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Tutor Lady Ayame 's Column

I was on an American TV Show called "WKRP"!

Jul 31, 2020

Oscar acting nominees have gotten more diverse. But this category ...

Dear Cafetalk Community,

I'm very excited to share another one of my appearances on an American TV Show. I am in the part of the TV episodic show (in this case called a sit-com) that is called "The Teaser." In other words, "The Teaser" comes before the "Opening Credits" and the first commercial. The part called "The Teaser" at the opening of the show is to whet your appetite about watching the show. It's supposed to set up the topic for that show.

In this case, it was a particularly difficult acting job because I set the tone for the entire episode. I'm supposed to set up the fact that the TV character, Les Nessman thinks he is dying. The difficult part is that there is no one on the other side of that phone. I'm essentially talking to myself. I had a monologue to memorize. I had to convince Les Nessman that he might be dying of rabies based on what he overheard on the phone conversation.

It looks easy but acting is hard. First, it's hard to memorize the lines. Second, I have to look like I really work there, so I have some action to do at the same time I said my lines. Third, I was talking to myself since there were no responses on the other end of the phone call. Fourth, you have to perform in front of a "live" audience all the way through without stopping like a play.

We do a table-reading in front of the producers on the first day. We rehearse all day on Tuesday and Wednesday with the regular cast members and the director. Then, you perform the script in front of the producers who write the show. If you are not funny or able to deliver the lines to make it work, it will be cut and your part will get smaller. Of course, the series regulars and celebrities get the most amount of attention.

We are called "character" actors who support the main comedian and other regular members on the show. We always have the thankless job of setting up the jokes for the stars. I've been lucky though... and got to play the punchline in many sit-coms. The problem is that the audience finds it hysterically funny if the stars mess up or make a mistake. On the other hand, if the unknown character actor makes a mistake and stops the show from continuing, the audience does not approve and they are harsh critics.

It's incredibly difficult to get a speaking job in Hollywood. If you happen to get cast as a regular on a TV Series, you are extremely lucky. ("Luck" is when opportunity meets preparation). Especially in Hollywood, timing is important. You have to hang around Hollywood for a long time before you establish a trustworthy reputation. The casting directors have to know that the actors are able to deliver their performances "live" on stage. After the casting directors and directors are able to trust you as an actor, they will begin to call you in to audition for their shows.

I'm grateful for every acting job I booked! The in-between times were rough, though. I didn't know how I was going to pay the rent, but something always came up. I'm grateful to have this job now as an English tutor and I try to do the best I can every chance I get. I hope I get a chance to meet you if we haven't met already! Thank you for reading my blog!

Have a wonderful day!

Warmest regards,

Lady Ayame

(Patricia Ayame Thomson)

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This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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