Happy Hallow-TMUM!!!

Halloween is one of my very favorite days of the year, (isn't that the case for most New Yorkers?) I swear that New York City has to be one of the best places on earth to spend this holiday.

Unfortunately I was working a bit late, so I didn't get out in time to see the parade, but I did see many other people parading around in full Halloween form on the streets of Chelsea (second runner up to the Village, in my opinion) throughout the night. Someone even set a car on fire near the Magnet Theater. (Not that that's the first time something like that has happened.)

I kicked off the night of tricks with a special treat: I got to perform in The Made-Up Musical in costume! Wheeee! As I am a Philadelphia native, I am a die hard Phillies fan, and so I decided to dress up as a Phillies ballgirl/cheerleader. (Thankfully I didn't get booed off the stage by any bitter ghouls or boys.) The show itself, was pretty good - not one of our best, but still a lot of fun. Any time I get to play dress up in real life, is a good day for me. Thanks to "The Peter Lynde 1976 Halloween Special" this was the second time this week I got to dress up. Now, if I could only get paid to do this!

Happy Halloween!

Back to the Studio

Tonight's rehearsal went pretty well - aside from the fact that our guitarist was too sick to attend. (Uh, oh) Thankfully the rest of the band was there, along with our new bassist who was kind enough to step in last minute.

We ran through my song several more times which helped me chip away at some more jagged edges. The song has been evolving little by little, and I think by the next rehearsal I'll have it down a little smoother and polished up to a nice glossy sheen.

My boyfriend even stopped into the rehearsal midway through to say hello and ended up taping an impromptu "music video" of the song. This will be helpful to me later, because there weren't any other recording devices in the sound studio tonight.

Since it was the bassist's first time playing with us, the guys took him through the "Spotlight" theme song and we all practiced our improvised commercial breaks. It's pretty cool singing with a full band backing me. I'm really psyched for the show next Friday!

Just a Little More Rewriting

I've confirmed our next two "Spotlight Band" rehearsals (one of which is tomorrow) and now I need to make sure that I'm good to go!

I've been sitting on my song for a couple of weeks now since our last rehearsal, and now it's time to firm up the changes that I've made to my song. I had to add two four-line verses at the top of the song, as well as add two more lines to the bridge. Everything else in between needed a bit of tweaking, but I think I've gotten it right... or almost right.

Here's what I'm going in with tomorrow...

Ever since I was a little girl
No one doubted I could dream,
Of being someone big some day
Ten feet tall on the silver screen

Playing in my room alone
I would dress in my mother's clothes
Decked myself out in high heels
And in her pantyhose

Everywhere I went I knew just
how to make a scene
And if I didn't get what I wanted
I had no choice but to scream

Then I'd sit and cry and cry
In the mirror for an hour or three
You might think that was a waste of time
but not for this drama queen

Chorus:

Because I just wanted to be a little bit famous
(I could taste it in my tears)
Yeah I just wanted to be a little bit famous
(I cried for my own entertainment)

I grew up an only child
In a smaller family
I had a captive audience
All the attention was on me

I would sing at any chance
That would come my way
I even wrote a little Oscar speech
So I'd be ready for that day


Chorus:

Because I just wanted to be a little bit famous
(singing in the living room)
Yeah I just wanted to be a little bit famous
(I still feel I grew up a little too soon)


Now I'm grown and I still wanna see my full name up in lights,
Although it would be fine by me if the marquis is not that bright

And if you recognize me while I'm walking down the road,
That's totally cool by me, just don't follow me home

Chorus:

Because I just wanna be a little bit famous
(I no longer want super fame)
Yeah I just wanna be a little bit famous
It's cool if you vaguely know my name)

I just wanna be a little bit famous
(I an take on any role)
I just wanna be a little bit famous
(Without losing complete control)

I'm Britney!
I just wanna be hit one more time Baby,

I'm Shakira!
I just wanna see underneath of what you're wearing

I'm Alannis!
I just wanna see if you are a Zombie

I'm Cher!
I just wanna Believe in life after love after love after love after love

Chorus:

I just wanna be a little bit famous
(I can sing in any voice)
I just wanna be a little bit famous
(I just wanna have the choice)
to be me.

That 70s Show!

So tonight was the Opening and Closing performance of the long-awaited "Paul Lynde 1976 Halloween Special" at the Magnet Theater!

We played to an almost sold-out audience and I think that considering the short amount of time in which it was written and conceived, and given the limited number of rehearsals - it was carried off quite well! The audience seemed delighted by the quirky dialogue and 70s commercial breaks as well as all of the musical numbers - of which there were quite a few.

I missed a cross during my scene as Charo with Ritchie Cunningham, and I ended up improvising a line or two here and there in my song "Love Will Keep Us Together" - but thankfully I still managed to keep it together.

It was a wild and crazy show - and I hope to be apart of more just like them. I loved how so many of us in the community were able to come together for this project. I need to write something like this!

My only real regret is that we didn't get to spend much time with this show at all. I think that had we gotten an extended run, we would have found so much more that we could have done with it. I hope that this is only the beginning.

Dress Up Tech

This evening we had our first and final dress/tech rehearsal for "The Paul Lynde 1977 Halloween Special." It was pretty intense as far as rehearsals go.

Not only are there are quite a few people involved in this show - and in addition, it's definitely what we would call "tech heavy." There are a lot of light, sound and video cues (ie - commercial breaks, laugh and applause tracks) throughout.

It's quite a production with little preparation - but we're improvisers so I have full confidence that should anyone go up on their lines, we'll be able to roll with it!

Initially I had very little to worry about in terms of memorization (I think I have a total of 5 lines, half of which are "Cuchi! Cuchi! Cuchi!) - but late this evening I decided that I should switch out the song I to which I was originally assigned ("Twist & Shout") and sing "Love Will Keep Us Together" instead. I just can't shake the image of Charo in her glittering bell bottoms singing that timeless Captain & Tenneal tune. After viewing that youtube video of Charo a 100th time - I knew that my mission was clear. So I cleared it with the folks in charge and they gave me the go ahead.

Of course now I have given myself an even more daunting task of memorizing a whole new song by tomorrow night, but I can do it!

Cuchi! Cuchi! Cuchi!

Making Reconnections

I had one of my best childhood friends in from Philly this weekend and it had been almost a year since her last visit to the Big Apple. I really wanted to paint the town red and take her out for some really "New Yorky" activities, so naturally one of the first things we did was hop the PATH out to Jersey City for a fashion show event called, "FENOMENON" that another friend of mine was producing.

The event, which was held in the sprawling Canco Lofts - a warehouse converted into lofts, also doubled as a benefit for the community service organization, Women Rising.
While there, I also got to get in touch with my inner model by posing for fashion shots with a professional photographer that they hired for fun. I wonder what will become of those photos...

Anyway, the whole night was about the closest I've come to having an out of "Sex and the City" experience since moving to the city... I find it a tad ironic that I had to go all the way to Jersey City to have it.

I felt a bit guilty about dragging my Philly phriend into Jersey when she had purposely come up to New York for a New Yorky weekend, but I made up for it earlier today when I took her around to brunch at Isabella's on the UWS, then for a brisk walk through Central Park and a final stop on the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to catch a final glimpse of the Jeff Koons exhibit, featuring an enormous metallic chartreuse balloon animal dog. (See below)

Overall, I think that it was a very New Yorky weekend, but most of all it was really great to reconnect with one of my most trusted oldest and dearest friends from home who believes in me and is supportive of what I'm trying to do here. I told her about my blog and my newly found dedication to the pursuit of my craft, and she's really excited for me. That kind of response sort of reaffirms my belief in myself and that I'm truly where I belong, doing what I should be doing.

At least for now.

Getting Classy

Over the past couple of months I've been buckling down and ramping up my audition efforts (i.e. three calls in one day) and nothing has hit quite yet... Frustrating. What am I doing wrong? Or what am I doing right? Is my resume lacking credits/credibility? I know I've been out of the game for some time, thereby resulting in a resume mostly comprised of improv shows and not many recognizable names. It seems that without names to your name, you're sorta up a creek without a paddle and most casting directors cast you aside - or what's worse, hoist you overboard altogether.

I need to put an end to this right now! I know that there are thousands of other talented little fishies out there in this proverbial sea, but I need to get to the botton of why I'm not a good catch! I need to find my hook and reel 'em in - there's a lot on the line here and that's no fish tale! (Had enough of the fish analogies yet? I'm sure I could go on...)

Why should they pick me? Well, the better question is, "Why shouldn't they?" I've got the talent and determination, dammit! I'm in the same LEAGUE! Pick me! Choose me! Catch me!

Well today I decided to really do something about it. I signed up for a four-week Musical Theater Audition class which is being taught by an actual Casting Director. He will instruct us in the ways of audition technique, material and our overall package. The four-week session will conclude with "a Q&A followed by showcasing your prepared material for adjustments, comments and written feedback."

Sounds good to me! After doing a little bit of research on the people involved, I decided to go for it. I need someone to school me in the ways of auditions so that I can start making things happen! Musical Theater class here I come!
I'm ready to take the plunge!

Freaky Fried-day

Today was one of my busiest days to date: I rose early and got to AEA at about 9am to sign up for three EPAs. I wanted to hit up all three before 3pm, so I had a little bit of stealth planning to do. I also had a voice lesson scheduled for 11am, so I needed to allow myself some time to get back to Actors' Equity in time to line up.

I decided to sign up for the first audition at 12:30pm (for which I would have to be back by 12:20pm), the second slot I took was at 1:10, and the third at 2:10. Perfect!

With that I gathered my things and headed up town to my lesson. I wanted start promptly at 11, so that I could high-tail it right outta there at noon.

My teacher helped me prepare two pieces, "White Rabbit" which worked for two auditions and my new favorite "Journey to the Past." I had had the intention of singing "Home" from Beauty and the Beast, but once we set to work on it, we found that we needed to completely change the method by which I had been singing the song. I've been using that song for years, only to learn now that I have been singing it the wrong way! Woe is me!

The hour flew by in an instant, but I felt really ready and prepared to go into those auditions and kick some ass! Off I went back to AEA, feeling really good about myself!

I returned just in the nick of time to sign in for my first audition of the day. I knocked out all three auditions in rapid succession and for the most part, they went well. The second call of the day could have gone a bit better had the accompanist been a bit more familiar with my audition material. He played with unsure hands and it threw me a bit. Only I can take the blame for this. I should have taken more time to make sure that the accompanist knew how I wanted the music played because in an EPA (EQUITY Principal Audition) it is required that you be given five minutes for your audition. Many Casting Directors request 16 bars or 32 bars or brief songs or monologues to hurry people along - but in truth, as one girl told me in line "They have to give you a full five."
Most people end up getting in and out of there in two or three minutes- but why? Our time is just as precious as theirs and we deserve to be seen!

I learned my lesson the hard way in that second audition of the day, so when it came time for my last audition, I made sure to take my time and fully explain what I needed the accompanist to play. I took ownership of the material and I think that I gave my best audition of the day.

To round off one of my most productive and proactive days to date, I performed in "The Made-Up Musical" at the Magnet Theater tonight. All of that singing I had been doing throughout the day really paid off and we had a really great show! With a smaller cast of four, I had more opportunities to get out there and sing and play.

After such an action packed day, I feel a little fried, but I also feel really energized. I did a lot for myself today, and I hope that the opportunities just keep on rollin' in!

Practice and Prep

I have three auditions coming up tomorrow as well as a much anticipated voice lesson to prepare for - so today I've been working on selecting some audition material, practicing my vocal warm-ups and polishing up a new song that my voice teacher wants me to get up on its feet.

I spent a lot of time listening to a couple recordings of my sessions with my voice teacher. It definitely helps me get my money's worth when I can review the lesson and what he has been teaching me in the comfort of my own home. Our sessions are only an hour each, so he usually throws a lot of information at me in a hurry and it's a lot to take in all at once. This is where the recordings come in handy.

I spent a couple of hours this evening alone just listening and practicing my vocal warm-ups along with the CD of my lesson. I think that things are starting to click. I don't completely have the hang of everything yet, but I have a better understanding of what it is that I need to do for myself. For the longest time, I have been compartmentalizing the "different parts" of my voice, but my teacher has given me exercises and techniques in which to strengthen and unlock the weaker "parts," thereby creating a greater "whole."

It's definitely easier said than done, and I've been trying to practice these exercises at least ten minutes a day as he has advised for faster and more noticeable results.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the room with my teacher and having him help me prepare for my auditions right before I go in for them. I can't imagine a better situation! Well, it might be nice to have him right there in the room with me, but he will just have to be there in spirit.

Time for bed! My bag is packed and ready to go, my dress is hanging neatly on my door, I have to wake up [soon] so I must say "goodbye."

Back to the Grind

Today I had intended on going to another Chorus Call, but sadly my work schedule would not allow me to spend the extra time waiting for the possibility of being seen. I hadn't been able to sign up for a number on the list, so I had to wait at the end of the line again. Argh! I was a rather high number this time around, and based on my last chorus call experience where I was seen just under the wire, I had to make the executive decision to sit this one out.

What can I say? It happens sometimes. There has to be a balance between the day job that pays the bills and the day job that doesn't pay...yet.

Chicago was a lot of fun while it lasted, but a big part of me is glad to be back in New York. I think that the little four-day break from the daily grind has rejuvenated me and I'm ready to get back to business... show business, that is!

I took some time to do another look see of the actors equity website this afternoon and came up with a couple more auditions that I want to go to at the end of this week - all on Friday. I'm going to make this work!

I'm ready! Let's do this!

Homeward Found

Today was our last chance to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the windy city before it came time to hop a plane back to NYC.

We definitely made the most of our last day in Chicago by having one more slice of deep dish (and one slice of Chicago thin crust) at Lou Malnotti's...

Posing for photos in "The Bean" in Millenium Park...

...and scarfing down one last Chicago delicacy...

Farewell for now Chicago...

Now that we're back in NYC - I have a number of auditions to prepare for and a Charo role to do for the Paul Lynde 1977 Halloween Special. I'm studying her moves in a youtube video as we speak. Take a look!

An Armand-azing Experience

After a day spent indoors at Chicago's Navy Pier avoiding the wind and rain, we returned to iO aka Improv Olympic for "The Armando Diaz Experience." This is a long-form improv show which features a monologist, who for the evening, goes by the name of "Armando" and tells stories about their life based on an audience suggestion of anything at all. The improvisers, (of which there were 12) then improvise scenes based upon Armando's stories told throughout the show.

This form was started in Chicago several years ago by Armando Diaz with whom I have studied improv for the past 3 or 4 years at the Magnet Theater in New York. I thought it would be really cool to see the show that bore his name at the theater where it all began.

It was pretty cool! I admit that I enjoyed some improvisers more than others (namely TJ Jagadowski) - man is he awesome! But overall, everyone in the show was really funny - and two hours flew by in a flash! It seems like improv shows in Chicago go for at least an hour, sometimes two! We didn't actually get out of the show until about 10:30, which threw a little bit of a wrench in our plan to get late night pizza with a couple of Chicago locals. We had opted to get an early steak dinner at Harry Carey's before the show, which was really delicious by the way.

Fortunately, the original Pizzeria Uno, birthplace of the deep dish pie, was open late and saved the day! Yes, we managed to have our steak and pizza too.
I love Chicago!

Animal Behavior

We had a full day of sightseeing around Chicago today, but sadly, sometimes there just aren't enough hours to fit everything in.

I was going to try to get student rush tickets for "Kafka on the Shore" at the famed Steppenwolf Theater as well as tickets to a Second City show, but sadly both theaters were sold out. We had pizza plans a little earlier in the evening with the people that we were staying with, which fell in the middle of show times at Annoyance and Improv Olympic - perhaps poor planning on my part.

However, the day wasn't a total bust. Along with taking in some seriously breathtaking scenery of the Chicago skyline along Lake Michigan at sunset...

and we took a tour of the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is completely free, btw. We took our time moving through each exhibit, admiring each animal and studying its habits and behavior, oftentimes lending our own voices to narrate its innermost thoughts. (How embarrassing for them!)

Some of our favorites were:

A happy Hippo who likes it a little rough...


A mighty and majestic Lion lording over his lair...


an ambitious Aardvark arranging its apartment...


and a playful Puma that possibly wanted to pounce on a small passerby...


Once we returned home from pizza at Pequod's, I suggested a late night run to the The Playground Theater, (another little improv theater in town), but we were advised against it. [Sigh]
Ah well, I tried. Here's hoping tomorrow will yield more proactive activities!

Wingin' It!

Today was probably one of the longest days I've had in a good loooooong while. We were up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport and hop a plane to Chicago. I was hoping that my exhaustion due to excessive sleep deprivation would allow me to catch a few winks on the plane ride, but unfortunately it just didn't happen. Argh!

Instead of catching a much needed nap, I read the rest of a David Rabe play that I had started called, "The Black Monk." It's based on an obscure novella by Anton Chekhov, and I'm not sure if I should have read it in my state of delirium because it is a very haunting story. I had originally purchased it at the Broadway Cares Flea Market last month for $1. I like Rabe and Chekhov, so it seemed a wise purchase. I was hoping to find a good monologue for myself within its pages, but now I'm not so sure. There are a few things here and there which might be pieced together to make something that would work.

Once we arrived in Chicago, we went into the city for some sightseeing and pizza, (which proved very disappointing) - the pizza, not the sightseeing. Chicago's architecture and immaculate city sidewalks never disappoint. We had the chance to walk a bit of the "Magnificent Mile" this afternoon and it definitely lives up to its name.

Since I am especially passionate about musical improv, I really wanted to take in a musical improv show while we were in town. Tonight we went to iO to see one of their musical house teams called "The Del Tones." The house was packed for this show. People know about improv in Chicago. I have to confess that it made me miss "The Made-Up Musical" somethin' awful. I really enjoyed the show, but sometimes it's difficult watching something from the audience that you so desperately want to be a part of. At certain moments when the pianist would strike up a pretty tune, I wanted to run up there and start singing with the cast! But I didn't because that would have been entirely inappropriate. And even as tired as I am, I can still tell right from wrong!

I'm definitely a bit envious of the folks who get to be on a musical house team. There have been a few rumors floating around that the Magnet may follow suit. I think it would be absolutely awesome! Until then, I will just have to be satisfied with my TMUM gig.

Going Back to the Future

After cleaning like a madwoman all night last night, I felt like a shell of my former self today. However, the show must go on!

Tonight I had my first rehearsal for "The 1976 Paul Lynde Halloween Special" which is going up in a little more than a week at the Magnet Theater. yikes! That's a little scary! It makes me glad that I only have a few actual lines to learn.

The biggest hurdle I have to overcome is figuring out my best Charo impression. She has quite the accent on her. I also have to sing "Twist and Shout" in the show, so that should be fun. Just wait until I slip into this hot pink fringed dress and throw a big blond wig on my head. I'll be at least half way there.

Tonight's rehearsal was really a first read through for most of us involved. The show is basically a Halloween sketch show with the structure of Charles Dickens' archetypal tale, "A Christmas Carol." Personally, I think it's going to be a barrel of campy old fun and a great excuse to put on a hot little number and sing with an exaggerated Latin accent in front of an audience of my friends. Me likey!

If you want a better idea of what these shows were all about, watch below for a little preview...



Now I'm off to do some packing for our trip to Chicago (or Chi-town, as I like to call it) for "Pizza Month 2008: Chicago Edition!" You may think I'm kidding but I'm not. I love Chicago and I'm really looking forward to the four-day getaway. We're going to eat lots of deep dish, take in the sights and hopefully see some good improv and theater while we're there.

Windy city, here we come!

Project Makeover: Studio Apartment Edition

In doing this year-long project, I am trying to be as proactive as possible in several different ways, whether it be attending auditions, studying new material, seeing new plays, or just plain old organizing my life.

Everybody needs a little bit of organization in their lives. It helps you think more clearly, work more efficiently, and feel more...well, organized!

Tonight I began a clean sweep of my little studio apartment: we're talking laundry, dishes, dusting, scrubbing, vacuuming - you name it, I'm doing it!

City living is great, but it has its challenges - like, living in a smaller space than most people have grown accustomed. In this city on an island, it's not so much about how much space you have, but where you are that makes or breaks the appeal of your apartment. In Manhattan it's all about the three "L's": Location! Location! Location!

All things considered, I consider myself quite lucky. I moved to the city almost six years ago when a lot of people were moving out - I guess, for fear of further terrorist attacks? Anyway, I got a pretty sweet deal on my place.

Nonetheless, it has its drawbacks - like the fact that it can get real sloppy at the drop of the hat - and there's a very limited amount of storage space, so a lot of things get dropped around my apartment, and well - sometimes I'm just too darn lazy to pick them up.

So it's time to clean up my act! But, like any good actor, I must ask, "What's my motivation?"

My parents are coming into town this weekend - that's what!

They just celebrated their 33rd Anniversary and so as part of their present I decided to get them a pair of tickets to a Broadway show and let them stay in my apartment for the weekend, since I'm going to be in Chicago.

That's why I need to get this place all spit spot in a hurry!

Sometimes I wish I were a little more anal when it comes to keeping a spotless domicile, but sometimes my busy schedule prevents me from staying on top of these things. In any case, I am almost finished with my apartment makeover, and my qi (or chi) already feels like it's flowing a bit easier.

In the meantime, I sent out another email to an agency regarding a "Business of the Arts" seminar that I am hoping to attend next Wednesday. I haven't heard either way if I secured a spot in the class or not. Sometimes these things fill up really really quickly.

Anyway, I've got some more organizing to do, and a new shower liner to buy, but I think that all of this cleaning will make me feel more productive in the long run, but more importantly, impress my parents when they come to stay at my Chez!

3...2...1...Launch Party!!!

Tonight, Ars Nova kicked off The A.N.T. Fest in fine style with a launch party in the swank Penthouse of the theater. We arrived fashionably late-ish (around 9pm) and while we had missed the pizza, there were still plenty more free hors d'oeuvres and drinks to be had.

It was a fine time for all. Unfortunately only a few of us "Spotlight" cast members were able to attend, but we made the best of it. We mixed and mingled with a few old friends and acquaintances who are doing other shows for the A.N.T. Fest, (it's such a small world in the theater) but more importantly, we made some new friends as well!

My fellow UArts Alum, Adam, who now goes by Monkey, introduced me to a recent UArts grad who was there to represent another duo of alums with a show in the festival.
Go U Arts! Way to represent!

I like this community a lot, and it made me even more excited for the days to come. Our gold A.N.T. passes that we were given at the orientation a few weeks ago, get us into all of the shows for free, so I'm hoping to take advantage of that once I return from my trip to Chicago. It's going to be a busy next couple of months!

And away we go!


Ars Nova A.N.T. FEST Launch Video from Ars Nova on Vimeo.

Having Another Go

This afternoon I attended the Chorus Call for "Ragtime," in hopes of striking gold the second time around. I recognized a few faces who were also giving it another go at the chorus call. One of them remarked, "If only we got credit for attending both open calls." True that! If we got report cards for auditioning, I think I'd be getting pretty high marks. A's for effort anyway.
Sadly right now, still an F for achievement. But that's all gonna change!

Actor's Equity was all abuzz with three or four calls happening at the same time, and since the chorus call for women wasn't until 2pm, it was close to full capacity by the time I arrived.
I hadn't put myself on the list, so I had to get to the back of the line to get a card for this one. Today I was lucky number 161.

I figured that it would be at least a couple of hours until they got to me, so I went into work and then returned to AEA at around 4pm. I still had about another hour until they called the block of 161-180. Apparently I lucked out, because I was in the last group of auditioners for the day and that only happened because a lot of people didn't show up for their slots.

The audition itself went okay, but not as well as I had hoped for. I think that due to all of the running back and forth, I didn't have time to warm up as much as I needed and I wasn't quite as strong. Yuck! When this happens I like to move on right away and pretend that it never happened.

Today's grade: eh - I'd have to give myself a B-

Better start studying hard for the next round! Back to the music books I go!

Setting Up Shop

Today I gave my boss a hand with a special event for the Directors of Photography that are represented by our agency. Since our agency is very specialized, we like to have personal contact with each of our clients & we also thought that it would be good for them to have personal contact with one another so that they can network and talk shop.

We held our meeting at a little sound stage in the East Village called Cine Magic Stages. I've only been to a few sound stages so far, and this one was kinda cool. The main sound stage was completely white except for a black square that a Production Assistant was painting on the floor (sound) stage left.

My boss had purchased some sandwiches and fruit for the gathering, so one of our DPs took us downstairs to rummage through all of their props for plates and cutlery. It was actually kind of fun!

It would be nice to do some work on a sound stage in front of a camera in the near future, but tonight was all about behind the scenes. The gathering for our DPs was a great success, and they would like to make it a once a month occurrence!

Job well done, us!

Right now, I'm getting my things together for another chorus call tomorrow afternoon at Actor's Equity. I went to the Principal call last week, but I figure, what's the harm in going to the Chorus Call? You never know unless you try, try again!

Gone Audition Fishing

I spent today online searching for more auditions and planning out my schedule for the next few weeks. There are a number of auditions coming up at the end of October, which is very exciting! I'm going to Chicago at the end of this week, (for Pizza Month) - but thankfully, this trip won't be interfering with any of the Equity calls that I want to attend.

When fishing for auditions, I like to go through the calls and email them to myself so that I have the list handy whenever and where ever I am. Then I enter all of the info for each call into my Trio: Time, Place, what to prepare, what to wear, etc.
I don't know where I would be without my phone. I blog on my phone too.

I have a good idea of what I'm going to sing for these next few auditions, but I'm also working on a few more songs that are new to my repertoire like "You're Gonna Dance With Me, Willie" to broaden my horizon of possibilities. I'm looking forward to my next voice lesson on the 24th so that we can prepare a few more things for these upcoming auditions!

This evening I read over the first draft of the script for a fun Halloween show I'm doing at the Magnet, called The Paul Lynde 1977 Halloween Special. I'm playing Charo, which is going to be a riot, I'm sure. She's the best kind of character one can imagine. I know firsthand because I met her a few years ago on a visit to Vegas with my parents. I spotted her as she was waiting to be seated at a swank casino night club with her entourage of beautiful, twenty-something gays.
"Excuse me," I said to one of her posse, "Could we get a picture with Charo?"
"Sure!" he said.
A tiny 4' 10" (in heels) bundle of energy bopped over to us.
"Sure! Sure! I take a picture!" beamed Charo.
She was adorable.
"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" she kept shouting.

Merry Christmas indeed!

I Saw The Signs

Now Presenting...My New and Improved Blog Profile Picture!

Get it? Pretty nifty, eh?

Late this evening, my boyfriend and I snapped this picture especially for my blog. I wish that I could take credit for the idea. That honor goes to our friend, Eric Del Pozo. My boyfriend and I had been meaning to take this photo ever since my blog's mid-August conception, and tonight, we finally snapped to it!

We took several shots, trying out different heights, angles and camera settings - even using each other as human tripods to steady the camera for the manual setting. We must have been making quite a spectacle of ourselves because all of the sudden we found ourselves surrounded by a gaggle of Italian tourists (or should I say, paparazzi) who were taking pictures of us "real New Yorkers."

We talked to the head paparazzo, and he explained to us in broken English that all 15 of them were in town to celebrate Columbus day and badly in need of a Pub. My boyfriend pointed them in the direction of the nearest tap house and, although we were invited to join, we decided it was best to bid them arrivederci. We had had enough of a taste of the paparazzi for one night. Being famous anonymous New Yorkers is exhausting and today was a long day.

I've mentioned in the past that I've been toying with the idea of bringing back my character of Trudy Carmichael for another incarnation of my improvised Las Vegas lounge show, "Vegas, Baby, Vegas!" Well, earlier today I began drawing up a proposal that I'm hoping to pitch to the Magnet Theater for a series of one-offs that they're calling "Test Drive." Each Sunday evening starting in November, they'll be putting up these shows, and those that do well will have a chance at an extended run!

The Magnet is my safe place where I am free to experiment with different ideas, and this time I want to try doing the show as a one-woman, improvised Cabaret. I'm also planning on throwing in my vocal impression act because that's such a Vegasy thing, (think Danny Gans) along with some puppets and a tune on my ukulele.

Sounds like fun, right?

Here's the pitch...

Trudy Carmichael of the regionally renowned Royal Flushes returns to the stage after a two-year hiatus in "The Baroness of Las Vegas," a solo Las Vegas lounge show featuring improvised spot songs, vocal impressions, ukuleles and puppets!

Part improv...part sketch...completely Fabulous, baby!

Incidentally, I came up with the title, "The Baroness of Vegas" a few days ago thinking that it sounded really fun and campy, however it was not set in stone. Today, as I was weighing my options, I decided to do a google search on the word "Baroness" and among the more obvious definitions, I came up with this:

Baroness is a solitaire card game that is played with a deck of 52 playing cards.

How cool is that? If that's not a sign, I don't know what is!

My mind is made up. I'm going to fill out this application and take another roll of the dice. I just hope that lady luck is on my side!

Mono-atoned

Fresh back from atoning over a brief high holiday hiatus - I continued my quest for Broadway by finding the perfect monologue(s). I've been reading a few other plays including "The Black Monk" by David Rabe, and a musical version of "Anne of Green Gables" (for something a little younger.) You see, I would like to do more children's theater, so I think that a piece from "AOGG" could be quite fitting.

On my train ride back to the city this morning, I took down notes and highlighted a piece I have fallen in love with from John Guare's "Rich & Famous." My voice teacher told me that we often pick material that reflects our personalities or current emotional state. Based on this piece, I am inclined to agree.

Come on in, Bing. This is our past. It's so safe in here.
You must do it all the time. Walk into the past. You're a writer. You see a movie you like, don't you walk right into it?
I take snapshots and I walk right into them. I take my car and drive into the yearbook. Tool around.
Hi, Donny. Hi, Kenny.
Hi, Grandma. I used to think you were so old.
She's the same age then as me right now.

I've got all these dreams in my head. It must be wonderful to have a talent like you do. Like my grandfather.
A place to put your dreams.
My dreams are just wandering around in my head. Some go here. Some go there.
And there you are. You're always there.

I want to tell you a secret. You're a writer. You'll understand.
I'm thinking about leaving my husband. Get a job. Maybe work with emotionally disturbed children. Jobs nobody else wants. I'm not qualified to be a dog catcher's assistant. It's so hard to get started in your life. To pull yourself together just to begin. You're a mind reader, Bing. No wonder you're a writer.
I've got all these dreams. You're so lucky. You're doing what you want to do.

Talent. A place to put your dreams. You must be raking in the cash, Bing. All the wonderful things you can do for people. Your parents must be crazy with joy. A passport to freedom. Dreams. Money.

Bing? Write about me changing? Give me a beautiful life and then send me a copy. Second thought, don't. I'll remember this day for the rest of my life.

Atone (at) Home

Today is the most solemn of days in Judaism, Yom Kippur, and I feel that one should never atone alone, so this morning I hopped a train home!

I went to services with my parents and as is tradition, I fasted as well. How will all of this help me on my way to Broadway? Well, when all else never underestimate the power of prayer!

*and check out this cool Yom Kippur myspace greeting I found!




Good Yuntiv, or Happy New Year everyone!

Singtime!

To avoid the crowds at this morning's open call, I arrived at Actors Equity a little before 9:00am. To my surprise, it wasn't the madhouse that I had anticipated. I think the main reason for the small turnout could mainly be attributed to the fact that it was the third day of the Equity call - so it's likely that there were hundreds more who were seen over the past couple of days. Nonetheless, it was refreshing to see AEA so empty, and a bit of a relief to know that I would be able to sign up for the time slot of my choice without difficulty.

Since I had practically just rolled out of bed, I opted for a 12:30pm slot so that I would have time to go back home and pretty myself up a bit more. Also, I usually find that my voice functions much better in the afternoon when it has had more of a chance to warm up.

I returned to my apartment and made myself a cup of Throat Coat tea, an excellent elixir for lubricating the throat, and did some vocal warm-ups to get my chords to rise and shine with the rest of me. After a shower and some primping, I packed my audition dress and shoes into my bag and departed for AEA once again.

I allowed myself some extra time to change and acclimate to my surroundings by arriving a good 45 minutes before my call. At 12:20 we were put in line.

While I waited, I noticed a significant gap between a side door and the doorframe to the audition studio. "Why not take a peek and see who's in there," I thought. We were being seen in one of the larger studios. Through the gap in the door, I was able to see the lone auditor who wore a Kelly green shirt, sitting behind a long table. She looked nice enough. Also, Kelly green is my favorite color. This has to be a good sign.

When it came time for me to go in, I felt ready. The woman in the green shirt smiled, "Hello, what will you be singing for us today?"

I sang my 32 bars of "Journey to the Past" - and I think it was really strong. It was just enough to keep them wanting more...I hope.

Turn The Page

Well, haven't heard anything regarding yesterday's audition, so the pursuit of a break marches on.

Today I spent a good chunk of time on line combing through more audition listings and exploring other performance opportunities. I've gotta crack this code!

I'm going to another Equity Principal call early tomorrow morning for "Ragtime", so I was preparing for that: put together a couple of outfit options and since they're asking to hear a brief song, possibly more that 32 bars, I put the full-length version of my song of choice ("Journey to the Past") into my audition book. The sheet music itself was in much need of a bit of a makeover - so I made some trims here and there and slid each page nice and neatly into some plastic protectors. I'm golden!

Since tomorrow is a Principal call, I am going to make sure that I arrive between 8:30 and 9am at the latest so that I am guaranteed a decent slot.

Tomorrow promises to be a very busy day, so it's time for some beauty rest!

Nite nite!

Not-So-Spooky Chorus Call

This morning I attended another chorus call at Telsey & Co. for The Addams Family. That show is gonna be a blast!
I was a little more prepared for what to expect at today's chorus call. I arrived to the call at 9:30 this morning, as is customary, for the reading of the list - on which, I was #410. I suspected that it would take quite a while to get to my name - so I kicked back for a bit as the Equity Monitor expertly read through each page. I kept listening for a name that I recognized and searching the room for a familiar face. Around number 200, I recognized a name and a face of this little blonde girl; Tara that went attended my college. I believe she was two or three years behind me - and truthfully, I didn't know her very well when we were in college - but I thought it might be nice to chat with her once all of the cards were distributed.

Surprisingly, there weren't as many girls present for the call as I had expected. I mean, I was #410 - you'd expect a few hundred people to turn up to get their chorus cards. Not so at all! After all was said and done - I was only #81!
Chorus calls are very strict on audition policy. You have to arrive early enough in the day to receive a card & once they have all been distributed, they close the call - so no one else can just show up and sign up for a slot.

"Nice jacket," I remarket to the blonde girl who I recognized, unsure of whether or not she would recognize me in return.
"Hi!" she smiled, pleasantly.
"It's good to see you!"
I took this to mean that she knew whom I was.
We chatted for a while about school and our fellow classmates who are also out and about in the entertainment world. Some of them are making it!

One girl who had understudied a revival of 42nd Street is now covering the rolls of The Lady of the Lake in "Spamalot!" Another one is in the cast of "Wicked" and a few others are touring or doing off Broadway shows. So! It is possible to make it happen!

That's what Tara and I were hoping for today.

I had about an hour to kill before my number was called, so I ventured out for some tea at a local Starbucks. I also stopped into the restroom in the Westin Hotel to do a little more vocalization and warming up. I've found that this bathroom is seldom frequented, so I was able to another 10 or 15 minutes of vocalization before someone came in to use the bathroom for a more traditional purpose.

I returned to the studio feeling a little more refreshed and ready to rock and roll and was first in line for my group of 81-100 - which is a good thing in a way. Not much time to get nervous and have your throat tighten up on you. I entered the room cheerily and handed my music to the accompanist, while demonstrating the rock beat of "Smash the Mirror" as my voice teacher had advised. It's sort of a way to "take ownership" of your audition piece. I've started to think of my auditions as my two or three minute one-person show. It's my time to shine, so when I hand over my sheet music, I want to make sure that the accompanist and I are on the same page...literally.

I sang the shinola out of my 16 bars, and then some - because the accompanist continued to play through the end of the song. I think he may have misunderstood my instruction to play only to where it said "End" on the sheet music, but maybe he was digging my performance so much that he just wanted to here more! Ah well, I rolled with it. Improvisation, baby!

Overall I felt pretty good about the audition & can only keep my fingers crossed from here. The hoping and waiting for a break is the scariest thing of all.

Piece By Piece, Putting It Together

Among other things, I've also been honing my editing skills over the past year or so. My weapon of choice for cutting together footage is Final Cut Express. I'm getting quite good at it - and have mostly been learning by doing. Usually that's the best way. I spent much of today finishing up work on a video for Pizza Month 2008.

Sean Taylor's Pizza Month Project started in 2002 and has evolved over the years from a blog into a podcast and now just last year, Pizza Month made the leap into video log territory.

It's quite an undertaking for one fellow, so he has enlisted the help of some of his friends to take on some of the workload by doing a mini competition he calls:

So You Think You Can Be America's Next Top Pizza Video Editor?

I'm a contestant and here is the first of my personal entries. Please enjoy!

Day 3, October 3rd of Pizza Month 2008
Location: Di Fara Pizza

Re-Composing Myself

After yesterday's whirlwind adventure, I welcomed the weekend with glee and took advantage of this quiet Saturday by reviewing and re-writing some of the song that I'm working on for The Spotlight.

Song writing is fun, but as I am one who leans on the self-critical side, it can also be a bit of a daunting task. I like the path that I'm on lyrically, but in our rehearsal last week, I discovered that some of the lines didn't scan quite as well when accompanied with the music. I'm thinking that an overall tempo change may be in order.

I emailed an mp3 of the song to all of our musicians to refresh their recollection - all except for the bassist, that is. Unfortunately we lost our bassist as quickly as we got him. He works for the AP and election time doesn't allow "Spotlight" time. I emailed by drummer a little reminder about his roommate who is also a bassist. Fingers crossed, this guy will come through for us!

We were only going to have one more rehearsal before the day of show, but this unforeseen hiccup has put a slight wrinkle in our plan. We'll need to throw in another rehearsal to familiarize a new bassist with our music, or just play on sans bassist which will disappoint the rest of the musicians. I want to have a new bassist in place by the end of next week so that we can plan accordingly. November 7th will be here before we know it!

Ah well, these things happen. I'm not worried...yet.

Chorus Call Chaos!

This morning I attended a chorus call - actually, I attempted to go to two. The following entry is a time line of my day and the chaos that unfolded...

Audition #1 = Chorus Call at Actor's Equity at 46th and 7th Ave
Audition #2 = Chorus Call at Nola Studios at 54th & Broadway
Mode of transport = N Train and feet

8:15am - - Left my apartment and hopped a train straight over to Actors' Equity for Audition #1. When I arrived I learned that the audition was in fact a chorus call - meaning that men and women were being seen separately (men at 10am, women starting at 2pm.)

* In order to be seen you had to acquire a chorus call audition card which would be distributed at 1:30 in the afternoon on the day of the audition. In order to get a card, you have to sign up on the Chorus Call list which is put up one week before the call and stays on the board until 5pm the day before the audition. If you put your name on the list, you then have to be present for a reading of the Chorus Call list at 1:30 pm on the day of the audition. If you hadn't signed up before the day of audition, you have the option of waiting in line to get an audition number and card.

8:40am - - I was instructed by a Equity monitor that I should leave and return at 1:30 to get a number and chorus call card, so I hopped back onto the N train uptown to Nola Studios to put myself on a list for Audition #2.

9:05am - - By the time I arrived to Audition #2, I was #100. Yikes! Come back at 2pm, I was told. (Cripes - how am I supposed to swing that?)

9:20am - - I left Nola and hopped back on the N train to my apartment & catch a couple more hours of shuteye before my auditions.

1:00pm - - I was back on an N train

1:30pm - Back at AEA for the reading of the list for Audition #1. It was 400 names deep and I wasn't even on the darn thing, so I got in line.

1:56pm - - I got my chorus call card and then bolted to get to Nola

2:01pm - - back on the N train

2:12pm - - Arrive at Nola for Audition #2. They were still running dance callbacks and running behind schedule. We were informed by the monitor that they should be finished around 2:30 and would then begin "typing people out" by head shot, 30 at a time.

The humid holding room and slightly cooler hallways were flooded with at least 100 hopeful auditioners. I waited to see what the official protocol would be, and after the first 30 people were typed out and 25 sent away for the day. Since they were only casting for certain roles, I didn't feel that my headshot would make it into the "must see" pile. At least I knew that I was guaranteed to be seen at Actor's Equity for Audition #1. If I stayed any longer, I might lose my slot, thus missing out on both auditions. I made the executive decision to leave and if I had time after Audition #1 for Audition #2, I would return.

2:52pm - - back on an N train to AEA for Audition #1.

3:09pm - - Found out that I had about another hour to wait until they reached my number, (I was #149.) They were barreling through all of the Equity members 8 bars of music at a time.

4:12pm - - FINALLY numbers 141-160 were called to line up. I had been keeping track of the numbers and had positioned myself right in front of the Equity monitor's desk to be at the ready. I lined up with the other women in number order as the monitor quickly collected each of our headshots and resumes.

4:32pm - - It's GO TIME! I waited patiently for each girl ahead of me to do their 8 bars and finally I was on deck. I entered the room confidently and sang my eight bars of "Someone to Watch Over Me."
"That was lovely, Robin" said the Casting Director.
"Thank you!"

4:38pm - - I was outta there! How had it gotten so late already? I rushed out of AEA and decided it was better to cut my losses and forgo the Audition #2 at Nola. I had already devoted enough of my day to running back and forth. At least I got one decent Audition #1 in, and sometimes that's the best that one can hope for! ...of course, I am still hoping for more!

I think that I learned a lot about myself today! For one, I learned that I am much more patient and determined than I used to be. My sticktoittiveness allowed me to get through this crazy part of my day without tearing my hair out or running screaming from a room full of 200 others auditioning for the same job. What's more - I still managed to put in at least a half a day's work so that I can pay the bills and more importantly, voice lessons!

Since I had gotten such a late start on my work day, I stayed at the office until 9pm before heading on down to the Magnet Theater for another performance of "The Made-Up Musical." We had a great show tonight! I think that today's earlier events propelled me to be a bit more bold and aggressive in tonight's show. I improvised a rap, for crying out loud! (Well, it was sort of a rap.) I felt really good out there! I think that over the last couple of weeks as I've been shifting into audition mode, it's really made me need The Made-Up Musical more now than ever. It's a great creative outlet for me because for 50 minutes, I get to do what I do best: perform!

Sometimes that's the best that one can hope for! ...of course, I am still hoping for more.

It's Play Time!

I've found a few new pieces of audition material in the plays that I purchased a couple of weeks ago. I finally had some time to sit down today and read one of the plays: "Rich & Famous" by John Guare. I like his off-beat somewhat absurd style. The play centers around a young playwright trying to make a name for himself in the cold cold world of showbiz. (Boy can I relate!) The character of his girlfriend is a perfect fit for me and has some good dialogue, so I think I've found a new comedic monologue - a triumph in and of itself! Comedic material for young women is a bit hard to come by.

I enjoy reading plays and can often sit and read most contemporary pieces from cover to cover in one sitting. This makes me feel smart. I still have a pile of 7 or 8 other plays on which to use my brainpower and uncover some more audition pieces. It has been longer than I'd like to admit since I have worked on something new. I've been relying on my old standbys, but it's time for change! Like Obama says: "Yes we can!" That's sort of an open-ended battle cry, so I'll fill in the blank with "Yes we can find new monologues!"
Thanks for the encouragement Obama.

Speaking of politics, I tuned in along with millions of Americans to watch the nationally televised VP Debates tonight. That's all I have to say about that. I'm not about to get into using my blog as a platform to talk politics.

Speaking of TV - at 11:30pm it was "Spotlight" time! The Manhattan Neighborhood Network aired Episode 1 of The Spotlight with Sean Taylor! It was televised regionally throughout the borough of Manhattan! It was pretty exciting, even if we only had a minute fraction of the number of people that tuned into watch the Veep candidates have at it. Either way, we got a kick out of seeing "The Spotlight" play on TV. Stay tuned!

L'Shan-October Mailing List!

Late last night - (technically today at about two in the morning) after all of the family members emptied out of our home and the table was cleared and dishes and glasses put away, my boyfriend convinced me to start a new mailing list.

I've honestly never had a proper mailing list. Can you believe that? I had just relied on the power of myspace bulletin board posts and facebook event invites. They work to an extent, but nothing beats the power of a good mass email. Well...sometimes.

While I don't usually mind a mass email inviting me to shows or inviting me to birthdays, some people find them impersonal and annoying. I think that people's greatest hangups with mass emails can be attributed to the fact that sometimes the sender forgets to BCC: everyone, thereby making their email address vulnerable to email address poachers who want to add addresses to their own mailing lists.

It's just not right, I tell you. That's why I thought that it would be a good idea to open up an official mailing list of my own! If anything, I need to promote myself more. Why am I so shy of inviting people to see shows? I was booked to do another Made-Up Musical this Friday so I'm going to make use of this list and spread the good word!

On a side note, I had a little bit of on-camera time this evening for the 2008 Edition of Pizza Month. That's right, October is "National Pizza Month!" Every year for the past 7 years, my boyfriend has celebrated National Pizza Month by eating at least one slice of pizza a day at 31 different places with at least one other person. He documents all of his findings in his blog - or video log, which he just started up last year. It's pretty cool!

I had the honor of attending the first Pizza Day of 2008 at DeLorenzo's in Trenton, NJ. We made an extra special stop in Trenton on our way back to New York from Philly. Some might say that we were crazy to go to all this trouble for a stop at a Pizza Parlor - as a matter of fact, there are two DeLorenzo's in Trenton but the first one we went to on Hudson Street was closed :-( - but it's all for the good of Pizza Month!