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The Business of Show Biz – Getting Notes From A Fellow Actor

January 3, 2018
Headshot of Velina Brown. She is a black woman with short cropped hair. She is wearing a light blue shirt and standing in front of green foliage. She is smiling with her teeth showing.

by Velina Brown Q: A while ago I was cast in an AEA show with an actor who took it on themselves to give notes to their fellow actors after opening. This would happen during the fight call, in front of stage management, and when we had no choice but to be there. Once the actor…

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The Business of Show Biz: Burning A Bridge

November 15, 2017
Headshot of Velina Brown. She is a black woman with short cropped hair. She is smiling with her teeth showing. She is wearing a black shirt and leaning against a wood paneled background.

by Velina Brown Q: I saw the letter you posted on Facebook regarding the show about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. After reading the letter I could see what you and the group of women who wrote the letter were upset about. But honestly, when I first heard about the show I didn’t see a problem…

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Proposed Increases to NEA and NEH: A Letter from Brad Erickson

May 1, 2017
Theatre Bay Area Logo. Pink circle with a gradient of pink triangles inside pointing from the upper left corner to the lower right. Meant to simulate a stage light. On the right is the word Theatre in big rounded text with Bay Area written in a smaller blocky text below it.

Dear Colleagues, Advocacy works! Monday morning we received word from Americans for the Arts and other leading advocacy organizations that Congress has reached a bipartisan agreement that not only sustains crucial support for federal cultural agencies but actually increases funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities by $2 million…

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Arts and Community Members Assemble at City Hall for San Francisco Arts Advocacy Day

March 21, 2017

Theatre Bay Area staff joined nearly 400 artists, arts administrators, cultural producers, and cultural ambassadors in a spirited rally to advocate for (1) policy priorities (2) a message of “No Cuts,” and (3) stories about the transformative nature of cultural and creative expression. Theatre Bay Area staff gathers with colleagues from Z Space and Yerba…

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Arts Advocates Take Capitol Hill for Arts Advocacy Day 2017!

March 20, 2017
Rachel Fink and Brad Erickson standing in front of the Capitol Building. Rachel is a light skinned woman with short dark curly hair and glasses. She is wearing a grey cardigan, black dress, neclaces and a name tag on a red chord around her neck. Brad is a white man with short grey hair and a close shaved beard. He is wearing a black suit, blue button up, and a black plaid tie.

Theatre Bay Area Executive Director Brad Erickson (Americans for the Arts’ Co Captain for California) and Managing Director Rachel Fink gathered with hundreds of arts advocates in Washington, D.C. for Americans for the Arts’ 30th annual Arts Advocacy Day to tell our Senators and Congressional representatives that we expect strong federal support for arts and culture, affordable health care, and robust…

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The Business of Show Biz: Mind Your Own Beeswax

June 3, 2016
Headshot of Velina Brown. She is a black woman with short cropped hair. She is wearing a light blue shirt and standing in front of green foliage. She is smiling with her teeth showing.

By Velina Brown Q: I was recently in a play with someone who just didn’t have the proper process before shows. She would eat dinner an hour before curtain, whereas my favorite acting teacher in school always said not to eat before a show because it will make you gassy and bloated and weigh you down.…

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The Business of Show Biz: Wanting to Quit the Show

December 18, 2014
Headshot of Velina Brown. She is a black woman with short cropped hair. She is smiling with her teeth showing. She is wearing a black shirt and leaning against a wood paneled background.

By Velina Brown Q: Okay, weird question. I just started rehearsals for a show. I am cast to play opposite someone that I just don’t like at all. I mean I really don’t like him. He is replacing an actor I was excited to work with but who suddenly had to leave due to a…

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10 Tips for Choosing Your Audition Monologue

August 7, 2014
Headshot of Melissa Hillman. A light skinned woman with blue eyes, black oval glasses and wearing red lipstick with a nose ring. She has red hair with bangs. She is smiling with her teeth showing.

By Melissa Hillman Finding the right piece can be one of the most stressful parts of a big audition. Often what works very well within the context of a full production won’t serve you well as an audition monologue. Stress no more! Bay Area casting directors Amy Potozkin, Meryl Shaw, Josh Costello and yours truly…

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