September 2009

1: I was the first to arrive for Indiana Repertory Theatre's Season Auditions, so I was seen about an hour and a half later.  After my two contrasting, the Associate Artistic Director asked how long the drive was.  I ran into Paul Wallace there, so we headed off to get lunch at a nearby Steak 'n Shake and catch up on things.
2: Watched Incredible Story Studios - Star Struck, which I think was a gift from April that I'd had for a while.  I sat through it and then gave it back to her.
4: Watched The Fountain with Justin & Peter.
6: I auditioned before my appointment for a short film (at that time titled The Truth About Lying) that was supposed to film in Wicker Park not long before I'd be moving north.  I read for the role of Eric 1, a sci-fi nerd; the director asked for something "different" on the 2nd read and liked the end of what I presented.
12: I participated in New World Arts' 24/7 Play Festival - that is to say, 7 short plays completely produced within 24 hours.  So I showed up around 9am and rehearsed most of the day for the 2 showings that night.  We were first in the lineup, which meant breathing easy after finishing and getting to truly enjoy all the other plays.  Our show was called Paging Dr. Love and had some great, comedic moments.
15: I auditioned for a couple musicals at Cardinal Stage Company - The Sound of Music & Little Shop of Horrors - which meant a little different selection of material than usual for me.  I was asked what other songs I had considered, what roles I was interested in and then to sing some of "Suddenly Seymour" (which I then wished I was little more familiar with).
20: Finished reading The Merchant of Venice.
21: On the way up to St. Paul, stopped in Chicago for my scene in (what was still titled then) The Truth About Lying.  I had been cast as Eric 2, a similar but slightly less vocal role.  But they paid a little more than they had said in the audition notice.  Lots of fun in the five-hour shoot.  I then hustled over to try to make Lookingglass Theatre's Season Auditions.  I arrived before the end time listed, but at first the Producing Artistic Director said they were done for the day.  But he relented and even gave me some time to collect myself (I had a rather harried time getting there during rush hour) before launching into the one monologue.  He asked who my character was talking to, suggested a new headshot and chronological resume, then asked where Riverside was and what was my most recent credit.
22: Intro to the full company of Othello and then the read-through.  The leads had already been rehearsing for a week or something, but it was the first day for most of us.  I started the day with 0 lines and had 1 by the end - a sailor delivering a message had not been previously assigned.  Yay!
23: Rehearsal for Othello.  I was barely on time, not being very familiar with parking in the area.  We blocked I.i-II.iii
26: Chris emailed me a draft of Fall of Gotham, which I read immediately and got back to him with the roles I preferred.
27: A few days off before the next rehearsal, where we blocked V.ii, blocked and added fight choreography to V.i and then worked on some odds & ends: II.ii-iii; how to portray a soldier in the period we have set the play in, salutes, etc.  Then an hour off to eat before running the whole show!
29: I had intended to crash Guthrie Theater's Season Generals (as I have crashed countless other Equity auditions in Chicago, and a few in New York).  So I arrived about an hour and half before they began, and not until a half-hour later was notified that no non-union actors would be seen, regardless if there were open slots.  I was able to leave a resume/headshot, and was told that the Associate Artistic Director and Artistic Administration Coordinator would be attending Othello.  Even with my bicycle having broken down en route, this left me plenty of time to get to Othello rehearsal, where we worked more on blocking I.i-II.i.
30: At rehearsal, worked on II.ii-iii.

August 2009

1: We continue Much Ado about Nothing the next night to another big crowd!
3: Auditioned for The Flowers for About Fact Theatre's XYZ Festival, after a couple hours wait.  The company had asked for a classical monologue to be prepared as well, but ended up just having me read half a side.  At least they laughed at my interpretation of the final line.  Later that night, attended the Season Auditions for Attic Playhouse.  I performed a monologue this time, and a few lines of another to demonstrate a British accent; they asked if I was attached to my beard.
6: The Human Race Theatre Company called me back to audition for a touring show, Lazzi-Faire.  An involved audition, with interspersed readings, improvisation and other movement work that called for quite a bit of research into the Commedia characters (for me, esp. Scaramouche and Arlecchino).  That evening, headed to Illinois to audition for Apple Tree Theatre's season.  The casting person wondered how many EMC points I have and whether I had thought about a new headshot; she thought I showed improvement from the Giver audition -- so, was evidently confusing me with someone else.  Then callbacks for Affections of May at Attic Playhouse, a large number of cold-reads, mostly for the Hank role (but Brian and Quinn as well), with a lot of redirections and at least one "nice adjustment".
8: Offered the role of Hank (see above), but I couldn't accept due to the extremely low pay, which had not been mentioned previous to the callbacks.
12: Dinner with Justin, Matt and Jon before catching Star Trek at the dollar theatre with the first two.
14: Only a couple hours wait to audition for First Folio Shakespeare Festival's season - which was mostly cast beyond a few roles in Twelfth Night.  The Executive Director chuckled just before a transitional moment in my David Hare monologue - to be honest, I'm not sure what was funny at that point, although I do like that this piece tends to elicit curious reactions.
16: Watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with Justin, Peter, Matthew and perhaps some more folks.
19: Another movie night, Gran Torino, with Justin, Peter, Liz, Allesha and Libby.
20: Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival invited me to attend the 10th Anniversary Season Gala, which included a buffet, cocktails and of course the production of Twelfth Night.  And then a VIP reception with the cast and crew after.  Charming!  I enjoyed the play and sitting with Maureen Gallagher; whom I hadn't seen much since we shared scenes in The Comedy of Errors in 2006.
22: Caught Public Enemies at the dollar theatre with Kyle.
26: Justin loaned me Constantine to watch, which was mostly a waste; I enjoyed the various versions of the deleted scenes more than most of the film proper.

January 2009

6: Drove to audition for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' The Merry Wives of Windsor.  The artistic director asked how I had heard of the company, and where I was from, then said it was worth the trip.  I got down there early enough to lunch with Mary Woll beforehand.
10-16: Rehearsals for The Further Adventures of Louie the Lightning Bug at The National Theatre for Children, with Vanessa Miller.  Vanessa ended up with laryngitis by the end of the week, so we left town without a school preview, though this was after we got to share a run with the company (and see everyone else's varied takes on same and similar (and one different) shows).
14: Earlier, I left the company picnic midway to catch buses over to St. Paul and audition for Park Square's Othello.  The director/artistic director asked about my favorite Shakespeare experience and also the locations of Riverside & Bridgework.
20-23, 26-30: Many performances of The Further Adventures ... at many schools.  We spent some time near South Bend, so I was able to work on graduate school applications as well as a few other things.
22: Brigid & her kindergarten class saw the show when we were at her school in Elkhart.  That night was the 20th Annual Notre Dame Student Film Festival, which included the premiere of Prologue, one of whose directors bought my ticket.  First time seeing the completed film.  Also enjoyed seeing another short by the creators of Through the Window, and one by Joe Gleason with several folks I know.  Mary Claire, two Lauras, Jeremy, and a bunch others were also in attendance.
23: My parents, younger sisters, and my niece Abby (16 months) saw another local performance of The Further Adventures ...  Abby seemed to pay attention well for her age.  Of course, she had already seen one of my Bridgework shows nine months earlier, didn't cry or fuss then either.
29: Being in the area also meant I was able to usher for an Actors from the London Stage production of Much Ado about Nothing at Notre Dame.  I like the format (five actors, no director, little cutting, minimal props/costume) of their shows.
31: I attended the first graduate school audition, for Hilberry Repertory Theatre/Wayne State University.  The panel found my resume "impressive" and interviewed me regarding what I want out of the program.  I did well enough to be invited to the callbacks not a half hour later, which included a lot of snippets of instruction/play in movement, voice, rhythm and improvisation, then a cold read from Waiting for Godot.

December 2008

3: Had another voiceover & ADR session for Prologue.  That evening watched The Dark Knight at the dollar theatre with Daniel.  Still awesome!
4: Long day.  Crashed Utah Shakespearean Festival's auditions and finally seen after a long wait.  Union members got to present contrasting monologues, but only one for non-Equity.  I finished reading Scapino (zany!) before my next audition, an appointment this time, for Remy Bumppo.  The notices said that one monologue should "show skill with language".  The director appreciated my choice for that, said Plenty was a favorite play.  And then back that night to complete the Back to the Future trilogy, with Sheila, Liz, Justin, Dan, the Sarah's & Jon.
6: I had car trouble, and was running behind all day.  Auditioned for Crossroads Repertory Theatre, and had to tell them I was unavailable for dance or acting callbacks the next day.  And then barely in time to be a blackjack dealer for a corporate charity event.  Weird gig, pushy guests, really wanted to win the meaningless chips.
7: I had submitted my materials before crashing Illinois Shakespeare Festival's Equity auditions, and subsequently received an appointment for this non-Equity date.  They taped this one.
11: Watched The Day the Earth Stood Still and ate cookies with Sarah, Daniel, Allesha, Justin, Dan & Jon.  [I think this was the classic b/w version, not the recent remake.  But eventually I saw both, so this could be either.]
15: Finished reading House of Blue Leaves.  Bells on!
17: An audition for a nearby college's radio spot at a local ad agency.
18: I attended a screening for the Intermediate Film Production class, and the professor noted and thanked those of us who were in multiple shorts (4 for me).
19: I had a voice audition for a re-dubbing of a cartoon.  They didn't say what it was, but from context it must have been Numberjacks, an English educational show.  No appointments and the producer was late.  That night watched my high school's production of Twelfth Night.  My friend Tom Noe (text coach) stepped in for someone who couldn't perform (ill?).
20: Went to Justin's family's cabin on Crooked Lake, did some tobogganing, ate lots of food and watched Home Alone with the family, Jon, Ricky and others
21: Drove down to Indianapolis to work the strike/load-out for Actors Theatre of Indiana's A Year with Frog and Toad.  They weren't paying much more than the expense, but I got them to throw in a comp for the show too.  Kyra Jeanne Kenyon, who was in The Selfish Giant with me a few years back, played a Bird and Turtle and did an excellent job.  The whole show was fun, and I met a few people during the strike that I had only known online previously.

November 2008

[Note that future posts will be titled simply as the month and year, and should have updates for that entire month.]

1: Took in a midnight performance at South Bend Civic Theatre of Dracula by Steven Dietz.  Not as good as I hoped it might be -- the script struck me as overly narrative, especially near the climax.
2: Filmed a scene (6) for Prologue with Mark Weber.  Screeching tires, fake blood and simulated violence attracted a lot of attention from the parking lot adjacent, so we dealt with cops.  Cops.  And more cops.  Apparently even when they know what's the deal they still have to check out each call.
6: More scenes (3, 4) for Prologue, with Charlie Buhler and Mark Weber.
8: Shot a car chase and fight scene (58) for TOW, with Adam Newell, Emily Wood & Christopher Hunt.
13: Watched Back to the Future with Justin, Jon, Emily, both Sarahs, David, Allesha, maybe more?
15: In the morning, shot the final scene (7) of Prologue, with Charlie Buhler.  That evening, watched Quantum of Solace with Sarah, Liz, Kyle, Ricky and Allesha.  Since it starts briefly after Casino Royale, wished I had rewatched that recently.  Nowhere near as good, but solid overall.
16: Finished shooting my scenes (28, 30, 32) in TOW with Adam Newell, Emily Wood, Christopher Hunt, Michelle Shea Walker, Marcy Shwegman and Marti Rams.  A fight scene, drama, some intentional and some unplanned comedy.  The bits I liked the best were the accidental straw bit (a close watch on the finished scene reveals each actor losing it a little there), and a non-verbal bit I asked to add (and had to remind to include, as I cleared the frame just before (to allow for a cut if needed)).
19: A photo shoot with Lucy Lavely to include in the credits of Through the Window (added per a suggestion from the class after an initial viewing), then caught Burn after Reading with Ricky.
20: In the morning, shot some of Nice to Meet You with Nicola Menchetti (this is a color version/further development of Thanks, I Owe You One).  Then Back to the Future Part II for Jon's birthday that night, with also Justin, Ricky, Liz, Dan, Allesha, Sarah & Sheila.
21: Waited half the day to audition for Illinois Shakespeare Festival - glad they remembered me.
22: A voiceover & ADR session for Prologue, which I also utilized to do ten takes of a line for Quantum Leap: A Leap to Di for.
24: Shot the end of another student short, The Thrifty Gentleman, with Lauren Bergstrand.
25: In the morning, shot more of Nice To Meet You; then in the afternoon, The Thrifty Gentleman, scenes with Laura Mooreshay (although mostly alternating scenes with her, as we didn't share the screen much).
26: Watched Batman Begins at Mike's with Justin, as I was hoping to rewatch The Dark Knight soon at the dollar theatre.

Surprise! jaw's edge of a dangerous game, thanks for the picture-window title.

[These dates are from 2008 - sorry for the negligence!]
1 October: Auditioned for Cardinal Stage Company's Treasure Island & Santaland Diaries, which was mostly prepared readings from sides. They seemed to like my outlook on Snowball, and walked me through some imaginiative work on one of the two Jim Hawkins' sides. I guess they're going much older for the pirates, etc.
2 October: Auditioned for FTP Pictures' For Travis Preston, a short 'dramedy'. Cold read for a lead (Cory) and one other mystery role.
Then ushered and watched Pasquerila East Music Company's Edges, a song-cycle lightly-reminiscent of JRB.
4 October: Filmed a couple scenes (9b, 11) of TOW with fellow cast Adam Newell, Christopher Hunt and Michelle Shea Walker - I found out about 9b upon arrival; it was written the previous night. Brilliantly-sunny, apropros for the scene despite the actual temperature. A nice lunch afterwards.
5 October: Readthrough of Out the Window [later retitled Through the Window], and then they took some photos for use within the film.
7 October: Audition for an untitled feature, including cold reads both from the script (the lead, Tad) and a side from Jaws, reinterpreted per a different character description.
10 October: Filmed half of Window. Did I mention I'm starring with a SAG actress (on student hiatus), Lucy Lavely?
11 October: A meeting/readthrough for Prologue [for an ND Advanced Film Production class], then they had me record two takes of the v.o. which runs throughout the film.
That night, watched The Express again, with Kyle, Beka and Marcus. Marcus apparently missed the whole point of our going, at one point, excited and/or incredulous "What? Daniel's in this movie?!", before they all saw my moment of Hollywood fame. Kyle wondered how anyone could miss me 'mugging' up there . . .
14 October: Busy day. First, started filming a then-untitled b/w 'noir' [later: Thanks, I Owe You One] ; then, finished up on Window. Then a meeting about a stage production of The Passion of St. Marcellus for the feast day, and finally another about Prologue, checking out possible costumes and discussing scheduling and several alternate endings.
15-16 October: More filming, eventaully finished Thanks.
16 October: Watched Ironman with Jon, Justin, Dan and Kyle (I think).
20, 25, 27-29 October: Rehearsals for Marcellus, myself in the title role.
24 October: Another v.o. session for Prologue.
30 October: Two performance of Marcellus, one for a school and the public one - part of the anti-war events that day sponsored by The Center for Peace & Nonviolence of St. Joseph County.
Also filmed a scene (2) for Prologue, involving some interesting camera movement and as many extras (mostly other students from the class) as could be wrangled.

Bare, sweating the window of lokeli.

July 18: Watched Barefoot in the Park's opening night. I really enjoyed this, much funnier than reading the play was. Justin -- who has preceded me at several theatres along my career, as well as sharing a few other tangentials -- was brilliant, great to see him shine on stage as opposed to just around the house. Sherman was also convincing and amusing - the whole cast, actually, did well.

July 19: After our longest hiatus in the schedule, we had a satisfying return to performing A Midssummer Night's Dream. Although, it was hot! Great audience, lumpy uneven ground as our stage, only the slightest hitches in our delivery. I'm really happy with this cast.

July 20: Watched Act Two of Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog - not quite as funny as the first installment. And I didn't realize that these were only free for a limited window, so I missed Act Three.

July 21: Finished reading The Overwhelming by J. T. Rogers, in anticipation/as part of decision to audition for the role of Geoffrey in a production of it at Next Theatre in Evanston. Powerful, tangled, but in some ways simple and direct.

Blood, Veggies and Friends in Tennessee

13 July: Watched There Will Be Blood with Aunt Winnie & Uncle Rick. Grasped several subtleties not appreciated on the first viewing.

14 July: Visited Emily Brown (on her birthday) at Dollywood and saw her dance and puppet in two Veggie Tales Live shows: Rack, Shack and Benny and Lyle the Kindly Viking. Sort of funny, not a lot of substance. Also saw a loosely-plotted musical revue, Dreamland Drive-in - sung well, danced passably, acted . . . lightly.
Various shared acquaintances with some of her castmates: Creamery castmates of mine = college friends of theirs.