Patrick will be starring in the Last Cyclist at the West End Theater this May - June. Click here for info

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A busy week and I'm not complainin'

This heat is deadly!  It started last week and has just continued to bake Manhattan.  Hooray sweat.  Nothing like showing up to an audition or rehearsal as if you've already been rehearsing for a few hours. I've thought about bringing a change of clothes but I think carrying them around would just make me hotter, no?  Maybe they should have free showers where Charmin has those free bathrooms in Times Square.  I mean as long as they clean them.  Often.  thoroughly.

So last week, in this heat, my agent set me up with a "Go-See" for a Microsoft spot.  Ooooooh a vocabulary word!  So for those of you curious, a 'go-see', is pretty much exactly what it sound like. You GO to a casting office and they SEE you.  (more like they see if they like you.)  Take a few pictures in different poses, angles.  You're done.  So my agent had confirmed this at the beginning of the week.  As I was getting ready to go my manager emailed me with the same information.  What did we do before the days of instant communication?  Anyway, I was on my way and really curious what this would mean.  Both had technically informed me of this and sent me on it.  I spoke to a few friends.  The general consensus is that both the agent and manager would have to be paid if I booked the gig.

IF.

Of course I'm counting those chickens before the eggs are even laid. But whatever.  That's interesting though and I'm curious what others think about that. If you are sent on an audition by multiple freelance accounts, who would get the credit?  I emailed my manager saying I was already on my way and asked him directly what I was to do since both had submitted me. He said to always go with whoever sent you first.  (You have to usually sign in and say what agency your with, if any.  So I wanted to know going in, not just for the potential pay off $$-wise.)

The Go-See.  I get there, look around.  Now I'm not a super short, but I'm also no giant.  I'll never play superman, that's for sure.  Or Andre the Giant in his biopic. (But man!  Where is that movie?  I'd go watch that! OBEY!)  Anyway, all the guys are taller than me.  And older looking.  Like late 30's/40's with way shorter hair and much more clean cut.  Of course I'm thinking...am I even right for this?  But both the agent and manager sent me so I'm there.  They take some pictures from different angles and that's it. Back out into the heat in a button down.  blech.  Pretty sure I would have heard by now.  They're shooting this coming Monday.  but I know they had an alternate day last Friday.  So who knows.

I've also been in and out of rehearsals for this next fringe piece which is just two characters.  For 90 minutes. My mouth hurts from talking so much.  So many lines.  Remember that first play you got into as a kid and you counted the lines you had?  Yeah..this is killer.  Off book by Thursday?  I'm on it.  Sure!  It's a collection of 7 small plays.  One of them is essentially a monologue.  For 10 pages. Welcome to Eternity!



And recently I filmed a trailer for a screenplay that the writer and producer are looking to use as a tool to pitch the idea to potential backers.  It's a weird thing to film in such a broken way.  But the cast and crew was great.  I feel like from the moment I met the director something just clicked.  Which happens, but not often enough.  So I'm of course looking forward to the final product.  We had a 3 day marathon filming adventure around NYC and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with and befriend.  I play a guy who joins a cult for a girl.  Yeah.  It's such an old story, right? I've heard it a thousand times.  Boy meets girl.  Girl is in a cult. Boy joins cult.....magic.

And now off to learn more lines at 1 am.  woohoo.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Giselle in 3D at the Mariinsky

So an email came through my indox the other day.  I read it.  Read it again.  laughed.  Then I read it a third time to make sure I was reading it correctly.  I sent it to my dear friend Samantha who laughed and confirmed.  This is not a joke.  But too too funny and I think the whole 3-D craze may have just jumped the shark.


So here is the basic content of said email:


Approaching two centuries old, Giselle is a Romantic ballet whose beauty has proven ageless, and its evolution continues this summer. NCM Fathom and More2Screen will bring Giselle in 3D to movie theater audiences nationwide from the historic Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. The exclusive event is the world’s first ballet shown in 3D. On July 12 at12:00pm or 7:30pm (local time), attendees can experience the tale of love and heartbreak in a way the art form has never before been shared.
Giselle is the story of a prince, played by Leonis Sarafanov, who disguises himself as a peasant, gaining the love of a simple village girl, played by Natalia Osipova. What first appears as granite love eventually morphs into betrayal and Giselle joins the vengeful Wilis to bring revenge upon her beloved prince. Through each graceful step, however, love transcends even death and forgiveness is granted.
We are asking you to support the in-theater ballet by sharing information about Giselle in 3D with your readers. We hope it will inspire group outings to watch the graceful cast—as though you’re right in front of the stage.
For more information about Giselle in 3D, visit www.fathomevents.com. There you can also find participating theaters and purchase tickets.


I am a full on supporter of the arts, all arts.  Gotta support your kind, you know?  Dance, despite horrible shows like SYTYCD and America's best dance crew and whatever else is being shoved down our throats, can be amazing!  There are some truly brilliant companies and dancers here in the city that I've grown to love and learn from.  While watching a ballet from the Majiinsky would be fairly entertaining and a beautiful experiences, 3-D? Really?  Are they going to toss the dancers at the camera so we have to duck? Arms and legs swinging wildly into our field of vision? Pies flying at us?

Do we really need everything in 3-D now?

If you are interested in at least seeing this productions here is some more info :Ticket and Theater Info but remember it's all gimmicky and pointlessly being presented in 3-D