Baby, won't you please come back?

Last night I got a text from a student filmmaker. He is re-creating a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and I had read for Willie. He sent me a 'we went in a different direction' email pretty quickly after I read. Not the end of the world.

My text from last night read:"the part has opened up, and he'd LOVE to offer it to me if I'm still available" at such-and-such a time.

In that same vein, Boston Ballistic has been sending me emails about reporting to set for unpaid extra work. Yeeup. Totally gonna consider that.

I wonder if enjoying these situations when they arise means I am another bitter actor. As far as Willie is concerned, I am genuinely unavailable, I am not turning down this work out of spite. (Previous times this has happened I have turned down work because of other evident issues with the project). I am, however, bemused each time it happens.

In other news!

I was very pleased with my homemade video for the Nightwing webseries. I did get the quickest turnaround on a rejection I've had in quite some time after sending it, however. They say they're interested in me for other roles, and the DP is interested in shooting regular ol' photos with me. So, not a total loss.

Pirates is going well. I love singing light opera. I'm so glad I accepted this gig.

The Sci-Fi Noir pilot wrote me back, and is 'going another direction'.

Now that I'm back in MA I have the time and resources to work on my secondary skills. I have a new audition song I'm very excited about, and have been kicking my butt with Hanlon's piano exercises. Back to Chopin next week!

I have rehearsal tonight!

I am currently on the bus from New York to boston. With the help of tea and power-naps, tonight I will be ready for my first rehearsal for Pirates of Penzance. Yay!

(The period/greater than key finally fell off my laptop. That's gonna want some Macguyver-ing when I get home.)

Let's recap:

I was called in for a Chicago run of Hairspray last monday.I was very pleased with how I sang (belt mix on a high F? No problem) and read. The director seemed to like my adjustment, and the pianist said I did a good job. I haven't been called back, but it was a good audition.

I started shooting an NYU student film called 'Electric Sugar'. We had some casting setbacks, and will resume shooting in early spring.

I was called in for a Sci-Fi/Noir indie pilot. They liked my monologue, and said they'd be calling me in with specific sides in the near future.

I have an audition for a webseries based on Nightwing, but until I receive my complete Pirates schedule, I don't know if I can attend. I shot them an email, and they're okay with a video audition. They also want to see how I'll look in the costume--but I can come up with photos of me in fishnets, a leotard, and leather jacket no problem.

Monday was agent night with Paul Russell. I was pleased with how I did--the biggest criticism I received is that my song choice wasn't vocally challenging enough for my (suspected) abilities, and that I played it a bit safe. I need to send thank you cards to both Paul and the agents.

Paul gave my class a shout-out on facebook, saying we were among the most talented and put together he's seen. And no, he did no such thing the last time I took the class.

All in all, it was a very good couple of weeks. I sent all of my agent mailer stationery back to MA, so I can continue to assemble submissions while out of NYC. Auditions slow down in December, so that should provide a nice lull to see if I can get seen.

Whatever happened to your blog?

Casting news: I've been cast as a featured role in an NYU student film! Hooray! The script looks very interesting, and the footage will fill the femme-fatale sized gap in my demo reel.

The countdown is on til my first rehearsal for Pirates. I am so excited to be singing again soon.

I don't currently have any other employment while home in Boston, so I've developed a plan of productivity and self improvement. The pieces are as follows:

My dad had a good idea for a feature film. I am going to ignore the fact that I have not a clue what I'm doing, and try to write it while I'm home. Six weeks. Totally doable, right?

I am going to buy that video game that will teach me how to be a better guitarist. I will get better at guitar (and have all the endorphins associated with Xbox achievements. Hey, whatever works).

I am going to use my MIDI keyboard and fancy new USB mic and try and record things in my basement. This could be a disaster. Even so, it will likely be an educational experience.

I will continue to work out, probably with the help of my Kinect. (It was free, non-committal gym memberships are far from.) As I meet more and more New York actors, I find it comforting that so few are actually in that television weightclass (five pounds underweight, or fifty over). I've been making quite reasonable progress in terms of my fitness level, muscle tone, and figure. I have the beginnings of ab definition. Continuing progress during the holiday season will probably be difficult (mmm, pumpkin cheesecake), but totally worth it.

Lastly, I will continue my New York casting mailers from Boston. If anything, that should be easier, with more access to stationery and table space.

National Television!

My episode of the Wendy Williams show airs today at noon. Let us conveniently gloss over the fact that I am appearing as one of ten Pillsbury dough boys in a five-thousand-dollar-suit.

Its a silly gig, and I'm happy to have the money. The part that I do find unsettling is that more people have expressed interest in watching this episode of a talk show than have ever asked me about my webseries, plays, or indie movies I've been in. At my most cynical it seems easy to mock me for taking a silly job to support my starvingactor lifestyle. I am trying to change that mindset to one focused on the quick turnaround. Maybe in a world with easier video formats and accessible film festivals, my Annette Bening costar credits will outshine those with Wendy Williams. One can only hope.

I sent in my contract for Pirates of Penzance with Fiddlehead. I will be back in Massachusetts for a large part of November and December. I'm very excited to be a part of it--mostly because I haven't been in a full production of a musical since I left CLOC. I also love Gilbert and Sullivan, and cannot wait to return to an environment in which I sing every day. Before I leave, I plan to call AFTRA and discuss the joining payment plan. Hopefully I'll land some BG on RIPD, and make my short return home turn a profit.

Fingers Crossed

Boys and girls, it has been an eventful week. I got my hair cut at the Aveda institute, only to end up talking Gilbert and Sullivan with my hairstylist. Long story short, he wants me to sing for him, and to get me in touch with his agent. Nice!

Saturday I had callbacks for Dusty Cartridges, the gaming webseries. I was very pleased with how it went, and yesterday I sent a follow-up email to the writer/director.

I went home to Boston for a few days. While there I sang for Legally Blonde and A Christmas Carol at North Shore Music Theater, and Pirates of Penzance at Fiddlehead. A friend has already heard about Fiddlehead, so I am not optimistic on that front, but my audition for A Christmas Carol went very well-- the pianist/music director remembered me, and the director was dancing along to my song in his chair! Fingers most definitely crossed for that one.

I did have a vocal scare-- after singing for my audition tuesday, my throat felt muscularly sore, and I was worried I had been forcing or doing something terribly wrong. (No! I want to keep my audition song with a high A!). Turns out I just caught my dad's cold. So I am taking advil and drinking tea and hoping I will cease feeling like a mute in the near future.

Chipping Away

I blame my recent bout of productivity on a book lent to me by a friend--'Getting Stuff Done' is rocking my world.

I sent out gorgeous mailers to two Boston-based CDs (RIPD is rumored to be the biggest movie shot in MA ever), and one NY based manager. More mailers will be sent after I get my new headshots from reproductions.

My Snowball microphone arrived, and I love it. The quality is far better than I thought I could afford, and I've already sent a first take of the Kickstarter cartoon. If I go SAG, I can bother my connections at Turbine for work. In the meantime, I should really take a VO demo class. Slash do research on what other people's demos sound like/feature/etc.

I've started revamping my audition book. Tearing pages got fixed, beautiful new dividers were installed, and songs I haven't sung in years were removed. I want to add a few things before I print out a song list to go in the front. I'm still searching for a contemporary belty uptempo---and the things that sit best in my voice are from Lippa. Really? Lippa? I need to find something better.

A couple setbacks-- apparently the footage I have from A Remarkable Appratus won't load on a PC, so I have to wait until I sit down to make my demo reel on someone else's Mac to pick and choose what I want. Sexually Frank, though it will play in Zune, will not edit in Windows Live Movie Maker (I wanted to slim it down to 45 seconds for Actors Access).

Also: I found someone on model mayhem who will take my swimsuit photos! Yay!

I really should clean my room. That's an idea.

$200 To sing on your stage? No thank you.

Yes, really.

I applied on Backstage.com for a showcase called 'Bound for Broadway'. An accompanist fee doesn't seem so outlandish, and being expected to sell tickets sounds pretty normal, right? Except when I received instructions, they read that I can pay for the tickets I sell with a money order written out to a person, not a company or group. So unless I can guarantee 10 friends will fork over money, and then buy two overpriced drinks to hear me sing one song, I am out $200. Yes, I want good video of me singing. I think I can do better than that, however.

I drafted a cover letter to send to CP Casting back in Boston today. They're in charge of principal casting for R.I.P.D., which looks to be the biggest movie to ever shoot in the state. I doubt that many MA actors are sending fancy mailers. We can only hope they need some blonde day-players.

I found a USB microphone with fantastic reviews online. I'm going to transfer some funds from my savings for the mic, and my new batch of Reproductions head shots. Frankie (of Sexually Frank fame) wants me to do VO work for some cartoons he's written, so I'll immediately have VO material to work with. Woo!

There's a possibly equity production of Pirates of Penzance going up in Dedham, MA. I'll be returning for that audition to sing for Edith. One day I'll be old enough for Ruth...

I've resolved to stop stressing myself out about bartending applications until the end of the month, when I hear what is going on with the Kinect program. Trying to handle two jobs and my acting stuff is too much.

I've kept up running 3x a week, as well as doing an ab-focused video that kicks my ass. My body composition has been changing, and as such I'm on the hunt for new full body pictures. I spent a good half hour submitting to photogs on Model Mayhem today, hopefully one will pull through, and I will have proof that I am skinny/toned enough to get more work.