Valerie Adami - A native of NYC, Ms. Adami has worked in every area of show business from opera and musical theatre, doing roles as diverse as Papagaina in The Magic Flute to Miss Electra in Gypsy. She spent three years doing choreography for the Amato, Bel Canto and Queens Opera. She has done voice-overs and industrial narration and spent several years doing under five's and dayplayers on NYC Soap Operas. She celebrates twenty years as Director of the Weist-Barron School where her duties include planning the courses, hiring instructors, booking industry guests and interviewing new students. Most importantly she offers career guidance to any student who requests it. Her favorite part of the job is directing the twice-yearly Film & Television Showcases which give WB actors their best opportunity to have their work seen by industry professionals. The icing on the cake – whenever an actor gets called for work because of something they learned, or because of someone they met here at Weist-Barron.

Ms. Adami is herself an Independent Casting Director with WB Casting, specializing in Commercial  and Industrial projects for clients such as Sony, AT&T, Franklin Speir Publishing, Hamilton Standard, Virginia Lottery, Riuniti Wines and Parliament Cigarettes. She is an original member of the Industry Performers group “LABORS OF LOVE” that produces a yearly fundraiser benefiting Broadway Cares. In addition she takes her informational course for actors “Getting The Business” to colleges and Talent Agencies throughout the country.

Cold Reading Audition

The hardest thing actors do is audition. It’s the moment where there is the most at stake and yet the actor can expect the least help. It takes a lot of audition experience for an actor to believe that the very best thing they can bring into the audition room is their unique personality and their love of acting. Cold readings should be joyful experiences and give us insight into how you create. The goal of this class is to free you in front of the camera, and help you make fast and strong “choices”. The “Guideposts” Michael Shurtlieff has put down in his book AUDITION are among the most accessible acting techniques ever written down. But beyond these ‘triggers’ you must trust what you can always count on ….YOURSELF.

Philosophy

“Take the phrase “I wonder what they’re looking for” out of your consciousness. They don’t know what they want but they’ll know it when they see it. So why shouldn’t “it” be you!