Hamlet, Kaput.

And thus, Hamlet came to a close. It was our final show and I have to say I'm a little glad of it. I very much liked all my fellow actors, and I'm proud of the show we put up but I'm ready to put it to rest.
I learned a great deal through this production. especially about Shakespeare. You forget how much you're missing 'til you really immerse yourself in it for a long time. The First Folio Technique our director offered was quite helpful but I think I need to study it more in depth to get the full capacity of what it has to offer. And truly, listening to others delivery speeches and dialogue did more wonders for me than most classroom-style instructionreally could. I'm a bit of an aural learner so hearing the text is best.
I was forced to grow a beard for the show. And when I say beard I mean full on total beard. All the men grew one, except Hamlet. Despite the compliments I have received, I can't wait to shave it off. My girlfriend has promised me a hot lather shave, so momentarily I will be searching the region for a barbershop open on Sunday.
During the night I had a nigtmare we were doing the show again. Sort of. Not evern really doign it again but just fooling around, doing entrances and exits, joking around but I was sick of it. It was dark and it was 4 in the morning and I had no idea why we couldn't go home and sleep. I have but one more obligation with the show, that being the End of the Season Barbeque. And then Hamlet is truly over.
I thought I heard a train this morning when I woke up. I like to imagine it was the train Hamlet rode out on.

I had an audition yesterday for an upcoming production of Lear. It was a little odd in that the director was in Lithuania and attended the audition via webcam. But he was excellent and putting you at ease about the situation and offered excellent direction. I first delivered my prepared monologue and he gave me high praise. I had originally been given sides for Fool and Edmund, but he told the people running the audition to give me Edgar sides. I did some preparing in the hall, came in to read some more, and scored myself a callback. Just the few details about the show I have heard trickle out make it out to be something I would be very excited to be a part of.
Call backs in not quite two weeks

I have to say I was really down and out about Hamlet. I felt like the only one who struggled through the whole process. I got very few compliments or notes which gave me no real clue as to if I was on the right track or not. I began to think of myself as quite a bit less of an actor. But friends who saw the show were rich with compliments despite my minimal stage time and some cast memebers told me there favorite part was a bit in the play where I play a major role. All of this has done me great good.
I feel like I can run with the big dogs again and feel ready to take on the world a bit. I can't wait for the generals to come back around.

Seriously this show is amazing...

And if you click: http://www.seattleweekly.com/calendar/stage/2008-05-08/, then click Thursday or Friday, scroll down (it's in alphabetical order) you can find our first glowing review.

Returns

I once again, neglect this dear old thing. So updates, posthaste.

First and foremost results from auditions:
So I got into Hamlet. However not as Rosencrantz or Guildenstern. And not as Laertes either. I'm playing a bunch of small roles (if I remember correctly Luciano, Reynaldo, Player Prologue, and a Priest). But I think this will give me a chance to show people what I can do with the language. As my dear friend always says "There are no small parts, just small actors." And while that may seem like a pretty cliche aphorism, I found it's true. I got a lot of compliments on the very small role I played in Battle of the Bard. A 20 minute show where I'm sure I had 10 lines or less.
I will make something of this fantastic opportunity. I will enamor directors to me.

***

In other news I am part of the most amazing show ever. It's called Lease and it's an improvised musical. It's sort of based on Rent, so at the top show we get a suggestion of an afflicition that can affect an entire community (not AIDS) and something iconic to Seattle (not the Space Needle). The music is amazing and everyone in the cast is fantastic. I can't remember the last time I was this excited for and proud of a show. I have nothing but the highest remarks. Here's the website: http://www.wingitpresents.com/lease/. There you can find trailers, dates, times, bios, photos, the whole enchilada.

I am so damn proud of this show. See it if you know what's good for you.

The Callback Kid

And ever onwards...

It was callback-o-rama this weekend. Or rather Sunday, mostly. After an early rehearsal with Neutrino I raced out to Magnuson Community Center where I called back for Guildenstern in Greenstage's production of Hamlet. And the director asked me to stick around and read as Laertes which was a pleasent surprise. I read each scene only once but got the feeling this wasn't really a detriment to my chances. The director seemed very shrewd and keen to what she was looking for in her play and I really got the feeling just from seeing me read a scene or two she knew exactly where I may (or may not) fit in her concept. Which was refreshing.

I then raced to the East side for a callback for a dinner theater. Well, not just a dinner theater, a murder mystery dinner theater. Actually to be percise, a musical murder mystery dinner theater. I know. It harkens me back to my Musical Mafia Play days. This was without a doubt the strangest callback I have ever been attended. Details to be blogged at a later date.

After my foray into dinner theater (well, musical murder mystery dinner theater) I raced back to Magnuson to read for Fabian in Twelfth Night. The callback was fast and furious (but not like the movie (can you believe there's 3 of them?!).

Tonight was my Wooden O, which I think went all right. I was asked what I thought my age range was, which is a question I've only ever been asked on forms or discussed when talking about type. It was just strange to talk about it in an actual casting situation. I said 18-29. Maybe more with a beard. You can let me know if you feel otherwise.

Also this week, I have my orientation with the company which might be my representation in the very near future. They saw me at TPS at invited me to an orientation/audition. Details to follow.

Neglect and a General for All Seasons

I have neglected to update about the rest of SFIT. I will. I promise. In the meantime, the Generals have come and gone.

I felt very lame following the close of Uncle Mike. I had no projects to follow and when people asked what I was going to be up to I had to just sort of sheepishly shrug my shoulders and talk about all the general auditions I had coming up. So I did the Rep and Intiman and ACT and perhaps most importantly the TPS Generals. These puppies used to happen twice a year, in Winter and in Summer (although you were only allowed to reserve an audition slot once a year if you switched it could not be consecutively), now they happen once a year. AND after you confirm your slot if you miss it you can't do reserve one the next year.
You get two minutes for two pieces and I performed my Troilus and Cressida monologue (which is just about on the verge of retirement) and a found piece from The Areas of My Expertise.

I generally get a warm response from these auditions. I think this is for a couple reasons. 1) I try and treat the whole ordeal fairly professionally, which regrettably many do not. I stay within the time constraints. I dress nice. I'm polite. 2) I try and do at least one comic piece. I can only imagine how much chest beating, hair pulling, and other forms of self punishment make their appearances in these four days of auditions. 3) I'm not a terrible actor.

Already I've had a slew of callbacks, almost none of which has actually occurred yet. But I will make a point as they happen. Expect a list soon enough.

Welcome to the Emerald City

It starts.

SFIT (Seattle Festival of Improv Theater) started last night. I had the good pleasure of doing all the design work (except web design, I just made the graphics for that). I love me some SFIT. It's strange when I started attending festivals with Dead Parrots Society I was so intimitated by meeting other groups. I really worried we would be the weak link in any chain we happened to be a part of. I later learned, boy howdy, we can compete. And what I was doing was not that far off base of what the rest of the country was doing. And as I attended more festivals, I began to learn what a small tight knit community it is. We greet each other with hugs, not handshakes, as we enter one another's city. Improvisers strike up conversation over drinks, make fast friends, and really have a good time.
I'm starting to feel much more at home amongst these people as well. People are remembering me, and if they can't recall my name, they definitely know my face. There are times when I feel a bit Tuesday Kid, but they are grossly outnumbered by hanging out and just chatting with people.

I've got to go to meeting for work, hung over no less. More on SFIT to come.

Confessions of a Third Man

For the longest time I had difficulty pinning down my type. I knew that I was not "above" types somehow but it was difficult for me to narrow the field. To make things worse, a good deal of the actors with whom I studied seemed to have very specific- or rather much more evident- types. One can only assume their type leapt from their mouths during auditions via some sort subliminal gamma ray which the director furiously scribbled on their notepad. Then barring gross incompetence, that actor can rest assured s/he has a pretty damn good shot at the part (if it isn't already sealed in the bag).

When I asked others (particularly directing concentration friends) they furrowed their brows and scratched their chins, then mumbled something vague and non-comittal. Until one evening a very good friend mine (also a director), a very good honest friend of mine laid it out to me during a conversation with a group of actors discussing their types.

"You are the Third Man."

"The what?"

"The Third Man. You know. You have a play, it's two guys yakking on the whole time, and then a third man comes out. And he plays everything else."

"Huh... I'm the Third Man."

The simplicity of it and the truth to it astounded me. If my chronologies are correct shortly thereafter (or perhaps shortly before) I was cast in On the Verge. Now look there at the bottom. See how it says "1 M, 3 F?" I was the 1 M, the 1 M who played 8 parts. The 3 ladies wound in and out of eras in history, and places across the globe, and through three quarters of a thesaurus but I met them at every dip and turn with a new costume and a new character.

It all made so much sense.

This blessing and curse continue to haunt me. It would seem optimal for the Third Man to be an actor's type. Afterall an actor is first and foremost asked to embody the character s/he plays, to slip beneath the surface so seamlessly that the audience no longers sees the actor but becomes engrossed in the narrative. The idea is pathos not, fandom pandemonium. And it's been a great boon for me as far as improv goes. Audiences tend to more easily suspend_their_disbelief, and take whatever offers I throw out.

However, it more often than not leads to a confusion in casting agents because like I said before I'm difficult to pin down. It leads to a whole different version of typecasting. Think Peter Sellars, without the success. Once directors get to know me and see what I can do they seem to like me a lot. But until then I feel like I come off as this sort of overly maleable, ball of talent and energy. Sure, everybody likes the blank canvas but sometimes its difficult for people to think of something to paint if they don't have something already in mind.

But there have been many who have held these sorts of careers and been very successful at it. John C. Reilly leaps to mind. And Michael Caine also fits I think. Even Brad Pitt seems to be difficult to peg to one type. And although some might argue with me, I feel like Jim Carrey has that type of dramatic talent.

Mr. Sellers... I implore you, please, be my guide.

It was an honor and a privledge sir. An honor and a privledge.

However, usually to err on the side of humility "Oh, it was my pleasure."

***

For reasons unknown to me, a bit of video work as been sliding my way. The first came in the way of a SAG Commercial being filmed in Portland, which turned out to be not so SAG. The performances weren't paid and due to work conflicts, rehearsal committments and a lack of funds I submitted my stuff but couldn't do it. But it put me in touch Denise who runs Foreground Background and unlike other extra agencies I've used I've gotten a lot emails about potential work (and in a very short period of time).
Shortly after the Portland renege, I was called up as an extra for Microsoft shoot for which I basically got paid to hang out, then be wheeled around on a gurney for about 15 minutes. Oh yeah, and a little later on I had to walk across the set maybe 5-6 times. It was brilliant. All the crew made everything go real fast and unlike other extra's shoots I've been on all the extras (there was maybe 7-8 in total) seemed to be actors. In other words, they treated it like a job. They hit their marks, they made it realistic, they didn't fart around or waste time between takes. It felt like slipping into an old pair of jeans.

Most recently though I was called in for another audition for Microsoft. I read 3 lines of dialogue twice. Maybe totaling 7-8 sentences. I feel pretty confident in saying that I probably won't get it. They let me read it twice but in between takes the director told me to stop projecting and make it more intimate. It was in that moment I realized how long it's been since I've done video. I've been trained and geared for stage so long that I have forgotten the intimacies the camera can catch.
But who knows right? There's always the Glimmer.

***

On Sunday I start rehearsing with Seattle Neutrino Society. I am nothing short of eager with anticipation. I'm also a bit nervous. There's a good deal of people in the troupe that know who I am, but I'm never exactly sure if they remember me.

***

Things I will blog about in the near future:
[ ] Confessions of Third Man
[ ] My Resume
[ ] Introduction to Theatre
[ ] My Lack Thereof

Love, Hate, Equity

So I was telling my roommate about my audition with Intiman and it sort of turned into a discussion about Equity.

Me: It would be nice to work in an Equity house though.
My Roommate: So Equity. Is that like a union?
Me: Yeah, basically. Actors Equity Association, it's basically the union for actors.
My Roommate: Are you in it?
Me: Hahahahahahaha. No.
My Roommate: How do you get in?
Me: Well you get points for being in rehearsals and performances at an Equity house.
My Roommate: But I thought you said Equity people get priority at auditions.
Me: They do. An Equity person can bump a non-Equity person or an EMC*. (*I had already told her what that was.)
My Roommate: Well then how are you supposed to get points?
Me: That's the rub isn't it? It get worse though, once you're Equity you can only work in Equity houses.
My Roommate: And there's only 3 in Seattle.
Me: Yep. If you did do anything fringe, it would have to fly so low under the radar that no one would recognize that you were doing something non-Equity.
My Roommate: Does Equity do anything good?
Me: Well, yeah. I mean they standardize the rate of pay for actors, put limits on how long rehearsals can be or make sure you get regular breaks, and what directors or theaters can ask of you. Stuff like that.
My Roommate: Huh.
Me: Yeah. Huh.

I started thinking of the love-hate relationship I have with Equity. Of course, I want to make acting my profession but at the same time the student theatre I did in undergrad brought me such an amazing respect for fringe work. But fringe work won't pay the bills. And for that matter neither will Equity in Seattle. The truth is there's just too little of it. Do the math with me here: 3 theaters each doing there own season of 6 plays (9 at the Rep because they have two theaters). Sure that looks like a lot of parts, but how many of them are looking for a caucasian twenty-something; especially my type? Mostly the ingenues seem to start at between 28 and 30. And no one is looking at the mid-twenties BA graduate. But there's a good deal of the plays I couldn't possibly be in. The Women at ACT for example. The Cook or Birdie Blue at the Rep? No way, The Cook is set in Cuba and Birdie Blue in the Black neighborhoods of Chicago.

It's sort of amazing how few parts there are for my type. Even though historically it was one of the most written types ever.

Can he make it 0 for 5?

Probably.

By the way, did I mention I didn't get the Rep one? Cause I didn't. More on that later.

I had my audition for the Intiman generals today. I did a found piece from Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman and Troilus and Cressida. At the end at the behest of my dear friend Nate I recited an original octopus haiku I wrote which sort of brought down the house (all 2 of them). I didn't know if that would go over well or if I would even have the balls to do it. But I did it. And if nothing else I can say I delivered an original octopus haiku to teh auditors at one of the three professional theaters here in Seattle.

The liklihood that I will be cast is, I would wager, slim to none. Or maybe a sliver or four thinner than slim. But oh well.

It would be so nice to work at an Equity house though. What a thrill. I explained to my roommate all about AEA to much chagrin and hilarity. Unfortunately it is the nature of my career. I will elaborate at a later date (hopefully tomorrow).

I am tired and ought to go.

2 emails for my future

I sent out to emails.

1 has an effect on both immediate future and my greater future in general.

1 has a slight effect on the future just yet to come and a huge effect on the guture in general.


Here's hoping it all works out ok.

The Glimmer

So. Failure. And lots of it.

The mafia musical was no go.
Same with ArtsWest.
And now R&J too.

Damn. I can't help but feel the kidney punch to my soul. I talked to my girlfriend about and she was just kinda "That's the biz," about it. Easy for her to say, she was just cast in a show. But at the same time she's been through it too. And much worse than this. I'm just 0 for 3, and probably about to make it 0 for 4.

But here's the thing, we always hold on to The Glimmer. The Glimmer of Hope, I like to call it. It's that glimmer that calls out from a distance. It whispers softly "Maybe, just maybe..." And then it trails off. And it keeps you going. It makes you sign up for auditions and throw yourself into callbacks because maybe, just maybe, you never know what might happen.

With Romeo and Juliet, they said they were going to get back to us pretty quickly. I didn't really think about it all that much at the beggining of the week but then when it neared the weekend it was a recurring thought I couldn't shake. Like a parasite sucking my lifeblood. When the weekend came and went, I couldn't help but expect rejection. But I emailed to inquire and held onto The Glimmer. I was told casting took longer than expected and I should hear back shortly. More than 10 days after I auditioned I found the rejection email waiting in my inbox.

Le sigh. I should've expected that. I kind of did.

As I said before I had 4 opportunities. That leaves one more. It's the longest of the long shots. But, it's also The Glimmer. I'll hold on to that.

Important Lessons in Counting Chickens

Rember that post I had not too long ago about all those opportunities that were popping up? Yeah well... so much for that.

Through a series of avenues I happened to hear that medium-sized house role I was up for already had their callbacks. Needless to say, I wasn't asked to attend. Not that I'm not being considered I guess I divulge a few details. The play was The Dead Guy and it's being performed at ArtsWest. Supposedly the director wanted the cast to skew older than I look. Fair enough. But it would've been nice to know that I was no longer being considered.

I guess I'm still technically up for Romeo and Juliet at Balagan but I'm not holding my breath. It's been about a week since the audition and they said they would get back to us right away. I shot off an email to a couple of people at Balagan and got a reply that said they had just finished casting, it took them longer than expected, and I should hear something pretty soon. It's a glimmer of hope. Not a spectacularly bright glimmer though.

I think I will gun for this Rep role though. It's a bit of a longshot but it's worth. It's the metaphoric Hail_Mary, only I'm throwing the ball towards the start of the first quarter. Maybe even on third down.

Call me over-eager.

Afterglow

So I had my audition and callback for R & J this weekend. To my surprise they had me read for Romeo. There was a lot of people there so they were moving things through pretty quickly but I read Romeo and Mercutio (II.iv) and Romeo and Friar Lawrence (III.iii). Then they had me read with 3 others the immortal scene from Act I Scene v which follows here:

A hall in Capulet's house.
Musicians waiting. Enter First Servant & Second Servant.

First Servant:
Where's Potpan, that he helps not to take away? Heshift a trencher? he scrape a trencher!

Second Servant:
When good manners shall lie all in one or two men's hands and they unwashed too, 'tis a foul thing.

First Servant:
Away with the joint-stools, remove the court-cupboard, look to the plate. Good thou, save me a piece of marchpane; and, as thou lovest me, let the porter let in Susan Grindstone and Nell.
(Enter Anthony and Potpan.)
Antony, and Potpan!

Anthony:
Ay, boy, ready.

First Servant:
You are looked for and called for, asked for and sought for, in the great chamber.

Potpan:
We cannot be here and there too. Cheerly, boys; be brisk awhile, and the longer liver take all.


It always strikes me as strange when I read for something like cause I think I'm much more of a character actor than an ingenue. But wouldn't you know it; it's either Romeo or Servant 2, that sounds about like me.

Information Travels Faster in the Modern Age

So, I regret to inform the masses I will not be playing a gay hit man with a bad Italian accent in a Mafia musical at the Knutzen Family Theatre. Sorry everybody. Maybe they didn't like Popular.

Another audition on Saturday. For the most famous and infamous tragedy in the Western Canon.

Another Note on Popularity

I got so wrapped up in how I did in the audition I nearly forgot one of the main reasons I started that last post. That audition prep professor I spoke of earlier (here: fifth paragraph) always said your audition should be a reflection of who you are, it should say a little something about your personality. I'm not sure how much I bought into that but I always chose monologues which I enjoyed.

When I sung Popular it was immediately evident after it came out of my mouth that it wasn't me at all. I told Brenda afterwards, I will never sing that in an audition again. Even if a role came up like that again, I would give it a second thought before trying it again.

Maybe I Don't Need To Be Popular

I have a bit of an issue with musical auditions.


I have an ok voice. It's nothing to brag about but I can carry a tune and I know enough music theory to get by. But I've had little to no formal training which makes me a bit anxious. Not only that but I know very few musicals. I know, I know, in some people's book this is a cardinal sin. Not in mine. But when I my buddy Peter introduced me to the Wicked soundtrack I enjoyed it. A particular guilty pleasure was the song Popular.


I told him one day I was thinking of using it as an audition piece and he gave me a look. A look that spoke volumes. Unfortunately most of those volumes sounded something like "That is a stupid idea. Don't do it." And the volumes spoke loudly.


When I got that email about the flamboyant hitman in the mafia musical (talk about speaking volumes) I'll admit it wasn't my first idea. But it did come to me eventually and when I mentioned it to Brenda she said that she thought it would be perfect. So I decided to sing it an octave lower (funny, how I can't hit the same notes Kristin Chenoweth can) and practiced a little.



Kristin Chenoweth I am not.


After singing it through once at a bit of a stumbly pace, the director asked if the accompaniast could bump it up a bit to hear more of my range. So she tried her damnedest to put it up a fifth and I tried to sing it there. I hit all the notes fine, but I'm sure it sounded as awkward as it felt. That's the trouble with musical auditions, you don't know the accompianist, the accimpianist doesn't know you, the accompianist may or may not know the music very well, and there's really no other way to figure out if you can sing.

All in all, it wasn't terrible. I've had worse musical auditions.
I'll know in a couple of days.

When It Rains...

I haven't been all that active in seeking out auditions lately. Which is frustrating. Frustrating because I want to do more shows but I'm not putting out the effort of creating opportunities for myself. The truth every actor knows is nobody casts the guy who doesn't audition.

My last bit of time in undergrad I didn't have to audition that much. I spent my Fall quarter in a student exchange so I just told the directors of the Winter and Spring shows that I was interested in being cast but probably wouldn't be around for auditions. I was cast in the Winter and in the Spring; something I have to admit I was a little stunned by. To be fair I did offer to audition. But they both shrugged it off. I was in my 5th year at University, they both were very familiar with my work to date. And so, I did not audition. And a lot of the other things I did that year were self-directed and self-devised.

June 2006: Enter the real world.


I graduate, move to Seattle, and realize that nobody, literally no one has even the vaguest idea who I am. And least nobody who has casting power. There are the few friends who joined me in the post-graduate exodus but sparing that I am confronted with a dozen or more theaters who have not so much as seen a headshot with my likeness.

I set to work brushing up my monologues (the Audition Prep course I took in my last year certainly helped), and auditioned like mad. I tried not to get my hopes too high or to be too disappointed when I found out I didn't get the part. But parts started trickling in.

Then I got lazy again. Which was about where I was now until yesterday morning.


Not too long ago I threw my hat in the ring of the open call at the Seattle Rep. It went just like the last time I auditioned at the Rep: they seem to like my monologues but there just aren't a lot of parts for me*. I also saw a show at one of the few medium-sized houses and the Artistic Director came over to talk to me. He told he had plans to call me in for a show they have coming up a little later in the season but they haven't had a chance to audition it yet. And he told me to read another play because he might call me in for that as well. Not one to rest on non-existent laurels, earlier in the week I grabbed an audition slot at an up and coming fringe theater's production of Romeo & Juliet. And two days ago I got an email offering (I say offering, it sounded like an offering but really they want me to come in and read/sing for them), for a "Flamboyant Hit Man."

This is all well and good but the 2 sets of shows conflict with each other. The medium-house conflicts with the Rep, R&J conflicts with the hit-man-thingie. This always seems to happen to me, that everything conflicts. I am one who tries to attend all the birthday parties*. But I typically end up running myself ragged. Plus I need a day job to pay the bills.

As nothing's solid yet, I don't have too much to concern myself over. And hopefully this will all work itself out, rather than me having to do it. In the meantime I can't help but bite my nails a little.


* I plan on addressing this at a later date.

Memorization Pits

Right now I am struggling to memorize a monologue. A 4 page monologue. A 4 page monologue single spaced in 10 pt font.

Why would any writer do this to an actor?

I might get lucky. One of the pages I might be able to read.
Keep your fingers crossed.

I am.

That's The Central Conceit of the Show*

I graduated June 2006 from Western Washington University with a BA in Theatre Arts (concentrations in Acting and Playwriting) and minors in Latin and Film Studies. Now I'm a 20-something actor trying to get work in Seattle, because that is no easy task I have a day job.
But it is only my day job.
The evidence to back this up is the fact that I have had 7 of them since I graduated 17 months ago.

The goal? That one day, art will be my day job. But until then, I will chronicle here one of the most serpentine quests for one of the most elusive treasures.



*Officer Lockstock, Urinetown