On Tour, New Link, CNN-Worthy...

The Tour is going so very well. We've travelled all over the country. From Sea to shining sea..if you will. In our wake we've left a lot of laughs and some randoms controversey. First things, the tour is soon at an end. We close next thursday, the 10/25. Its a welcomed end and return to my bed. But i shall miss it. The producer came to see tonight's show and was happy as always with the performance. So we haven't started sucking. Great!

Before we get to the good stuff, please first check out the new link i have. The Winger. Its a dance blog filled with jobs and great inside stories. gotta love it!



But in this tour there has been national news! Yes ladies and gentlemen we, a small band of travelling players made national news in Arizona!

Higley district halts Shakespearean production
Hayley Ringle, Tribune
Forty minutes into a two-hour comedy, the Higley Unified School District decided a Shakespearean-themed play was “not to be” for about 700 sixth- through 12th-graders because the content and language were “inappropriate.”Monday morning, the students were watching “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts, when Tara Kissane, the district’s director of visual and performing arts, halted the show. “We stopped the show because we feel that this was inappropriate and not a kind of performance that we want them to see,” Kissane said. “There was inappropriate language and the content was very suggestive. I don’t care what students hear on the streets, that’s not what we believe in presenting to our students.” Kissane would not give any specific examples of what she deemed inappropriate. The Shakespeare play was produced by a New-York based touring company, Windwood Theatricals. According to a play description on the theatrical group’s Web site, Windwood Theatricals, the play “is a whirlwind roller coaster tribute to the immortal bard. Three actors take on the daunting task of performing 37 plays and 154 sonnets in under two hours, illuminating the world of Shakespeare through the use of football, swordplay and hip-hop music.” Fountain Hills Community Theater artistic director Peter Hill, whose company performed this play in March, said the first part of the play is about “Romeo and Juliet” and part of the joke is two guys “plant a big ol’ kiss” on each other. That’s the only thing he could think of that might be deemed inappropriate in the first 40 minutes. “The biggest thing about the show is it lends itself to ad-libbing, and who knows what this particular company was doing with it,” Hill said. Hill teaches a summer camp for high school-aged students and said he shows a commercially-available DVD of this play to the students. “It has innuendo, but that’s it,” Hill said. “I can’t imagine, unless they would take the same offense at the actual Shakespeare. He did write for adults and some of his stuff is pretty bawdy.” Students paid $5 to be bused to the arts center for the voluntary field trip. Kissane said the students will be reimbursed. Kissane said after she announced her decision to stop the play, she was “booed pretty loudly.” “Some of them might have been enjoying the show,” however, “there were a couple of high-schoolers that thanked me as they left. They said they felt uncomfortable,” Kissane said. The district chose the play after recommendations from other unnamed school districts and performing arts groups who had seen it, said “they loved it” and thought “it was fun,” Kissane said. “I thought it was great for college-aged students,” Kissane said. “I just thought it was over some of our kids’ heads, and it wasn’t appropriate for our kids. If I’m going to err on the side of anything, I’m erring on the side of caution.” Kissane said the theater group thought they were performing in front of a “more mature audience” and there must have been some “miscommunication.” “They thought it was appropriate for high-schoolers, but again you have to look at the difference in communities,” Kissane said. “Maybe it is appropriate for New York students, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for Higley students.” The Windwood Theatricals group was not available for comment. A New York Daily News quote from a review of the play posted on the theatrical group’s Web site mentions high school: “Where were these guys when you needed them in high school? … Those who yawned through required Shakespeare classes will appreciate how (Shakespeare Abridged) breezes through his long body of work in a series of frenetically funny sketches … A goofy parody that even Elizabethan Audiences would have enjoyed.” Kissane said all in all “it was a disappointing day. “We wanted our kids to really understand Shakespeare, and it just didn’t happen,” Kissane said. “It just wasn’t what we had anticipated or what we had heard from other people.”

Now this was slightly blown out of proportion. It was cancelled not because shakespeare is evil, but because the school board decided to invite very young kids to this show. We were told this was a high school audience. Not middle school and possibly younger. But still, we made national news for a short time. Go us! A simple band of travelling players got kicked out of Arizona...well, not really, but it sounds better that way.

Basically, the people that run our nation's schools are idiots.

Complete works of William Shakespreare {Abridged} Tour…..

Its been a while since i've updated this. Not for lack of work, but because i'm lazy. Damn lazy. I worked this summer down at the South Street Sea Port in a production of 12th night. it wasn't a bad piece and i managed to make a lot of good friends in it. Goo networking.

But the Seaport. We were in the SPACE gallery which during the day is a great art gallery. But to ask an audience to sit through three hours of Shakespeare without A/C is not fun. Plus it takes at least an hour, if not more, to get anywhere from the Seaport. Especially late at night.

And now, I'm working on the Complete Works Of William Shakespeare Abridged with WindWood Productions.

Going to Frostburg Maryland. Rolling hills and such. My ears popped like crazy going up and down the roads cut through the hills. But I’m officially on the road and enjoying it. In fact I am writing this little message from my hotel room. It’s a Best Western, nothing special, but the rooms are big enough that my roommate and I aren’t crowding each other. And I spent tonight after rehearsal relaxing in the hot tub.

Yeah, being an actor is great.

So the show..The complete works. Really, what is there to say? It’s physically draining and rewarding. And of course it’s a wonderful love letter the Bard. Plus this is a wonderful company to be working for.

So here I am in Maryland. Working…or so they say.

I’m getting paid for this

The Long Christmas Ride Home

The first weekend of performances is under our belt. Aside from the usual little bumps and hic-ups the show is going really well. I'm insanely proud of my work in it. Of course there are places where i feel i could better myself. But its theater and always a work in progress.

The process of this project has been such a wonderful ride. This has been by far the most challenging project i've worked on since coming to NY. Its been a very long and rough road but i'm happy with the outcome.

The cast I'm working with is phenominally talented. Not to mention the fact that we all get along. For all of you out there who have worked in the theater here in NY, or anywhere for that matter, there is always that one person or aspect of the show that drives you insane. This show? Everyone gets a long and there are no negative feelings towards anyone or any aspect of the show...who knew? Of course we all wish we had more rehearsal time. But who doesn't.

One of the most impressive aspects of the show are the puppets. The play calls for our best western interpretation of Japanese Bunraku puppets. I think we do a pretty damn good job. During rehearsals it got to the point where the puppets were soo much more interesting and life-like that we paid attention to them more than eachother and fellow actors. Its amazing how your eyes are drawn so quickly to a little wodden person being operated by a team of puppeteers. Not to mention the fact that I can now confidently put puppetry on my resume knowing full well that i can operate the damn things.

And it would be a crime to not mention the lesbian shadow puppets. Thank you Paula Vogel.

So the show has one more weekend and the hardest judges of all, my parents, are coming. So we shall see what they think. But i predict tears. Just a few, but tears all the same.

EYE CANDY Video, Red Fern, Capes...

Well, it has been a while sice I posted. Not because I have been slacking in my auditions, mainly because I just have no time to sit down and write. Part of my resolution is to write more, so here I go.

The past several months have seen me cranking up the auditioning volume on my life.

The last 2 months of 2006 i was in an amazing class at Capes Coaching. The class is designed to help you set goals and find ways to follow through and achieve those goals. (writing being a means to an end, or more possibilities I hope) I would highly recommend these amazing people to anyone. I feel so empowered and confident in the direction my career is going. I can only thank these women for pushing me and opening my eyes.

I have been auditioning non-stop these past few months. And happily all this hard work has paid off. I have just been cast in a production of The Long Christmas Ride Home by Paula Vogel with the Red Fern Theatre Company. I'll post more info about the production and the company as soon as I get some.


And for all you Eye Candy fans, I have found a posting on YouTube of a section of the show from the original production in the fall of 2005. The clip below is of Billy Keiffer and Maria Colaco. Watch and Enjoy.


And..Look for a Patrick and Pam production coming to a computer near you soon.....

A sketch or two, and a dog

Audition update.

The past week has been filled with submitting for auditions and managing to book a few. Last Sunday I auditioned for Ken Turrel’s theater company, Where Eagles dare to…something something. He has a little festival of original works coming up at the end of October. Usually I loathe original works because anybody and everybody is thrown up there with a few words scratched out as a script. But I figured, why not. Work is work, right?

So I go to the initial audition and forget my headshot. Every time I audition for something at Ripley-Grier Studios I forget my headshot and resume. Never fails. Well, I auditioned. With a monologue from a MeatLoaf Album. Yes that’s right, Meatloaf. I realized I don’t have many contemporary comic monologues. And those I do have memorized aren’t that funny. So I went in, did my thing and left.

Who woulda thought I got a call back. In fact, I was called back to play the character of ‘Dog’ in a two person show about the relationship between a human and their dog. It’s physical and quick. At least, the section of the piece I read for the call back was. I was the only one who read for dog up against everyone. So now I just wait and see. It was one of those things where the director said, ‘obviously I’m looking at you for the part.’ Yeah, I’ve never trusted that and never well. Too many things happen and there are too many factors that come into play at the last minute. Its physical, so at least I got that going for me.

The other audition was for Happy Hour, no not the happy hour clowns…one can dream. But instead for this sketch-esque late-night comedy show that is from what I could come up with, also part cabaret. It is located WAY down on the LES and Ave C. Too far from any trains really. But we went in, were given some basic ‘choreography’ and every one went thru the same routine. It was really easy, really basic. The kinda stuff that appeals to ½ drunken crowds. It’s all very base humor, but is there anything better than base humor? Only problem is that they rehearse right in the middle of the day. The same time all of us struggling actors are trying to eek out a living so we can eat, do laundry and pay rent.

Again, like all things in this business….we shall see.

EYE CANDY

So as you know, Eye Candy is doing some amzing things at the Fringe.

We're headed towards our final two performances this weekend, the 25th and 26th. But this past weekend we were reviewed and I am here to boast and show off my first official NY Review.

To read all reviews visit: NY Theatre

To read this one online visit: EYE CANDY Review

and for info about our last 2 performances go here: Maria Colaco Dance

EYE CANDY

reviewed by Komail Aijazuddin

You are not good enough as you are. It's a hard pill to swallow, but it's true. You're about fifty pounds, three minor surgeries, and one Nobel Prize away from being everything you can be, or so you suspect. For anyone who has been on a date—hell, for anyone who has walked down Broadway on a Saturday morning shining with stares and judgment, EYE CANDY is not to be missed.

With the dating checklist expanded to include rocky abs and buns that defy physics, this funny and engaging modern dance performance takes a candid look at the ever-challenging search for a mate. Created and choreographed by the immensely talented Maria Colaco, the piece hacks away at relationship protocol, vocabulary, and ritual to present us with a wholly unique and endlessly hilarious view of what we do on the prowl for love. Colaco has mixed modern dance with dramatic theatre, and the result never bores. Her direction is confident, daring, and refreshingly unexpected. Interactive without being intrusive, the show will stun you with how many times you'll see your own past being acted out for you. Each initial stare, stifling relationship, and bad breakup is immediately accessible and presented without pretension. The script is hilarious and its structured extremely well thought-out.

The cast, which includes Colaco herself, works well together. They are talented, well-trained, and a joy to see. Billy Keiffer and Patrick Pizzolorusso are particularly enchanting, easily commanding the audience's attention whenever on stage. Though ultimately a comedy, EYE CANDY is infused with some serious dramatic segments that stun and impress in equal measure. Specifically watch out for Pamela Ralat, whose tearful and disturbing monologue towards the end of the performance is deeply touching. Each cast member inhabits a stereotype of sorts from the onset: Divas, Lovers, Pimps, Hotties all frolic in unison and this with other simple but effective theatrical tools adds to the complexity of this performance. The dance pieces themselves are beautiful, striking, and meaningful and range from sinewy ensemble numbers to sensual fits of fan kicks and cigarette holders.

EYE CANDY strips dating to its underwear and parades it before us in a way that is not only consistently entertaining but also introspective. It provokes, above all else, thought. Thoughts about body image, cruelty, love, compassion, lust, sex, drama, ambition, the superficial and the prophetic. And occasionally about how fat you are. Then again, there is always the Nobel Prize.

Back in the Saddle Again

It has been an awefully long time since I posted and I apologize. But my time has not been spent slacking off I assure you all.

Currently I am unemployed. Thank god that I have always had a knack for saving money. Even though I am entering a month of no work, I don’t mind. I do so willingly because I have been auditioning non-stop for the past several weeks and I love it!

My last few auditions have been nothing short of…entertaining.

The first one I went one was a general dance call for La Cage Aux Folles. Now here I am thinking, “there is nothing else going on, sure I can go out for a dance call, after all I’ve been in a modern show and I’m working on another piece now.” Yeah, not so much. You try dancing for two hours in characters shoes. I am, howver, proud that I managed to make it through the whole thing and didn’t screw up nearly as much as I thought I would. The director at least liked my character choice of the ‘Special’ dancer. I was give the compliment of “fierce” legs, something to be proud of. I have acquired a new respect for all those women out there who work the chorus. It is not an easy job.

Aside from submitting like a click happy fiend I have also gone on a few film/commercial auditions. This short film is being done by an NYU student. Now I know it’s a student film, but I figured it’s a good place to start building up film credits. The premise is very juvenile and unoriginal, a spoof on the Real World. Their special twist is a house full of famous literary characters. I auditioned for Hamlet..big stretch. But I know when I left that I nailed it. Sadly I will be unable to be a part of the piece because we’ll be out of town. VACATION! (But I did get called back)

This past week I auditioned for a Dunkin Donuts Commercial. I was first to arrive in the morning, so that means I was the first in and the first out. Such a breeze, not to mention fun! The idea is to show the world that DDs has coffee as well as tastey round pastries. And cheap good coffee at that. Where other places *cough, Starbucks, cough* coffee is looked at more like a status symbol, Dunkin Donuts is the working man’s joe. So there I am carrying on a phone conversation into a coffee cup as my audition. Ahh improv skills. I made them laugh as well. So again, who knows?

Finally, this afternoon I auditioned for a production of Twelfth Night for ACS. I have no idea what that stands for, but the talented and big-hearted Ed referred me to the company so a auditionin’ I went. It was in a very drafty and very cold church on Christopher street during a drizzly afternoon. So, when I got there I was somewhat chilled to the bone. I started out a little rough, but on my third read I made the director laugh and that is always a good thing. Laughter is such a powerful toxin.

The production is this summer in Jersey City, which means for me an hour and forty-five minute commute. Give or take a few minutes. But, it is with a company that comes highly recommended from someone I trust.
All in all, I am happily back in the auditioning game and loving every minute of it.