Friday, November 10, 2006

Day Trippin'


It turns out I'm directing myself in
"Giving Thanks."

Surprise!

Well, it was to me, anyway.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

At the Second Stage, Again (and Again)

Following close on the heels of the specfreakingtacular success of "The Second Best Sketch Comedy Show Ever!", I'll be appearing in two evenings of improv (with some scripted material sprinkled in.

I'll also be making my directorial debut with "The Daytripper," part of the annual holiday show "Giving Thanks."

Be amazed by my diverse talents, or leave feeling better about yourself by comparison. Either way, you win!

Improv: Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, 8:30 p.m., $10
Giving Thanks: Nov. 11, 18, 25, and Dec. 9., 8 p.m., $15

The Second Stage
431 N. Brookhurst, Suite 140
Anaheim, CA

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Second Chance at "Second Best"

The original cast of "The Second Best Sketch Comedy Show Ever!" (which I perform in and cowrote) is reuniting for a special command performance 8 p.m. Saturday at the Next Stage, 1523 N. La Brea, Second Floor, Hollywood, California. (323) 850-7827. This is your last opportunity to see it. We mean it this time. If you don't go, you'll regret it for the rest of your miserable little life. And I say that with love.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Second Best Slide Show Ever


"The Second Best Sketch Comedy Show Ever!" has played to capacity crowds and smashed box office records at the Second Stage. OK, that's not quite like playing to capacity crowds at the Pantages, but it's something. And it's even more remarkable considering my legions of faithful friends who haven't shown up in droves. Oh, well, there's always Mom, even if she was convinced I was making some kind of statement in the "Frat Mom" sketch, which I didn't even write or cast myself in. Anyway, for the rest of you who can't be bothered to show up, here are some slides from opening night, if clicking isn't too much trouble for you.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Character/Sketches

It's not a sure thing, but I may have a chance soon to direct a play of my choosing. It would probably be a classical piece (that is, pre-1923) so royalties wouldn't be an issue. Of course I'd want to put myself in a major role, but therein lies the rub. How can I be sure I haven't miscast myself before it's too late? Usually when I'm acting, I have the comforting thought that someone else thought I was appropriate for the part (and I try not to think about the dozen more-appropriate people who might have turned down the gig). But to rely on nothing but my own judgment and talent is an entirely different matter. Here are some characters I may be inappropriate for: Lear (too young), Cleopatra (too male), and Othello (too white). But I could use some help coming up with the perfect part. While you're puzzling over that, remember that I'll be appearing in "The Second Best Sketch Comedy Show Ever!" (co-written by me), Fridays at 8 p.m., Sept. 15 - Oct. 6, Second Stage at El Ranch Plaza, 431 N. Brookhurst, Suite 140, Anaheim, Calif. Admission $15 cash at the door.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Short Stuff


I'm still tall, it's the pictures that got short. I'm in Convicted for Life, screening September 10 at the Arclight as part of the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. It'll just be you, me, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark.

Breaking News Extra: Our stage show now has a name: The Second Best Sketch Comedy Show Ever. (If it were the best, we'd have to charge more.)

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Spontaneity: Plan on It

I'll be part of the "Improv Extravaganza" at the Second Stage, 531 N. Brookhurst, Anaheim, 8:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 18. Admission is $10 cash, or mention my name and get charged double.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Something Sketchy

I'm a cowriter and featured performer in an upcoming sketch comedy show. We don't have a title yet, but we do have outrageous characters and incredible situations that will have you laughing till you stop, so I encourage my reader (hi, Mom) to make reservations now (or just show up).

The Second Stage
El Rancho Plaza #140
531 N. Brookhurst
Anaheim, Calif.
(714) 502-2249

September 15, 22, and 29 and October 6 at 8 p.m., or whenever we get our heads together. Admission is a measly $15, cash at the door.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Who's the Boss?

I'm the boss. Well, I got to act like one, anyway. Over the weekend I worked on an independent short, playing the protagonist's disagreeable employer. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to tell other people what to do. Even though there was no chance of him actually doing it, there was something kind of satisfying about it. Maybe I should consider directing.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Back to Berubia

I'll be performing with the Berubian All-Stars of Improv again, this Friday at 8ish. A good time is guaranteed to be had by me. Tickets are normally $12, but mention my name and they'll let you in for $24.95.

Second Stage Theatre
El Rancho Plaza
431 N. Brookhurst, Suite 140
Anaheim, California
(714) 502-2249

Friday, June 16, 2006

I Put the 'Ear' in 'RehEarsal'

I gaze achingly, hungrily, longingly at her until my passion overwhelms me and I seize her, press my body against hers and plant a wet, passionate kiss on her... yep, her ear. Who knew she was going to move her head just then? Oh, well. One more week to get it right.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Living Beyond My Means

My beautiful, auburn-haired wife and I spent a few hours in Hancock Park today, looking at multimillion-dollar homes in which we might spend the rest of our lives together. In my dreams? No, in the short film I mentioned a couple of paragraphs down. If only life could be more like the movies (the ones where I don't get shot). Oh, well, it was a fun shoot working with cool people and I got to feel successful for a weekend, anyway, even if my character was a bit dorky. (Obviously the filmmakers decided it would be interesting to cast against type!)

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

New Flyer, New Date, New Time


Click the thumbnail to view the new, more-informative, less-scandalous art for Shakespeare's Italian Lovers. We have just scheduled a third performance. Because of the limited run and, uh, intimate nature of the space, reservations are strongly suggested.

June 23 (Friday) & 24 (Saturday) @ 8 p.m.
June 25 (Sunday) @ 3 p.m.
Actors Art Theatre, 6128 Wilshire Blvd. #110, LA 90048
323-969-4953

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Hate, Eat, Love

Yesterday morning I auditioned for a part in an indie horror film, an unloving and unlovable misfit. I'm not sure who or what the killer is, but he'd be high on my list of suspects. Apparently I was good (bad?) enough to merit a call-back later the same day to read with some other actors. Then I had to rush from Huntington Beach to the Miracle Mile for a read-through. When I arrived I was in no state of mind for romantic comedy, but that was fine, because our Italian-American director started us off with a delicious Italian feast, wine included, that put us all in the mood to have a few laughs and pitch some woo. Looks like a good cast, and all the scenes are funny. That Shakespeare could write. You can quote me.

Friday, June 02, 2006

That's Amore!

I'm one of Shakespeare's Italian Lovers, but that's not me on the promotional material. Looks like I need to get in shape. And we might need a bigger flag.

8 p.m. June 23rd & June 24th (Friday & Saturday)
Actors Art Theatre
6128 Wilshire Blvd. #110, Los Angeles, CA 90048

323.969.4953

Thursday, June 01, 2006

There Are Some Who Call Me... Tim?

I've been cast as Tim in a short film with the working title of Ben & Benny. Something tells me I won't be getting top billing on this one, but it should be fun.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Benediction

I had a couple of auditions this weekend, one of which involved Benedick and Beatrice confessing their love to each other. I have to admit there was a little wish-fulfillment involved there. In fact, my biggest concern with my performance was that I might have been smiling too much. But the director has scheduled me for a callback, so I guess I didn't stink up the stage too much.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Holy Smokes!


I appear as a cigarette-puffing messiah in Second Time's the Charm, part of the Spring 2006 Filmmakers Showcase at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center (pictured) in Long Beach, May 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets ($6 to $8) available at the box office.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Much Adieu

This weekend we gave the opening and closing performance of Much Ado About Nothing. How’s that for efficiency? It was the climax to a tragicomedy that began five months ago with my nearly killing myself to get to the audition, included several shocking twists, spawned a spin-off act, and ended with a lightly attended show that was twice disrupted by an angry downstairs neighbor hammering on a pipe. In between we had rehearsals in cold, rain, and gloom of night. If we had opened when and where we had planned it could have been a great success. This cast had the talent and drive to make wonderful things happen. But as we moved from one venue to another uncertain if and when the show would ever open, and the director become increasingly embroiled in permit struggles with the county government, I think we lost some of the spark. Add to that the difficulty of working in a space about a third of the size of the one the show was originally blocked and rehearsed in, and you end up with a show that just wasn’t all it should have been. The few people who did see the first and final official performance said they really enjoyed it, but I feel we actually gave our best performances weeks ago, around the time of our originally schedule opening, in our final rehearsals on the company's own stage. With time in the new space we probably could have recaptured the magic, but poor attendance did us in. That could be accounted for by the fact that the ticket price was too high, there was no street-level advertising, the promotional materials had the wrong phone number, there were no listings in the LA Weekly or LA Times, people we had personally invited were repeatedly uninvited…. well, none of it really matters now. Although it didn’t end at all the way I wanted it to, it was an amazing experience. I hope I’ll be seeing more of some of the cast, but in any case I feel fortunate to have worked with such a talented, warm, and dedicated group of people, even too briefly. Sixteen actors without a flake or prima donna in the bunch? What are the odds? And fun—oh, yeah, you bet we had some fun along the way. And I learned a lot about how to put on a show, and how not to put on a show, and acting, and Shakespeare, and life in general. So with dozens of rehearsals, one performance, several cast parties and some tearful goodbyes behind me, I look forward to the next adventure.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Big Audition/Improv de Mayo

1) Last night I saw “The Big Audition” at the Second Stage in Anaheim, which features a few actors I've worked with before. Funny stuff and highly interactive. It begins as soon as you enter the theatre and continues through intermission, with the cast mingling with the audience and staying in character the whole time. In the second act they dragged several audience members on stage to "audition" for roles. Of course everything was exaggerated for comic effect, yet it was painfully reminiscent of a few auditions I've participated in. The two-person monologue was a definite high/low point. It plays three more Thursdays. Check it out.

2) About two hours ago I found out I'm going to be doing some improv TONIGHT:
* Berubian All-Stars
* Second Stage Theatre
* 431 N. Brookhurst, Ste. 140
* Anaheim, Calif.
* Admission: US$10
Plaza Garibaldi across the street has delicioso Mexican food, live music, and a dance floor.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Back to the Bash


I just saw a report on the Bard's Birthday Bash from the talented guy who provided my theme music by means of a one-man electronic orchestra. OK, that wasn't his primary function, but this is my blog, after all. His blog is mostly about his experiences (well, duh), but it does give an overall impression of the event and includes this photo of my backside, which you should be able to see next to this post.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Pistol-Whipping and Other Fun

I had a good audition Friday. I mean, I don't know how it looked to the director, but it felt natural, and I was confident, energetic, and fully present, and for once I didn't stress out thinking about it afterward. I'd like to say that's because I've matured as an actor, but it's probably just because I was too busy stressing about my MC gig that night, hosting a 3 1/2-hour pseudo-Elizabethan variety show. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I learned a few things that could come in handy the next time I'm asked to host a 3 1/2-hour pseudo-Elizabethan variety show. Saturday I worked on an independent film in which I got to be smug and condescending—at least until the pistol-whipping started. Today was another rehearsal for Much Ado—three weeks until the long-awaited opening!

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Monkey-Shining

I went to the Second Stage last night to see a show called “The Monkey Shiners,” featuring some Hitchhiker's alums (Davian and Andrew, among others.) Before I knew what was going on, they had me up on stage playing games with them. I ended up creating three characters: Clueless-Panicky Guy, Overacting Guy, and Sexually Frustrated Guy. Really, where do I come up with this stuff? My favorite line of the evening (not spoken by my): “Quakers! I see Quakers!” I guess you had to be there. I enjoyed watching the show, but I enjoyed being in it even more. Thanks, guys!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Action!

I've just started work on a short film. My character is described in the script as “sarcastic,” so people who know me know what a stretch it is for me. He's a director, which means I got to shout “action” and “cut” a lot. The real filmmaker is alarmingly young, but he's already got one credit to his name on IMDb, so I've got reason to believe an actual film will result from the experience.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Bushlander vs. the Bard


I'm to go toe-to-toe with Big Willie Shakespeare in the next couple of months. First, there's the Bard's Bawdy Birthday Bash, April 21 at the Knightsbridge Theatre (1944 Riverside Dr., Los Angeles.) My stage partner, Nic Anthony, and I will be committing sketch comedy, improvisation, and perhaps some song-and-dance throughout the evening. The lineup also includes swordfighters, musicians, and other sundry entertainers. Admission is $15 at the door or a meagre $10 if you make reservations by April 17 (E-mail BardBashGuestList@yahoo.com) and includes the show, hor d'ouvres, and a raffle ticket. Beverages and additional food will be available for a pittance.

The Los Angeles Shakespeare Company's much-anticipated Much Ado About Nothing, with yours truly as Dogberry and Nic as Verges, is now on track to open at another location on May 13 and continue through June 18, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m., excluding Memorial Day weekend. More details will be forthcoming.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Happy Birthday to Thee....

It looks like I will be performing at the Bard's Bawdy Birthday Bash. More as the story develops!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Ridi pagliacco

I am a sad clown. After weeks of long, tiring, but satisfying rehearsals with a terrific cast and director, the excitement building as opening day grew closer, everything's come to a halt. The streets of Messina are empty, Dogberry is speechless, and there's no ado about anything. The permit still hasn't been issued, and instead of coming together for our third performance this Saturday, we'll be be assembling for what could be our last cast meeting. With all the anxiety that precedes an opening you'd think there'd be a corresponding sense of relief when it's canceled, but it doesn't work that way. There's disappointment, of course, but it's more than that - loss, regret, disorientation. On the other hand, we could find a way to put on a show after all and salvage some of the run. A lot of good, talented people put effort and resources into making this a great show, some much more than I, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. Maybe we'll find another space, or get an 11th-hour reprieve or something. We just want to make people laugh. Is that so wrong?

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Much Ado About... Nothing?


In the fine tradition of Elizabethan theatre, the Los Angeles County Master of Revels has banned this weekend's performance on account of lewdness or the plague or something. OK, actually it has to do with a conditional use permit that wasn't processed correctly, I think. I'll keep you all posted. In the meantime, here's my chin with a couple of friends, Meegs and Wendibus, whom I met long ago at the Second City Immersion Workshop. Meegs is now in the conservatory program in Chicago, improv capital of the universe (with apologies to the fine improvisators of Alpha Centauri), and was visiting li'l ol' L.A. for the weekend.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Much Ado About Dogberry


Truly, I've been much adoing and not much blogging lately. Last week I was in two student films, one of which answered the question, "What would Jesus smoke?" I played a cigarrete-puffing, sunglasses-wearing Messiah in a film that dealt with the Second Coming, and the director asked me what brand I wanted. Naturally, I chose Camels. (Kids: Jesus probably wouldn't want you to smoke.) But mostly I've been thinking about my upcoming role in Much Ado About Nothing. Now, I tend to view myself as the princely or at least lordly type, but for some reason the director seemed to see me as the clown, so who am I to disagree? Besides, I really wanted to be in this production, so I agreed even though I had reservations about the part. One of the first people I told about this said, "You lucky bastard! That's one of Shakespeare's best roles!" I might still choose Hamlet, Macbeth, Iago, or a number of others, if anyone were offering, but I've come to respect the Dog a bit more than I did. Early on, Verges and I were running lines and drinking Margaritas at Abuelita's when a guy at another table started speaking my part. I asked him when he had played the master constable and he said he hadn't but he'd always wanted to. Instead, he had played Benedick—the male romantic lead. One friend, whom I told that I hadn't pictured myself as this character before, said I'd make a great Dogberry (uh... thanks?), although I could never top Michael Keaton (thanks again). Where would we be without our friends? But I have to try not to think about M.K., or William Kemp or any of the thousands upon thousands of other Dogberrys before me, and just go out there and be my own ass—the biggest, baddest, loudest ass I can be. Yes, the director encouraged me to go over the top, so I've been pushing a little further with each rehearsal, expecting him eventually to ask me to tone it down a notch. Hasn't happened yet.

"Do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an ass."

Time: Saturday & Sunday @ 1 p.m.
Place: Los Angeles Shakespeare Co., 1909 Topanga Cyn Blvd., Topanga, Calif.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Something About My Ass

In Friday's improv show, we did a game called "Late for Work," in which I played an employee trying to explain to my boss why I was late. The catch was that I was the only person in the theater who didn't know the reason, which was based on suggestions from the audience. Fortunately, I had two helpful coworkers standing behind the boss, acting it out. I figured out fairly early on that my anal region was involved somehow, but for some reason it took me a few dozen wild guesses to figure out that I had stopped off for an enema. (Again, these suggestions come from the audience, so don't blame me.) Backstage, I commented that I didn't think I had ever said the word "ass" in front of my parents before, and I had just said it 50 times in the space of two minutes. My director then told me it was my mother who suggested that the bag had burst. Coincidentally, I will also say "ass" several times in "Much Ado About Nothing," but that's different because it's Shakespeare.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Phoning It In

Last night I had my first audition by phone. I was up for a brief voice-over in a short film. The director was supposed to call me and listen to me read the sides, but somehow I never got the sides, so he explained the scenario to me and asked me to improv something, which I did. There was a moment of silence, during which I thought, well, that's that; I'll never hear from him again. Then he said something to the effect o, that was almost exactly what he had in mind when he wrote it. Then he asked me to try another part, and I did, and he said that was maybe even better than what he wrote. So he called me back later that night and offered me an on-camera role. On a related note, tomorrow night at 8 I perform improv with the Berubians at The Second Stage, 431 N. Brookhurst, Anaheim, Calif. What's a Berubian? Come learn the terrifying answer for only $10.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Feeblebrox

As an actor who takes responsibility seriously, I would never show up on the night of a performance under the influence of opiates, at least without letting my director and fellow cast members know. At the start of last Wednesday's improv workshop, the leader told us not to be afraid to leave the stage for a moment and come back when it served the scene. I eagerly volunteered for the first exercise and soon put his advice into action, only to discover that someone, whom I will call F.N. Idiot, had placed a 2x2x2-foot wooden cube directly behind the blackout curtain at the exit I had chosen. I'll just lie here in agony for a few minutes and go back out when I'm ready, I thought to myself, but soon I heard someon calling my character's name, so I gamely and lamely staggered back on stage and sat down. I could hear people talking to me, but couldn't understand what they were saying. As a master of improv, I covered by saying, "I can hear you talking to me, but I can't understand what you're saying." After the scene, I limped off stage, feeling a sense of accomplishment for having completed the exercise. Fearless Leader then stood up in front of the assembly and said, "That was horrible!", stretching the third word out for about five seconds and making a face as if he had just mistaken a cat turd for Almond Roca. At that moment, I learned that harsh criticism, even from a mentor, is not the most painful thing in the world. Compared to a knee injury, it hardly rates. Wounded yet somehow less vulnerable than before, I made my way through another exercise that night. Some people thought the limp was an affectation, but the more observant were beginning to suspect something was seriously wrong. I was still in denial myself, and got up again for the final exercise of the day, but my body had other ideas. While our leader was explaining the rules of the game, I begin to feel cold sweat running down my face, and a queasiness in my stomach, and I quietly left the stage. After the workshop broke up, a couple of people offered to drive me home or to the hospital, but I was kind of shrugging it off until I realized I was too dizzy to drive myself. So about four hours later, after getting X-rays, a tetanus shot and a parting dose of morphine, I rode back to the theater with my friend Mike, a funny guy and a real mensch. I spent the night there and drove to work Thursday morning, from where I called the director of "Hitchhiker's" and told him that I was still willing to do the show, but didn't think I could do all the leaps and falls that I had been doing. I also said I would understand if he decided to step into the role (as writer and the director, he knew the lines). He assured me that was not going to happen. So I e-mailed the cast to warn them that my performance might be very different because of the injury and the painkillers. They were very understanding and adapted their own performances marvelously. They also tell me I said and did some very funny and surprising things. I'll have to take their word for it until I see the video. I do think that not being able to rely so much on the wild flailing and crashing about may have inspired me to dig deeper and find comedic opportunities I had missed before, so injuring myself my have actually helped my performance. I wouldn't recommend it, though.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Never Say Never Again

OK, I confess, I've been going to a weekly improv workshop, and on February 24, 2006, I will be performing as part of an improv ensemble at the Second Stage (431 N. Brookhurst, Anaheim; admission is a paltry $10). Now, loyal and attentive readers might remember when I wrote that I wasn't interested in that sort of thing, and at the time it was true. But I sort of stumbled across this workshop while doing another show at the theater, and I liked the low-key, informal vibe almost as much as the fact that I wasn't being charged anything for the privilege. I decided to attend on a drop-in basis, and ended up dropping in every week until I dropped right into a show. It could be a one-night-stand or a long-term relationship, depending on how that first date goes.

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Driven to Succeed?

Hey, I got a part! I guess I'll be wearing a blue-green coat and driving off-road to all my auditions from now on. The role is Dogberry. I'll admit I'm not too familiar with the play, but from that noble surname I'm guessing he's the dashing young hero who saves the day and wins the fair lady.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

On the Edge

"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you; my name's Keith," I said, confidently extending my hand and flashing a big, friendly grin, while my car idled two feet behind me, with its front bumper hanging over a precipice and its rear wheel a foot off the ground. OK, let me do something I couldn't do then and back up a bit. I was feeling pretty confident as I drove to my audition on Topanga Canyon Blvd., a twisting road through wooded hills that seem hundreds of miles from L.A. I had a secret weapon to set me apart from the crowd: a blue-green sport coat I picked up for $5 at a thrift store. He won't forget the guy in the blue-green sport coat, I thought. I found the address, saw a sign that said something about parking, turned into what looked like a driveway, and suddenly found myself staring down into a ravine and experiencing a serious loss of traction. I shifted into park, set the hand brake and jumped out, not bothering to take my keys with me. The wide-eyed director arrived on the scene looking more shaken than I felt, and I cheerfully introduced myself. I'm sure I made an impression, and not with my wardrobe. After that, things went pretty smoothly. I showed my AAA card to a towtruck driver who was finishing up with some other poor sap across the street, and a CHP officer diverted traffic for a few minutes while we got the car back on solid ground. So I did a couple of monologues and a cold reading, and what I want to know is, why did my heart start racing and my mouth dry up when I stepped on stage for the umpteenth time but nearly driving into oblivion scarcely phased me?

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Thumbs Up!


My parents were at last night show, along with a couple of Holidaze cast members and a few people from the improv workshop, and they didn't run away in horror. In fact, they stuck around after the show talking, smiling, and laughing. I'd call that a smashing success! In fact, we got some huge laughs, and a couple of them were intentional. I have to say this isn't quite the thought-provoking, heart-rending kind of drama I had envisioned doing when I began this actor's journey. I certainly didn't envision the costume. But this kind of whacky, knockabout comedy is a lot of fun to perform, and, when things work like they're supposed to, to watch. And the bruises barely show.

Friday, January 27, 2006

You Are Where You Are

It's a truism that wherever you go, there you are. But where you are also in part shapes you who are by determining the people you will meet, the things you will see, and the opportunities and obstacles you will encounter. This is not idle philosophical rambling. Well it sort of is, but it's prompted by the fact that my rent's about to go up over 100 percent, so I've got to find a new home. Now, I'm probably not going to go more than 30 miles from my current location. My roots are pretty deep, I've got friends and family here, and I need to be close by when Spielberg calls. ("Mr. Bush, we're looking for some one to play Loser No. 3." "Count me in, Stevarino!" "Never call me Stevarino again.") But 30 miles encompasses a lot of territory in L.A., and I need to think seriously about what it is I'm doing with my life and how much I want to keep doing whatever it is. I hate thinking seriously.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Head Games

I haven't gone on as many auditions as usual in the past few weeks, partly because of my schedule but also because my headshots don't reflect my current hirsute appearance. Anyone who called me in expecting clean-cut, conservative guy would be disappointed. So, just for the heck of it, I submitted to two or three CDs with an outlandish picture of myself that a fellow cast member took at a recent rehearsal. It's pretty much everything a headshot isn't supposed to be. Yet, within an hour, someone called me to set up an audition. That's a higher success rate than the ones I paid specialists hundreds of dollars for! Maybe I had discovered a secret tool for success. So, after a two-hour drive and a two-minute audition, the director says, "That was great, but the client may be looking for someone more conservative-looking." So, I ask you: What is a headshot for, anyway?

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Let's Get Hitched

Come see me shine in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm not saying I'll be good, just shiny. Second Stage Theatre, 431 N. Brookhurst, Anaheim, (714) 502-2249, Fridays at 8, January 20 to February 10. Click for directions.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Mild and Crazy Guy


OK, for the last four Friday's I've been this shockingly over-the-top, in-your-face party guy on stage. So why am I the one at the cast party standing there like a stiff in the background? Oh, well, I had a great time, really. I just internalized it. This Friday I get to try to be even loonier than last week in a brand-new production. I hope there are witnesses. Click on the link to get a sneak preview, right after the cast party pictures. (If you're reading this in the archives, the link may no longer work as advertised.)

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Final Daze

Tomorrow night is the last chance to see me (and some other people) in Holidaze, the show that made the critics say, "A hell of a lot better than A Christmas Carol" (my father) and "Where did we go wrong?" (my mother). Really. Friday night, 8 p.m., 431 N. Brookhurst, a measly $10.