Bio
I'm a born and bred Southern gal (Atlanta, GA) with Yankee parents (and the identity crisis that provides!) I grew up in Jonesboro, GA, where everything was about Gone With the Wind - I even went to Tara Elementary School - and I still have a penchant for wearing long full skirts, though luckily I haven't had the vapors in years.
I was lucky enough to attend the Northside High School of Performing Arts in Atlanta, right after it got started. I went in as an actress, but private voice lessons soon revealed a...well, a rather "inappropriately" large singing voice! I was privately trained in opera by mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff's coach, the charming Gertrude McFarland, and got to solo with the Atlanta Symphony several times in my teens through their connection to the school. Then one day I found out I was funny and could belt show tunes, and opera went out the window.
I moved to South Florida in the early 80's and had a long and wonderful career: onstage in plays, musicals and the improv troupe LAUGHING GAS; on camera in the Indie award-winner RAGING HORMONES; and as one of the 2 most hired female voiceover talents in the area. In 2002, I headed to Chicago to see what that was like, and booked the role of "Mrs. Zero" in what was then called THE ADDING MACHINE; A CHAMBER OPERA. That show moved Off Broadway, and now I'm happily ensconced in NYC.
Aside from my performance career, I've created hypnosis downloads for actors and singers to memorize lines and music at Hypnosis For Creatives, and I've gotten a great response from users - read the hypnosis section below or just visit the site.
I was diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in 2012. It's genetic, so that means I've actually been fighting it all my life and only got diagnosed when the symptoms got much more obvious. I'm still fighting it, but it has curtailed my regular career (see: Cyrilla Baer's answer to "Did you ever have to walk away from something you loved and why?" on Quora.com). While I wait for genetics to move forward on a cure, I've begun coaching other performers in Song Interpretation, as a way to still be involved in the creative process. I really enjoy teaching (I was a much-loved acting teacher for teens for several years for an infamous company which shall be nameless here in print) and hope to be able to share what 've leaned with as many artists as possible.
(And now, here's the standard bio that went into every program):
CYRILLA BAER: Off Broadway: “Mrs. Zero”, ADDING MACHINE, A MUSICAL, Minetta Lane; “Nanny”, UNCLE VANYA, Classic Stage Company; “Agatha Makin”, THE HATPIN, & “Dr. Bore”, POPART, NYMF; soloist, JOSHUA SCHMIDT SONGBOOK, BST; “Mistress Schermerhorn”, KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY, York; “Annie Chapman”, RIPPER, NAMT; “Patty Hunt”, OVER HERE, The Flea. Regional: FALSETTOS, RUTHLESS, THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, OLIVER, NUNSENSE, NUNSENSE 2 and NUNSENSE JAMBOREE, MORNING'S AT SEVEN, THE MOST HAPPY FELLA. Co-star of the NY Independent Film Festival multiple award winner RAGING HORMONES. Featured performer with The Atlanta Symphony and The Florida Philharmonic orchestras. Appearance on Onion News Network.
I was lucky enough to attend the Northside High School of Performing Arts in Atlanta, right after it got started. I went in as an actress, but private voice lessons soon revealed a...well, a rather "inappropriately" large singing voice! I was privately trained in opera by mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff's coach, the charming Gertrude McFarland, and got to solo with the Atlanta Symphony several times in my teens through their connection to the school. Then one day I found out I was funny and could belt show tunes, and opera went out the window.
I moved to South Florida in the early 80's and had a long and wonderful career: onstage in plays, musicals and the improv troupe LAUGHING GAS; on camera in the Indie award-winner RAGING HORMONES; and as one of the 2 most hired female voiceover talents in the area. In 2002, I headed to Chicago to see what that was like, and booked the role of "Mrs. Zero" in what was then called THE ADDING MACHINE; A CHAMBER OPERA. That show moved Off Broadway, and now I'm happily ensconced in NYC.
Aside from my performance career, I've created hypnosis downloads for actors and singers to memorize lines and music at Hypnosis For Creatives, and I've gotten a great response from users - read the hypnosis section below or just visit the site.
I was diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in 2012. It's genetic, so that means I've actually been fighting it all my life and only got diagnosed when the symptoms got much more obvious. I'm still fighting it, but it has curtailed my regular career (see: Cyrilla Baer's answer to "Did you ever have to walk away from something you loved and why?" on Quora.com). While I wait for genetics to move forward on a cure, I've begun coaching other performers in Song Interpretation, as a way to still be involved in the creative process. I really enjoy teaching (I was a much-loved acting teacher for teens for several years for an infamous company which shall be nameless here in print) and hope to be able to share what 've leaned with as many artists as possible.
(And now, here's the standard bio that went into every program):
CYRILLA BAER: Off Broadway: “Mrs. Zero”, ADDING MACHINE, A MUSICAL, Minetta Lane; “Nanny”, UNCLE VANYA, Classic Stage Company; “Agatha Makin”, THE HATPIN, & “Dr. Bore”, POPART, NYMF; soloist, JOSHUA SCHMIDT SONGBOOK, BST; “Mistress Schermerhorn”, KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY, York; “Annie Chapman”, RIPPER, NAMT; “Patty Hunt”, OVER HERE, The Flea. Regional: FALSETTOS, RUTHLESS, THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, OLIVER, NUNSENSE, NUNSENSE 2 and NUNSENSE JAMBOREE, MORNING'S AT SEVEN, THE MOST HAPPY FELLA. Co-star of the NY Independent Film Festival multiple award winner RAGING HORMONES. Featured performer with The Atlanta Symphony and The Florida Philharmonic orchestras. Appearance on Onion News Network.
CERTIFIED HYPNOTHERAPIST
I became interested in hypnosis when I was in 4th grade - my father was getting his Masters in Psychology and was using hypnosis on family and friends, and I would listen outside his study door. I promptly went to school, hypnotized a friend, came home to proudly brag about it, and got my dad pretty irate. Back then, we didn’t know that hypnosis was very powerful but quite safe - still I wouldn’t recommend using a 9 year old hypnotist!
I received my Certification from The National Guild of Hypnotists in 2001. I was trained by “renegade” hypnotherapist Gerald Kein of The Omnihypnosis Institute, who has a different and very effective approach to hypnosis. Mr. Kein has trained such noted hypnotherapists as Stephen Parkhill (author of the book ANSWER CANCER) and Cal Banyon of the Banyon Hypnosis Center (author, with Kein, of the book HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY, and creator of the 5-Path and 7-Path approaches to hypnotherapy, based on Gerry’s teachings).
Hypnosis is a very powerful agent for change if the client truly desires change. Many people have strange ideas about hypnosis, such as a hypnotist having control over one’s mind. Actually, hypnotists act as guides while YOU do the work - people go into natural trance states many times a day without even realizing it. Hypnosis allows you to use a natural trance state to make changes to the way your brain processes information - moving past old ideas that “you can’t” to the belief that you “can” and will! A good hypnotist can help you to safely accomplish lasting change in your habits and beliefs. Many hypnotists just put a client in trance and read from a prepared script. But Kein’s, Banyon’s and Parkhill’s methods, which I use, work far better on overcoming traumas, phobias, and addictions. And simple hypnotic scripts, which I also utilize for simple changes, offer things like enhanced learning and memorization capabilities and skills such as “instant” self-confidence that you can activate with a subtle gesture of your hand to use for auditions, public speaking, or any situation in which nerves can play a part.
I've recently created a series of special CDs for actors/singers/dancers that are available on my website: www.Hypnosis4Creatives.com. They are based on session techniques of “eyes-open hypnosis” - that's been used by hypnotists for many years to improve learning retention for students. But no one has created targeted sessions for performers before. And no one had figured out a way to put it into home learning format until now. The “Hypnosis for Performers” Series is a way for you to study your script, music or choreography with your paper in hand or your lines or music playing in your ear. By putting you in an “eyes-open” trance, you can play through the instructions and trance induction, then repeat one track as often as you want for your study session, then the next track emerges you from trance while reinforcing your learning. Not just a session of suggestions for better memory, like most hypnosis sessions, these CDs actually go through your study session with you - enabling you to learn your lines, music and steps deeply and in real time with the session. It’s a powerful breakthrough in using hypnosis at home!
I received my Certification from The National Guild of Hypnotists in 2001. I was trained by “renegade” hypnotherapist Gerald Kein of The Omnihypnosis Institute, who has a different and very effective approach to hypnosis. Mr. Kein has trained such noted hypnotherapists as Stephen Parkhill (author of the book ANSWER CANCER) and Cal Banyon of the Banyon Hypnosis Center (author, with Kein, of the book HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY, and creator of the 5-Path and 7-Path approaches to hypnotherapy, based on Gerry’s teachings).
Hypnosis is a very powerful agent for change if the client truly desires change. Many people have strange ideas about hypnosis, such as a hypnotist having control over one’s mind. Actually, hypnotists act as guides while YOU do the work - people go into natural trance states many times a day without even realizing it. Hypnosis allows you to use a natural trance state to make changes to the way your brain processes information - moving past old ideas that “you can’t” to the belief that you “can” and will! A good hypnotist can help you to safely accomplish lasting change in your habits and beliefs. Many hypnotists just put a client in trance and read from a prepared script. But Kein’s, Banyon’s and Parkhill’s methods, which I use, work far better on overcoming traumas, phobias, and addictions. And simple hypnotic scripts, which I also utilize for simple changes, offer things like enhanced learning and memorization capabilities and skills such as “instant” self-confidence that you can activate with a subtle gesture of your hand to use for auditions, public speaking, or any situation in which nerves can play a part.
I've recently created a series of special CDs for actors/singers/dancers that are available on my website: www.Hypnosis4Creatives.com. They are based on session techniques of “eyes-open hypnosis” - that's been used by hypnotists for many years to improve learning retention for students. But no one has created targeted sessions for performers before. And no one had figured out a way to put it into home learning format until now. The “Hypnosis for Performers” Series is a way for you to study your script, music or choreography with your paper in hand or your lines or music playing in your ear. By putting you in an “eyes-open” trance, you can play through the instructions and trance induction, then repeat one track as often as you want for your study session, then the next track emerges you from trance while reinforcing your learning. Not just a session of suggestions for better memory, like most hypnosis sessions, these CDs actually go through your study session with you - enabling you to learn your lines, music and steps deeply and in real time with the session. It’s a powerful breakthrough in using hypnosis at home!
SMALL ANIMAL TRAINER/WRANGLER
While I’ve been an animal lover all my life, I got my start with actual animal training from Samantha Martin of AMAZING ANIMALS BY SAMANTHA in Chicago. Samantha is known as the “Cat Lady of Chicago” for her trained housecat acts “The Amazing Acro-Cats” and “The Rock-Cats”, and I’ve assisted in training and running her cat shows. |
I wrangled brother and sister Great Danes for this
HOOSIER LOTTERY spot |
I’ve trained and wrangled on movies, including trained-cat wrangling on the film GOD’S SMILE and trained-rat wrangling on VALENTINE, and for videos, commercials and photo shoots. I’ve also worked handling and presenting exotic animals in classrooms and in public events - often under the auspices of THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL - from kinkajoos to turkeys to alligators! In 2004, I got my certification from PETSMART’s Pet Training program, which contains quite a bit of animal behavior study (it’s really a shame there are no PETSMARTS in NYC yet). PETSMART’s program is the same as Victoria Stillwell’s of IT’S ME OR THE DOG - all positive reinforcement training which has been proven time and time again to be the best method of training animals (and people, actually!) |
While I have trained without it, I greatly prefer the clicker method of training. When dog owners see how their pet responds to the clicker, they get SO excited - it’s like they are actually communicating with their pet for the first time! And the animals love it, too - it makes it far easier for them to figure out what we want from them so they can try to offer the behavior. With the clicker, I’ve trained special behaviors and tricks in dogs, cats and even a rabbit!
While I’m not currently training, friends do ask me for help with new pups from time to time, and I love it so I can be talked into it. If you would like to talk to me about training your pet, send an email and we’ll see.
( * IMPORTANT! If you are using a prong, choke, shock or any other punishing training collar on your dog and are NOT willing to give it up, I cannot work with you. If your dog has pulling issues, there are non-punishing harnesses I can recommend until s/he can walk on a loose lead.)