Theatre East Blog is Go!

Working hard with Theatre East to keep bringing Art to Life, On Stage and Off! Check out the blog, the website, and join us at O'Lunney's Times Square for Theatre East Third Monday Mixers!

HomeLand reading with David Straithairn, Jay O. Sanders, and many others

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of being at the Lark Play Development Center once more, this time for a reading of HomeLand by Christopher Cartmill, originally commissioned by the Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This is an amazing play that I can't begin to describe, but it centers ostensibly on Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca Nation and on themes of home, identity, and so much more.

The cast included me, Christine Marie Brown, David Strathairn, Gerry Rodriguez, LeRoy McClain, Jay O. Sanders, Annie Henk, and Kathryn Layng Hwang.

Jumbotron On Your Laptop

After some technical difficulties, I have finally been able to upload all four of the Big Ten Network Commercials I shot about a month and a half ago (and first mentioned here).

You can see them full quality on YouTube, on my website, or in little blogger videos below:

#1) First Rule

#2) Email

#3) My Hero

#4) Silence

Hunting & Gathering tonight @ Walkerspace

Very excited to be reading Astor in Brooke Berman's Hunting & Gathering with No Name Theater Company tonight at 8pm at Walkerspace. Producer Jay Spece and director Michelle Tattenbaum have pulled together a great crew, including Gideon Banner, Emily Vaughan, and Maren Langdon; it should be an enjoyable evening.

Walkerspace is located at 46 Walker Street, NYC
between Broadway and Church St.

Take the N, R trains to Canal Street;
A, C, E trains to Canal Street.

Admission is free; details here.

Eye of God listed in the New Yorker

Check out the Goings On About Town - we're in pretty good company!

Big Ten Network commercial

Recently shot a series of cable commercials for
with Tallboy Films (casting by Adrienne Stern Casting).

Should be able to post them here in a few days, but a buddy of mine who was at the Vikings/Cowboys game at the Metrodome told me it's already played on the Jumbotron there.

Eye of God - Director's Vision

As Director of Communications for Theatre East, I shot and edited this short clip.
Director Lisa Devine talks about what the play means for her and what she hopes to give to the audience.

Had a great rehearsal last night. Tim Blake Nelson attended and seems energized about this production. He is even going to be giving us some cuts/rewrites!

Playbill & TheaterMania

Tonight is the first night of rehearsals for Eye of God with Theatre East. Check out the write-ups in:



and



Also check out Recession This! to figure out which Metrocard to buy.

Headin' East with Theatre East

I have not been posting much in the past month because I have been keeping really busy with Theatre East. First I was just bouncing ideas off of them (and vice versa) but then they made me a full-on company member and now I am on staff as Director of Communications.

I was also cast in their inaugural production, the New York premiere of Tim Blake Nelson's Eye of God. Mr. Nelson will be directly involved with the production and is even writing new material for us! (I guess he has wrapped up post-production on his new film, Leaves of Grass with Edward Norton.)

Rehearsals start next Tuesday under Lisa Devine's direction -- more soon!

Soon On Stage Twice

Over the holiday weekend, I learned that I booked two gigs that I had recently auditioned for. I am happy to report:

In June/July I will be playing the part of Russell in

by Sarah Phelps
with Cake Productions at the Cherry Lane Studio Theatre.
This play premiered at London's Soho Playhouse in 2002.

Owen consummates his marriage but not with the bride. Julia's handyman won't do the job he's paid for. Russell might be the grandmaster of the squalid, meaningless one night stand but all he wants to do is hold hands on the London Eye. And Frances, Frances isn't looking for commitment. Not now, not ever.

A series of encounters linked by a liaison in a hotel bedroom, Modern Dance for Beginners is a cruelly comic play about love and sex.

'Sarah Phelps's marvellous [play].... a shocking take on La Ronde. This is a play for today, and well worth catching while you can'
Metro ****

'Foul tempered, acid tongued and dripping in bodily fluids... sexy, snappy, sharp witted, dynamic and aggressive'
The Times

'Phelps certainly has a gift for sharp, fast dialogue'
The Guardian

'Raw explicit talk and personal tenderness. Highly recommended.'
Independent on Sunday

- and -

In September/October I will be playing Les in

Eye of God

by Tim Blake Nelson
with Theatre East at the Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row
This play premiered at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1992.

Back in Action

I have been back at the acting thing (not that I ever left) with a vengenance the past few weeks. Here's what I am working on recently/right now:

Animal Planet: shot a day for their upcoming Parasites miniseries (I play a doctor, not a tapeworm).NoBuddies: I know we are a little behind, but Episode 10 should be edited and up soon!
Karen Kohlhaas Directing Class: Ms. Kohlhaas, a co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company, is teaching a Directing Class. For me it's a free scene study class, with the opportunity to audit the class on those days that we're performing our scene. I am having a great time working on the final scene from Days of Wine and Roses by J.P. Miller with Katherine McDonald and direction from Keri Seymour.

Auditioning: In addition to the seven (7) auditions I did for the above-mentioned directing class, I have gone to two EPAs for the Summer Play Festival. I've also read for a History Channel show, a Columbia student film (called back), a Stride Gum commercial and a Canon commercial. I also auditioned for Cake Productions' upcoming Modern Dance for Beginners. I was called back last night and had just as much fun as I had at the initial audition (which is to say a lot). Counting all those up (and including callbacks), I have averaged about four auditions a week for the month of May.

Proofreading: I gotta pay the mortgage somehow. I have recently begun proofreading and am happily working on my second project for Scholastic Inc.

April Push, Week 2

All right, I know it's only April 2nd, but I started early on my vow to do 5 auditions per week for the month of April.
This week I have done three EPAs (Dorset Theatre Festival, Naked Angels, and Adirondack Theatre Festival) and thought that was going to be the end of it. But then my agent called with a voice over (VO) audition for Grey Goose tomorrow. That brings me to four! Very close. I know I said I would can it with the whole universe thing, but...I am putting it out to the universe to get me another audition before the week is out. (And to book tomorrow's gig. If that's not too much to ask.)

Actually, I think I might call it 4.25 or 4.5, since I am doing a grad student film at Columbia and, in today's class presentation, the professor asked for our head shots.

Callback from the Universe

All right, I will stop with the whole universe thing, but shortly after Sunday's post, I got a callback for Metropolitan Playhouse. If this keeps up, the missus won't have to find a new job! (She is one of the many victims of the recession -- and of a boss who is a colossal dickwad.)

The Buitoni shoot went well last night, if late. A nice group of people though and, while waiting to be filmed, I heard a lot of crazy interesting stories from the Venezuelan dude playing the sculptor.

[Photo from NASA - copyright free!]

Buitoni Booking from the Universe

Right before getting karate-chopped in the crotch by a prepubescent in a unitard (well, maybe not right before, but earlier in the week) I decided that I would step it up and go to five auditions a week for the month of April.
I didn't think I was going to make it, despite going to two (2) EPAs*, which both went well (one for Pennsylvania Centre Stage and another for Barnstomers Theater); (3) an appointment at Metropolitan Playhouse for their upcoming production of It Pays To Advertise; and, finally, a (4) Saturday appointment for Jeffrey with The Play's The Thing.
I was going to be just one shy, when my agent called me Friday with a last minute audition at Stark Naked Productions for a demo commercial for Buitoni. That makes five! I'm not one to believe too heavily in asking the universe for a new car and getting one, but I have to admit I had put it out there and voila! got five auditions. And then I even booked the Buitoni gig!

In other great news: Kevin Tor, the writer and co-creator of my web series NoBuddies got some recognition from Z100 and NJ's 106.3 for "Butterface," his parody of Lady GaGa's "Pokerface."

*EPA = Equity Principal Audition: open auditions required of producers by the stage actors' union, Actors' Equity, whereby any member of the union can sign up for an appointment and be seen (and, hopefully, considered) for the play(s) the producer is casting.

Z ROCK Redux

Now I know why in showbiz they say you should never work with kids or animals:
Because kids are animals. And they will karate chop you in the nuts without even blinking. At least, that was my experience over the last two days. Being surrounded by a bunch of little kids was exhausting. I have renewed respect for teachers. [And I wish I had read this article before going on set.]

I can't say much more without spoiling the episode's plot. But I will say that, from what I saw, the guys in the band are genuinely good with kids and the crew was a great bunch of people to work with.

Z Rock Season 2 starts June 7th. I appear in the 6th Episode, which should air Sunday, July 12.

Z ROCK!

I just booked two days next week on Z Rock, which airs on IFC Channel; season 2 starts in June.

Spent

Dude, it was all I could do to post to Recession This! So you'll have to check that out.

And check out my updated website.

One Hit Wonders of Sundance

Being an actor, I thought it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the new prodigies coming out of this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Then I got an e-mail from Sundance listing the 25 Top Directors Who Haven't Done Anything Since They Were All That in Park City (or something like that).

On the one hand, this justifies any laziness on my part; on the other, it's a little saddening.

Also: don't forget to check out Recession This!

Photo by Pedrojperez via Morguefile.com