DEAD MAN WALKING Come and Gone

Wow, was this a great experience with The Piven Theatre Workshop.  I played angry and bitter father Clyde Percy.  Best serious part I have played to date thanks to Mikalina Rabinsky director.   She really guided me to a great performance with my on stage wife Stephanie Monday who played Marybeth Percy.   She was the easiest person to act with onstage and was fantastic.  More later.

Doug Schuetz

Doug Schuetz:

'via Blog this'

Hello Blog, remember me?   Goal in 2016 is to crank this up again.    Had my best live theater adventure ever last weekend and saw three shows.    THE FLICK at Steppenwolf.  My kind of show with super long "real" Pauses.  Added up to three hours of show.  Yikes.  I saw the movie theater set swept up about 8 times by the cast.  Wow.      There were silences in that show to challenge even Pinter Pauses.   I bet they had to count to themselves offstage in order to not go on too fast.   Now I have to read the script.  Oh there it is---been on my shelf for about a year.

Saw Godspell and another show about the Holocaust.    One more week and then DEAD MAN WALKING starts to rehearsing.   Really excited, saw an interview with Tim Robbins last night.  He's my age.  Ugh.  Done a few more things than me, but can't worry about it.    

Grandpa - Church's Chicken - Commercial Ad

My first commercial.  Ice has been broken

How to Warm up in Public

When I see posts like this I really love to pass them on to fellow actors.  This one is by a vocal coach Andrew Byrne in New York that shows you how to warm up in public.  Really simple but great.

This is the kind of content along with personal milestones that I want to put in my blog. If you want to stay up to date with them, please subscribe to it.

• 

• 
  

• 
  

• Voice  Tips

Scene From BIG HEAT filmed for University of Chicago

I was asked to film a scene from the Film Noir Classic  BIG SLEEP for a group of students from University of Chicago.  It was hosted by DePaul Film School where they recreated the set, which was a big surprise for me and fellow actor Guy Wicke. It was a lot of fun and I played the Lieutenant who scolds Glen Ford's character for hassling a cop's widow.

DAMN YANKEES start up for me at Light Opera Works

My First Big Boy musical experience started last night with the Read-Thru of the Light Opera Work's DAMN YANKEES.  We have already had one rehearsal for music.  And I know not all the music got covered so last night a lot of people had to sing solely on their own reviewing of the music before the read-thru.  Not bad for winging it on your own but that is our job I guess.  But I am enjoying finally doing a musical where everybody can dance, sing and act not matter what gender.  There are more guys in this show than women, which is a first for me having done many musicals at CenterStage in Lake Forest.

Preparing songs drives me crazy but finally found a guy online that will do my rehearsal tracks for me and is really economical.  Manhattan Vocal Coach Stephen Purdy.   Really nice to have an accompanist experience before walking into the room.

June 7-15, 2014

Cahn Auditorium
600 Emerson, Evanston, IL

Golden Boy a big fun Night

Golden Boy  was brilliant last night at 773 Building as part of the PorchLight Remembers Series.  We staged the show over 6 nights with a cut up musical score and limited dancing.  Chuck Smith directed the merry band.  But audience loved it.  And it such a cool musical.  Starred Sammy Davis Junior who devoted three years to the initial project.    Great songs.  Michael Weber gave a great history of the musical and it very highs and lows.

MINI Win!!

Got called back on my first commercial audition for TRIDENT.  Was put on HOLD but didn't get it.

The win is getting to callbacks.  Really happy.

DOUBTING THOMAS opens

Great opening night and this show really touches people in so many ways.   Michael Wollner is great along with Corie Woods and  Antonio Z.  Many friends coming to see it.  Thought it would not be the most interesting of the shows but people are really moved by it.  

Starting work on a WebTV program  HITTING THE WALL which is a COMEDY!!!

First Preview a great success. DOUBTING THOMAS

WELL  we had 20 ministers show up for the preview last night and they seemed to be locked in.  There was that one or two that had some issues with the topics.  Playwright got into it with a wayward Lutheran minister, so that was exciting.  But people in the cast and staff really getting wrapped up in to show and the topics it brings up.  Or "dredges up" as one of my cast mates has indication.  Really excited to open tonight.

CAST at Porchlight in GOLDEN BOY

Yay, got cast in my first musical at PORCHLIGHT Theatre doing GOLDEN BOY.  Porchlights Revisits program.   Character ROXY--which looks like a lot of comic relief.  

GOLDEN BOY

Book by Clifford Odets (Awake and Sing!) and William Gibson (The Miracle Worker)
Lyrics by Lee Adams (Bye, Bye Birdie, Applause)
Music by Charles Strouse (Annie, Rags)
Directed by Chuck Smith  Music Direction by Austin Cook 

One performance ONLY! Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Created for the great Sammy Davis Jr. and based on the classic play of the same name by Odets, it is the story of “Joe Wellington,” a young man from Harlem who, despite his family's objections, turns to prizefighting as a means of escaping his ghetto roots and finding fame and fortune while tragically falling in love with the girlfriend of his manager.

DOUBTING THOMAS next up on the list.

Here is the next show to finish out the Triple Header I strung together starting in August.   Hint: this one deals with religion.  Clockwise Theatre in Waukegan IL.  Directed by Doug McDade.

Good Thing ends. Production Photo's

Good Thing ended a few weeks ago and got rolling as the third week came upon us. Everybody did a great job and it was a great part (John Roy ) for me.   Really going to miss this show.  But on to
DOUBTING THOMAS.
 

My Voice Demo is Done!!! Listen to it!!

Powered by Voice123 - Voice Actors

My Matt Miller Showcase Video

After much hassle with figuring out what happened to my sound.  I proudly post my showcase video I did with Matt Miller.  He records it and then formats at his webpage and sends it out to a list of very powerful casting people, directors and theaters.  It stays up all year and the price is right.  Really worth it.   Have not had anything yet, but you have to put it out there.

Click Here to go to Showcase

GOOD THING opened

We opened last night and really have learned a lot.  Group of young actors is quite impressive and kept me on my toes.  The core ensemble members have a great spirit and reminds me of running Beacon St. Playhouse when I was exactly their age.  Wow seems so long ago.    Will Crouse directed and was willing to change his mind about the play right up to opening, which was gutsy, but glad he did.  I think I would have found some middle ground that late in the game, but he would not relent.  And it was worth the result.

GOOD THING coming

Opening in less than a week and really excited.  Learning a lot from this great group.  I was thinking it has been a while since I did a serious drama.   Really a different kind of experience for me.  Times I feel good and times I feel "what am I doing."   Than Will comes in and says "you are doing great, man."   I am too much in my head.    Meisner would be kicking me out of class right now.

First TV Audition for MIND GAMES

Got the call last night and showed up for five minutes and auditioned for MIND GAMES that is filming here in Chicago.  Was really fun.  And it's up to that mysterious lady in the back of the room if I go on to a callback.   Please TV Gods.

GOOD THING improving this Week

GOOD THING in Rehearsal. Really going to be good. Improving all week and had some unpleasant screw up moments to walk through with my stage wife.  Forgetting the anniversary stuff like that. Great Cast and you need to come and see it. Make plans now!


Previews: October 26th, 27th
Opening Night: October 28th

Performances
November 1st - November 10th: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays (8pm)
November 14th - November 16th: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (8pm)

So Long LEADING LADIES Hello GOOD THING

LEADING LADIES had a great final weekend.   Great cast of Robert Bailey, Bryan Burke, Christina Gorman, Loretta Hauser, Gary Simmers, Grant Schumacher, and Melody Jeffries.   Really a great team of actors and they treated me well.   Going to miss getting my laundry done every night.    Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is getting squeezed by the College of DuPage who partially funded them (so stipulated when the MAC Center was donated to them many years ago.  

I am two weeks into GOOD THING and this cast of talented young actors (me excluded from "young reference but I will keep talented!) are going to be wonderful to work with.    We open end of October at the Rivendell Theatre Space.

Purchase Tickets now by Clicking Here.    Cast is below.

Melonie Collmann

Alex Fisher

Dillon Kelleher

Michael Medford

Abbey Smith

Director: Will Crouse