Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

One more three-nights-one-matinee weekend behind us. Today I projected less wrath, more compassion. Evan (young Pan) complimented me on the choice. I had to smile at getting praised for my Jesus by a sincere young man wearing horns and goat legs. You just can't judge by appearances. Afterward I went out with another actor and ended up at the marina listening to an impromptu drum solo. When I got up this morning I had no idea I'd find myself outdoors at the water's edge on a beautiful summer night, intoxicated with the rhythms of a topless beauty at one with her djembe. What would Pan do?

Shameless Exhibitionism

Over at MySpace I've posted some snaps from projects in which I've appeared this year. If you're not registered (free) you won't be able to view the index, but you can still flip through the pix using the "previous" and "next" links at the bottom of the page. Seeing all these pictures together, it occurs to me that I may be a bit odd. Posting them for the world to see confirms it.

Praise for Pan

Finally, our first review! An excerpt: "An invigorating trip back in time, Andrew Marshall’s Pan at the Long Beach Shakespeare Co.—which Marshall also directed—finds the once-mighty, still-proud, soon-to-be-dead Olympian god sequestered with two nymphs in an Oregon cabin.... He’s been supplanted in the realm of spirituality by Jesus Christ (Keith Bush) and in the realm of materialism by Diamond Jim Brady (Dylan Seal), both of whom are pleased to remind him of his irrelevance.... At times rapturous, at times demonic, always compelling, the play brims with energetic dialogue, pathos and visuals that rivet us to our seats.... Seal’s Brady—pompous, portly, pretentious and smug—and Bush’s Jesus—holier-than thou, dogmatically intransigent—show what we’ve done to Pan: we’ve broken him up into components, half Dionysus, half Apollo.... Daring and fresh, it’s enacted with a passion that reminds us that while it may not be nice to mess with Father Nature, it certainly makes for good theater." — James Scarborough, OC Weekly.

Playing G_d

Despite rumors of his death, great Pan is alive and unwell, holed up in Oregon with only his memories, delusions and two aging nymphs for company as he rails against a changing world that once belonged to him. That's the premise of Pan, making its world premiere under the auspices of the Long Beach Shakespeare Co. I play Jesus, who confronts the aging goat-god in a series of highly charged visions. In an odd bit of double-casting, I also have a couple of walk-ons as a follower of Pan. Hopefully this won't be as confusing to the audience as it was to me. I think I've got it all sorted out now. I just got back from our first dress rehearsal, tired but excited. This should be an entertaining and provocative piece of theater. More info: 562-997-1494.

In the Pits

Life isn't all parties and applause (not yet, anyway). I was coding HTML and resizing photos into the wee hours of the morning for Pit Racer, for which I freelance regularly. My title is "Web editor"; my actual duties include editing copy for each print issue and consulting with the publisher on various aspects of the magazine as well as maintaining the Web site. It's a lot of work, but it's steady income — steadier than acting, anyway. And while large men on tiny bikes may not be art, they can be entertaining. Visit the site and see what I mean.

Skyrockets over L.A.

I just got home from a Fourth of July party at the home of the beautiful and multi-talented Heather Marie Marsden. The guest list was full of industry people, but I was well-behaved and only handed out two business cards all night — and those were to the same person. Well, he was with a company that publishes magazines and produces films, so how could I resist giving him a card for each of my vocations? Mostly, though, I just caught up with some friends, enjoyed terrific views of local fireworks, met some fascinating new people, and got my spine aligned by a motion-picture stuntman. Now compared to that, improv isn't scary at all, but I did leave feeling a little more upright. How many people can say that about a Hollywood party?

2006 Is Coming! Give Me Money

Yes, the 2006 Day-At-A-Glance DOG FANCY Calendar is on its way, with hundreds of pictures of precious pups and dogs to die for, each accompanied by a fascinating fact or helpful hint, written by me (but without so much alliteration). That's right, you'll get a message from me on every page. What a bargain at $12.99! Unfortunately, I get no royalties, but if you purchase a copy through one of the links on this page, I will (in theory) get a small commission. Buy it any other way and I get bupkus, thank you very much. If you want to give me money without getting a calendar, click on the donation button near the bottom of the right-hand column. I don't know why you would, but I don't know why people do a lot of things.

Good Folk, Bubbles and Smoke

I spent a few hours with some former classmates at a hookah bar last night. (Don't smoke! It's a filthy habit. But if you do, the mango-flavored tobacco is particularly yummy.) I met this lovely and talented group of people through the UCLA Extension acting program. We had some great times hanging out after class, but I hadn't seen them in months when it hit me that they might be drifting away. So I made a beeline for Westwood to make sure I got at least one more look at them. I'm glad I did, especially after learning that two are leaving L.A. soon. Oh, it's not like they're going to another planet and never coming back, but it will make seeing each other less likely for a while. There are lots of things I love about acting, but the people I've met probably top the list. As a journalist I've interviewed and written about some famous and fascinating subjects, but there are so many other gifted people out there to be appreciated. Working with them in this way creates connections on levels that are difficult to reach in other aspects of life.

Simon Says, "Look Away!"

Tonight I reunited with some of my improv pals (see previous post) at an audition. It was great reconnecting with them and experiencing some of that old magic that we last felt, oh, six long days ago. In the audition, my scene partner intentionally made me his lover and I accidentally made him a kangaroo. Things like that happen when you improvise, I guess. Actually, when I think about how some of my real-life relationships have ended, that's not so bad. From there the night just got weirder, as I rushed to Universal Studios and had the otherworldly experience of sitting in a dark theater, surrounded by strangers, watching myself take a shower on the big screen. Well, that's show business. I played a character named Simon in a short film called The Sensualist. He's a quirky cultist who handles the bulk of the film's exposition, helps set the mood and facilitates the final, brutal confrontation between protagonist and antagonist. The shower segment is mercifully brief and contains only what we in the biz call implied nudity; basically just my head and shoulders are exposed. Still, I squirmed and wanted to shout, "I'm wearing shorts!" For the bulk of my screen time I'm fully dressed, and I get to deliver some juicy chunks of dialog and take some interesting emotional turns. I did get some nice comments afterward -- on my acting, not my milky white skin. Thanks to director Angelica Rodriguez and writer Gabriel Fregoso for making me part of this stylish and intriguing project. After the screening, there was free food. Actors love free food.

A Week Without a Script

I'm still buzzing from a wild week in the world of improvisational acting. Here's the main thing I learned from the Immersion Workshop at The Second City Los Angeles Training Center: Improv is hard. But it's exhilarating too. I also learned to be more deeply aware of my partners, accept their offerings, try to give more back, and let things move forward organically in a framework of trust and mutual support. If that sounds more like a relationship seminar than an improvisation workshop, I guess that's the point. The Second City teaches "connecting emotionally" more than "making up stuff." The one-week course comprises five consecutive days of six-hour classes (including breaks) culminating in a performance before invited guests and paying audience members. To tell the truth, I took it mainly to have something else to put on my acting resume and to help with auditions, but if I'm not careful I could become addicted. I even went to an improv jam last night for another fix. I don't know whether to blame the sheer thrill of performance or the infectious enthusiasm of the faculty: Amazing Amy Seeley, Musical Michael Pollock, and most especially Rockin' David Razowsky. I already miss them and my fun-loving improv-class buddies. I hope we meet again soon.

The Course