SAG please..

So here it is 2010 and I'm putting this out there into the universe. I hold in my happy hand 2 SAG waivers. All I need is my third and I'll be happy I tell ya. Happy. So Universe..to you I say:

I want my third Wavier SOON!

That is all.

Getting Even with Shakespeare

Hey folks, good news. 2010 is already looking to be a good year. Right before I went away for the holidays I auditions for a new piece called getting even with Shakespeare. And wouldn't you know it...cast! It's for a festival at Manhattan Rep. I normally steer away from festivals because you get 3, maybe 4 performances? But I really liked the concept, and it's Manhattan Rep. as part of their Winter 2010 festival.

So I auditioned and wouldn't you know it...Cast! As....MacBeth! Woohoo! So details about the show, eh?

Five Shakespearean tragic heroes are in a New York City bar...and they are pissed. According to the laws of metaphysics, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet are required to "attend" every performance of the shows that bear their names. When not reliving their horrible deaths on a nightly basis, the characters spend time at the bar where they drink away their sorrows, settle old scores, and partake in their favorite pastime - plotting revenge on Shakespeare, the man who put them in this very unenviable position. The characters’ four century old routine is thrown into flux when Matt, a 30 year old lawyer and unsuccessful college playwright, enters the bar with an idea that may finally allow them to get even.

Getting Even with Shakespeare has the courage to look beyond the Bard’s universally accepted status as “greatest playwright of all time” and reveals him as the bloodthirsty murderer of some of the world’s most beloved characters. Join us at Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s Winterfest 2010, for a play that proves that revenge is a dish best served cold (with a side of lightsaber duels, pig’s blood and an ecstasy dealing Juliet).

Performances are:

Wednesday, January 27 - 9:00pm

Thursday, January 28 - 9:00pm

Friday, January 29 - 9:00pm

at Manhattan Repertory Theatre

303 W. 42nd St (at 8th Ave), Third Floor, New York, NY

Click here for more info!

25 Cents for Love Shoot

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to shoot a piece written by me. Yes, written by me. I wrote a silent piece to help work on some clowning skills. As well this will be submitted to festivals.

The goal of this is to also foster a working relationship among my friends. It's more important than ever to create your own art now and I hope this will be step one towards that goal. I'm hoping this will become a group of artists who can pool eachother's talents for projects.

So 25 cents tells the story of a boy and girl who meet. Fall in love and of course the girl is taken away. Of course she realizes she doesn't have to put up with not having love in her life. Rejects this direction and goes back to the boy. All set to the beautiful fall background of Central Park.

I could not be happier with the day's events and the friends who came out to support and contribute their talent and time.

The cast includes:

Patrick Pizzolorusso

Sarah Jacobs

Madeline Burns

Matt Gray

Bryan Enk

Leah Dietrich

crew includes:

Pamela Ralat

Dan Brosnan

Samantha Mason

Gina Ferrante

I can't express how thankful I am to everyone. I also cannot wait for the final product which should be done within the next few weeks. Fingers crossed.

Beware. Explore Talet is scammy

So I know we're all signed up with all these different casting websites in order to get out there and book those auditions. Backstage still dominates in my book, but there are quite a few that I check. One that I've been a part of for a while is called Explore Talent.

It cost $30 something dollars every other month I think. Which isn't bad, but it's still money. I rarely use it. The site itself is a mess. It's poorly laid out and I have never gotten anything from it. This is one of those sites thats supposed to email you with possible roles that you match as well as automatically submit you for ones. it has never done that.

I should have cancelled my subscription a long time ago, but it fell through the cracks and I forgot about it. Out of the blue I get an email concerning my CC info. My card was declined because since the time of joining I've moved. So my billing address no longer matches. I'm not going to renew beacause honestly, it's a crap site.

But here is the kicker.

I get a call from a casting rep about a project with great money. Modelling for all these top name clothing companies. I'm pretty sure they already have their models. But I call anyway. Bear in mind this came to me the day after the email about my account lapsing. Hmmm

SO I give it a day, google the number. Lo and behold its for EXPLORE TALENT. Not a casting agent, EXPLORE TALENT. Hello scam to get people's money.

So I call. Cammie..(i think thats how it's spelled) went on and on about how great this project is and could pay up to $8,000. Woohoo. "Oh wait. it looks like your account needs to be updated. i'd love to submit you for this, but you'll have to pay the membership fees again. Would you like to? It'll be $49.95."

...

...

...

NO.

Click.

So quite the racket. All those people who don't renew must get this same call promising this amazing gig.

Hooked ya.

They call, pay whatever fees, supposedly submit and...nothing.

My advice to you all...don't use Explore Talent. It's just not good.

A slice of Life Filming

So filming has begun. Actually began on Tuesday, but I'm too tired when I get home to talk about it and somehow it's suddenly Thursday night. It's a great crew with some fun characters, but everyone seems to know what they're doing. My fellow actors also are right on the ball. Should look great when it's all done. Also...Red Camera. Yeah. Cool.

So here are some pictures. This is the outside of the Pizza place where my character works. Located down in the west village on Bank and 11th.

My beautiful co-actor Michele McNally's character, Lisa, lives here in this amazing Soho loft. Oh how I want to be rich and trendy sometimes. Lisa is the character that mine, Alex, is infatuated with. But the poor guy can only bring himself to smile when he sees her.

Here are some members of the crew shootin' the shit, waiting. So much light. And an odd amount of fedoras hanging randomly around the apartment.

So 3 days down 4 more to go. And then some fillers. I think we made some great headway today, so hopefully the next few days will fly by.

In other news, I'm part of a new Shakespeare company called BoAr. But something tells me it is not going to last long. I've already missed the first rehearsal and will be missing the second (this sunday). This was also the company that during my audition the guy in charge told me "Never look us in the eye. It's distracting." Excuse me? Never? Thats a bit rash, don't you think? Never? I am proud to say i flat out said, "well, its all preference really, and besides, you're my audience. Of course I'm going to look at you." They cast me anyway. Be even though I have yet to attend a rehearsal, I'm still on the fence. I'll let you know.

I much prefer Shakespeare Anywhere.....

I'm in a MOVIE!

Yes that's right. I'm in a film. I've had a slew of auditions lately. One I thought I was a shoe in for, yes didn't get cast. Which is interesting, I know a lot of the other folks who weren't cast ..(thank you for not BCCing your rejection email Ms. Casting director)..I stalked them all. A lot of people I've worked with before and are really quite good classically. So I feel less like poop than before.

But on the upsaide I'm in a film. I auditioned last Sunday and was told I'd be called back either Monday or Tuesday. I heard nothing so of course i wrote it off. I received a call from the director on Thursday saying he showed my tape to the producer and just like that...I got the part! Gotta love that.

The film is called "A slice of Life." I'll post more info as I get it. For now all I know I got is the part. And It's the lead. He's a Pizza delivery guy who falls for a regular customer. She is an up and coming Hollywood starlet and of course he doesn't know how to talk to her.

Let the fun begin!

Submissions...and stuff

I hate the term "submissions." I feel like it puts me (us all) in a subserviant position. As if we are offering ourselves up to the gods of casting. Going forward I think we should say that we sent our information off in order to grant a casting director permission to call us in. A little wordy, i know. I'll work on it. A colleaegue of mine suggested we just call them 'smiles.'

I kinda like that. For now..smiles.

So i sent some smiles off. I've started making it a weekly chore. I send out at least 2 smiles. I'm looking for an agent, who isn't. And i'm looking to be cast. Again, who isn't. I've actually gotten some great results from mail out. People say all the time, don't do mail outs. They're just wasted headshots. Thats partly true. But if you're submitting for a specific project or agent/casting director that you would really like to work with, then do it! I have this renewed faith in the US postal system.

I sent out a smile to low budget indie film. You kinda write it off but pat yourself on the back for having made it to the post office before 5. Well a few days later I recieved an email inviting me to come in for the audition. It works!

Mailing out smiles work!

Of course now we play the waiting game. But at least I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

Along with that, I also recently shot a music video for an emerging artist named Tinu. They needed sax players, and I figured why not. The video will be up and about sometime in mid October. I'll go ahead and post it when its live. But what an easy bit of cash. Go in, pretend to play, and leave. That simple. The song is ok, but I'm sure you'll all make fun of it when you hear it.