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.

July 2009

3: Swing Dance Party with various folk including hosts Brigid & Sarah.
5: First Much Ado about Nothing rehearsal - a read-through and discussion of the script and production.
6: The next day, went to a partial costume fitting for Much, although my pants were still to come.  Then rehearsal, mostly staging.
7: More staging at Much rehearsal.
9: Definitely finished my own re-reading of Much Ado about Nothing by this date.
11-13: More Much rehearsals, including the first day inside due to rain.  Staging until the last day, when we worked through part 1 (ending after III.2).
14: Up to Chicago to audition for Theater at the Center's Noises off.  I got there pretty early, and they started early, so I got in before appointments started.  The Artistic Director asked if I lived in Chicago.  I get that question a lot.  Then back to Indy for Much rehearsal, staging scenes in our part 2.
16: Worked through part 2.
17: Back to Chicago for Victory Gardens Theatre's season auditions; I arrived about an hour and a half before the next person, so of course did not have to wait overlong (after things started, that is).  The Associate Artistic Director asked if I lived in Chicago (see?); I tactfully replied that I wasn't sure exactly what I'd be doing after Much Ado.
18: Much rehearsal, working scenes.
19: Chicago again, via Oak Brook for auditions for First Folio Theatre's indoor season - no Shakespeare in the season or the audition.  Then a brief meeting/audition with a couple folks from LimeGreen Entertainment to be considered for their 48 Hour Film Project team (backup for me, since I am already on another team).  And more rain, so rehearsed Much indoors at Butler again.
20: Finished reading The Taming of the Shrew.  At Much rehearsal we did a stumble-through of part 1, then notes and scene work.
21-23: Much rehearsal the next night was a stumble-through of part 2, again followed by notes and scene work.  Next night worked III.3 and IV.2.  And then a stumble-through of the entire show (with notes of course).
25: The Chicago 48 Hour Film Project!  I ended up having a small role in one scene of a mockumentary called Inside America.  About four hours for shooting that scene.  We were temporarily awarded Best Use of Line of Dialogue, but since the film was turned in late we were actually ineligible for that award.
26: This night's rehearsal involved talking with the director about my character (Conrade); I also sat in for the Borachio actor's session.
27-28: Run-throughs with notes.
29: First rehearsal (run-through with notes again) at our venue, White River State Park.  (We're part of the park's Family Art Series and go under a couple titles/tags: Free Shows Where the Grass Grows; also Shakespeare on the Canal.)
30: Technical rehearsal for Much.  Microphones.
31: We open Much Ado about Nothing, to a big crowd!

June 2009

1: Auditioned for Williamston Theatre's season.  The Artistic Director thought I looked familiar, was interested in checking out Star Trek Versus Batman and said he will call me in for anything appropriate.
2: Headed to Evanston to audition for six area theatres.  I didn't have an appointment, but was still seen within three hours.  Very quiet room.
5: Saw Up in 3D with Justin, Kyle & Jon Finke - another winner from Pixar.
8: Shot the nightmare scene for Haunted - this last little piece only took around an hour.
9: Down to Indy to audition for Heartland Actors’ Repertory Theatre's Much Ado About Nothing, with a monologue and then cold reads of scenes for Conrade (I.iii) and Borachio (V.i).  While I was there, decided to check out the Indiana Filmmaker's Networking meeting, which started with a workshop on The Basics of Film Acting and continued longer with casual networking.
10: The next night, callbacks for Much Ado, an hour mostly spent reading Conrade in III.iii (4x w/different actors), but once each also of Borachio and Verges scenes, with other auditioners and one already-cast member of the Watch.
11: Up to Chicago for a half hour of ADR for Haunted.
13: Late at night, watched Stranger Than Fiction with Dan; then the next night, Baby Mama with Sarah, Kyle, Sheila & Liz.
15: A couple nights later, to the dollar theatre for X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Justin & Matthew.
30: Later that month, a big group together to watch The Big Lebowski - Justin, Emily, Jessica, Josh, Liz, Sheila, MaryClaire, the Sarah's, Peter, Mike, more perhaps.

May 2009

2: Auditioned at River Bend Film Festival for a vampire series called Dark Secrets, which involved a cold read for the main character as well as a prepared monologue; noting Quantum Leap: A Leap to Di for on my resume, the director asked if I knew Ed Ernstes (of course!).  Then over to Goshen for an audition for both a) an unnamed, supposedly soon-to-be-created summer stock theatre and b) a short film trilogy called Samuel - A Journey of Discovery.  For the latter, I did a cold read for the Messenger in part III; and for the former, two monologues (the director stopping each midway and asking for more emotion) and two songs.  I haven't heard anything since about the company.  And back to River Bend to audition for various films by Big Hat Cowboy Productions, cold reads with another actor of two roles in two shorts.
4: Short wait, thanks to an early start, for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's season auditions.  The artistic director wanted to know how long I had been in Chicago, didn't ask for a second monologue - and had not seen the production of Midsummer I had done in Cincy.
7: Star Trek Versus Batman was chosen by Fan Cinema Today as "A Top 5 Must-See Star Trek Fan Film".
9: Headed down to Noblesville for a table read of Shoki's Bag - read for Caper and Inquisitors 2 & 3 - with Gavin Rulon in the lead and lots of Indy folks I had acted with, or had been in projects with if not scenes, or knew by name.  Then chatted with various members of the team about editing, role-doubling, casting name actors, etc.  After lunch, hung around for a meeting of a team - a director and several writers - for the upcoming 48 Hour Film Project.
12: Longer, but not unreasonable, wait for Goodman Theatre's non-musical season auditions.  I felt like I really rocked my two monologues that day.
15: My callback at Boarshead for Death of a Salesman ended up actually being for the role of Biff, not Bernard.  Read a scene (from "Did you see the new football" to "This summer, heh?") with another actor as Willy.
16: To Rochester to audition for a feature, Goss Acres, and a web series, In the Box - the latter was to have ongoing single-day shoots (with different casts) through the year.  Did a monologue as well as a couple of cold reads.  One of the auditors requested an extra resume to consider me for a separate project, Leach.
17: Watched Seven Pounds with Justin, Pete, James & Matthew.
21: Waited most of the day for Indiana Repertory Theatre's season auditions.  I even let another auditioner cut as she had a rehearsal as an understudy for Rock and Roll at the Goodman, which cost me an additional half-hour.  This did give me time to finish reading Inherit the Wind.
23: Auditioned for several different indie film projects.  A feature, One Night (cold read of a scene as the lead); a DePaul MFA thesis feature The Waves, plus earlier project Crossing the Lake (a monologue and a chat, questions about Star Trek Versus Batman); a horror short Haunted (monologue and questions about my experience, comfort level with various things, etc.); and an untitled short/music video (monologue and talked about the plot).
24: Watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian with Pete, Sarah, Joe, Collin & Matthew.
27: Rehearsal of Haunted (read/discussed the script, rehearsed look/actions, discussed wardrobe)
28: I was the first in line for Timeline Theatre Company's season generals, so I didn't have to wait terribly long - a couple hours.  Spent some of that chatting with Andrew Redlawsk, and some finishing The Drawer Boy.  Then went to do my monologue and remind the artistic director that he had called me in previously to audition for The History Boys (after getting my name from another theatre; I had been on tour with NTC at the time of the audition and into the rehearsal period).
29: The next day, again saw Andrew, and Cristina Panfilio, while hoping to be seen at Actors Theatre of Louisville's Season auditions, and finishing reading Boom.  But I had to leave for a callback in Indy for several of Cardinal Stage Company's productions - Inherit the Wind, Boom & Drawer Boy.  I was being considered especially for Jules and Bertram Cates, read 1 side for Jules, 2 for Miles, 2 for Cates - the second repeated with a couple redirections.  While I was in town, stopped by an open call for a short called Sunday Morning, where I cold read a sides 3 times with various imprecise redirections.
30: Attended the season auditions for Meadow Brook Theatre; while waiting, saw Paul Riopelle, who suggested a Claudio-in-jail monologue from Measure for Measure would be a good audition piece for me.  After a couple monologues, the artistic administrator checked whether I had any conflicts and the managing director wondered whether I had a place to stay in the area.
31: A twelve-hour shoot day for Haunted, with the three person crew (including the director) and one other actor.

April 2009

13: Auditioned for Boarshead Theatre's season after a very short wait (I was a walk-in).  The artistic director asked me re Florida Studio Theatre as she knew a former A.D. there, and also wanted to know what Star Trek Versus Batman was (I get that question a lot).  She indicated I might be called back in later on for Bernard in Death of a Salesman.
14: Auditioned for a horror/romcom short - indie rather than student - called Hangers.  Several sides to cold read with other actors, even switching roles at one point, and a monologue.
17: Went to the dollar theatre to see Slumdog Millionaire with a big group: Sarah, Ricky, Justin, Catherine, Allesha, Liz, etc.  I was a little late, so I missed the very beginning.
18: Full day around Indianapolis, first off a double screening in Hamilton of two shorts, Waffles for Virginia (its premiere) and The Fresh Air Will Do You Good - two very different productions: a family film with animated sequences and a scifi buddy comedy.  Then over to Plainfield to audition for another horror flick, Freight.  Waited two hours before being seen, then they took forever, wanting to see everyone read everything and lots of repetition.  Ugh.  Ended barely in time to make it over to the main event, the premiere at the IMAX of A Time for the Heart, followed by Quantum Leap: A Leap to Di for.  A great crowd out for those, and I really enjoyed seeing Heart finally completed.  At the wrap party, had a great time hanging out with all those I had known from the shoots as well as meeting some new folks - who had worked on different scenes - or family of cast and crew.  Another filmmaker (not involved in these two) was also there for some reason, so I chatted some about her upcoming project, Shoki's Bag.  I couldn't stay as long as I might have liked though, as had some more traveling to do before a 10k trail run the following morn.
20: Had a quick headshot session (TFP), which was presumably done to build the photographer's portfolio and/or to try to get me to purchase additional prints or files.  But I got one good, free shot out of it -- and I certainly needed something to replace my college-era headshot.  So it worked out.
22: Not much more than an hour wait for Steppenwolf Theatre's general auditions - which is good.  The casting director wanted to know if I lived in Chicago, and to keep her posted when I do make that transition.
23: Auditioned for a number of Columbia student shorts - I had inquired about possible expense-covering prior, and apparently one of the student-directors thought I needed that to attend the auditions (rather than if cast).  They were in two different rooms, so I did different monologues and a cold reading from One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest; and I let them know about how much pay I would need to recoup travel expenses.
27: A similar wait as Steppenwolf at the next season audition, for Human Race Theatre Company, although they might have been more busy - started seeing walk-ins early, before appointments started.  I ran into a fellow from my university, whom I hadn't known personally, but I guess who knew me through common acquaintances.  And I did a similar thing in the room, as I mentioned my Bridgework director, who had worked for Human Race as well.  Journey down to Bloomington that day to attend auditions for Cardinal Stage Company, with a lot of the same personnel I remembered from previous times.  One asked again where I was from and how far it was, hinted they might call me back again; another wanted to know how long I had practiced capoeira.
28: More traveling, more season auditions, for Tipping Point Theatre (comedies TBA, and for 6-7 people in the room) and then Jewish Ensemble Theatre.  I was quite early for the second, arriving more than half an hour before the monitor, and again saw a friend of the colleague I mentioned at the Human Race audition.  The monitor actually came in to watch my audition.  The artistic director didn't have me sing, as the only singing roles for my age also involved playing piano.  She thought she might call me back in for Ellard in The Foreigner, but thought I seemed too young for the rest of the season (or too much of a contrast with others cast).  She seemed possibly a little hard-of-hearing, which made the exchange a bit surreal.
29-30: One of the Columbia students cast me in his short and we filmed in his hometown of Michigan City, which cut down on the drive time and expense.  I guess he and his friends have been working on low-budget horror for a number of years.  This one was a b&w 16mm silent 5-minute short, a final project for some 2nd year class.  The director later told me it was the top film at their class screening.

March 2009

2-6, 9-13, 16-20: Many performances of The Further Adventures of Louie the Lightning Bug.
20: Finished reading August: Osage County by Tracy Letts.  Fantastic!  After seeing it on Broadway, I'm glad that was a Christmas gift.
20-23: After the last shows, of course, we had to drive (from Ohio) back to Minneapolis, check in our car, set and gear and do some debriefing.  And thus completed our 8000-mile, 10-state tour, with 112 shows at 84 schools in IN, MI & OH.  Then, for me, it was off to L.A. for some visiting and . . .
27: The premeire of Quantum Leap: A Leap to Di for in North Hollywood at The Leap Back 2009 Quantum Leap Convention.  Even with small parts in this film (two for me and one for him), it was great for myself and Peter Gaffney to be able to attend a Hollywood premiere.  There were lots of Leap fans in attendance - I'm pretty sure this is the only Quantum Leap fan film - and they were not disappointed as we had Deborah Pratt to reprise her voice role as Ziggy.  Signed lots of autographs.
30: Finished reading Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh.
31: Among the sites I visited while in California was the Walt Disney Concert Hall/Music Center/Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County.  While checking out the venue, I listened to an audio tour narrated by John Lithgow.

February 2009

2-6: More performances of The Further Adventures of Louie the Lightning Bug.
4: After a morning show, off to Chicago to do a whirlwind of graduate school auditions.  Each was similar in a way, 3 minutes of 2 contrasting monologues (classical/contemporary) (I used the same two pieces to fulfill this); and then a short interview.  Fortunately got in to the first - The Cleveland Play House/Case Western Reserve University - early, so I wasn't as rushed for the next appointment, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which also had me sing a few bars a capella.  While waiting for the third, National Theatre Conservatory, I remet a woman who had also been at the Hilberry audition.  It turns out she is the Casting Director for Festival 56, so I asked if I could audition for her as well.  So we found a quiet hallway and I did my package.  She then asked for another contemporary piece and asked me to present it conversationally.  After my song, she complemented my voice, saying I was a crooner ala Sinatra.  Then finished up the night with Old Globe/University of San Diego.
5: The next evening, auditioned for Notre Dame Shakespeare Festval's Twelfth Night.  [Actually, it's in my notes as "auditions/callbacks" - not sure if I recall why.  Perhaps a callback for students, plus others, such as myself, for the first time?]
8: NTC allowed us the time (Monday off) and mileage to drive down to Memphis for UPTA.  My slot was late afternoon Sunday, so callbacks stretched into the evening.  Started off with Hampstead Stage Company - I had not realized that my college friend Meagan worked for them, and would be in the room for the callback.  Next up, Tecumseh!-Outdoor Drama.  The artistic director, who of course remembered me from last year, had me present a different piece than my package, and filmed that.  Rolled on to Poetry Alive!, where I did some cold reads, then CLIMB Theatre, where they filmed some improvisation.  Both long contracts.  I asked to interview with Theater at Monmouth, since I'd had some previous contact with them.  After seeing a different Shakespeare piece, the artistic director said he didn't think I was the right type for Laertes, which was the only non-intern, non-Eqity role he was looking to cast.  But he said I should follow-up later if I thought I really did want to do another internship.  I decided not to go to a callback for Missoula Children's Theatre, based on previous interactions with them, and dropped off a resume/headshot with Texas Shakespeare Festival.  Then went and hung out at the bar for the rest of the night with NTC and Hampstead folks (and everyone else).
10-13: Even more performances of The Further Adventures ...
14: We traveled up to Madison to visit with another NTC troupe and attend the Wisconsin Theatre Auditions.  Odd format, as they have a separate appointment included (for those who desire) for American Players Theatre, which preceded (at least for me) the group audition.  Then they have two different rooms/groups for non-singing and singing actors.  I ended up performing five different pieces, with only one overlapping, to maximize the different situations.  It worked out well, except that the accompanist played way too fast, and I got another callback from each room; Great River Shakespeare Festival, although I think they do their main auditions in the summer a year prior; and Prairie Fire Children's Theatre, which just asked for my resume/headshot.
17-20, 23-27: And yet more performances of The Further Adventures ...
28: We were in or near Indianapolis, so I took the opportunity to attend a casting call there for an indie feature, Bloomington.  After my audition, I noticed they were pretty short-handed, so I offered to assist, signing people in and leading them into the audition room, etc. for the next couple hours.

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.