In our third episode of the sub-series, we're joined by artist/hypnotherapist extraordinaire, Rachel Collignon -- in an episode hosted by Bluebird's Gracie Rittenberg! Taking us through her actor-to-therapist pipeline, it turns out there’s a whole lot more that connects our neural and life pathways than meets the eye. When she’s not on a stage or on a set, Rachel Collignon is guiding her hypnotherapy clients to their full potential. Here’s the transcript of Rachel and Gracie’s conversation. If you’d prefer to listen to it, you can find the episode wherever you get your podcasts. GRACIE: Today ..read more

"A stagnation of the mind is the worst hell there is…and [in this world] even the battles of his own soul are revealed to him in the shapes of those he’s known during his lifetime...In the many shapes of those, he’s known during his lifetime. What’s your story?" - CLAUDIA, Halston’s Amitha On the intimate Lower East Side stage of Teatro Latea, lights came up on April 26th, 28th, and 30th to reveal Halston’s Amitha. Written by Tannasia Gonzalez and directed by Albert Xavier, the production made its Off-Broadway debut at the New York Theater Festival for the Spring/Summer lineup. “This was my d ..read more

As we roll into 2023, the barrage of artificial intelligence tools that are at our fingertips is quite frankly, shocking. It begs the question, what must we collectively decide is too sacred to the human experience that we shan’t allow AI to do for us? I asked the most recent it-girl of AI, ChatGPT, to “write the first page of a play, authentically depicting the human experience.” Here’s what it came up with: Act 1, Scene 1 (The stage is set as a living room in a suburban home. The furniture is worn and well-used. A coffee table sits in the center of the room, surrounded by a couch and two ar ..read more

I recently had the pleasure of seeing RAVING REASON, a new play written by Penny Fylaktaki, conceived and developed by Ioanna Katsarou & Penny Fylaktaki, and directed by Ioanna Katsarou at the LaGuardia Center for Performing Arts. It was produced by Eclipses Group Theater NY. Inspired by Euripides’ The Bacchae, the play explores our relationship to technology and how it affects our ability to connect with others and ourselves. Photo by Serafeim Salellariou This piece was a part of the Rough Draft Festival at the LaGuardia Center for Performing Arts, so I expected to see something that was ..read more

“Arts and cultural foundations and entertainment groups will have the chance for socially distanced shows in approximately 200 streets across all five boroughs.” A new citywide initiative is getting ready to add arts and entertainment to the streets of the New York. The Open Culture scheme will allow for ticketed, socially distanced concerts, performances, workshops, and activities in the streets with a permit. The NYC Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management states that this program will be active until October 31, 2021. Eligibility to apply for the permit is open to Arts ..read more

"It has been said that the myth is a public dream, dreams are private myths. Unfortunately we give our mythic side scant attention these days. As a result, a great deal escapes us and we no longer understand our own actions. So it remains important and salutary to speak not only of the rational and easily understood, but also of enigmatic things: the irrational and the ambiguous. To speak both privately and publicly." One of the several roles played by Rose Callaghan, Therapist, in Atlantic Acting School’s Full Time Conservatory’s production of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, presents this poi ..read more

An alum’s return to the conservatory which molded them, a reflection of soon-to-be graduates’ One Act Festival, Directed by Carson McCalley & Mahima Saigal. It was a strange feeling to get off the A train at the 14th Street station, my legs carrying me to the metro exit I’d used for over three years. The last time I used it, I was getting off the train to attend my graduation from the Atlantic Acting School in December 2019. The days I spent in the Google building in Chelsea with my fellow actors seemed like they were just yesterday (partially because the pandemic has collapsed my sense of ..read more

Choosing to become an actor is often considered a brave decision. There are limited jobs, little stability, and a lot of doubt in this particular career. It is very much a career that must be chosen based on passion and there are few more passionate than immigrant artists. These immigrant artists often travel halfway across the world to pursue their dream in the city that never sleeps, New York City. Actors have to leave behind their entire life and support system to pursue their dreams and until very recently this pursuit has been met with very little enthusiasm by their adopted nation. Even ..read more

I hear New South Wales is the new Hollywood! Too good to be true? Yes, it is too good to be true for Australian actors. I know many Australian actors, myself included, who were beyond excited by the prospect of Hollywood productions moving closer to home. I was hoping that this would be the opportunity many Aussies have been waiting for to be cast in something on our home soil! However, that excitement was quickly shattered when I read countless casting announcements and saw paparazzi pictures of the many many Hollywood actors who are now living in New South Wales.  Image courtesy of @a ..read more