Star-Spangled Girl Performance Dates

I finally know when The Star-Spangled Girl will star me. My run is the middle two weekends of October (17-19) and (24-26). I suppose some people will see that and reckon those are the last two weekends of October, but they are indeed the middle two weeks of the show's run in Hollywood at The Lounge Theatre 6201 Santa Monica Blvd, LA, CA 90038. The run will then move to Luna Playhouse in Glendale, but those dates are not known at this time. I'll have the time of the shows posted as soon as I find out. Hope to see you there.

Devil Blues Teaser Trailer

So here is the teaser for Devil Blues.  There will be dialogue in the final film.  Check out what I did in the desert.

Set Photos from Devil Blues

Here are the set photos from Devil Blues.  I know I look good in some of the photos, I think almost too good; some of these photos look more like model shots rather than set photos.  Also, when did my teeth get so white?  I'm in all of the pictures, but also, the Man in Black, played by Steve, and Jay the DP, share the scenes.

Star-Spangled Girl Rehearsal Photos

Here they are, the first set of rehearsal photos from Star-Spangled Girl rehearsal. Marco and Michelle are the actors working through a couple of the scenes.



This second picture is of Marco, Michelle, Aramazd, and Marco's friend, who has helped us tremendously in lieu t of a stage manager.



This is a comedy. Can't wait to get costumes and an audience.

Star-Spangled Girl Update

I've been so busy with other projects that I haven't been keeping up with Star-Spangled Girl production notes. I think we last left off very early on in the process; I was cast and we were rehearsing in a restored Victorian home. Well, time has moved on.
We have left the Victorian Antique and now rehearse at the Luna Playhouse in Glendale. This will now be the location of our extended run as we will now open up in Hollywood in October.
I have also changed title in the company, although I was originally cast as an understudy, I now have the designation as being a part of Cast B. This is very exciting as it means more preformance dates. The only person who really suffers as a result of this is Marco who plays Andy in both casts and must rehearse 6 days a week, ugh.
That is just about all the catch up needed. Now, today marks a huge milestone in production, we have blocked all but one kiss scene and one fight scene for the entire show!!!
There seems to be a feeling of success tied up with this show. Though it feels to me like previous theatrical shows have felt, there is a sense of promise that is unmistakable whenever production is discussed.
As for my part, I continue.

For Anticipation Sake

I finally have pictures from both Devil Blues and Star-Spangled Girl. I will be posting them beginning tomorrow. I just want those who check this often to be eagerly awaiting the forthcoming graphics.
Also, soon to come, show dates for Star-Spangled Girl.

Devil Blues That's A Wrap

I just spent a weekend in the middle of the Newberry Springs Desert and I left with the promise of a finished film. This film has been a while in coming, there was a previous shoot date that got cancelled due to rain (in the desert) and then everyone's schedule pushed it back to this last weekend. Aside from any purely production related problems, this shoot was new, unique, and exciting. Being a smaller production on a remote location, there was so much realism that I could let my imagination relax a bit and just be. I realize the phrase 'just be' leans toward pretentious actor jargon, but for maybe the first time ever, I would be in the middle of the shot without seeing any of the production mechanics and just feel like the situation was real. Everyone on set was really helpful and intelligent; the other actor was strong and gave me so much to work with.
After last weeks fiasco with the game show pilot, this was a reassuring and promising. Everyone seemed very positive about what was being caught on tape, and I felt respected as an actor. There is only one shot that I think didn't work quite right, but I've learned that, though I might not "feel" it, it might look great on tape. I'm worried about details that might have been ignored becoming huge distractions in post, but this is a learning process; still it would be great to get mentioned for acting at a film festival.
I've talked to alot of people on set who brought a camera, and I should have some photos up by the end of the week.

The Casting that Wasn't

Every so often, Hollywood lets me down in a surprising new way. It happens so rarely these days because I've come to expect too much (or too little depending on how you approach the situation). Today I found a new way to feel crappy about myself.
I got cast in a new spoof game show pilot for Cartoon Network. I was to work one day as a fake contestant for which they would pay me handsomely, though I would never see the money because I am in debt to AFTRA. Possibly the worst part is that I wasn't actually too excited about the casting at first; I didn't know what to expect and I got the order to bring extra underwear. My head filled with horribly degrading tasks and jokes all in the name of comedy to which I would have to later explain that it was all a set-up and I was in on it not the butt of it. Anyway, I did succeed in getting myself excited for the show, I loosely titled it acting and repeated the phrase enough that it felt plausible, I dreamed of saying or doing something so funny that Cartoon Network would have to call a special meeting with me to discuss projects, I changed my sleeping habits in order to meagerly sustain myself for the 48 hours I would be awake on a schedule that rotated work, shoot, work.
I arrived on set at 7:45, At this point I've been awake almost twenty hours. I sat around as we awaited the coming of the third contestant. I got dressed in wardrobe. I talked up how good I would be at this still unspecified game. Two hours later, still waiting for the last contestant to arrive, I ask if we are still going to be able to wrap by 8-8:30 (over twelve hours after the original call).
At this junction I need to clarify how scheduling works typically. Especially if a job is union, an actor is given an eight hour window, then expects to languish around another three or four hours before finally wrapping at around twelve hours. I had made it known to the people who needed to know that I still had to work that night, as I in essence was working for free and suspected that since they had blocked off a twelve hour schedule, they were being extra cautious (though even I didn't think a production company was truly able to act in such a way)
My question about the wrap time was greeted as if I was a jackrabbit posing as the Easter bunny. Of course we wouldn't be wrapped by 8 or even 8:30. In fact as the production guy sat there he said he now was reading the schedule and it was said to wrap at 9 and he had misread it until this point. Furthermore, this would be a long day, and could go on until 10 or 11.
There was a time where I had to explain I worked at a understaffed hospital and patients needed to be seen and I could not call them and cancel, a point when my name tag was taken, and then the arrival of the final contestant.
I was released around 11:30, and figured I'd have my agent call to discuss rates.
The worst part about this story is I honestly don't feel it was my fault, but I honestly feel that I am considered completely in the wrong and that this will somehow haunt me in future castings. I will be the guy who is now A Sleep Technician First and an Actor Second. And I did this all to myself. I twisted my schedule, I let myself believe that a shoot list would be adhered to, I gave them the ability to call fake contestant work acting and then the right to call me an uncommitted actor. I did it all to myself, but I've done this before and I seem to have made this manner my way of dealing with Hollywood. Now, I'm really left wondering that by committing to be an actor what exactly have I committed to and what silent code of conduct prescribes when I don't feel horrible about 90% of my work.
I'm sick of this club where the only true members seem to be the ones who drop everything in their life to do even the smallest part in the widest stretch of the title acting and everyone else is a flake, uncommitted, or unprofessional. I feel like a Clifford Odets character.

Shoot: "Hard to be Young" Mary Music Video

This past weekend, I was cast in and shot a Music Video for "Hard to be Young" by a russian singer named Mary (I don't know her last name). I will say that the idea of being in music videos again at first repulsed me, but this was actually a pretty great shoot. I arrived to set at seven and was wrapped and paid by eleven, so I can't really classify this as a typical music video.
I played a boyfriend who was fighting with my girlfriend who won't mary me because I'm poor and, we later find out, she's a money grubber. I plead and plead to my girlfriend and then Mary walks by and throws me a magical M, which turns into a diamond ring. I immediately receive a huge 'yes' to my pleading and then wink to Mary/Camera.
I doubt I will ever see this video as it is completely Russian, and I don't think I know any Americans that know Russian, but if anyone ever sees this video, call me to tell me.
The most interesting part of this video I would say is that all the direct creative people involved were Russian but all the crew spoke no Russian.