Script In Hand

We're Back, Baby!

2011-11-14T21:25:00.001-05:00

Okay, I know I was away for almost two months. But those two months have been very busy for me. I'm getting my life in order up here in NYC, working in the e-book division for a major book publishing house. But don't worry, I've been collecting comics, watching TV, going to the movies, reading books, and having many loud opinions about things that very few people care about. Opinions that I've been dying to share, but no one is interested in hearing me rant.

Then I remembered I had a blog!

So this is it! We're back! I'm back!

Echoes

2011-09-24T18:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry, actor-friends. You might not like this entry. For you see, something happened to me a few weeks ago that would have been cause for celebration if I were still an actor in Philadelphia. But in my new career in NYC publishing, the email was a non-issue.

I got an email and a phone call from a casting associate at one of the larger Philly theatres, asking if I was interested in being an understudy for an upcoming show that would open their season. This was on a Friday, and I even got a follow-up call on the next Monday before I could sneak out of the office to give a call back with my answer, saying that I was no longer in Philadelphia and could not be considered for the opportunity. He thanked me for an answer, and (I assume) went to call the next person on his list.

My casual attitude toward the whole thing surprised me a little. Such an offer would be a relatively huge deal in the Philly theatre scene, the chance to get my food in the door and make connections at one of the big theatres. Since all of life is networking, the foot in the door could lead to larger roles, union membership, and eventually the prospect of continuous work. A year ago this would have been cause for celebration.

But as casually as I may have rejected the offer, I found that I did not have the heart (or guts) to tell them that I had quit acting. I've been feeling the lure of the stage lately, and I want to find a way to get involved with that side of me again. I want to find a project that seems like fun. There are a few prospects coming up, actually, so I might be coming back to performing, since I couldn't break the link completely. But I don't think that's a bad thing - acting is a big part of my life, and I'm excited to re-integrate it back into my life in NYC. However and whenever it happens. Til then, I'll be at my desk.

Justice League #1

2011-09-21T23:38:00.000-04:00

Justice League #1

Geoff Johns, writer & Jim Lee, artist

DC Comics

The big event is here, and the new DCUniverse has now hit the shelves. I picked it up and I flipped through it a few times before I sat down to read it. And I read it a few times before writing these comments. I wanted to love it. I went into this whole reboot with my arms wide open, but the book didn't make it easy for me.

Don't get me wrong: there are things to like here. There are things not to like here. But ultimately, the issue falls squarely in the middle of both. It's not just average, it's aggressively average, as if Johns and Lee came out and said "Let's make the safest, best, safest, most dynamic, safest, and safest comic that we can." And, as far as I'm concerned, they hit that mediocre nail right on the head.

Things to like:

First meetings. It's always fun to see characters meet each other for the "first" time. Green Lantern doesn't believe Batman is real, Batman deduces the source of GL's powers, and none of them have any idea what Superman is all about.
Mystery plotline. There is a little mystery developing about who is behind the attacks that Batman is investigating. Of course the ultimate answer is revealed to the audience (although the heroes don't recognize the bad guy's name), it seems that Johns might be setting up a mystery among the fist-pounding heroics.
Final splash. The final splash page is excellent. Sure it sets up a scene that we've seen thousands and thousands of times in the last six years of comics, but it's a great page. I'd hang the poster on my wall.

Things not to like:

Set-ups. And nothing but set-ups. The whole book is setting up a long story arc that will play out over the next six months, if not longer. And this is the first part of that story, so characters and plot points are being set-up for the future. As a result, not a whole lot happens that doesn't make me wish I had the next issue (or the trade) in my hands so I could keep reading.
Most of Jim Lee's art. Jim Lee has great character designs, and I might be screamed at by the comics community for saying this, but: I don't care for his art in this issue. It's all a little busy, a little hyper, and more than a little unclear. His characters always look great, but sometimes it's hard to tell what they are doing. But the Green Lantern constructs are fun, as is a single panel of GL half-changing back to Hal Jordan. And I already mentioned that final splash.
(Too) Familiar ground. A friend of mine mentioned this to me, and my next read really brought it out for me. This book relies on my previous knowledge of the DC Universe, as much as Johns and Lee want to pretend it's a fresh start for new readers. It's not. It's actually a terrible way to introduce characters we've never met before (like my experience with Vic Stone), but it's a standard way to introduce characters we haven't seen in a while (think: Casino Royale or Batman Begins). I can't help but feel that the issue's content is not well-matched to the relaunch's intention.

Things in the middle:

Everything else. Okay, maybe that's a little snarky, but seriously, there weren't many things that stood out about this book, either good or bad. A lot of it felt very... functional.

Ultimately, it's a solid issue. Is it exciting enough that I'll pick up the next one? Sure, I guess... And that's the biggest problem. I wanted that answer to be a resounding "HELL YES!" but it isn't. At the moment, I'm committing myself to the first story arc. But if it keeps going like this, I'll have to play it by ear for the second. Good? Yes. Great? No.

NEXT TIME: Superman in "Action Comics #1..."

Thoughts on the DCnU

2011-08-31T22:06:00.008-04:00

Sitting on the couch next to me is a signed copy of Justice League #1, the first comic book released by DC Comics as a part of their company-wide relaunch. If you haven't heard, DC has completely re-branded their line of comic books, starting every series over with a new #1 issue. Many characters (Superman included) are getting an all-new backstory, history, costume, everything. They are hoping to reinvigorate their comics, as well as grab new readers. And in a post in May, I laid out the circumstances that would bring me back to monthly comics. In that post, I challenged DC to put out something that I wanted to buy, and now they have. So I am there. I subscribed to my books today at my local LCS.

And now, with the first step of the DCnU in my hands but still unread, I'm still excited. Are there some press releases that make me nervous? Yes. Do I think I might be switching to the trade paperbacks in a year? Maybe. But do I think they have "ruined" Superman with this move? Not at all. Comics are a fluid medium, and the Superman from two years ago bears almost no resemblance to the Superman from the 1940s. So the changes don't really scare me. I'm ready for them. Hell, I'll even buy the action figure! (That costume is growing on me...)

What I'm worried about are the stories. If they are good stories, well-told and captivating, then I will be a part of the series. If the stories aren't compelling, then this will seem like a publicity stunt to attract attention. If the writers and creators use this opportunity to capture a new spirit of adventure, it will be perfect. But with Geoff Johns involved, I'm afraid that the "new" universe is going to be largely derivative of the old one. But if these stories and books keep the feel of the characters while giving them a whole new coat of paint, I'm in. To me, at this point in DC history, the worst thing for these books would be if they merely recycle the old material and try to pass it off as something new.

Well, time to break the book out and see which way the nU goes....

Carte Blanche: The new James Bond novel

2011-08-21T15:00:00.002-04:00

Carte Blanche: 007

Jeffery Deaver

Simon and Schuster, 2011

Since I now work for a publishing house, I want to start including books reviews and discussions on this blog as well as movie and theatre reviews. Those posts will continue for sure, but I'm also branching out and tackling fiction, non-fiction, comic books, and whatever else I get around to reading and writing about. First up, a recent release that I received while I was studying at NYU. I didn't get a chance to read it until the program ended, but I'm glad I made the time to sit on the couch, drink a beer, and read this new Bond novel. "Reboot" has become a dirty word when referring to recent films, but this is an excellent "reboot" of the literary James Bond.

Things that worked perfectly:

Echoes of Film Bond. Deaver's story would fit perfectly into the list of James Bond films. The story takes Bond to exotic locations, involves three beautiful Bond women, a diabolical villain with a real-world plot, and a psychotic henchmen. Action sequences were drawn right from the second unit team, and even John Barry's scores were running through my head as I read them. In fact, Deaver draws so much from the film Bond tradition that he even includes the next bullet point.
A pre-title sequence! The book actually starts focused on other characters, including the engineer of a locomotive through the countryside. We're introduced to Bond a few short chapters in, when he is involved in a shootout, the destruction of the aforementioned locomotive, and a car chase across the countryside. I could almost hear the title song kick up, and I loved it.
Echoes of Book Bond. As much as Deaver connects to the cinematic Bond history, he also has his feet planted in Fleming's tradition as well. From the description of Bond's eyes and the lock of hair that falls over his eyes to Bond's occasional melancholy and genuine sadness, Deaver knows his Fleming history. It's great to see such a wonderful blend of the two elements of Bond's history.

Things that worked out okay:

Bond's new backstory. Drawing on the backstory of the literary Bond, Deaver brings back the idea that Bond is an orphan whose parents were killed in a ski accident when he was a boy. I thought it was going to originally stay as backstory, but Deaver expands on it and starts creating an intrigue-laden story for Bond's parents that is more than Fleming ever intended. It is an interesting idea, and I like the attempt to make this more of a modern thriller than Fleming's books. It comes off as a little obvious, although Deaver does include a twist on it that makes it more interesting that just the cliche.
Pacing. I love books with short chapters. I don't know why, but the chapters come across like popcorn and it's almost impossible to stop reading. Deaver uses this technique really well during the action scenes, but it's one of the those styles that can't help but call attention to itself. In short, it works really well, but there are small places where it feels forced.

Things that didn't work so well:

Nothing. Literally, nothing. There are some pieces that don't work as well as others, but no element fell flat on its face. That surprised me, but my standards for books are much more flexible than for films.

Overall:

This is a very enjoyable book. I grew up watching the Bond films, and I read all of Ian Fleming's original novels. "Carte Blanche" is a great way to update the Bond series and bring 007 into the 21st century, and there are even rumors that this book might form the basis of the next Daniel Craig film. I'd be all about that, especially since this book is a lot better than Quantum of Solace. Ultimately, I was up late at night reading as much of the book as I could, and that is the best recommendation I can give it.

"Captain America: The First Avenger"

2011-08-20T15:03:00.008-04:00

"Captain America"

A review, in bullet-points

Before I headed into the theatre, the only thing I knew about Captain America was that there would be trouble when Captain America throws his mighty shield. I didn't know exactly what that trouble was, but anyone who throws a shield at me is going to get me to yield rather quickly. I'm a little late to the party where this movie is concerned, but since it was directed by Joe Johnston, who also directed The Rocketeer, I was on board for some old-fashioned action adventure fun. And I didn't know how right I would be!

Things I loved:

The action. The action sequences were amazing. They were realistic (for the most part), exciting, and seeing Cap throw his shield was worth the price of admission. The first sequence after he becomes the super soldier is incredible, and he's not even wearing the uniform yet.
Chris Evans. I wasn't sure that Evans was a good choice for Cap, but he won me over almost immediately. I quickly forgot that I was watching the star of other films, and I only saw him as Captain America. The haircut and the overall styling helped a lot as well. The computer effects to make him smaller were mostly convincing, too, and although it sometimes looked like a strange bobblehead, it always felt like the same character.
The script. For the most part, the pacing of this movie was dead-on. There was enough character development that made it clear why Steve becomes Captain America, and there were good comedy beats exactly where we needed them. And perhaps most importantly, there were no characters that existed only to be ciphers and provide backstory or plot development. Very well structured, very well written.
The old-fashioned style of film-making. Aside from the visual effects, this film felt like it could have been made twenty-years ago. There is no shaky-cam, no lens-flare, no quick-cuts, all elements of modern cinema that drive me crazy. Instead, Johnston uses long tracking shots, wide pans, giving the film the feeling of a much older, more "classic" Hollywood. Not only does it mirror the 1940s setting, but it makes it that much more exciting for me.

Things I liked less than I expected:

The costume. When the first few photos of the movie costume came out, I was really excited. I thought it was really cool. I liked how it combined the comic book design with the reality of WWII-era uniforms. But unfortunately, it didn't look as good in motion due to bizarrely padded shoulders and a strange helmet that didn't look as good as his USO look.
Hugo Weaving as Red Skull. In the opening scenes of the movie, Weaving is understated, subtle, and truly creepy. But as the the film continues, not only does his performance become downright mustache-twirling, but his accent starts approaching "moose and squirrel" territory. Maybe it was the Halloween mask they made him wear.

The less-would-have-been-more file:

Montage, times two. It's strange to see a montage in a film these days. And this movie has two of them. Both of them fit the story, do a good job of showing the passage of time, and contain a lot of exciting imagery. However, both of the montages were a little long and they robbed the film of some momentum.
The love story. I don't know why every superhero movie needs to have a love story, especially when it feels tacked-on in movies like this, Thor, Iron Man 2, and The Dark Knight. It gives the opportunity for some jokes, some intentionally tender script moments, but overall it felt tacked-on by the marketing and publicity department.

Things that seemed on-loan from another movie:

The timeline. Captain America is a hero from WWII. And according to the comic books, he somehow winds up in the present day, as a part of the team that includes Hulk and Iron Man. But the pieces of this story are thrown into this movie is such a strange way that I don't see how you could understand it unless you already knew the character's comic history. It felt like they should have saved it for The Avengers movie next summer.
Samuel L. Jackson. I'm sorry, fans of Marvel Comics, The Avengers, and Mr. Jackson in general. He is completely out of place in these movies. He's there just for fan service, and when it comes to acting, he's not even trying. Reminds me of his comically awkward turns in the Star Wars prequels. This movie (and maybe the entire Marvel movie universe) would be better if they deleted Nick Fury and replaced him with the wonderful Agent Coulson.

Overall:

I loved this movie. Loved, loved, loved this movie. I wish that all movies were this good. Does it have some problems? Sure, of course it does. Almost every movie does. There are places where the film bogs down in the love story, or where the pace feels a little off. But if more movies were made like this, I would not complain.

Book Guilt

2011-08-01T21:56:00.001-04:00

Now that I am an aspiring professional in the publishing industry, I receive several newsletters discussing the state and future of the business. The recent issue of one of them contained a link to this story, in which Bethanne Patrick discusses her recent guilt over vulturing the sale tables at Borders liquidation sales. I know that I'm guilty of this as well, as I've been wandering past those stores much too often looking to see if they've offered any new discounts since I was there two days ago. (Usually not.)

Patrick questions how much we can possibly value books, if we are willing to do so much to avoid paying for them. I know I am also guilty of this little problem, choosing to purchase books online or in used condition rather than pay full-price for them. I have shelves and shelves of books that I bought a library book sale (3/$1) that I've never read, nor never plan to read. And so reading this article made me think about my own book-buying habits. Maybe I can take her advice and give up the latte to buy a trade paperback. I know I'll make the sacrifice necessary to pick up some comic books in September, so I'm sure magazines and new books are worth my money too. Once I have the income to spread around, I'm looking forward to using that money to support the things I enjoy. The hosts of the very entertaining movie podcast "Better in the Dark" always encourage people to vote with their dollars, and I will do the same. As soon as I have some dollars.

A luxury item after all

2011-07-27T21:56:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I posted a few days ago about the emergence of books as a new luxury item. I shared the fact that I grew up in a household that was covered in books. I literally have boxes and boxes of books in my childhood bedroom and my parent's attic, including a box each for Star Wars novels and Star Trek novels. My book collection has expanded over several bookshelves, and I never thought of books as luxury items. Sure, I would buy every book in certain series, and I always loved it when the series had a consistent design so that all the books look the same. I have that borderline OCD that wants everything to fit together on my shelf. (I have a huge love/hate relationship with the snapcase vs keepcase issue in my DVD collection.)

But now this post takes a left-hand turn; I might even backtrack over my old position. I just read Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver, the newest James Bond novel. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to backtrack and find a copy of the previous Bond novel, Devil May Care. I had it in my head that I would go pick up a paperback copy of the book, but then I saw the hardcover for sale. And it looked like this:

Now, that is an attractive book design. And when I saw it, I appreciated the cover, the image, the logos, and even the way that the black-clad figure (presumably James Bond) wraps around the spine and continues onto the back cover. The back cover (not pictured) has a large quote from the novel, in which M welcomes 007 back to active duty. It's such an attractive book, especially with the dust jacket over the black book, and it will look great on the bookshelves. I specifically chose to buy the book in hardcover, so I guess that books might be a luxury item after all.

Of course, since I'm still unemployed, I did not drop the money on this pretty hardcover.

I'll wait for the paperback to show up on the sale shelf.

Books - The New Luxury Item

2011-07-21T12:20:00.000-04:00

A recent guest speaker talked about the love of physical objects as it related to books. The printed, bound book is a work of art, and people like having them on their shelves. And this particular industry expert does not believe that print books are going to disappear anytime soon. In fact, no one is really expecting the printed book to completely vanish and be replaced by ebooks, but this speaker was very optimistic. "People will always want books," he said, "they are the next big luxury item."

Um.....excuse me? Luxury item? .....books?

Books!? I grew up in a house that has piles of books in every room. Even the kitchen was usually overrun by books that us kids were carrying around and leaving all over the place, usually leading my father to innocently pick them up and ask a series of questions instead of reading the cover copy. My parents were also one of the first people to jump on this new online retailer called Amazon.com, and we still have a magnet on our fridge that features the first logo for the online giant. So for someone who grew up surrounded by piles and piles of books of all different shapes, sizes, and colors, the idea of the book becoming a luxury item is a strange one. It's just as strange as thinking that the mass market paperback is doomed, or that Borders Bookstore is going to close forever. But both of them are probably just as true, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.

"X-Men: First Class"

2011-07-04T12:15:00.002-04:00

X-Men: First Class

A review, done in bullet-points

I'll confess - I'm not a huge fan of the X-Men comic book properties. My first real exposure to the mutants was with the first Bryan Singer film, and I moved outward from there, picking up the classic 90s animated series and some trade paperbacks which collected some of the major storylines. I was also a fan of the uncanny series written for a time by Joss Whedon, and I saw the rest of the films in the theatre. So I'm not as fully versed in the X-canon as I am with the Super-canon, so these comments will reflect that quote-unquote bias. I'm also not going to attempt to post a comprehensive review of the film. That territory has already been well-covered by Superhero Hype, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Pajiba.com, and the New York Times, and I don't really have the time to say all of their comments again. So instead I will focus my thoughts in convenient bullet point format and run quickly through some of my major thoughts on this film.

What I loved:

The design and style. It was like a 1960s James Bond movie done with a budget and scale to rival modern blockbusters. It was a period piece, and they even replicated some of the filmmaking styles of the 60s. A training montage halfway through the film is amazing.
Professor X and Magneto. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender steal the show. They are great together, and they steal the scenes they are in. Fassbender has a little more to do and a much broader arc, but both of them knock it out of the park.
Flight effects. As a Superman-fan, I am a sharp critic of flying on film. I never think it looks realistic. But the scenes of Banshee flying in this movie are some of the best that have ever been done. Very realistic, yet without obvious use of computer generated imagery.
The scope, but without the "origin-sickness." This one will take a second to explain. In many superhero franchises, the first film suffers from "origin sickness," taking a lot of time to develop and explain the backstory of the hero, showing the process by which the hero develops. But that often means that the first hour of the movie is dedicated to slow-moving development before the more interesting part begins. And First Class avoids that problem really well. I don't know if it's the genius of the screenwriting or the fact that the script banks on knowledge of previous X-films, but it works really well.

What I didn't love as much:

Emma Frost, and to some extent, Mystique. This film continues the tradition of the X-men film franchise of having excellent leading men and adequate leading women. Much has already been written about January Jones, but even Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique isn't compelling. Maybe it's because the majority of her scenes
Comic book tropes. The characters at one point come up with their own code names. Without missing a beat, they automatically pick the ones established by the comic books, including esoteric names like "Professor X." Where did that name come from, other than the fact that the comic books said so? When Hugh Jackman called him "Wheels" in the first movie, that felt authentic. These "code names" just felt forced.
Cameos. Well, one cameo in particular that was set in a bar, featuring a certain mutant that we all know from the previous films. He was played by the same actor as the original films, and I know I am in the minority that this cameo actually took me out of the movie. It was distracting to see the original actor in the new franchise films. It would be like having Leonard Nimoy is a Star Trek movie featuring a brand-new crew. Oh wait...
Confusion over the next step. Is this film a stand-alone prequel, or is it the first step in another trilogy to link up with the original film? If it was the first, then things weren't complex enough for me to jump over the 35-year-gap to get to the next film. Aside from the main characters aging, it seems like it should happen tomorrow. But if we're being set up for a sequel, then things were wrapped up a little too neatly

Overall:

This is one of the best superhero films I've ever seen. Despite having some problems here and there with continuity, it makes me want to see another one. Now I'm just hoping that Captain America is that good.

The Big Day!

2011-06-24T19:24:00.004-04:00

So last Friday was the big day! Eight hours of presentations while all ten groups gave not-so-brief overviews of their magazine proposals, including cover, content, business model, advertising plans, website, facebook, twitter feed, etc. And these are all projects that we put together in only three weeks. Wowzers. A lot of them were very strong overall, and there were some elements of specific pitches that were really genius. But there could be only three winners (apparently), and my magazine was unfortunately not among them. We were told by the judges that they loved our funny content, but they couldn't see how we were going to make any money through advertising. "Perhaps," they suggested, "this would be a great product to launch as a stand-alone book." (Ironic, considering the next section of the course is one labeled - "book publishing.") But this time around, it was all about magazines, so we were sorta forced by the definition of the course to work on a magazine.

However, I am very excited to get to the book section. Book publishing has been my main focus and interest since I first thought of this career change, so I'm looking forward to meeting the people for this second section. Also, I've been assigned the role of publisher for our next set of group projects, which I think is going to be an excellent thing to talk about in my future cover letters for job applications. The publisher is essentially the book company's executive producer, in charge of making sure that all of the teams work together and all the pieces come together in the end. I'm also pretty sure that the publisher is the major spokesperson for the brand, so I think I'll be doing a lot of presenting in front of people. I'll have to balance this project workload with the job hunting and networking that I need to do while I'm here, in order to stay in NYC after the program is over.

But putting aside anything like that, and on a material-for-future-posts note, I'm seeing X-Men: First Class tonight. A review will follow in the next few days.

(The Night Before) The Big Day

2011-06-23T23:11:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that I've been here for three weeks already. Three weeks of lectures, classes, stress, homework, and projects. And I feel a little behind the eight-ball that I've only applied for two jobs, but the book section is coming up next, and I'm ready to dive into that one full-tilt. These first three magazine weeks have been a warm-up for the program that I'm really interested in, and it makes me wonder what the curriculum is like at the University of Denver. I have actually really enjoyed working on this pseudo-magazine launch, and after our project got the green light for launch at the end of the first week, it has been an interesting ride.

For the launch, I worked as the advertising sales director, which meant that I was in charge of figuring out how we were going to get companies to buy advertisements in our magazine. We're doing a magazine that makes it a little hard for those sorts of things, but we came up with some good angles and some good sales pitches, and I feel confident about my part in the magazine. And even more than that, I'm really excited about our overall product. We had some amazingly talented people working on this project, and I am literally awed by some of their talent.

Anyway, we present our work to the panel of judges tomorrow, and they will be evaluating our project based on the reports we turn in and our answers to their questions. There are prizes given out, awards to be issued, but I don't think that any of them come with big cash advances or job offers. Sadly. But I will try to post another entry tomorrow after the presentation day and before I go to see "X-Men: First Class" this weekend. And you better believe that I'll be blogging about that one!

Week Two, although a little late

2011-06-20T20:20:00.003-04:00

This posting comes in a few days late, as we ended our second week of classes up here last week. And during a media talk last week, essentially a big networking event for the students to meet as many industry professionals as we could, one of our industry advisers made a comment that filled me both with hope and anxiety. He said that every one of us will have a job within a year, maybe a year and a half. But the challenge is to find the job that we will enjoy. That is the sort of thing that makes me feel a little better about what I'm doing right now. After all, he's the one who has been speaking to the program for six years, so he is in a good position to speak to the graduation rates.

I go back and forth on how I feel about ending this program and entering the work force. Some days, I am completely psyched up and chomping at the bit to apply for jobs at book publishers and rock out the job as an editorial assistant. And on other days, I'm hit with waves of panic about being 30 and trying to break into a completely new industry where I have little experience and only very loose connections. And in moments like that, I wonder if I made a mistake by leaving my city and abandoning my career. When the panic from these moments subsides, I try to reexamine the decisions that led me to this point. Do I wish I could go back to my former life? In some ways, yes. But do I have faith that my new life is going to be more satisfying? In many ways, yes. And that faith is the scariest part, since I have no actual evidence that things will be any different on the other side of this program. All I can do is do the best I can, and have faith that things will work out in my favor. I try to maintain that confidence, and it is only in small ways that I lose that faith.

So I remember to breathe, I listen to the music from Superman, and I try to make the next day even more productive. I have faith, and I have confidence, and I'll bring them both forward with me. One step at a time.

Week One

2011-06-13T19:08:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I know that I am a few days to really make this one even seem to be "on time," but this last weekend marked the end of my first week in New York City at NYU. And I do apologize for that. Lots of exciting, terrible, and frustrating things have been going on, but one thing is for sure: it's been one heck of a busy week. Monday and Tuesday were easily 13 hour days, and I felt as if I wasn't going to have any time for anything other than class, work, and sleep. But after the crazy schedules calmed down a bit (and we got our final project approved by our course administrator), those days shortened to only 11 hours and we managed to find time to enjoy the city and find some drinking spots near our dorm. And we found a lot of drinking spots.

Our typical day involves getting down to our school building around 8:30 or 9am, and then we sit in panel discussions and hear lecture presentations until 5pm. Then we are expected to work in our 10-person groups on our group project, preparing to launch a new magazine upon the unsuspecting world. We went through about a dozen ideas before one of them was approved by our instructor, and we were sorta at our wit's end when it came to ideas. A half-assed joke turned into a full-fledged idea, and now we're working out way through the business plan and the advertising strategy for a bi-monthly magazine. We've been challenged so far by the assignments, and our judges for the presentations have been a whole slew of industry professionals. We've met some people who are literally rock stars in their profession, and they have been very willing to "open their brains" to us and give us all the advice that we can ask for. It's been a lot of fun to work on this project, but it has also been a lot of work.

In the coming weeks, I'll try to keep the postings up-to-date. I'll also try to get some New York photos to share with those playing along at home. They are keeping us quite busy here; so much so that even when we have a night with nothing due the next day, we're all sitting at our computers wondering if there is something else we are supposed to be doing. It's a sickness.

Looking and Moving Forward, but Peeking Back

2011-05-31T18:21:00.001-04:00

A week from now, I will be finished with two days of class at NYU. I'm working on my pre-program research assignments (i.e. homework) right now, wishing I had started writing these answers two weeks ago. But until Doc Brown comes through, it's impossible to change the past. But unfortunately, our brains are only set up to look into the past. We haven't yet mastered the art of looking into future, and, as you all know, my name is not Ms. Cleo.

I am very excited about many aspects of going to NYU. I know that I can pull my weight in an academic setting, I'm excited to live in New York City fox six weeks*, and I am excited to take a bold first step on a new journey in my life. The idea of this career change is also an exciting on, as I was not interested in my old career any longer. When it came to acting, I was slacking off too much and not taking steps to ensure my own success; I was setting myself

But there are many aspects about going to NYU that scare me, or at least fill me with apprehension. For the first time since 2003 at Hedgerow Theatre, I will actually be living in the same room as another student.** I'm a tough cookie who can handle anything for six weeks, but this is certainly a wrinkle in the plan. Then of course, I have to finish my homework before the course starts, and it's lack-of-completion freaks me out. (I have no right to complain; I'm the one who has been putting it off.) I'm also concerned that I will spend a lot of money for this education, and then I won't be able to find a job in the field. That at the end of this experience I will be right back where I am now, temping at a series of disappointing jobs.

But I know I'm smarter than that.*** Even if the New York publishing job doesn't come through right as the program is complete, hopefully NYU or my temp agency will be able to help me find something satisfying as well as lucrative. My future after the program is perhaps the biggest source of anxiety for me; I'm very excited to see what is in the future come mid-July, but I'm also very worried that there won't be anything there at all. I need to stop, breathe, and have more confidence in myself.

It is at times like this when I find myself falling into Doc Brown's white wig and lab coat, and trying not to wish about the job I didn't get in Philadelphia. I would like the stability, the money, the security, but I'm looking forward to working in NYC instead of Philly. I would really like to work in the big city, at DC Comics or elsewhere, and I'm reminding myself that the first step is often the scariest. Especially when you're not entirely sure where the road leads.

But I've taken enough time writing this blog (i.e. avoiding my homework), so I'm going to finish my endnotes for this entry and then head back to work. Rest assured that you'll be hearing from an over-stressed me again this week.

*- perhaps, and hopefully, much longer after completion of the program

** - the other program I applied for guaranteed single-occupancy rooms

**** - Statistically speaking...

Irony. It can be pretty ironic sometimes.

2011-05-24T13:15:00.005-04:00

As I try to move into another career, I am still hooked into my old one. Most of my friends are actors (or at the very least directors and writers), so I'm still very much plugged into the performing world. As a result, I am still on the books for my agent, and I've had a crazy amount of auditions in the last few weeks. Sometimes I would go for weeks or weeks without any auditions, and suddenly I found myself having more than one a week. Two friends have given me the names of their agents, or the casting director that just got them a great gig, and they told me to drop their names when I sent in my headshot. I, of course, hesitated and resisted for a few days before getting my acting materials in order and shipping them on their merry digital way.

I know what you're thinking... "He's not quitting! I knew he couldn't stay away! I was right all along! Damn that Nick is sexy! He loves acting too much to leave!" And you are right, all of you. Especially random voice number four. But as a very good friend recently said, "I'm tired of acting for money that I need." If the acting becomes a sideline career, all for the best. And if I book so much full-time (i.e. full-pay) acting work that I just never get the chance to work for a publishing house, then that is the cross I am willing to bear. It would be ironic, though, if the success I've always looked for comes my way because of my retirement.

Of course, I haven't booked any of my auditions, (although I came really close on one of them), so I'm not thinking of this as a sign from above. But at the moment, acting is one of the few things that I am legitimately qualified to do, and so it seems silly to turn my back on it completely. And if irony holds true, maybe I'll hold myself over as an actor until I find something new. That would be ironic, indeed.

My Mental Issues

2011-05-22T17:56:00.000-04:00

There is an expression about standing in the way of your own success. I'm sure that a little Internet searching can reveal a few more details about the specific quote I'm remembering, but the idea is one that isn't connected to one quotation alone. And while I do not exactly think that I am literally standing in the way of my own success, I do think that I have certain mental issues that make things much harder on myself than they need to be. I would like to drop some of these terrible habits. I think I would have a much happier life if could shut off my brain at certain moments and just relax more. But instead, I think far too much and don't take care of myself.

Case in point:
I spent six weeks being considered for a job in the early part of this year. As I shared in a blog post in February, I did not get the job. But I did spend those six weeks hoping and wishing for the job. I talked about what I would do in the job, and I even talked about the things I was doing in case I didn't get it. Of course, I did not do any of the things I had been planning to do, and so when the job offer did not come, I felt like I was left up the creek without a paddle. And the only person responsible was me, since I had willingly thrown the paddle into the river.

Another case in point:
I am a well-educated, articulate person. I have a variety of work experience, with different interests that span disciplines, and I work very well both on my own and in a team. However, I am at heart a very insecure person. One moment is enough to throw my whole universe out of whack. One lost job that I thought was in the bank. One stray comment after a night of drinking. One facebook status change that seems to contain a hidden message, one rejected job application, one perfect plan that falls though last minute, and I'm suddenly a quivering mess of self-dout. One moment calls everything else into question, and I'm left grinding my jaw and developing ulcers.

What I am doing:
Billboards everywhere are saying that "Self worth beats net worth." I have been trying to keep things in perspective, and I've been trying to remember that life is long and there are no checkpoints along the way. The only pressure on me is the pressure that I put on myself. To that end, I have been trying to put less pressure on myself. I often compare myself to other people, either in their career, their finance, their relationship, and I never think that I match up. I've been trying not to do that, but it's not easy to stop. So instead, I try to remember that other people compare themselves to me. Or that I can compare myself to others and come out on top.

What I need to do:
Somehow, I need to figure out how to be much happier with myself. I have been talking about finding a new hobby tha I can put some time into, something solitary unlike radio production. I've been looking into things like yoga or tai chi, and I do know that my NYC dorm is outfitted with a gym. I plan to dedicate some time to the gym on a regular basis, trying to generate some healthy habits. Because as far as I can tell, worrying is not a healthy habit.

The Averagely-but-not-Excessively Mighty Thor

2011-05-21T23:53:00.001-04:00

A week ago or so, I went to see "Thor" with a friend of mine. Unfortunately, we were unable to avoid the 3D screenings, so we ended up seeing the film through those crazy color-diluting sunglasses. I had been looking forward to seeing the film, although it only ranked third-of-four in the list of comic books movies I was excited about this summer. I was looking forward to Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor, and I thought that director Kenneth Branagh would handle the mystical elements well. Well, to make the long story short, I was right on both of those counts. However, it was the other elements in the film that didn't work for me.

As Thor, Chris Hemsworth was right on the money. He had the swagger, the confidence, and the charm that the character needed. He played very well with all of the other actors, especially Anthony Hopkins as his father, and Hemsworth also had the massive physical presence that is required of an actor playing a Norse God. The sequences in the mythic realm were beautiful and epic, with the rainbow bridge from the comic mythology stealing the show. And what's even more important, I thought that Thor as a character fit very comfortably into his larger-than-life mythic realm.

However, the sequences here on Earth seemed forced and/or phoned in. Natalie Portman plays a plucky scientist with a plucky assistant and a plucky advisor. And it's a good thing that she was working with people; otherwise she would have had no one to talk to in order to deliver exposition. After Thor is banished to Earth, loses his powers, and it taken down like a chump by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (spoilers!), he spends approximately six minutes of screen time "learning" his lesson and going on the hero's journey. He comes back, says he loves Natalie Portman, which doesn't really seem all that likely.

The other problem with the film involved the action sequences. A lot of them were blindingly blurry, incredibly quick, and I'm prepared to lay some of that at the foot of the the post-production 3D effects. But even without those 3D effects, the over-reliance on CGI landscapes and CGI cannon-fodder made the shots a little difficult to process. It's a running trend in films nowadays, but it is one that doesn't seem to be going away.

Overall, I liked the film. Don't get me wrong. But it felt like a prequel to Thor's appearance in "The Avengers," much more than it felt like a film designed to start a Thor series. I'm not the biggest fan of the Marvel comic universe, but I like watching how their film universe is developing. I just wonder if they are putting the cart before the horse, though. These films need to stand on their own first, and encourage the overall universe second. If they only serve as prologues to the massive team-up film, then that puts an awful lot of eggs in one big-budget basket.

Look, Up in the Sky

2011-05-20T19:07:00.000-04:00

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman! I'm sure I didn't have to finish that phrase. Just as I'm equally sure that I didn't have to hyperlink his name. If you don't recognize the name, then this blog post is not aimed at you. But what I do want to address, briefly, is one of the reasons that I love the Man of Steel - what he represents. Sure, I like his powers, his cape, the fact that he wears glasses in his secret identity. But in a much larger sense, Superman is the ultimate symbol of hope. And that's why I love him. He's not a hero because of a deep secret or because of a hidden trauma; he's a hero because it is literally the right thing to do. It's how his parents raised him, and he is a living example of what everyone could be if they chose to.

To illustrate this point, I will share a recent moment on Smallville that really worked for me. It showed how the writers of the show really understand the character, and I have complete confidence in their season finale when Clark puts on the suit. The following exchange is between Clark Kent and his mother Martha, when Clark is wondering if he should reveal his face as a hero.

Martha: What's real is your strength and integrity and compassion. As long as you remain honest to those things, it doesn't matter what you wear or what name you go by.

Clark: So, you're saying I should become that hero and step into the light?

Martha: Clark, you are the light.

This exchange perfectly illustrates the true nature of Superman. He is not one standing at the head of the path, the man who has stepped into the light and allow others to line up behind him. He is the light in which all the others are bathed, and the other characters of the DC Universe

There is a reason that Superman's intro starts with the hopeful phrase "Look, Up in the Sky!" We look up to him, we aspire to be like him, and we know that if we had powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, we hope we would use them in the service of good. There is no reason for him to be a hero, and yet he is one. He does the right thing, simply because it is the right thing to do.

Podcaster Michael Bailey expressed the opinion that Superman is like religion. You either understand him and you get him, or you don't; and if you don't understand the appeal of Superman, it can't be explained to you. And it is something that I completely understand. And not just because I wear glasses.

A Open Letter to Steven Moffat

2011-05-19T10:00:00.003-04:00

Dear Mr. Moffat,

First of all, let me say that I am huge fan. I love the episodes you wrote of Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, and I am in awe of any writer who is responsible for both Coupling and Jekyll. The differences between them astound me, each one brilliant in their own way, and my hat is off to you. Much has been made of the genius behind the episode "Blink," and I will throw my weight behind all of that praise. It's a beautiful scifi story, combining time travel, character moments, and some of the scariest villains ever created. I was very excited to learn that you had been put in charge of the new season of Doctor Who, and I enjoyed the season-long journey you took us on with Matt Smith.

Today, I am writing to you because I just watched the episodes of your new BBC series, Sherlock. I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, and it was with an equal mix of excitement and nervousness that I approached your new series. The idea of bringing Holmes into the modern age was one that I didn't completely agree with, but I was keeping my mind open to the possibilities. Also, I was willing to follow your name to the project. And you, sir, did not disappoint. The series is one of the best interpretations of the character that has ever been put on film, and Benedict Cumberbatch has the potential to be one of the iconic images of Sherlock. Martin Freeman's Watson is pitch-perfect, and your vision of Lestrade is quite possibly an improvement over Conan Doyle's. In short, the series is very strong, and I'm looking forward to season two.

However, it would be remiss of me not to point out the one fault that I see developing in the series. In fact, it is now a running them in all of your writing. One might call it a variation on the Aaron Sorkin effect. In Sorkin's shows, all of his characters inevitably end up sounding the same. They speak in similar rhythms, similar styles, have similar styles of humor and similar levels of intelligence. This is not your problem, sir. Instead, you constantly have one single character (the Doctor, Jekyll, Sherlock) who is much smarter and speaks much faster than everyone else in the room. And that character sounds the same, no matter which series I'm watching. Sherlock Holmes should sound different than the Doctor, and they should both sound different than Mr. Hyde (no matter how hyper-intelligent he is.) This may seem like a very small detail in the face of the overwhelming awesome that are these shows, but the measure of genius is often in those small details. It's not the sort of thing that would make me stop watching either show, but it is the thing that reduces the originality of both programs.

Also, and while not directly related to this matter, I would also like to take a moment to talk about cliffhangers. A good cliffhanger leaves the action in a tense beat, from which action can proceed in many directions, and we have to tune in next week(season) for the resolution. A good cliffhanger is not what happens that the end of Episode 3 of Sherlock. That was done so poorly, with such little regard for dramatic pacing, that I literally thought my DVR had missed the final act of the show.

Sincerely,

Script in Hand

ps. Who the f@&k is River Song? Seriously. The mystery is getting tedious.

The Strangest Places

2011-05-18T12:51:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I worked another promo gig, handing out flyers and engaging prospective customers in aggressive yet friendly banter. I'm starting to learn that the defining characteristic of all these promo gigs is this - great money for a boring job. I was on my feet most of the pounding the proverbial pavement, eating my snacks from home and waiting for the quitting time. That time came soon enough, and a quick pizza dinner before the train trip home soothed my spirit for the time being. And the paycheck for a single day's work will also sooth my spirit.

But this blog post isn't about the varied and unusual jobs that I've had to take as a working/struggling actor. Instead, it's just a brief comment about how I am looking forward to the day when I will only have one job instead of fifteen. Filing my taxes every year is an adventure in mathematics, as I have a lot of columns to add up from all the different jobs over the year. Now that I'm moving away from a career as a jobbing actor, I am more and more excited about the idea of working for a single company and getting a single W-2 at the end of the year. Working so many jobs is stressful, because I literally never know where my next paycheck is coming from. That was a fine way to live my life for a long time, but now I want something else. Something better.

SERUM - Official trailer

2011-05-15T18:20:00.000-04:00

I'd like to invite you all to check out this trailer for a short film I was in last year. Actually, to be honest, I don't remember when I filmed this. I was an extra for a day, getting killed by the serial killer in the film. I mostly remember hanging around in the holding area, eating Papa John's pizza, and talking comic books with some of the other folks working on the movie.

I also remember that the director was using an ipad (which was brand new at the time), to show the storyboards to the crew and the actors so we knew that the shots should look like. It was such a great way to incorporate the technology into filmmaking.

In any case, enjoy the trailer for the short film. You can't see me in it. But watch it anyway.

A Taste of the Other Side

2011-05-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

In my career as a temp, I've had some positions that have been easy, a few that have been interesting, but none that have required me to wear a full suit and interact with heads of finance companies. Until today, that is. I worked as the concierge/event support host for a financial symposium, interacting with directors and CEOs of companies that specialize in retirement investing and 401(k) accounts. The dress code for the job was my formal suit, and I spent all morning with people who were dressed just as well as I. There were about 40-50 execs in the room for financial presentations, all learning about new regulations, new strategies, and new tools in the financial game. The amounts of money and income they were discussing for "hypothetical clients" was in the low-to-mid six figures, and those were the "small-business" owners.

A year ago, I would have looked around at the group of people assembled in this room and been glad that I was an actor. I would have liked the freedom, the possibility, and I would have seen all of the execs as being strangled by their expensive neckties. But how strange to see how things have changed in a year. I now wanted to be a part of this group, make a salary (plus benefits), and have a corporate job where I get to attend symposiums and seminars.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that I came home with three or four days worth of leftovers, including delicious desserts. I love the temp jobs that come with perks.

An Open Letter to DC Comics

2011-05-11T19:49:00.001-04:00

Dear DC Comics,

I have been reading comic books since I was 7 years old, picking up some of the John Byrne Superman issues when they came out in the mid-1980s. And to quote Bibbo, Superman was always my fav'rit. I was never much of a collector as a kid, even though I picked up the odd issue here and there when the covers interested me. Oh, sure, I was there for the death of Superman and his marriage to Lois Lane, but I tuned out a lot on the individual issues as I went to high school, college, and the work force. But even though I didn't follow the comics, I have always been a fan of the characters in the DC Universe, from Superman to The Spectre, Batman to Booster Gold. I followed them through the various animated adventures, feature films, and even the paperback books that were released over the last decade.

But please understand that I love comic books. I like the way the story-telling them employ, I like the unique marriage of words and art, I like the feel of holding them in my hand, and I like the cliff-hanger based pacing within the larger context of world-building and long-running subplots. A single splash page from Action Comics capture my imagination for over twenty years before I could find the issue that continued the story. The issues were exciting, each one feeding into the ones before it, and the title marched forward with one continuing story.

However, this brings me to my problems with the way you present your comic book titles. In the last five years, I've tried to jump onto the DC Superman titles a total of three times. I waited for major events to finish/end/disappear, and then I started picking up the Superman titles. I like the crossover between Superman and Action Comics, and I'm willing to purchase both titles to follow the story. But within mere months of me re-joining the comic-book-buying community, another major event came along that required me to buy tie-in titles, a miniseries, as well as other crossover titles just to get the full story that started (and sometimes ends) in Superman. I don't have the money or the patience to collect half a dozen titles just to get a single story.

And so, DC Comics, in order to get this comic book reader back to the monthly schedule, please lay off the major crossover storylines that take place across multiple books. At least two years. If I have a story that runs through only the Superman title, or only in Action Comics, then I am far more likely to become invested in the larger universe and follow multiple characters. The Black Ring storyline in Action was a great start, but it's been undermined by the entire Doomsday story that I have no interest in. Following Superman from book-to-book is not a burden I am willing to take up. One title, one story.

I enjoy the stories. I enjoy comic books. But I no longer buy them. I want to. I really want to find a monthly book that I can pick up, purchase, and love. So the burden is on you to give me something I want to buy. And I promise, I'll be there when you do.

Sincerely,

Script in Hand

The Next Step

2011-05-10T00:35:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I supposed sufficient time has passed since I teased my future plans in my last post. I was bursting with excitement when I first received this news, but I wanted to hold onto the news for a little bit until I was sure that everything was finalized. Not that I thought that things would change, but I was secretly holding out for another possibility. But that second possibility didn't pan out, and now I'm trying to embrace the one that has been offered to me. In short, I will be attending the 2011 Summer Publishing Institute at New York University.

Since the beginning of the year, I have been actively pursing a career in publishing. I think I want to work in the editorial department of a book publisher, although I've recently been thinking about either the publicity or the promotional divisions as well. Or even production or sales... Basically I've been focusing on a shift into a different industry entirely, and I have enrolled in the NYU SPI in an attempt to get a crash course in the industry, learn some skills, make some connections, and get a job in NYC publishing when the course is over.

So please congratulate me, raise a glass to my NYC adventure, and stay tuned for more information, news, rumors, reports, worries, concerns, fears (irrational and otherwise), regrets (real and imagined), and general musings on the next step in my life. Exciting step, but a scary one.

April, and the first week of May

2011-05-08T22:43:00.004-04:00

No clever title this time. No witty word play about where I've been, what I've been doing, or why I haven't been blogging. The long and the short of it is this - I've been very busy with a temp gig working a promotion in a local mall, I've been stressing out over my future and some upcoming career changes, and that stressing has also extended into the realm of finance, money, and all the things that go with that.

So as all of that is going on inside my head (stupid over-thinking head!), I was driving out to a local mall a few times a week to work as a brand ambassador for a promo gig. I was a member of a team promoting the new Nintendo 3DS, a handheld gaming system that features a 3D screen that does not require 3D glasses. The feature doesn't come across in any photo or video ads, so Nintendo put the demo pod in local malls so that people could get the game in their hands and see the effect for themselves.

The job was easy, occasionally fun, and it paid me very well to essentially play video games all day. It was my first encounter with promo work, and I liked it. It was a lot of work to stand on my feet for that long, and I have always hated shift-based work from my time as a deli clerk in a supermarket, but the money and the convenience of the job more than made up for it. It's the sort of gig that I am glad is over, but the money was so nice that I wish it could have lasted for a few more weeks before another gig starts.

But what's this, Nick? Another gig, you say? What is it?

That answer and more to follow.

Addendum

2011-03-31T14:58:00.005-04:00

A few nights ago, I went out with a friend of mine who is also leaving the business of acting. And he laid out a series of three exceptions to his retirement. His three points were so well-presented and well-articulated that I knew immediately that I had to steal them. And so, here they are, in no particular order.

The three things that will lure me out of retirement are:

1) A project that interests me and that I really believe in.
2) A project where I can make a lot of money very quickly.
3) A project where I can work with close friends, or when a friend needs a favor.

Any project I do from now on will have to be one of these. Preferably, two of these. Ideally, three of these. It's been a while since I've found joy in my performing, and these three bullet points will help me find the joy again.

For Immediate Release

2011-03-28T18:07:00.002-04:00

So, there have been a lot of rumors and stories floating around the Internet lately that I have retired from acting. I'm here to tell you today that most of them are, in fact, true. In addition, I have started most of them. But now, with the retirement policy firmly in effect as of last Friday, I am here to address some of what it means to me and what exactly I am hoping to do with my life now.

First of all, let me address the biggest question that I am asked. Yes, I will still continue to act. Acting was and remains one of the biggest passions in my life, and I receive more pure joy from it than I do from many other things. My retirement from the profession does not mean that I will never again be seen onstage or in a movie, so please don't call me a hypocrite when I next appear in a short film or the latest installment of "Super Heroes Who Are Super." Acting is fun, and I plan to continue to work on projects that interest me.

That brings us to what the retirement involves, exactly. For the last year as I have moved from performing into producing, the work I have done onstage has become less and less "fun." It's started to feel like work. And I don't mean the "boy, aren't I lucky because I get to do this every day!" sort of work. I'm talking about the "well, damn, here it is Monday morning again and I have to go to that stupid office and do the thing that I don't enjoy just so I have money coming in but I'd much rather be somewhere else" sort of work. Simply put, I lost my joy. Acting is not something that one does for the money, so to continue in a profession that I don't enjoy doesn't seem like a smart idea to me.

And, of course, let's not forget about the money. Acting can sometimes pay enough to "get by," if you are going to take into account all the side jobs, teaching jobs, freelance jobs, temp jobs, and crap jobs that you have to do in order to supplement a Philadelphia-approved rate of $75/week for your performance. For many people, this works out just fine. And I'm not trying to knock the people for whom that life works well. It worked fine for me for many years, but not any more. I had a lot of fun bouncing from one job to another, but I now recognize that I want a stable job, a reliable source of income, and an enjoyable workplace. And that's not always to be found in acting.

Essentially, I'll boil it down to this: I used to work 9-5 at a job I didn't enjoy in order to be able to find my happiness by performing on the side. But now, I want to find a 9-5 job that I enjoy and that makes me happy, and I will fill the time on the side with other hobbies and interest that make me just as happy as my profession. Some of them will, no doubt, include acting. They will also include writing, producing, reading, playing mini golf, bowling, making plastic model kits, owning a cat, collecting comic books, etc. I'm ready for my permanent, full-time career to be my primary one, my stable one, and my financially supportive one. And I know that I am not going to find any of those things as a professional actor.

However, I do enjoy the creative process and the creative arts, but now I want to be a part of the production side of them. I am seeking employment in publishing, either in the publicity, production, or editorial departments of book-publishing companies. It's a hard field to break into, and the challenges fill me with dread some nights when I can't sleep, but it's the sort of thing that I think will make me happy. I've been a freelancer for a long time, and I'm looking for a full-time, salaried position where I have to wear a tie to work.

If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them. You can post them here or you can email me directly, and I will be forthright and honest about my current decision, my reasons, and my intentions.

###

New Headshots?

2011-03-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

As I have been making very clear and very public in the last few weeks, I am no longer interested in being a professional actor. My reasons are constantly in a state of flux, and I am hoping to craft an intelligent and insightful blog post that can explain them to you, the readers, and you, my friends. But until then, I'm still running out the clock on a few more projects, and am still pursuing theatre jobs that interest and excite me. But to do that, I think I might need to use new headshots. Here are some that I'm considering:This is for all those time when I'd be considered to play characters who are smug, full-of-themselves, or entirely convinced of their own good forture, future, and well-being. The complete opposite for me. (Except for the smug part. I've got that part nailed.)

This one will be my new commerical headshot, used for things like toothpaste adverts, billboards, and potential starring roles on daytime television. Just look at my hands. Don't they scream "I could play a doctor who is also someone's long-lost twin and sleeps with every woman around looking for my own sister who was brutually murdered before I was born but who has been reincarnated and is hunting for me as well?" Don't they!

This headshot seems to suggest that I'm a little quirky but still serious. The face says I can run your Fortune 500 company, but the body language says I wouldn't enjoy cashing those five-figure paychecks. (The body language is a lie; I'd love to cash the five figure paycheck.)

Quite frankly, I just liked this picture. And I'm still stuck on the plot I suggested two captions back. This is when I learned that my long-thought-dead-and-then-reincarnated-but-now-lives-a-double-life-as-a-nanny-and-an-exotic-dancer sister is also my next-door-neighbor. Spooky.

For a potential headshot, this photo is inappropriate on several different levels. First, there is entirely too much brown of the wood. Second, I have some dirt under my fingernails. And third, it cuts off some of my hair at the top. Complete inappropriate.

By this point in the post, everyone should realize that I'm not being serious. About considering these as new headshots, I mean. But out of this comedy comes a photo that I am going to use as my new headshot. This one:

It's not professionally done by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a good photo that looks like me. My old photos were a little out of date, so I did need a little update. But I also didn't want to spend upwards of 400 bucks on new headshots, since I want to switch careers completely anyway. So this will do for now. Hopefully the next promotional photo I have taken of myself will feature me in a suit and tie, and I'll be listed in the "staff" section of a publishing company's website.

Hamlet in the schools

2011-03-14T13:53:00.000-04:00

My touring production of Hamlet has been making the rounds through Philly and the surrounding counties for about two weeks now. We have two more weeks on the tour, and most of those days are booked with performances. We even have a day next week where we get to do the show twice. Which suits me fine, since we'll only have to set up and get ready once. The show itself is pretty easy for me.

I've been on enough educational tours to know that the tempers and moods of the audience will change drastically from school to school. It's part of the deal when you sign up for a tour like this, and I've never really let it bother me. When I was in a touring company with Romeo and Juliet, our Juliet was always annoyed when the students would laugh during her dramatic scenes at the end of the play. But for me, I knew it was par for the course - after all, we were performing for kids aged 14-18.

So far on this tour, we've been lucky with some good groups of students. The first audience was really into it, even cheering for Hamlet during the swordfight. The second crowd was a little more subdued at first, but we won them over eventually. The third crowd was with us right from the first moment of the play, and we were getting cheers of encouragement throughout the play. The show has enough flash to attract even the most hostile of audiences, and we have a show that really connects with the young crowds we are playing to.

We are coming up to the end of our third week, with only one more week to go. This week has been booked pretty solid, and next week we do 6 shows over 5 days. I'll post some more updates as we go along through the next week and I try to squeeze auditions and other projects around the touring schedule.

"Courage Too Late" now online!

2011-03-05T19:25:00.005-05:00

And now... the short film I've been writing about for the last few days, "Courage Too Late," is now available online. The video is embedded below, and I'd encourage you to visit the filmmaker's website at www.JKiltsFilms.com to find out more information about them, and to see some of their other projects. Backtrack through the last few posts on this blog and you can read some of the backstage stories and see a photo gallery.

But now.... the film itself... "Courage Too Late"

I'm pretty happy with the way it all turned out. The first time I watched the film, I was pretty impressed with the work I did in the very first scene where I'm eating bread. Tom and Eugene had written a very simple scene with a lot of subtext churning away underneath, and I'm actually pretty pleased with the work that Amanda and I did to bring that subtext out. I talked in the previous post about how pleased the filmmakers were about our work, and I'm glad to see the finished product.

When I watched the film, I kept remembering how much fun it was to work on the film. I remembered freezing my toes almost off in the leather boots, trying to struggle through the deep snow wearing all of that extra equipment, chipping away at the ice covering the set, trying to make Ted laugh every time he had to be serious on camera, having the director of photography march us all over our little corner of the woods... In short, I was remembering the joy that I found while making the film. It's been so long since an acting job offered me that real sense of joy, it's great to watch this film and remember how much fun I had making it.

Photo Gallery from "Courage Too Late"

2011-02-27T19:24:00.006-05:00

After the last two (intermittent) posts regarding filming the short film "Courage Too Late," I wanted to finish it off with a photo gallery of the film. So let's get this (peep) show on the road.

(The opening image of the film, shot at the very end of the first day.)

(The Russians, posing for our period-photo.)

(As Gregory, ready for action. Note the leather pouch holding maps and papers.)

(Amanda and I wait in the trees for the camera crew to arrive. So we can shoot them.)

(Between takes, we also killed a lot of time having thumb wars. This scene does not appear in the final film.)

(Donuts provide energy. Russian energy. Russian, sprinkle-based energy.)

Russian film shoot, Part II

2011-02-25T19:24:00.001-05:00

So, it was almost a month ago, but the second day of shooting CTL started with trekking out to the location that had been built. The most fun part was taking all of the equipment through a foot and a half of tightly-packed snow. And by "most fun part," I mean, of course, I'm joking. When we got the location, we learned that the small layer of snow on the ground had turned into a fine coating of ice. So the first step of the day was to take shovels and hammers to the ice so we could shoot the movie without hurting ourselves.

(Christopher works on the ice a little harder than the rest of us.)

The second day involved shooting the hand-to-hand combat that is the center of the film, as well as a final ambush that involved a lot of pretend gunfire. I was looking forward to shooting some blanks from my gun, but then the production team announced they would be adding the gunfire in during post-production. Bummer. But I still got to knife a few soldiers. Score.

The shoot also involved a lot of filming with the German soldiers, so the Russians had a chance to sit around, smoke, and hang out freezing our toes off before we were called over to the set. At least we had donuts to keep us warm. Well, we weren't actually eating the donuts while freezing, but

(The Russian army, slightly relaxed.)

After filming the fight scene, the German scenes, and some scenes of the Russians sneaking through the trees, it came time to film the major scene of dialogue that opens the movie. My costar/scene partner Amanda and I had been running the scene all day, so we were ready for our close-ups. When the scene was up next, the director asked if we wanted to take a minute to look over the scene. We informed him that it wasn't necessary because we had memorize the scene and had been working it all day. He seemed genuinely impressed (and slightly surprised) that we were off-book for the scene, and we went to shoot.

After the first two takes, the director and the script supervisor were very complimentary on the work we were doing. The writer even commented that he liked actors who could take the "not-so-good" words he had written and make them sound great coming out of our mouths. It was great to have the filmmakers praising our work right there on the set while we were filming. We wrapped the scene up, did a few more coverage shots, and then we had to schlep all the equipment back to the cars so we could get back on the road and back to Kurt's house so we could return all our issued army gear.

For two days of moviemaking, it was a lot of fun. I know I've recently come out and said that I'm not interested in continuing my career as an actor - (all the details can be found right here) - but I am all about the short-term, single-day, projects that excite me as a performer. It's not that I'm not interested in acting anymore, it's just that I'm only interested in acting when it is on my terms.

I Vill Crush You

2011-02-24T17:21:00.009-05:00

Two weekends ago, just after I found out this news (for those of you keeping score at home), I headed up to Bucks County for two days to play a young Russian soldier in a short film set on the Russian front during WWII. I had been looking forward to it as a little project on the side, but when the shoot days finally arrived, I was ready for some fun to take my mind off other things.

The first hour of the first day was spent collecting our gear and our uniforms from the weapons master/production manager, who I'd previously worked with on both The Chrononauts and Rendezvous. His basement is full of all sorts of WWII uniforms, and he can tell the difference between Nazi uniforms from 1941 and 1945. And he also has them both. As well as everything in between. It's quite extraordinary. After we were all geared up, we were given our weapons, and the entire look was finally starting to come together. Here's a picture of me as the Russian soldier Gregory:

When we all headed out to the location, knee-deep in snow, we started shooting. I had never worked with the filmmaker before, but we fell into a nice rhythm. I liked how fast he tried to shoot things, and I liked that he was letting us be very relaxed and very conversational with our lines. He even encouraged us to improvise some of the lines, but I stuck pretty much to what I had already memorized. It's just easier that way.

On this first day of the two-day shoot, we did a lot of the middle of the film, and then the final pieces as well. We worked straight up until sunset, and I literally watched the sun set while I was on camera. It's going to be a very cool shot to end the film. The day was a lot of fun, even if it was freezing cold by the time we were done. My leather boots (while really cool!) didn't provide a whole lot of insulation against the cold, but they were also the only part of my body that was cold. This is a picture of me trying to keep my toes warm, through willpower alone.

Also, please note that I did not get to fire my weapon. I had to pretend. But my costar Amanda got to fire off several rounds with her sniper rifle. I was pretty jealous of that, and she wanted to keep doing take after take of that scene. She was a little disappointed when they told her they had the shot, so she celebrated by firing off a few more rounds. Okay, maybe she didn't, but that's certainly something that I would have done. It's the easiest way to empty the clip!

Our shoot day ended at dusk, we got out of costume, and we got ready to come back for another day on Sunday. I'll post again about the next day of filming, the day that involved the hand-to-hand combat, lots of slipping on the ice, and actually acting an entire page and a half of dialogue as we raced to beat the setting sun yet again.

Okay, well, that's a lot of the stories in fact. But in more detail... NEXT TIME!

More fun that I remembered

2011-02-24T16:15:00.002-05:00

I am going to be busy for the next few days - rehearsals, travel, film-making. So in order to hit my deadline for the next episode of The Stray Dogs Project, I sat down last night and tried to do as much as I could. I wasn't sure how much I was going to do, or how much I really felt like doing, but the focused effort and the amazing vocal tracks inspired me to push forward. I ended up finishing the entire vocal track, and I was just about to start layering in some sound effects before a friend called on the phone and I lost my momentum entirely.

But until that happened, I was really grooving on the project, and I was really enjoying the editing work I was doing. In another blog post not long ago, I talked about how I wasn't feeling the work for RHP anymore, about how it felt like just another job and my heart wasn't in it. Well, now I'd like to recant that position almost entirely. It just took the first episode to get the energy and momentum building again, but with that one online and behind us, I'm feeling the fun again.

It might be a passing thing, as I'm already feeling a little overwhelmed again on this Thursday afternoon, and tomorrow will be a challenging day at work. But for last night, everything was going great. I'll hold onto that feeling, and take it with me through the darker times. Which are sure to return. But I feel like I might have a torch now, which can make all the difference in the darkness.

Disappointment(s)

2011-02-19T09:41:00.002-05:00

Since the end of December, I have been in the running for a position in Philadelphia that would have suited me very well. The position was for a science-based non-profit organization, and I would have been working with their magazine and their podcast. It would have combined my long-time interest in writing and editing, and my newly-discovered interest in producing and creative directing. Salary, benefits, and the sort of job that I would have loved going to every day.

By now, you've probably noticed I am using the past perfect tense. "Would have.." So it's no surprise for me to tell you now that I wasn't offered the job. I found out on the Friday before the Valentine's day weekend, when I was booked to shoot a short film with a young filmmaker. (More information on that movie will be coming to this blog soon. Stay tuned...) So I did have something to take my mind off the bad news at first, when I headed out to Bucks county and had a great time shooting a short film. But when that film was over, I went right back to my somewhat exhausting, temp-jobbing life.

On one hand, nothing has changed. But on the other hand, the only change is that a possible "yes" has now become a definitive "no." I have to go out again and find a new job opening, apply, interview, etc, and hope to make it far enough to be considered for the position. And that's a daunting task, especially when I have to return to my temp-jobbing weeks. I am applying for some summer courses as well to help me realize my goals, so there is a long-term plan in place that I'm running toward. But that still doesn't make the day-to-day any easier.

From the vaults

2011-02-08T11:08:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend, I was talking with a friend about horror movies. Specifically, bad horror movies. And that got me thinking again about a very old script that I had been working on with my writing partner Rob. We came up with a story that played with the idea of a group of ghost hunters (like the guys on the SyFy show "Ghost Hunters"), and in the course of their investigation on an haunted prison/jail/hotel, they would stir up some less-than-friendly spirits and a horror movie would break out. We had plot turns, jokes, great horror bits, and a twist to the film that is something you never saw before.

We had originally written the script a few years ago, working with a producer who had worked with Rob on a WWII documentary. She was interested in his idea for the horror film, so he and I spent a feverish ten days writing most of a screenplay so we could read it at a meeting at the producer's house. We finished most of it, outlined the rest in an exciting paragraph of action, and then pitched it. Everyone involved liked the idea, including our own twists. We talked about the next steps to take to make the film, but ultimately the project fell through. And, true to form, Rob and I never went back to work on it, since we were no longer planning to make the movie.

And, unfortunately, that has emerged as a habit for me. I dedicate a lot of energy into a project, and then when that project takes a downward turn, or when another project replaces it in the front of my mind, the older one simply falls by the wayside. As a result, I have a whole pile of never-finished scripts as opposed to a pile of finished-but-not-edited scripts. I'd like to be better about following up on these projects; you never know when an old completed script will come in handy for a new project or as a writing sample. But we worked hard for that week, and we don't have a finished screenplay to show for it. I've actually been thinking about dusting off those old notes, seeing if I can give it some shape again and try to write the ending. Just for fun.

If I do, I'll tackle it next week. This week is a busy one with RHP work and temp work, and I barely have enough time to cook, learn my lines, or have a social life. So next week... Perhaps...

Last of the Auditions

2011-01-31T22:00:00.002-05:00

I totally forgot about an audition I had in January...

In about the middle of the month, I went to the city to audition to be a storyteller for Historic Philadelphia. They are the group that hires the street performers, costumed characters, and polo-shirted storytellers to entertain visitors who come to Philadelphia over the summer. Some people dress in period wardrobe from the 1700s and play historical people - Betsy Ross, George Washington, random soldiers - and others sit themselves down at pre-approved and advertised benches around the city, telling stories from history and answering any questions that the people have about the city.

Friends of mine have done this storyteller gig in the past, so I went into the audition armed with a 3-minute story about a small historical detail that often gets overlooked. The story I told was one of my favorite pieces from a show I did called "Eureka: Inventors and Their Inventions" that featured a dozen tales of inventors throughout recent history. In fact, I used the same story when I was interviewing for a permanent position at a local non-profit organization. It's a good one. The directors and producers liked it, too, complimenting my choice as something that fit perfectly with their asthetic, even performing it exactly how they storytellers are trained to perform. "I'd have to do very little direction with you," I was told. So I left the room feeling happy about the work I had done.

But here's the crazy thing. The most interesting part of this whole audition, however, was going into it with the sure-fire knowledge that I didn't want the job. I hinted at this in the early part of the month, but I am no longer interested in being an actor. It's something that I always enjoyed, and something that I will most likely continue to do as a hobby, but I am no longer interested in trying to make my living at it.

I'm in the middle of a massive life-change, career-change, housing-change, everything-change that is leaving me an emotional wreck. But at the center of all of it is the absolute certainty that I'm steering my life in the direction I want to go. Sure, I look back now and then and wonder and lament. But that is my former life, and a new one awaits me. It scares me that I might not be able to have it right away, but I'm trying to have faith. So any good thoughts, prayers, good vibrations, etc. that you send me way will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Breaking News - The New Superman

2011-01-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

According to this story, which has appeared all over the Internet, Zach Snyder has found his new Superman - Henry Cavill.

This isn't an official picture, of course, since the casting was literally announced a few days ago. In fact, I just found it online. I think it looks like a good fan photo, but what Cavill will look like in the actual Superman uniform is, at this point, anyone's guess.

Well, I guess Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan know. But other than them, no one.

Congrats to Mr. Cavill on a role I would kill my best friend for, and I hope they make a good movie around him. Just like when Brandon Routh was cast, I'm a little disappointed that it's not going to be me in blue tights. Last time it depressed me, and made me think long and hard about my career. This time, it just makes me want to get out of the business even more.

True Grit

2011-01-31T10:00:00.013-05:00

Last weekend, I went to see "True Grit." After the film got passed over by the Golden Globes but showered by the Oscar nominations, I was curious. Plus, westerns tie into my love of cowboys, independence, and handguns, so how can I not enjoy them. I didn't really grow up watching any westerns when I was a kid, as that genre had more-than-faded-away by my TV watching prime. But when we first got basic cable, TNT was still showing cowboy movies along with the occasional made-for-TV western. And Saturday morning was a western-themed bonanza.

First up was, in fact, Bonanza. I never really cared too much for it. I know that another show was a part of it, too, possibly Rawhide or Gunsmoke. I never really watched any of these shows, except the occasional episode here or there, just to see Doctor McCoy on a horse. The two shows that I loved were the final pieces of the Saturday TV block: The Wild Wild West and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Lucky for me, they were on back-to-back.

But that's another blog post - this one is on "True Grit." I just wanted to give you some background on admiration for cowboys and westerns.

"True Grit" was very very good. I've never seen the version starring John Wayne, but I do know that it was the film for which he won his only Academy Award. Even though history regards it as an "honorary win" for his long career, and Wayne himself said that he had given better performances. He cited his performance in the movie "Stagecoach," which is one of my favorites. (Highly recommended.) I've posted a picture of Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, the character he played in the film. I also did not realize that "True Grit" was a novel, on which both films are based. I'm very interested now to see the John Wayne version to see how two very-different films interpret the same story with the same characters.

And now, if you've kept reading, I'll tell you what I thought of this modern version. I really liked it. The acting in it was top notch, including the Oscar-nominated 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, playing the leading role of the young girl out to avenge the murder of her father. She gave a deep and soulful, fully realized performance that made me wonder just how old she was. When I found out her actual age, I was stunned. Performances by child actors aren't usually that rich. As Rooster Cogburn, Jeff Bridges was a bundle of fun. He didn't start the film as a particularly likeable character, but he slowly grew on me. I've included a picture of him as well. Take a look at them both, and notice the way that Hollywood's image of "drunk and troubled" has changed. I also found it interested that both actors wore their eye patch over a different eye. (Wayne said his was in tribute to John Huston.) I'm guessing that Bridges more accurately reflects the original novel. And I liked the performance Bridges gave, too, although I thought it occasionally lapsed a little too much into the "if I squint, sneer, drawl, or act like a lunatic, I'll be able to convince people that I'm acting" school of performing (for excellent examples, see Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr, and, lately, Christian Bale.) Bridges pulls off weight and gravitas behind his antics, and it makes his performance real in a way that I don't find with the others.

But I was really impressed by Matt Damon. I think he is one of the underrated actors working in movies today, and his performance was subtle and effective. He was almost unrecognizable in the first few trailers I saw for the movie, but he looks great in the film. After his character suffers a... mishap..., Damon actually convinced me that he had an almost-severed tongue. The vocal work was amazing and subtle, and it actually took me most of a scene to realize he was doing anything at all. It was impressive. The ensemble all worked together well, too, and it was a lot of fun to watch all these actors at the top of their craft.

Another aspect of the movie that deserves to be mentioned is one of the very first shots - a shot of the old west frontier town. The camera rises over the old-time train to show the main street of the town, and it took my breath away. Using CGI to create landscapes and buildings is nothing new, but I think that one of it's most important uses is to re-create these images from the past. Think about those beautiful cityscapes in the Peter Jackson "King Kong" showing a NYC that no longer exists. Imagine the period pieces that can be done now...

Back in the Studio

2011-01-27T08:53:00.004-05:00

In the beginning of January, Radio Hound Productions stood up (good dog!) and started recording again. We had intended to work through some of the winter holidays, but personal schedules, touring productions, a short film production took over, and the audio shows suffered a little bit. The older shows were getting uploaded to the iTunes store one by one, but there was precious little new content out there for those hungry for more.

But that will soon change. Early January marked the first studio recording of the second season of Radio Hound's audio offerings. The episode will be the next one to broadcast - it's a special Valentine's Day show - and then the second season of radio shows will be up and running. We're planning on several miniseries, possibly a season of Boson Higgs adventures, and then the occasional Stray Dog to fill the weeks in between.

And so on a very cold and snowy day in January, I dragged out the recording bucket and spend the afternoon recording a radio show. It was nice to get into the swing of things again, but here's the kicker: my heart wasn't really in it anymore. I loved the idea of setting everything up and brining the people together. I even really liked directing the episodes, but when it came time to record the takes, my heart was a little lukewarm on the matter.

I think that Radio Hound was a creative outlet connected to my acting career for so long that it's going to be a little strange to be doing it without acting around it. Or it's just that we took so much time off that it's hard to get back in the saddle. Or even that I just lost some of my focus without my resident director in the saddle with me.

Whatever it was, I pushed it aside and rode on through, and the recording sounds great. I have some smaller recording to do for the project, and then the final edit needs to happen in time for it to be uploaded next weekend. And then, of course, the new episodes need to get written and recorded. I was ahead of the schedule for a while, and now I'm falling back into "on time" with the episodes. I really enjoy producing these projects, and I want them to continue.; it's just about finding the momentum again and getting back on the ball.

Wish me luck.

And, if you listen to the podcasts, drop an occasional note to me and let me know how you enjoy them. Or don't enjoy them. Feedback like that is one of the only ways that I can know what people think of all this hard work we're doing.

Thanks.

Award nomination

2011-01-26T23:06:00.006-05:00

Congratulations to me!

I don't know if anyone out there follows such things as the Razzie Awards, which are annual awards that celebrate the absolute worst in movies over the past year. And I am now the (dubiously-) proud nominee in the category of "Worst Ensemble" for my involvement with the film The Last Airbender.

Now, to be completely fair, the movie has been nominated for almost every category there is: worst film, worst director, worst screenplay, worst eye-gouging use of 3D, worst sequel, prequel, ripoff, or remake. So my involvement in the film is not the only terrible part of it.

Nor is my involvement with the film extensive in any way. I stood where they told me to stand, fought where they told me to fight, ran where they told me to run, and then ate their breakfast burritos and cashed their checks. It was one of the most fun months of work that I have ever had, even leaving the paychecks aside. I loved being on the set, I loved working with friends, and I loved being a part of a movie.

My month's worth of work on Airbender also started me off on my quest to be an actor, inspiring me to leave my day job, audition for everything, take interesting work, and even start producing my own projects. And it was a great year or so after Airbender, when I was successfully pursuing that acting career. It has been an interesting journey.

I should write about the evolution of that journey. And I will, once I have an ending to the story. It's still a little up in the air.

Hamlet rehearsal

2011-01-26T21:37:00.006-05:00

Last Monday, I headed back to Shakespeareland for the first of four rehearsals for my upcoming tour of Hamlet. Since we had last worked in November, one of the cast members had to drop out because of another offer. (He's part of the Walnut St. Theatre's touring program now.) So two extra rehearsals were added into our schedule to prepare the new actor for the tour.

I'll confess up front. I haven't looked at my lines in about two months, literally since the last time the cast was assembled. And I didn't even bother to look over them before rehearsal. Another actor said he reviewed them on the bus; I didn't even go that far. If they had wanted me to brush up, they should have paid me for it. At this stage in my career, why would I work for free? Besides, I knew this rehearsal would be about our new actor Reuben, and having him step in to learn a LOT of blocking, lines, musical moments, and costume changes.

And I was right. We worked his bits for the first half of the show, over and over again, and I think I did my opening King speech once. Then I spent a lot of time dressed as the Lego ghost of Hamlet's father, said a few lines here and there, banged the gong, and went home. Our fight director came in to work the final swordfight in the play, and I got to go home early. I always like being dismissed from rehearsal early. Makes me feel like I'm getting away with something.

All of my big scenes with the new actor are in the second half of the play, so I know that I'm going to get my share of the workout on our second rehearsal, now scheduled for Valentine's Day. So that's going to be my big day working the new-kid into the play. And then we have two additional rehearsals before hitting the road to tour schools in March.

Theoretically.

I was pretty amazed at how the show just came right back to me. We worked on it so hard and so deeply for what amounted to almost two solid weeks, the lines came right back into my mouth and I even remembered my costume changes and cues. I don't say that the lines came back into my brain, but they certainly just came into my mouth. I was just saying them. It was a rehearsal after all. One little glace over them before our big rehearsals coming up, and I should be good to go.

Comic Book Panels Return!

2011-01-26T21:36:00.006-05:00

Back some time ago, I worked as a model for a comic book, playing Lord Byron. I even wrote a blog post about it. Last time, we did a lot of the scenes from the first part of the story, and this second session was focused on all of the group scenes from the entire 5-part project. We were jumping along really quickly this time, changing costumes and sets at the drop of a hat, trying to get as many setups finished as possible. We eventually did get everything the artist needed, even if we were rushing toward the end to get done of an actor who had to make a train to another job. (Side note: Actors often string together a number of small, part-time, side jobs, just to make ends meet and have enough money coming in to pay the bills. That worked fine for me when I was a younger man, but I'm ready for something more permanent.)

In any case, I wasn't able to post any photos from the shoot last time around, but this time I made sure to bring my personal camera. And now I have some photos of me in character. Like this one:

In this scene, I'm writing a poem in my journal as I'm looking down out of a window to see a friend crossing the grounds. At least, that's what it will look like when it's all completed. So I'm told.

I was also able to take a picture that provides a very good idea of what we were up to all day:

In this photo, David and Karina are posing in the positions for the comic book panel while Celeste takes the photo for visual reference. Later, David (the artist as well as an actor) will use that photo to create the painted panel for the finished comic book. He'll change lighting, background, color as he needs to, but he will retain a lot of the performance

elements from us, the models. It's a really interesting way to work. And as you can see, it's also lot of fun. I had a blast posing for the panels again, and David and I got along really well. I'm hoping that he'll have more projects in the future that he'll need models for, because I would love to go back and work with him again. We worked well together, and we both had a good sense of humor about things. In fact, my last scene of the day was a love scene. But instead of shooting both me and the lady together, David took photos of us separately. It was strange to get direction in that scene - "Okay, now, you've just grabbed her and flipped her over" or "She's whispering very naughty things into your ear." I felt a little funny now and then, playing a love scene by myself like I'm working with a green-screen and a computer-generated partner to be added in later. But David said liked the pictures, so I have confidence that everything is going to work out for the best. And I'm excited to see that scene.

Oh, and I've seen some of the finished pages from the comic itself. I cannot post them online, but they look amazing. Be sure that once I get the okay from David, though, that those images will find their way online. And I'll be here talking about them, too.

When you hear R2-D2 beep like this, you'll know it's time to turn the page...

2011-01-22T20:22:00.005-05:00

Last Tuesday, I went into a small studio in Conshohocken for my first recording session as the narrator of an audio book. And yes, it was as awesome as it sounds. Even though I've been producing a podcast for the last year, I've never been hired to be an audio book reader before. I had applied to this company over a year ago and been put into their vocal files. But about a month ago, I got a call from the producer who said that he had a job for me. The author of a non-fiction book had heard my sample, and mine was the voice she wanted to read her book about resolving workplace disputes with your manager.

I went into the sound-proof recording booth, and Dave G (the producer) gave me a quick and dirty course on how to perform as the narrator of an audio book. And it was a pretty cool tutorial. I though that it would be all about being clear and direct with your voice. But he had me work on things like rounding out the sound of my voice, as well as really varying up its pitch to convey the meaning behind all the text. It was also strange to be reading a book out loud that had never gotten a chance to read before. Sometimes I stumbled over a word, a phrase, or a particular sentence construction. When that happened, I always laughed a little to myself and made a "bleh" sort of noise, and then we just went back to take a second stab at the line. Only two or three moments really gave me trouble, but I nailed them all eventually.

I worked on the book for a total of three hours, and I was surprised at how hard it was. My mouth was working pretty hard to get all the articulation that I needed to speak clearly. Also, I was talking for nearly three straight hours. The next time I record a book, I know to prepare my voice a little bit more, and be ready for that marathon talking session. I thought it was going to be a rather simple affair, much more like recording the episodes of my radio series. But it was a much more focused sort of work, especially since I was the only person in the sound booth. I hope I get to go back and do another one.

Living Literature '11

2011-01-22T19:48:00.003-05:00

This past week, I was up in NYC to see a performance of an original musical based upon the poetry of Langston Hughes. I knew the composer because I worked on a previous project with him, and this latest show is a part of the Living Literature Festival that the Metropolitan Playhouse sponsors every year around this time. Two years ago I directed a musical based on a short story by Herman Melville, and last year I made my NYC debut in another original show. But this year I was only an audience member, attending the opening night performance this past Monday.

It was really great to see old friends and old collaborators. I knew the director, stage manager, and both co-producers of the show, one of whom was the writer/composer, and it was great to see them all in NYC again. I didn't know any of the actors in the show, and realized it was strange to be supporting friends who had worked strictly in a supportive/creative way on a show. I wasn't going to see anyone I knew onstage; I was going to support the work my friends had done behind-the-scenes.

The show itself was a lot of fun. It wasn't a narrative story, just a series of songs, but most of them were well arranged, and the director staged some very clever transitions from one song into the next. The ensemble was full of strong individuals, although their chorale sections weren't as strong as their solos. One of the stand-out songs was based on this poem by Langston Hughes, about a black G.I. The melody was great, the performer really found the truth of the song, and it was one of the best songs from the show.

I really enjoy going to see new theatre. I don't always enjoy the shows I see, just see my last entry for proof of that, but I like going to see it. I've seen enough productions of "Romeo and Juliet" to last me for a lifetime, so I have to support people who are trying new things and writing new shows. Whether or not the new show strikes my fancy or not is an entirely different thing, as I often find most "new" theatre to be quite boring, indulgent, or masturbatory. But every once in a while, there is a nice and enjoyable show in the mix, like the one I saw this week. Kudos to you, Danny. Kudos!

Play readings

2011-01-10T23:54:00.003-05:00

On Monday night, I attended the free reading of a new play in Philly, hosted by the Wilma Theatre. The Wilma's staff are considering several plays for their upcoming season, and they are having a series of free readings to test the plays in front of audiences, and see how people respond. They also asked members of the "press" not to review the plays in any way, since they are works-in-progress, but let's just mention that they play is about Superman. Well, to be fair, it's about Jerry Siegel, one of the two boys who created Superman in the 1930s. And, well, I went to see if, because why would I turn down a free ticket to see a play about Superman?

To be honest, the play was... okay. Just okay. The dramatic structure set the show up as a conversation between father (Siegel) and son (Superman himself), and there was a lot going on there. Unfortunately, the play just recycled conventional ideas about the creation of Superman, and it really didn't have anything new or noteworthy to say. There were also "imagination sequences" in which Siegel was thinking of the Jews in Nazi concentration camps whom Superman was powerless to save. I know, that seems like strange sentence, and the play really wanted to make all these connections work. But they never quite did. Maybe it was because I wasn't seeing the full mounting of the show (the script kept talking about the comic book panels coming to life, and it was heavy on projected images), but the play never quite achieved its lofty aims.

It was funny, well-written, and entertaining, but it wanted to be so much more. And ultimately, it was about a guy in spandex tights and a cape. I'm all about finding deeper meaning in comic books, and using the medium of words and pictures to capture something meaningful and important about humanity... but you can never forget that it still just a story about a guy in a cape.

Looking Forward, Looking Back

2011-01-03T09:25:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Looking back at the list of posts that I wrote in 2010, I see that it was a light year for me. Not in terms of work, life, and etc, but just in terms of posts. I remember this year being a busy one, but I couldn't have told you much that I had done beyond a few shows. I actually just went back and read my own blog to remind myself how I had spent my working part of 2010, and there were definitely some plays, auditions, and projects that I had forgotten about completely, and I couldn't have told you much about them at all.

Except for Radio Hound. In addition to all the released episodes of the podcast, as well as a short film completed and another in development, two feature-length scripts that we're trying to get off the ground, and plans for the new year, Radio Hound has been the most exciting thing I've done in the last year. And, perhaps more importantly, I've started identifying myself as a producer and not as an actor. I originally started RHP as an outlet on the side for the projects that I wanted to do, but now RHP has turned into the main focus of my entertainment career. I like planning the upcoming season of programing, I like organizing everyone's schedules, and I like being in the background working on the radio show.

This realization has been building in my mind for the last three months or so, and I'm now working on a shift in my career. I spent the last 18 months or so since I left Pella Windows pursuing a career as an actor, and I did find a good amount of success. Some commercials, some film projects, a bunch of plays, and a whole lot of auditions. But that lasting success I was looking for has eluded me, and I'm looking for something with a little more stability as I enter my early 30s. And so while 2010 was the year of acting, 2011 might be the year of producing.

I'm also working on a slight format change to this blog. Instead of posting now and then when things happen to me in my career, I'm going to try to get something a little more scheduled going on. A friend asked if I was going to stop updating the blog because I'm not pursuing the same career anymore. But this blog will continue as I keep writing freelance articles and reviews, as as I keep producing for Radio Hound. But there are also other exciting things going on in 2011, and I will post about all of that as well.

Happy New Year!

The Golden Age

2010-12-28T19:47:00.011-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! (And just about Happy New Year)

One of my Christmas presents this year was the complete collection of Superman serials from the 1940s. I had this box set on my Amazon wish list for years, so long in fact that I

had completely forgotten about it. I was very excited to open up the present on

Christmas morning, and I started watching it that afternoon. For those of you who don't have it, you can check out the trailer online, and I'm also sure that a little hunting across youtube will turn up most of it. The characterization of Superman is very much in keeping with his early appearances in the comic books, where he is known to carry criminals through the air, smack people's head together, and leave the villain hanging from lampposts.

Fortunately, this serial hits all of those wonderfully fis

t-pounding moments from the old comics. The movies were made in the late 1940s, they are Superman's first live-action appearance, and they are hugely entertaining. Each serial is 15 chapters long; each chapter runs about 15 minutes. If you don't know anything about the old-time film serials of Hollywood, you should click that hyperlink and go find out.

(Also, shame on you for not knowing.) Episodes were shown every Saturday morning at the mo

vie house, with the end of each chapter enticing you to return "next week, for the next thrilling installment of [INSERT NAME HERE.]" A fun sidenote, the film serials are the origin of the word "cliffhanger," because the cowboy-hero would literally be hanging from the side of a cliff at the end of one chapter, leaving the audience to wonder how he would ever survive! At the beginning of the next chapter, the cowboy-hero would climb his way to safety, and the adventure begins anew.

This discussion of cliffhangers allows me to provide a link to the best, most amazing, awesome, cliffhangingest cliffhanger of just about all time. It's this one.

But back to Superman.... To preserve the intended viewing style of the Superman serial, I've been watching one episode at a time. Sometimes more than one in a single day, but I always let a little time pass between episodes. Each chapter follows a very clear formula, and when you watch too many of them at the same time, the formulas become very apparent. But spreading them out over several days gives them the illusion of originality. And when I remember how they were originally meant to be seen, they are much more enjoyable.

The only other serial I own is a VHS copy of The Shadow, starring Victor Jory and Veda Ann Borg. I watched this when I was in high school, and I really studied its story structure and scriptwriting. I was very interested in the idea of a modern film serial, milking it for all the cheesy and repetitive goodness that it would offer. I put that project to bed for a long time, but now I'm starting to wonder if there is a way to produce it under the Radio Hound banner. It would be a fun retro project, if I could figure out a great way to market the finished film.

In another few years

2010-12-20T21:01:00.004-05:00

I am a fan of the works of Noel Coward. I've only been in one of his shows ("Hay Fever" at Hedgerow Theatre), but I have enjoyed all of his shows that I have read or seen, and I've heard great things about the recent production of "Brief Encounter" on Broadway. So it was with a whole lot of excitement in my heart that I headed to Delaware to audition for a leading role in Coward's farce "Blithe Spirit." I saw a production of the show many years ago and I really enjoyed it. Coward writes very funny characters and very funny dialog, and I think that I'm very suited to play one of Coward's leading men. I can tap into the wit and intelligence of his characters, but also their senses of panic and desperation as things fall apart around them.

So I went out to the audition today armed with the script pages and a mug of coffee, and I had a really good time. I worked with a reader on a scene between Charles and his wife, and then I took a very fun crack at Charles' monologue where he is talking to the ghosts of his two dead wives. I had a nice rapport with the director, we talked about our mutual friends, and I think I did a decent job with the character. Coward has a way of writing comedy that I really enjoy and connect with. Sadly, his leading men are all generally closer to forty than thirty, so I might not be the right choice for the role this time around. But in about ten years or so....

Avengers... ASSEMBLE!

2010-12-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

I've never been a fan of either roleplaying games (like Dungeons and Dragons) or party games that involve acting (like Celebrity.) Because I'm an actor, games like that have always felt a little too much like "work" to me. I've always imagined it being akin to a bus driver relaxing by going for a three hour drive through busy city streets, stopping every few blocks. But my long-standing prejudices aside, I headed out in early December to join a dice-based roleplaying game that combines Marvel and DC comic book characters together in a shared universe.

I played Starman (William Payton), a minor character from DC comics circa 1990. He's essentially a normal guy who ended up with superpowers, including flight, invulnerability, and the ability to project heat, flame, light, and radiation. (Hence the name "Star"man.) When he realized he had these abilities, his sister Jayne helps fashion him a costume and he becomes the hero known to Phoenix, AZ as "Starman."

It's quite a costume, isn't it. God bless the early 90s in comic books...

After some chitchat and dinner before we started gaming, we hopped right in with the time-honored game of "screw with the new guy." I was the new guy. Starman was in trouble almost right away, and there were more than a few tense moments as he tried to figure out who everyone else around him. (Those people turned out to be Captain America, She-Hulk, and Deadman.) In fact, Starman is the only one of the heroes of our group who does not have his own wiki entry.

The game, which went until about 1am, was a whole lot of fun. It was a challenge to get into at first, especially since I was playing a character who was much more of a re-actor than a prime mover. But once we got into the story, acting the character became much easier, and I really started getting into a groove with it. And even past the "acting" part of the roleplaying, I started getting into the hang of how superhero characters behave and act. I was coming up with creative ways to use my superpowers, and also advancing the story in what I thought were very "comic book" ways.

We have more sessions scheduled for the New Year, and I'm looking forward to them. Far from feeling too much like the day job, it was a lot of fun to release my creativity and pretend to be a superhero. I was so into the role that whenever Starman was flying, I would actually lift my feet off the ground and sit on the edge of my folding chair so I could really "feel" what it would be like to be Starman in that moment.

Yes, I'm a geek. But an unapologetic geek.

A Trip into the Past, Fashion-Wise

2010-12-04T09:40:00.007-05:00

On Thursday morning, I headed up to Easton, PA to be a model for a photo shoot for historical clothing. A friend of mine works for Reconstructing History, a company that specializes in creating historical wardrobe for either re-enacting events or costume balls. They make clothes from all different eras and countries, and they hired me to be the photo model for some of the outfits that they sell on their website. The clothes themselves are all beautiful and completely accurate reproductions; they do amazing work. After an hour of driving and an invigorating coffee, I got to the storefront in Easton, met Kass, (who owns the company), Bob (whose clothing I would be wearing), and Chris (the photographer.) We talked, got to know each other a little, and then we got down to work.

Over the next four hours, we worked hard and constantly. I had to get out of there around 2pm for another commitment, so we were shooting fast and hard. And I was having a lot of fun as we were going. I'm the sort of actor who responds very strongly to wardrobe and costuming. Whatever decisions I make about a character are always informed, and in some cases completely changed, when I get the character's clothes. I've been very protective of costumes in the past, including taking care of my own uniform when I played Iago, trying to get the outfit as comfortable and as lived-in as possible. Clothes really do make the man.

The photographer was really great, and we worked on putting a lot of character into the still photos. I had to show off the clothing, but I had to do that by fully inhabiting and creating the character who would wear those clothes. We used props, different poses, and lots of hats poised on my head at rakish angles (because they didn't fit on my head.) The official photos will be posted on their website (www.reconstructing history.com), but they did allow me to take some photos of my own of some of the different outfits I modeled. This was in exchange for plugging their website. Did I mention that the website is www.reconstructinghistory.com? Go visit them now.

And here are some pictures. First up is a formal dinner outfit, complete with tails, hat, and legitimate stiff-front shirt.

Second, a morning suit from the early 20th century. I was tempted to sing "The Life I Lead" from Mary Poppins. I did.

Third, as Mr. Darcy, or Horatio Hornblower, depending upon your preference. I imagined myself as Hornblower. Hence the sword.

And finally, a piece from even further back in history. This one is affectionately referred to as "Little Boy Blue."
Go check out their website for all your historical costuming needs.

Co-Producing

2010-12-01T15:56:00.002-05:00

Some time ago, I met Justin and Chris, some fine folks from NYC who make movies together as Hard Boiled Productions. We met at a networking event where people took turns showing the short films they had completed. I had brought The Chrononauts and they brought their short film Duty Noted. I was really impressed with their style and their creativity, and we've stayed in touch since then. In fact, Justin has written three radio scripts for Radio Hound Productions, including "Under the Lamplight," the recent finale to Scream Til You Die Shocktober. We grab drinks when we are in the other's city, and I just went out to support them in early October at Project Twenty1, a Philadelphia film festival.

But it was when I saw their latest short film, "Time In," that I sent them an e-mail telling them how interested I was in working with them. I had originally meant for them to consider me as an actor for whatever they were producing next, but Justin sent me a script that he suggested we turn into a co-production between Hard Boiled and Radio Hound. His script is set in suburbia (which I have access to), and focuses on the dynamic between a somewhat-estranged brother and sister who have to deal with each other during the Christmas holidays.

What started as a cool idea has been a very active e-mail brainstorming sequence. The three of us trade emails about the script, the film, and the details of producing it, and our brain trust of film making is certainly coming up with some fun ideas that are making the original script stronger. We have tentative plans to film the movie over a weekend in January, but we're still trying to work out some logistical details of the shoot itself.

I'm really digging the idea of working with them. I've admired their work for over a year now, and I've gotten to know them both as really awesome guys. I'm also used to producing the Stray Dogs Project largely by myself, so I enjoy having collaborators who are developing the script and the project with me. We're also trying to get the project going pretty quickly and wrap it up pretty quickly, trusting to momentum to carry us forward. It's still a little too early to announce anything for sure, but it's an exciting project that might be coming along. Stay tuned for more.

The In-Between Times

2010-12-01T10:19:00.002-05:00

For actors, one of the challenges they face is filling the time between acting jobs with other gigs that can pay the bills. Some people work a 9-5 "day job" in order to rehearse and perform at night, some are lucky enough to have a flexible position with a temp company, and some are even luckier to be performing constantly. As I juggle temp jobs and freelance writing assignments, I am lucky that one of my friends is the production manager at a theatre in Philly. Whenever a show closes at his theatre, I can usually get a day or two of overhire work taking apart the old set.

Normally it's just a few days of heavy lifting and unscrewing flats from their supports. Sometimes we have to lower pieces down from the ceiling and then cut them up with the saw so that they fit in the trash can, but normally it's not very taxing work.

Not this time, however! This time they had put down an entire floor for the set, so our first day was spent prying up about a hundred pieces of fake hardwood flooring. Once that was finished, we had to pull up thousands and thousands of staples that had been holding that flooring down. And if that sounds terrible and difficult, it's mostly because it is. We worked for hours, only to find more staples that we'd missed. And when we pulled down more pieces of the set, we found staples in them as well. It felt like the entire theatre was put together from staples alone. Well, staples and wood glue.

I got four days of work out of this strike, which equals a nice little chunk of cash. I have a gig tomorrow morning as a model for historical costumes, which I'm really looking forward to. I'll try to snag some photos of my own to post and share, but I'll be sure to link to the official ones when they get posted. It's going to be a fun time!

Hamlet One-Shot

2010-11-30T22:46:00.002-05:00

Nope, not the latest offering from DC Comics, Marvel Comics, or even Charleton Comics. It's the way I spent my Monday last week. After two weeks of intensive rehearsals and one school performance, we put Hamlet to bed until our touring starts in earnest at the end of February. But we had one show that was added to our schedule last Monday night, so we had a daytime brushup rehearsal before our evening performance.

Overall, the rehearsal and the performance went much better than I had expected them to. I knew there would be a certain amount of "oh, yeah, this is how it goes" as we stumbled our way through the show. Whether it was a forgotten prop or a forgotten character quick-change, we struggled our way through the play and everything really hung together. We took a quick dinner break, ran the fights again, and then did the show for the first audience in three weeks. Before we ran out onto the stage, I was actually a little nervous for the show, and a little excited to show off my work to friends that I knew were in the audience. The show went well, even if it didn't quite capture the magic of our afternoon rehearsal, and the crowd was very complimentary afterwards.

It felt good to get the wheels turning and run the show again, but even stranger knowing that we're not going to run the show again for another two months. But we slipped back into the show with ease, so I think that we'll be good to go when we start running again in February.

NYC Play reading

2010-11-27T21:58:00.002-05:00

The title of this post says it all. Last Sunday I made my way up to NYC to take part in the reading of "Julius Caesar." My friend David was hosting an informal reading of the cutting of the play he wants to produce, and he wanted to get some actors in the room so that he could hear the words out loud and bounce some ideas off of us. I saw his post on facebook looking for men who were available, and I sent him a message right away. I like working on small projects like this with friends, and it gave me an excuse to get up to NYC for a day or so.

I was pulling some multiple duties in the show, playing four characters through the script. All minor roles, I nevertheless had some fun as the soothsayer and one of the conspirators. David was very interested in the idea of how some moments in the play are presented for the public and other moments are private ones. He encouraged us to be aware of that as we read through the show, and to really play up the differences in those moments between the public face and the private one. It was a strong and clear interpretation of the show, and it certainly prompted a good discussion after the reading about the play itself.

I really like doing work like this play reading with friends. It is always fun to get actors together and have them do their thing. Even though I wasn't any major roles in the show, I had a lot of fun working with the other actors. It was great to work on a project where the stakes were low, the fun was high, and the companionship in the room was palpable. I enjoy play readings like this, and I really enjoy working with people that I know as they try to put something together.

I always do as many readings as I can, because you never know when the reading could turn into a full production. Not that I do readings hoping they become productions, but it's a nice side benefit sometimes. I actually met #1 director/collaborator because I signed up to be in a reading she was hosting, and she and I are now very good friends. In a business that is all about connections, play readings are a great way to make some quick connections.

"Beware the Ides of March...."

Six months later...

2010-11-27T15:24:00.005-05:00

Back in the spring, I played Duke Orsino in a production of Twelfth Night. We ran for a few weeks, closed the show and struck the set, and then moved into other projects. Well, thanks to the magic of cameras, youtube, and the Internet, that performance has been both captured and released to the world at large. You can check the show out in sections on youtube, the first one of which is posted below. Check out our steampunk Shakespearean goodness.

Even more strange, however, is that I came across a review of this video. I was searching myself online to see what had been posted, and I stumbled across the article written by an expert on Twelfth Night who both discusses our show and also compares it to other productions of the play. It's a really great write-up, all the more amazing because it comes six months after the play closed. Ah, the world in which we live....

Dracula

2010-11-27T11:45:00.003-05:00

After all those technical rehearsals for Dracula, the show opened and ran very well. The students had a really good time working on the play, and all the faculty that I met really enjoyed the show. The first performance had some minor technical glitches in it from a sound design point of view, but that was only because we really hadn't had many chances to run the show with all the cues before opening. But even with those minor goofs, the show was great. A few notes took care of all the problems, and the second show the next day was even better from the technical end.

I only got a chance to see the first two shows because I had to make a trip up to NYC to take part in a play reading with a friend. (More on that in a later post. I know I say that a lot, but I have the post written already and I just need to put it up.) Dracula was a lot of fun to work on, and I might get the chance to come back to the school to work on the musical in the spring. Working at SHHS reminded me of working up at Cedar Crest College when I did three shows for them a few years ago. It was a lot of fun to work with students and teachers on what were essentially low-stakes productions. Finance and support comes from the schools, which frees the artists to create some awesome art. It's a fun environment in which to work, one to which I would like to return now and then.

Technical Rehearsal, from the other side of the table

2010-11-16T14:54:00.002-05:00

Last night was the first night of technical rehearsals for "Dracula" at SHHS. This is my first major experience working as a designer for a show, so it's the first time that I get to sit with the director and watch the show take shape as the technical elements layered into it. The sound crew is really efficient and on top of things, even if the head operator of the crew is a little unfocused sometimes. I had emailed him my sound cues on Thursday before I went on vacation, and he had modified them a little bit before I showed up against yesterday. That work he did is fine with me, since I'm not "really" a sound designer by profession. But I do think that I want to just give him a little warming about working with any professionals that he may encounter down the road. Better he get that lesson now than with someone who will really bristle at what he did on his own.

In any case, the first night of tech went really well. We made our way through a lot of the show, moving through toward the end of the play. Tonight we're going to go back to the beginning and working the first act of the show. Things have gone really well so far, so I'm not expecting it to be any harder tonight. I know that Allison (director) is a little stressed about the entire show coming together, but it's refreshing to me to only be working on the sound aspect of the show. And that sound is coming together nicely. We're going to have some cues to work through today, and we still need to figure out when the Foley artists get their microphones turned on and off through the play. Easy stuff, but just stuff that needs to get done.

Well, off to rehearsal! More to follow.

Working... working...

2010-11-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

I am currently sitting in a Borders store. I have a coffee on one side of the laptop, the script for Dracula on the other side, and I've spent the last twenty minutes or so working on a sound cue for Dracula's many creepy entrances in the play. I'm playing around with the cue to give the director a few more versions before I head off for my vacation this weekend. I'll be back at rehearsal on Monday to work the sounds into the show, and until then the director will be working with my Foley performers on the live sounds themselves.

I'm really enjoying this gig as sound designer, which is a theatre job I haven't done since 2004 when I was an apprentice. Back then, I directed a one play in a series of one-acts, and I was given the job of finding and selecting the music to play between the plays. That was the last time I was credited as the sound designer for a production, although a lot of what I do for Radio Hound would be listed under the job description of a sound designer. This case is different, though, since I'm working with a director who is giving me notes and suggestions on the sounds, as well as a sound team that will be performing the live effects and playing the pre-recorded ones. It's pretty cool to be working with a team!

Foley work Day 3

2010-11-11T00:19:00.003-05:00

I'm now three days into my work as the Foley designer for "Dracula" that I mentioned in my last blog post. As we've been rehearsing, the set is coming together around us, and the show is coming together within the set. I've included a picture so you can see what things are like in this working phase.

Off to the right side of this picture is a black platform. When that is fully completed, the sound artists will be up there with their table and effects. Right now, you can see them on the floor in front of the stage (also on the right hand side of the photo.) We've worked out all the different live sound cues, and now the performers are getting a chance to actually perform the sounds as we do runs of the show.

The two students that I'm working with had no experience when we started on Monday, but they are picking it up really quickly. There are the normal amount of technical obstacles to hurdle, but they are getting very good at "acting the sounds."

Have Foley, Will Travel

2010-11-08T22:02:00.003-05:00

I started a new job today. Allie, the stage manager of my current Hamlet tour, is directing a production of "Dracula" at a local high school. When she found out that I produce radio plays and work with live sound effects, she asked if I would be interested in coming in to work with some high school students on live sound effects for the production. Always interested in making contacts, working, and earning some money for my art, I jumped at the chance. My first rehearsal was today, although Allie and I had tried unsuccessfully to meet up over the last week to chat and get the script to me. So today I watched a run of the play while making notes regarding some possible sound effects. I gave the production manager a wish list at the end of the day, rounded up handfuls of wood, screws, and metal, and then headed home to research the sound of bat wings.

I love my job.

As of right now, I think that designing the live sound effects on this show should be pretty easy. There are only a handful of "sounds" written into the script that I need to figure out, even though they seem to happen over and over again throughout the play. Most of the work is going to revolve around two or three "atmospheric sound cues" that are going to create different moods for different characters. The idea I have is that certain characters are going to get sound cues to serve as their "theme." As the director, Allie can then decide when and how she wants to use those themes to underscore or foreshadow things happening in the play.

When I go in tomorrow, I'll start working with my actual sound performers on the rhythm, style, and cues for live sound effects. Having done so many live shows, Radio Hound Productions has developed something of a "house style" that I now have to teach to high schoolers and let them process it further. It is what I get hired for, so its what I get to do. Updates to follow.

Chemistry... Noir!.... LIVE!

2010-11-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

Radio Hound Productions was live in Philadelphia last night at the Chemical Heritage Foundation for their First Friday event. We premiered the newest adventure of Boson Higgs, a live radio play called "Chemistry... Noir!" We set the equipment up and then had some time to wait before the first show, but when we realized that there were people literally waiting to come in and find some seats. We did two performances, and we had about 50 people at each performances. That makes "Chemistry... Noir!" the most successfully attended Radio Hound Production ever. Performing for that many people was great, and I was sitting in the back row during both performances listening to the assembled crowds laughing at the jokes I wrote.

It was a good day to be a writer.

But it was an even better day to be a producer. I got paid for the production, people signed up for the mailing list, I heard nothing but good feedback on the entire performance, I have a great episode that will be posted next week, and I've already been approached with the idea for future collaborations with CHF. After the show I went out for drinks and food with friends and costars, and we talked about future versions of Mr. Higgs. It was a great night, and I did a whole lot of producing for the win. It was a fantastic night! Here's a picture of the crew:

(L-R): Sarah J Gafgen, Matt Dell'Olio, Jensen Bucher, Nick Martorelli, Lucas Nguyen, Andrea Pinyan

Chemistry... Noir!

2010-11-04T14:41:00.003-04:00

Last night, I loaded up the recording equipment and went to the first and only rehearsal for "Chemistry... Noir!" a live radio play that I am producing on Friday down in Philadelphia. A friend of mine works for the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and when she and her colleagues heard the first adventure of Boson Higgs, Science Detective, they approached me to produce a new episode for them as a part of the First Friday series. I jumped at the chance, thrilled that someone was going to hire me to produce an audio drama.

As preparation for writing the script, I went down and met with reps from CHF, and I got a tour of the exhibits they are showing to see if anything would serve as a good basis for a story. There were a lot of cool ideas, but I attached myself quickly to the ideas of both poisoning and electroplating. A mystery started to form in my mind and I made notes and started working on the script. It proved to be slow-going, however, and two days before my draft was going to be due, I did a complete bait and switch on the mystery. Instead of a case of poisoning, it turned into a story about a theft in a museum.

The new script flew along really quickly, and I had the rough draft done in about a day. A few more days of editing and polishing, and then it was ready for our first rehearsal last night. With only one exception, all the actors had worked on the previous live show so we could fall right into a nice rhythm with the rehearsal. There were new jokes to work through and new science to explain, obviously, but it went very smoothly and we finished with time to spare.

I'm always delighted to work with very talented actors because they can really make the words on the page spring to life. Suddenly hearing it aloud, jokes were coming across really well, and they were even finding jokes that I hadn't intended to be jokes. And it was much more than just jokes - the actors found the relationships between characters that were only lightly suggested in the script. I love when that happens, because then I can tailor the script to support and reinforce what the actors bring to the table. That is one of my favorite aspects of writing, and it is even more amazing to be because it was completely unexpected when I started producing my radio series. It has been a natural discovery along the way, and it has been a fantastic one.

Five-Day Film Festival

2010-11-02T21:47:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, I was a part of the cast and crew for a movie produced as a part of a five-day film festival. Rob and I entered this festival two years ago, and that's how we produced "The Chrononauts," which we are currently trying to develop into a webseries. This year, we produced a short film called "Rendezvous," and you can find more information about it over at the RHP website. The whole process was a lot of fun, as most of these festivals are, and we finished an entire movie in less than a week. I think we have a very good story and a very good script, and we have two lead actresses in this film who are heavy-hitters. Overall, I think it's a great project.

But let me tell you about it in slightly more detail...

On Friday night (last Friday), Rob and I were working on the story when we learned that the location we wanted to use was probably going to fall through. Stressed and panicked, since we had actors showing up in literally 12 hours, we scrambled to find a new story that we liked as much as the old one. After a few hours of this, we got an email that the location was going to come through after all. So now we had our work cut out for us in writing a script. We sat down around 11pm to start working, and I left his apartment around 1am with a fully completed script. We printed it out, emailed it to actors, and then tried to catch at least a little sleep before starting early the next morning.

Early the next morning, I was out the door bright and early so I could pick up Amanda, one of our actresses, from the train station. We arrived at the set around 9am so we could get into

costume and discuss the script, and then head off to get started with the filming. We had a beautiful day for it, although my wool costume did make it just a little bit uncomfortable. The first scene we filmed as the final scene, which was a big fight between the heroes and some Nazi soldiers that stumble across them in the woods.

We filmed the fight scene first, broke for lunch, and then hustled ourselves through the rest of the script to make sure we could finish all the scenes before the sun went down. As it was, we finished slightly ahead of the sunset, and we actually had to wait for it to get dark so we could film a nighttime scene and a dream sequence.

Our production crew dug a fire pit and made a campfire, and the actors made s'mores while Rob set up the camera and the lights. Then we broke out the fog machine and the air cannon to get shots of the dream sequence, and we ended the day by blowing me up. Rob's exact note to me was to "Die like Willem Dafoe." In Platoon.

It was a great shot to end the day on, too. When we watched it on the playback, we knew we had something awesome for the film. The black smoke behind me filled with pieces of debris makes it a great image, and it works really well in the film itself.

As we were shooting the movie, I confess to being nervous about getting the chance to finish the whole thing. Rob and I habitually bite off more than we can chew when it comes to shooting movies in a single day. I always panic a little bit when it gets to lunchtime, and I worry that we're not going to get everything done that we need to get done. But we always get everything done (mostly), even if Rob decides that he has to cut some setups in order to finish in time. And I know there have been times when we've had to run out of a location without getting some shots we wanted. But that didn't happen this time, and we got more done that I was expecting. We all went home happy with the footage we had, and now only needed to put everything together as a movie. But that's the next post.

Trailer for "Rendezvous"

2010-10-28T23:52:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I worked with my partner Rob from Digital Reality Films on a 5-Day Film Festival. I'm planning to write a post about it, but until then I will direct you over to Rob's blog, The Cutting Room Floor. You can find that at filmrebel.blogspot.com

But until my blog post is uploaded, please enjoy this teaser trailer for the upcoming short film.

Working between the Panels

2010-10-27T23:56:00.001-04:00

A few posts ago, I mentioned a fun project that I hadn't written about yet. Well, this is an entry on that project. A few weeks ago, I headed down to a photographer’s studio to be a character in a comic book. I’ve been reading comic books since I was six years old, and I am now an avid collector. I love those old newsprint pages from my youth, and they fire something deep in my imagination. So when a friend of mine sent me an email from an artist who was looking for actors to pose as character models for a comic book, I made sure to answer that email right away.

David, the artist, responded very quickly and explained the overall plot of the graphic novel he was illustrating. Based on actual events, the comic book would chronicle the series of nights when Lord Byron, Percy and Mary Shelley, and two other guests gathered around a fireplace to entertain each other with ghost stories. Each issue would be a different character’s story in which the storyteller would take on the role of “hero,” the final issue being the most famous story to come out of that party – Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” David cast me as Lord Byron, discussed some costume things, sent me the script for the comic, and then we scheduled the photo shoot.

I arrived at his studio not knowing what to expect, but thrilled to learn. When everyone had arrived and gotten into wardrobe, we moved into the studio, which David had decorated as small sets. I had read the script and so I knew the story behind each scene. But since David was shooting still images for the comic, it was an interesting acting challenge to convey the intent behind dialogue without getting the opportunity to actually say any of it. We worked out a system, though, where we read the dialogue for each panel, and then struck a pose to convey the intention. Without the use of my voice, I relied on body language and facial expression. David explained that he will use the photos as a reference when illustrating the comic, so I really tried to create the character in my eyes.

The entire group wrapped shooting at about noon, but David and I stayed for another few hours to finish up the first issue, which had a lot of solo shots of my character as he was telling his scary story. In this ghost story, I got the chance to play a Jekyll/Hyde character. And since Jekyll and Hyde is one of my favorite books, I was thrilled to play the part. At the end of the day, David let me keep one of the wardrobe shirts (which I have already used in another project), and he promised to send me the artwork when he finishes some pages. And you can sure believe that I’ll be posting some of that here if he allows me.

Hamlet (Week One)

2010-10-26T23:17:00.001-04:00

So, we blocked Hamlet in four days. And that includes the fights. I’m going to give you a chance to think about that again. Hamlet is one of the longest and most complicated of Shakespeare’s plays, and we blocked it all in four days. Granted, we’re only doing a 4-actor, 75-minute version of the play. And if that sounds almost impossible, it’s because it is. The first set of challenges is learning how to run around backstage in order to make all your costume changes as well as play musical cues, and then still remember which side of the stage you enter on. Then acting happens on top of all that.

Because of how quickly we have to work to get ready for the show, the pace in the first few days was hurried and somewhat hectic. As we struggled to remember the lines we had learned on our own, the work on each scene was necessarily brief and perfunctory, consisting mostly of ideas of the “you stand there, then move over here, then exit” variety. While I understand that is the best way for us to start because of our schedule, it is a style of rehearsing that really doesn’t work well for me. When the process starts with detail work so early, I sometimes feel like a puppet. It robs me of some of my creative impulses because I feel that they aren’t really wanted yet.

Luckily, the fourth day of work did involve some work on quieter character moments, and we changed the blocking accordingly when we found something didn’t work. So our uber-specific beginning isn’t an insurmountable obstacle, but it certainly took some of the wind out of my sails right from the beginning.

Every artist (actor, director, designer, writer) invariably has their own rhythms and their own preferences when it comes to how they work on a show. One of the biggest and least understood challenges in theatre, however, is that those artists need to learn how to work together and allow those rhythms to complement each other, instead of letting conflicting patterns shake the entire production apart. It’s a challenge that each artists needs to address in their own way, and it’s one that I’m not completely confident with yet. I haven’t yet figured out a good way to deal with that sort of conflict, but I’m trying to figure it out.

Fan "Superman" trailer

2010-10-17T22:12:00.005-04:00

I'm normally not one to re-post things that I've found online, but this one was shown on The Bitter Script Reader, one of the blogs I follow. And since I just played Superman, and Zach Snyder was just hired to direct the new big screen version, the subject here is at least topical.

But seriously, check out this fan-made trailer. (Fan-made!) This thing is epic. And creative. And exciting. Please, Mr. Snyder, give us a Superman movie that would also be described by those three words.

Pieces of the Puzzle (At Work)

2010-10-17T19:58:00.002-04:00

So, I've talked about two Fringes, my upcoming "Hamlet," and I still have a day that I haven't told everyone about yet. And, of course, all the current projects currently on the drafting boards at Radio Hound. These include various upcoming Stray Dogs Project episodes, our miniseries "Scream Til You Die Shocktober," as well as another upcoming "Boson Higgs" live event. In the mean time, Rob and I have been developing the story for an online webseries that we want to produce. Originally we had hoped to have the script done by this time of year, but we have fallen behind due to some other projects that have cropped up.

We had some excellent writing momentum a few months ago when we were meeting once a week to work on story outlines and character backgrounds.

We had a multi-page Excel spreadsheet that charted the entire webseries, essentially page-by-page. With an outline completed, only the actual scriptwriting was left. Instead of splitting the writing chores, Rob elected to take them all on himself. We get together now and then and read our way through his first "scratch draft" of the series.

This work on the webseries is also matched by the work I am doing on a short film that I really want to produce. I had an idea for a single image of a film. I set a timer and challenged myself to rattle off the rough draft of the film that included that image. As I've been working on the script since then, it has taken shape. Strangely enough, that initial inspiring scene is no longer in the film, but the script is much stronger. It's a little eight page short film that I'd like to produce, but it's certainly sitting on the desk until at least November. It's not buried in a drawer, though...

Hamlet begins

2010-10-16T12:16:00.009-04:00

My newest theatrical project, as I think I mentioned in a previous post, is a production of "Hamlet" that will be touring as a school production. I'm returning to a previous realm of being the morning Shakespeare assembly for bleary-eyed high school students. But instead of touring the country as I did as Mercutio in R&J, I will be touring the Philadelphia suburbs as both Claudius and The Ghost in a 4-actor version of "Hamlet."

We met for the first time last Monday, where we read through the current version of the script, talked about the overall production, and got the first "how to speak the Shakespeare" lesson while we ate our lunch provided by the theatre. (Free lunch!) Then we were set

loose for another week before we begin our rehearsals this coming Monday. Even though we had been working on the script by ourselves, it was great to bring the whole band together and get everyone in the same room.

Because our rehearsal time is limited, the director has asked us all to come to the first rehearsal off-book, with all our lines already memorized.

This is not normally something that actors are asked to do, and in fact the performer's unions expressly forbid producers asking actors to do this. But, non-union as we are, I understand the request given the rehearsal time involved. However, it's not the way that I prefer to work. I've always found that memorizing completely in a vacuum limits my creativity and flexibility when it comes time to rehearse the show. A little bit of familiarity is helpful, but too much knowledge with them can actually be a hindrance as much as a convenience. For that reason, I try to memorize as I actually rehearse as much as possible. But to honor my fellow actors (and also not be the only delinquent member of the group), I am steadily working my way through the Hamlet script to beat as many lines as possible into my brain.

At the first rehearsal, however, we were told that our cutting was still 15-20 minutes too long, and we should expect more lines to be cut from it. A few days later an email brought a new draft of the script. Suddenly, lines that I had learned and lines that I had loved were no longer in it. This is one of the unforeseen dangers about cuts to a script after the actors have their hands on it. Over the last month, I have started to feel possessive of the lines I have; to cut them now invites question and concern. I have two or three lines that I am planning to ask to be put back in, because I've learned the speeches with those changes of thought. To suddenly take out a transition is to force me to stumble my way through the speech again, which in effect defeats the purpose of preparing it in advance in the first place. Tis a sticky situation, but a trap that actors need beware of.

Now if you'll excuse me... I have one more scene to learn.

Where I've Been (Part 3)

2010-10-14T22:20:00.009-04:00

Okay, so in the last two posts, I pretty much sped through everything that I've done since the last time I had an opportunity to post. A couple more projects are currently in the works, and I'll be sure to share information (and hopefully pictures) of those projects as they develop. But before we leap to the present, we have one more stop to make in the past. It's somewhat of a long stop, but only because pictures take up more space on this blog than text does. And so, here are some pictures!

First up, Jensen Bucher and Lucas Nguyen as Brianna Green, Detective, and Boson Higgs, Science Detective.

Michael McElroy as Charles Tuscany, a man with a problem... and a secret.

Jennifer MacMilan as Valerie Burbank, Charlie's fiancée, accused of a crime she did not commit.

Stephen Lyons as Mr. A. Leopold Burbank, Valerie's father. A man who has been wronged.

Rachel Gluck as Detective Jordan, businesslike and efficient, with a soft spot for Mr. Higgs.

And a final picture of the entire cast, including Andrea Pinyan (onstage director) and Nick Troy (live sound effects.)

I hope you've enjoyed our little photo album of "Boson Higgs," and my next entry will start delving into my current projects. But don't worry, Boson Higgs will return.

Where I've Been (Part 2)

2010-10-12T18:45:00.004-04:00

In the last posting on the blog, I talked about two shows in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. As I was working on these two shows, I was also writing and preparing The Peer-Reviewed Journals of Boson Higgs, Science Detective, a show I produced for the 2010 Wilmington Fringe Festival. At the first Fringe Wilmington last year, Radio Hound produced its first live audio drama, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This year, our show was a comedy adventure of Boson Higgs, Science Detective. I had done a previous episode about Mr. Higgs for a live theatre event in April, and the Wilmington Fringe seemed a good time to bring that character back for a full-length project.

I wrote the script over a stressful two weeks, struggling a little bit to get the entire script done in time to have it printed and ready for the actors at the first rehearsal. But I did it, and I went to the first read-through with a stack of pages in my bag. When the actors arrived, we read through the script and I took pages and pages of notes on things to adjust for the next draft. I was up into the early morning that first night, making changes and improving the jokes before handing out all-new scripts on the second day.

We had a week's worth of rehearsal on the show, and we were fortunate that our rehearsal space was made possible by a generous donation from Flashpoint Theatre.

This meant that we could inhabit the space, get comfortable with the nightly routine, and also leave our equipment and props in a safe space overnight. The actors went through the shows, director Cara working the script moment by moment and really finding all of the comedy as well as all of the drama. I love working with her because she always takes my scripts and finds meaning and depth to them that is admittedly unintentional on my part.

Fringe Wilmington ran the first weekend of October. The shows were not very well attended, but everyone who saw the show really enjoyed it. I was very happy with the work that everyone did, and I'm already working on the next live show for Boson Higgs. More pictures from the show will follow soon, as will up-to-date reports on the school tour of "Hamlet" that I'm now rehearsing.

(The first picture is Jennifer MacMillan, Stephen Lyons, and Lucas Nguyen rehearsing a fight in the radio play. The second photo is Jensen Bucher and Lucas Nguyen as detective partners Brianna Green and Boson Higgs.)

Where I've Been (Part 1)

2010-10-11T20:31:00.007-04:00

Wow. Okay, so, no posts for the entire month of September. Wow. That whole month, just sorta lost to the expanse of the Internet. What was I up to all of that time? Why, I'm glad that you asked.

In the beginning of September, I played Superman in a staged reading of a comic book as a part of the "Superheroes Who Are Super" project done as a part of P&P Theatre in Philly. We performed two early issues of Action Comics from 1938, in which Superman is a tough guy going up against corrupt politicians and slumlords by throwing them through windows. Our director designed the show to resemble a 1930s show from the Works Project Administration, including homemade props and costumes. Hence the hand-sewn Superman costume in the picture above.

The show was a lot of fun, and we squeezed five performances into three days. We were a hit, though, and I had some friends come to see the show who were big comic book fans, and they really enjoyed what we did with the show. One funny moment of the process for me was when, as Superman, I had to pick someone up and fly through the air with them. Fortunately, the actor I had to "pick up" was also a comic book fan growing up, and we knew exactly how to pretend to do that. I grabbed his neck, we both looked up, bent our knees, and then straightened our legs. I looked all tough and flying, he waved his arms like he was in the air. It was simple, effective, and very funny.

After my time in the cape was over, I moved on to play Roderigo in a show I mentioned briefly on this blog, DdS. Here's a picture:

That's me, second from left, dressed in one of the nicest shirts that I've ever worn. I'm playing the young waiter at the restaurant. While the other three in the picture may have gotten more lines and more stage time--in fact, the two guys in suits were onstage for 45-minutes straight--I did get to end the show by drinking some wine onstage. According the script, my character lifts a decanter of wine to his mouth and drinks hungrily, greedily, until the wine pours out of the decanter and runs down his chin and down his body. Something like this:

I went home after every show smelling like grape juice. It was an amazing moment of theatre to have the wine running all the way down my shirt, and the director Aaron and I had a few discussions about what this moment should be. It presented a unique challenge, however, because we couldn't "rehearse" the moment due to the amount of liquid and the mess involved. So we would talk about the moment, I would do the big pour at the end of the run of the show, I would get cleaned up, and then we would talk about it again. A pretty strange way to rehearse a moment of a show, but a fun one.

So, that's what I was up to until September 18th? And what about after September 18th you say? Wait for a day or so, and I'll have a new post up about the next show. I will. Promise.

MIA

2010-10-01T00:26:00.002-04:00

Folks out there, I have been lazy when it comes to posting lately, but I have been working on a whole bunch of projects that I will try to talk about and reflect on. But for now, just surf over to the RHP website and check out the project page for "The Peer-Reviewed Journals of Boson Higgs, Science Detective." And if you're in the Philly area, come see the show at the Wilmington Fringe festival.

Be back soon.

DdS - Altar boy flashbacks

2010-08-28T22:08:00.002-04:00

This afternoon was the second rehearsal for DdS, and the first one where we really got the chance to play around and look at any of the scenes in detail. The show opens with a choreographed routine in which the head waiter and I set the table in meticulous detail before the two leading men crash into the restaurant with a loud and rambunctious energy. So for the first hour and half, Aaron (director, but a different Aaron than Henry V), Jerry (the head waiter), and I played around in order to find the vocabulary of that first little beat of the play.

Jerry had been a waiter/head waiter in his time, so he knew how everything would be done at high-end restaurants, and he was bringing that knowledge to the table in rehearsal. While I've never been a waiter and don't have any of that experience to work with, I was an altar boy when I was younger (no jokes, please), and so I know a lot about ritual, procession, and following the lead of an authority figure. (again, no jokes.) So as we worked out stage business where Jerry sets the table and then I keep handing him plates, I knew exactly the sort of tone and spirit to throw into the scene. It was fun, it really worked, and it provided for some strange flashbacks and I thought about all those Sunday mornings spent holding the Bible for Father Joe.

After that, we worked on the first fifteen pages or so which involved a lot of standing around for me. Not waiting to work, but literally standing around as the waiter and... well, waiting to take their order and fetch the water pitcher to refill their glasses. I have to make sure that I have comfy shoes for this show... Then, for the last hour of rehearsal, we all got dressed up in our costumes (or pieces of our costumes) and then had a photo call for press photos to use to promote the show. I'm sure they will appear online shortly and I will link to them, but it's always fun getting clothes, playing dress-up, and getting my picture taken. After all, I am an actor.

DdS - Read-through and first rehearsal

2010-08-26T23:01:00.002-04:00

For the last week or so, I've had no rehearsals, only a few shows, and lots of free time on my hands. And let's not get crazy, I filled as much of that time as I could with drinking, hanging with friends, and working on upcoming scripts for some radio shows. But with the Phily fringe coming up, and my involvement in two different shows, that time off was only destined to last for so long.

I plunged back in tonight with my first rehearsal for DdS, a one-act play in which I play a young and somewhat impressionable waiter. And to top the list of all ironies out there, I am literally the only person involved in the production that has never spent any time in the food service industry. We talked about the show for a bit, read through it once, talked about it some more, and then we had just enough to read through the show for a second time. I am a supporting character in this show, but I realized today at rehearsal that I love playing supporting roles. As much as any actor wants to be the leading man, I have the most fun when I'm embracing my status as a character actor. And this role has a little bit of the character part blended into it, which I enjoy. The cast and crew are a fun group, and it should be an exciting rehearsal process.

My other Fringe show, SWAS, starts with a publicity event on Monday night before rehearsals start on Wednesday, and you can be sure that you'll be hearing about playing Clark Kent a lot.

Closing up shop

2010-08-18T10:58:00.002-04:00

From three shows to one show.... In the last few days, I closed my run of Henry V as well as performed my last children's show in the AM for the kiddies. So from having a schedule where I was running around like crazy, I'm now in the temporary position of only having shows late at night on Friday and Saturday. And this has left me with a whole lot of free time for about a week or so.

And while I am trying to use this time to make myself buckle down and work on my upcoming projects, I'm also trying to find/make time to hang out with friends that I haven't seen in quite a while. Balancing personal time with professional time is one of the hardest things to do in my chosen career, but the schedule has given me some free time, and I plan to take advantage of that.

New Episode Online! - "CC'ed"

2010-08-17T12:55:00.002-04:00

The 14th episode of the Stray Dogs Project is online, and you can listen to it at the usual site here: http://radiohoundproductions.org/Stray-Dogs-Project.php No pictures to go with the posting this week, as all of the recording was done backstage of my recent production of Henry V. In fact, the episode stars the entire cast of Henry V (myself included), and it was all recorded when I asked actors to show up early before the last three performances. In fact, I specifically wrote the script for these actors.

Because of all the craziness going on this week, I knew that I wouldn't be able to schedule a full-on legitimate recording session with all the actors. So I wrote a script in which everyone is alone when they speak, and then their individual speeches were edited into a longer conversation. It's another episode that experiments with the form of audio story-telling, and I think that this structure works really well and tells a good story.

And if some friends and frequent comment-writers on this blog (JParis, for one), notice some things that he thinks are based on my previous experience in an office setting.... Just let me tell him that "all similarities to persons living or dead are purely intentional."

Once more, dear friends

2010-08-14T22:52:00.003-04:00

After a week's worth of performances that have sold out in less than an hour, I only have one more performance of Henry V. But it's going to be a great show; the whole nature of our play is the final exam of a high school class, and tomorrow it will literally be the FINAL exam of our class. And not only that, but a high school teacher of mine is planning on coming. He'll see me play a high school English teacher, and I am excited beyond words for this to come to pass.

Dr. Fles taught me Honors English in both the 9th and 11th grade. I remember his classes vividly. One time, he made us learn speeches from Julius Caesar. (I actually did a second one for extra-credit.) I read Huck Finn with him for the first time, and a lot of other classics that I still re-read. And Dr Fles was legendary for his quizzes and tests that had the most complicated instructions of any teacher I've ever had. Sometimes, each question would have a point value attached to it, and we would have to answer exactly 100-points worth of questions or risk losing other points. He also gave us the best/worst extra-credit questions, where you would gain points if you got it right, but you would also lose points if you answered incorrectly. (It completely eliminated guessing; you could do more harm than good.)

In any case, Dr Fles is one of those teachers from my past that I look back on as being supremely important in my overall life. He read plays I wrote, encouraged my love of The Shadow, and was always in his office if I just wanted to chat during a free period. And now he's coming to my show, where I am essentially playing a character that I have loosely based on him. I think this is one of my most personally-anticipated audiences ever.

Catch up - looking forward

2010-08-11T22:44:00.002-04:00

So, I know the title of this post might be a little strange. Even contradictory. But whatever. It's my blog, and I'll write whatever I want. So there. Anyway, now that mirror universe Nick has shaved off his goatee, I wanted to take the chance to write about some projects that I have coming up in the next few months. Since I just caught you up on my last few months, I guess it's only fair.

My late night show, "B," runs for three weeks, so that journey is just starting. (In fact, I'm sitting backstage right now as I write this entry.) But as soon as Henry V closes, I start rehearsals for DDS with CCTC, and you can find dates/times/information for the show at this link. The production is being presented as a part of the Philly Fringe, and will run for a week in mid-September. But in addition to DDS, I might be a part of the Superhero project done at P&P in Philadelphia. Details have yet to be finalized, but I'm hoping that it will all work out and I'll get the chance to play one of my absolute favorite superheroes. And if you even need three guesses to figure out who it is, you must not know me very well.

But in addition to all of these (and, truth be told, after a lot of them), I am also producing two new live radio shows for different companies. Radio Hound Productions will be back at Fringe Wilmington 2010 with a new live show, a mystery/comedy adventure of our series character Boson Higgs, Science Detective. But wait, there's more! I am in negotiations with the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia to produce another new Boson Higgs mystery as an event for one of their First Friday celebrations. This marks RHP's first official commissioned new work, which is a great step for a company that is less than a year old.

Directing Focus

2010-08-11T22:31:00.004-04:00

At tonight's sold-out performance of Henry V, I actually experienced something that our director had previously commented would be perfect if it happened. During a lot of the play, I am hanging around the edges of the stage watching the action taking place. I leap in, narrate a little bit and inspire the actors/students, and then I fade over to the side again to watch the action as it develops. During one of our first rehearsals, Director Aaron said that whenever he looked over to me and saw me watching, I served to direct his attention back over to the scene that was playing out onstage.

So at the performance tonight, a man wearing a very obvious blue shirt was sitting in the front row. During the opening scene, he kept glancing from the action onstage over to me in the corner. But I just remained engaged with the scene, and I always felt his head swivel away from me and toward the action. Even though it kept happening through most of the scene, he would always look away form me and toward the action that I wanted him to watch. It was a very clear and very immediate example of how powerfully an actor can direct the focus of the audience. Pretty cool.

Catch up

2010-08-07T12:46:00.002-04:00

I hate playing catch up and letting this blog go by without updates for long stretches, but I also know it happens often enough that I always feel like I'm apologizing for it. In any case, since my last post, I have opened my summer production of Henry V. The whole process was a great learning curve, working with a director I admire and a cast of very talented actors. We have gotten a lot of good buzz, as well as some great reviews that you can read here and here. And also here and here. I told you we've been getting a lot. We have another week of the show to go, and there is even talk of a possible extension week of added shows.

I've also been working on a late-night show, "B," that will run for three weekends at 10:15 in the evening. I have a small walk-on cameo role, so the rehearsals haven't been all that busy or frequent for me so we can work around the Henry V schedule. We had our technical rehearsal last night, and now I have four straight nights where I will be running straight from Henry V to B, getting ready for 10:15 performances after my 7pm one. It's going to be a fun week.

And, on top of all that, I've almost finished the morning performances of a children's show I'm involved with. We have two more shows next Tuesday morning, and a possible added show later in the summer. It's been a good run in terms of finances and meeting people, but the show can be a little exhausting at times. It's a lot of early mornings, and sometimes we get groups of children that are much too young to really appreciate the script and the show; they just like looking at goofy people in funny hats.

Next update will chart ahead and look at the projects I have coming up.

New Episode Online! - "Please Hold the Line"

2010-07-22T00:20:00.008-04:00

The newest episode of "The Stray Dogs Project" is now online! "Please Hold the Line" is the twelfth episode of our series, and it marks the first time we've tried something a little crazy - there is only one speaking character in this episode. We were kinda behind the gun on this episode, and I had one actor available, so I wrote the script specifically for her. It was a fun experiment, and I have another idea to try something like this again, but I am very interested to hear what the fans think. You can post a comment on the blog, or you can email me directly at radiohoundproductions@gmail.com to share your thoughts on this show, or any other. Thanks, folks, and enjoy!

Check it out at the usual link to our homepage, either www.radiohoundproductions.org, or you can look on the sidebar to the right of the post. On the website, go to the Projects Tab, and then The Stray Dogs Project.

Henry V Begins....

2010-07-14T12:16:00.004-04:00

No, it's not the latest summer blockbuster attempt to reboot a sagging franchise. But rather it's my current theatrical project. In downtown Philly, I just started rehearsing a production of Shakespeare's Henry V in which I play the Chorus. Generally, Shakespeare uses the character of the chorus to communicate a lot of history and backstory. But the Chorus also interacts directly with the audience, asking them to use their imagination to help tell the story that the "flat unraised spirits" of the actors will perform on-stage. It's Shakespeare way of literally telling the audience to imagine the horses, the armies, the tents, the battles, because the stage will not do justice to the real-life history of King Henry V.

As of right now, we are a week into the process, and we've blocked out most of the show. There are sections that we know better than others, and some of our scene transitions are so rocky that they are comical, but the director Aaron has assured us that there is a lot to like in the show, and now we just need to go about finding a way to bring it all out. But we have a few weeks left before our preview performance, and so the journey is now about trimming, tucking, and expanding.

Aaron presented us all with a clever and compelling setting/conception for the show, and now we're all taking turns to throw our ideas into the pot to see how it can all come together. I won't spoil the idea so far before the opening night, but it's a neat concept that lets the show work on several levels. We had a discussion the other day about finding ways to make the concept service the themes of the play, and not just have our concept be a little trick we just play on the audience. We want our theme/modern interpretation to be clear.

And although I don't use this blog to pimp out my own projects anymore, this one I'll pimp a little bit by saying that it is FREE. You have to reserve your tickets in person the day of the show (the theatre wants to think it's NYC Shakespeare in the Park), but it's possible to pick those tickets up and see this show for literally nothing. Air-conditioned theatre, Shakespeare, drinks afterwards.... why say no?

For the kids

2010-07-08T08:34:00.002-04:00

Last week, I started performing in a touring children's show. I'm the substitute actor for the other performer who has a lot of conflicts with the schedule, so I take over for her for a few shows here and there throughout the summer. I had a few rehearsals, memorized the script, and then was thrown into the first performance so I could find my "show legs" as I went. The first show was a little rocky as I tried to remember all the lines and make all the jokes, but the next two have gone progressively more smoothly, especially the most recent one for a roomful of entertained five-year-olds. I've got another month of the show to run, and my co-actor and I still need to work out some of the comedy bits, but it's going to come together over the course of time. In this case, the performing is the rehearsing, so it's a constantly evolving process as we work our way through the summer.

I've never really been an understudy-slash-replacement before in any significant way, so this is a mostly new experience for me. The lack of rehearsal time was a strange thing to deal with; I'm used to the more expansive timeframe where I get the chance to work out all the bits in the rehearsal process. But instead of "working on scenes," I really only did "full run-throughs," where I had to process all the notes, props, and costumes as I raced through the show. So this idea of working elements out through the production is a little difficult to digest at first, but it's a good thing that I'm up for challenges.

New Episode Online! - "Countdown"

2010-07-03T23:40:00.009-04:00

The newest episode of The Stray Dogs Project is now online. "Countdown" by Justin Muschong is the eleventh episode of my series, and it is the first one that was recorded on a field trip to another city. When I spend last weekend up in NYC, I brought the recording equipment and we spent a hot night squeezed into a hot apartment recording the show. Check it out at the usual link to our homepage, either here on along the bar on the right. Go to the Projects Tab, then The Stray Dogs Project.

As usual, here are some photos from the recording session.

Andrea (Voice), Chris (Baker), Kelly (director), and Tara (Able) have their first readthrough of the script.

Tara and Chris perform a scene in front of the microphones.

Writer Justin Muschong gives us his opinion on the recording session.

The Hard Boiled Production boys go for a walk with Radio Hound.

Thanks for listening.

More inspiration (and a little more theft)

2010-07-02T22:11:00.003-04:00

Recently, I wrote a post in which I discussed seeing a show that inspired me, and I talked about the things that I was planning to steal from it. Thanks to a buddy of mine, I've also recently discovered "The Guild," a web-series that you can find on youtube and on the web at their homepage. In fact, I've embedded the first episode in the post below. So take four minutes and watch it. I'll wait.

Once I found it, I tore through the first season in less than a day. The episodes average out to be about six minutes a piece, and I would watch them as I took breaks from writing or searching for auditions. The show is produced so simply and so elegantly, that I really admire the work that Felicia Day does. She writes and produces the show herself, and certainly a success story in the ranks of how-to-make-youtube-work-for-you producers. The entire series is online, but you can also buy the official DVDs at amazon.com and through their own website. It's a great business model that seems to be serving them well.

As Rob and I sit down to produce an original web-series, I'm trying to borrow (steal) a lot of the ideas of things that I like from this series. From the length of each segment to the overall construction of the series arc, "The Guild" is setting a great example of how to produce entertaining and quality internet programming. They aren't just producing a television series, but they did a fantastic job of tailoring their project to suit the medium through which they would distribute it - The Internet. The show is clever, well-made, funny, exciting, and everything else entertainment should be. I recommend it highly.

And so after gushing about the web-series and, essentially, giving them free product placement (if you're reading, you owe me a check!), I will end this post by saying that I plan to steal a lot of their ideas from them. If not all of them.

Opening day (....and after)

2010-07-02T00:32:00.002-04:00

I have literally just gotten home from seeing a Thursday night screening of The Last Airbender, in which I was a featured extra.

Wow.

Just Wow. But not in the good way.

There is nothing for me to say about the movie that hasn't been said by the Associated Press, The New York Times, or Pajiba.com, so instead I will talk about my own personal connections with the movie. At first, I found it a little difficult to get into the movie, only because I was a part of it. I saw actors that I had met, I saw props I had used, and it was a good ten minutes before I could relax back into the seat to try to enjoy the film. I have never had that problem with a movie before, so it was a really interesting problem to have for the first time.

There were at least three major sequences that I was involved in the filming of, and, needless to say, I was looking forward to seeing those sequences. And generally, I had the same reaction every time. At first, it was amazing to see what the "sets" looked like as actual "places" in the movie. The digital set extensions on the Water Tribe city were beautiful to see, and for the most part all the designs of the film really lived up to what I was imagining on the set.

However, the second step was one of disappointment. I remember seeing actors work, watching extras fight, and seeing stunt men do amazing things as they flew through the air. Seeing it all live was really exciting, but the actual film tended to flatten things out and make everything much less "intense" than it was on the actual shooting set. Not that there aren't cool things in the movie; I just think that some of it looked even better live.

It was also fun to sit through the closing credits and see a whole lot of names that I recognized, from production assistants to the first assistant director. We cheered whenever someone from Philly came onto the screen. I will spend the month of July sharing some stories and pictures from the Airbender set along with the normal entries, since I can talk about the film now that it is out.

If only it were better.

Opening day (before...)

2010-07-01T15:06:00.003-04:00

Today, July 1, is the opening day for the feature film release of "The Last Airbender." While I normally don't write about movie premieres, or even about movies a lot in general, this one is an important one because I was a featured background performer in the movie. (For those of you not in the biz, that means a glorified extra.) I spent four days in North Philly doing military and combat training, and then I spent almost a solid month last spring shooting large scenes for the film. I had a kick-ass costume, got to wear a helmet that almost killed me more than once, played with a sword, and pretended to fight my friends for money.

The shoot lasted a lot of long days, where I had to get up around 4:30 in order to make it to the set by 6:00 for my costume/makeup call. Then we'd usually sit around for a few hours while the crew arrived to set up the equipment and get ready for the first shot. Then we'd work until 5 or 6 at night, and maybe even until 9pm if we were really lucky. Most of our days were sitting around and waiting to be put into shots, and then we'd work for about half an hour doing different takes, before sitting around again.

I was also lucky enough to be working with some good friends on the film shoot, so I was spending all this time with people I liked hanging out with. We played cards, talked, discussed our careers, and even created and wrote a short film. It was a good experience, and we're gong out tonight as a gang to see the movie. I'll write more about it when I get home from seeing it, and I'll also try to post some entries this month about what it was like working on the set.

Go see the movie!

Inspiration and Theft

2010-06-27T23:03:00.003-04:00

Spending the weekend in New York City to record an episode of Stray Dogs, I went and saw a matinée performance of The 39 Steps. Based on an early Alfred Hitchcock film, this show re-imagines the story as a sort of high-concept comedy, with four actors taking on the roles. Actually, it's one actor in one part, a woman playing three characters, and two other men (listed as just Man #1 and Man #1 in the program) playing countless other people, male and female, throughout the play. I knew it was a comedy. I knew it was Hitchcock. But I didn't know I would laugh as hard as I did.

The very first sequence of the play hits the theme of the show perfectly, as we get a straight-faced performance of a side-splitting monologue, as the intrigue/adventure plot is off and running. In addition to wordplay and clever references to other Hitchcock films, the play is solidly rooted in physical comedy. All four actors use their bodies fantastically, both to create character as well as find humor. There is a sequence where the leading man climbs out of a train car, then across the roof, and then climbs down a bridge. The whole sequence was beautifully rendered on stage, as well as being hilarious.

Since I am in the process of writing comedic scripts based on film noir detectives, The 39 Steps was a great bit of inspiration for me to write some more comedy detective stories. The show also did a great job of blending the comedy with the actual mystery, and that's a lesson that I want to be sure I take into the Boson Higgs episodes. Comedy and plot don't have to be exclusive of each other. I might also steal a few of the jokes from the show. They say the sincerest form of flattery is imitation, and I really enjoyed the show. I recommend it highly, and it made me start itching to sit down and write again.

New Episode Online!

2010-06-20T13:33:00.005-04:00

Folks, surf on over to www.radiohoundproductions.org and check out "Lesson Three," the tenth episode of The Stray Dogs Project. This series has now been on schedule for 18 weeks, and I want to take a second to thank all the actors, directors, writers, and producers who have helped out since we started this in February. We have some exciting projects coming up over the summer, so stay tuned for those.

Here are some pictures:

Chris Braak and Dori Langton performing the scene.

Director Adam Danoff takes a note on the script.

Chris rehearses the scene.

Happy Father's Day!

Office Hours

2010-06-13T22:12:00.002-04:00

Over the last few days, I have been sitting in a new desk chair at my desk. Listening to music and podcasts, I've had a lot of business work to do. From writing 6(!) different scripts and treatments to scheduling the last-minute recording session for our newest episode, it's been a lot of desk work lately for my career/business. It's very hard to motivate myself to work from home a lot of the time, so I've recently instituted a policy of "office hours." I hold myself to a schedule as if I were actually at an office job, sitting at the computer and working on the different projects I have to do. I close down all my Internet tabs, turn off the TV, and just listen to some generic rock n roll as I write for at least an hour or two every morning. I finished a short film like that last week, and I'm rolling along on a feature film synopsis.

It's a challenge to keep these hours up, especially when the idea of either sleeping in or goofing off is so much more appealing than sitting in front of a computer working on my daily script pages. But writing involves muscles just like every other endeavor, and those muscles are improved through exercise. The new desk chair is making my desk a much more pleasant place to be, and I'm excited to go to work each morning.

New Article Published

2010-06-11T15:33:00.002-04:00

Folks, my newest article has been published in Backstage, both the magazine and the internet version. Check it out at this link:

http://www.backstage.com/bso/advice/brave-beautiful-new-worlds-1004095484.story

....The Life We Chose

2010-06-11T11:51:00.002-04:00

For the last three days, I was downtown at a casting agent. Three different auditions, over three subsequent days, and I even parked in the same spot on the street two days in a row. One audition was for a medical training video, which required that I review and sign a release form saying that I understood the language might be "graphic, yet professional." They also discussed the idea of possibly filming "invasive procedures," or appearing in the video "fully nude." I had just faced the decision about nudity-for-art's-sake, so I was prepared to sign the paperwork saying that I was only interested in "non-invasive, clothed roles." Seriously, there was a box to check for that option. And this wasn't even a posting on Craig's List, or something that would show up on Nudity Required, No Pay. A friend runs the blog, go check it out.

The other audition was for a commercial for a used car company. The ironic thing, of course, is that it's the same company where I actually bought my used car. ("Not only am I the president of hair club for men....") Even though the casting agent had sent us a script, the first audition was a mostly-improvised scene where we had to riff on the story in the script. I worked with a great guy in the scene, and he and I had a lot of fun working together. After hitting the comic book shop (The Spirit #1 in the dollar bin!), I got the email from my agent that I got the callback for the audition. Which meant I had to go back to the office two days later for another read.

Arriving at the office on Thursday afternoon, there must have been thirty people there waiting in front of me. The director had apparently been taking his time with the auditions, and the casting director was trying to hurry him up, but I still got scene about an hour after my scheduled appointment time. Callbacks normally have fewer people than the original audition, but this time was a huge change. Lucky for me, I saw a whole bunch of people that I knew, and I really enjoyed the extra time to catch up with them before we went into the room to audition.

In the audition itself, the director gave me a whole bunch of notes and had me do it a few times. Walking back to my car, I know exactly the next step that my career needs, and that is a class on acting in commercials. I have tools to work in theatre, and I'm getting the tools to work in film. But what I need now is some commercial-specific training so I can really be confident when saying lines like "Are you kidding, this is from Car Sense" or "I use Dragon.com, and you should too." It takes certain skills to pull those lines off, and that's what the class can teach me.

New Episode Online!

2010-06-06T19:57:00.008-04:00

(Okay, first let me say that I'm very sorry that two whole weeks have gone by between blog posts, and that the last post and this one are almost exactly the same. But, that being said...)

Check out the newest episode, now online! Surf on over to the RHP homepage to check out the newest episode of The Stray Dogs Project - "Recruitment Drive." Clink the link, then go to the Projects tab, and select Stray Dogs Project.

Here are some pictures from the recording. We have two somewhat posed shots this time around. First is Rob as Evan.

And then Katie taking a break from recording the role of Rachel.

A scene of the table reading with Katie and Rob, as well as director Andrea Pinyan.

And finally, a picture of me as I explain microphone usage. I swear this photo wasn't posed, even though it looks like it could have been.

This episode is the ninth in the series, and our next episode will be online in two weeks, just in time for Father's Day. Stay tuned.

New Episode Online!

2010-05-23T20:53:00.003-04:00

Folks and digital followers, surf on over to the Radio Hound Productions homepage to check out the newest episode of the The Stray Dogs Project - "Redux." Click the link, then go to the Stray Dogs Project under the "Projects" tab.

Here are some pictures. First up is Joshua Browns as Francis.

Writer Justin Muschong assists in performing a sound effect.
Victoria Frings as Trudy.

Josh, Justin, Director Michael Osinski, and Victoria at the table read.

The next episode will be up two weeks from now, and we have some submissions from new writers that will be coming up in July. Exciting times.

Triple!

2010-05-17T23:24:00.002-04:00

Starting early this morning, I headed out for three different auditions in Philly. First up was for Demetrius in Midsummer Night's Dream, a role that I had played only a year ago. I had worked at this theatre last week as a reader for some of their other auditions, serving as a scene partner to read with people who were actually auditioning. But this time around, the director was looking at me. I had a lot of fun with the audition, and I was also proud that my best work was done at my audition, not all the times I was just the reading partner. It was also interesting because Josh was in the room with me, and Josh had directed me as Demetrius. I was more nervous to perform in front of him than in front of the director of the upcoming show.

Next up was another Shakespeare audition, this time for a season program that included Hamlet, As You Like It, and Henry V. The auditions were held in the theatre were we performed Chad Deity, and this was one of my first occasions to return to the scene of our triumph. I knew the wrestling ring would be long gone, but it was still a sad sight to see that it was all gone. But in terms of the Shakespeare, I did two monologues, one of which was the Duke from 12th Night, and then sang a little bit of a song to show off my voice. The director then talked to me about the callbacks for Henry V, which I'm hoping to go to on Thursday. There are some roles that just can't be turned down in good conscience, and that show has some of them.

Then I had a long lunch/comic shop break, followed by my final audition of the day, which was actually a callback. I spent the night reading different scenes with different partners, while the director was looking for good pairings of actors. I saw some old friends, made some new ones, and generally had a good time, trying to stay very casual and very relaxed. I did some solid work in the scenes, trying lots of different approaches to the material, working to understand and process the character in new and exciting ways. I will post more about the show this week, but the audition was solid. And on unrelated audition notes, I picked up two comic books I've been looking for, listened to a bunch of podcasts, saw Bradley Cooper on the street, and now I'm having a beer, talking to friends, and watching Star Trek.

All days should be like this one.

Steampunking

2010-05-16T21:39:00.016-04:00

Even though our performance run of 12th Night ended with a wildly successful final show last night, the cast still had one more hurdle to jump as we headed out to NJ today for the First Annual Steampunk World's Fair. Our show held a very strong steampunk design element, and we were invited to perform some scenes from our play, showing off the costumes and generally providing awareness for Curio Theatre. The cast was planning to head out from Philly around 2pm in time to get to the fair for our 4:30 show, but I was really interested to get out there earlier in order to have time to wander the fair and soak up this steampunk world that we were allowed to play in for the last month. So I got all suited up as the Duke, headed out to the Radisson off I-287, and plunged head-first into a crowd where my gentleman's coat was not out of place at all. (First photo: The steampunk band, playing for the crowd.)

It was a fantastic experience. I hadn't really know this world existed two months ago, even if even would have know what "steampunk" even meant. But this courtyard of the hotel was filled with men, women, children, even families all dressed up in Victorian-Scientific outfits, visiting the vendors and watching the displays. I started getting lots of compliments on the outfit, and I was handing out postcards for both 12th Night and for my own projects with RHP. I posed for more than a few pictures, and I was also lucky enough to get one with another theatre artists named Jen. (See second picture.) I was really grooving on the whole atmosphere of the convention, and everyone was wonderfully friendly and excited about their hobby. Two women sitting behind a vendor table spoke to me in British accents, trying to sell me on their special elixirs and tonics, all while explaining the new refrigeration system they had to keep the bottles cold. Another vendor had really cool-looking leather covers for spiral notebooks; the covers were adorned with gears and such that made them look amazing.

But then it was time for our performance. With most of the cast caught in traffic (i.e.lost), I had to speak to our stage manager Annie regarding any technical needs we had. I worked out dressing rooms, mics, lights, etc, with her, trying (and managing) to have everything arranged by the time the rest of the cast arrived, in what was sure to be a last-minute frenzy. Sure enough, that frenzy arrived and we powered through an hour's worth of scenes of the show, much to the delight of the assembled crowd. We had a small moment of cast unity, and then they all got back in the minivan to head back to Philly.

After they had taken off, I went back to the convention and I met Vesper and Lora (third picture.)
It was from them that I really started learning about the roleplaying/character creation in the world of steampunk. Vesper, on the left, showed me her high-altitude breath mask and the various guns and swords she carried for her role as an air pirate. Lora just bough that grey coat at this convention, and she's in the process of creating a character who is a watchmaker, as you can see two watches on her left lapel. Vesper is also holding a big gun on her shoulder, which is a custom converted NERF gun. Pretty clever... I actually remarked that the only thing my Orsino outfit was missing was a ray gun of some kind, and she actually gave me an extra one that she had no use for. So for a few hours, Orsino was packing a gun in his boot, and I even got pretty good at the quickdraw. (The coat is used to distract the enemy before blasting the hell out of them.)

This steampunk world was so interesting and so welcoming, that I wonder if I won't go back, even independent of 12th Night. In the long-awaited feature film version of our short film "The Chrononauts," we have been interested in a steampunk backdrop for the world of the story. It's an exciting and dynamic world, and after my adventures today at the World's Fair, it's a world that I want to return to.

Using the body

2010-05-13T13:31:00.003-04:00

In addition to using language and the words of the script, actors have another weapon in their arsenal for creating character - physical action and body language. Some companies really focus on the creation of physical theatre, ranging from commedia dell arte to dance masquerading as theatre. But I refer to the more basic notion of actors using posture, hand gestures, or body position to help tell the story. Of course, holding your body in a certain way and moving in a certain way will instantly create an element of character. Cowboys walk differently than businessmen, and they would both move differently than someone who is 90 years old. But I'm also referring to conveying story through such physical movement.

For example... there are two scenes in 12th Night where I have the exact same exit. Down the steps, across the platform, and then offstage. Both of those exits come out of different scenes with Viola in disguise as a boy. The first scene ends with Viola secretly pining over Orisino, and so I leave the scene in a full-on business manner, striding confidently away until I disappear offstage. The second scene develops the relationship between our characters, and it ends with a semi-awkward moment where maybe my character develops some inappropriate feelings toward this young boy. My exit for that scene is much less measured, much less controlled, and I even take a moment to pause and look back at her/him. It's a physical moment of storytelling that I found in the rehearsal process, showing the relationship as it develops between us. It's a subtle thing, and I don't think the audience would ever notice it consciously. But I hope that they pick up on it and realize what's going on.