A Slice of Life

I have been SO slack in keeping up with this little blog. My apologies dear (non)readers. I have been busy though. I assure you. This has been a good month for auditions and projects on the Horizon.

Getting Even With Shakespeare is underway and I'm awaiting re-writes. We go back into rehearsals within the month and it should be one hell of a time. The official blurb for the NY Fringe: "Five tragic heroes walk into a bar...and they're pissed. When not dying nightly, Macbeth plays paintball, Juliet deals ecstasy and Lear (unsuccessfully) avoids storms. Enter a lawyer who proves the play is the thing to catch the Playwright King."

Most recently though A Slice of Life is finally finished and the final copy is in my greedy little hands. It's a cute short (20 minutes) about love and pizza. Filmed for NYFA by Louis Levy. Overall I'm really proud of my work in it. Although you can see some moments of me "acting." And I invite you all to point and laugh with me. But it's a really cute little story and great fodder for my reel.

The short took about a week to film with a few extra days for reshoots. We filmed in Oct and to be honest, I'm impressed with this turn around. Usually we're left waiting forever for copy, if we even receive one at all. So thank you Mr. Levy.

So I wont ramble too much, I know you're all anxiously anticipating. So here ya go...Enjoy!

A Slice of Life from Patrick Pizzolorusso on Vimeo.

Starring:
Patrick Pizzolorusso
Michele McNally
Massimo Di Giovanna
Neil Levin

Directed by Louis Levy

A story about Love and Pizza.

Auditions: The Acting Company

Mail outs Mail outs Mail outs!

They're so crucial but if you're like me you get so lazy that you dismiss anything that can't be submitted to online. Or you'll spend all day compiling a list of shows and people to send your info to and then one by one dismiss the likelihood of being cast in any of these projects.

I am forcing myself to stop that thinking. It's going to get me no where. So after some crazy times the past month or 2 I'm back in the swing of things. This is just to show you all proof that I am compiling mailouts. Sonnet Rep...CALL ME IN. Just saying.

Along with Mail outs, I've been keeping a close watch on the equity call list. I mean, I have my EMC card. I need to use it right? It doesn't mean I'll get an audition, but it's a foot in the door. (Just tell that to the Anne Frank audition last week)

Today however I am happy to say I woke up as early as I could and trudged down to equity for..no not the my fair lady audition. The Acting Company's audition. They're doing R&J and I believe the Tempest this season. I do love me some Shakespeare. I should have known it would go well. I bumped into fellow blogger/actor Sarah on the train downtown. And on line outside the building I bumped into a few other friends. Made some in the waiting room. By 10:40 I was done. Sure I was up at 6:30, but it's better than waiting around all freakin day.

The casting crew were very kind and asked for another piece. Always a good sign. It's as if they're thinking...."ok, we liked that, but what else can he do." So like all things...now we wait and see. I just hope I impressed them enough to call me in for a call back.

In other news Getting Even with Shakespeare is coming back! It's been accepted to the Fringe. I'll post more info as I get it. But upwards, eh? Ever Upwards. It's been a good week so far.

Back to the Grind

So I've been away for a little over a week and completely in la la land. I'm still catching up on sleep and trying to come down from a pretty good time away with friends and loved ones. So obviously I've not done much in the way of acting or updating this poor little blog here.

But I'm back.

And when I say I'm back..boy am I ever. This life never ends. Never stops. Taking time off you forget how truly on the go you always are in this field.

So I land back in NYC last Tuesday and sift through whatever emails i tagged for "important" while I was away. Right away I've been invited to the callbacks for Hudson Warehouse. A company I worked with this past summer on the West side. Out door summer theater under the stars. Gotta love it. I've worked with several companies similar to the Warehouse and they are the most organized not to mention their location is amazing. The Soldiers' and Sailors' monument on 89th and Riverside. Beautiful home for this company.

So I was called back for Mercutio and a part in Cyrano. Both I would give anything to be a part of. The chance to work on my sword play some more is a huge draw. In cyrano you know there is plenty of fighting. And Mercutio would just be a dream. I'd prefer him over Romeo. I think he is more interesting. But thats just my opinion. Both reads went really well. I know I got some good reactions from the gentlemen I was auditioning for. So now we play the waiting game and see what happens.

Along with callbacks, this weekend was also the first weekend of filming for a feature I've been cast in. Both Sat and Sunday were evening/night shoots. But nothing too late in the evening. My scene partner is wonderful. It's always a tricky thing when you meet the person thats supposed to be your girlfriend. It can be very awkward. But thankfully she is funny and talented and able to find the humor in the situation. And the rest of the cast is also very entertaining. Seriously, look out Friends, we're coming for you.

We basically used the script as an outline and improved our way through a dinner scene. I know in our heads it looked great. We'll see how it comes out on the screen. But so far so good.

And now I am back to the waiting game. Waiting on the Warehouse. Waiting for the next shooting schedule. And waiting on the next few auditions to show up.

Gotta love this life, eh?

Measure for Measure for Measure..

Thanks to the advice from many friends all over (including Sarah) I went ahead and auditioned yesterday. I wasn't sure if I should do it seeing as it conflicts with something else that is in the may/may not happen pile. But in the end it's always good to audition. It keeps your options open and it's great practice.

So the audition was for another production of Measure for Measure. This time up in Maine. And at a really nice space, paid. Who could ask for more? They are looking to stage it with an air of American Gothic, Tennessee Williams. I had just seen the Glass Menagerie and so the cadence was in my head. And of course I can't help but picture Kevin Spacey from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

So I go in and do a little puck. There is nothing like hearing "My mistress with a monster is in love" in that condescending southern accented attitude. Laughs right off the bat. I didn't get far till the director asked me to stop with plenty of compliments and gave me adjustments.

Did that adjustment just fine..here comes another. Perfect. Then the singing. We were asked to sing 16 bars of anything. I chose "Bring me Sunshine" By Willy Nelson. Yup...I listen to him. Then they asked for something more folky...Alice's restaurant. Which by the end the director had chimed in and finished off the chorus.

All in all it was a great audition! If i get it, great. If not oh well. It's one of those that you walk away knowing that you nailed it and if you don't get it, who cares. Just means I didn't fit the look. But damn I did good.

Now of course if IF i were to get cast there would be some decision making going on real fast. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

In other news, one of my auctions on ebay sold. Yay supplemental income.

Audition Thoughts, Dilema

So I have an audition tomorrow. Which is great. Yeah yeah, it's just an open call, but still. It's an audition. Should be fun. For a production of Measure for Measure up in Maine. Apparently thats the show of 2010. I just finished a small workshop production and a few dear friends of mine just ended a full fledged production. On top of the fact and I'm seeing little notices here and there.

I supposed it makes sense. It's got a lot of Shakespeare's top comedy and it's very relevant to today. Just interesting that one of his "lesser" plays is popping up all over lately.

So here is my Dilema. The audition tomorrow looks like a fun and new way of looking at the piece. Pays...woohoo. But it would conflict with another piece i have coming up that is near and dear to me. The piece coming up is not a definite. (But i don't see it not happening)

I just don't know if I should audition in the first place. Both are gambles of course. Now do I audition just to keep my skills sharp? See what happens? Make a decision later? Or do I not and bank on this other piece happening.

Anyone else ever encounter this? I'm sure there are a lot of stories like this. I left a production of Shrew 1/2 way because of a better gig. It was all arranged before hand and we all knew I couldn't do the whole run so we found a replacement. But still. ARG!

Reshoots..rescores! (or re-touches)

So I spent part of today, scratch that. The majority of today was spent doing reshoots for 'A Slice of Life.' The indy short I filmed this past October. It was actually nice to see everyone again and to step back into this character's shoes. He's a good sweet guy who is just in love. That's all. in love. And he's doing everything out of love. It's a very cute little short.

I did get to see a version of the film today for the first time. We are our own worst (best) judges. I feel like I'm doing a horrible DeNiro impression half the time. But some of the comic moments hit really well and I must say, I laughed a lot. It's a big deal if an actor can laugh at himself...when he's supposed to.

So hopefully soon I'll get a copy. If not of the finished version with all the new fancy cuts, but at least of whats been edited together so far.

And moving on, recently, much to the urging of my manager, friends, recent cast members, I got headshots taken with a beard:

From patrick faves

Mr. Kent Meister was kind enough to shoot around the Park Slope area and I am very pleased with the results. I'm still going through them and trying to figure out which one is my favorite. if you want to look through them all fill free to click on the link under the pic.

There are about 24 that i've narrowed it down to. The beard sure does something different to my face. I hate having it, but I like how I look with it. It may get me more varied work. Maybe I can play some evil villain. Or a lumberjack. Or Ryan's cousin on the Office.

Speaking of...anyone write for the Office? Put a word in. K. Thanks.

So the past few weeks have kept me busy with preparing for both shoots, getting ready for the bare Shakespeare benefit, and at the end of April some filming up in Vermont? New Hampshire? one of them. I think it's Vermont.

I'm liking all these film opportunities lately. Maybe I'll have a film career yet.

Oh yeah...pics please...let me know!

Hamlet Royal Rumble Fundraiser

This coming March 14...yes my Birthday for all of you wanting to send presents (checks please)...I'm going to performing in a fundraiser for the theatre company BareShakespeare.

The fundraiser is at Fontana's down on Eldridge street. We're doing all of Hamlet with some choice cuts of course. I get to play Laertes to Lila Smith's Polonius in one scene and a player in the next. The idea is for every scene to have different actors playing different parts. Should be more fun the more you drink.

So lets see, the show opens at 6 and there is a $10 cover to watch...it's a fundraiser, remember? But there is no drink minimum. Come for the bard. Stay for a drink...if you wish. And support a great little company that worries more about the words that Shakespeare wrote as opposed to what who is wearing and how are we going to get you to exit with a bear.

Lately i'm going from one classic to the next. I've gone from the Cherry Orchard (ahem) to Getting Even With Shakespeare (also..not quite a classic..but I'll let it slide) then to Measure for Measure with the Oxfordians, and now Hamlet! It's been a good start to 2010 so far...

..Despite the snow.