Actor's Lounge: Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, California. First Wednesday of the month, from 8-11pm.
I had the opportunity to check this place out on Wednesday night. I didn't know what to expect, but I'd heard really good things about it. I wasn't disappointed.
This place is not just your average lounge. In fact, it's not a lounge at all. It's a place, actually a community, where actors converge on the first Wednesday of each month to workshop and showcase their work....in a supportive environment.
First off, my friend Kimberly and I arrived late, whoops, but hey no worries! At 8:30, they were just letting people in the door - perfect! And the place completely filled up with people - about 80? people, maybe a little less, but still a great crowd.
Poet and Actor Adam Schmalholz, is the mastermind behind this event. He came up with the idea about two years ago when he noticed a lack of community for actors.
“We wanted to create an open mic for actors like there are for comedians, musicians and poets,” he says. “We wanted to give actors a space to practice their craft without having to pay enormous amounts of money.”
In-Q produces the show with a 10-member team who does everything from stage setup to running the ticket booth to selling refreshments.
Anyone is welcome, and all they ask for is a donation at the door. $1 dollar is welcome, $5 dollars is even better, $20 dollars, they'll love you forever. They work on a first come first served basis - so the earlier you can arrive, the more likely that you'll get your chance on stage. Scenes are limited to five minutes and monologues are limited to three. They're strict about time limits because there are a lot of folks wanting to get on stage. Heck I even got to watch a xylophone player that night! So pretty much anything goes.
I am going to get working on something that I can showcase there. What a great idea. I'm glad I found out about it, and I will definitely be going back. If you get the chance to check it out, I recommend it - what a great place to network with other actors, showcase your work and have immediate audience feedback. Perfect!
Ciao for now.
Victoria
