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Expert: - 7/28/2010


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QUESTION: Hi
 I would like to see if I can apply for work in Abbey Theatre here in Dublin I was wondering if you could give advice on what to say in my cover letter that I'll be putting with my c.v.I have no experience just a deep interest in working in the environment of acting.I have done 2 course's called acting for camera and had signed on a company called movie extra's, as well as  attended  a work shop,of a well know Irish director.

Thank you deeply
Julie-ann

ANSWER: Dear Julie-Ann,

I assume you want work as an actor.

I believe the artistic director is Fiach Mac Conghail.

I have just been on their website, they have an electronic submission for headshots and CV's.

If your face fits for a specific role they will see you.  I believe you can also express interest in a general application.

Be honest and open in your letter and ask to be considered for audition.

As it happens I may have a contact their who can get you a backstage tour and will advise you far better than I can.

Go to the Abbey, ask for Gavin Harding Technical Director (I know him well) mention my name George Tarbuck from Edinburgh.  Ask him for advice.  He will be honest, he may be brutal, such is the nature of the acting business.  You need a thick skin and to keep on trying whatever, but also some objective advice on if you are any good or not.  Such advice is very hard to come by, your friends and parents will say you are great. Find someone who has no emotional involvement with you and who knows a bit about acting and ask them.  Also join amateur groups and practice your craft.  Believing in yourself is not enough, you need to be a good actor - find out if you are.

If you want to work backstage then come study with me here - www.edinburghlightingandsoundschool.co.uk


Best of luck with acting, it is a hell of a lot easier to be a lighting designer!

George Tarbuck

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi George
 My apologize for the delay writing back.First,I like to thank you, deeply for a great reply.I really appreciate you mentioning Gavin Harding to me & to mention your name.I have to say I was excited & delighted to read your reply.I do want to pursue acting very much.It's Film acting in purticular I have an interest in & it does eat away at me every day about doing so.To meet Gavin would be brilliant.To gain some advice & direction from him.But, I'd like to liberate on the course's and about movie extra & the workshop that I did.I wouldn't be,I don't think at the stage for auditioning. The course one was the same as course 2 for one day a week for 10 weeks.One being Acting for camera 1  (acting skills)  &  course 2 Acting for camera 2 ( practical skills).There wasn't much time given to each subject it seemed.The subjects were hitting the spot,what the different camera shots looked like,monologues & then being put into groups and given a situation & act it out. So very basic stuff & with Movie extra.I didn't get the opportunity to be an extra only because the location's were down the country, in areas I was not familiar with.Movie extras do,do Dublin & Wicklow but what I got was way off.But in saying that I don't regret signing on for it.The workshop was just a talk through from theatre to film.So in saying all that,I feel i may take up Gavins time with having very little experience.I'm looking for a job but I'd much rather be in a place I'd much prefer. My thought was to send my C.V to the abbey.To see if I could get work & work backstage & so I would have a job & be in the type of enviroment I'd love.And maybe even encourage me more & to learn more about acting.If you think George I could still meet with Gavin.With the experience I do have & not be waste his time.That would be really great.

Thank you for your time.
Julie-ann

Answer
Dear Julie-Ann,

You say you want to work in film.  So does every actor on the planet.  Most just want to work, anywhere where they are doing anything even slightly related to acting.

You will have to train to be an actor at an acting school, a proper acting school.  Go here to find one http://www.drama.ac.uk/ also go here http://www.ncdt.co.uk/

You will have to audition and get rejected a lot.  The son of a friend of mine has tried for four years to get into an acting school and just has done.

If at the end of the day you do not get past the auditions it is because you are not good enough to get a job as an actor, go do something else and if you still want to act do it in your spare time as a hobby.

Universities offer courses in "theatre arts" most of which are rubbish and will not train you as an actor whatever they say.

Go and see Gavin.

Anyway the Edinburgh Festival is about to start and I have stuff to do in it.  You should come over for a couple of days and see some shows. I would show you around.

Best wishes and good luck.

George Tarbuck  

British Theatre

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George Tarbuck

Expertise

Contemporary British stage lighting practice and current stage lighting training. Stage lighting design and stage lighting technology. Devised and site specific theatre. I am a working freelance lighting designer and lecturer / subject leader in stage lighting.

Experience


Past/Present clients
Freelance Gaffer
Broken Home Movies, Film Workshop, Edinburgh

Architectural Lighting Designer
Le Marche Noir Restaurant, Waterfront Wine Bar, The Wine Emporium, Glasgow.

Sound and Lighting Gaffer
Martin Bone Associates ;
Trade Show Jaguar Launch
Trade Show Mondeo Launch.
Trade Show Mercedes Launch.   
Conference AGM United Biscuits.
Awards Ceremony Guild Hall.

Lighting Designer
Boilerhouse Theatre Co, Headstate devised play, Scottish Tour: Tramway Workshop, Lemon Tree Aberdeen, Paisly Arts Centre

Lighting Designer
Damage Theatre Co, Two Sevens Clash, Devised play Traverse Theatre.

Architectural Lighting Designer
Cliffe-Catterall Chartered Accountants Offices, Edinburgh

Architectural Lighting Designer
Linsmore Hotel, Aberdeen

Lighting Designer
Boilerhouse Theatre Co. ? No New Miracles ? by Alan Warner. Traverse Theatre, Tramway, Lemon Tree, Dundee Rep.

Lighting Designer
St.Magnus Festival. Orkney. Devised Dance Piece.
? Storm Watchers ? an ? Lord Of The Mirrors ?

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. ? Pipers Cave ? by Rona
Munro. Paisley Arts Centre and Edinburgh Festival.

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. Re-Light of Headstate by
Irvine Welsh. Cafe Graffiti. Edinburgh Festival.

Lighting Designer Queen Margaret College. ?Elizabeth Gordon Quinn?

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. Re-Light of Headstate by
Irvine Welsh. Docklands International Festival
Greenwich.

Lighting Designer Benchtours Theatre Co. ? The Corridor ?. Traverse Theatre Edinburgh Festival 97. Scottish / Irish Tour.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. ? Gargantua ? Edinburgh
Festival 98. Fringe First. Promenade. Site Specific.

Electrics Assistant " House of Mirth " Feature film. Location filming in Glasgow.

Consultancy Benchtours Theatre Co. Technical Consultant and Client Liason. Lottery Bid for Lighting and Sound equipment.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. ? Monumental ? Citizens Theatre
Glasgow. 1999. Promenade. Site Specific.

Lighting Designer Arches Theatre Co. ? Horses Horses ? Arches Theatre Glasgow. 2000. Promenade.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. "Decky Does a Bronco" Site specific. Tour. Summer 2000.

Technical Consultant / Hill Street Theatre. Gateway Theatre. Universal Arts Production Manager fringe festival 2000.

Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. " RED " Promenade. UK Tour.

Lighting Designer Prime Productions. Sunset Song. Scottish Tour.

Technical Consultant / Hill Street Theatre. Gateway Theatre. Universal Arts Production Manager Edinburgh festival. 2001.

Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. Co-Production with Almeida Theatre. Decky Does A Bronco Site Specific. UK Tour. Summer 2001.

Lighting Designer The Seer. New One Act Opera. Dingwall Festival. Autumn 2001.

Lighting Designer Fermentation Grid Iron Theatre Co. Spring 2002. Lighting Designer Grid Iron Theatre Co. VARIETY. Edinburgh International Festival 2002. Kings Theatre. Lighting Designer BBC 4. Grid iron Theatre Co. VARIETY. Lighting Designer SUNSET SONG Prime Productions. No.1 Scottish Tour. Lighting Designer Grid Iron - Unique Events. Burns Festival Alloway. Promenade Show. "The Houghmagandie Pack" Lighting Designer Mr McFalls Chamber Orchestra Queens Hall Edinburgh Lighting Designer Grid Iron. Edinburgh Festival 2003. " Those Eyes That Mouth" Five Awards inc. Fringe First Lighting Designer Arches Theatre Co. ?To The Moon? Young Directors Awards Spring 2004 Lighting Designer Greyfriars Kirk Charity show for Maggie?s Centre Lighting Designer Boilerhouse Theatre Co. ?The Bridge? Glasgow Green, The Quad ? Edinburgh Festival. France. Summer 2004 Lighting Designer FidgetFeet Company. ?Solaris? ?Can?t Handle Me? Ariel Dance. Customs House Newcastle. Dublin Festival. Lighting Designer Papillion Productions. ? One, One Two? Dance Piece North Edinburgh Arts. 2004. Lighting Designer Children Of The Sea Botanic Gardens Edinburgh 2005. Five Awards including Fringe First Lighting Designer ?Shift? Site specific art project. National Trust. Newhails House, Mussleburgh. 2005 Lighting Designer ?The Trial? Tramway Glasgow Lighting Designer A Christmas Tale. Theatre Workshop Edinburgh Lighting Designer ?Heid? Musical Scottish Tour 2006 Previous Theatre Lighting Design work includes, FOR THE TRAVERSE THEATRE : FUGUE, SPACE INVADERS, BUGLER BOY, MEDEA, THE INNOCENT, POINTS OF DEPARTURE ( Amsterdam / Edinburgh ), 78 REVOLUTIONS, KLIMKOV, AN HISTORIE OF THE MACHINE, ROUGHNECK, NOONDAY DEMONS, MORE HAPPY CHICKENS, THROUGH THE LEAVES ( London / Edinburgh ), DEAD MEN ( Australia / Edinburgh ), WHITE ROSE (London / Edinburgh), LOSING VENICE ( Australia / Edinburgh ), AUS DER FREMDE, ELIZABETH GORDON QUINN, DEATH OF ELIAS SAWNEY, KORA, THE ORPHANS COMEDY, BURNING LOVE, LUCY?S PLAY, KATHIE & THE HIPPOPOTAMUS (London / Edinburgh), BLITZ, ABLE BAREBONE, PLAYING WITH FIRE, NOAH?S WIFE, THE PROWLER. A MAN WITH CONNECTIONS (London / Edinburgh). SHADOWING THE CONQUEROR, THE CONQUEST OF THE SOUTH POLE (London / Edinburgh), THE RAIN GATHERING. FOR MONSTROUS REGIMENT: BEARTRICE FOR COMMUNICADO THEATRE: MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS GOT HER HEAD CHOPPED OFF, DESIRE.

























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