October 2024

Welcome to the first ever edition of the CMA newsletter with me, your host, Majid! This is your space for our latest news, acting tips, life thoughts, inspiring quotes, actor spotlights, all the good stuff. It has been quiet out there but busy over here. Got to keep practicing.

Workshop Updates

Manchester - Spaces Added!

Jude and I led the October workshop, focusing on Uta Hagen’s techniques. Our actors chose their dream roles and spent the weekend focused on channeling their inner Catherine Cawood, Basil Fawlty, and other beloved characters from stage and screen.  

- Watch the highlight reel here.

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We are very excited that Sheraz Ahmed CDG, Casting Director for Happy Valley and Time, will join us in November to share his casting expertise. This workshop will focus on TV scripts, with George delivering a session on emotional memory.

Due to popular demand, we’ve added extra spaces for this workshop. Let us know here if you’d like to join.

London

In London, we welcomed Netflix director Isher Sahota for another screen-focused workshop. Our actors worked with Jude on Laban techniques and with George on listen/respond exercises, using scenes from Isher’s latest short film script.

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November in London is another biggie - Azhur Saleem will lead his first ever acting workshop. It’s a huge opportunity to meet the director of new Amazon series Anansi Boys starring Whoopi Goldberg. Read more about Azhur here.

Final few spaces are available - CLICK HERE TO BOOK

My Ideas

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Ever heard of an accountability check-in? Grab a friend and set monthly acting goals. Choose a date one month later to meet up. Did you achieve what you set out to? Keep each other accountable.

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Do something physically and/or mentally taxing every day. Set yourself up so nothing the world throws at you is harder than what you’ve just done. Push your limits: set the treadmill to the fastest setting and run for 20 seconds, rest for 10, and repeat until exhaustion. Read that dense acting text book you’ve been avoiding. Challenge yourself daily. Then? Not hearing anything back from that self-tape won’t sting nearly as much.

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Acting Insights

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Michael Chekhov on the importance of an inner/outer connection:

“An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease.”

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Gene Hackman on finding truth:

“Honesty isn't enough for me. That becomes very boring. If you can convince people what you're doing is real and it's also bigger than life -- that's exciting.”

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George Bukhari on supportive environments:

“No clapping we are in workshop.”

CMA Actor Spotlight

Catch Meg Keaveny in The War of the Worlds at Wilton’s Music Hall until Saturday 26th October. Book tickets here

— Want to be featured? Keep us updated on what you’re up to. Let us know here

Thanks for reading,

— Majid