Tag archive: acting
Dancing In Manure Made Me a Better Actor
The Complete Bio
(in third person as you would expect)
Colleen Ann Guest’s performance roots can be traced to the barnyard of her family’s farm in upstate, NY – the barn floor being her first stage and the majestic hills her backdrop. It was a rustic venue with little amenities but the house was always packed and she could name her dates. Her audience was kept thoroughly entertained by rambling monologues and songs sung without regard for conventional styling; however, interpretive dance was foregone due to the sometimes slippery nature of the dance floor. Hardly able to contain their exuberance, the attendees cheered her on with their doe-eyed droopy-headed silence, an occasional tail swish or lazy flick of an ear; and for those moments of undeniable greatness, a resounding grunt or sigh – – the height of critical acclaim!
Fast forward through adulthood. She grew up, got married, had children, and lived an extraordinary life punctuated by joys and tragedies before finally leaping back into the world of make-believe. Having an arsenal of life experiences to draw upon (and the recollections of happily amused farm animals to encourage her) she sought training and pursued her lifelong passion.
The stage held a certain allure for Colleen but, oh there was magic to be made in the movies. Relishing one of her first film roles as a slasher victim in a student horror film, she (and the audience) was shocked to discover during the screening that – – apparently – – Colleen couldn’t hold her breath very well while playing dead. The film’s dramatic climax ended with shouts of, “She be breathing,” and gales of laughter echoing throughout the theater as she and her husband slunk out desperately hoping not to be recognized. (Directors take note: Colleen has since gained a ninja-like control over her involuntary bodily functions.)
Catapulted forward by these and other adventures, her acting resume began to take shape. She knew she’d “arrived” when she had to either reduce the font size or drop some credits to make the resume fit on the back of an 8 x 10 headshot – a milestone every actor dreams of! So, now, without further ado (cue the overture and hit the lights), let’s take a gander at some of her more illustrious career highlights….
Colleen Ann Guest made her theater debut in 2000 playing Claudia Grubner in Raleigh Little Theatre’s John Lennon and Me, a poignant play about the fragility of life – – a subject close to her heart. She has since performed on numerous stages and is a two-time Cary Players’ Pietzsch Award nominee for Outstanding and Supporting Actress for her portrayals of Lousia Bodek in Don’t Pick Up from Love Bits and Bites, and Lily Belle Savage in The Curious Savage.
Making considerable progress in the celluloid (ok, digital) realm, her IMDb credits continue to accumulate. Colleen’s on-screen appearances include the nationally distributed Pray series by Cross Shadow Productions in addition to being cast in several feature-length films, shorts, and internet webisodes; some by award winning filmmakers, like Rob Underhill and Aravind Ragupathi.
Colleen has also become a popular actress of choice for corporate clients; representing prominent organizations like United Therapeutics, TSA, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Church Initiative. She has been featured in dozens of commercials, industrials, promotional videos, voice-overs, and print media.
She genuinely cares about her craft and has studied earnestly with some brilliant mentors. Among them are Writer’s Guild member Ellen Shepard and Casting Society of America member Jordan Beswick. Ever the opportunistic student, Colleen also stashes away mental notes of people’s habits and mannerisms for future character development. So beware – – you have been warned!
Someone has to wrangle all that talent and Colleen is most fortunate and grateful to be professionally represented by Talent One. She and her adoring husband Neel currently reside in North Carolina along with their charming (and frequently obnoxious) kitties and Miss Gracie Mae – the most delightful 3-legged dog to EVER walk (hop) the earth.
JDRF Egg Crack Challenge
When your best friend has insulin dependent diabetes, you have to do something – besides freak out and cry with her; though we’ve done our share of that over the years. Nope, a best friend has to take action.
So, when Jean Graham took the Will Hauver JDRF Egg Crack Challenge and nominated me to do it too, it was a foregone conclusion I was going to support her, take the challenge, and donate to the cause!
My bestie is an amazing woman who has bravely navigated the diabetes waters with a smile on her face (mostly) and a desire to be a strong role model to her daughters and others. She takes on the 24/7 challenges of this disease with grace and style in spite of her desperate wish she didn’t have to – there are no breaks or vacations from diabetes. She recently created a blog to help other newly diagnosed diabetics feel a little less alone: lifeandthesweetlife. But behind her winning smile and helpful blog posts lies a tender heart beating madly to keep her emotions in check while the infuriating numbers on her many devices occasionally tell her she’s over or under estimated the amount of insulin needed to cover her food intake or exercise output. When things don’t add up, it’s not that her calculations are wrong, but her metabolism plays insidious tricks on her, putting the perfect dose elusively just out of reach, while she plays a Price Is Right sort of bidding game with the bolus. I can hear Bob Barker shouting into his mic “Higher, Lower, Higher, Lower,” while she furiously tries to compensate for something entirely outside of her control. Yet, she puts each episode quickly behind her – no looking back – and readies herself for the next dance with diabetes. She’s got a life left to live and she truly is an inspiration. See for yourself:
So what’s a best friend to do?
Why make fun of her of course! She couldn’t possibly have thought I was going be mediocre about this “challenge” could she? I mean does she even KNOW ME??
I hope you watched through to the end including ALL of the credits – it’s worth the time. If not, go back and finish watching! See? Told you it was worth it! Special thanks to my husband Neel for being a the best straight man, Chesney and Cambree for being roped into the action at the last minute, David Aman for his tireless work filming and editing and to Grace and Tony and The Black Feathers for the use of their songs.
Now, if you care at all about trying to knock out this disease that literally destroys bodies and takes lives, help us make this thing viral!! LIKE, SHARE, and REPOST far and wide!! Then take the challenge yourself. Take a video and share it using the hashtags #EggCrackChallenge #EllenEggCrack #JDRFeggcrack #T1DEggCrackChallenge for the most exposure! Don’t forget to donate too or you’ve missed the point of the whole thing.
It’s YOUR turn to Crack, Nominate, and Donate!
If you take the challenge, I would LOVE to hear your story!
PLEASE share a link to your video in the comments below
His Last Supper – Film Screening September 9, 2012
~~~~~~Mark your calendar~~~~~~
The Second Sunday Film Series at the ArtsCenter presents…
HIS LAST SUPPER, the world premiere!
Sept 9 | Doors open 4pm – Admission $5
http://www.artscenterlive.org/filmseries
“His Last Supper,” a Rob Underhill short-film will be presented with other films as part of the inaugural Second Sunday Film Series event.
A WAKE DRAMA & ZONING MEDIA Production…
Starring COLLEEN ANN GUEST, GREG WAIT, OLIVER FLYNN
Voiceover by KEVIN SILVA | Also featuring MARYIA KROTAVA
DIR/writer/producer ROB UNDERHILL | DP/producer ARAVIND RAGUPATHI
Associate producer JASON CASELLI | AC/editor RANDY BERNARD
Line producer KATIE JONES | Script supervisor LEANNE BERNARD
Loc. Sound CYRUS YUNKER | Lead grip PATRICK NEILSON
R O B U N D E R H I L L
Award Winning Director . DP . Editor . Writer . Producer
cinema – music video – promotional – corporate
www.RobUnderhill.com
ALSO SCREENING:
“Foodie” – Directed by Christopher G. Moore
“Laws of Attraction” – Directed by David Pemberton-Smith
“Perfect Family” – Directed by Foodie’s own, Nick Karner
DetailsParlay – cast announcement
Olivia dreams of becoming a pirate but her Aunt Beatrice is determined to turn her into a proper young socialite. Can these two co-exist throughout the summer while her parents are away?
Colleen Ann Guest is super excited to be playing the part of Fanny Boyle in the upcoming family comedy Parlay by Deano Pictures!! It’s written and directed by Dean Garris, produced by Dean Garris and Spann Brockmann, and stars Helen Kearney Konen, Tate Clemons, Owen Daly, Rebecca Morris, Nick Karner, Linda Guth, Colleen Ann Guest, and Leah Caruana.
Click here to visit and LIKE the Parlay Facebook page!
ARRRGGGGGG!
Details
The Watch – cast announcement
Colleen Ann Guest is pleased to be joining the cast of The Watch, a SAG Signatory Short film written and directed by Roger Franks of Nilescat Studios, produced by Michael Devereaux of Lagniappe Motion Pictures, and starring Tucker Smallwood, Adrian Thomas, Lisa Sain Odom, W. Scott Parker lll, Jody Vines, and Jeff Briggs.
Nathan Bishop, an ambitious and successful lawyer, faces a life changing moment that brings about a chance meeting with Mason Hughes, a man with a rich history, having had the opportunity to be a part of the Civil Rights Movement in this country. Mason sees the good in all and believes it’s never too late to make a difference. Nathan soon realizes that his life has greater meaning but has he waited too late to find what that meaning is?
The Watch will be shot entirely in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2012.
Visit and LIKE The Watch on Facebook!
Details
Too Far From the Tree – cast announcement
Colleen Ann Guest is pleased to announce she will be joining the cast of the feature film, “Too Far From the Tree” as alto sax player, Angie. “Too Far From the Tree” is a musical film which explores the rocky relationship between a father and daughter, starring Billy Sandlin and Tabitha Poorman, written and directed by Larry “Doc” Carmichael, and produced by Sound Influence Studios. To be filmed on location mainly in Dunn, NC August 2012. Click here to visit and LIKE their Facebook page for the latest updates and news!
DetailsInterstellar Odyssey – cast announcement
Colleen Ann Guest is pleased to announce she has been cast as DR. OLIVIA HARRIS, PhD in the upcoming feature web series, INTERSTELLAR ODYSSEY.
INTERSTELLAR ODYSSEY is an independently created web series in the tradition of ‘Forbidden Planet’, ‘Lost In Space’, and ‘Star Trek’ that chronicles the second interstellar Earth ship ODYSSEY as it attempts to discover what happened to Earth’s first interstellar ship the Columbus that disappeared during its maiden voyage to explore the Milky Way Galaxy in search of an Earth-like planet to colonize.
The INTERSTELLAR ODYSSEY web series is presently in preproduction and will be shot in high definition video using a combination of green screen with practical set pieces and Computer Generated (CG) interiors and environments.
Please join their website (link below) and follow the voyages of the ODYSSEY!
DetailsA model? A model what?
I have to laugh when I think about pursuing a career in modeling. Only stuck up, self centered, rail thin, statuesque, 17 year-olds aspire to model, right? Well, yes and no. There is a whole world of people of different shapes and sizes and somewhere, in some publication, they need to represented. And I’ve discovered that an interesting look actually translates better on film than just pure beauty does. Another thing I’ve discovered is that modeling REALLY stretches me as an actor. It’s hard enough to capture a character and emotion when filming or on stage, but take away the tools of speech and movement and a model has a 10 times more difficult job. An entire story has to be captured in one still frame. Everything has to come together; the emotion, the scene, the lighting, the conflict/story line, and the model has to use every inch of her body and environment to stay in character. Nothing can look forced or posed. It’s really a waaaaay harder job than people give credit for. I’m happy to be pursuing this modeling thing. It makes me a better artist and I feel like I can be a positive role model to other middle-aged women.
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