Attending A Test Drive

Tonight I attended "Test Drive" at the Magnet Theater. It's a show that gives performers a chance to test out an idea for a show and see if they can get a longer run at the theater. I had submitted an idea for this slot a few months ago, and was offered December 28, a less than desirable date because I will be out of town and it's likely that a lot of other people will be as well. Oh well. I will be submitting again.

Tonight's Test Drive featured two 30-minute shows in an hour-long slot - the first of which was a late night talk show, and the second a one-woman show. Talk about a perfect pairing (for my purposes, anyway.)

I've been trying to gather ideas for a one-woman show of my own, so I've been trying to attend as many as I can find for inspiration. I think that in order to do a one-person show well, you really have to have a character with a very strong point of view or be dealing with a subject matter that is very close to you.

Upon making our appearance at our friend's talk show, a few of our friends playfully chided, "Checking out the competition, eh?"
Well we were invited. Several times via facebook, in fact. No competition - just wanted to see if people liked this talk show more than they like ours, that's all!
"It's a brotherhood. Talk show hosts need to stick together."

Slicing It Up!

I've been refining my editing skills one step at a time on Final Cut Express over the past year or so. I really enjoy editing - so when my boyfriend offered me an opportunity to participate in his friendly competition of fellow editors for Pizza Month 2008, I gladly accepted the challenge.

He had edited about 20 pizza videos throughout the month of October and was happy to turn some of them over to his friends for their take. As you may recall, I edited this one a last month...



I spent a good chunk of today slicing and splicing footage for Pizza Day #18, which was our first day on the Chicago leg of Pizza Month 2008. We were supposed to go to Geno's, but because of a misunderstanding with the directions, accidentally ended up at Giordanno's, one of Chicago's largest and seemingly most plentiful deep dish pizza chains. What a mistake it turned out to be...and how!

Reviewing the footage brought back some stomach-churning memories, but I got through the footage like a champ and here's what my efforts yielded.

A Very Special TMUM

After a filling Thanksgiving at home, I returned to NYC to perform in the Made-Up Musical. Since last week's show felt a little shaky, I had a lot of nervous energy with which to cope before show time.

Once I arrived at the theater however, everyone was in such high spirits that I couldn't help but get swept up in the holiday cheerfulness making my nervous knots a thing of the past. We also had a larger audience this evening, which always lifts my spirits and raises the energy.

Tonight's suggestion came from an 11 year-old girl who is obsessed with the new "Twilight" books and movie. Where the hell have I been? I'm so outta touch with what the kids are into these days - I hadn't even heard of "Twilight" until the recent release of the movie.

The pre-teen gave us a lot of fun stuff to work with and it made for a really tight show - probably one of our best to date. My voice is on its way back in, so I felt a little better about singing out tonight.

The only disappointment of the evening was that Brazil TV (don't ask) was supposed to have come to the theater to film the show and conduct a couple of interviews, but they were no shows. Maybe it was just too cold for them to come out. Too bad - they missed one heck of a show.

Talkin' Turkey

I traveled home to Philly this morning to have a traditional holiday dinner with the fam, which was hosted by my aunt and uncle. It was a fine, fine time and made my neurotic grandmother quite happy.

Thanksgiving dinner also gave me the opportunity to catch up with my cousin who is a producer for a major news station in Philly. As we feasted on roasted turkey and candied yams, we talked turkey about how to get media attention for some upcoming projects, one of them being, the first annual "Slicey Awards" where the winners of Pizza Month 2008 will be revealed, and ten more Pizza Month videos which were distributed to different film editors will be screened - one of which will be mine. (Speaking of which, I still have some editing to do.)

How cool would it be if we could bring in some news crews to cover our event? Pretty friggin' cool.

My cousin offered some sound advice, which we'll try out - although Rome wasn't built in a day. As a matter of fact, neither was the USA.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Given my current state of not-so-well being, the four-day weekend couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I continued my course of treatment: drinking enough water and tea to slake the thirst of a small country, devouring the remaining quart of my homemade Jewish Penicillin and downing packets of fizzing vitamin supplements.

In between trips to the bathroom, I actually managed to get some work done and schedule some more auditions into my date book. My voice is a bit better today. I've been resting it. Thankfully it was very quiet in the office today due to the mass exodus of those heading home for the holidays.

I'm rarely in town the night before Thanksgiving, so this year I made a date with my boyfriend to go to the Macy's Balloon Inflation on the UWS around the Museum of Natural History. Neither of us had ever been - and I thought that it was one of those "New Yorky" things that you have to do at least once in your life.


Thousands of tourists and New Yorkers alike flood the streets with children in tow for this bizarre holiday tradition where 30 or so larger than life versions of lovable icons like Kermit the Frog and Buzz Lightyear are prostrated face down one after the other on either end of the Museum of Natural History. To keep the balloons from floating up up and away into the atmosphere, they're pathetically pinned down beneath industrial strength nets and strategically placed straps. It's a bit eerie, actually. They all looked like helpless captives under those nets. I can't wait 'til tomorrow when they're finally set free!

Voiceless Lesson

My voice teacher has a very tight schedule so I was really psyched when I had managed to secure a lesson with him for today - but after a restless night courtesy of blocked-up sinuses, my enthusiasm quickly turned to dread.

My voice was in less-than-perfect form this morning which made for a less-than-stellar lesson. That is, it wasn't quite as productive as I had hoped - singing wise. My teacher led me through a bunch of vocal exercises at a level of voice equivalent to that of a whisper. He didn't want me to push it and risk doing damage, but whispering through songs is surprisingly exhausting. I was expelling a lot more air and felt frustrated and fatigued.

In an effort to be as proactive as possible, I presented my teacher with a list of songs that I want to incorporate into my book. Another benefit of an audition class is being exposed to new songs. I took note of several that tickled my fancy and compiled a list. My teacher gave the green light on all of them, and furnished me with sheet music for five new songs.

I can't wait to get started on these new songs once my health has returned. I really want to speed up the process of learning more music so that my repertoire is up to par. I still feel like I have some more catching up to do on that front.

I'm determined to spend the next few days getting healthy and disposing of this crappy cold. I had originally intended to attend an audition today, but since the show is already cast and it was just a required call, my teacher advised me against it. dang. It's time for this cold to hit the road.

Ack to Class

While I was feeling much better today than I did over the weekend, the phlegmy frog that had taken up residence in my throat had yet to vacate. Perhaps my one mistake was not hitting the Mucinex a little harder. Sometimes that stuff can sometimes work wonders.

In any case, I wasn't too sick to attend the class that I paid good money for, so off I went.

I've been pushing liquids hard over the past few days, so much so that I would seriously benefit from a catheter. Yeah, I know - ew gross, but all of that time spent running to and from the bathroom could be spent doing far more productive things. Also, I felt kinda guilty having to leave the class two or three times in between people getting up to sing - but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. It's not healthy to hold it in. People have died!

After all of my parades to the pee room I wish I could say that all of that hydrating had done the trick to get me sounding like my old self again. It didn't. Producing a clear sound took much more effort than usual and the for the most part sounded like my chords had been coated in tar. Ack! Very frustrating. Nonetheless, I could feel the entire class empathizing with me which made me feel supported and without the need to feel embarrassed or apologetic.

I didn't hit it out of the park today due to some technical difficulties, but I still showed up and managed to get some good feedback from the Casting Director that I can take home to help me improve my performance of the piece next week.

More to come later - I gotta go pee again.

Saying Salon-g!

Sadly, the A.N.T. Fest is in its final weekend of shows and festivities. Over the past few weeks, the company formed "salons" - informal Q&A sessions between Ars Nova artists and A.N.T . Fest participants. Due to other scheduling conflicts and out-of-town commitments, I wasn't able to go to any of them until today.

I was glad that we were able to take advantage of the final A.N.T. Fest Salon, which apparently encompassed what was discussed in previous sessions. It was a nice way to bring closure to our participation in the festival by having a sort of a round-table discussion with performers, writers, and producers, etc. I really appreciated the efforts of the theater to bring us all together and create a sense of community within the festival.

After all of the work that we put into our show, I am sad to see the festival come to an end. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that we can keep a strong relationship going with the theater and that they will perhaps invite us back in the future!

Under the Weather

Today was a down day for me. Despite my best efforts to fend off an impending seasonal bug, I got caught. When I woke up this morning I could tell from the swollen glands and sore, scratchy, throat that this was the start of something irritating.

Bad news for me - because I need my voice in tip top shape so that I can sing on Monday at my audition class. Needless to say, this is really shitty timing. Really.

Thankfully I have my recovery regimen down pretty much to a science by now. As one who frequently falls victim to chest colds and swollen chords whenever the weather changes, this is all too familiar territory for me.

I got out of bed and headed straight for the market in the freezing cold to get ingredients for my own brand of Jewish Penicillin - (ya know, chicken soup.) I also picked up a fresh pineapple which is supposed to contain enzymes to prevent further infection to the throat and the acidity seems to cut through the goop that resides in the throat as a result of post-nasal drip. yech!

I also got some lemons and some throat coat tea - (my favorite homeopathic remedy) and set to work cooking up a cure for my all-too-common cold.

I need to be on the road to recovery in a hurry so that I can hold it together in class on Monday. I am a firm believer in homemade remedies and mind over matter, so I'm keeping a positive outlook.

Yeah, I'm gonna kick this thing in the butt, but good!

Working My Night Job

I received an email today which was a detailed report on the five things that every actor must do to achieve success in the industry.

This list is as follows:

1. Define Your Product
2. Create a Focused Career Strategy
3. Build a Strong Professional Network
4. Log and Track Your Progress
5. Take Control of Your Finances

Good advice! Now I just need to implement all of it.

Motivated by my experience at last night's show - I couldn't wait to get back to doing The Made-Up Musical. It had been a couple of weeks since my last show, so I was really pumped to do it.I had fun - but I must admit that I felt a little rusty. Maybe I was feeling a little overwhelmed by that email I got earlier today.

...or maybe it's because I feel like I'm coming down with something.

Don't Quit!

This morning I thought that I would take my "Smash the Mirror" song out for another spin, and attended another EPA at AEA. It was a pretty easygoing morning at Actors' Equity and I was able to get a descent slot before I had to go into the office.

The only negative at AEA was that something was wrong with the heating system so they had to call some repair guys down. While I was waiting with my fellow auditioners to go into the audition room, a woman started yelling at the repairmen:
"Don't you dare make it colder in here! If it gets any colder in here, I'm gonna get Wicked!"

She was quite the character and became the "common enemy" for those of us in line. We couldn't help but giggle under our breath and exchange amused glances with one another over this woman who continued to badger these men.

When it came time for me to go into the room, I was quite relaxed and I felt really good about my audition, which incidentally, was for a fairly well-known casting director. He was also very easygoing and personable, which made for an enjoyable audition experience.

When I was through, he said, "I'm glad that we didn't have any mirrors in this room - otherwise you would have surely smashed one of them."

(Let's hope he meant that in a good way.)

This evening I attended two improv comedy shows - and also had the opportunity to catch "Don't Quit Your Night Job" - a show that I've been meaning to see for some time. Broadway stars doing improv - is this right up my alley, or what?

The wife of a friend of mine is one of the co-creators of the show, and after running into him this evening at the Magnet Theater, he offered to reserve a couple of tickets for me. Sweet!
The show was sort of a variety show, consisting of some sketch, some monologue, some magic, some musical improv and A LOT of audience participation - most of which was very blue.

It was cool to see how actors improvise vs. how comedians improvise. I had a really good time at the show and it was entertaining from start to finish. I couln't help but wish that it was me doing the musical improv up there - but hopefully that's not too far off!

A Spot-on Proposal!

Our corporate "Spotlight" gig is only a few weeks away and in order to make sure everything is in order, I had to email out our show proposal to the powers that be - (a.k.a. my dad)

Here it is!

The NACE Holiday Party
Presents
The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
December 5, 2008
9:30 - 10:30pm

SYNOPSIS

A real talk show meets really good impov!
Letterman, O'Brien and Stewart watch out. Spend a night in the faux studio audience of The Spotlight, an improvised late-night television talk show featuring the comedic stylings of Sean Taylor, The Spotlight Band and special guests who's real life experiences on television are used as inspiration for improvised scenes.

CAST and CREW

HOST: Sean Taylor
SIDEKICK: Matt Shafeek
BAND LEADER: Ernie Privetera
MUSICAL GUEST: Robin Rothman
DIRECTOR: Shawn Amaro

SPECIAL GUEST: "Man of the Year" Dennis Carenza


BREAKDOWN OF SHOW

*Before the show we will place suggestion cards on the tables for the guests to write down names of products for the improvised song and commercial breaks ...UNLESS you have sponsors of your own that you want us to use instead.

Shawn A. - warms up crowd, set-up and intro as Ernie plays on the keys

Sean and Shafeek - banter, etc.

Ernie and Robin - first improvised commercial break (based on a product name suggested by audience)

Sean & Shafeek - interview with the Man of the Year

ALL improvise scenes based on the interview

Ernie and Robin - second improvised commercial break (based on a product name suggested by audience)

Sean & Shafeek - interview with Volunteer Guest

ALL improvise scenes based on the interview

Sean - introduces "Musical Guest"

Ernie and Robin - Improvised song (based on a made-up song title suggested by audience)

Sean - closes out the show

WHAT WE NEED

- A bio or some information about Dennis so that Sean has specific things to ask him about.
- A mic and amp or PA system: we need to find out if the banquet hall already has one otherwise, we'll bring our own.
- A keyboard (I don't think the hall has this, so we'll be bringing our own)

I think that this pretty much covers everything. I'm excited to put up another corporate gig, and hopefully this will be the first of many!

Song Scheduling

Now that my musical theater class has begun, I want to run some more things by my voice teacher and get things in tip top shape - so I contacted him and scheduled another lesson for next Tuesday.

Unfortunately, that's the day after my next class, but that was all that he had open, so I'm gonna have to take it!

First-day Singers

Today was the very first day of the Musical Theater class that I'm taking at Actor's Connection!
I was psyched and also a bit nervous going into it - but my excitement superseded the butterflies in my tummy.

We were sent an email the day before telling us to make sure we had a ballad and an up-tempo song that was ready to go. Immediately I decided to bring out my two number one audition songs: "Journey to the Past" (for the ballad) and "Smash the Mirror" (for the up-tempo.)

After a brief Q&A with the Casting Director and Agent, everyone had the opportunity to jump up and sing their selections, receiving feedback at the end. There are a lot of really strong singers in this group - especially amongst the women.

From what I could tell from the feedback I received from the CD and Agent, they were happy with my selections - although I have plenty of work to do for next week's class. We're going to be focusing on our "ballads" next week!

I like the idea of using this class as a way to meet some new people. so I thought it would be nice to have dinner with a couple of girls from the class. There seem to be a lot of nice folks in this group, which is helpful when you have to go up in front of a bunch of your peers.

So far, so good. I can't wait 'til next week!

Soaking Up The Mohegan Sun

I continued our weekend of birthday adventures by taking my boyfriend on another little day trip, this time to The Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino.

We hopped the Metro North bright and early from Grand Central Station and headed to New Haven, CT where we were then picked up by a bus which brought us to our final destination.

In between fantasies about hitting the jackpot, I couldn't stop thinking about my idea for my One-Woman show. Watching the show the night before really got me stirred up, as I had hoped it would. I kept thinking...what can I do? What should I do???

Long train rides are great for pondering questions like these.

"Where are you heading" I asked myself.
"To a casino."
"What character do you have that is associated with a casino?"
"TRUDY CARMICHAEL!"

I just can't seem to get away from this character, and frankly I'm not sure that I want to. I had a million ideas flooding my head about her and I think that it's really time to bring her back! I was offered a one-off spot by the Magnet Theater a few weeks ago, but unfortunately it fell on a night that I'm going to be out of town for the holidays.

Nonetheless, that won't stop me from fleshing out these new ideas and putting up a show. "The Baroness of Vegas" will make her great return!

You can bet on it!

One-Woman Inspiration

I spent most of the day roaming around my old stomping grounds on the streets of Philadelphia with my boyfriend. On our way to get cheese steaks at my favorite joint on South Street, I took him on a mini tour of my old college, The University of the Arts, which is right in the center of it all along the "Avenue of the Arts" on Broad Street.

Once through the front doors of the main building, a whole heap of memories came flooding back. I don't think I had walked the halls of my school since graduation. Yikes! Being back really got me to thinking about the good 'ol days and where I started on my journey to "stardom."

Upon our return to New York later in the evening, we decided to go to a friend's one-woman show at The Zipper Theater - probably one of my new favorite venues in the city. This place has a really cool burlesque/vaudevillian vibe (and I don't even like using the word "vibe".)

The show was what I would call a one-woman character Cabaret which has evolved over the past year or so every time something new happens to this character in her love life. Going into it, I was hoping that seeing this one-woman show would spark some ideas and inspire me to get my own one-woman show up and running. After all, everyone else in this town seems to have a one-man or woman show - why shouldn't I? :-)

Falling Flat

Talk about a bad Hair day.

I rose out of bed bright and early this morning for the Hair EPA. The response was overwhelming. I got into the line which swirled around the center of the room, and after about 20 minutes of waiting, managed to secure a reasonable audition slot in the 10:50am group.

With audition card in hand and over an hour to kill, I decided to take a break from the crowds and go to the changing room to warm up and change. When the turnout for an audition is huge I like to separate myself from the noise for a bit so that I can clear my head.

About 45 minutes later I returned to the holding room where it was just about time for me to check in.

"You haven't been seen for this call already, correct?" the Equity monitor inquired.
"Well, no - I went to a chorus call last week, but - "
"Oh, well they're not seeing anyone a second time, so you can't go in for this."

WWHHHAAAAATTTT???

"When did you tell people this?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.
"I've been announcing it all morning." He said, keeping his cool.

CRAP! UGH! Leaving the holding area hadn't been such a great idea after all! I had missed all of his announcements. DAMMIT!

I double and triple checked with the monitor if this was the case, he insisted that it was just the way things were. The director had given him specific instructions that he didn't want to see any repeat auditioners.

There was no sense in arguing with the monitor over it - that's the last thing anyone in my situation should do. You know the saying, "Don't shoot the messenger." Besides, at this point it was too late for me to hop into line anyway.

And so, with that I gathered my things, tucked my tail between my legs, and headed for the door. On my way out the monitor remarked, "I mean we can't prevent anyone from going in a second time, but I was specifically told not to."

WHAT? You mean I could have just gone in anyway??? After all that? I mean, would the director really have remembered me?

All of these are questions that shall forever remain unanswered because I accepted what I was told. I didn't challenge authority or insist to be seen again because I was afraid of rocking the boat. When you're in my position, you have to be careful. At least, that's what I've always been told. I mean, what if I had gone into the room, and the director had remembered me and he decided to blacklist me for life because I had failed to respect his wishes of not wanting to see anyone a second time?

Writing this now, that scenario seems incredibly preposterous to me, but hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it?

As I left the studio, I was really really angry at myself for not just going in anyway. I kept conjuring up wildly dramatic scenarios of staging my own little protest in the holding room by stripping down to my skivvies and shouting "I will be seen! I will be seen!" The other actors seeing this would be moved to join in and chant along with me, "Yes she can! Yes she can!"
I mean, protesting and getting naked is what that show is all about, right?

Instead, I relented. I gave in. That's not what making it in this business is all about. If I want to get somewhere I have to be bold - short of taking my clothes off in public, that is. Unless, of course it's tasteful and the role calls for it. ;-)

Prep-Hair-ations

I tried to go to another audition this morning, but unfortunately I wasn't able to stay for it. So, I've been getting myself all set for the "Hair" EPA tomorrow morning. I assembled my hippie-like wardrobe (which includes my mother's jeans) and rehearsed the longer cut of my audition piece.

I'm really looking forward to this call!

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. After my audition, I'm going to return to work and then hop a train to Philly for the Philadelphia Improv Festival. Plus it's my boyfriend's birthday on Saturday, so I've been formulating plans for a fun b-day weekend.

What does that have to do with my quest for Broadway? Well, he is my number one fan and my number one supporter - so that calls for a big reward! It's important to give back to the people who are helping you on your way to Broadway stardom!!!

Paying My Way to Broadway?

Today I was doing some more research into other training programs around the city - particularly those that cater to Musical Theater performers like myself, and I came across a week-long intensive that seems really cool - but also really expensive. (Isn't that just always the way?)

I tell ya, if I really want to make it on Broadway, I may have to win the NYC Lottery so that I can afford to pay for more of these classes. This one was particularly alluring because they bring in working Broadway professionals who teach Master Classes and watch you work and give you feedback. It sorta seems like a Musical Theater boot camp.

I exchanged a couple of emails with the director of the program and it seems that they're very nearly full, and also the scheduling of the class isn't the best for me right now. It sounds like I'm making excuses as to why I shouldn't enroll in it, but I think that the biggest factor is that I just don't have the cash. I think that there should be a limit to how much money I'm going to spend on a week of training. At least for now.

There will be another intensive forming in the spring, and I should know better by then whether or not to pull the trigger on it. But for now, I'm not through exploring other less extravagant avenues.

This afternoon I set up an automatic monthly withdrawal from my checking to my savings account so that I can start putting some money away for this, or perhaps something similar...if they'll have me, that is.

I would rather not have to pay my way to Broadway. I wish that it wasn't such a business, this show business. Whatever happened to the good 'ol days when people made it through hard work and determination?

Getting the Words Out

Given my hectic schedule over the past week, I had gotten a little bogged down with different aspects of preparation and execution, so I had shamefully fallen a few days behind on writing my blog - so today I've been playing a little bit of catch up!

Also, I sent emails out to the other four guys who are doing the corporate holiday party "Spotlight" gig on December 5th. It should be a fun way to spread the holiday cheer and the good word about "The Spotlight" and the Magnet Theater. More importantly, I think that it's cool to test out the show on a smaller scale to see how well it travels for other potential corporate gigs.

I hope that they're all as excited as I about this thing!

Spotting a Corporate Gig!

After all of that talk about the possibility of corporate gigs, it looks like we may actually end up doing one! I can't really take credit for booking this one on my own, however. My dad belongs to an organization called NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) and they do things like protect bridges and underground fuel storage systems that keep toxins from leaking into the ground water, from eroding. Good stuff.

Any who!

My dad's organization has a holiday party every December and they want to book some entertainment, SO - "The Spotlight" just scored its very first corporate event. I'm sure before long we'll be playing to CEOs of companies like Amway and Coca Cola, but in order to do that we've gotta use every connection we've got to get our foot in the door. That connection just happens to be my dad.

Nepotism at its finest, I say! I'm not above it! Just take a look at the folks in Hollywood!

Moving right along, I now have to get a proposal together and figure out the best way for us to bring "The Spotlight" to a bag banquet hall in Lyndhurst, NJ without having the players outnumber the party guests. All told, there were about 15 cast members in the A.N.T. Fest episode, far too many to travel to NJ, so I had to make some pretty heavy cuts to the cast. Five people (including me) made the cut. Pretty harsh, I know, but show business is show business. (Ugh, I feel so dirty.)

The paired down cast will consist of: Host, Sean Taylor; Sidekick, Matt Shafeek; Director, Shawn Amaro; Band Leader Ernie Privetera and of course, me! We'll all play our usual roles and then serve double duty as improvisers. We're also going to scrap the projection screen and multi-camera shoot, which will also lighten our load quite considerably. Since we'll be interviewing "The Man of the Year" and not using video clips during the interview,

It's all for the best! Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how well the compact version of the show works. It's cool to know that "The Spotlight" can be so modular should we continue taking it on the road to other small venues. That's the hope, anyway. I think that this will be fun for all of us, and what's more, we'll actually be getting paid to do it, which is a first for us.

...until we land that Coca Cola account, that is. Here's hoping.

Fin

My whirlwind of a weekend has finally drawn to a close and I am exhausted. I attended a birthday party of a friend who came to our show - and didn't get in until very late last night - er, this morning. After sleeping in a few extra hours I got on line and began sending out some thank you emails to friends who came to the show... NOW, I'm just trying to get things in order for the weeks that lay ahead.

I picked up my uke tonight, for the first time in a long time. I need to start playing this thing more. I'd like to write some more songs. I've got a laundry list of things that I need to do and things that I want to do. The hard part is putting them in the correct order of greatest priority to least.

I'm planning on attending the EPA for "Hair" next Friday, so I asked my mom to bring up a pair of her jeans from the 60s for me to sport at the call. They're a pretty groovy pair of denim bell-bottoms that she actually embroidered herself when she was in college. They're really cool - nothing too over the top - and I like the idea of wearing them to the call, just for the sake of authenticity.

I also just completed assembling a fresh batch of headshots and resumes to have ready for some upcoming auditions. (Sigh) Yes, it has been a long past few days. Time to rest my weary head.

Booking Future Plans

I had a swanky night on the town with my folks tonight. Well deserved, I'm sure since I had gotten them tickets to "The Spotlight" last night - (I say smugly blowing on my fingernails.)

In all seriousness, it was a gret show and I was proud of it, and delighted that they were able to attend. That said, we had some celebrating to do!

It began with a took a trip to the UES to the ritzy Carlyle Hotel for a drink at the Bemelman's Piano Bar (named for Ludwig Bemelman - best known for his series of Madeline books). My parents really dig live music, and my mother had heard tell that there wasn't a cover to enter this swanky establishment before 8pm, so we figured that it would be the perfect placce to grab a pre-dinner drink and soak up some of the hotel's luxurious atmosphere.

After about an hour, we switched locations to Roth's Steakhouse on the UWS (I sorta invited myself along for dinner) where we were serenaded by a live four-piece Jazz band. Nothing like good meat and good music.

All of this live music in different dining establishments got me to thinking: "How can I work this angle?" I have a band...(sorta) Why couldn't we do this? My day job is great and all - but I'd be more than happy to supplement my income by finding some sweet little restaurant/lounge gigs such as these. I'm giving myself a little homework assignment of finding out what's involved. After all, for me, getting paid to play somewhere is an occurrence about as rare as my steak, but not nearly as tasty.

Shine Time!

Well...

WE DID IT!!! Our long-awaited, much-anticipated debut of The Spotlight with Sean Taylor went off without a hitch tonight in Ars Nova's A.N.T. Fest! Hooo-wheeee!!! And, what a night it was!

I was a bit anxious earlier in the day, finalizing what it is I should wear and making sure that I had everything I needed to pull off a successful show. I arrived to the theater at around 5:30 to warm-up and get ready for sound check, which was called for 6pm, however most of the band members were coming from work and didn't arrive until closer to 6:30. Eek!

I got to run my song one more time, and then before I knew it - we had to clear out of the theater so that the house staff could prepare the space for our audience. That was the most nerve-wracking thing of all. I hope we have a house!

Well, thankfully people did come and they enjoyed what was one of our most successful "Spotlights" to date! It was really swell having a full band up there to back me, and we had a lof of fun guests and other bits to boot!

I'll let these pictures speak for themselves...

Getting ready to go on...

Host Sean Taylor and Sidekick Matt Shafeek...

Host, Sean Taylor asking the tough questions...

House left of our beautiful audience!!!

The Spotlight Band!!!

Singin' "Just A Little Bit Famous"

The Spotlight Band (post show)

Matt and Spotlight Head Writer, Tony Carnevale

Spotlight Improvisers!


As I had predicted, as soon as Sean uttered the words "This has been The Spotlight with Sean Taylor, goodnight!" I let out a huge sigh of relief. That was a great ride!

After all of the planning and rehearsing and careful preparation, it was a wonderful feeling to know that we had pulled off yet another excellent show. Nonetheless, the feeling of relief is quickly replaced with the feeling of looking forward to the next one. We were all so thrilled to have had the opportunity to bring "The Spotlight" to this new, incredible venue for Ars Nova's A.N.T. Fest and I hope we can do it again!

Putting on a show is like a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs and stomach-dropping loop-da-loops. It's a wild ride, I tell you - and we can hardly wait to get back in line for the next one!

T-Minus One Day...

With our grand debut of "The Spotlight" less than a day away, I sent out a final round of email reminders and facebook notifications to prospective audience members. I'm really hoping to fill the house tomorrow night!

I was getting pretty nervous about it and I wanted to take one last look at the space before going in there tomorrow night, so I decided to go to the show that was on tonight: "Pirates and Ninjas!" It was a smaller, shorter show, but they had a nice turn-out and it gave me higher hopes for us tomorrow night.

I just have to believe: "If you promote it, they will come."

After the show, I decided to stick around and wait for our drummer to arrive so that he could unload his drum kit and keep it over night in the space so as to not have to schlep it in on the day of the show. We want to be ready to rock and roll as soon as possible - so best to make sure that everything is ready to go.

This is it! Tomorrow is the big day!

Hair Today!

I donned a pair of my favorite bell bottoms and flowed it and showed at a chorus call for "Hair" which was being held this afternoon at The Public Theater. I saw the show this summer, and loved it - so why not try to be in it?

It was a surprisingly small showing of Hair hopefuls (I was only number 47) - possibly due to the fact that the show is already fully cast. I don't know this for sure, mind you. This theory was merely pointed out to me by a fellow-auditioner while I was waiting for my number to be called.

"I don't even know why I'm here," she said. "I mean, they're looking for like ONE other person!"

So not groovy man. I don't like to think about things like that - and neither should she, but also it's also possible that she was just trying to trip me out. I can't say for sure, but I didn't jive with her negative vibe, so I politely excused myself to go refill my water bottle and waited on the other side of the room. Of course, as fate would have it - once I was put into line, she was right along side me. Oh well. I politely chatted with her and some other girls and she seemed to chill out a bit.

My audition went really well today, though. I sang my 16 bars as requested and at the end the Casting Director seemed pleased. "Cool!" she said. How apropos. So we'll see what happens! For now, best to just go with the flow.

Casting My Vote

What an historic day this was. The world is forever changed all because Obama enabled everyone to believe that change is possible by empowering them with his simple three-word slogan: "YES WE CAN!"

There was an electricity in the air this morning and I could feel it as I excitedly marched over to my assigned voting center with a leap in my step and a song in my heart. I couldn't wait to cast my vote! I took my time too. I wasn't going to let this important moment in history pass me by. Can I take my time in the booth?
YES I CAN!

However today, wasn't all about politics for me. I still had my own agenda for the day, which included heading over to the Actor's Equity Building to put my name down on the Chorus Call list for "Hair" and "Wicked." While there I got a list of Equity Showcases that are currently running around the city. Can I attend any of them for free just by presenting my Equity card?
YES I CAN!

Back on the streets there was election fever everywhere I looked. Times Square was ablaze with flashing lights and screens broadcasting coverage of the polling centers. There were even dudes selling Obama and McCain condoms. (I almost bought one, but two condoms for $7 seems a bit hard to swallow. I mean sheesh, aren't we getting screwed enough as it is by this limp economy?)
YES WE ARE!

After work, I met up with some friends in Rockefeller Plaza to watch the numbers tumble in and the states ice rink get painted blue or red. It was magical! I didn't expect a final result to come so early in the evening. At around 11:00pm the race for the White House was over and New York City erupted in applause and cheers. Wow! Wow! Wow!
Did we all have an unforgettable night?

YES WE DID!!!

Spreading the Work

The final countdown to "The Spotlight with Sean Taylor" has begun! I spent much of today trying to get the word out through handy dandy tools of the trade - aka Facebook and good old-fashioned email. I'm not a big fan of mass emails which lack the personal attention they deserve, so I've been going the extra mile and writing individual emails to friends, clients, co-workers and family members.

I sure hope this works!!!

The most nerve-wracking thing about putting on show is the possibility that no one will show for the show! Ay yay yay! It's the stuff that nightmares are made of! Not that we're putting all of our eggs in one basket, but we certainly have high hopes for this show and we want it to do well! And not only that, we want to have plenty of witnesses! I mean, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it really make a sound? (if you catch my drift.)

We've been putting a lot of time and effort into this show and I'm confident that we will not fall, but we will be heard! Go Spotlight!!!

Practice-ally Perfect!

Tonight I had a final rehearsal with "The Spotlight Band" for our show which is coming up THIS FRIDAY at Ars Nova's A.N.T. Fest!!! The band was in high spirits and I think that we're all really excited to do the show.

At tonight's rehearsal we rehearsed the opening "Spotlight With Sean Taylor" theme song and practiced more improvised commercial jingles. (The band really gets a kick out of those.) We also ran my song several more times and put some finishing touches on the final product.

At the end of rehearsal we practiced a closing to the show and then ran the whole thing from cue to cue. It went swimmingly and I'm feeling good about it. Now all that's left to do is make sure I have my song fully memorized backwards and forwards. No lead sheets will be used on the day of performance!

I think we're ready. Until then, this has been The Spotlight with Sean Taylor, thank you and...goodnight!

Organization Scales

Trying to get organized today...The Spotlight is now less than a week away and I am in charge of "The Spotlight Band" and making sure they have all the info they need.

Tonight I looked through our production packet and retrieved the info regarding set up and tech times, equipment and call times so that I could email out to the band. We have one more rehearsal tomorrow evening, so it's time to make sure that everyone is on the same page and our course of action is locked down.

I've been running through my song and making some adjustments here and there based on what we did at Thursday's rehearsal. Little by little the song has been taking shape. It may not be the most incredible song in the world, but it's mine and I'm proud of it.

Here's another version of the song - with some slight improvements/changes...

Ever since I was a little girl
No one doubted I could dream,
Of being someone big some day
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
'Cause 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:

'Cause 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
When 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:

'Cause 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:

'Cause I just wanna be a little bit famous
(I no longer want super fame)
Yeah I just wanna be a little bit famous
You may vaguely know my name)

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