Aspiring Actors
Six young people in Butler County have likely improved their drama skills, but they also received some life advice at an acting workshop on Saturday.
The class was offered at the Marilyn E. Kane Modeling Agency in Butler by television actor J. Eddie Peck, who has appeared in soap operas, television shows and movies. Peck was in town to host the Miss Butler County USA Pageant, held the following night. An adult acting workshop also was offered.
Although the aspiring actors worked on their monologues and participated in one-on-one exercises, Peck also focused on practical advice.
"Acting is a wonderful thing, but first and foremost our grades are most important," Peck said. "Education often makes you a better actor."
The youths, ages 4 to 10, also learned to talk with casting directors, who Peck said are sometimes distracted or lack experience counseling children.
"In an audition, they want to get a sense of who we are," Peck said.
"It's so important ... that you like to stand up and talk about yourself."
Peck pointed out that when asked about hobbies and pets during the workshop, most participants became more upbeat when telling about their cats and dogs. That is because people are best represented when "we talk about things we really, really like," Peck explained.
"If you have the opportunity to tell us a little bit about something you're excited about, do that!" Peck advised.
To help instill an ability to contribute to conversation, Peck assigned each youth a random phrase to interject during mock interviews.
Brienna Simmons, 8, of Slippery Rock was given the task of announcing a grizzly bear outside in the trash can.
Belle Chiodo, 10, of Grove City had to say she disliked the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mariana Bergeron, 9, of Butler was asked to disclose her schoolteacher has a wart on her nose.
Peck said the information can be as everyday as "You come from a big family, and you always get the drumstick but you always want the breast."
A response might be, "Oh Wow! That's a really bright kid with a great personality," Peck said.
"You guys are the talent. You are the cute ones. You're the ones who are interesting."
On the set, Peck reminded children that directors like to work with children who enjoy acting — but not all aspects of acting are fun. If the script requires an actor to be eating, for instance, there is a good chance that food is going to be cold."Sometimes you have to eat food we wouldn't normally eat," he said, adding that if viewers watch closely they might see an actor's eyes move downward while eating."If you see an actor look down while eating food, either they are not enjoying the food or they are thinking of their next line," he said, laughing.One of the biggest pieces of advice was offered when parents joined the end of the workshop and Peck returned to the topic of self-esteem — gained through a variety of activities."(Acting is) all great and it's all good, but it cannot be their only focus," Peck said, advising parents to continue supporting their kids through baseball, soccer and other sports.For youths at the workshop, acting remains among those pursuits. Treva Simmons said acting in several commercials has eased her daughter Brienna's shyness."We just want her to have fun with it right now," Simmons said. "It's a good experience, a good self-esteem builder."Rodney Chiodo noted that although self-esteem can come from participating, auditions also result in rejection.Chiodo said one of his goals is to help his daughter Belle put rejection in a healthy perspective."I want her to understand rejection and to build on it in a positive way: to look at rejection as a positive thing rather than a negative thing," he said.Peck responded with stories about his many successes and failures, often based on random factors.After asking once why he received one role he didn't expect, a director confessed that Peck resembled a childhood heartthrob.In some cases, roles are granted to appease a specific talent agent. In others, a hair color might be sought."It has nothing to do with ourselves or who we are or how good we are," Peck emphasized."Sometimes it's a matter of type and size. ... There are all kinds of reasons."Peck's most recent roles include playing Adam Baylin in the ABC series "Kyle XY."He is known for his role on "The Young and the Restless" as Cole Howard, which he played from 1993 to 1999. He also has appeared in various other soap operas, TV series and movies.
