Simmering in Seattle

It’s been an interesting summer. For the last few months I feel like I’ve been preparing for something big, without knowing when or how it would happen. I’d get my hopes up, only to be disappointed… again. That is the nature of the business though, right? (I’ve said this before). When you’re in the middle of it though, it can easily feel like not a lot is happening or it’s all going wrong; it’s only in retrospect that we can see all those tiny steps added up to a meaningful journey(at least that’s the way I choose to look at it). Here’s a bit of that journey over the last few months.

 ***************************

I participated in the very first Green Lake Play Series! Such fun to be a part of stories inspired by this Seattle landmark. Keep an eye out for further development of this production!

I filmed on the set of Force Play, a new feature film by Honey Toad Studio, the same company that brought you Wrecked.

I worked behind the scenes with Mighty Tripod Productions’ film on the Seattle 48 Hour Film Project 2014.

I got to do the whole back-lit, windblown look on a short film I did with a few friends of mine in August.

Continued my trek through reading all of Shakespeare’s works. (Sooooo close to the end!)

AND … I joined SAG-AFTRA!!!

NOW I am in rehearsals for a devised work about Peter Pan and his creator, J.M. Barrie. Performances will be November 14, 15 and 16 at the Penthouse Theatre at the University of Washington.

More exciting announcements will be coming soon! In the mean time, you can follow me on Instagram(my current favorite social media tool).

I can’t…

How often do you say this? “I can’t…” I find myself saying it more than I like to admit. As much as I remind myself to be positive and problem solve creatively, I can easily find myself getting locked into a prison of my own perception. This has happened in relationships… I told myself, “I can’t be the first to express my feelings for a boy;”  in jobs… “I can’t get a better job;” in acting… “I can’t approach that casting directors or that agent.” The list goes on. And I could give you so many examples of how, when I questioned the reasons behind “I can’t,” I realized there was almost always a way through or around my perceived obstacles.

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Most recently, the “I can’t” phrase came up again in one of the most benign and trivial areas of life: social media. My husband and I were discussing our likes and dislikes of various social media sites and I admitted that my affinity for Facebook is dwindling, but “I can’t get off Facebook because of acting.” Facebook is my main networking tool, especially in Seattle. Immediately, Michael questioned the reasons behind that. Of course, it is a helpful tool, but what is the worst thing that would happen if I got off of Facebook for a while? When I asked myself that question, I thought the pros actually might outweigh the cons(for a time). So I chose to get off Facebook for a while.

How Freeing!

I have been off of Facebook completely for over a month and a half. I don’t miss it at all! The only times I think about getting on are so that I can message someone whose email address or phone number I do not already have. I feel so much freer than I did before. I haven’t decided yet what my relationship with Facebook will be in the future(it is still a good networking and contact tool), but there are a few things I have discovered about myself while being without it.*

Pros

  • More present.
  • Less jealous.
  • Happier and more at peace with life.
  • Not constantly evaluating my life in terms of worthy “statuses.”
  • Not overloaded by information about “friends” who are actually acquaintances.
  • I have been reminded that sharing and receiving news in person can be so much more gratifying and meaningful.
  • Facebook hardly ever left me feeling happy and uplifted when I got off of it. I don’t miss that!

Cons

  • I’m sure I’m missing out on events and announcements…. but I don’t know what I’m missing out on, so ignorance is bliss!

8296b52165795248f5f9ee2af6453a44

This blog isn’t meant to convince you to get off Facebook(although I wouldn’t complain if it did), but remind us all that some things we think are huge obstacles are actually little pebbles which can easily be tossed aside. Maybe there’s something you would like to change about your life, but fear of “the worst that could happen” is holding you back. What is that something? Can you change your perspective or do without it? I know I have to keep reminding myself to take a step back and look at things from a different angle. I have that power and often I CAN… do something about it!**

 

*Yes, I recognize the irony of posting this blog on Facebook. While I have obviously broken my Facebook fast, I know that my relationship with it will be different from now on.

**In no way is this meant to minimize larger fears, obstacles, and issues, only bring a new perspective to the little things we can change in our everyday lives.

The Wonders of Imagination Land

Several years ago I was working with a life coach to figure out what to do with my myself. When we discussed focusing on acting as my career, he recognized that I had talent, then asked me, “How are you at using your imagination?” The question kind of stumped me. My imagination? I wasn’t in the practice of consciously thinking about using my imagination, but it is one of the most useful tools we employ as actors. Imagine… you have just got engaged. Imagine… your father is dying of cancer. Imagine… you’ve been accused of murder. It is something that the older we get the more we are encouraged to stick to reality and forget about all of that fantasy stuff. “It’s a waste of time.” “Keep your feet on the ground.”

This week I had the honor of teaching twelve 4-6 year olds in a drama camp at Taproot Theatre. -1I love working with this age, because hopefully you’ve caught them before all the adults have told them they need to grow up and stop playing. This week the kids learned about actors, directors, blocking and rehearsal. They also came up with their own superheroes like Hair Trap Man, Sky Diver, and Night Vision Girl, and together we wrote a play where they saved their friends from Mr. Grump– altogether a pretty great week! But my favorite part of the camp happened almost by accident. On our second day, it was getting towards the end of camp, in a hot room and I could tell they’re little bodies just about couldn’t handle it anymore. So we(the other teacher and I) decided it was time for a little rest. We found a cooler spot, turned down the lights and had the kids find their own space on the floor. I could tell that if they didn’t have something to occupy their minds, it would quickly turn into a losing battle of “Don’t touch” “Stop moving” and “What did I just say?” So I stepped forward and did something I’ve never done before(without hesitation or a apology), I spontaneously told a story, encouraging them to use their own imaginations to fill in the blanks of what everything looked like in our story. To my surprise, off the top of my head I came up with an environment, some characters, a problem, and a way to fix it–some of your basic elements of a story. To my greater surprise, the kids’ attention was captivated and they loved it, even looking forward to that time every day!

I realized I’ve greatly underestimated my ability to improvise and tell stories. And I loved having a chance to just see what my imagination could create. (Six year olds are harsh critics too. They don’t pretend to be interested. They either are or they aren’t.) After a few days of this, I realized I wasn’t running out of material, the possibilities are actually endless. The great thing about imagination is the more you use, the more you have. I’m so thankful for the reminder and can’t wait to look for the opportunities to explore my imagination, not just in acting, but in every day life.

Working Hard

Maybe you’ve noticed. Maybe you haven’t. I haven’t written that many blogs this year. Last spring I was writing one every week. Then I went through a period last Fall where I felt like I didn’t have much to say. In the last few months I have had much to say, but too much going on to actually sit down and say it. I am so thankful for this busy period of work. What’s been going on?

  • Performing in Diana of Dobson’s at Taproot Theatre. Closing this Saturday, June 14th!
  • Auditioning and getting cast in The Reel Deal: A new reality TV show about Filmmaking!
  • Executive Producing, acting and directing for Light a Match Productions.
  • And a few more things that I will announce in due time…

It is quite a change from how I felt last summer. Even though I had things going on (Julius Caesar), I was very unhappy with where I was in my career and didn’t know what to do about it. Things have shifted in my life and career for sure. It would be easy to say that I am happier because I am doing more, but I feel that it’s the other way around; I’m doing more because I’m happier. (Although, to be clear, I don’t think that the former is always a direct result of the latter.) It took a change in perspective!

What changed?

  1. Being Grateful. Not Jealous.
    One of the biggest contributors to my unhappiness was jealousy. I used to be jealous ALL THE TIME. I got frustrated when I saw people getting cast more often, looking like they were more successful. It’s a pretty depressing place to be, because no matter how successful you are, you can always find someone who is more successful that you. The problem was that I didn’t know how to stop being jealous. Then I realized that the root of my jealousy was an insecurity over whether or not I was good enough to be pursuing this career of acting. I would compare myself to others to see if I measure up. If anyone else got more recognition, then I felt they were more worthy; if I got more recognition, I was more worthy. Let me tell you, that is a useless, tiring, joy-stealing game. Don’t play it! I finally had to come to the conclusion that I didn’t care whether or not other people thought I should be acting. I want to act, so I am going to act, no matter what. Then I stopped worrying about other people and just became so thankful every time I got the opportunity to do what I love. Which leads to my second point…
  2. Adjusting My Expectations
    I had this certain picture in my head of what success looked like. At the time it looked like this: working at x, y, and z theatres and getting paid to do everything I do as an actor. If I wasn’t doing either or both of those, it wasn’t good enough, therefore I wasn’t good enough, therefore I wasn’t successful. I just had to let that go! Maybe I was expecting the pay too soon in my career. Maybe I just needed to remember why I started doing this in the first place. Now I am so busy doing what I love and I’m not working at any of those theatres and I’m only sometimes getting paid. And I’m so happy! Just because I hadn’t met those goals, didn’t mean it was time to give up. It meant it was time to adjust my expectations and focus on creating my own work. Which leads me to my third point…
  3. Working Hard
    Have you heard the phrase, “Work begets work”? I feel like I hear that all the time in LA. This last year has proved that phrase to be true. As an actor, there is only so much you can do to get cast. Audition. Build Relationships. Audition. It’s more complicated than that, but there isn’t a lot of control in your own hands. I decided I was tired of waiting around and wanted to create my own work. That sparked an idea for a short film spoof that I pursued that didn’t quite make it off the ground. (Maybe I’ll come back to it. Probably not.) Then I started reading through Shakespeare, to make my own project. (Still in the works, but on hold for the moment.) Then I had the idea of making movies with my friends, which turned into Light a Match Productions! (Now THAT’S some exciting stuff! LAMP-Logo2Check out our website and new short film.) I’ve learned that what’s important isn’t necessarily completing each project, but pursuing it as far as it will go. My first spoof idea may not be the right thing for right now, but it got ideas flowing and helped me reach out and start building a network of co-creators. The Shakespeare project helped keep my mind off of whether or not I was cast after every audition because I had another place to focus my creative energy. Now, working with LAMP has turned into something beyond what I could have imagined. Work begets work. This is what’s important: Keep creating. Keep doing. Keep working… Hard.

Whether or not this streak of work continues, I know I have the tools and the mindset to keep pursuing my dreams and be happy whatever the result. Thanks for going on this journey with me! What an adventure!

CAST on THE REEL DEAL: Season 1!!!

Hello family, friends, and fans,

If you follow me on any other social media platform(Twitter Facebook or Instagram) then you have already heard the news: I have been cast on the first season of the new reality TV show, The Reel Deal!!! If you’ve been following me at all over the last few months this is not the first time you have heard me mention this opportunity. It has been a long audition process starting back in February. If you look back at my previous posts you can follow all the steps I went through to get to this point. In some ways I still can’t believe that I have actually been cast. You work so hard for something and when it actually comes true, it feels a bit surreal. From the beginning, I remember thinking that THIS time, I actually had a shot at this. It seemed like everything in my life had perfectly alined and that all my recent experiences had prepared me for this show. I have never had that feeling quite this strongly before. For sure I have really, really wanted to be cast in something, very badly. But I have never felt the calm confidence that I was perfect for this and this was perfect for me. On May 29th, starting at 8 AM, The Reel Deal starting announcing a cast member every 10 minutes. I woke up a little after 8 and thought, “Oh, I guess I should check to see what’s happening.” Two cast members had already been announced. I went to Facebook and told my friends to start following the casting by searching #TheReelDeal. I switched back to Twitter and seconds later they tweeted THIS:

Let me tell you, it is one of the weirdest ways I have ever been told I was cast in something. No phone call. No personal email. No, the WORLD knew at the same moment I did. Two minutes later my Aunt(who is not on Twitter and is barely on Facebook) called me to Congratulate me! I couldn’t figure out how she knew(I’d barely had time to tell me husband who was right next to me). She said her best friend had been on Facebook… where I had told people to watch Twitter and friends had already started congratulate me before I even had the chance to announce it… and she sent my Aunt a text. CRAZY world of social media updates!!!

Screen Shot 2014-06-03 at 10.25.12 AMLast Thursday was quite a whirlwind. So many tweets. So many congratulations on Facebook. And then I had to go nanny… because yes, I still have a normal person job. Then I went to perform in my play that night. By the way… I’M IN A PLAY RIGHT NOW! Come see “Diana of Dobson’s” at Taproot Theatre. And my wonderful cast greeted me with cheers and THIS written on the mirror in our dressing room. After the show a few friends went out with me to celebrate! Even as we were sitting around the table in the bar and someone turned to me saying, “Aren’t you just SO EXCITED?!” I didn’t know what to say. It still hadn’t really sunk in yet. You work towards something and think about it in this hypothetical realm for so long; it takes a little time to let that sink in to the realm of reality(no pun intended).

It’s been almost a week now, so I think it’s actually sinking in now! July 10th-17th I will be in LA filming a reality show about film-making. I will be one of 25 actors, 5 directors, 6 writers, and 6 composers, who will be divided into 7 teams to be led by 6 celebrities to each make a movie in 4 days! WOW! I can’t wait! Stay tuned for all the updates to come!

P.S. I can’t end this post without saying how thankful I am for each and every one of you. So many of you have gone out of your way to tell me how much you believed in me, saying “Of course you were cast!” That is so kind… but I am also aware there are so many reasons I might not have been cast, having nothing to do with who I am, talented or not(as evidence by the many talented people who did not make it on Season 1). Regardless, thank you for believing in me even when I couldn’t manage to believe in myself. Even when I was so tired of auditioning and NOT getting cast. Even when I doubted the trajectory of my life and if it all was worth while. Even when I was ready to quite. THANK YOU ALL for standing by me and cheering me on. I really have no idea what this opportunity means for my career. It could go no where, but I am now in a place where I realize that the end is not the goal, the goal is to live each day with purpose and enjoy the journey. I AM ENJOYING THE JOURNEY! Thanks for riding along!

Interviewed by the Ballard News-Tribune!

As a part of being a Finalist for The Reel Deal, press releases went out to all of the local newspapers about this exciting opportunity. Seattle’s local paper, the Ballard News-Tribune, contacted me letting me know that they would love to do an interview. Last week, I was able to talk to Christy Wolyniak for about 40 minutes and answer her various questions. We not only talked about The Reel Deal, but my experience as an actor and my new production company, Light a Match Productions! Enjoy.

Read the article Here!!!

Screen Shot 2014-05-13 at 11.01.17 AM

FINALIST for THE REEL DEAL!

Screen Shot 2014-05-01 at 2.15.51 PM

Friends, Family, and Fans!!! Screen Shot 2014-05-01 at 2.01.23 PM

You may have seen a few of my posts about a new multi-platform reality show, The Reel Deal. I have been in the audition process for a few months now.

  1. First, every contestant made a personality video. From those videos, I was picked to be a Semi-Finalist.
  2. The Semi-Finalists had to do at least one callback audition. From those, they chose the Finalists, and now …
  3. I AM A FINALIST!!!!! So, now it’s up to YOU…. Click Here to get me on THE REEL DEAL!!!

You have until MAY 15th to VOTE me on the show! The Reel Deal participants will be announced MAY 22nd!!! So, stay tuned!

For more information:

  • Here to read a new press release all about it!
  • Here is a blog I wrote about my journey.

 

A Dual Market Career- Published on Showfax.com!

 

Dear friends, fans, followers,

I am excited to announce that an article I wrote has been published! Bonnie Gillespie, an LA based indie casting director who writes a weekly column for Showfax.com, asked me to write about my experience working in two markets, Seattle and LA. I am honored to share my story with other actors who might want to explore the same path that I’ve taken. You can read all about it here:

A Dual Market Career

Enjoy! And thanks for coming on this journey with me!

Charissa J Adams

 

Semi-Finals of The Reel Deal!

I am excited to announce that I have been accepted into the semi-final round of auditions for the new reality TV show, The Reel Deal!!! The first round was making a 90 second personality video. Now that I am in this round, I will be recording an acting audition video that I have 2 hours to read, prepare, tape and submit. Crazy, right? THIS will be fun!!! Wish me luck… or rather “broken legs!” Thanks!

Screen Shot 2014-03-24 at 2.38.01 AM

Now you can visit My profile on The Reel Deal website!

Have a look! Thanks!