Even more important, you can continue to stay in touch with me regardless of where you and I go in the world. In fact, the Ed Hooks Newsletter should be even better because the mailing list and editorial content will increasingly become international. Let the WORLD (not just the Bay Area...) know what you are doing! The 21st Century Actor is a global actor! Just because I am moving from one city to another, that doesn't mean you and I are done. As the old song goes, "We've only just begun...."

Reminder: I will not depart San Francisco for another six months. That means you still have plenty of time to study with me if you want to. It's funny how people's minds work. Last month I announced in this Newsletter that I am leaving, and suddenly hundreds of people presume I'm already gone. That's not correct. To paraphrase Mark Twain, "the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." I'm here in the Bay Area, happily teaching all of my classes, and I'd love to work with you. In fact, the reason I announced this move so far in advance is precisely so that you and I CAN work together! The window of opportunity is still open. It is just not as wide open as it used to be.

BAY AREA CLASS SCHEDULE:
Commercials Workshop -- March 10-11 (room still available), April 28-29, June 9-10. $250 for the weekend, $125 if you have had the class before.

Scene Study -- On-going, mixed-levels acting class, San Francisco or Palo Alto. $135 per month. One free audit.

Film Demo Workshop -- New 9-week classes starting next month. April 24th (Tuesday) and April 25th (Wednesday). $675, class limited to ten actors. Develop two movie/TV scenes, which are shot, edited and titled on digital video and then transferred to VHS for inclusion on demo reel. One free audit.

Acting for Animators -- Saturday, March 24th, $125. (See http://www.ActingForAnimators.com)

HELLO, CHICAGO!
I will be in Chicago April 8-13th, checking out neighborhoods with my family. We'll be staying at the Embassy Suites on State Street (..."that great street, I just want to say; they do things they don't do on Broadwa-a-a-a-y."..... Sorry, couldn't resist singing... <g> ) If you want to say hello in person, ring me up. The hotel number is, I think, 312-943-3800.

THE NEWLY REVISED THIRD EDITION OF "THE AUDITION BOOK" IS AVAILABLE!
"The Audition Book (Winning Strategies for Breaking into Theater, Film and TV)" has recently been published by Watson-Guptill's Backstage Books in a revised and expanded third edition. I added 18,000 words about how the digital revolution is impacting on acting careers. Here is the world's longest link to Amazon.com if you want to buy it on-line. Be sure you are ordering the NEW revised edition, not the old 2nd edition! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823088073/qid=982625853/sr=1-3/ref=sc_b_3/105-2904329-1626353

JEAN NEWLOVE TEACHES LABAN MOVEMENT THEORY IN LONDON THIS SUMMER!
Here is some excellent news for the folks who were fortunate to study with JEAN NEWLOVE and JOHN DALBY when they taught Laban Movement Theory in San Francisco last year. Jean and John will both be teaching at a special summer school this August in London. The dates are August 4th - 11th, and the cost is 200 pounds, which equates to about $300 U.S. these days. Low cost hotel accommodations are available for those who get in early. All classes in this will be Laban based. You will cover Dynamics and Spatial Harmony, character and expression, voice and singing, dance, dance-drama, acting and improvisation, clowning, Commedia Del Arte and stage combat. For more information, contact Ms. Newlove via e-mail at: an@newlovemakepeace.demon.co.uk. Or write to her at the Jean Newlove (Centre for Laban Studies), 1/44 Woodville Gardens, Ealing, London W5 2LQ, England. One final note: This will be the legendary Ms. Newlove's final round of summer workshops ever. It is an uncommon opportunity and is highly recommended. If I was not so tied up with my San Francisco/Chicago transition, I'd be there myself.

PAUL COLLINS IS AVAILABLE AS AN AUDITION COACH IN LA!
Paul Collins is an immensely talented man, a busy working actor with an enviable resume, and he happens to be a close personal friend of mine. He told me the other day that he has begun private-coaching actors in LA for audition prep. I definitely would recommend Paul as a coach with no reservations whatever. He's a top notch pro, and he knows his stuff. For more info, contact him at paulschaos@earthlink.net. Tell him Hooks sent 'ya.

HOOKS ACTORS WORKING
SARA BETTS(f/tv - '00) is appearing in "Tapestry", a musical revue of Carol King music, at the Hillbarn in Foster City. Ticket info can be found at http://www.hillbarntheatre.org. BROOKE CAMPANELLI (comml - '00) reports that she has shot two commercials since taking the commercials workshop. DIANE TASCA (s.stdy - current) is appearing as Lady Bracknell, through March 4th, at Northside Theatre Company in San Jose. For reservations: call 408-288-7820. NEIL HOWARD (comml - '99) and MERRIANN OSBORN (s.stdy - '00) are in "Wit" at the San Jose Stage Company. For more info, go to this web site: http://www.sanjosestage.com/ PAUL MCKINNEY (s.stdy - '96-'99) was seen on a recent episode of "That '70s Show" and will soon appear in two episodes of "The Amanda Show". KATHRYN DE YOUNG (comml - '95) closed in "Prelude to A Kiss" at The Hayward Little Theatre. ERIC SWARTZ (s.stdy - '99) appears in "All in the Timing" at the Hillbarn Theater, April 27-May 19. TERRENCE YOUNG (F/TV - '00) shot a student film at American Film Institute entitled "Out of Escorial". FRED OCHS (comml - '98) is appearing in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller at the Marin Theatre Company through April 1st. For info, call 415-388-5308 or visit on-line http://www.marintheatre.org. MEREDITH HAGEDORN (f/tv - '00) appears in "Blood Moon" March 8,9,10 & 15,16,17 at the Noh Space in SF. She also has a new website with info about her South Bay acting classes for teens, among other things. Check it out at http://meredithhagedorn.com/. DANA BERGEMAN (comml - '00) is in "Mousetrap" at Pacfica Spindrift Players. He also did an industrial for Indigo Films, to air on Discovery Channel, as well as one for Hotbed Media. DEEANN WEIR (f/tv - '98) is appearing the The Queen's Company all-female production of "The Rover" by Aphra Behn, through March 25th at New York's Currican Theatre, 154 W. 29th St.. For ticket info call 212-206-1515. LUBA (all classes - '87) has been cast in "Show and Tell" at the Dean Lesher complex in Walnut Creek, running the last two weekends in March and the first two weekends in April. JEANETTE HARRISON (f/tv - '99), JAXY BOYD (s.stdy - '98) and MELANIE CURRIE (s.stdy - current) appeared in the recent 3rd annual Woman's Will's 24-Hour PLAYFEST. It involved seven female playwrights, seven female directors, and 35 actors of all persuasions who race against the clock to write, rehearse and perform seven brand new plays within 24 hours. MARNIE LEVEE (s.stdy and f/tv - '99-'00) is playing Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Calaveras Repertory in Milpitas, through March 17. For tickets, call 408-945-5544. JEFF DELUCIO-BROCK (f/tv - '00) shot indie shorts "The Sigh In Desire," "The Sex Games" and "The Nose." He also did an Internet spot for PaperlessPortal.com, and a CD-ROM for Ripple Effects. AWELE MAKEBA (comml - '00) will perform her one-woman show "Rage is not a One Day Thing" March 30th at the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. For more info, call 818-760-0408, or visit on-line www.lawtf.8m.com.

I'm impressed by LEE FLORES TSOFLIAS (all classes - '93-'95) and her associates in their new cyber-venture known as Bare Witness. Check it out at http://www.barewitness.com and you'll discover a group of actors, filmmakers, writers and directors that are making short digital movies for Internet exhibition. It is art and a showcase at the same time and, based on my reading of the web site alone, I am sure they are doing good stuff. I applaud this kind of effort because it empowers actors as primary storytellers and shamans. Yes!

Congrats to APARNA MALLADI (s.stdy - '98) who is a Big Time director now. Her first film "Nupur", produced through the Film Arts Foundation, has been accepted into the Taos Talking Film Festival in New Mexico, April 5-8. For info on the festival, go to http://www.ttpix.org/. I'm really proud of you, Apu!

CRAFT NOTES
"Jackson Pollock - The Method Painter"

Ed Harris has received a much-deserved Academy Award nomination in the Best Actor category for his new film "Pollock", which he also directed and produced. Marcia Gay Harden, who plays his wife in the film, received a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This is reason enough for serious actors to see the movie, but there is another, probably even more compelling reason, and that is to learn more about Jackson Pollock himself. Granted, Pollock's art is not everybody's cup of tea. One person's high-art is another person's kindergarten exercise. But there is a deeper story to be told even if you don't care for Pollock's "action painting", the spatters and drips that made him famous. As an artist, he was undeniably serious, and he deserves our salute as one of our own.

Jackson Pollock was to painting what Marlon Brando and James Dean were to acting in their young and dangerous days. In fact, some people believe that Tennessee Williams partially based the character of Stanley Kowalski ("A Streetcar Named Desire") on Pollock. The playwright and the painter spent some time together several years before Tennessee wrote the great play, and it is clear from his autobiographical notes that Pollock made a strong impression on him. Like Kowalski, Jackson Pollock expressed himself physically rather than verbally, and he had a low threshold for deceit. He was given to bouts of depression, and he drank far more than he should have, probably because he was so tormented by his attempts to communicate through his art. A psychiatrist today might write Pollock off as having mental illness, a bi-polar disorder, and maybe it is so. But that raises the question once again about the shifting boundaries between genius and insanity. By most any standard, Jackson Pollock was artistically extraordinary. He would probably fit the definition of a genius. He was misunderstood personally, and his work was ridiculed by many, but he stayed the course. As he said at one time, "If only five people understand, that's enough."

In the late 1940's and early 1950's, American artists of all stripes were reacting against the Cold War, gray-flannel-suit, regimentation syndrome. That was the period that gave birth to restless souls like Jack Kerouac ("On the Road"), Allen Ginsberg ("Howl") and the Beats, as well as some of the best jazz in music history. Jackson Pollock was part of this fabric of non-conformists and individualists. Though he studied under Thomas Hart Benton, a famous realist, he hit his stride via Abstract Impressionism. His "drip painting" and "action painting" was revolutionary in its day. To the unknowing eye, the work looks for all the world like something a five-year-old might do. It appears that Pollock's paint is randomly splattered across a large canvas. But here is where Jackson Pollock and Method Acting come together. The truth is that Pollock was obsessed with communication. The splatters, drips and flinging paint were an expression of his inner and most authentic self. It was not the painting equivalent of a doodle. He was trying to say something about authenticity and emotion. As did Brando and Dean and Kerouac, Jackson Pollock was working from the inside out.

This is a terrific movie, dark and rewarding. Go see it. Support Ed Harris and learn something about a fellow artist ... or two.

LINKS:

Ed Harris interviewed about "Pollock":

http://www.moviemaker.com/hop/02/auteur-harris.html

And on Jackson Pollock's art, check out National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

http://www.nga.gov/feature/pollock/pollockhome.html

ADDITIONAL READING:
"Such Desperate Joy (Imagining Jackson Pollock)", edited by Helen A. Harrison.
Foreword by Ed Harris.

RANDOM HOOKS THOUGHTS ON THE SAN FRANCISCO THEATRICAL SCENE.....
Callboard magazine in SF ran a disturbing article by Kerry Reid in the March issue. After surveying Bay Area theatres about the percentage of actors they import from other cities, it was discovered that the news is worse than anybody expected. ACT brought in fully 35 percent of its actors last season; Berkeley Rep brought in 26 percent; San Jose Rep brought in 15 percent, and Palo Alto's TheatreWorks brought in 20 percent. These are arguably the primary theatres in the Bay Area, the best we have to offer! And they import their actors to a shocking degree. I find this to be frankly outrageous and an insult to the Bay Area's deep and vibrant pool of acting talent. Is it any wonder that Bay Area actors flee the scene as often as they do, heading for LA? If you are not appreciated at home, you go where you might find a warmer reception elsewhere.

Coincidentally, Bruce Weber, drama critic for the New York Times, ran an article on February 11th about the theatre scene in Chicago, where I am headed shortly. The occasion for his article was the simultaneous U.S. premiere of two (yes, two!) Alan Ayckbourn plays, "Home" and "Garden" at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. His praise of those productions was perhaps to be expected, but he didn't stop there. He kept talking and talking, about the theatre scene in Chicago in general and how much he likes it. One aspect of his conclusions is worth citing here because what he said in that article positions Chicago in sharp contrast San Francisco. Given the tendency of ACT, Berkeley Rep and the rest of them to bring in actors from other cities, the following is especially painful:

Mr. Weber said:

".... This (Chicago) is a city that is particularly actor-rich, a quality that makes the Goodman's reliance on Chicago performers representative but also noteworthy. Although Chicago shows often travel elsewhere, they are rarely cast elsewhere. .... (This)... is a worthy gesture toward, and ... an important reminder that Chicago is a theater center, not part of the theater fringe. "

The irony is, you see, that San Francisco Artistic Directors think they are Big Stuff by bringing in New York and LA actors. They have Internet money to spend, big advance-subscription bases, and so they feel like mainstream players when they import talent from afar. As indicated by Bruce Weber's article, the truth -- and the public perception -- is the precise opposite. By importing actors so much, San Francisco broadcasts to the world that it is not ready for prime time. It solidifies itself as bush league, a watering hole for New Yorkers and LA actors that want to pick up a quick out-of-town paycheck. They come here, eat great and look at the pretty bridge, and then go back to where the action is.

Let's be clear. There is a vast pool of talented and available actors in the Bay Area. The problem is not with the actors. It is with theatre management and, beyond that, city government. There would be no challenge at all finding qualified actors to play even the largest of lead roles in our major venues. The Bay Area can -- if it can muster the will -- become theatrically innovative once again, as it was back in the '50's and '60's. The movement should begin with the Mayors and City Councils of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose expressing public support for theatre, and it should filter down to the smallest Bay Area venues. There needs to be the equivalent of a Marshall Plan for theatre in the Bay Area, nothing less. Artists are essential to the fabric of a community, whether anybody in charge knows it or not. It is an awful situation when they are neglected and abused to the degree they are in the Bay Area. If this pattern of importing actors continues, it will only further fuel the already in-progress exodus of the region's valuable artistic infrastructure.

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