We've been a little quiet over the last six months because I have been busy, busy building Bodlondeb Studio & Retreat here in North Wales, in my garden. 

We open in a matter of days (9) and there is still a huge amount to do so I'll keep this short and sweet - I am deliriously tired!

It's really important to me that I make sure people who genuinely can't afford the training can come. Adam and I have run several year long and course specific scholarships to ensure our doors remain open to those who need it. 

I've been so busy with the build and choosing wood, paint and taps that I had missed some elements of launching the retreats that are deeply important to me and this is one of them. So I had a think. 

For this 9 night course specifically it costs me just under £200/person to have someone on site (not including my time, accommodation or paying off loans etc) so I couldn't offer a full scholarship as we don't have the funds to cover the rest but I could at least offer it at cost price, giving my time and accommodation as a gift. I reached out to some people in the industry to ask if they knew anyone who might be interested in the training and specifically those who wouldn't normally be able to access it. 

One very kind soul, writer, maker, director, VO artist Dermot Daly, offered to cover the cost of one place, as a gift to someone who would deeply benefit. Well that blew me away. 

"I’ve been lucky in the opportunities that I’ve had and continue to have and am fully aware that stories like mine are few and far between. If I can rebalance in some small way then I will. 

The idea of using a fee for a voiceover to gift training to someone is just beautiful and I know that what you do is awesome and brilliant."

So here we are, able to offer a fully funded place on our first ever Actor Training Retreat to a brilliant and deserving soul who is in a position to down tools and get to Wales on the 12th July!

We'll keep it simple. Email me on stephanie@both-feet.co.uk or fill in the contact form by Wed 7th July about why you'd like to come on the retreat and why we should offer you the scholarship.

12-21st July
Introduction to Meisner, 9 night retreat in North Wales
With the great outdoors to guide the training into your body

Here's Steph chatting about it https://fb.watch/6rY_ejvPNx/ 

A deeply immersive, experiential and tailored programme designed to deeply connect you to yourself, each other and your craft.
Includes:
- Accommodation
- Food package for arrival evening and first morning and kitchen basics ie tea, coffee, spices, oils etc (you can let us know food requirements on booking).
- 7 days training in The Meisner Technique from basic repetition and exploring the impulse to move all the way through to text analysis and scene work.
- A beautifully fused coaching experience from the acting studio into the wild and back again with Steph and our partner activity instructor.  
- Activities: Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Archery, White Water Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Foraging & Campfire,
NB we reserve the right to change or adapt the activities if necessary
- Food at the campfire and something foraged & handmade to take away ie teas, cordials muscle rub, salves, first aid ointment.
Full info: https://www.bodlondebretreat.co.uk/introduction-to-meisner

Arrive Open, Leave Changed

Money is tight. Headshots are important, an investment, your marketing material. Yet for some reason I see so many actors be unprepared when it comes to choosing photographers and attending their shoot.  Here are a few thoughts from me on making every penny count.

1. What do you need?
   A question I ask in the training room and rehearsal room a lot but it’s also relevant here. I do mean literally - are these your first headshots or are they top ups? What kind of pictures do you need? But I also mean what do you need to make you feel good, to get the best out of the session? I believe as an actor, knowing what you need is your best tool. 
2. Choose carefully
   Take your time and research properly, don’t be lazy. Find actors you know and look at their head shots. Are those pictures a true representation of them? Is there a good range? Are they over edited or are they real? If so, see who the photographer is. Just because someone gives you a recommendation, this doesn’t mean you should just book them. Everyone is different. 
3. Trust your gut
   A good headshot photographer will make you feel comfortable, and this should be reflected in their communication with you beforehand. If your gut is questioning your choice, listen to it. 
4. Before you go
   Don’t get carried away in the beauty salon. Of course if you want to do the usual, do it but remember these pictures need to be a true reflection of you. So going and getting a mega fake tan, inch long eyelash extensions and/or your nose pierced the morning of the shoot to make you feel more confident may not be the best plan. Same with clothes - if you're not used to wearing those shapewear knickers or that woolly jumper, now might not be the time to rush out and buy them - think carefully about what items you choose - you want to exist in front of the camera with as much ease as possible. 
5. Be ready
   What can you do with clothes, makeup and hair to give yourself as many basic options as possible? Of course you can’t do all options but what small changes can you make to encourage a casting directors imagination? Make sure you think about this before you go so you’re fully prepared. Beard/no beard. Slick back hair/free down hair. Glasses/no glasses. Hoodie/shirt. Be clever. Even the material of your clothes plays a part, soft clothes soften you, sharp clothes (like a stiff collar) harden you. 
6. Enjoy yourself
   I don’t actually know many actors who like getting in front of a camera so check in with yourself - what small things can you do to allow yourself to be open and to make it an enjoyable experience? Is it that you need to arrive early to grab a coffee? Smells can have a profound effect on our senses and state of mind, use it to your advantage with a spray of your favourite perfume or a few drops of lavender. Might music help, on your way there and/or during the shoot? Even though shoes won’t get seen in the picture, they can have a huge difference on how we feel so why not take a couple of options? Work with the photographer, don’t rely on them to do everything, they don’t know you like you do.
7. Be honest
   If I trust anything it’s that honesty reads better than bullshit. Once you get there if you’re feeling nervous, don’t hide it. Let it be a part of the moment. If you’re shooting different ‘looks’ don’t fake it, feel it - use preparation techniques you’ve tried and tested during your training or work.
8. Most importantly, you are who you are, you have what you have
   These pictures are a marketing tool for you. You are enough, just as you are: your colouring, size, shape, lines, curls, markings are all you. Celebrate it all. Be kind to yourself. Maybe it’s the bits you’re less fond of that’ll get you the role so let them be seen.

Since writing this blog we've actually started to run our own Headshot Days with me (Steph) coaching and James of Shift Focus behind the camera. Find out more HERE.

Gift someone our trainingIf you know a professional actor or someone who's seriously working to become an actor then this will be the perfect gift.

Plus you'll be supporting local, it's a win win!

We are one of the top actor training companies in the North of England who specialise in The Meisner Technique and the actor's well-being. 

​What they'll get:
We will send the voucher to the email address provided with any message you would like. You can specify what date and time you'd like it sending. We will CC you in so you know it's arrived safe and sound. 

To give you an idea of prices here's some of our offerings (follow the links for full info):

★ The Foundations, The Meisner Technique (Leeds or Manchester):
- Introduction to Meisner 2 Day - £95
- The Core 6 Day - £270
Over the 8 Days you will be introduced to all the exercises designed by Sanford Meisner which will take you through to working on a script.

★ 1 hour of 1:1 with Adam or Steph (on Zoom): £60
This can be whatever you want it to be. Audition prep, monologue work, text work, a chat about the industry. Literally anything. 

★ Free Writing: An Actor's Best Friend (online course) - £15
Usually runs once a month, dates added regularly

★ Headshot Day​ - £175
Dates added regularly. Only available to those who have started training with us.

More info and to order: 🎁 www.both-feet.co.uk/gift

Next one: 2nd November, 7-8.30pm
(Register below)

Maybe you've enjoyed some stillness and taken the opportunity to breathe,
and now you're reaching out.
Maybe you've felt really overwhelmed and have pulled away from your creativity or questioned who you are,
and now you're reaching out. 
Maybe you feel heavy in your heart or lost in your head,
so now you're reaching out. 
Maybe you've been frantically working to keep yourself and/or others afloat or your mind busy,
but now you're reaching out. 
Maybe you're feeling warm, lifted and supported,
And you're here to extend that out. 

Either way, join us. There'll be no pressure to be anything other than here.

CONNECT is simply a space for us to come together 
breathe,
talk,
listen,
be
and most importantly,
connect.
Not on a business level but on a personal one.
No frills. No money, no agenda. Just us in this positive space.
I'll guide you through, don't worry. 

If you are an Actor and/or Maker then this space is absolutely for you. 

Will there be moments of awkward Zoom etiquette? Of course there will! But it'll shift quickly if you let it. 

I am a firm believer that together we can rise the tide. So let's wrap our arms around each other.

Steph x

Fill in the registration form below to get the Zoom link :-)

​Theatre meets ZOOM: Live performances by the Both Feet community
Sunday 2nd August
7.30 - 9pm ("doors" open from 6.45pm)
@ Your Place, Zoom
FREE
You must register below to get the Zoom link!

​
(NB you will need to have a Zoom account, don't worry, it's super easy and free).
BOOKING CLOSES @ 7.15pm on Sunday

​​We miss the real-ness and the live-ness so we're having a lot of fun playing with how many theatre elements we can bring to this. We can't wait to share and connect with you (and your furry friends!) 

Line Up below

​Make an Evening of it
Many of us make an evening of it when we go to the theatre, so why don’t you do the same? Here’s a few suggestions:

• Get your glad rags on - even a spritz of perfume if you're feeling fancy!
• What does your pre show dinner look like? If you’re feeling wild, why don’t you change up the way you have your evening meal to embrace your theatre outing? Maybe you set up your table like you’re at your favourite restaurant - make sure you’re finished up in time for show time though! ;-)
• Ready your glass with your theatre tipple
• Turn off your phones!
• Snacks and toilet break for the short interval
• If you’re tech savvy you could even hook it up to the TV for a full experience!

Note: the larger the screen the better. Your experience may be lessened if viewed on a phone but you will still be able to access the performance, don't worry!


We’d love to see any photos of you embracing any of these suggestions or any of your own theatre rituals! Use the hashtag #bothfeetLIVE on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.


Arrive early to have drinks with friends
In Zoom I (the host) have the power to allocate people to Break Out Rooms. If you would like to hang out with other people before the show starts, you can let me know in advance HERE - or you can let me know if you’re up for being put in a room with a few strangers! I will put you back in the same rooms for the interval.


And please don’t worry - if you don’t want to socialise before the show just arrive any time and keep your video off.


A note from Steph:
These last few months have been hard but they've also presented many of us a chance to reflect, discover and develop as people and as creatives. I have been carefully designing courses to help actors (and me as a director!) to fully embrace technology, to find the fun with it and to trust it’s still possible to connect with scene partners and whoever is watching too, even with miles between us.

It has been a new challenge gracefully accepted by those I've been working with. Through playing, exploring, discovering and jumping, we have come to see that working in your home alongside family, housemates, children, pets, neighbours and washing machines (!) is different - but very much doable. More than doable.

Both Feet LIVE is a way for us to connect with you. You, the audience, are the heart of live theatre and we’ve deeply missed you.

See you on Sunday we hope.
Steph x​


​Promo Vid with thanks to James @ Shift Focus

Missing live theatre? Us too.

Theatre meets ZOOM: Live performances by the Both Feet community

Sunday 28th June
7.30 - 9pm ("doors" open from 7pm)
@ Your Place, Zoom
FREE
RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW
(NB you will need to have a Zoom account, don't worry, it's super easy and free).

We miss the real-ness and the live-ness so we're having a lot of fun playing with how many theatre elements we can bring to this. We can't wait to share and connect with you.

​Make an Evening of it
Many of us make an evening of it when we go to the theatre, so why don’t you do the same? Here’s a few suggestions:

• Get your glad rags on - even a spritz of perfume if you're feeling fancy!
• What does your pre show dinner look like? If you’re feeling wild, why don’t you change up the way you have your evening meal to embrace your theatre outing? Maybe you set up your table like you’re at your favourite restaurant - make sure you’re finished up in time for show time though! ;-) 
• Ready your glass with your theatre tipple
• Turn off your phones!
• Snacks and toilet break for the short interval
• If you’re tech savvy you could even hook it up to the TV for a full experience!

Note: the larger the screen the better. Your experience may be lessened if viewed on a phone but you will still be able to access the performance, don't worry!

We’d love to see any photos of you embracing any of these suggestions or any of your own theatre rituals! Use the hashtag #bothfeetLIVE on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Arrive early to have drinks with friends
In Zoom I (the host) have the power to allocate people to Break Out Rooms. If you would like to hang out with other people before the show starts, you can let me know in advance HERE - or you can let me know if you’re up for being put in a room with a few strangers! I will put you back in the same rooms for the interval.

And please don’t worry - if you don’t want to socialise before the show just arrive any time and keep your video off.

A note from Steph:
These last few months have been hard but they've also presented many of us a chance to reflect, discover and develop as people and as creatives. I have been carefully designing courses to help actors (and me as a director!) to fully embrace technology, to find the fun with it and to trust it’s still possible to connect with scene partners and whoever is watching too, even with miles between us.

It has been a new challenge gracefully accepted by those I've been working with. Through playing, exploring, discovering and jumping, we have come to see that working in your home alongside family, housemates, children, pets, neighbours and washing machines (!) is different - but very much doable. More than doable.

Both Feet LIVE is a way for us to connect with you. You, the audience, are the heart of live theatre and we’ve missed you, deeply missed you. 

See you on Sunday we hope. 

Steph x​

​Promo Vid with thanks to James @ Shift Focus

​I have been quiet on this because I couldn't find the words even though I needed to speak. So I'm just going to keep this really simple. 

Over the last few weeks I have done a lot of thinking about, and listening to, and reflecting on, the Black Lives Matter movement. 

My heart is heavy for many people whom I know, and many people I don't. 

What Adam and I want to say is that our space is safe.

I won't say everyone is treated the same, because no one is the same, we all need different things but we do, and will, open our arms to everything that you are and everything that you bring with you. 

Many of us want more understanding, empathy and action and we want to learn and be educated so if there's something you think we can do better or to open our arms wider, we're all ears. 

Steph (and by proxy, Adam)
xxx

Money Talk
I'll be honest with you, without my teaching I won't earn a penny. Both Feet is my full time job and I'm the sole provider for my lovely little family so I'm not sure what our way through is yet but I'm trusting we will find a way. I also know that you will be in a very similar position and for many of you money is now a serious issue - potentially to the point that it's hard to put food on the table and pay rent let alone pay for training. SO... 
For now all the online stuff, I'll do on a (guilt free) Pay What/If You Can basis and I'll trust that if you can give anything at all, you will and if you can't, from the bottom of my heart, it's OK. Yes, we all have bills and food to pay for, this isn't about money, this is about working together. This is about adjusting and exploring something new, our now. 


(With that out of the way) Let's Play
Obviously there are certain things we can't do online, and that's good, because at least it means that when this all blows over we won't have created a world where everything can be done online so we will have to reconnect in person! BUT there are things we can do, which is ACE. 

Let's keep working, keep challenging ourselves and flexing those muscles. It's good for our head, heart and gut. 

So over the next few days and weeks we'll be releasing some fun challenges and things to do and we'd love for you to get involved. It might be for just you, you and another actor (familiar or not) or even you and your family. Either way, it'll keep you on your toes and ready for anything whilst continuing you on your journey of simplifying, calming the chaos and trusting. 

​We'll be looking at...

• Daily or weekly challenges - with a slightly competitive edge  - Including...
  • Self tapes
  • Monologues 
  • Scripts 
  • Giving each other given circumstances 
• Script work / Text analysis practice 
• Looking at Shakespeare (I'll be drafting in help with that!)
• Skills sharing
• Various live streams (gulp) and/or group video/calls to help us connect with grounding, our breath work and general maintenance. 
• Cold calling with a text (I'm guna have a lot of fun with this one...!)
• Adam is building a full on self-tape course too which will be awesome
• I'll see about guest tutors too
• And of course, if you want to do anything with me on a 1:1 basis, you know where I am!

​
I shall be looking into online platforms which means some of these we can do and share together and others we'll do on a 1:1 or a 2:1 basis. 

They're just the ideas bouncing around atm, I'm sure there's a million more. Do you have any other ideas or things that would be useful to you during this time? Tell me what you need - you know that's the most important starting point for me. Drop me and email stephanie@both-feet.co.uk

ARE YOU IN? ARE YOU UP FOR SOME CHALLENGES AND SOME FUN?

Right, I've been working since 5am so I'm going to switch off now and pick up again tomorrow. 

Steph xxx

If you're someone who can get stuff in your head and need to calm the chaos (and even if you're not!) then definitely take this time to connect with your present self. Replaying the What Ifs through your mind is probably not going to be great for you so trust you have loads of tools to help with that, if you choose to use them.

• Breathe 
  • Those of you who have come to my class recently will probably be familiar with this song.
  • ​​Feet on the floor, eyes closed or softened and allow your attention to come to your breathing: in your nose and out your mouth. Just notice. What is it doing? Is your in-breath longer or shorter than your out-breath? If your mind wonders, allow your tongue to rise to the roof of your mouth with each in-breath and drop as you breathe out. 
• Take some time to release
  • ​You can add this to your breath work by moving your attention around your body, starting with your eyebrows, across your face, down your jaw, your neck, your shoulders, your hands, spine, tum, bum, thighs, ankles and to the end of your toes and as you go notice where you're holding tension and allow it to melt away with every out-breath
  • There are plenty of other ways to release too - maybe it's having a bloody good shout or cry or dance!
• Stretch
  • Have a good stretch. I do it a lot throughout the day, when I'm "tab flicking" or feeling disconnected or disorientated and I should be working - it's a winner. The blood flow to the muscles increases which kicks in the "rest and digest" (parasympathetic) part of our nervous system promoting relaxation and also releases delicious endorphins. Who doesn't want a few of them?!
• Drink water and eat well
  • ​Easier said than done, of course. But what we put into our bodies will affect our thoughts, our sleep and our energy. I know you know this but we all need reminding, don't we? It's made me have a drink of water, so, thanks ;-)
  • Around 80% of your immune system resides in your gut so by strengthening digestion you also strengthen immunity.
    
• Get as much air as you can
  • ​Noone can stop you from getting out and going for a walk (or if you're wild, a jog!)
  • It's easy to get sucked into the very tiny world on your phones but look up, allow yourself to notice the beauty that is around you. 

That's all I have to say right now. I'm going to figure out ways we can stay connected, because we need to so if you have any ideas, talk to me. We are a family, we'll get through this together. 

All the love,

​Steph xxx

and of course, Adam sends his love too "Onward we go! We’ll be fine, we got this. Plus, if we can be useful to any of you you know where we are." 🙌🏻