Hey Max... I'M BACK!!!

So... picture the scene, I am currently sat in my nice London flat living room on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, still in my jim-jams and enjoying some very welcome down time. The immense amount of traffic passing by with cars full of predominantly teenage lives brings a strong feeling of nostalgia.
I have spent the last few day reminiscing about my journey to where I am today in my career, starting with my arrival in Isham Dark Studios and performing a small scene with some of my colleagues as a way of introducing ourselves to the year above. It amazes me even now the level of detail one can remember, even recalling the smell of a familiar place. I have been left with a wish that I could do it all again.


It's true when your friends and family say that University will be the best experience of your life. I think the beauty of it is that you end up mixing with people that prior to that you always assumed you would never get on with. Of course these different sorts of people all have one common attribute, they all have an interest in the same career.
It could easily be said that I am perhaps in the midst of my 'post-uni blues', something that I had expected to hit me immediately after I left. I guess it has been delayed considerably due to my move to London and the big adventure that still lies before me. However my focus the last several months has been to ensure that I can now safely call this place home (hence also the lack of updates on my website).
I did however have a realisation a few weeks back that my acting career had instead taken a considerable back seat in things as I found myself getting sucked into the rat race in an attempt just to pay the rent. A life I had vowed I would avoid. So now I am back and with a vengeance!
Of course I haven't been neglecting my acting completely, quite the opposite in fact. Throughout the summer I have been working, along with the rest of Tap the Table Theatre to ensure that our show 'Test of Character' is ready to perform at the Highbury Theatre Centre on 16th October as well as developing the company as a whole. It was however my work as an individual actor that has taken a hit.
So now is the time to change my tactic. I am making sure that I am finding the time to read more first of all. I am prepping for my next project also (a feature film I might add, which has amazing potential if it all goes to plan and a project I am immensely grateful to be a part of).
The beauty is, in terms of acting work, I am all booked up until pretty much Christmas time, a good position to be in, although none of my projects are yet full time. This does however mean that I can get all of my 'business stuff' in order ready for a huge push in the New Year and hopefully find some new work and also an agent!
So for now I am looking to get everything ready to go once more. I am toying with the idea of creating an even sleeker version of my website (which would be Wayne-Ingram.co.uk Version 3.0) and also finally editing my show reel. So it looks as though there may be some major changes coming just around the corner. I will keep you all posted on how my projects are looking so keep an eye on the website and my Twitter feeds.
Again sorry for the huge absence but I'm back and I don't plan to be going anywhere for a while!

The Big Smoke!

Wow! This last month or so has been, for want of a better word, mental! Throughout early May were the final preparations for Tap The Table Theatre's debut production of Test of Character and I daresay we were incredibly pleased with the turn-out so thank you to everyone that came to see it.
Following that we were tying up lose ends and evaluating the whole project to see what we can improve when we are working on future projects. Whilst we were doing that I was also having to deal with moving house (several weeks earlier than initially planned I might add). Suffice to say it was a rather stressful week or so!
But now I'm here in the Capital and the best way to some it up is "awesome". Many people say just how expensive it is to live in London, and yes it is more expensive than anywhere else I have lived before, however my and my house-mate have certainly landed on our feet. Not only is our flat extremely well priced from a rent perspective, but we also live in a very nice area. Many's the time I have sat on our balcony first thing in the morning with a cup of tea watching the Aston Martins and Ferraris drive past. A month down the line though, we are all still very anxiously awaiting the huge catch that is going to come and bite us. So far (touch wood) it has not yet surfaced.
As I say, I found that I have thankfully landed on my feet, however it has not been without its moments of doubt. On my first day of living in London I was able to acquire a job at a hotel in North London, thanks very much to my good friend and director, Cem. The bulk of the job is working behind a bar so I daresay, a very appropriate job for a hopeful actor. Unfortunately however, it is a job that only really has hours available for me at the weekends which is only enough to keep me afloat but not enough to pay my rent.
I had moments of panic as my funds quickly began to dwindle but just as I was beginning to give up hope, I managed to secure myself another job very typical of an actor. Yes, I am now working on telephones! Admittedly however it is not half as bad as it sounds. The company I'm working for specifically hire only performers, with the management included in that. This of course means that I have almost unlimited flexibility on when I work, based around my auditions and other commitments in regards to my acting career. Not only that but the environment in there is very relaxed. Don't get me wrong, it's hard work but the perks of the job make it all worth while. And not only that, but the pay is pretty good also! Let's just say, I'm earning more now than I have worked before. Another joy of the job is also the fact that if I manage to secure myself one of those highly sort after acting-gigs that I have heard so many things about, I will still have the opportunity to return to this job afterwards (provided my performance was previously of good quality). So I daresay I have indeed landed on my feet.
The main frustration I was having when I first moved down here was that I was going to have to put my acting career on hold it would seem, just so that I could pay my rent as well as save money to fund my dream. Luckily with this job I've acquired, I'm now able to do both at exactly the same time. There is of course now a huge sigh of relief there from me.
So all in all, London is now going very well and shortly I will once again be going full steam ahead with my acting career, or at least attempting to get my acting career off of the ground, so hopefully you will be hearing off of me much more frequently! So with that said, I have to go and get ready for work!

Until next time!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

What a Buzz! And Up Next...

So it's been almost two weeks since the biggest performance of my training (and yes, thus far my incredibly short lived acting career). The show I daresay was a success and was possibly the best performance we had done as an ensemble.
It truly amazes me at times the level of focus that can be seen in the actors on stage and for this production it was incredibly clear to the entire audience. We had no wings to hide in, the entire stage was open for all to see which only added the pressure.
A huge congratulations should go out to every single member of the cast for a fantastic performance and I think we should all be proud. My biggest disappointment of the entire experience was that we were only able to perform it for one night. It was also incredibly fulfilling to be able to work with people that I had never had the opportunity to work with before (which still astounds me).
The beauty of working on stage is receiving the audience reactions and really feeling the energy and atmosphere in the auditorium. There is no greater buzz for me than hearing that applause from the audience when it is time for the curtain call. Also it never fails to take me by surprise when audience members pick up on the tiny details/jokes that are placed within scenes and of course also the moments when the cast and crew themselves didn't realise there was a joke at all.
I was so happy when my Sergeant character and his fellow soldier got the reaction they did when we entered the stage atop a carriage with Nathan Wyer (playing the accompanying soldier) pulling along with all his might and playing the harmonica. There's nothing an audience enjoys more than laughing at another person's misfortune.
But lets face it, this whole show couldn't have happened if we hadn't all gelled together so well as a team and the sense of camaraderie was incredibly inspiring. Once again congratulations to all and a huge thank you to our director Anna Ledwich for helping to create a fantastic show which I'm sure will always have a special place in all of our memories.
Also huge congratulations should go out to the other cast who performed the following night under direction from Rachel Parish. A truly fantastic show!

So what's next? Well, now we dive full steam into our Negotiated Projects, in which we create an entirely new show (no pre-written scripts). The show I will be performing in, created by Tap The Table Theatre is called Test of Character and will be performed on Friday 13th May at Thomas Becket Catholic School in Northampton. The piece is a tragic-comedy which uses many characters (all of which are played by myself, Nathan Wyer, Zara Rivett and Thomas Liversidge) to explore the degrees to which we all have power over our own lives. Tickets are £5 each or £3 concessions and can be purchased on the door, or if you prefer you can reserve a ticket on 07763757864.

Hope to see you there!

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

Time is moving quickly, very quickly indeed. It seems like only yesterday that we started rehearsals for The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht and yet here I am on the morning of their final week. A week tomorrow we will be gracing the stage of the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton in what will be the biggest show thus far of my very short lived (at least for now) acting career.
I keep taking moments where I realise that ten years ago I had always wanted to tread the boards of a full sized stage in a full sized auditorium in what is essentially a professionally produced project. One dream of an eleven year old boy are not too far from being fulfilled.
Of course my career is by no means complete at all and I consider this to be my first step on being a trained actor. Although we still have our negotiated projects to complete once we have finished this show, it is our time on this nationally recognised stage that we have been building up to in these last three years.
It is certainly scary. And with me being the perfectionist that I am I'm not sure I'm ready just yet. (Another week of rehearsals would be nice. Thanks).
So, where is the show at? Well I believe that today may very well be our first run through. If not then it will most certainly be tomorrow. The ensemble is getting more tightly knit, character more intense (or funny where necessary) and we will be flying full force into this last week! Scary times!
The show itself takes place at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton on the 22nd March for one night only! The following night, the other cast who have a different director (Rachel Parish) will also be gracing the stage with their interpretation of the piece.
The translation we will be using is that of Alistair Beaton which was originally performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds on the 26th September 2009. This translation I must say, does a very good job of making it accessible to a modern audience and certainly has a way of bringing out the comedy of the piece (which it would seem we have very much taken on board) whilst not distracting from the overall theme of possession within it. I can confidently say that the evening of the 22nd March will provide much entertainment to both the cast, crew and audience of the show.
If you wish to come along you can book your tickets here: http://bit.ly/gik2Le
Tickets are selling well though so get in there whilst you can. I hope to see you there folks.

Onward!

2 iPad or not 2 iPad?

So, here we are. 12 months after the announcement of the first iPad from Apple and the announcement for iPad 2 has been made. So, let's dive straight in. What are the differences between iPad 1 and iPad 2?

Well in all honesty they are not all that different. iPad 2 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor which some people are incredibly happy about.
Secondly the new iPad will come with a gyroscope built in, which though I'm sure has some uses here and there, is not that much of a big deal in my opinion.
And the final biggy; the iPad comes with both a front and rear facing camera.

Other than that though, there's not much else (oh and the new iPad will come in white. Yay?) The memory options remain the same, and the price remains the same. The original iPad is of course going to see a drop in price.

For me, the big sellers are the software. iOS 4.3 is going to be released next Friday with improved Safari performance being on addition. Another, which I think is rather awesome is the ability to home-share through your iPhone and iPad. So in more simple terms... Any music, videos, audio-books, podcasts etc that is stored on your PC or Mac can now be streamed from that machine directly to your iOS device through your wi-fi network.
Another big sell for the new iOS is the ability to tether through your iPhone. For those that have an iPhone 4 will no longer need to shell out on a 3G iPad to have internet on the go, they will be able to use their iPhone's 3G signal instead! (I knew there was a reason I didn't buy the 3G iPad). Unfortunately, it is only limited to those with iPhone 4 so I will have to wait until my contract on my iPhone 3G runs out before I can enjoy that feature.

On top of the iOS 4.3 release, Apple will also be releasing and iPad version of iMovie and GarageBand! For me, these two pieces of software are the things that I am most excited about (but a lot of that is due more to my creative tendencies.

So, will I be upgrading to the iPad 2? No. As I expected, there was nothing really worth upgrading for other than the camera if you want one. It would seem that all the software that Apple has shown off this week will still work on the original iPad (although apparently iMovie is the only exception).
With that in mind I'm going to wait to see what they do with the iPad 3. Instead of selling my current iPad and then forking out the difference for the iPad 2 I will instead go out and buy a high quality camera and use that for all the photo/video recording I need. And then using my Camera Connection Kit I will transfer it all over to my iPad anyway. (I'm hoping that if I download iMovie that it will still let me import and edit footage that way. My assumption is that the only reason they have said it is only compatible with iPad 2 is due to the fact that as iPad 1 lacks a camera it will not be fully functional, but here's hoping).

So final verdict, for those that didn't trust the iPad in its first incarnation, hold off for a couple of weeks for iPad 2. For those that own an iPad 1 and some form of digital camera...just wait for iPad 3 as your first gen iPad can do everything except camera related goodness (such as FaceTime). If you don't own a digital camera, just go out and buy one, it will probably be cheaper to get a camera that works just as well.

If nothing else though, I have just rediscovered how awesome the iPad is! Keep it up Apple, I'm looking forward to see how you tempt me with iPad 3!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

No Rest For The Wicked!

Wow, hello strangers! It has been some time! The ball has been rolling here there and everywhere and I have had no time to keep you guys up to speed apart from on Twitter!
The start of this term has been none stop so far! We've now finished our Acting in Small-Scale Theatre module (well aside from what remaining paper-work we have left to complete) and are finally headed full-steam into our Negotiated Project.
After our first week of rehearsing the project things seem to be looking good. Our first morning of rehearsals proved to us at least that we do have the potential of creating good comedy. Although actually I guess it only proves that we find each other funny but that is besides the point! Hopefully the finished product will be funny enough for the paying public too.
We are now in the process of throwing around ideas for a title of the piece. I have always wondered why giving something a title is such hard work. The key to a good title I feel, is something that instantly grabs my attention. Still, at the present moment, the title of the piece is not an urgent issue. In a few weeks however, when I am panicking that our marketing won't be ready on time, it will be!
I don't think I can tell you any more just yet (you're probably sick of hearing that from me but trust me...reveals will be coming before too long).
At the moment there are some potentially big wheels in motion that certainly look promising for us as a hopeful theatre company but I'm not about to brag as I don't like counting my chickens before they hatch, so to speak. Plus...is bragging a positive quality? In most circumstances I would say no...but I digress!
All in all things are looking good on the theatre company front and I think I speak for all members when I say that our fingers are firmly crossed in the hopes that we have some good fortune!
Also, I am impatiently awaiting confirmation of, not only the part I will be playing, but also the date which I will be performing in the biggest show of my acting training, Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton. The auditions were frankly something I could not gauge, but then when can you ever? There are parts within the piece which everyone will be hoping for of course and I wish every body the best of luck.
For now that's all I have time for, I will attempt to put up a new post very soon with some more insight or indeed some musings but life is none stop at the present moment. Keep checking back to my website for news at www.wayne-ingram.co.uk or if you prefer some more insight into my daily activities feel free to follow me on twitter @Wayne_Ingram.

Wishing you all the best!
Wayne

2011 New Years Message