Practically Fraley

 
Pat Fraley loves Chicago…for lots of reasons, and he's not ashamed to tell you about them. You can actually come and hear those reasons for yourself, when Pat brings his workshop on the road to Chi-Town.

He'll be at Cerny American Creative in the Windy City.

By the way, I guess you could say I'm a shill for Pat.  I just think he's the genuine article.  Gifted.  Experienced.  Giving.  Instructive.  Why wouldn't I pass on a good tip to my loyal readers?  If I'm really lucky, maybe one of these days, I'll actually get to go to one of his workshops myself.

So what's the "Practically" reference in the title of this blog?
You'll have to read below the fold!

The Practical Midwest Pickle by Pat Fraley

Roger Rose, voice over talent and friend, once pointed out to me the difference between a LA actor, and a NY actor:

If you tell a LA actor to be a pickle, they do it. If you ask a NY actor, they say, “Dill or Kosher?"

So what would a Midwest actor say?

How much do you have and how long do I have to be a pickle?

That's what I
like about teaching in Chicago:  PRACTICAL performers. They don't want
lecture. They want to get in front of that mic and work it out. Here
are a few other things I love about traveling to Chicago and teaching:

The food (don't even get me started on Chicago food).

The hotels (half the cost of NY).

The studio. 

Ah, the studio I will be teaching in. It's Cerny American Creative.
The first time I went through the doors, it was like entering a
nine-year old's attic room on a rainy day. The walls are lined with toy
collections, trains, and awards. There are comfy chairs, and huge, old
oak tables. And yet, it's the home to casting, writing, producing,
directing, and recording. It is whirlwind of great production, such as
the Word of Promise all-star New and now Old Testament Audio, and the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas. 

This is due to its owner, JoBe Cerny, one of the most creative, productive people I've ever encountered.

By the way, JoBe's book, "I Could Have Been a Cab Driver… But I Became an Actor Instead: A Practical Guide to the Business of Professional Acting,” should be on every performers reading list.

On Saturday, September 27, we start with, “Mix Down Melt Down!”
in which, without a minute of lecture, we hit the microphones for 5, 6,
7 rounds of recording. On the spot, the tracks are mixed with all the
sound effects, music, and processing, so that participants are afforded
the valuable lesson of hearing the final product.

On Sunday, we forge on with “ER Improv & Killer Microphone Technique,”
learning skills for voice over improv and how to work that mic like a
Stradivarius. My hope is that participants drag themselves to the
street at the end of this event. If you too are practical-minded, and
you would like to join us, go to my website, patfraley.com, click on the learn button, and you'll find information, and free first lessons on both days.

Here's to getting PRACTICAL! Pat Fraley

**************
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here.
(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)

CourVO