Now a final message to you all.
 If you buy Cool Stuff For Kids To Perform, and let's face it, you'd be kind of crazy if you didn't, can you please, please not photocopy it for everyone. 
It took me years to write and I'd love to write more scripts but if people keep photocopying them, it's not worth my while.

If you have a copy, Id love to hear from you. Also if you have filmed any of the scripts, I'd love to share them, so please leave me a comment so I can help share your work and thoughts with others.

Catch you in the next blog or find me on facebook, instagram and twitter
Remember to click those buttons on the side and below to subscribe, like, share and keep the creative love flowing.

Anna :)