In The Working Actor's Journey, hear from amazing teachers, role models, and mentors about their lifelong careers. Learn from those who have been acting professionally for decades—to see exactly how they approach the work, what decisions and resources have made the biggest impacts on their artistic lives, and to hear their struggles and successes in the business. How do great actors work? What do they actually do? Let’s find out. These conversations are a virtual toolbox for actors, full of ...
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Welcome to the "Conversations with Alya Lei" podcast; where actor, improviser and audiobook narrator, Alya Lei brings you weekly episodes filled with inspiration and insight. Each episode features captivating guest interviews, valuable resources, and/or uplifting content. Join us as we explore the journeys, challenges, and successes of creatives and entrepreneurs, offering wisdom and motivation to fuel your own path.
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Week 2 - Measure for Measure (2.2) - The Rehearsal Room
1:55:10
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🏁 In our second week, highlights include: Themes of power, authority, temptation, and morality The idea that those in authority often act oppressively Isabella's use of bribery and prayer to persuade Angelo, and Angelo's internal struggle and attraction to Isabella Session released from the Rehearsal Room ARCHIVE - August 2023. ----- 🛑 Subscribe to…
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Achieve acting success anywhere with a strategy from award-winning actor Chrissy Hogue Bartels
34:42
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Achieve acting success anywhere with a strategy from award-winning actress Chrissy Hogue Bartels! Chrissy Hogue Bartels shares her journey as an actor, challenges of being "derailed" from acting and her strategy to be successful as an actor no matter where you live! Chrissy is a multi-award winning actor with a recent Best Supporting Actress Award …
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Week 1 - Measure for Measure (2.2) - The Rehearsal Room
1:55:01
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Session released from the Rehearsal Room ARCHIVE - August 2023 🏁 In our first week, some highlights include the participants: speaking about their locations, past experiences in theater, and the current state of the industry sharing their excitement about working on scenes from the play and discussed the purpose of the project, which is to provide …
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Arron Lloyd: Actor & Elite Neuroencoding Specialist!
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27:19
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Arron Lloyd: Actor & Elite Neuroencoding Specialist! How Arron went from growing up in the inner city to being in a commercial for the NFL and an elite neuroencoding specialist sharing stages with Les Brown and Joseph McClendon III!! Arron Lloyd was born in the inner city in a single mother household, Arron has an appreciation for what it takes to …
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Arron Lloyd: Actor & Success Coach. How Arron went from growing up in the inner city to being in a commercial for the NFL and a success coach sharing stages with Les Brown and Joseph McClendon III!!
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27:19
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Arron Lloyd was born in the inner city in a single mother household, Arron has an appreciation for what it takes to create the life you deserve. As a theater, TV/Film actor and certified one star dual elite neuroencoding specialist, Arron helps actors/creatives & entrepreneurs encode themselves to default to their best. Helping them eliminate, miti…
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Final Session - Acting the Role: Beatrice - The Rehearsal Room
1:27:49
1:27:49
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🏁 In our final session, the group: discussed the idea of a bookish, nerdy Beatrice and how age can influence the portrayal of the role. refined the dynamics of key scenes, considering Beatrice's quick wit and the layers of meaning in her dialogue with Benedick. evaluated Beatrice as the fool of the house and contemplated her growth from defensive b…
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Transitioning to a "new" podcast: CONVERSATIONS with Alya Lei
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The Actor's Resource podcast is changing!! We are transitioning to this podcast: CONVERSATIONS with Alya Lei. The purpose of the podcast will remain the same: Inspire, Inform, and/or Uplift with guest interviews - the new difference is we are including guests from outside of the entertainment industry, also! Please join me over there! Thank you for…
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Week 3 - Acting the Role: Beatrice - The Rehearsal Room
2:05:52
2:05:52
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🏁 This week, the group discussed Beatrice's emotional state, and the play's thematic elements like gender roles, public perception, and the use of wit. They also explored the historical and cultural context of the play, and theorized about its inspiration. ----- 🛑 Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! 🤗 Support The Rehearsal Room…
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Week 2 - Acting the Role: Beatrice - The Rehearsal Room
2:06:05
2:06:05
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🏁 This week, the group watched a few different versions of the opening scene and discussed the various takes on performances by Catherine Tate and David Tennant (Wyndham's), Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh (Branagh's film), Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman (Public Theatre), and Dame Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens (Zeffirelli's film). They d…
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Week 1 - Acting the Role: Beatrice - The Rehearsal Room
1:56:53
1:56:53
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🏁 We dive into the first week of work on the character BEATRICE: exploring the dynamics between Beatrice and Benedict; the concept of wit as a form of communication; and addressing themes such as gender roles, societal expectations, and love. You'll see the group analyze key scenes, including the gulling of Beatrice and Benedict, the wedding scene,…
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Final Session - Shakespeare and Stoppard - The Rehearsal Room
2:00:48
2:00:48
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In our final week of looking at the scenes of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the group used "Italian run-thrus" (rapid line delivery) and continued to work on the scenes switching roles. The group discussed the benefits and challenges of role-sharing and switching between the language styles of Shakespeare and Stoppard. During the Q&A, a num…
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Week 3 - Shakespeare and Stoppard - The Rehearsal Room
2:02:29
2:02:29
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This week, the actors practiced delivering lines from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" using a technique that involved looking at the camera when speaking and looking at the screen when listening to capture the feeling of direct engagement. Emphasis was placed on understanding the meaning behind the words, which sometimes led to emotional revelations. They w…
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Week 2 - Shakespeare and Stoppard - The Rehearsal Room
1:51:50
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Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! Support The Rehearsal Room on Patreon - get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MYuYgB7GRFw About the Scene Our group is working…
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Week 1 - Shakespeare and Stoppard - The Rehearsal Room
2:01:01
2:01:01
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Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! Support The Rehearsal Room on Patreon - get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Lv9Rs26SJRw About the Scene Our group is working…
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The Rehearsal Room has been our successful workshop series beginning in June 2020 - and now it's time for something different! For the first time, I’ll be releasing the weekly rehearsal sessions on YouTube for ALL to enjoy. The goal here is to reach more actors, artists, and theatre lovers who would benefit from: a deeper examination of material in…
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Max Muscato - Founder of Rock Autism Music Festival
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Max Muscato is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and philanthropist. As a rock artist he brings electrifying performances to every show. Over the last several years Max has gained an extensive following and has toured and opened for: Our Lady Peace, Citizen Cope, Theory of a Deadman, Aaron Carter, Finger Eleven, Ripe, The Allman Be…
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Success Interview with Catherine Campion - Voiceover Artist and Death Midwife
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Catherine Campion is a lifer in the entertainment industry. She has been working as an actress non-stop since she was 16 - first in theater, then commercials, followed by TV & features. Some favorite roles have been a foul-mouthed cancer patient on Weeds; a MN Iron Range mom standing up to Charlize Theron in North Country; and a nerdy gamer in Silv…
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Success Interview with Michael Vincent Berry, actor and Tony nominated coach
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Michael Vincent Berry is a Texas-born Actor most known for his roles in American Tragedies: WACO The Trials, Law and Order SVU, Better Call Saul and THEM. Other notable projects include the multi-award winning Crude Massacre, Last of the Grads and the LGBT dystopian film; Innocent Boy. Michael is a veteran stage actor and former Chair of Theatre an…
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Success Interview with Josh Murray award-winning actor
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Success Interview with award-winning actor, Josh Murray - General Hospital, Christmas at the Greenbrier, Gym Rat. Josh Murray debuted nationally in TV movie "Killing Lincoln" (as assassin Lewis Powell) – Executive Produced by Ridley Scott and narrated by Tom Hanks – it set a record in viewership on the National Geographic Channel. Since then he has…
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Success Interview with Elaine Rivkin, SAG-AFTRA, AEA actor - Season 2, episode 9
33:19
33:19
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Success Interview with Elaine Rivkin, SAG-AFTRA, AEA actor Elaine Rivkin is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Chicago, where she spent decades acting, teaching, producing, and freelancing in casting. Her stage credits include Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens, Writers, Northlight, Milwaukee Rep, Geva, and many others. Since moving to LA, s…
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Acting the Role: Uncle Vanya with Tony-winner Reed Birney
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46:02
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Reed Birney played Uncle Vanya at SoHo Rep in 2012 in a translation by Annie Baker, with a cast that also included Michael Shannon. He joined us in December 2021 to discuss the character in depth. You’ll hear Reed and I talk about: his ideas going into Chekhov what he discovered and connected with about the role trusting the script challenges in th…
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Q&A with director Libby Appel (OSF, Indy Rep, Cal Arts)
1:03:31
1:03:31
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This is a wonderful follow up to our Chekhov workshop from last episode with an even deeper discussion with the director! You’ll hear Libby and I talk about what she looks for in auditions, what she expects in rehearsals, her inspirations, what things went well, what scared her, and yes, we have another lighting round! Libby Appel is the author and…
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Uncle Vanya Presentation with Alberto Isaac, Deidre Henry, and Libby Appel
1:56:43
1:56:43
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We have our first workshop scene NOT from Shakespeare, and there’s a great reason! From October 2021, we present a deep dive into the first half of Act 2 from Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya with director Libby Appel - who wrote the translation along with our dramaturg! Uncle Vanya - excerpt of Act 2 DIRECTOR: Libby Appel (Q&A) DRAMATURG: Allison Horsley VOI…
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Acting the Role: Dogberry with Geoffrey Wade
1:04:07
1:04:07
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Geoffrey has played Dogberry twice, at very different times in his life, and finds it's a fascinating character to dissect. He first performed it as a student at Amherst College and then again at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. You’ll hear Geoffrey and I talk about rehearsals, preconceived ideas, and discoveries. How to ground characters that see…
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As You Like It Presentation (3.5) with James Newcomb and Erika Rolfsrud
1:27:45
1:27:45
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We have another “all pro” group—all the actors in the scene are professionals, so the work has been so fun and rich! Our dramaturg Philippa said that she found it so mind-blowingly good how fully the actors and director jumped into this scene, that it’s not something she usually experiences—and I don’t think I could have said it better myself. In t…
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Jake Diamond is an award-winning editor with over 20 years of experience in Film and Television. From feature films and documentaries, to TV shows such as 90 Day Fiancé and the The Colbert Report, his projects have run the full gamut. He is also starting a new career as a filmmaker. He had made a few short films, and recently created the "Doin' Gre…
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Ep #30: Veralyn Jones on Feeling Like a Fraud, Circuitous Paths, and Saying Yes
2:02:53
2:02:53
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Today’s guest grew up on a tiny island in the Caribbean, studied fashion and dance in New York, often felt like she never had the right background or training, and yet found success in several careers. Veralyn Jones is an award-winning actress who has been working professionally for over 30 years across theatre, film and TV. She has worked at The D…
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Ep #29: Alberto Isaac on the Work of Acting, Handling Rejection, and Not Hiding
1:25:24
1:25:24
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Today’s guest grew up in the Philippines, fell in love with movies as a kid, found validation through acting, pursued his master’s degree, got fired from a big break, and still has been working for over five decades! Alberto Isaac has been working for 50+ years across theatre, TV, and film. In addition to regional theatre gigs across the country, h…
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Roxanna Lewis - Award Winning Filmmaker - Success Story
28:41
28:41
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The Actor's Resource Podcast interviews Roxanna Lewis - an award-winning filmmaker to hear Roxanna share her success story, including her near death experience which helped Roxanna define her creative choices. Roxanna's creative approach to film making originates from her deep roots as a theatrical director and choreographer. Her work has been pres…
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Ep #28: James Newcomb on Being Authentic, Career Hang Times, and Readiness
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2:08:48
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Today's guest started in the theatre at a very young age, felt adrift and wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do as a young man, and ended up working for years at some of the best theatres in the country. Jamie Newcomb has performed in over 60 Shakespeare plays and 75 other productions. He worked for 14 seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is a fo…
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Text Work: Video game voiceover with Marcelo Tubert
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11:51
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Marcelo shares how he approaches a voiceover audition for a video game. We look at what direction and description is initially provided and then how to use your instincts to create your own performance rather than going for an impersonation. You’ll hear the actual audition Marcelo sent in and we also get into dealing with rejection and booking jobs…
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Ep #27: Marcelo Tubert on Trusting Instincts, Living Simply, and Remaining Grateful
1:43:13
1:43:13
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Marcelo was born in Argentina, moved to LA at a young age, felt very lost with his career, almost quit after his first TV role, and eventually booked a job that changed his life. Plus, we get a quick look at Marcelo’s process with a voiceover audition for a video game, and you’ll hear what he sent in! It was fascinating to hear about the many ups a…
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Text Work: Shakespeare's Macbeth with Elizabeth Dennehy
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15:32
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Elizabeth shares her approach to working on Shakespeare, which includes what the number of syllables can tell you, the thought igniter exercise, the first question to ask, and more. Plus we chat about the difference in performing a monologue in an audition vs a show. Learn more about our April Shakespeare workshop with Randall Duk Kim and Annie Occ…
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Ruth Haney: Hollywood Makeup Artist Success Story
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23:41
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Success Story: Ruth Haney, Hollywood Studio Union Makeup Artist for over 25 years. Ruth moved from Albany, New York to Los Angeles around 1980. She had a chance meeting while waitressing that changed her life and opened the doors to the world of studio makeup. Ruth is a fine artist, so makeup was an easy transition, using color and brushes, on peop…
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Ep #26: Elizabeth Dennehy on Being Natural vs. Casual, Propelling the Story Forward, and Saving Your Money
1:52:48
1:52:48
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We discuss her very humble beginnings, her dad Brian Dennehy and his career struggles, deciding her family was a priority, working even more when she was pregnant, and helping other actors. Plus, we get another mini-Shakespeare class where Elizabeth dives into a piece from Macbeth! She’s been an audition coach for years, and has also helped many st…
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We're back for Season 5 of The Working Actor's Journey! We've got five more amazing interviews headed your way over the coming months; you'll hear: coming to America stories the realities and hardships of working in New York and LA and what it's like with parents who were in the biz. Professional actors speak about feeling adrift, lack of confidenc…
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Marti Mongiello - genius, veteran, director, producer, author, CEO, White House chef and the list goes on and on... Marti's current television series, Inside the President's Cabinet, launched in 2019 and is renewed for two additional seasons into 2022.
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Twelfth Night REPERTORY Presentation (Pt 2) with Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, Garrett Botts, and Michele Schultz, with Elizabeth Swain directing
1:45:57
1:45:57
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For today’s episode, we’re bringing you the second half of the Repertory workshop featuring Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night In the fist scene: Viola (as Cesario), is on her way to see Olivia, and encounters first the Fool Feste and then Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Olivia, meeting Cesario, sends the others away and declares her love. Then in our second sce…
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Twelfth Night REPERTORY Presentation (Pt 1) with Janet Greaves, Erika Rolfsrud, and Jamal Douglas, with Brendon Fox directing
1:46:33
1:46:33
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For today’s episode, we’re bringing you the second half of the Repertory workshop featuring Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night The first scene includes almost everyone at Olivia’s house, some great exchanges with the Fool, and then the meeting of Olivia and Viola, who is disguised as Orsino’s servant Cesario. Then the following scene has Orsino with Viola…
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Richard III Presentation (4.4) with Veralyn Jones and Michael Kirby
1:45:34
1:45:34
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OK, there is a lot going on with this scene, so let’s attempt to summarize! Queen Elizabeth and the Duchess of York (Richard’s mother) are grieving over their children and grandchildren. Former Queen Margaret secretly watches, and then comes forward to share they are not the only ones who’ve suffered. King Richard is passing by with his army, and t…
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