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SNUB [DVD] [2010]

Afridiziak Theatre News Interview

Wow, time flies and so much had happened after the Maids, in fact we're still in post production!

http://www.afridiziak.com/theatrenews/interviews/interview_with_claire_spence.html

I have linked an interview I had with a lovely journalist named Chloe Thomas. She says, and I quote:

I can happily predict the Spence star is on the rise.

Not bad for a Nottingham lass!

The Maids are BACK! This time for a bit longer....

Following the successful week-long run at the Etcetera Theatre, Nomads of Bazar are transferring Jean Genet’s classic, The Maids, to the Greenwich Playhouse. The play was last performed in Greenwich 35 years ago in 1974 and starred the oscar-winning Glenda Jackson, Susannah York and Vivien Merchant, who all went on to act in the successful film of the same name.

"...a truly contemporary take on Genet's murderous play." Homovision

Directed by Gael Colin
Starring Emilija Ellen (Solange), Irena Grgona (Claire) & Claire Spence (Madame)

9th June - 5th July 2009
PRESS NIGHT: Thursday, 11th June @ 8pm
Tues-Sat @ 8pm | Sun @ 4pm
Tickets: £12; £10 (Conc.)
Box office 020 8858 9256 | boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk

GREENWICH PLAYHOUSE
Greenwich Station Forecourt, 189 Greenwich High Road, London SE10 8JA
www.galleontheatre.co.uk

Two Maids. Madame. One cup of tea. Que les jeux commencent!

Emilija Ellen as Solange, Claire Spence as Madame & Irena Grgona as Claire

In the secrecy of Madame’s boudoir, surrounded by a sweet scent of gladioli and mimosa two sisters viciously plot revenge against their employer.

The question remains - will the Maids see it through?

Nomads of Bazar presents Genet’s classic play loosely based on the infamous Papin sisters, who brutally murdered their employer and her daughter.

Staged as a truly modern tale of the beautiful and the damned and set within the pop culture and media world of the 21st century, the play challenges the boundaries between love, sexuality and criminal intent.

A production that will assault all your senses: fast paced and time pressured as the times we live in today, it delivers a bittersweet experience not easily forgotten!

Directed by Gael Colin. Design by Roberta Bratovic. Stage photography by Yasmine Braa. Stage lighting & sound design by Dan Webb.

Nomads arrive…unfurl their carpets and tents…perform…and leave…

I'm so good they even quote me!

As you may, or may not, know I do regular classes at The Actors Temple in Warren St, W1. They asked peeps to send testimonials about what the Actors Temple mean to us and mine got chosen!

See http://www.actorstemple.com/testimonials/ or click on this post title and scroll down.

But, my friends, not only for the website, see link above, but also for their new brochures! I am quoted alongside Arthur Miller, Steve McQueen and Sanford Meisner himself!

That's not bad for a lil' black girl from Nottingham ;)

It's been a while...

Wow, how time flies! My last posting was in 2006! My excuse? Well 2 thousand and 7 was a very busy year for me let me tell you, in fact my most successful year to date as an actor.

I filmed 3 commercials, 2 prime-time television programmes for the BBC and ITV and an educational DVD for Oxford University Press, not to mention a few minor projects & collaborations. I also started this year filming a horror movie! I will update accordingly.

I have rejigged my blog and endeavour to update it more often, afterall I shouldn't spend all my time on facebook!

Look, It's me in the middle of real thespians!

Actors' Gotta Eat

As glamorous as it may seem, it's actually difficult being an actor. You must be free and available and ready and waiting for those impending auditions and castings… Waiting being the operative word here.

A good friend of mine has decided to ‘Make It In America’. They will fly out to L.A for pilot season in January, partly because they felt nothing was really happening work wise for them in the UK. The result? They have filmed a commercial and a Feature Film with a very notable director in this past week alone. Typical! They are landing jobs just as they're about to leave the country!

It’s the same feeling we have as actors if we take on a fulltime job; will we get castings and be unable to make them?

It is very rare to find a non-acting job that is entirely flexible. Some employers start out with good intentions saying you can have the time off when needed but then when it comes to the crunch they cannot spare you the time. “What about temping???” I hear you say: Well temping jobs may not work out as you give your availability in advance, and you may get last minute auditions so you won’t know in advance. So once you have a contract you can’t not turn up as you’ll be deemed unreliable, and the agency may not use you again.

I do know of a company that employed two actors on a job share so whenever one had a job the other would cover. I spent sometime there myself; the people there were great. However circumstances changed and they now employ one full-time non-actor.

I understand why once an actor get a regular acting gig, say in a ‘soap’ or musical, they find it hard to leave, as they won’t know where their next cheque will come from and at least the work is career-related. If we are actors by profession should we have to work ‘other’ jobs? The sad truth is the majority of the time the answer is Yes, if we want to eat that is. Typically the big paydays are few and far between, but those bills still need paying and aren’t going to wait for that lucrative commercial to come through.

However, most actors do manage to juggle the money job and the career just fine. But does for example working nights and weekends or being known as an office worker or waitress leave them feeling demeaned?

There are also many people who spend good money training at Drama School or University to then give up on acting because they can’t give up the security and regular income of the 9 to 5.

All I know is I’ve wanted to act for as long as I can remember and so help me I will not fall into that trap. Things come along to keep my head above water and I can concentrate on the things that matter to me most.

There is a saying that goes something like this: Everything You Do in Life Will Either Move You Towards Your Goals or Take You Away From Them, Nothing is Neutral.

Here, here.