Photo A Day 201 - 295

Playing catch-up with my photo a day project. But here we go. I have OH so many to add tonight while watching these debates.


201. One of my first paychecks from Disney for work with them. I have  habit of taking pictures of pay checks. Is this just me? Is this normal?

202. Wandering through Murray Hill after meeting some friends and this little guy was just sorta sitting there. I have a love of gargoyles. Maybe from the cartoon. Maybe from the Dakota. I don't know. But this guy just looked like he needed his picture taken.

203. Union Square's restaurant and playground are now open!

204. Test lighting of the Tardis model. So far so good!

205. Another gloomy summer day in NYC. The rain has been on and off. (They're not all winners folks.)

206. Unlike the day before. Here is a clear night out on the bay. Lower Manhattan twinkling in the waves.

207.  YARR! Jenelle Sosa this is for you.

208. Sebastian. The best cat. I will not hear otherwise....

...Ever. (Not a fan of being woken up from mid day naps.)

209. Beautiful Moon. But blurry photo. Oh well.

210. Dr. Mewho? That's a stretch. But here is a scale pic for people to see. Granted my cat is 20 lbs. Nope. not a typo. 20.

211. Just your typical Greek pride parade in Astoria. They pop up on ya sometimes without any notice.

212. A day after the the wake of my Dear Dear passed on Grandfather and his name is everywhere. Gerard.

213. I miss you Grandpa. And always will. Thank you for the crazy. No go make Grandma laugh.

214. Childhood home out on Long Island.

215. I have no idea what this means. I thought it was some inspirational message. But it is in fact a sign for a business. But I guess deal IS meal. Depending on who you ask.

216. Rehearsals begin for the next project post pirate. Up in Scarborough. 

217.  I really don't get tired of seeing this clock. So many people rush past it every day but it stops me for just a second every time I see it.

218. Sunset over the RFK Bridge from the Astoria Blvd. Subway platform.

219. Behold the power of the Tardis!

220. I know they're always there. And these days more so than ever. But still. I don't like seeing them.

221.  The biggest Starbucks. I actually had to walk out of here. It was too big. I felt like I was in a cafeteria.

222. Just a fitting. No big.

223. Subway Entrance on...78th? I think. As far as I know it's newish. But I haven't been to this stop in a while. Either way, it's awesomely modern.

224. Not the best. But the view of the RFK lit up at night. Guess I like this view.

225. My street. Late at night. Am I the only one who walks down the center of the street late at night?

226. SPIDERS! HUGE SPIDERS. Oh yeah, and Yay BBC.

227. This is complete BS. Utter and total BS!

228. Manager in the trades!

229. Rehearsal for Madame Tellier's Establishment! You missed corsets. Yup. You did.

230. I actually don't know what this is. It's a wood model of the facade of some building. It's located in the DnD on 15th by Union Squ.

231. This is a church. Or the front of a church. Or perhaps the skinniest church in the city?

232. The distant view of the skyline from the subway platform.

233.  Subway platform in the early morning light.

234. The sun setting over the RFK from my platform. Headed to rehearsal.

235. Apparently obsessed with the sunset. Or I'm just always leaving at the same time. The rest of the world ends their days and I start mine.

236. The best Italian pastries in the city. I attribute it to the fact that they've been here for so long.

237.  Our dungeon of a space to perform in within the bowels of Theater for the New City.

238. My ever so cluttered work space. Inspiration behind everything.

239. Ok. So call me crazy. But this is a frozen margarita inside a Dos Equis. Go on, try it.

240. I will repeat, I have the most amazing cat ever.

241.  Sadly, Colony Music is closing down. I'm not a singer. nor am I the biggest fan of musical theater. But I've gotten many a pile of sheet music from there through the years. Along with scoping out their collection of Beatles memorabilia.

242. Working out! I still hate running.

HATE HATE HATE running.

243. Working on my next project. For my dad for Christmas. I'm hoping this little guy will end up a miniature flux capacitor.

244. Arc Reactor! We're getting there. Just a few more slight adjustments.

245. More of the Arc. It's really little adjustments every day.

246. This. Is a playground. On a roof.  ON A ROOF! It's also attached to a school. But imagine living there?

247. Awaiting the start of the talented Darlene Hope's new show!

248. More of my Arc reactor. Halloween costume coming along!

249.  I truly love the gloomy foggy NY days. 

250. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!

251. Kristin's Wedding. Some things you just wouldn't miss for the world.

252. Ditmars

253. Sebastian. The King of cats. Take that Tybalt. 

254. And another. For good measure.

255.  September 11, 2012. A view of the Freedom Tower.

256. Just Phuket

257. Halloween costume almost 100%. And a month and a half before Halloween.

258. I would love to paint this white with a red top and the Warner Brothers Logo on the side. Who's with me in the middle of the night?

259. The LIRR at Woodside. A bit quicker than leaving from PENN Station.

260. Say hello sister. Helping her move into her new house.

261. The Art Deco underground of the Chrysler Building.

262.  And today I give you the grey lady herself.

263. So this happened. A bit too much. And a bit too wet.

264. I'm a bit out of words for this. Dapper poopers? Why are they wearing hats?

265. Completely unrecognizable set from holding. Looking through the trees at the giant light balloons.

266. Some days are made for beer outside. Especially days so hot to melt a candle.

267. Good morning my dear friend. Some days don't feel right unless you see certain aspects of the skyline.

268. An amazing telescoping camera. It can pretty much go anywhere and get anything.

269. One of the greatest movies and one of the greatest cast. Miss Kahn how I still have a crush on you.

270. I mean the little guy is handsome. But more so, he ENJOYS sleeping in his carrier. For a beast, that makes things easier when he has to get a check up.

271. I cannot look at these now without thinking they're really space ships. Hollywood has a habit of ruining(?) things.

272. This was hanging from the ceiling of the subway platform. I'm not really sure who this is keeping from walking there.

273. His and Hers...

274. This is one of those only in NY type things. Covered in pigeons. And tourists were posing with him with pigeons on them as well. What is wrong with tourists?

275. Pretty sure this was refitted to be a...monster truck car? 

276. Part of the skyline from Union Square south looking North...

277. Watching the debate and my President doing thankfully well!

278. The hall of SNL studios!

279. Samantha!  It's a Lily-like!

280. Paramount Studios! Check #1.

281.  I know this is being touchy. But the sight of these so low to the ground always make me stop and look and hold my breath for just a moment.

282.  One of the only reasons I would get an iphone would be for all the cases. But happily, I'll stick with my Galaxy.  Still...carbonite...

283.  Pacino shirt. I feel like this is a step down from Hawaiian shirts. And I love Hawaiian shirts.

284. For scale I tried to get the leaf in there. But this spider is enormous. Any minute John Goodman could have walked around the corner with poison spray.

285. One of the generators outside the tents. Couldn't help but snap a pic of the logo.

286. Fist official check from SNL! Honestly it's a damn good feeling.  Damn good. And to be there. On that set!

287.  Scouting places and neighborhoods in Brooklyn and stumbled upon this amazing needed margarita.

I can't get me enough lime.

288. Halloween Costume sneak peak. Looks good finished and under a shirt, right?

289.  Another cat photo. Go on, laugh. But this one was so bizarre. I have no idea what he's memorized over. We know he likes food. But this..?

290. Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law I now have a pencil sharpener from the first film. Which sets off my proton pack nicely.

291. Wing-Man Starring Mark Gindick at the United Solo Theater Festival.

292.  Off to SNL again for another weekend's worth of work.

293.  Already setting up for Christmas and the holidays. Lights being strung on the trees.

294. Sitting and waiting for the thumbs up or thumbs down for the skit I'm in.

Update: Thumbs down. How sad.

295. And people ask me why I just don't buy a chest piece instead of making it.  $170 something dollars? Thank you very much.

AEA Membership Meeting Guest Post by Darlene Hope

It's been a while since I posted. I know. I have a huge backlog of pics to add to this site for sure. That might be today's project later on. First, however, I wanted to pass along my very first guest blogger!  Darlene Hope (follow her on twitter) is a dear dear friend of mine and exceptionally talented. This past Friday was a membership meeting at AEA here on the East coast concerning Equity monitors and the state of Equity auditions.  I was unable to attend the meeting since I was in Connecticut at an audition (that I didn't book, le sigh). Darlene was there and was kind enough to write this up.  So here are the words of the amazing Darlene Hope.






"So FridayI attended the Actors Equity Membership Meeting to support our amazing volunteer EPA & ECC audition monitors. For those of you who are not aware, due to some unexplained legal snaffoo, the volunteer audition monitors that we have enjoyed must now be immediately replaced with paid staff. Equity made the decision to begin recruiting publicly for these positions...which pay a whopping $8.25 an hour. They did this without informing members of the change. What this means for members is that a new force of potentially non-union, non-industry, minimum wage workers will begin running all of our union auditions beginning in November. I was able to be one of many speakers on this subject yesterday at the meeting to hopefully show how devastating & poorly executed this decision was. My statement was not prepared, but it was heartfelt & honest. As an actor whose agent closed his doors during this recession, I have been almost entirely dependent on the EPA/ECC auditions to be seen by casting directors & theaters.  And although its not an ideal process, I've almost been cast in Broadway shows because of it. When you work it, this system works. But when you throw personnel into the mix who will potentially be the equivalent to fast food employees, and who potentially have no investment in the success of these calls, nor any knowledge of their value, then it could be devastating to actors like me, who are attempting to get jobs. I tried to relay how disappointed I was that our elected representatives did not communicate to members what was happening, nor did they aptly consider the ramifications of their hasty decisions on the members. Thankfully, my comments were heard, and questions were somewhat vaguely answered...which means a lot. But in going away, I still felt as if the elected Eastern Regional leadership still didn't "GET" how this change will effect the EPA/ECCs. And furthermore, I was not confident that the willingness was there to "GET" it at all. The atmosphere felt much more like that of a union/producer negotiation, than that of a union membership meeting. Aren't we all still supposed to be on the same side?? 

For those of you who were unable to attend, this membership meeting was the most largely attended in recent memory because of this issue. It matters! Sometime soon work will begin on a motion to update an Equity policy change so that our current volunteer member monitors will be able to continue in their role. As it is, most of them cannot because of a policy set in the 70s that "staff" may not audition for roles, serve on committees, etc, and they may not return to their positions should they book acting work. Thus, monitors must give up their careers as actors, and active union memberships in order to work. This is absurd!! This policy needs to change so that our current volunteer member monitors can continue the loyal stewardship that they love doing. As you hear about these upcoming petitions & policy changes, please pay attention & participate. Lets preserve the union audition process. Lets not increase the handicap that actors without representation face. Lets not change the "face" of our union to casting directors, producers, and theaters to some McMonitor who is non-union!!!"

I cannot thank Darlene enough for going to this meeting and for reporting back. It's an interesting state of affairs. I would also like to add that this decision not only effects we union members, but it effects all non-union who are the future of any union. These monitors who donate their time are also donating their knowledge. Many of which have been a part of the union and working within it for many many years. That's such an amazing resource for any actor. I know personally, when I was non-union, I annoyed the hell out of these monitors by asking so many questions. I'm sure I walked away with them thinking..."they let anybody into these things, don't they." In reality they were all too happy to help me out. And They have always been a positive boost before any audition offering encouragement and a smile.

One of our greatest resources before walking in that audition room is about to be taken away. 

Brantford Film Festival!

I cannot be more excited to share the news that 25 Cents for love has been accepted into another festival and was chosen as one of their Official Selections! This November 1st through the 3rd our little film will be screened in Brantford, Ontario! Now we're officially an international touring film. 

Congratulations to all who worked on this film and helped us get this far!

Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway

I've gotten my first email question!
Break out the bubbly, friends. This is cause for a celebration!

Patrick,

  Hello person I feel like I know because I keep up with your blog. First time writer, long time reader here.

  I'm new to the city. I've recently moved here from L.A. where I'm sure you know it's a much different beast. After working in L.A. for a few years I've decided to make the reverse trek that everyone else apparently does. NY has a booming film industry as well as theater. I want to get back to my theater training a bit and stretch those muscles while also working with my agent to hopefully work my way into one of the many television shows filmed here.  My question to you, that I'm finding it hard to get answered is about Broadway and specifically Off-Broadway.  I'm pretty well versed in film. But when it comes to stage I'm at a bit of a loss. I've seen a lot of auditions for Broadway shows, but I've also seen a lot that say Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. What is the distinction? And is there one that is beneficial over the other?

  Any help would be so very kind!

Justin

Justin!
GREAT QUESTION! And it's one that causes a lot of confusion and contention among theater artists.

Hello new friend!  I chose to answer this in a blog format as opposed to a direct email because, well...you're my first write in question!
Exciting...no? Imagine I've just thrown confetti at you and I'm apologizing for getting it right in your eye.

There are so many terms thrown around there every day that its hard to sift through and find out whats real and whats not. Basic rule of thumb is size of the house. How many seats. That basically defines what code it falls under. That's not all encompassing, but it's close.

We'll start off with the easy one:

OFF-OFF-BROADWAY.  
This really refers to any small theater. 99 seats or less. In reality there is no such thing as OffOff. It's just a designation for the smaller houses and non-union theater. Indie theater, Downtown theater, Independent Theater; these are better names for this type of theater. Small houses, many of which are in the 60-seat range. The majority of actors are non-union or AEA working under the AEA-Showcase code. (Basically allowing actors to work on non-union shows.) Doing a showcase will not garner you an equity card. It will not give you points. (If that's what you're looking for) But it is usually some of the most rewarding work. It's where we can be the most experimental. Imagine the work you did in college in your studio class, just now with an audience. Most actors out of school, or just moving from another region will find work here. It's how we grow and learn

BROADWAY
I think this is the second easiest.  You know when you're auditioning if this is going to be a in one of the big Broadway houses or not. In the breakdown it'll say who's producing it and what theater it's going to be in. Along with the type of call itself. Be it an audition for a principle or a chorus. The notice will say Longacre Theater, or Minskoff. Or it's an audition for a show currently running on Broadway and they're looking for replacements or understudies for down the line. The notice itself will say at the bottom what contract it falls under, LORT, LOA, LOA-NYC. These are just the different types of AEA agreements out there.  A break down of these contracts can be found on Equity's site, HERE.


Now for the 3rd kind.
OFF-BROADWAY
This one I feel is the source of most contention and issues. It seems like everyone claims their project to be "OFF-BROADWAY." I recently went to a seminar lead by Lisa Gold where an actor got up and was asking about how he could better market himself since moving (just like you) from L.A. to NYC. He said he's had some success booking roles but not as much as he would like. He said he had done some OFF-BROADWAY, but wanted to do bigger things and hopefully television. Lisa's first question was, "Are you Equity?" To which he replied, "No." "Then you didn't do anything OFF-BROADWAY."

If something is OFF-BROADWAY then it is a show covered under AEA. You'll sign a contract. It will have a specific length of time for it's run. And the house? Will have at least 100-499 seats. It's based on the seating capacity of the theater. Along with seating capacity, it's based on the specific play, musical, show..etc. It must adhere to the correct AEA agreement.

Now at one point the theater in question had to be within a certain proximity to the theater district. It has since been revised and includes almost any theater with a capacity of 100-499. Beyond 499 and it becomes a different agreement. One of the bigger contracts.  A list of OFF-BROADWAY theaters can be found HERE. If there is ever any doubt, here is the link to Equity's info on OFF-BROADWAY. This
breaks it down quite nicely.

And at the end of the day, if you're signing a contract it's either a BROADWAY or an OFF-BROADWAY production. If there is no contract then it's a non-union production, or a showcase with AEA actors in it.

One is not better than the other. But it's important to know what you're getting into. Most casting directors also know which shows are OB and which are not. So make sure your resume is accurate. You don't want to be called out on it, like the actor in Lisa Gold's seminar.

I hope this was helpful! And I hope other people find this equally useful. It's always a good idea to read everything and know exactly what you're getting into.