LA Bound

Tomorrow, I am off to LA for a couple of lengthy private lessons with my acting coach, Glenn Haines, and also to present a prepared short scene for an LA casting director in a showcase she is holding on Saturday, the 3rd. Glenn thinks that I should do one or two casting director showcases or workshops (the end result is the same, but the format is different) each time I come to LA. I respect Glenn greatly, but when he first said this, my thought was, why would a casting director be interested in an actor from the Seattle area when good actors are so available in LA? Still, when I was there in September I did a scene in a showcase for a casting director from one of the many good casting agencies in LA, and lo and behold, ten days later I received a call to audition for a role in the new "Dallas" series that will soon be on TNT. The turn around time to get to LA for the audition was so short that I couldn't make it, but it proved, as usual, that Glenn was right about my doing these showcases. Besides that, they are great fun to do.

Week before last, The Seattle Theater Readers did a staged reading of one of my short film screenplays. It went well, and it is always fun to see good actors bring one of your screenplays to life. They are doing another of my screenplays at their monthly performance in December.

Finally, it is my intention to start conducting cold reading workshops, beginning next year. Not sure of the location yet, but probably somewhere between Renton to Federal Way, Washington. The first one will be free, and all workshops will be limited to ten attendees. I've done a few in the past and they went well, so I have decided to do more. I'll have more information about them very early next year.

I hope each of you has a wonderful holiday season, and as I have said before, when I have something to say, I'll be in touch with you again.

Until then.................

You Want Me To Act Where?

(Revised September 30, 2011)
It's been awhile, but I have always promised that I will never write an entry to this blog unless I have something worthwhile to say.

A funny thing happened recently on the way to the audition. OK, not so, but I couldn't resist using that take-off on an old (very old) stand-up comedian line. Actually, nothing funny happened to me on the way to the audition, but something that hasn't happened in a long while did happen, as a result of the audition. Since my return from living in LA, all my work and most auditions have been in Portland, where as you know, two TV series ("Grim" and "Leverage") are now shot, as well as some major films. I had not worked, or for that matter had more than a few auditions in Seattle since my time in LA.

My recent audition (a week ago) was for a Microsoft X-Box commercial, mainly for use on the Internet and for trade shows..., and quite possibly, for an additional buyout, a TV commercial down the line. A few days after my audition, I was informed by my agent that I had been cast. My portion of the commercial was shot two days ago in Seattle on the 28th. It was a great experience with a wonderful director, a great cast to work with, and a very professional crew.

As many of you know, the state legislature in their infinite wisdom decided to close the state film office, leaving Washington as one of only six states without one. They ignored statistics which showed that three dollars came into the state for every one dollar spend in perks to film and TV companies. Oregon to the south and Vancouver BC, to the north, both offer attractive incentives which bring film and TV business to their areas, while Washington offers none. I shy away from discussing politics in this blog, but be you conservative, liberal, or none of the above, you should mention the harm that closing the film office has done to our state, anytime you have a reason to contact any of our state's elected officials.

Still, there is work in this state, just not nearly as much as there used to be.

I had a strange audition this past Monday for a photo shoot. The audition consisted of walking into the audition room, saying hi, and having five photos taken (three front, one side, one full length) and the photographer (a pleasant man) then saying "Thanks, that it." The process took maybe two minutes and was so fast that after my pictures were taken, the next person was in and out of their audition before I had finished gathering my jacket and headshot folder from the waiting room. Another unusual thing was that they did not need for you to give them a headshot. Of course, this is only the second photo shoot for which I have auditioned. The other was many years ago and I was cast in that one. Perhaps this is the way most photo shoot auditions work.

On the writing front, the Seattle Theater Readers will be doing two more public staged readings of my short film screenplays, one in November, and the other in December. One is a sort of "bad things come to those who deserve it" story, while the second script is science fiction.

Finally, I returned two weeks ago from a few days in LA where I had two lengthy lessons with my acting coach, Glenn Haines, and also participated in an acting showcase for the casting agency that casts "Chuck" and the new (still in production) "Dallas" series. It was a quick and very productive trip. I hope to take another such trip in late October/early November.

So, as the old saying goes, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it." I'll talk with you again, the next time I have something new to say.

Until then............

A Tale Of Two Audiions

"Is was the best of times. It was the worst of times." Yes, I know....pure plagiarism, but so fitting for the tale I am about to tell you.

I recently had two auditions with the same casting office for a national TV show. Both were for parts that were not one or two liners, but had more substance to them. The two auditions could not have been more diverse, and again, I had a valuable lesson for actors driven home to me.

For the first audition, I worked many hours (I had not quite a week's notice), then did an hour Skype session with my acting coach in Hollywood on the role, and then followed that up with many more hours of preparation. I should have been well prepared for the audition, right? Oh I was and then some. I was so prepared that I was tight as a drum, and did the worst audition I have ever done for that casting office. In fact, it was probably the worst audition I have done in several years.

A few weeks later they had me back to audition for another role. This time I had less than 24 hours notice. I worked for about a hour and a half, felt I knew the part well, and took off for the audition. At the audition, I was loose, having fun and the audition went quite well. It was in fact the best audition I have ever done for that casting office. Did I get cast? No, I did not. However, I learned long ago that there are many layers of reasons why an actor does or does not get cast in a particular role. All the actor can do is control how he or she handles the audition. All the other parameters such as you don't look like what we had in mind, you're too short, too tall, too heavy, too thin, too old, too young, and all the rest are out of your hands. If you can walk away from an audition knowing you did a good job, that is the best you can ask for, and I left that audition feeling quite good about it.

The lesson learned? Too little preparation for an audition is a recipe for disaster, but so is too much preparation, which is exactly what I did for the first audition. To use a phrase from my professional music days, I left my best performance on the rehearsal room floor.

I will continue to work with my Hollywood acting coach via Skype for future auditions (time permitting), but that, and a little tune up will be it. I will never again run it into the ground and tie myself in knots before an audition. Doing so removes all spontaneity from your audition performance.

A few weeks ago the Seattle Theater Readers did a staged reading of one of my shot film screenplays, at a theater in Seattle as part of their monthly program. They did an excellent job and it was great fun to watch and hear. They will be doing two more of my short film screenplays this coming Fall.

I have now completed the organization and setup for designing and producing demo reels and and/or websites for actors. Pardon the thinly disguised commercial (or perhaps not disguised at all), but should you know anyone who might benefit from such services, they can contact me at afareelsandweb@gmail.com for a free fact sheet via email, containing info, references, fee schedules, etc.

Thanks for reading and I'll talk with you later..............

Branching out

I have always felt we are all more than one thing to both ourselves and to others. By that I mean we each have talents in more than one area, and if we are fortunate, we get to exercise those talents in concert with each other from time to time. I think the main reason I was always a big fan of Steve Allen was because he could do so many things so well.

But first, on the acting front....I recently did a film for the US Department of Justice, in which I played a prison medical director. The film was done through a media company in Portland. This company is quite professional, their shoots run very well, and they are always a joy to work for. This was the second role I have done for this media company and I look forward to working with them again. I have also had an increase in auditions this year, as compared to last, and that's always a good sign.

I spent two rewarding private lesson sessions with my acting coach in Hollywood, Glenn Haines, in early April and am planning another such trip to LA in late May. There is no such thing as too much good study and training for an actor.

Acting is, of course, my main focus, has been for many years, and will remain so. However, I'm now delving into other areas related to acting, some of which I have been involved in before and some of which I have not.

Last year I conducted a couple of cold reading workshops for the students of a Seattle area acting coach. In the next couple of months I will be doing four more such workshops for students of that same acting coach. I greatly enjoy coaching other actors, as it's rewarding, and every time I conduct a workshop, I come away having learned something myself.

Prior to entering acting a number of years ago, I spent more than a decade as a computer programmer and systems analyst. I have maintained many of those skills over the years, as being computer literate and being able to function in that environment is highly important to actors and non actors alike. I believe actors need an economical path to having a good website and/or demo reel created. I also believe that any actor who does not have both, with the demo reel being available through their website is at a disadvantage. So, I will soon be offering both services to actors. I'm doing the set-up work for that now and will have more about that in future posts.

In June the Seattle Theater Readers will be doing a staged reading of one of my short film screen plays at their monthly show in the Jewel Box Theater in Seattle. It's a private eye farce and runs some 15 minutes.

Finally, please grant me a personal note. Last evening my wife and I attended a concert by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO). This is a wonderfully talented group of musicians. If you live in the Seattle area, do yourself a favor by looking them up on the Internet and attending one of their future concerts. You'll be glad you did.

That's all for now. More later...........

The Name Of The Game

Last time we talked I was on my way to LA to study with my acting coach in Hollywood, Glenn Haines. The trip has come and gone and it was a wonderful success. I had two lessons with Glenn (two hours Monday and two more hours on Tuesday), and both went extremely well. Those are Glenn's words, not mine, and those of you who know him also know he does not throw compliments around lightly. In looking at the DVD of the two lessons, I must admit that it was some of the better work I have done with Glenn. As all actors know, it's wonderful when it goes well, and something like walking in wet concrete when it does not.

I also attended a workshop on Sunday afternoon held by casting director Craig Campobasso. Those are quite lively, with anywhere from fifteen to twenty people in attendance, and it's always nice to work with LA actors once again.

This coming Saturday I will be in Portland, playing the role of a doctor in a film for the US Department of Justice. This will actually be the fifth film in which I have played a doctor (as Mr. Rogers might say, "Can you say typecasting?"). Not to worry, as it's a good role and I long ago ceased to worry about the fact that I play a lot of doctors, ministers (or priests), lawyers, and judges. It's honest work doing what I love to do and that's what matters to me. Besides, I've had the occasional roles of a crime lord, hit man, tough guard, corporate CEO, and psychiatrist just to spice things up.

This Saturday, I will be working for a media group which I have had the pleasure of working for before. They are quite professional, fun to work with, and make the set a very enjoyable place to be.

There is a group of actors in Seattle known as The Seattle Theater Readers. They do staged readings of short film scripts once a month at the JewelBox Theater in Seattle. They have accepted one of my short film scripts (a comedy private eye spoof) and will include it on their program this coming June.

I classify myself as an actor first, and a writer second. While that is an accurate statement, I do enjoy writing a great deal and look forward to having one of my screenplays presented in that manner.

Finally, I will be returning to LA sometime in April for more lessons with Glenn, as well as attending a casting director workshop (not sure which one, yet). I'm waiting on Glenn to let me know what openings he has in his schedule for that month before scheduling the trip.

So, actors....the name of the game is to keep studying....work when you can...and keep moving forward....works for me!

We'll talk later........................

Put Me In, Coach

The life of a backup quarterback in the NFL is a lonely one. He must practice just as long and hard during the week, as the rest of the team, yet his chances of playing in the upcoming game are slim to none. And, if by some chance he does play, his notification time is usually nonexistent, as he is suddenly thrust into the game. Here's a question. What is worse than practicing, being ready to play, and then not playing? To me the answer is simple. What's worse is getting to play and not being ready.

Last year was not a very good year for me as an actor. Call it bad economy, fate, whatever, or all three, but it was not a good year. I felt like the backup quarterback sitting on the bench.

Feeling that being ready is the first prerequisite for an actor, I will be making my first trip of the year back to LA and Hollywood in early February. I hope to make four or five such trips this year. I have scheduled two long private lessons with Glenn Haines, my acting coach in Hollywood, and will also be in at least one, and possibly two (one already scheduled and one pending) casting director workshops. The workshops are a wonderful way to do scenes with working LA actors under the sharp eye of a known LA casting director. I have worked with this casting director before, and his workshops are great fun, as well as being a good learning experience.

Working with Glenn is always a joy and a chore at the same time, as he demands nothing but the best from a student, and is quick to point out to you when you don't give it. He tells you why it wasn't up to par and you do it again until it is. He is a tough and talented acting coach, and that's why I continue to study with him.

I guess, like the backup quarterback, my worst fear is getting to play and not being ready. I have always thought that when you audition for a casting director, you are there with a twofold purpose. One, of course, is to land the role for which you are auditioning, and the other is to do a job which is good enough to earn the right to come back before that same casting director to audition for another role.

When I auditioned for "The Office" it was not my first time before that casting director. Five months earlier, I had auditioned for a small role in "Parks And Recreation" on NBC. I wasn't cast in that show, but was called back by that same casting director to audition for "The Office", in which I was cast. Every audition can serve as a building block to the next audition.

So it's off to LA I go in a few weeks to study and to see some welcome familiar faces. After that...."Put me in, coach."

Later.............