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Local stage actor goes to L.A.

Brittney Martens, NVSS, won her dream day in a contest and took a trip to L.A. to be mentored and shown the path to becoming an actress.
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Brittney Martens with her acting mentor Chord Overstreet at the Teen Choice Awards in L.A.

Brittney Martens won the Acuvue video contest which included a trip to L.A. and a chance to improve her acting and meet with professionals like Chord Overstreet from the hit program Glee.

"I was watching youtube videos like a normal teenager you know," said Martens.  "So I saw this ad and I really love Demi Lovato and she was one of the mentors and I was like why don't I sign up for that."

Martens then created a one minute video where she described her one day dream: becoming an actress. She told the Omineca Express that she has been in 23 plays to date and has been doing it since she was in grade two. She also does the children's theatre in town where she sings and acts and choreographs all the dance moves for the kids.

Then about a month ago Martens got to go to L.A. where transit, hotels even limousines were all paid for already. The morning on the day she arrived they sent her a make-up artist to professionally get her ready for the big day ahead. Then they took her to the studio and hooked her up with a microphone all the while keeping the identity of her mentor a secret.

"Everything was a surprise that day I had no idea what I was doing," said Martens.

Then Overstreet came and picked Martens up in a golf cart and gave her a tour of the studio.

Then Martens had her own dressing room made up for her where they brought in an acting coach who taught her how to deal with the camera which is something she wasn't used to having only performed on stage before.

"He told me to connect with the audience just like you would on the stage but you have to look halfway towards the camera and halfway at the person. So that really helped."

Then they did some improv and Martens had to perform a scene with Overstreet in front of the camera, which she hadn't been expecting.

"I'd never done anything in front of camera because I'm used to stage acting."

Then Martens got to talk with Chord Overstreet about how to end up where he is and at the end of the day she got to keep a signature director's chair with her name on it.

Martens will be in the next play in September but her long term goals are to attend acting school in Vancouver. Part of her winnings is that Martens received an invitation to the teen choice awards in L.A. on Sunday, August 11.