Rehearsals Begin for "Keepers!"

There's something I love about rehearsing...  You meet new people, work hard together and after a few weeks, you've put together a show!  Well, we only have ten days to rehearse "Keepers" and after only two days, we have the two hardest songs pretty well "down," the opening and the closing songs!

As it turns out, I have two monologues to present, no solo songs, but given the short time involved, I don't really mind!  I will rehearse my monologues tomorrow for the first time and I am pretty close to having them memorized but without any blocking (movement) which helps me memorize.  This blocking will be a big help in really "anchoring" the words into my memory.

It's all very exciting, especially after we toured "Studio 54," a huge theater with a massive balcony.  I took a photo on my phone and now that is my "wallpaper."  It truly is a Broadway theater so after this show on November 1 at "Studio 54," I can actually say I performed on Broadway, LOL!  Tickets are only $95.  Anybody wanna come?

The next scene from "Death of a Salesman" at Columbia went pretty well.  As a dream sequence, it was actually a nightmare for Willy's wife.  I got to meet four new actors and in three rehearsals, we put together a 15-minute piece...that was supposed to only be about seven minutes long.  Again, I am really working on my memorization skills, my weakest area, by far.

I auditioned for the "Actor's Project of New York," with only one of seven actors getting through.  Well, using my comic monologue, I got through.  This group develops original humorous pieces and plays.  They charge a membership fee for the first year and then it's free forever.  I'm still trying to decide what to do about it but am strongly leaning toward doing it as I LOVE doing original material, especially if I am writing it, too.

I did the last class for a five-week "Musical Auditioning" class, led by Dale Brown of Tara Rubin Casting.  It went OK and I've ended up with a pretty strong song added to my "book," as musical performers call it.  Overall, the feedback from the five agents who attended the final "performance" was luke warm.  I listened to what I recorded of me singing that night and I was too careful.  I just need to "go for it" and need songs that let me do that.

Another problem with my singing is this New York air, which I expected.  My recorded voice sounds "thin" to me, but I'm also trying to flow through the acting part at the same time and the vocals are suffering.  I'll get there. 

Tomorrow, I hope to be auditioning for "Catch Me If You Can."  I tried to get in there today but they were running late and then I had to go to rehearsal.  I also have rehearsal tomorrow but the auditions "should" still be going on afterwards, if the poor agent hasn't lost his patience.  There were absolute idiots there today, wasting his time.  It shows the desperation of some performers...but they are keeping others from getting a chance.

At the same casting office, I hope to also audition for "Wicked," a show that is second on my list of ones I REALLY want to be in!!!  The other is "Memphis!" by the way.

I also auditioned for and got a callback from the "Chamber Theater Productions" company that puts out shows to tour the entire U.S.  It pays OK but I don't know if I should do that.  I did a pretty crummy German accent during my second audition so maybe I blew it already.  I don't know...

I think I may have already written this VERY true adage in my blog, "An actor's job is to audition." As long as these other projects don't get in the way of the other musical I will be doing, "Perp!" then that will be fine.  Both "Catch" and "Wicked" wouldn't start until 2011, I think.  Still, it is a very tough thing to get a part in either show, like one out of a thousand odds, I would guess.  However, I will keep trying!  Why shouldn't I?

Moving Onward?

I put a question mark there because some days, you wonder.  Yesterday, I attending an "agent meet" that had ten casting and business agents.  The place organizing it sent links to pieces an actor could choose a scene, which I did.  In hindsight, it would have been better to find my own but time was short. 

Still, I feel it went well but would have been much better with a better scene. On top of that, I already knew the agents weren't quite who I needed to meet but you can never tell.  I will wait and see if I get any contact from the agent

The day before yesterday, I auditioned for an Equity show, "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom."  "Equity" means it was a union show and since I am not a member in the U.S., they are HARD to get into quite often. Each of us went in, sang for about two minutes and then out we came, none of us knowing if we did OK or what.  That is how it is often done.  You always hope that the agent or agents will ask some questions, etc., but the one guy in there didn't say a thing to anyone as far as I know.  Maybe you get a call or email later or maybe not.  It would be nice to hear "no" but some people freak out with that.  I would just like to know...anything!

Good news!  One musical (in development) that I auditioned for, "Perp! The Musical," didn't know which part to give me as there were two parts I could do.  One was a ridiculous criminal and the other was his defense attorney.  Well, I ended up with....both!  They don't appear together on stage at the same time so I will change my appearance a bit, mostly for the lawyer, I guess.

Columbia U emailed me again!  Ray, who directed me before asked me to do another scene for his grad class.   It'll be a "dream sequence" and it sounds like fun already.  We'll rehearse tonight, Saturday and Sunday and present the scene on Monday.  It's also from "Death of a Salesman."

My biggest project is coming up, "Keepers," a musical showcase to go on November 1 at "Studio 54," formerly the world's most renowned nightclub.  Rehearsals will start October 21 and I'm supposed to receive the music and texts I need to do...  With so many projects, I really need all the time I can get to keep the texts straight in my addled brain.

This coming Wednesday, I will audition for "The 39 Steps," a show I saw in London's West End two years ago.  This show has been on Broadway, is currently off Broadway and they are casting for a group to tour nationally here in the U.S.  It's a comical, four-actor version of the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name.  Each person plays several parts and I am hoping for the part of the comic character that plays even more parts than the others.  It's a great piece of fun!

Hey!  My roomie's show in the "Irish Theater Festival" was selected as "Best Play!"  I've started calling him, "Champ," which he deserves!  There is even talk of taking it over to Ireland and performing it there.

Every day, I send off emails with my photo and resume attached, hoping to get parts in movies and plays that I see advertised on a site called, "Actor's Access."  I've gotten about three "jobs" from it and every day, you never know what you might see in your email inbox.  There's also something called playbill.com.

Between the internet and everything else, I have very little time for writing and I need to do so.  I had a song idea last night while I was on the subway and should have written it down.  I'll try now.  Bye!

Even Better!

     One of the last things I mentioned was that I was heading to Columbia University for an audition, something having to do with "Death of a Salesman."  Well, when I arrived, the director, Ray, handed me a script for the lead, "Willy!"  That was good and bad.  It was bad because I didn't see myself as "Willy" but good because it's a fantastic part, one of the absolute best on the planet!
     After looking over the two pages to present, I performed it once.  Ray then apologized for all the things he wanted me to try on the next reading.  I took in what I could and off I went again...and he offered me the role on the spot!  WOW!
     When I got back to my apartment, I checked my email and got one back from a musical I had auditioned for on Sunday and thought I wasn't through.  Well, actually, they were considering me for two parts and could I come back again.
      In one day, I go from zero to three projects and maybe even a fourth!  Unbelievable!  Now the sobering thought about all this is it isn't really any money but at least I'm BUSY!  I'm particularly juiced about the project at Columbia because of the people involved but each one has excellent possibilities, also for the future.
      What is surprising for me is that I got this lucky in less than four weeks!  Yahoo!!

TWO, Count 'em, TWO Projects!!!

     Before I get to the projects, let me first say that if you got here by NOT going through my site, then I need to let you know that it exists.  It was created by my "brother by another mother," Martin, whose link you can find on the site.  Tell him if you think he did a GREAT job, OK?  The site is www.billyholly.info.    

     Today has been quite a day, two calls offering two projects!  One is the sports show I mentioned last entry and the other is a charity showcase for orphans. 
     The sports "interview" will be filmed this Friday.  I will be playing a troubled former-baseball player, Lenny Dykstra, who is being interviewed and later, gets into an argument with someone who stole some of his money in a shady deal.  It will then be put on the internet and all of you will be able to see it.
     The charity event will be a combination of songs and monologues concerning orphans, presented on November 1 in New York.  It will have about two weeks of rehearsals and then off we will go!  I am guessing that ticket sales will benefit the orphans and we actors should invite our friends, agents and countrymen.  I won't know much more about this for a while.  This was the audition that I tried out "Great Balls of Fire" at and they seemed to like it.  I also did a new monologue for only the second time.  I guess the song DID get their attention.  One of the evaluators knew about Mountview, where I had done a musical theater intensive course, thank goodness!
     I have another audition in about an hour for a scene from "Death of a Salesman" at Columbia University.  It's a director's project that will be evaluated by Ann Bogart, a very well-known director and choreographer.  I don't see myself as a Willie Loman, or however you spell that but I don't even know what part it's for at this point...maybe the neighbor?
     More to come!

I Hit the Ground Running!

     Since I arrived here on Sept. 1, I've been doing A LOT of auditions, especially after I found a place to live.  That is always a huge hurdle and feels soooo good once jumped! 
     I live in Harlem, just north of Central Park.  117th Street is a quiet, tree-lined, one-way street  but close enough to the bank on the corner, a large grocery across Lennox Boulevard and the 2/3 subway a few feet away.  It's an excellent location!
     I share the apartment with another actor, Walter, who currently is in a show which is part of the Irish Theater Festival.  He's an EXCELLENT actor, btw!
     The city is full of surprises, even though there are many shows on TV based here.  For example, Central Park has rocky cliffs in it, which I've never seen on TV.  The northern part of the park and down its west side, is full of hills and trees.
     Another surprise is the subway.  There are many parts that look just like London but many others that have long, large tunnels, many shops and last night, a group of three old black dudes about my age, singing a capella spirituals and rocking the roof!  Before you could blink, they asked me to join in...what fun!
     However, I had to soon get to class, lead by Dale Brown of "Tara Rubin Casting."  We sing songs there and Dale gives us his impressions.  He's very humble about it but has been in the business a long time and really knows what he's talking about.  At the end, several agents will come to watch and maybe some of us will get signed. 
     At the first class, I sang "New York, New York" and "Cellophane Man," a song from the musical, "Chicago."  I don't think I made much of an impression, especially with a somewhat clogged throat so this week, I wanted to "bust loose" and do a song that I feel that can rock, "Great Balls of Fire."  I had sung the song earlier in the day in an audition and it seemed to get a BIG reaction and I was hoping to get a similar one...but it didn't happen, not here, anyway.  However, I really think that there is a time and place for this song, especially if I want to release the showman inside of me.
     Dale then had me sing another.  I chose, "Guv'ment." a song from "Big River," also a song that lets me let loose more than the pretty songs typically sung by lots of people.
     I particularly like the funny songs the other people in class sing!  It can really let their personalities show.  Already, there are tooooo many wonderful singers here...but not actors!  ;)  It's up to the actors to take back center stage!
     For lunch today, I'll be meeting up with a guy who was a student of mine in my classes in Rotterdam, ten years ago.  He's an amazing guitarist working here. 
     After that, I'm off to a TV audition, some sort of version of "Myth Busters" but having to do with sports.  All for now...