Summer Time and the Weather is....awful

Wow its been a while since i last posted and I have been b-u-s-y!!

One of the more exciting projects was that I had to go to a costume fitting for the BBC Childrens programme Hetty Feather. The down part of this was that it was cancelled and the dates they then offered i was on holiday :-( still, i wasn't going to not go on holiday as it was my first time abroad!

My family & I had a lovely rest and I got even more confident with my swimming and am now happy to go under water and can swim quite far under there too, i loved it!! I also loved the entertainment gang and got dragged up with the little kids to walk around singing Chi Chi Whah, a spanish kids song which was really funny.

They also had a Karaoke night, I went up and sung "Somewhere out There" and also "I Dreamed a Dream"...and yes, i totally SMASHED it!! The professional singer came up to me and said i had to work on my breathing to enable me to stretch out to the end, which i will be doing with Staveley, so happy :-)

I did sneek in another quick job before i went on hols and that was an extra job for a feature film. Dad had to take me really early in the morning into London. I had a fab time!

I am considering changing my hairstyle to include a long, side fringe, but not sure, we keep umming and ahhhing.

I also had to go to the DEMON DENTISTS! they took 5 of my baby teeth out...when i got home, mum got a text from Tara at Daisy & Dukes to say i had a casting for a Toothpaste commercial the next day, ha ha i couldnt go obvs as now had gaps - still i hope my big teeth hurry up and grow through, tho i may have to have a brace.

Plans for the future & things i missed out since last blogged...
1) Back to the fabulous Staveley Theatre Academy - great things ahead ;-)
2) I got through to perform with Rare Productions in Annie but chose not to as it was ensemble and I really have lots going on from september so thought it best to leave it.
3) Hitchin Thespians are planning on doing Honk! I have a few roles i would like to try for...meow..haha
4) I am going to try Ballet, mum says im like a baby elephant so it may help me be a bit more delicate..haha
5) starting my brand new secondary school, looking forward to this and all the arts things i can do.
6)have an audition for a horror on Friday, fingers x!

It's been a while since i had to learn a script and whilst im loving my holibobs i want to do some wooorrrkkkkk! Keeping positive! 

Rebecca Challis photo shoot

On the first day of Easter holidays i went to Richmond in London for a tfp photoshoot with Rebecca. She has sent mum some pictures & i am on her blog

http://www.rebeccachallisphotography.co.uk/tias-styled-photo-shoot-and-headshots-richmond-photography/

Please take a look, these were my first styled outside shoot, i really enjoyed playing with the props especially the camera. You could see through the lens, it wasnt really clear but you could see.

Thank you! 

Mum & dad are well impressed and this is one mum says could be a rock album cover

Lisa Visser Photos & Bugsy Malone

So the photographer I went to was Lisa Visser in Crawley, we had a great ride down their but had a terrible journey back which took nearly 4 hours!!

I enjoyed the shoot and got to wear lots of hats and dresses. 

Whilst we were having lunch mum got a text from a casting if done - which I didn't think had gone well - to say I had been shortlisted! We were very surprised. I have today learned that I wasn't successful but it was nice of them to let us know As many just leave you to wonder. 

I have performed Bugsy Malone - last Friday & Sat matinee. I really enjoyed it this time as I was Louie and had lots of lines :-) everyone had good fun and I miss my little Rare family when we're not performing. The next show is Fame but not auditioning until March so don't know whether to go for it or not. Guess I'll think about it next year.

Here's me as Louie!  And again in the gang at the left hand side.

My photos from Lisa arrived the other day and mum & dad found it really hard to choose. They said if they had all the money they would buy them all but they have to be careful & get only 6 - there were about 60 to choose from and of course I'm gorgeous in all of them so it must be hard to choose ha ha.

Mum asked for Bonnies help and then went with her advice - probably best as she is my agent. 

Here's one of me on Lisa Visser Fine Art Photography Facebook Page

It's been well quiet for me and I do get to thinking sometimes if it's just me but mum says it's not as there aren't many calls for tall 10s and to remember that even getting called to cast is an achievement (although I worry it costs mum money for nothing).

Still I've got some new photos and a lovely video which is funny so that might help. I'm reading lots at home and am in rehearsals for Young Thespians and I keep getting more & more lines for that too. I'm very happy 😄

Busy busy bee

Glamorous - is not the right word to describe acting! Maybe for those really famous actors that have body doubles for  back shots .

Spending ages  in a field as the warming sun dropsis not glam. Using a pub toilet as a changing room is not glam. But I love it. I work really hard and one day I'll be be the actor that has a body double. 

I'm really busy.

Doing school Shakespeare play, learning Bugsy with rare, learning songs to Olivia with auditions next week, had to learn a new monologue for video reel with bobe on Saturday, waiting to film again on one project, due to have my new Headshots soon, pencilled for another short & interest in doing some modelling too.

I'm busy :-)  

Me with my lovely new hat made just for me by my nan. 

Me

Mum has put together her favourite pics of me over the last 6 months and is proud of her self that she added music and turned it into a film...enjoy.

Music by: Amy Macdonald. This is the Life. 
Mum & me love this song.

Self-Tape & more self-tape

I was asked to self tape for a short horror which I really enjoyed, mum said there were moments that I really spooked her with my eyes - I made them really big and then tried to look angry & evil. We sent that off to the writer/director and then went on holiday with the family camping in  Hampshire - I really enjoyed it as I went horse riding every day I went on Katie and Eddy. On the last day I went out for a trek on Sindy I would really really like to keep riding now I'm home - hint hint mum!

During the hol mum got an email from Bonnie about another self tape. I stressed a bit as I couldn't get the lines until we got home on Saturday but actually there wasn't too many to learn and the character description really sounded like me mum & dad said. I thought of all the Jessie episodes and went for it. We did three takes and then mum picked the best. Hope it's of some interest I think the CD has been through America and not found the right kids so is looking in England - good for us!! 

I was upset about taping but mum said it's better to be asked to tape than go down to London and audition with hundreds of others. 

Fingers x again!   

Bugsy Malone - rare productions

Well I've managed to do it again!! I auditioned for BM after doing Wiz of Oz but wasn't sure if I would be lucky to get cast and really didn't just want to be ensemble again. 

But I  got a yes letter really quick and I'm in Fat Sams Gang, hope there's not too many of us. Am pleased that Molly P will be in it too as I won't see her on Sundays anymore.

We start rehearsing at the end of August with the show in November - should be good fun.

My Name is who I Am

I think I would like my stage name to be  something else. 

It means something to me that will get me thru the tough times and will let me rember the amazing times. 

Mum says that I can have a name for when I'm on stage but probably when I'm older. 

It's good to be different

It's good to be me 

I am Tia Swan 

Showcase Week & late night self taping.

I've spent the last two weekend - both sat & sun rehearsing for my EDSA end of year show and we are now in the Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage rehearsing every night & sat until Show Time!!

Saturday 19th July at 7pm in the Gordon Craig.

It's really hot as well! 

Last night when mum picked me up she asked me if I would do a self tape for BoBe. I was well tired but I won't win it if I'm not in it so I quickly read the lines and tried really hard to get into character. Mum said we were gonna have three takes and then pick the best. 

I kept making mum laugh as every time she stopped filming I yawned and yawned and when she said go I quickly stopped and did my lines.

It was the quickest self tape we've ever done but mum said she ruined

It by dropping something in front of the camera but we sent it as I just carried on without noticing and dad says it's the acting not the filming that they want to see. 

I don't think I'll win this one but I don't mind as I'm on holiday soooooon. 

Working Out What I Want

It's been a really tough few weeks but it's been good because it has made me look at the things im doing and deciding what I really enjoy and where I want to go in the future.

I have always said I want to be an actress. It's just that at the moment I am not getting the acting teaching and practising that I want.

I enjoy working for a stage performance - acting with song & dance scenes - like Rare's shows. 

I know I'm too tall as a kid for professional musical theatre so there's not point training in this at the moment.

I am not really a dancer. Yes I work hard and can learn a routine, but I am not the child that has been ballet since they could walk or can get my leg over my head whilst standing - !! 

So I'm looking into drama schools/classes/groups rather than performing arts schools. Mum says specialising not diversifying - I don't get that either 😳

Mum and me are going camping in Cornwall in two weeks, I'm very excited 😝 it's been very quiet for me with BoBe but mum says I've been blocked out coz of All the other shows I've been doing. Got EDSA showcase over 5 days, then on holiday 5 days then on holiday with everyone for a week so can't do castings or work. 

Bonnie was mailing mum about the pics i had done with Sarah, so that's good I hope. But I can now relax as nothing to do once showcase over - until September. 

Ps the picture is from Sarah Fisher. She gave me some really nice pictures to keep from our shoot in June -THaNKyOu Sarah  x 

Costume Fitting

So, we were wondering about what to wear and how to have my hair for the film on Thursday and then mum got a phone call from Cat at BoBe saying we had a costume fitting tonight! 

I'm on the train as I type on our way to London and then to Shoreditch, we are very excited and can't wait to see what I am going to wear! 

We went to Shoreditch train station and made our way to the trailers that were set up in a car park! 

We were very early so they opened a trailer for us and let us sit in there and wait, it was really cool!

Then a lovely lady called Sharne met us and took us to the costume trailer where I tried on some clothes. As they are for the 1940s they were vintage clothes and made of wool so really itchy and heavy, the shoes were really heavy and cobbled at the bottom

I think im going to wear a cotton dress, cardigan, coat, socks, shoes & a little bag! I look just the part. 

I met the other bobe kid, Josh and can't wait to get filming on Thursday. 

License Arrived!

Very excited now - although until I'm actually there I can still be cancelled - received my licence from the council to be able to film on Thursday!!

It tells me where and for what film....I'm keeping ssshhh for now!! 

Self Taping

I've had to do quite a few self tapes or voices clips recently. 

I've not got anything through it yet though which is annoying as they take a bit of time learning the lines and practising to get it right.

Mum says it's a shame that some people don't even thank you for the effort, at least at a casting you get thanked for coming which is nice. 

I'm beginning rehearsals in a few days for the Easter musical at the Gordon Craig Theatre, I'm so looking forward to it and nervy too. 

Photo updates with Emma Tunbridge for Bonnie & Betty

Went to Clapham today to have some photos done for my webpage with my agency Bonnie&Betty.

Along the way we had to get a bus as the stations weren't open but it worked out ok :-)

Bella the doggy was at the studio and I met a nice girl called Daisy and Kiwani and her mum. Bonnie and Chloe and Cat was there with the photographer Emma.

I enjoyed my session and saw some of the pictures. Emma said I had nice hair and long eyelashes. I had to wear jeans and I didn't like wearing jeans but I tried on loads of different ones and chose 2 pairs, blue and black and they are skinny.  I had to wear 2 tops black and grey.

Nice day out :-)

Mum said she wasn't going to buy the set this time as i had photos with Mark recently, but she said the pictures that BoBe chose for the website are really nice and show me in all my natural glory...?

www.bonnieandbetty.com

http://emmatunbridgephotography.viewbook.com/overview-1

Confirmed! James & Giant Peach

Catherine Lomax called to let me know I'm in the Easter Show at Gordon Craig Theatre, it's Roald Dahl James & Giant Peach.

Mum got a huge pack of papers to fill in and I've seen the rehearsal schedule & performance.

Wow!! It's going to be really tough but I am going to love it :-)

New Pictures with Mark

On Saturday 8th February I had a photo-shoot with the lovely Mark Bruce.

Mum really likes his pictures and I think he is funny and he makes me laugh. I had 4 sets of clothes to change into and spent about an hour posing and changing position. 

Mark is super fast in getting the photo's ready and my poor mum had to look through over 170 to choose just a handful. I let her do that as i think they all looked great ha ha.

She chose about 6 - although in this one i look a bit grumpy - but i wasn't! Mum says its a nice shot.

I hope the new pictures will help casting directors get an idea of me and ask me for auditions. 

www.markbrucephotography.com