The Latter Half of 2012

 Hiya my lovelys!! Well this is my second and final post of the year. My posts haven't been as frequent as they were last year, but that's only because I've been quite busy, and that doesn't mean I have less to tell ya. If you didn't get a chance to read my last post about the first half of this year go for it, click here then come back lol. This post is all about the second half of 2012. From August right through to December. It's been a goal achieving year for sure and I can only thank God for all the blessings he's thrown my way. When I first started my blog in April 2011, I had a new zeal for my acting career, and I wanted to document all the things that I would do on my journey to reaching success. I wanted to write down my goals and be able to look back to see how and if I've reached them. After a while I had a new reason for writing my blog. I was told that it encouraged others who are striving for the same things as me. If my journey can inspire and encourage others,  then that's all the more reason for me to keep on writing. But most of all I wanted to document my memories. 

Some of my most memorable experiences have been through my acting jobs. I'm the most sentimental person you'll probably ever come across, and I love the idea of having an online diary where I can not only write about my adventures, but add pictures and videos and stuff of that sort. Anyway, I've defiantly come a long way since April 2011. I've been signed and now have 2 wonderful agents, I've been working non stop on plays, commercials, musicals, online series, short comedy sketches, and . . . wait for it . . . two months ago I filmed for my first television series. I'm going to tell you all about it, but first, a brief catch up on the second half of 2012.
My last post I briefly wrote about two shows I had coming up. A short performance for 'SPLASH', a Jamaican Independence Day celebration, that takes place in 'Jamaica away from Jamaica' Brixton. The second was a three week run of the drama, thriller and comedy mix of a show 'The Killing Class', were I played lead as Tia.

SPLASH

I had the pleasure of working with former reggae singer, actress, director and mother of famous UK singer 'Star Boy Nathan' Lorna Gayle for the first time. She worked real hard with us to get our pieces ready. She also took us to the National Theatre costume department to pick out our fabulous costumes. Myself and actor Kayah Mitch, wrote a duologue all about the 'Windrush' years. In 1948 there was a rush of Jamaican men and women that came to London, Brixton via boat to work. Their was a shortage of workers in the armed forces and London needed them. Before coming to England they'd heard many stories about how much better life would be. 
They called it the 'Promised Land' 'A Land of Milk and Honey'. It was rumored that the streets were paved with diamonds and rubies. When they arrived however, things were very different. There was plenty of work but they faced discrimination and on going problems with accommodation. 

I played wife of a man who came to England to make a better life for his family. My character arrived to find a very different truth about this so called 'promised land' and wasn't pleased at all. Playing this part was wonderful! I learned so much about the history of my country and my culture. Because I was going to be performing this in front of thousands of Jamaicans over a weekend, I was forced to work on my terrible Jamaican accent lol. 

We first performed at the 'Tea Dance' Brixton Town Hall for over 100 pensioners, some of which were on the actual Windrush boat in 1948 which was such a honour. The minute we stepped into the building we were interviewed, pictures taken of us, it was incredibly overwhelming. We were dressed in costumes and outfits that Jamaican men and women would wear according to their social status, and many of the pensioners said we reminded them of their parents, their siblings back the 1940's. Old traditional Jamaican songs were sung, children performed dances to old school reggae, we ate curry goat, rice and peas, drank fruit punch and spent the whole afternoon speaking in patois. 

The last time I went to Jamaica I was two years old. I never even knew there was a traditional Jamaican dress until this year. I felt so overwhelmed with a sense of 'I'm home' that I didn't know what else to do with myself other than to just cry tears of joy. It was an emotion I didn't quite know how to explain, but I was incredibly happy. 

The second day we performed on a humongous stage in Windrush Square, the heart of Brixton. There were many thousands of people in the crowd and to this day I have never performed in front of so many people. There were many other performances on that stage through out the day, including UK singer Ruth, who is well known for her part in television show 'The Voice'. Our group were the only ones doing a drama and the crowd loved it! The whole experience was one I'll never forget. I learned that your roots; your heritage is so much a part of you, that even if you know nothing about your culture, the minute you're in the environment, you feel so at home, It's in your blood. This was the weekend I fell in love with Jamaica! <3

(Back stage at SPLASH)

The Killing Class

Two weeks later was the opening night show of The Killing Class. We had been rehearsing for this 3 hour show since May, and the time had finally arrived take the stage. 

To be honest, my journey during rehearsals were quite stressful. I played lead female, a teenage girl put in prison for selling drugs shortly after her older brother was murdered, but was given the chance to have her sentence cut short by taking part in a project to put on a play Romeo and Juliet with a neighboring boys prison. Now the girls were in prison for petty crimes, whereas the boys were in prison for life for more serious crimes.

My character was given the part of Juliet and ended up falling in love with the boy who was given the part of Romeo, only to find out he was in prison for killing her older brother. Yep. I know right. Deep. So you can imagine the inner turmoil my character had to go through, and I myself had to evoke as an actress to convincingly portray such an emotional struggle. I had many one on one rehearsals with my director Suzann McLean, who I have worked with before in my younger days of becoming an actress, so as much as I struggled, I trusted that she would get me to the place that I needed to be, and she did. 

We had a wonderful three week run. Fantastic reviews, packed audiences  sold out every single night, it was a complete success. I fell in love with the huge cast of 21 actors. We worked together for such a long time and became real close friends. I was one of the oldest in the cast but that didn't get in the way at all. One of my most memorable experiences was every night in the dressing room before we went on stage. Not a night went by were one of the cast members didn't ask me to pray, so I did. We held hands and put every show into Gods hands. We bonded in such a beautiful way, we became family. Guys if you're reading this, you're all such wonderful kind hearted people and I'm so glad we're still in touch. Love you all!! 
Thanks to every one who made it to the show, but to those didn't, we've been offered a four week run next May at the Arts Theatre in the West End. Whether we take it there or not depends entirely on raising enough funds, but I believe in faith as small as mustard seed moving mountains  so keep an eye out. . . Here's some brief summaries of the show, behind the scenes, clips direct from the stage, actor interviews, the trailer and more. This is enjoyable stuff :)

The Trailer

Behind the Scenes Click Here!

The Journey

COMEDY COLLABORATION!!!

A little later in September I once again joined forces with the brilliant comedy writers and actors, Nathan Bryon (also known as Jamie from TV programme Some Girls) and Mawaan Ritzwan (also known as MalumTV the popular award winning comedy YouTube-r). Mawaan called me up asking if I wanted to film a comedy the following day. Of course I said yes, and so we did. I learned my lines on the way to set and we filmed all evening.

It was a complete blast! Mawaan decided he wanted this video to have a different feel. So he and the camera lady Theressa Varga went for a 'The Office' kind of style, mirroring that of a documentary. Twas great. I'll let the video speak for itself. . . Oh and by the way, no comedy sketch is complete with out an accompanying outtake/bloopers video, check that out too!!

The Comedy!!

The Bloopers!!

MASSIVE NEWS ON E4!!!

Now just a few weeks after filming for Mawaans sketch in September, I had an audition for E4's new comedy series 'YOUNGERS'. Now I had heard quite a lot about this show, as the YouTube Genius' that are Mandem on the Wall had already been cast, and I auditioned for the pilot last year. My audition was very short and not particularly impressive. I forgot about it almost as soon as I left the building, but to my surprise I received a phone call from my agent the following week saying that I had been offered the part. I was shocked not only because I didn't think that I had done that well, but also because usually when a casting director likes you, they call you back for a 'recall'; a second audition, but none of that happened. I'm not quite sure what I did in there but Gods favour was written all over this. 
Later that day I found out that my best friend Shavani Seth had been cast in it also, but as lead female! Also, my fellow agency client Calvin Demba (a former HollyOaks actor) had been cast as lead male and I was playing his girlfriend. The day I met the entire cast at the read through, I found out that fellow actor Arinze Kene had also been cast, an actor but also a writer who's second play I was blessed enough to be cast in back in January 2011. Also friends Rapheal Solowe, Ria Zmitrowicz, and Dennis Kate, who you may know as Dee Kartier, one third of Mandem On The Wall, who is an old friend I did my first ever tour with, on a musical called Bling the Hip Hopera back in 2006. I felt overwhelmed and incredibly blessed just sitting at that table with so many talented actors and writers, producers and directors that I've admired for so many years. 
The added bonus was that I had the opportunity to share this moment with friends I've grown up with. It was a moment of, 'We've made it, and we've made it together'. My first day on set was nothing short of spectacular. I didn't quite know what to do with myself. My only experience with TV work was commercials; a very different world. I was driven all over the place, had my hair and my make up done, fitted into the most fabulous outfits, there were cameras everywhere and the sweetest people offering me hot soup and holding my jacket in between takes in case I got cold. I had no idea I would be so overwhelmed, I was just glad I had my friends there.

I can't tell you anymore without telling you about the show, which I wont do. But I will tell you that it's an 8 episode series, it'll be appearing on E4 this February, it's been dubbed the 'London Skins', and you're going to LOVE IT!! I feature in the first two out of eight episodes, and my character is the complete opposite of me lol. That's all I'll say :)

(Calvin Demba and I chilling in our trailer)

Back to the Modelling 'DONNA CHI DESIGNS'

Not long after that I did a bit of modelling. For the second time I teamed up fashion designer Mandona Chipungu who runs Dona Chi Designs. The first time I worked with her was at the very start of the year when I hosted fashion show 'Catwalk Melody'. This time round she was making an advert for a popular product of hers the 'Multi-functional Blossom'. We recorded an audio, did a  photo shoot, and filmed the advert all in one evening. Her family work with her in her fashion career. Her husband does the photos and her son does the filming and editing. They're such a wonderful family and it was an honour to work with them again.

 Multi-Functional Blossom Advert

More Modelling 'ONWORD CLOTHING'. . .

Literally just a few weeks after that, a lovely lady at my church, (who is also a fashion designer) asked me to model a few of her T-Shirts, and of course it was a pleasure to do so. Here's a few pics of T-Shirts from 'ONWORD CLOTHING'. I love these shirts, the colours are amazing and they also have bible scriptures printed on them. Genius!

The BEFFTA's

October also saw that I went to my first awards ceremony. The BEFFTA's (Black entertainment in Film, Fashion & Television Awards), was held in the building that belongs to my church so of course I was going to be there. A friend of mine was nominated for an award so that was also a reason to go. It was a wonderful night full of surprises. I went backstage to put my coat and bag away when I saw all my church family working the event, and causally saw singer Lemar eating his food . . . as you do . . . and I also witnessed Sir Trevor McDonald collecting his award. I enjoyed it very much :)

MORE MORE MORE!!!!!

Now the following month (November) proved to be a month just as exciting! I started rehearsals for the showcase my agency Hoxton Street Management organized for 30 of its clients. We rehearsed duologues and monologues to perform in front over 100 industry proffesionals in 1 night in December. I performed a duologue written by Shereen- Jasmine Philips with actor Frankie Wilson. Our director was Stef O'Driscoll which was wonderful. Stef started out as an actor many years ago and I had the privilege of performing with her back then. Today she is an award winning theatre director. In the audience we had casting directors, writers, people who could really make our careers. Actor Ashley Walters even came by to support which was wonderful. It was a big night.

CINDERELLA Ella Ella. . .

Less than a week ago I wrapped my final show of the year. 'Cinderella Init'. A modern take and twist on the classic fairy tale. Now I love comedy but I've always thought Panto's were beyond cheesy. They sure are, but I loved every moment of it. We performed four shows in 3 nights and we received a breathtaking 5 star review in which I had an amazing mention in (click to read the review)

"A big mention also to Cerise Reid who seems to hold the whole show together as Nina Star a mock TV host. Cerise is certainly a name to look out for in the future". - Taryn Yates 

 I teamed up once again with the writer and director duo that are David Fielding and Suzann McLean. Pantomimes are usually for the kids, but the adults loved it just as much. I played the character of a mock diva TV Host - sort of the modern/urban 'Fairy God Mother' equivalent  and I got to do everything I love the most with this character. 
I got to sing my heart out, I got to dance, and I got to dress up like crazy!! This show saw that I got to work with a few fellow 'The Killing Class' actors once again which was great!

The final night of the show was the most memorable. Two little girls, no older than 8 years old, came into my dressing room to meet me. They told me I was their favourite in the show and wanted to take pictures with me. That night we signed our autographs on kids programmes and posters and stayed around for ages after the show talking to the audience members who absolutely loved it!! Doing the show was the most fun I've had in a very long time and it was a great way to end the year. 

                   2012 (regardless of the slow start) has been one to remember. I have been hugely blessed, and I have seen very clearly were a little faith and a loada hard work can take you. 2013 is only going to be better. Thanks for reading, thanks for your support, thanks for your prayers and well wishes. God bless you and I wish you all the success and happiness in the new year. Chase your dreams and make them a reality.  

               Love Cee Cee <3 <3 <3

2012 Catch Up

Hiya fellow bloggers, readers & supporters! It's been a very long time since I last posted (8 months to be exact), but that only means I have a lot to update ya'll on. Its been a real good year so far, although it started off quite slow (in the acting front) but it only got better & it just keeps on getting better. Seeing as I haven't been documenting as I've gone along this year, I'm going to use this post to fill you in on what I've been up to, what I'm working on now and what I have coming up. Dig in! :)

Out of My Comfort Zone 

Towards the end of December last year, I performed in a short play written by young writer Richard Thornton at the Oval House Theatre. It was a piece about a teenage girl who was recently blinded by an accident. We see her on her first day out of the house without her vision, alongside her best friend (played by Michael Salami). We see the frustration, anger & struggle she goes through to be independent regardless of her disability. It was quite a challenging role to pull off well. I had to portray the reality of being blind & we had one week to learn lines & rehearse. In between Michaels busy schedule & myself just starting a new job, we decided to rehearse over the phone. Regardless, we did amazingly. It was a very small intimate performance night, an evening of several short plays in the smallest theatre space at the Oval House Theatre, but it was wonderful to have so many of my friends come out to support.

FELIX

In the beginning of January I released the first short I'd ever written. I decided It was about time I put a showreel of my work together, but I didn't have enough variety in footage. So I decided to write a short scene myself & call in two fellow actors - two of my closest friends, (Michael Salami & Paris Campbell) to act alongside me. I needed it to be filmed & edited also, so I called in another old friend of mine Tyrone Grosvenor, Director & Film Maker.

I wrote the scene around 10 at night, emailed it to my team of three, we met the very next day on location, and shot the short scene. With all of us being great friends we felt totally free to experiment a little. A lot happened that I couldn't have written, so I won't take all of the credit. Paris & Michael are very talented which made this last minute act of spontanaity all the more simpler. To cut a long story short, my short scene that I wrote for showreel purposes, ended up being a comedy. After I shared it on Facebook for the first time In January, the feedback we got was wonderful. Everyone found it extremely funny. For what was an act of spontaneity, a quick concoction of a scene, it entertained many, and the idea to write follow up episodes about this well loved character 'Felix' had sprung up. So I wrote a second episode instantly, gathered a cast of fantastic actors. But decided to put the production of it on hold, just until I could afford an entire camera crew to make it all that I know it can be. Keep your eyes peeled. But enjoy this first episode below. . .

New Head Shots . . . Again

 So the time came again where I decided I needed a new look - and naturally - as an actor- that means new head shots. The types of auditions you get depend greatly on your look, so I thought I'd see what other kinds of characters my agent would put me up for with a different look. My audtions started coming a little more thick and fast, so I'm glad i made the change. It definitely helped!

Catwalk Melody Fashion Show

In late January I was asked to model for a fashion show that would be held in the 'Hippodrome' in Golders Green - the building that belongs to my church. I absolutely love any excuse to dress up, (i'm your typical girly girl) so this was one I was looking forward to. About three weeks before the show, I met up with Mandona Chipungu, fashion designer of 'Dona Chi' in her home studio, to do a shoot for her portfolio, we also recorded a few videos with me introducing some of her beautiful designs.

I was a lot shorter than the other models, so a few weeks later I was asked to work as a make-up artist rather than walk on the fashion show, which I was happy do. But on the day of the show, there were fewer models than originally planned, so I was asked to fill in, which made me a little nervous. I would have practiced my walk in heels at home if I had known lol. But no more than 10 minutes later, I was asked to Co-Host the entire show. 

I had an entire bunch of new nerves to deal with, but I was also very excited. Now this wasn't my first time on a stage, but it was my first time hosting with no preparation. Acting on a stage in front of loads of people - no problem, it's not me, it's a character, but this time round, it was me, me as Cerise, with a mic, no script & many people looking at me to construct the whole night. Luckily for me, my co-host was Tambo Silavwe, a friend and director I've worked with before, which made me a little more comfortable. But it was all very last minute and there was no way we could learn the script, or all the fashion designers & musicians names of by heart, so we agreed to just have fun up there and go with the flow, and we did exactly that. 

We had a blast. Fashion shows, much like stage plays, are very hectic back stage whilst the show is going on, so there were gaps we had to fill. Thinking on the spot, we filled them with catwalk competitions with ourselves and audience members, freestyling on the mic, completely taking the mickey out of ourselves, but the audience loved it!

Catwalk Melody was an evening of Fashion infused with live music. With each designers models walking the runway to a music artist performing with a live band. With fashion from designers Dona Chi, Chelsea Bravo, Moniyang, Onward and many more. Music from Brewer, Concept, Missbee and many more. An auditorium full of creativity, the atmosphere was just explosive. . . Here's a few pictures from the awesome night!

 

 

   

Matters of the Heart

                             

 In early April, I performed in a play called 'Matters of the Heart'. A romantic comedy written by Flourish Drama Company, running for two nights at the Lost Theatre. Now this play has to go down in my performance history, it was 3 hours long, by far the longest show i've ever done, but it kept the audience on their toes the whole way through. A lot of hard work, time & dedication went into the production of this show from all the cast and directors, & it was an amazing success. We were told it was like a Tyler Perry Movie on stage (massive compliment) & that's all down to the writers & directors Ella Rath & Tambo Silavwe. 

I did a show with Flourish Drama Company last year, which I wrote a blog post about back then, a musical 'Since You've Been Gone', which was just so amazing to be part of, I cried when it was over lol, so I knew this show wouldn't be any less.
 I played the character of Amerie, A woman in her mid 20's who was an absolutely hopeless romantic. She searched for love in all the wrong places, but decided that internet dating would better source for finding love. 
There were 5 other main characters which went on their own journeys of discovering what love was to them. A young married couple struggling with their sex life. A young man who's spent his life playing games with women, then ends up falling in love. Another young man who refuses to let go of his evil ex girlfriend & tries everything to get her back . . . It was for sure a whirlwind of a show. 

When it comes to matters of the heart, there's a lot to say, so I guess that explains the length lol. Thanks to all those who came to support the show, and thank you to Flourish DC for giving us actors a platform to do what we love. . . A few pictures from the show

Here's a video I found of me singing one of the musical numbers from Flourish DC's show 'Since You've Been Gone' Last Year. I had the most fun performing this. . . As you can probably tell :)

Me On TV

Also This April I was cast in my second television commercial. An advert for the new McDonalds (soon to come) Chicken McBites. 

If you read my last blog post back in December, you would have seen what I wrote about my first television commercial, for Tesco. As short and simple as commercials seem, they're a lot more work than they look. Lots of waiting around, lots of re-shooting, and in this McDonalds commercial - a lot of eating Chicken McBites, (That bit I didn't complain about lol). It hasn't been aired on TV yet, but when you spot this new McDonalds snack in the restaurants, be sure to look out for the commercial & you'll see me.

                Afro Kid Flash Mob 

April also saw that I got to work with my favourite comedy duo again, Nathan Bryon & Stuart Mackenzie that make 'KOOLBEANZ PRODUCTIONZ'. Again, if you read my last blog post, you would have seen the comedy sketch I did with them last summer, 'Dragon Breath'. 

This time round, Nathan Bryon (one of the two that make the team) had a dream to make his own superhero/comic, so decided to make a comedic music video of this superhero character 'AfroKid'. Making the music video was a blast, but it didn't end there. To introduce and promote the release of the comedy music video, Nathan organized a Flashob in the common room of SOAS University. One of the funniest things I have ever done to date!! 

We planned very carefully. As soon as lunch time arrived, and the students filled the common room, the song played through the speakers, and low and behold, standing at the door was a small bunch of very cool looking kids, wearing very colourful clothing and massive colourful afro's. We started dancing around like crazy people, the students had their phones out instantly, recorded and took loads of pictures of us. It's fair to say, although we shocked them big time, they thoroughly enjoyed it. The head of the student union told us that was the most smiles he'd seen in that common room  for a long time. The flashmob was also in association with the 'Accidental Festival' - a festival produced by Central School of Speech & Drama.

Here's what happened in the 'AFRO KID FLASHMOB' . . . (That's me in the green Afro)

And here's the 'AFRO KID MUSIC VIDEO' itself . . . (That's me in the purple Afro)

A Parody Pilot

Right after I wrapped the show Matters of the Heart, I was asked by a friend to act in her new project at work. She works as a producer and had a brilliant idea for a new pilot series. 
One of her colleagues asked her if he could use one of her actors in his, I agreed and what youre about to view was the final out come. You've probably gathered by now (if not now, you will later), that I absolutely love comedy! Chabris Lawrence is absolutely brilliant when it comes to ideas. She decided to write a Parody (taking the mickey out of, or mocking) the popular show Pimp my Ride, and Pimp my Blackberry was the outcome. I acted alongside popular stand up comedian Kae Kurd in this short parody pilot. Aaron (her colleague) wrote a parody about make-up tutorials. . . . I won't say another word, I'll just let you watch and enjoy. You will laugh ;)
             Pimp My BlackBerry

Sabrina the Diva

A Reading at the Rich Mix 

As youre probably begining to see, April is the month it all started to pick up. I was also cast in a soap writers reading at the Rich Mix Theatre. The Ministry of Stories organisation had worked with four secondary schools which allowed them to take part in a soap writing festival. Each school wrote their own episodes in the hope they'd win funding, and the chance to film them.
 The Ministry of Stories cast proffesional actors to perform these wonderfully written episodes in front of the schools that wrote them, and a panel of writers from the well known soap, Eastenders. Two Eastenders writers, and one young writer, who wrote for the BBC3 Eastenders spin off E20. We met in the morning of the performances and rehearsed for the first time, and perfected it for the rest of the day until our audience showed up later that evening.
After performing each of the episodes, three representatives from each school came to the stage to pitch their soap ideas to the panel. They were  also given the chance to ask questions and speak to the people who are already working in the proffession they intend to enter. It was a wonderful day & lovely too see how motivted and talented these young people were, as well as a great opportunity for me to meet and network with the genuis' behind Britains best loved soap Eastenders.

 I Worked With Him >> MalumTV :O

In Early may I had the honour of working alongside this guy, Mawaan Rizwan! More commonly known as Malum. Now if you guys love online TV You would have definitely heard of him. Mawaan aka Malum has been doing comedy on Youtube for a few years now, and his fan base just keeps growing and growing. He recently (today in fact), won YouTube Next Comic. He was voted one of 16, of the funniest YouTubers. I first met Mawaan last year at the BFI Film Festival where he screened some of his work, and spoke to us about where his YouTube success had lead him too. I again bumped into him on the set of Nathan Bryons 'AfroKid' Music video shoot in April. 

Not long after that, Mawaan contacted me asking if I'd like to be part of his next comedy project, of course I said yes. He had the idea to film a parody of Justin Biebers new song Boyfriend. Brilliant Idea! Mawaan and his YouTube characters Malum & Khalid, were hugely popular, and of course, so is Justin Bieber. I had no doubt that this would be a comedy hit! I was amazed by how much he creates from such a small team.

We filmed the next day, with his girlfriend behind the camera, and Mawaan directing and acting. A single camera and mini speakers - that was all we had. The video was released the following week, and received 10,000 views in the first 2 days!! I knew he had a massive fan base but whoa! I had the most amount of fun on set, I couldn't stop myself from laughing in between scenes, you'll see why! Today (2 months later), it has over 62,000 views! Here's the finished product, you're guaranteed to laugh!!

Khalid's Version of Justin Beibers 

'Boyfriend'

Radio King Radio Station

 In May I did some work and promotion with Flourish DC. Myself and CEO of Flourish, Tambo Silavwe, visited Radio King Radio station to be the guests of the host Saz' brand new talk show, 'The 1UP Show'. We had a casual chat about our careers & things of that sort. We were also joined by another guest on the show singer and song writer Chantelle.  
Saz asked us to bring in a sweet or chocolate that could best describe our personalities. I saw this as an opportunity to break my healthy eating rule, and seeing as I couldn't decide what sweet best described me, I bought around 4 different types of chocolates and sweets, and decided I'd choose one once I got there. Yes, a lil cheeky of me but I couldn't help it. So I spent most of the show eating my vanilla fudge, skittles & Forrero Rochers . . . My type of evening lol

 Dear RobTV's Debate Show

Some of the Flourish Team went down to the popular debate show 'Dirty Games Men Play' to perform a short improvisation based on one of the debate topics. 'Is it ok for a single mother to move to another country with her child, without the fathers consent?' Myself & actor Michael Oba rehearsed a short scene on the day of the event, and went down to the event later that evening to perform. It was a night of the latest musical talent, and very heated discussions. An entertaining night I must admit.

  A Little Modelling

Mid May, I did a photo shoot for 'Pilot Clothing' Summer Collection. An old friend of mine, Kamilla Jones - designer & fashion student, asked me to come down to Coventry for a day to model the summer collection. I've done a little modelling in my time so although it's not my forte, i'm no stranger to pulling a poze or two, and it can be a lot of fun, any excuse to dress up, being the typical girly girl that I am, I'll do it.
       (2011 Kamilla Jones Shoot)
Last year around the same time, I did a shoot in Yorkshire for her, it was a little different that time round. It was in an open field, with sheep everywhere, rain and strong winds, very little clothing & it was extremely cold. 
This time round I was shooting in a studio, we had music, warmth and an entire wardrobe of amazing clothes and the most fabulous shoes, to photograph in. Kamilla recently informed me that she had gotten some of my pictures in a magazine - which is quite exciting. After the Pilot shoot, one of Kamilla's fellow students asked if we could model her latest designs. So we packed away the fabulous shoes, darkened our make-up, and modeled a new look. 

Here are a few of the original studio shots from the May shoot, and couple from my past modelling engagements.

Further Back in the Day

                    'SPIN' Brand New Online Series

In May, I joined the cast of SPIN, new online drama series. The director & writer Andy Amadi of SnowPix Media, asked me to come in for a meeting after seeing me perform in Matters of the Heart, and cast me right there and then. SPIN isn't your typical online drama, and im not being biased. It's high in production quality, slightly comedic among all the high drama, with many twists and turns within each of the 15 min episodes. It always ends on a cliff hanger, leaving the audience wanting more & questioning whats going to happen next. 

Because I joined the cast a lot later, my character was first introduced in second episode. The team wasted no time in filming my scene for the trailer, & giving me a character photo shoot. I was sooo excited! Especially when I found out who my character was . . . Ashley - Drug Addict.
 I knew this was going to be an exciting and challenging role for me. I'm so used to playing the pretty girl/someones girlfriend/ditsy-innocent type characters, this was a major turnaround. We released the trailer to introduce all the characters about 3 weeks before we released the first episode, and immediately we formed an audience. 

The first episode was greatly anticipated. Episodes one and two were both posted on SpiffTV & LinkUpTV which rocketed our views and audience. Episodes 3 & 4 are currently in production and will be released within the next 3 weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

                 SPIN Episode 1 

SPIN Episode 2 - (My Entrance)

 2012 SHOWREEL - Finally

So after some hard work, I've finally gathered enough footage to make myself an actors showreel, and this is what I came up with. A short montage of bits of work I have done this year and last - some clips you may recognise - Enjoy & be Entertained x

CERISE REID 2012 SHOWREEL

COMING UP IN AUGUST - Dates For Your Diaries

Jamaican Independence Day - Windrush Performance

August 3rd & 4th I will be performing as part of the Jamaican Indepdance celebration SPLASH at Windrush Sqaure.

Last week I  went to the National Theatre Costume Hire Department, to find a 1960's costume to suit my character . . . I chose the dress on the left :)

(Saturday 3rd Event starts at 3pm - 9pm

Sunday 4th Event starts 11am - 6pm

Brixton Windrush Square)

'The Killing Class' - My Next Full Running Show

(August 17th - 1st September)

I'm really looking forward to this play. I play female lead 'Tia' in this heart warming and heart breaking stage production. Rehearsals have been really intense but very productive. We've taken cast photo shoots. Actors headshots, filmed a trailer (which has been entered into the LA Film Festival), and filmed our actors interviews (all of which you'll see before the play opens on stage). Plenty of promotion on top of our rehearsals, we've been working real hard.

We've also had the BBC come in to film our rehersals. One of the cast members Tyler Kennington is the focus of new CBBC programme School For Stars, so they follow him everywhere to document his stardom. Considering the show hasn't started yet, there's been a lot going on, so you can imagine how amazing its going to be, I strongly suggest ya'll book your tickets early if you'd like to come. . .

Rehearsals

Set in a young offenders prison, THE KILLING CLASS is an emotional and high charged play with a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Teenagers Tia and Stephen meet when the pair are put together in a lesson in learning to interact again with other people. Both are going to be put in Adult prison and they fall in love with deadly consequences.

Click Here To Book Tickets