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.

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

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.

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!)

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

Happy Birthday to Thee....

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

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?

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.