Well, I'm chugging along at a comfortable pace. Taking stock post graduation, so far, so good, nothing I can complain about. Rosencratz and Guildenstern had a strong opening. I could complain about the time and effort I put into being in that show for a total of five or ten minutes of stage time with no lines in a 2 hour plus show with three weekends of performances... but I can't really complain about that. My role is just the perfect size that I was able to blow off two weeks or so of rehearsal right in the middle of the process to go be in a movie, anything else of any size would have created a conflict which have resulted in me walking out on the production to go make money, but I didn't have to do that. Also, I have made a bunch of new friends, more so than I would say I have on other shows I feel like these could be lasting connections I've been making. Of course, they probably won't amount to much more than "liking" an occasional post on Facebook and saying "what's up" at an audition, "oh not much, you?" "yeah same" I always say that even though I've had a bunch of stuff happen in the past year, I don't usually feel like going into it in a short amount of time. Especially with the movie thing, I feel kind of embarrassed describing the scope of this incredible achievement to people, but should I? If it weren't for the fact that I'm the only person I know, especially in my cohort, to reach that level I might feel less weird. But yeah, I kinda do, I went there. I feel weird as well that I didn't appreciate it as much as I could have at the time, I spent a lot of the time I was on set unhappy to be there, when it was a really great gig from which I benefited tremendously financially and from which I hope to gain further benefit professionally when it comes out and I do the paper work to get my SAG card, etc...
But enough about that. It's old news! I have all this stuff in the pipeline, R&G is up and running, Our Town is in rehearsals, Uncle Vanya will be going up in December, next year the film should come out... why aren't I more satisfied? I'm still hungry, which is a good thing, you have to be hungry as an actor, but I don't really have room for anything else. I'm more or less booked out until February, which is a good thing, but it leaves me without anything to chase after...
Which isn't even really true. I have a lot to work on as an actor, most of it having to do with my physical instrument. I guess I'm not in terrible shape, especially compared to when I was younger, but I have a long way to go in the physical fitness department. Ever seen me touch my toes? Me neither. I've been keeping up with my Alexander technique practice, that's helped my posture substantially, but I've been neglecting my obligations to the gym, my physical flexibility, and my overall physical presence and awareness. I was called out on this the other day, at the first meeting of a new scene study I'm doing with Rosalind Thomas Clark and Victoria Marsh of Company One. For the first class we had to present a monologue, and like Ross Macdonald before them, they called me out on a lack of physical awareness. Part of this was nerves and going first in the class (I do that a lot) but it's something I need to address before I can continue my progress. One thing among many...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
But then I speak of dreams, which are the children of an idle brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy
A week ago on Stagesource, Stoneham Theatre posted an audition notice for Mercutio in their production of Romeo and Juliet. You might have seen the posting, I mentioned it to my friend Chris at a rehearsal for R&G Are Dead as I started to explain it's contents he said "of course it was on Stagesource, it's a Thursday of course I checked Stagesource, even though I'm committed to all these different things, what if there was something better!" Sidetracked, I just thought that was funny. Anyway of course I responded, because I knew Stoneham was doing R&J with age appropriate actors and I'd submitted for it but I think at the time they were looking for specifically high school aged actors, which although I can play high school aged, I am of course not. So when I saw the posting, I got excited and jumped to respond. One of my goals professionally is to do more Shakespeare, another one of my goals is to be cast in an equity show. Both of these are things that I'll achieve eventually, I don't doubt that I'll get there. This would achieve two of those goals, however, and in the form of one of those roles that I'd really love to sink my teeth into, one of Shakespeare's great comic parts.
I recieved a response within... twelve hours at least, and looked at the requirements. They'd asked for actors to either prepare the Queen Mab speech or R&J Act II scene i between Benvolio and Mercutio directly before the balcony scene. I chose Queen Mab, pulled my Arden off the shelf, and started going over it, untangling all of the crazy images of the speech and their meaning. I also shot off an email to my fantastic acting coach, who although she was directing a show about to go up at Stoneham I'd hoped would have some time to help with the piece. She did, over the weekend I continued reviewing it, I met with her on Monday and we broke it down. All of the things I didn't get, the pronunciations I had wrong, etc, she helped me with, we broke down into it's parts and found specific things about those parts and made a nice big comic showpiece of the speech. I felt really good about our work together, and I set about memorizing it as much as possible.
Tuesday I continued working on it, although not as diligently as I could have.
Wednesday, yesterday, was the big day. On the train ride to Melrose to meet my Mom who would then take me to the theatre for my 5 PM audition, I reviewed the speech and found that I had it pretty well and good in my brain, I thought. I was just at the point where I could recite it to myself, image to image, without looking at the paper, I was just right at that point. I got to the theatre, my mouth was dry. I went to the bathroom, drank some water from the faucet (there might have been a water fountain I didn't see one), and gargled cause isn't that a thing you do? I filled out the form, which the other two fellows and one lady (they were open to cross casting) directed me to, and waited. The girl went in before me. She was also doing Queen Mab. At the time I judged her piece before moving to another section of hallway where I wouldn't hear it, but without seeing it what can one really tell? Not much. She finished, I went in, introduced myself and then BOOM "Ohhhhhh I see QUEEN MAB has been with you!" and on from there. I thought the piece was going well, I was focused on my imaginary Romeo but caught a few glimpses of their faces. They seemed engaged, with a look of either fascination or horror or SOMETHING (let's say fascination), and I continued through what I'd prepared, through the intro, into the description of the chariot's components, into where Queen Mab rides and then... what does she ride over? Knees? Fingers? Lips? I'd lost my place! I went blank, stopped, "Annnnd I lost my place" I admitted somewhat sheepishly with a smile, which got a chuckle, pulled out my paper found where I was and continued. Of course I lost some momentum, became a little more self conscious then I had been, but got back on track and finished. Then they said "Thank you!" I said thank you back.... and left.
I suppose it could have gone better. I could have not went up on that line, I could have learned the speech a little bit better to prepare for that possibility. I could have been a little more spontaneous, I'm worried that my comic gesturing may have come off as planned or calculated and not as "in the moment" as I know I'm capable of. None of that really matters. That is a hard ass speech, and I prepared it in a week and delivered... Mike Handelman! Doing Queen Mab! As best as I could. I would not say I was anything other than myself in that audition. And especially for a character actor, yourself is the most you can be. The question is, how did I deliver technically (pretty well, overall I thought) and as a character actor, do I fit in with their idea of what they want their Mercutio to be? I would say I would be a very capable, entertaining and interesting Mercutio (IMHO as unhumble as that might sound) but nor am I an obvious choice for the role. I'd allowed myself to become invested in it, again two career goals in one, but now that it's over I'm at peace with whatever the result happens to be. As is necessary in the life of an actor, I've resigned myself to not getting the part, to getting a "thank you, but no" email or no contact at all. Those of you who are non actors might think that's pessimistic, but it's just the reality.
Knowing that I'm not an obvious choice for the role and probably wouldn't be getting it, I came into it thinking I would treat the experience as an exercise. The result of which would be, if nothing else, a comprehensive blog post on my experience preparing for and executing an audition piece, for posterity and viewing later on after I've done a whole bunch of Shakespeare and equity shows I can say "oh yeah I remember that one audition, back when I first learned Queen Mab..."
I recieved a response within... twelve hours at least, and looked at the requirements. They'd asked for actors to either prepare the Queen Mab speech or R&J Act II scene i between Benvolio and Mercutio directly before the balcony scene. I chose Queen Mab, pulled my Arden off the shelf, and started going over it, untangling all of the crazy images of the speech and their meaning. I also shot off an email to my fantastic acting coach, who although she was directing a show about to go up at Stoneham I'd hoped would have some time to help with the piece. She did, over the weekend I continued reviewing it, I met with her on Monday and we broke it down. All of the things I didn't get, the pronunciations I had wrong, etc, she helped me with, we broke down into it's parts and found specific things about those parts and made a nice big comic showpiece of the speech. I felt really good about our work together, and I set about memorizing it as much as possible.
Tuesday I continued working on it, although not as diligently as I could have.
Wednesday, yesterday, was the big day. On the train ride to Melrose to meet my Mom who would then take me to the theatre for my 5 PM audition, I reviewed the speech and found that I had it pretty well and good in my brain, I thought. I was just at the point where I could recite it to myself, image to image, without looking at the paper, I was just right at that point. I got to the theatre, my mouth was dry. I went to the bathroom, drank some water from the faucet (there might have been a water fountain I didn't see one), and gargled cause isn't that a thing you do? I filled out the form, which the other two fellows and one lady (they were open to cross casting) directed me to, and waited. The girl went in before me. She was also doing Queen Mab. At the time I judged her piece before moving to another section of hallway where I wouldn't hear it, but without seeing it what can one really tell? Not much. She finished, I went in, introduced myself and then BOOM "Ohhhhhh I see QUEEN MAB has been with you!" and on from there. I thought the piece was going well, I was focused on my imaginary Romeo but caught a few glimpses of their faces. They seemed engaged, with a look of either fascination or horror or SOMETHING (let's say fascination), and I continued through what I'd prepared, through the intro, into the description of the chariot's components, into where Queen Mab rides and then... what does she ride over? Knees? Fingers? Lips? I'd lost my place! I went blank, stopped, "Annnnd I lost my place" I admitted somewhat sheepishly with a smile, which got a chuckle, pulled out my paper found where I was and continued. Of course I lost some momentum, became a little more self conscious then I had been, but got back on track and finished. Then they said "Thank you!" I said thank you back.... and left.
I suppose it could have gone better. I could have not went up on that line, I could have learned the speech a little bit better to prepare for that possibility. I could have been a little more spontaneous, I'm worried that my comic gesturing may have come off as planned or calculated and not as "in the moment" as I know I'm capable of. None of that really matters. That is a hard ass speech, and I prepared it in a week and delivered... Mike Handelman! Doing Queen Mab! As best as I could. I would not say I was anything other than myself in that audition. And especially for a character actor, yourself is the most you can be. The question is, how did I deliver technically (pretty well, overall I thought) and as a character actor, do I fit in with their idea of what they want their Mercutio to be? I would say I would be a very capable, entertaining and interesting Mercutio (IMHO as unhumble as that might sound) but nor am I an obvious choice for the role. I'd allowed myself to become invested in it, again two career goals in one, but now that it's over I'm at peace with whatever the result happens to be. As is necessary in the life of an actor, I've resigned myself to not getting the part, to getting a "thank you, but no" email or no contact at all. Those of you who are non actors might think that's pessimistic, but it's just the reality.
Knowing that I'm not an obvious choice for the role and probably wouldn't be getting it, I came into it thinking I would treat the experience as an exercise. The result of which would be, if nothing else, a comprehensive blog post on my experience preparing for and executing an audition piece, for posterity and viewing later on after I've done a whole bunch of Shakespeare and equity shows I can say "oh yeah I remember that one audition, back when I first learned Queen Mab..."
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Guitar Post!
If you follow me on Facebook, and if your on this blog I don't know how you could be unless you do, you know that I bought a new guitar with my Crooked Arrows money. It's a Godin Passion, basically a very fancy stratocaster with various bells and whistles but a stratocaster none the less. Fellow musician types (and non musicians too, I can imagine) know what it's like to be in kind of a slump, playing the same old stuff over and over again when you improvise, not realizing the level of playing you aspire to or are capable of, I'd been feeling that. Sometimes new equipment brings new inspiration, and this guitar has done that for me, without a doubt. Corresponding to this, I've started doing music recording stuff again, which is something I was into for a while in high school back in my early guitar days. Now that I have this fancy high powered mac book, I've been fiddling with iMovie as well, and putting together legitimate little videos instead of just the occasional Youtube quick capture. Here are some! Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Time keeps on slipping
If your of my generation, remember being in middle or high school and having Live Journal? Posting lyrics to songs to your journal or using song titles/lyrics as the title of your posts, or where you had the option of putting in a little tag "So and So is listening to this"? Consider the title of this post an homage to those heady days.
I find myself drawn to them at this time of year, the transition from summer to fall. It's strange to realize that for the first time in my life that switch is happening and I'm not starting the next phase of some academic agenda. Instead I'm just left with life itself, moving forward, establishing patterns, getting older. And also getting wiser, finding new experiences, all of those things that come with time's unceasing momentum.
I have a lot of stuff going on for the fall. Rosencratz and Guildenstern is opening soon, really soon. After that, I keep forgetting about this but I'm committed to play the narrator in this tribal/belly dance show (definitely something I found on Craigslist). After R&G I'm playing Mr. Webb in Riverside Theatre Works' production of Our Town not a show I had expected to find myself in... ever. Then I'm playing the Spearcarrier I mean Watchmen in Uncle Vanya at Apollanaire in Chelsea. So many things! All of that is carrying me through... my god, January. Which is about how long my movie pay checks should be carrying me as well.
And after that... it will be on to the next thing. I have a lot to decide this fall. Do I want to try for graduate school? New York? Los Angeles? I'm not thinking completely relocating, but I feel like I should be thinking of trying to branch out of Boston and into somewhere to try and take advantage of this movie momentum. And in the meantime, Boston stuff is going well. I'm in all these shows, for example. Three of them! Lots of actors have a hard time getting in one, much less committing to two at a time. I also need to join SAG at some point. And get a voice over demo recorded, and then possibly join AFTRA. I mean inevitably I'll need to join both, the question is when and how to best take advantage.
I was talking with a friend about all this, grad school vs New York vs regional theatre and he said that opportunities will present themselves and I should just take them when they do. At the time I disagreed with him, but then again that's how I got Crooked Arrows. But that was also being in the right place in the right time, aka luck. A lot of this business is luck. And I've been lucky so far. To get that good luck requires hard work and tenacity and being in the places which could turn out to be the right place, at that right time, nothing ever came to anyone for sitting around and waiting for it to happen. Even if it did, I wouldn't want it to happen that way, I like working. But working towards what? That is the question.
I find myself drawn to them at this time of year, the transition from summer to fall. It's strange to realize that for the first time in my life that switch is happening and I'm not starting the next phase of some academic agenda. Instead I'm just left with life itself, moving forward, establishing patterns, getting older. And also getting wiser, finding new experiences, all of those things that come with time's unceasing momentum.
I have a lot of stuff going on for the fall. Rosencratz and Guildenstern is opening soon, really soon. After that, I keep forgetting about this but I'm committed to play the narrator in this tribal/belly dance show (definitely something I found on Craigslist). After R&G I'm playing Mr. Webb in Riverside Theatre Works' production of Our Town not a show I had expected to find myself in... ever. Then I'm playing the Spearcarrier I mean Watchmen in Uncle Vanya at Apollanaire in Chelsea. So many things! All of that is carrying me through... my god, January. Which is about how long my movie pay checks should be carrying me as well.
And after that... it will be on to the next thing. I have a lot to decide this fall. Do I want to try for graduate school? New York? Los Angeles? I'm not thinking completely relocating, but I feel like I should be thinking of trying to branch out of Boston and into somewhere to try and take advantage of this movie momentum. And in the meantime, Boston stuff is going well. I'm in all these shows, for example. Three of them! Lots of actors have a hard time getting in one, much less committing to two at a time. I also need to join SAG at some point. And get a voice over demo recorded, and then possibly join AFTRA. I mean inevitably I'll need to join both, the question is when and how to best take advantage.
I was talking with a friend about all this, grad school vs New York vs regional theatre and he said that opportunities will present themselves and I should just take them when they do. At the time I disagreed with him, but then again that's how I got Crooked Arrows. But that was also being in the right place in the right time, aka luck. A lot of this business is luck. And I've been lucky so far. To get that good luck requires hard work and tenacity and being in the places which could turn out to be the right place, at that right time, nothing ever came to anyone for sitting around and waiting for it to happen. Even if it did, I wouldn't want it to happen that way, I like working. But working towards what? That is the question.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Linked from The Hub Review?!
Today was spent playing in the Footlight Club. For the third act of R&G we have a pretty sweet pirate fight sequence lined up, with some great physical comedy and assorted shenanigans which tonight we spent rehearsing and constructing. It was fun! I get carried across the stage screaming and flailing before getting tossed over board, off stage. So I don't actually get tossed overboard but that's the story we're trying to tell. It's cool! You should check out the production when it hits September 16th (and runs through October 1st).
In other news, I actually responded to Thomas Garvey's review of All's Well with some of my thoughts on it and he responded back and linked to my blog! *Gasp*! Thomas Garvey read my hastily put together review of All's Well That End's Well? I seriously put more time in the comment I put to his original post than I did to my own on this blog. Anyway, that was a solid of him to do that, so I'm linking back to his original post, where you can find another guy's comment and his response, followed by my comment and his response basically agreeing to disagree very amicably and then linking back here.
http://hubreview.blogspot.com/2011/08/alls-well-that-ends-well-okay.html
I assume from that link I got my first "follower" on blogger. Hey man! What's up? Hope you like what your reading. I'll return the favor at some point.
In other news, I actually responded to Thomas Garvey's review of All's Well with some of my thoughts on it and he responded back and linked to my blog! *Gasp*! Thomas Garvey read my hastily put together review of All's Well That End's Well? I seriously put more time in the comment I put to his original post than I did to my own on this blog. Anyway, that was a solid of him to do that, so I'm linking back to his original post, where you can find another guy's comment and his response, followed by my comment and his response basically agreeing to disagree very amicably and then linking back here.
http://hubreview.blogspot.com/2011/08/alls-well-that-ends-well-okay.html
I assume from that link I got my first "follower" on blogger. Hey man! What's up? Hope you like what your reading. I'll return the favor at some point.
That's a wrap!
Tuesday was my last day on the set of Crooked Arrows. As an experience, it was exceptionally bitter sweet. We were back in Topsfield, so it was a different flavor of waiting around then I'd experienced working at St. John's, where I literally had absolutely nothing to do for the entire first three days on set. The Topsfield fair grounds stuff was slightly more involved, specifically I had to be on my little step ladder perch thing (if you go to the Crooked Arrows Facebook page and search their photos you can find documented evidence of this) watching the games and miming talking. I did also have some text to do on the last day, so I did that, and shortly afterwards was told I was wrapped at which point our Assistant Director, David Mendoza realized I was wrapped up in a bow wrapped (that's not a real film making expression I just made that up) and Steve, the director, made a very nice speech and there were many hugs and hand shakes and some applause and it felt very gratifying, and dark chocolately (bitter sweet).
I'm going to think back on the friends I made, and miss them. Probably, the crew people I got to know I'll see again on set, more than likely as an extra but they them's the brakes. I'll have an easier time of it with them knowing I'm not an idiot and capable of taking care of myself, while not screwing things up or making their job harder. I do have mixed feelings about film (so much waiting) but if and when I'm offered a chance to dive back in, you know I'll take it. Also, Facebook!
Anyway, afterwards I rushed to Jamaica Plain and the Footlight Club for a rehearsal of Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It was quintessential community theatre, everybody standing around the piano looking at sheet music, most of us not really singers trying to get something good sounding out of the traditional tune Ophelia sings when she goes crazy. It felt good and strange to be back. I have a lot more theatre ahead of me, between R&G and Our Town, but what's after that?
It's a question I've been pondering. There are definitely gaps in my training I need to fill, and the issue of getting in shape, but I've got a lot of momentum from this movie, or I could turn this movie into a lot of momentum if I play my cards right, and what are the correct cards to play? I've got some ideas. New York? Could be the next step. I'm thinking do these shows, take another class this fall with one of the casting agencies or theatre companies around here, do the month long intensive at Shakespeare and Company in January, then in February/March when hopefully stuff will start coming out for the movie don't book any more Boston gigs and start focusing on NYC, getting my stuff to casting directors, agents, managers, etc. Shit is going to get real.
I'm going to think back on the friends I made, and miss them. Probably, the crew people I got to know I'll see again on set, more than likely as an extra but they them's the brakes. I'll have an easier time of it with them knowing I'm not an idiot and capable of taking care of myself, while not screwing things up or making their job harder. I do have mixed feelings about film (so much waiting) but if and when I'm offered a chance to dive back in, you know I'll take it. Also, Facebook!
Anyway, afterwards I rushed to Jamaica Plain and the Footlight Club for a rehearsal of Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It was quintessential community theatre, everybody standing around the piano looking at sheet music, most of us not really singers trying to get something good sounding out of the traditional tune Ophelia sings when she goes crazy. It felt good and strange to be back. I have a lot more theatre ahead of me, between R&G and Our Town, but what's after that?
It's a question I've been pondering. There are definitely gaps in my training I need to fill, and the issue of getting in shape, but I've got a lot of momentum from this movie, or I could turn this movie into a lot of momentum if I play my cards right, and what are the correct cards to play? I've got some ideas. New York? Could be the next step. I'm thinking do these shows, take another class this fall with one of the casting agencies or theatre companies around here, do the month long intensive at Shakespeare and Company in January, then in February/March when hopefully stuff will start coming out for the movie don't book any more Boston gigs and start focusing on NYC, getting my stuff to casting directors, agents, managers, etc. Shit is going to get real.
Monday, August 15, 2011
All's Well That Ends Well DID INDEED End Well
This is my first blog post as a theatre goer! Exciting! Last night was the final performance of CSC's production of All's Well That End's Well, you know, the one you might have auditioned for (I sure did) that went up in Boston Common these past few weeks. Well, normally I don't go to CSC's stuff, the crowds are huge, you get a crappy view, the productions are OK but don't seem worth the effort to me and I actually don't put in the effort to see that much theatre unless I know somebody in it or it's like, right in Harvard Square, even then I go to the theatre far less than I really should. But, my friend David Gardener has struck up a tradition of getting groups of people together on his birthday to come and see the plays every summer, and since Adia had gotten in touch with David about some bike stuff and he was all like "you guys should come to my thing" and she had a friend coming in from out of town who we needed to find stuff to bring on... we ended up going! We arrived at 6:30 for the 7 o'clock performance, which would probably be a mob scene under normal circumstances but due to the weather, it was cloudy and drizzling intermittently all day and the forecast predicting like a 90% chance of rain, not that many people came out. As such, we got BALLER ASS SEATS or spots, I should say, the likes of which would have netted in the hundreds of dollars to sit in the orchestra of an indoor production. I had read head lines vaguely extolling the virtues of this production, and realized that three people who taught in the semi-program I had attended, one of whom I'd taken multiple classes with, all of whom I'd seen in various other things, had prominent roles.
Long story short, I really enjoyed the show. Before writing this, I admit I checked in the Hub Review, local critic Thomas Garvey's art blog in which he reviews the first two thirds of All's Well, and compares it to "arena Shakespeare" but holds that the setting is incapable of capturing the play's "essence" which has to do with all this stuff about death and hedonism in society and the various things Shakespeare was working through in the latter part of his career. He has a point, but I felt like he's comparing it to some other ideal production of the piece, specifically his ideal production, and was basically saying it wasn't to his ideal. And that's fine. I hadn't read or experienced All's Well That End's Well, and I appreciated the ease with which the play flowed and moved, I thought it moved exceptionally well which I don't care what "thematic ideals" you are in pursuit of, that is absolutely necessary in staging Shakespeare. I did agree that the woman playing the lead was just OK, capable, but didn't do anything fantastic. Overall I thought the show was pitched to entertain and allow the audience to understand what the characters are saying and doing at any given time, both of which it accomplished very capably.
Long story short, I really enjoyed the show. Before writing this, I admit I checked in the Hub Review, local critic Thomas Garvey's art blog in which he reviews the first two thirds of All's Well, and compares it to "arena Shakespeare" but holds that the setting is incapable of capturing the play's "essence" which has to do with all this stuff about death and hedonism in society and the various things Shakespeare was working through in the latter part of his career. He has a point, but I felt like he's comparing it to some other ideal production of the piece, specifically his ideal production, and was basically saying it wasn't to his ideal. And that's fine. I hadn't read or experienced All's Well That End's Well, and I appreciated the ease with which the play flowed and moved, I thought it moved exceptionally well which I don't care what "thematic ideals" you are in pursuit of, that is absolutely necessary in staging Shakespeare. I did agree that the woman playing the lead was just OK, capable, but didn't do anything fantastic. Overall I thought the show was pitched to entertain and allow the audience to understand what the characters are saying and doing at any given time, both of which it accomplished very capably.
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