Broadway Performance Showcase Experience 2015 #ComingAttractions

This year our annual BPSE workshop event is going to get 'beefed up' a bit, we're going bigger and even better!

To give you some background, the Broadway Performance Showcase Experience is a two week musical theatre workshop where students and young amateur performing artists become a cast and company in the space of only a few days. They audition, dance, sing, act and record vocals in studio, until finally they perform a full and original musical theatre production (built around existing songs from Broadway and West End) to audiences, as well as invited VIP's from the professional industry.

It is a wonderful experience for anyone over the age of 11 with a passion for the performing arts and especially for those wanting to learn more about musical theatre, to help decide whether it is a field they might consider making their career one day and experiencing what it takes to put up a full 'broadway' production in the space of just a few days!

Personally, my favourite part of the workshop every year is the popular VIP Q&A session, where our candidates get to meet, listen to and ask questions of some of the top and highly acclaimed professionals in their various fields: actors, singers, performing artists, agents, lecturers, directors and producers, all sharing their insights and know-how in an intimate 3 hour Q&A session. It is always so insightful and invaluable!

This year we are so excited for our final showcase production to be hosted by a brand new venue Monte De Dios, and we can not wait to work at this gorgeous venue in Silver Lakes, Pretoria. We are once again rehearsing at the fabulous Dance De Art Studios in Hatfield and we are so grateful to be using their excellent space again this year.
Another exciting development, is the involvement of Follicle Hair Atelier bringing professional hair and make-up stylists onto the team, they will be styling our entire cast for the production with its outrageous 'hair-inspired' theme this year... FOLLICLE The Musical!!

Check out our cool poster below! 
(Love this design by Anzel Liebenberg from Fire Cherry Designs - thank you!)

There are literally only three spaces left if you or someone you know still wants to get involved and register to join this year's workshop! Just contact us at info@fadcreations.co.za or complete the registration form at this link and mail it to the same address.


Here are some images from previous years!
(Photo Credits Eben Liebenberg from PhotoElements)

 

The cast of 2013:

The cast of 2014:

You are going to want to come and see what we get up to this year!!! We have received great support from media platforms already and we are expecting a lot of hype around the event!

Follow the event on Twitter at @BwayExpSA!!


Get your tickets now from www.itickets.co.za because they are going to go fast! Click here.

***Performances on Friday 10 April at 19.00 and Saturday 11 April at 15.00 and 19.30!!!

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Speak soon peeps!

#FADRoundtables Webseries #BehindTheScenes

I recently launched a new project I'm so excited about, the #FADRoundtables Webseries. It's something I have been dreaming about and planning for quite a while now and I am so excited to finally have the first two webisodes live and up on YouTube!

The heart behind the series, is to both inform and inspire those who aim to enter and succeed in the entertainment/arts industries, as well as those who are already working hard to build careers following their passions.

Each webisode takes the form of a one hour interview with 5 industry professionals who are at the top of their respective fields, having a dialogue about the South African arts industries and their personal experiences in it.

For the first webisode of the #FADRoundtables - namely The Actresses, I had the honour of chatting to five gorgeous and highly accomplished ladies in the industry: Fiona Ramsay, Mary-Anne Barlow, Bianca Le Grange, Bertha Le Roux and Cindy Swanepoel.

Watch us chat about how they got started, what they think about nudity, auditions, age and the tough times..... here.


The second webisode #FADRoundtables was - The Actors, 5 crazy talented and high-profile gentlemen at the top of their fields who spent an hour with me chatting about the industry, auditioning, embarrassing moments and what keeps them motivated: Andre Schwartz, Neels Clasen, Jacques Bessenger, Emmanuel Castis and Desmond Dube. 

What a great pleasure to have spoken to these passionate guys, each sharing their experiences and insights. Watch the full video.... here.


We had the best team 'behind the scenes'. We were so blessed to be hosted by the wonderful Live Arts Little Theatre in Boksburg with Louw Breytenbach and Rehal Knoetze. The excellent photographs taken of our VIP guests (seen above) were taken by the lovely Clarice Pieterse from Iris.Grace Photography. The FADRoundtables logo was designed especially for us by Anzel Liebenberg from Fire Cherry Designs. The beautiful wooden FADRoundtables and other gift broaches by Stiki were just perfect and a great hit with the guests. The magic team of make-up and hair stylists from 'Follicle-on-the-move' made sure we were all beautifully transformed and camera-ready. And finally our great footage was captured by Ferdinand Gernandt and Hermann Winter-Greyling (also our brilliant editor) and assisted by Roelien Prinsloo.

Thanks so much for all your support! Please go ahead like and share the YouTube videos with those who need a little inspiration!

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Chat soon!

Strands of Love Hair Extensions #FanClub

My look has recently been completely transformed by Strands Of Love - the gorgeous hair extensions I can now sassily toss over my shoulder and the gorgeously vivid red colour that has me incapable of shopping incognito, courtesy of Goldwell Education Manager Craig Hopkins with Goldwell Elumen and the magical hands of stylists Cornel Moolman Nel and from Follicle Hair Atelier.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my new mane of mega femininity! I've never felt quite so close to passing for a mermaid! 

Although it's yet to be seen how my look will fair in castings and auditions this year? Not sure if I pass for your average #mommypart, but I certainly will be memorable! 

I've never sported extentions before and had to do a bit of reading up on the correct #haircare for my 'strands of love'!  

These are the major rules I've learned for myself: 

1. Don't overwash

This is my new look below for my hair's 'shower protection' - in order not to over wash and condition the hair. I can't for the life of me waste time in a bath every day (that's purely for when I can indulge with a glass of wine and a good book) so shower caps and creative water avoidance is at the order of the day. 

2. Do always dry

I use to be able to just allow my own hair to dry naturally but these babies prefer to be dried with some heat straight away, particularly close to the bonds and scalp. 

3. Brushing is the business 

So I'm yet to discover where in SA you can buy a 'looper' brush - had no clue what that was - see picture below. But the general rule is to use soft and gentle bristle brushes, to comb from the tip working your way up and to brush gently but often. 

4. Product protection 

It's important to wash with a good 'salon approved' shampoo and conditioner, but what has really been great advice from Julien Snyders of Strands of Love is to use Joico's Moisture Balm (love this product!). You can also use an argan oil to keep the hair hydrated and healthy. 

5. Don't freak out- they do fall out 

So when I lost my first strand I thought I had committed a crime and was wondering if I'm doing something wrong, but as stylist Shane from Follicle Hair Atelier explained, they do experience a certain amount of stress on the bonds and sometimes will release and come loose. Just hang onto your MIA pieces until you can get back to your salon and have them rebonded and attached. 

And I'm in good company, check out other lovers of Strands-of-Love! 

Here are some simple 'looks' I've tried since I have become an extensions-gal...

I'm having such fun with my new look! Hubby and I are pictured below at the TopModelSA event, shortly after gaining my gorgeous new Strands of Love.

So here's to happy 'hair days' for all my blog readers!! Go on, try something new - change is as good as a holiday! 

Chat soon,

Fiona 'Speakeasy' Ramsay #FanClub

I think it is safe to say that Fiona Ramsay is one of the actresses on my top list of acting icons, equal to the likes of Meryl and Judi.

Fiona's experience, credits and list of achievements is awe-inspiring and surely speaks for itself.
Only a few of her credits include...

On Screen: Homeland, Dominion, Black Sails, The Bang Bang Club, In My Country.

On Stage: Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Streets of Gold, Delirium, Sailing Somewhere, The Old and The Beautiful.

As a language, accent and dialogue coach, (her company is called Speakeasy Vocal Training) Fiona has been commissioned on several local and international film and stage productions. Notably she acted as dialogue or language coach for Stander, Hotel Rwanda, Winnie Mandela, Material and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom coaching actor Idris Elba who portrayed Madiba in the feature. In 2014 she worked as dialogue and dialect coach on The Salvation and also did work on the Charlize Theron and Sean Penn feature The Last Face that filmed in Cape Town.
Check her out on IMDb.

In December last year a few of my FADCreationS Mentorship students and I watched Fiona Ramsay in the two-hander 'The Old and The Beautiful' at the POPArt Theatre in Maboneng.


It was so great to see Fi in an intimate theatrical piece like this alongside Tony Bentel, showcasing her phenomenal skill, incredible diversity and emotional depth engaging the audience from beginning to end. The outing with my students reminded me to remain in touch with my own student spirit and Fiona reminded me to stay inspired, to use what personally moves me in my work and projects and to keep learning from the greats. 
 

How lucky am I to have had the privilege to work with her in my career (Thoroughly Modern Millie 2006) and I honestly hope that I get to do so again in the future!

I know that she is planning to bring the production Doubt to the stage soon, and will keep you posted when I find out about upcoming production venue and dates! Also, soon I will be launching the first episode of the FAD Roundtables - The Actresses online, where Fiona is one of 5 other actresses in a one hour interview chatting about our industry and their career experiences in it. I can't wait to share it with you all!!!

Stay inspired peeps!