Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
In this time of Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for all of you that raised a margermellon wadderita with me at FODapalooza III! A great time was had by all and I'm looking to set the next one sometime in January. I'm taking an exercise class, getting organized for better career choices, and am in rehearsal for a great show. Also read to the end for the two (by which I mean three) items of interest for FOD's!
On Stage...
Been looking for an excuse to visit Asbury Park in New Jersey in December? Your quest has now been fulfilled! SCROOGE IN ROUGE is going to be hilarious and you can decide for yourself whether or not I make a pretty girl. or matron. or ghost. or excessively perky nephew. Here are the details:
ReVision Theatre
Producing Artistic Directors: David E. Leidholdt, Thomas Morrissey, Stephen Bishop Seely
Scrooge in Rouge
An English Music Hall Christmas Carol
Book & Music by Ricky Graham
Additional Material by Jeffery Roberson
Other Interesting Bits by Yvette Hargis
Original Music Composed by Jefferson Turner
Choreographed by Mimi Quillin
Music Directed by Justin Stoney
Directed by Michael Barakiva
Starring Linda Marie Larson, Katherine Pecevich, & Doug Shapiro
3 actors. 23 characters. A fast-paced new musical so hilarious you'll want to bring your entire family. A Christmas Carol that even your weird Aunt Edna will love!
WHEN: December 4 thru December 28, 2008
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 8:00 pm
Sundays at 7:00 pm
(No show on Christmas Day)
Friday, December 26th at 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 27th at 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Sunday, December 28th at 3:00 pm
WHERE: The VFW Hall
701 Lake Avenue
Entrance on Bond Street between Lake and Cookman Avenues
Asbury Park, New Jersey 07712
Click here for the
Google Map
COST: Tickets $35 & $25; Children Under 12 $17.50 & $12.50
Buy tickets online at www.ReVisionTheatre.org or call 732-455-3059
In the Movies...
I will be playing the role of a doctor in the upcoming movie HORIZON, written and directed by Vladan Nikolic. This movie will also be Assistant Directed by FOD Heather Murphy. I would tell you more, but I know I hate it when someone tells me the end of a movie. What I can tell you is that I don't get a cool death scene and I'm totally bummed. (I felt the same way when I was on The Sopranos...and didn't even try to get my hopes up for that time on Sex and the City.)
Voicing the Industrials...
I voiced one more industrial spot for Lexmark at The Audio Department, this time with Doug as the engineer.
Voicing the Dog...
"Tea With Zoey" is a short film project that explores the power of friendship and the search for true identity. Starring Zoey, a Shi Tzu-Yorkie mix (voiced by Marisa Miller Wolfson) and Piper, an overweight terrier (voiced by me), this serious and important film is a paw-in for the Oscar. The movie is written by Kate Cook and will be shown in December as a part of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective Showcase.
Managing the career...
I have been career coaching with Jodie Bentley and Kevin Urban through The Savvy Actor, a remarkable company that helps actors turn their craft into their business through classes, coaching and seminars. They have been assisting me in defining my goals (and action steps through which I can achieve them) and my "brand." Here's what we came up with and I'd love your input:
I am a bass/baritone (down to a Low C) with the intelligent charm of Kevin Kline, the physical wit of Groucho Marx, and Patrick Dempsey's sensitive soul (and hair).
(For voiceover or commercial work, I'd replace Kevin Kline with Hank Azaria.).
Interested in doing this work for yourself? e-mail them at jk@thesavvyactor.com or call (212) 479-7732. They also coach by phone for those of you outside of NYC and, with the holidays coming up, a career coaching session makes a wonderful gift for that special artist in your life.
Schvitzing in the studio...
I'm taking a fascinating exercise class called "The Actor's Workout" with an incredible intenSati instructor, Erin Stutland. The practice of intenSati offers a training for your body and your life. The greatest power to influence our life, our health and our happiness is our thought power or our spiritual power. So, in class, we simultaneously work through challenging aerobic exercise and spiritual yoga while voicing our goals to cover mind, body, and spirit. Good stuff, but here's a lesson for you: If you got a flu shot AND were up late the night before glued to election results, the intenSati class can be that much more challenging. I'm just saying...
By the way, Erin has an upcoming free class on November 23 in NYC. If you're interested, send her an e-mail at stutsreal@yahoo.com.
Dougbytes
***I finally had that phone call with the excellent web designers at Traverse City Web Design to learn how to update my website myself.
***I will be a guest speaker for the Television and Radio Performance class at SUNY New Paltz. This class, led by voice artist and audio producer Brett Barry, teaches the theory and practice of performance using the technology of radio and television--inculding announcing, interviewing, newscasting and acting.
***DougToons is coming even closer to fruition! Animator/Graphic Designer Ken Truhan has drawn the characters and is now plugging away on the animation.
***Every Wednesday morning I pow-wow with fellow artists Stuart Green (in abstensia while he's on tour), Marisa Miller Wolfson, Faith Sandberg, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) Every Friday morning is a conference call with fellow voiceover talents J.J. Myers, Nadette Stasa, Brett Barry and Pete DeMeo.
***I continue to coach with Joan Bogden for voice-overs and Joan Barber for singing.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions and meet casting directors weekly at The Network. Guess who just got hired there?! Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I continue to sing Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We're led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested. Christmas Eve service will be at 5:00 p.m.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a travel agent seeking Washington DC hotel rooms on Inauguration Day-but for you, I'll find the time. Should you require the voice of your Christmas elf, the guy to sing your Thanksgiving love ballad, or the narrator for your Holiday recipe audiobook, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Three) Items of Interest for FODs...
New Webisode Production company seeking actors...
Brand new FOD (and Assistant Stage Manager for SCROOGE IN ROUGE) Marti Gould Cummings announces the launch of his production company MGC Productions. He is currenly casting for the role of a charactery mid-30's husband for the pilot webisode of Based on a True Story and will be seeking actors for future webisodes as well. Please e-mail your picture and resume to martigouldcummings@yahoo.com with "Based on a True Story" in the subject line and mention that you're a FOD.
Need some help with gift ideas?..
I'm friends with loads of vocal coaches, monologue coaches, graphic designers, songwriters, career coaches, and more. Would you like to commission a holiday song for the one you love? Songwriters I got. Do you want to give someone the gift of their own website? Web Designers I got. Is a rum cake a good idea for a gift? Such a baker of the rum cake I got. And, if you've been reading, you know I got career coaches too. Times are tough, so send me an e-mail. I'd love to employ my loved ones.
Perhaps it's time to talk with my husband...
Time to brag on my man for a moment. After eighteen years as an actuary, Shawn brought his industry savvy to the people side of the business four years ago to be a financial planner. His business has grown wonderfully and he is helping a lot of people start to save money and protect their loved ones. Have you been reading the news lately? Perhaps it's time to talk with him. He knows his stuff, will not try to sell you something you don't need, and is quite easy on the eyes. Send him an e-mail at scowls@mac.com to start the conversation.
Life is good here. A couple of weeks ago, a zillion of us who went to drama camp together at French Woods all descended on the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to see fellow alum Jason Robert Brown's new musical 13 and had a blast. Then last weekend, Shawn and I went out to my Mom's house on Long Island and MADE mozzarella cheese together. It's true. The stuff doesn't grow on trees in shrink-wrapped packages, you can actually make it.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
With Deepest Thanks Given,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
Fearless Mensch
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
October Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Can you feel the anticipation in the air, borne on the scent of Watermelon? Oh, yes. FODapalooza III (Tuesday October 21, 2008) is just around the corner at People Lounge and I can't wait to see everyone there! Also just around the corner are several gigs in which I'll be doffing my cabaret singer hat, my radio play hat, my stage management hat, and my doggie hat. Also read to the end for the two (by which I mean three) items of interest for FOD's!
FODapalooza III:
Join me for the third FODapalooza!
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST: No cover, cash bar
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapalooza! here
Gather, ye FODs (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the third FODapalooza! Yes, it takes place around Halloween, but we're not in costume...unless you still have the High Holy Days spirit and want to come as "Baby Jewish New Year." In FODapaloozas past, accountants have bonded with singer folk, lyricists have found composers, and actresses have met men who actually want to kiss them. And do you know who will also be there? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We'll have the upstairs lounge all to ourselves with the Wall of Rain and de-lishish Margermelon Wadderitas. (Translation: delicious Watermelon Margaritas--and I just got the confirmation that they'll be there.)
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
Come to the Cabaret...
On November 13 (THIS IS A CHANGE!), I'll be singing with featured composer Hector Coris for the cabaret event BIG NIGHT OUT, "Hosted By The Fabulous Jennifer Wren and Featuring The Musical Genius Bill Zeffiro."
WHEN: Thursday, November 13, 2008 (THIS IS A CHANGE!)
10:00 PM to 12:30 AM (I go on between 11:00 and 12:00)
WHERE: The Chicago City Limits Room at
The Broadway Baby Bistro
318 West 53rd Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
Google Map
COST: $5.00 Cover
RSVP: Not required
I say, I say, I'm in a RADIO Play, Son!...
I've landed a dream job, performing Old Time Live Radio Shows with The Living Museum Company. Coming up this week, I'll be playing Sam Spade, private eye, and both Senator Claghorn (the basis for Looney Toons's Foghorn Leghorn) and Falstaff in the Fred Allen Show.
The Old Time Radio Hour Dinner and a Show
WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2008
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WHERE: The Lafayette Grill
54 Franklin Street, New York, NY
Click here for the Google Map
COST: $30/person. Includes full dinner with tip included.
Cash or Check Accepted at Door.
RSVP: Call (914) 450-3947 or e-mail livingmuseumcompany@gmail.com.
The cast includes: Michael V. Ficocelli, Larry Gleason, Toni-Michelle Rubino, Doug Shapiro, and Marci Elyn Schein.
A Stage Manager, managing the stage...Baby
On a more somber note, I will be stage managing a tribute concert to my friend Harris Wulfson, a brilliant musician who lost his life a few months back. For those of you FODs from French Woods or Syracuse University, this is Michelle Wulfson's brother. His loved ones are gathering to celebrate him in what promises to be an incredible evening of music.
Tribute Concert for Harris Wulfson
WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2008
8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
WHERE: Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Click here for the Google Map
COST: Free. Donations requested to help with cost of rental and tribute CD.
RSVP: Not required
The concert will joyfully celebrate as many of the different kinds of music that Harris loved, composed and played as we can fit into a few hours – from bluegrass and klezmer to experimental electronic and beyond. There will be dancing. Musicians are encouraged to join in – please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to perform, and bring your instrument if you just want to join in the jam at the end.
To play, sing or perform at the concert: contact Sarah at snappysarah@gmail.com or Jordan at jordanshapiro1@gmail.com.
Who's the Good Voice Boy? Who Is It? I am! Oh, Yes! I! Am!
"Tea With Zoey" is a short film project that explores the power of friendship and the search for true identity. Starring Zoey, a Shi Tzu-Yorkie mix (voiced by Marisa Miller Wolfson) and Piper, an overweight terrier (voiced by me), this serious and important film is a paw-in for the Oscar. The movie is written by Kate Cook and will be shown in December as a part of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective Showcase.
Dougbytes
***Thanks so much to all of you who tuned in to see me as The Process Server (Servin' the Process...Baby.) on All My Children. I appreciate the support and my Aunt Linda is allowed to write all my reviews from now on.
***I will be playing the role of Mr. Denny, amongst others, in a reading of Lawrence Rush's musical adaptation of Pride and Prejudice on November 10. As of this writing, I do not know if it is open to the public or just people who want to give it lots of tasty money. I do know it has fellow FODs Gretchen Goldsworthy, Lucy Sorenson, and Gordon Stanley.
***DougToons is coming even closer to fruition! Animator/Graphic Designer Ken Truhan has drawn the characters and is now plugging away on the animation.
***I completed my High Holy Days gig, singing with the Park Avenue Synagogue. Easily my most challenging singing gig to date, but I had the chance to work with some incredibly fine singers for the holiest of occasions. There were four binders of music to learn, and the exceedingly talented and quite Kosherlicious Mary Feinsinger took hours of time out of her busy composing and teaching schedule to help me get every one of those songs recorded onto my iPod so I could study. That's a great friend and I believe one of my kidneys should probably be hers should she need it--even if I only have one left at the time. Thank you, Mary.
***Every Wednesday morning I pow-wow with fellow artists Stuart Green (in abstensia while he's on tour), Marisa Miller Wolfson, Faith Sandberg, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) Every Friday morning is a conference call with fellow voiceover talents J.J. Myers, Nadette Stasa, and Pete DeMeo.
***I continue to coach with Joan Bogden for voice-overs. She's been helping me expand my marketability beyond the funny quirky read and we're laying down some tracks next week to bring to my agents.
***I finished up "A Taste of Telsey" with casting director Tiffany Little Canfield at Actors Connection. The class covered all the areas that Telsey + Company casts: from monologues to on-camera technique for film, TV, and commercials. When this comes up again, I recommend it highly.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions and meet casting directors weekly at The Network.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I continue to sing Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We're led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested. Two Sundays ago, I sang an a cappella medley of Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday" and "What Color is Virtue? What Color is Love?"
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a botox syringe on a soap opera set--but for you, I'll find the time. Should you require the voice of your Halloween Fright Fest, the guy to sing your Samhain jingle to celebrate the end of the harvest, or a commanding thespian to embody the role of Joe the Plumber, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Three) Items of Interest for FODs...
Perhaps it's time to cut through the false e-mails...
Governor Sarah Palin, when she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, did not try to ban Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the Wasilla public library and Senator Barack Obama's campaign is not being backed by Hugo Chavez. With all the viral e-mails flying around, it's hard to weed out what is true about the candidates and what is not. Great websites for debunking untruths and urban legends are snopes.com (Click here for the political section.) and factcheck.org. Senator Obama's campaign also has a Fight The Smears website for this purpose. I could not find one on Senator McCain's site.
Perhaps it's time to go Vegan...
Do you consider yourself a vegan at heart but not in practice? My friend Marisa Wolfson Miller (who is getting a lot of play in this newsletter now that I think about it) has launched Vegan at Heart, a free online coaching program for animal lovers, treehuggers, and health nuts who want really practical, easy, fun tips on how to incorporate more heatlthy, compassionate, sustainable habits into their daily lives. Sign up here!
Perhaps it's time to talk with my husband...
Time to brag on my man for a moment. After eighteen years as an actuary, Shawn brought his industry savvy to the people side of the business four years ago to be a financial planner. His business has grown wonderfully and he is helping a lot of people start to save money and protect their loved ones. Have you been reading the news lately? Perhaps it's time to talk with him. He knows his stuff, will not try to sell you something you don't need, and is quite easy on the eyes. Send him an e-mail at scowls@alumni.princeton.edu to start the conversation.
Life is good here. Shawn and I attended my 20th High School Reunion this past weekend. It was great to see everyone again and Shawn made for some fine arm candy.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
Can you feel the anticipation in the air, borne on the scent of Watermelon? Oh, yes. FODapalooza III (Tuesday October 21, 2008) is just around the corner at People Lounge and I can't wait to see everyone there! Also just around the corner are several gigs in which I'll be doffing my cabaret singer hat, my radio play hat, my stage management hat, and my doggie hat. Also read to the end for the two (by which I mean three) items of interest for FOD's!
FODapalooza III:
Join me for the third FODapalooza!
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST: No cover, cash bar
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapalooza! here
Gather, ye FODs (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the third FODapalooza! Yes, it takes place around Halloween, but we're not in costume...unless you still have the High Holy Days spirit and want to come as "Baby Jewish New Year." In FODapaloozas past, accountants have bonded with singer folk, lyricists have found composers, and actresses have met men who actually want to kiss them. And do you know who will also be there? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We'll have the upstairs lounge all to ourselves with the Wall of Rain and de-lishish Margermelon Wadderitas. (Translation: delicious Watermelon Margaritas--and I just got the confirmation that they'll be there.)
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
Come to the Cabaret...
On November 13 (THIS IS A CHANGE!), I'll be singing with featured composer Hector Coris for the cabaret event BIG NIGHT OUT, "Hosted By The Fabulous Jennifer Wren and Featuring The Musical Genius Bill Zeffiro."
WHEN: Thursday, November 13, 2008 (THIS IS A CHANGE!)
10:00 PM to 12:30 AM (I go on between 11:00 and 12:00)
WHERE: The Chicago City Limits Room at
The Broadway Baby Bistro
318 West 53rd Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
Google Map
COST: $5.00 Cover
RSVP: Not required
I say, I say, I'm in a RADIO Play, Son!...
I've landed a dream job, performing Old Time Live Radio Shows with The Living Museum Company. Coming up this week, I'll be playing Sam Spade, private eye, and both Senator Claghorn (the basis for Looney Toons's Foghorn Leghorn) and Falstaff in the Fred Allen Show.
The Old Time Radio Hour Dinner and a Show
WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2008
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WHERE: The Lafayette Grill
54 Franklin Street, New York, NY
Click here for the Google Map
COST: $30/person. Includes full dinner with tip included.
Cash or Check Accepted at Door.
RSVP: Call (914) 450-3947 or e-mail livingmuseumcompany@gmail.com.
The cast includes: Michael V. Ficocelli, Larry Gleason, Toni-Michelle Rubino, Doug Shapiro, and Marci Elyn Schein.
A Stage Manager, managing the stage...Baby
On a more somber note, I will be stage managing a tribute concert to my friend Harris Wulfson, a brilliant musician who lost his life a few months back. For those of you FODs from French Woods or Syracuse University, this is Michelle Wulfson's brother. His loved ones are gathering to celebrate him in what promises to be an incredible evening of music.
Tribute Concert for Harris Wulfson
WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2008
8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
WHERE: Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Click here for the Google Map
COST: Free. Donations requested to help with cost of rental and tribute CD.
RSVP: Not required
The concert will joyfully celebrate as many of the different kinds of music that Harris loved, composed and played as we can fit into a few hours – from bluegrass and klezmer to experimental electronic and beyond. There will be dancing. Musicians are encouraged to join in – please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to perform, and bring your instrument if you just want to join in the jam at the end.
To play, sing or perform at the concert: contact Sarah at snappysarah@gmail.com or Jordan at jordanshapiro1@gmail.com.
Who's the Good Voice Boy? Who Is It? I am! Oh, Yes! I! Am!
"Tea With Zoey" is a short film project that explores the power of friendship and the search for true identity. Starring Zoey, a Shi Tzu-Yorkie mix (voiced by Marisa Miller Wolfson) and Piper, an overweight terrier (voiced by me), this serious and important film is a paw-in for the Oscar. The movie is written by Kate Cook and will be shown in December as a part of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective Showcase.
Dougbytes
***Thanks so much to all of you who tuned in to see me as The Process Server (Servin' the Process...Baby.) on All My Children. I appreciate the support and my Aunt Linda is allowed to write all my reviews from now on.
***I will be playing the role of Mr. Denny, amongst others, in a reading of Lawrence Rush's musical adaptation of Pride and Prejudice on November 10. As of this writing, I do not know if it is open to the public or just people who want to give it lots of tasty money. I do know it has fellow FODs Gretchen Goldsworthy, Lucy Sorenson, and Gordon Stanley.
***DougToons is coming even closer to fruition! Animator/Graphic Designer Ken Truhan has drawn the characters and is now plugging away on the animation.
***I completed my High Holy Days gig, singing with the Park Avenue Synagogue. Easily my most challenging singing gig to date, but I had the chance to work with some incredibly fine singers for the holiest of occasions. There were four binders of music to learn, and the exceedingly talented and quite Kosherlicious Mary Feinsinger took hours of time out of her busy composing and teaching schedule to help me get every one of those songs recorded onto my iPod so I could study. That's a great friend and I believe one of my kidneys should probably be hers should she need it--even if I only have one left at the time. Thank you, Mary.
***Every Wednesday morning I pow-wow with fellow artists Stuart Green (in abstensia while he's on tour), Marisa Miller Wolfson, Faith Sandberg, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) Every Friday morning is a conference call with fellow voiceover talents J.J. Myers, Nadette Stasa, and Pete DeMeo.
***I continue to coach with Joan Bogden for voice-overs. She's been helping me expand my marketability beyond the funny quirky read and we're laying down some tracks next week to bring to my agents.
***I finished up "A Taste of Telsey" with casting director Tiffany Little Canfield at Actors Connection. The class covered all the areas that Telsey + Company casts: from monologues to on-camera technique for film, TV, and commercials. When this comes up again, I recommend it highly.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions and meet casting directors weekly at The Network.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I continue to sing Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We're led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested. Two Sundays ago, I sang an a cappella medley of Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday" and "What Color is Virtue? What Color is Love?"
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a botox syringe on a soap opera set--but for you, I'll find the time. Should you require the voice of your Halloween Fright Fest, the guy to sing your Samhain jingle to celebrate the end of the harvest, or a commanding thespian to embody the role of Joe the Plumber, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Three) Items of Interest for FODs...
Perhaps it's time to cut through the false e-mails...
Governor Sarah Palin, when she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, did not try to ban Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the Wasilla public library and Senator Barack Obama's campaign is not being backed by Hugo Chavez. With all the viral e-mails flying around, it's hard to weed out what is true about the candidates and what is not. Great websites for debunking untruths and urban legends are snopes.com (Click here for the political section.) and factcheck.org. Senator Obama's campaign also has a Fight The Smears website for this purpose. I could not find one on Senator McCain's site.
Perhaps it's time to go Vegan...
Do you consider yourself a vegan at heart but not in practice? My friend Marisa Wolfson Miller (who is getting a lot of play in this newsletter now that I think about it) has launched Vegan at Heart, a free online coaching program for animal lovers, treehuggers, and health nuts who want really practical, easy, fun tips on how to incorporate more heatlthy, compassionate, sustainable habits into their daily lives. Sign up here!
Perhaps it's time to talk with my husband...
Time to brag on my man for a moment. After eighteen years as an actuary, Shawn brought his industry savvy to the people side of the business four years ago to be a financial planner. His business has grown wonderfully and he is helping a lot of people start to save money and protect their loved ones. Have you been reading the news lately? Perhaps it's time to talk with him. He knows his stuff, will not try to sell you something you don't need, and is quite easy on the eyes. Send him an e-mail at scowls@alumni.princeton.edu to start the conversation.
Life is good here. Shawn and I attended my 20th High School Reunion this past weekend. It was great to see everyone again and Shawn made for some fine arm candy.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
Sunday, August 24, 2008
August Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
I'm back from parts north and singing my face off all over the place. Should anyone find my face, please send it back to me because audiences get a little uncomfortable when you don't have a face...unless it's the Bodies exhibit, but I digress. Also, save the date and prepare thyselves for FODapalooza III (Tuesday October 21, 2008) at People Lounge! Read on for details and then read to the end for a great on-camera commercial class and an audition opportunity!
FODapalooza III:
Join me for the third FODapalooza!
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST: No cover, cash bar
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapalooza! here
Gather, ye FODs (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the third FODapalooza! Yes, we're near Halloween, but we're not in costume...unless you still have the High Holy Days spirit and want to come as "Baby Jewish New Year." In FODapaloozas past, accountants have bonded with singer folk, lyricists have found composers, and actresses have met men who actually want to kiss them. We'll have the upstairs lounge all to ourselves with the Wall of Rain and de-lishish Margermellon Wadderitas. (Translation: delicious Watermellon Margaritas, should the watermellons still be in season.)
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
Dougbytes
***Thanks to a recommendation from FOD David Abeles, I will be joining the 16-person choir for High Holy Days with The Park Avenue Synagogue. Come join us!
***I made my debut at the Algonquin Salon, in the Oak Room of The Algonquin Hotel, guest hosted by Jennifer Wren and William Zeffiro (usually hosted by Mark Janas). The theme was "Noel, Cole, and Rock & Roll." I sang "Natural Woman" and there were other wonderful performances by FODs Helene Feldman, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Sierra Rein, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!). As always, Peter Napolitano was there to provide love, support, and organization.
***I'm back coaching privately with anyone named JOAN who will teach me. JOAN Barber for voice and JOAN Bogden for voice-overs. (By the way, JOAN Katz is an amazing life coach and JOAN Jubett is one of the best actors I know.) May we all be properly JOANed in everything we try to do in our lives.
***I'm starting the four-week class "A Taste of Telsey" with casting director Tiffany Little Canfield at Actors Connection. The class will cover all the areas that Telsey + Company casts: from monologues to on-camera technique for film, TV, and commercials.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions and meet casting directors weekly at The Network.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I'm back for Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We'll be led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as an ant at a Labor Day picnic, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you require the voice of your Labor Day sale, a singer of your September song, or the harried dad in your back-to-school ad, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
On-Camera Commercial Class with Casting Director Nadette Stasa
I was taking Nadette's class in Boston when I booked my first national commercial and I'm fortunate enough to have access to her wisdom and energy every Friday morning in our voice-over support call.
ON-CAMERA COMMERCIAL CLASS
WHEN: September 4, 11, 18, 2008
7-10 PM
WHERE: THE STUDIO AT STRICKMAN-RIPPS CASTING
66 WEST BROADWAY (bet. Murray & Warren)
One block south of Chambers
1, 2, 3 A or C to Chambers Street
FEE: $299
REGISTRATION: e-mail nstasa@aol.com) or call 212-971-1989 to reserve your space and she will follow up with payment information.
This class is suitable for seasoned professionals who want a refresher, commercial actors who are not familiar with my approach to commercial work, actors seeking a basic commercial class and non-actors who are interested in doing commercials. The workshop is designed to take you from wherever you are and bring you to the next level. She is committed to leaving you with an understanding of what you need in order to succeed in the field of commercial acting.
Nadette Stasa is a freelance casting director who works with New York's top commercial casting offices including Strickman-Ripps Casting, Martine Casting, Toni Roberts Casting, Donald Case Casting, Foreground, Inc. and more. She has also run New York sessions (primarily voice casting) for Maura Tighe Casting. Nadette has more than 15 years of experience as a casting director, and 12 years of experience coaching and teaching commercial acting. In addition to her casting work, Nadette is an experienced on-camera commercial and voice-over actor. She was recently seen in network spots for Jenny Craig and Kleenex and currently can be heard as the voice of HBO Family Jam.
Join Doug, the Yuletide Jew!
I've signed up for season three with The Yuletide Carolers. Hey, if Hallmark can start thinking about the winter holidays, so can we. If you're interested in Caroling, Caroling Through the Town, contact Susan at susan@theyuletidecarolers.com and she'll send you the audition information when it's all set. Not to worry if you live elsewhere. There are teams of Yuletide warriors in New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
Life is good here. Shawn and I spent some quality time on Fire Island and we're gearing up for the Bat Mitzvah in Florida of my niece, Valerie, (who is currently blow-drying the Torah after Tropical Storm Fay).
I'd also like to send out best wishes to FOD Ron Zacchi and Marriage Equality New York for The Wedding March on September 14, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Click on the link and see the great work they're doing.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, meet an old friend in person rather than on Facebook, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
I'm back from parts north and singing my face off all over the place. Should anyone find my face, please send it back to me because audiences get a little uncomfortable when you don't have a face...unless it's the Bodies exhibit, but I digress. Also, save the date and prepare thyselves for FODapalooza III (Tuesday October 21, 2008) at People Lounge! Read on for details and then read to the end for a great on-camera commercial class and an audition opportunity!
FODapalooza III:
Join me for the third FODapalooza!
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST: No cover, cash bar
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapalooza! here
Gather, ye FODs (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the third FODapalooza! Yes, we're near Halloween, but we're not in costume...unless you still have the High Holy Days spirit and want to come as "Baby Jewish New Year." In FODapaloozas past, accountants have bonded with singer folk, lyricists have found composers, and actresses have met men who actually want to kiss them. We'll have the upstairs lounge all to ourselves with the Wall of Rain and de-lishish Margermellon Wadderitas. (Translation: delicious Watermellon Margaritas, should the watermellons still be in season.)
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
Dougbytes
***Thanks to a recommendation from FOD David Abeles, I will be joining the 16-person choir for High Holy Days with The Park Avenue Synagogue. Come join us!
***I made my debut at the Algonquin Salon, in the Oak Room of The Algonquin Hotel, guest hosted by Jennifer Wren and William Zeffiro (usually hosted by Mark Janas). The theme was "Noel, Cole, and Rock & Roll." I sang "Natural Woman" and there were other wonderful performances by FODs Helene Feldman, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Sierra Rein, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!). As always, Peter Napolitano was there to provide love, support, and organization.
***I'm back coaching privately with anyone named JOAN who will teach me. JOAN Barber for voice and JOAN Bogden for voice-overs. (By the way, JOAN Katz is an amazing life coach and JOAN Jubett is one of the best actors I know.) May we all be properly JOANed in everything we try to do in our lives.
***I'm starting the four-week class "A Taste of Telsey" with casting director Tiffany Little Canfield at Actors Connection. The class will cover all the areas that Telsey + Company casts: from monologues to on-camera technique for film, TV, and commercials.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions and meet casting directors weekly at The Network.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I'm back for Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We'll be led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as an ant at a Labor Day picnic, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you require the voice of your Labor Day sale, a singer of your September song, or the harried dad in your back-to-school ad, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
On-Camera Commercial Class with Casting Director Nadette Stasa
I was taking Nadette's class in Boston when I booked my first national commercial and I'm fortunate enough to have access to her wisdom and energy every Friday morning in our voice-over support call.
ON-CAMERA COMMERCIAL CLASS
WHEN: September 4, 11, 18, 2008
7-10 PM
WHERE: THE STUDIO AT STRICKMAN-RIPPS CASTING
66 WEST BROADWAY (bet. Murray & Warren)
One block south of Chambers
1, 2, 3 A or C to Chambers Street
FEE: $299
REGISTRATION: e-mail nstasa@aol.com) or call 212-971-1989 to reserve your space and she will follow up with payment information.
This class is suitable for seasoned professionals who want a refresher, commercial actors who are not familiar with my approach to commercial work, actors seeking a basic commercial class and non-actors who are interested in doing commercials. The workshop is designed to take you from wherever you are and bring you to the next level. She is committed to leaving you with an understanding of what you need in order to succeed in the field of commercial acting.
Nadette Stasa is a freelance casting director who works with New York's top commercial casting offices including Strickman-Ripps Casting, Martine Casting, Toni Roberts Casting, Donald Case Casting, Foreground, Inc. and more. She has also run New York sessions (primarily voice casting) for Maura Tighe Casting. Nadette has more than 15 years of experience as a casting director, and 12 years of experience coaching and teaching commercial acting. In addition to her casting work, Nadette is an experienced on-camera commercial and voice-over actor. She was recently seen in network spots for Jenny Craig and Kleenex and currently can be heard as the voice of HBO Family Jam.
Join Doug, the Yuletide Jew!
I've signed up for season three with The Yuletide Carolers. Hey, if Hallmark can start thinking about the winter holidays, so can we. If you're interested in Caroling, Caroling Through the Town, contact Susan at susan@theyuletidecarolers.com and she'll send you the audition information when it's all set. Not to worry if you live elsewhere. There are teams of Yuletide warriors in New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
Life is good here. Shawn and I spent some quality time on Fire Island and we're gearing up for the Bat Mitzvah in Florida of my niece, Valerie, (who is currently blow-drying the Torah after Tropical Storm Fay).
I'd also like to send out best wishes to FOD Ron Zacchi and Marriage Equality New York for The Wedding March on September 14, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Click on the link and see the great work they're doing.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, meet an old friend in person rather than on Facebook, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
July Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Greetings from beautiful and currently very rainy Annandale-on-Hudson, site of the Bard SummerScape series! It's an incredible place to be, amongst Mark Morris's Romeo and Juliet, a gorgeous production of Uncle Vanya, and the entire country of Poland in the opera King Roger and ballet Harnasie. But, read on to hear more about our show! (Oh, and I'm keeping the same "Please don't panic" section in this e-mail for those of you that missed the "easter egg" last time...)
OF THEE I SING...
I'm playing Francis X. Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. Here's the information, but, in all fairness, this show is completely sold out. No spouses, no agents, no family members with one month to live. I might be able to swing a ticket for the invited dress rehearsal on Thursday, July 31 at 2:00 p.m.
WHEN: August 1-10 2008
(Click this link for the times on each day. They vary a lot.)
WHERE: The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
It's a college. Street addresses don't apply in their universe. Here's the downloadable map and driving directions.
COST: Tickets, priced $45, available by calling (845) 758-7900, or by clicking here for their online box office.
"Love Is Sweeping the Country" in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. This production of Of Thee I Sing is this my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director, and it will also include the characterysingydanciness of FODs old and new:
CAST: Gretchen Bieber, John Bolton, Michael Dantuono, Marcus DeLoach, John Deyle, Amanda Flynn, Andy Gale, Chad Harlow, Amy Justman, Lauren Lukacek, Natalie Reder, Brian Russell, me, Jennifer Sheehan, Rich Silverstein, Tom Treadwell, Danny Visconti, Mitchell Walker, Don Whitmore, Christopher Williams and Nikol Wolf!
STAGE MANAGEMENT: Kate Hefel (Stage Manager), Annette Verga-Lagier (Assistant Stage Manager), Chris "Chintz" McCloskey (Production Assistant)
MUSIC: James Bagwell (Conductor), Sharon Bjorndal (Assistant Conductor), James Bassi (Assistant Music Director), Kathryn LaBouff (Diction Coach)
CREATIVE TEAM: Will Pomerantz (Director), Louisa Thompson (Set Designer), Caleb Levengood (Assistant Set Designer), Justin Townsend (Light Designer), Adrianna Desier Durantt (Assistant Light Designer), Carol Bailey (Costume Designer), Sarah Cubbage (Assistant Costume Designer), Amy Altadonna (Sound Designer), Scott Brodsky (Properties Director).
You may now send me the "Say hello to..." e-mail for the names of people you've recognized.
Dougbytes
***After the run ends, I'll be back every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. when Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I will also return to my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenute Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We'll be led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a marriage clerk in California (can I hear an "AMEN!"), but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a face to represent your California winery, a bass/baritone for your musical about the Redwood Forest, or the voice of the Golden Gate Bridge, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Acting Success Now!
If you feel like you're banging your head against a wall in your career, have a thousand reasons why you can't possibly do what you're meant to be doing, and would like to experience a tangible way to have success as an artist now, you need to be taking Robert and Michelle's free one hour seminar, Acting Success Now. They hold these sessions both in New York City and Los Angeles. I attended the free seminar and subsequent (paid) weekend in February and have been working non-stop ever since. It has culminated in this current gig in which I'm sharing the stage with phenomenal talent, a huge staff, and one of the better theatrical contracts I have ever worked. Robert and Michelle Colt have warm hearts, a candid demeanor, and a whole lot of integrity. Check out their website, and then do this one for yourselves. You don't have to be an actor.
Great Chiropractor/Nutritionist
Shawn and I both swear by Dr. Karen Wright, our chiropractor/nutritionist. The beds in actor housing have been...challenging...and I've thrown out my back twice. I returned to the city this past Monday, had an appointment with her, and am back in place. She knows her stuff, is always researching to learn new techniques in the field, and is a joy to be around. Shawn and I have sent about twenty people to her over the past few years and people love her. Give her office a call at (212) 286-2013 to set up an appointment.
Life is good here. The combination of this production's seasoned veterans and promising new talent makes me step back and appreciate what a blessing it is to have been hired and then paid to do what I love the most. Rather than the usual 18-year old who can play piano, we have a team of four accomplished musicians looking after our every cut-off and vowel sound. We have singers who embody the vocal quality I'm working on with Joan Barber. We have comic actors who time their schtick correctly and then throw the focus where it needs to go in order to move the story we're telling. We have vastly different yet equally valid creation processes going on all around us. It's like a cupcake from Billy's Bakery in theatrical form.
I've also been hitting the gym daily and chopping vegetables like crazy for the diet prescribed by Dr. Wright. I've lost 4 or 5 or 6, no wait--5, oh--4, okay--6 pounds. I'm choosing to believe that it's plateauing there because the vast amount of weight I have been shedding is being counterbalanced by the massive amounts of man muscle I am packing on.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, meet an old friend in person rather than on Facebook, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
Greetings from beautiful and currently very rainy Annandale-on-Hudson, site of the Bard SummerScape series! It's an incredible place to be, amongst Mark Morris's Romeo and Juliet, a gorgeous production of Uncle Vanya, and the entire country of Poland in the opera King Roger and ballet Harnasie. But, read on to hear more about our show! (Oh, and I'm keeping the same "Please don't panic" section in this e-mail for those of you that missed the "easter egg" last time...)
OF THEE I SING...
I'm playing Francis X. Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. Here's the information, but, in all fairness, this show is completely sold out. No spouses, no agents, no family members with one month to live. I might be able to swing a ticket for the invited dress rehearsal on Thursday, July 31 at 2:00 p.m.
WHEN: August 1-10 2008
(Click this link for the times on each day. They vary a lot.)
WHERE: The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
It's a college. Street addresses don't apply in their universe. Here's the downloadable map and driving directions.
COST: Tickets, priced $45, available by calling (845) 758-7900, or by clicking here for their online box office.
"Love Is Sweeping the Country" in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. This production of Of Thee I Sing is this my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director, and it will also include the characterysingydanciness of FODs old and new:
CAST: Gretchen Bieber, John Bolton, Michael Dantuono, Marcus DeLoach, John Deyle, Amanda Flynn, Andy Gale, Chad Harlow, Amy Justman, Lauren Lukacek, Natalie Reder, Brian Russell, me, Jennifer Sheehan, Rich Silverstein, Tom Treadwell, Danny Visconti, Mitchell Walker, Don Whitmore, Christopher Williams and Nikol Wolf!
STAGE MANAGEMENT: Kate Hefel (Stage Manager), Annette Verga-Lagier (Assistant Stage Manager), Chris "Chintz" McCloskey (Production Assistant)
MUSIC: James Bagwell (Conductor), Sharon Bjorndal (Assistant Conductor), James Bassi (Assistant Music Director), Kathryn LaBouff (Diction Coach)
CREATIVE TEAM: Will Pomerantz (Director), Louisa Thompson (Set Designer), Caleb Levengood (Assistant Set Designer), Justin Townsend (Light Designer), Adrianna Desier Durantt (Assistant Light Designer), Carol Bailey (Costume Designer), Sarah Cubbage (Assistant Costume Designer), Amy Altadonna (Sound Designer), Scott Brodsky (Properties Director).
You may now send me the "Say hello to..." e-mail for the names of people you've recognized.
Dougbytes
***After the run ends, I'll be back every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. when Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. By the way, one can hear the broadcast by registering at intouchnetworks.org, but then must be able to verify that they are visually impaired. Tell your visually impaired loved ones to sign up, and then bring the pizza and beer over at 7:00 am to listen to us!
***I will also return to my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenute Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) We'll be led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) I'm still compiling a list of potential subs, so let me know if you're interested.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a marriage clerk in California (can I hear an "AMEN!"), but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a face to represent your California winery, a bass/baritone for your musical about the Redwood Forest, or the voice of the Golden Gate Bridge, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Acting Success Now!
If you feel like you're banging your head against a wall in your career, have a thousand reasons why you can't possibly do what you're meant to be doing, and would like to experience a tangible way to have success as an artist now, you need to be taking Robert and Michelle's free one hour seminar, Acting Success Now. They hold these sessions both in New York City and Los Angeles. I attended the free seminar and subsequent (paid) weekend in February and have been working non-stop ever since. It has culminated in this current gig in which I'm sharing the stage with phenomenal talent, a huge staff, and one of the better theatrical contracts I have ever worked. Robert and Michelle Colt have warm hearts, a candid demeanor, and a whole lot of integrity. Check out their website, and then do this one for yourselves. You don't have to be an actor.
Great Chiropractor/Nutritionist
Shawn and I both swear by Dr. Karen Wright, our chiropractor/nutritionist. The beds in actor housing have been...challenging...and I've thrown out my back twice. I returned to the city this past Monday, had an appointment with her, and am back in place. She knows her stuff, is always researching to learn new techniques in the field, and is a joy to be around. Shawn and I have sent about twenty people to her over the past few years and people love her. Give her office a call at (212) 286-2013 to set up an appointment.
Life is good here. The combination of this production's seasoned veterans and promising new talent makes me step back and appreciate what a blessing it is to have been hired and then paid to do what I love the most. Rather than the usual 18-year old who can play piano, we have a team of four accomplished musicians looking after our every cut-off and vowel sound. We have singers who embody the vocal quality I'm working on with Joan Barber. We have comic actors who time their schtick correctly and then throw the focus where it needs to go in order to move the story we're telling. We have vastly different yet equally valid creation processes going on all around us. It's like a cupcake from Billy's Bakery in theatrical form.
I've also been hitting the gym daily and chopping vegetables like crazy for the diet prescribed by Dr. Wright. I've lost 4 or 5 or 6, no wait--5, oh--4, okay--6 pounds. I'm choosing to believe that it's plateauing there because the vast amount of weight I have been shedding is being counterbalanced by the massive amounts of man muscle I am packing on.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, meet an old friend in person rather than on Facebook, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
June Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Thanks to all who braved the storm and came to FODapalooza II at People! A great time had by all, made all the better by their signature drink which we were calling "Margermellon Wadderitas" by the end of the night (made with fresh watermellon!). Read on for news and for opportunities to sub at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church!
The New Musical...
I will be returning to 1950's Russia on my birthday. (June 30! The day all your coupons expire, so get to the grocery store fast.) Prospect Theater Company will be bringing back a concert version of Iron Curtain for this year's 10th Anniversary benefit.
WHEN: Monday, June 30, 2008 (My birthday!)
(Also the one-year anniversary of Jeff Bratcher and Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
6:30 - 7:30pm Cocktail Reception
7:30pm Concert Reading of Iron Curtain
Post-Show Party with Artists
WHERE: The Engleman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave (at 25th St.) NYC. Here's the Google Map
COST: $100 tickets - Cocktail Reception, Concert, Post-Show Party
$60 tickets - Concert & Post-Show Party
available by calling (212) 352-3101, or visiting www.ProspectTheater.org.
Are there comp tickets for members of Actors Equity you ask? No! It's a benefit, people --
for a company that's bringing amazing original work into the world. So, pony up and I'll see you there!
An uproarious musical comedy set during Broadway's Golden Age of the 1950's! Follow the adventures of an unsuccessful composer / lyricist team as they are kidnapped by the KGB and taken to the USSR to ghost-write communist propaganda musicals. Will they choose fame or freedom? Don't miss this encore concert presentation of Prospect's 2006 sold-out production.
Book by Susan DiLallo * Lyrics by Peter Mills * Music by Stephen Weiner.
The morning after this gig, three of us will hop on a train and head up to Annandale-on-Hudson to begin rehearsals for the next show...
The Old Musical...
Remember when I said three of us will be hopping a train the morning after Iron Curtain to start our next gig? This is it! I'll be playing Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.
WHEN: August 1-10 2008
(Click this link for the times on each day. They vary a lot.)
WHERE: The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
It's a college. Street addresses don't apply in their universe. Here's the downloadable map and driving directions.
COST: Tickets, priced $45, available by calling (845) 758-7900, or by clicking here for their online box office.
"Love Is Sweeping the Country" in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. This production of Of Thee I Sing is jam-packed with the wholesome goodness of FODs! Not only is this my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director, it will also include the characterysingydanciness of FODs Marcus Neville, Rich Silverstein, Amy Justman, Andy Gale, Chad Harlow and Nikol Wolf! Not to mention the piano stylings of Jim Bassi! Check out the article on Playbill.com.
Dougbytes
***I recorded a demo of "Climb" for composer/lyricist team Marisa Michelson and Josh Cohen. Marisa has just been chosen as an honoree with the American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation with Signature Theatre in Virginia. The song should be on their website soon.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***I continue to sing through my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Preston Thompson, and the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) By the way, you know who is taking over for Julia when she moves to Boston? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze! This coming Sunday, I'll be singing my first Sandi Patty solo! See below for subbing opportunities.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a marriage clerk in California (can I hear an "AMEN!"), but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a face to represent your California winery, a bass/baritone for your song about the Redwood Forest, or the voice of the Golden Gate Bridge, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Be a sub for the The Madison Avenue Baptist Church
Remember that time, a couple of paragraphs ago, when I talked about seeking subs for my church gig? Well sit down, we're going to talk about this. Every now and then, one of the four of us can't be there on a Sunday, and if someone is to take our place and make the money, it should be you. So, I'm compiling a list for our truly extraordinary music director so we're never in a bind. If you are a professional singer, are a proficient sight-reader, can handle styles ranging from classical to gospel/rock to gregorian chant, will work hard on the music before you show up to sing, and feel pride in being the vehicle that brings a loving and accepting congregation closer to their spiritual needs, e-mail me with your voice part and contact information. Please do not pass this on to your other singer pals. I am only comfortable recommending you, the known quantity. (Unless you know Barbara Cook or Cheyenne Jackson. They'll be okay.)
Phenomenal Voice Teacher now has a blog...
I study voice with the incomparable Joan Barber. She is an excellent technician who goes the extra step to understand the anatomy behind vocal technique. One lesson, I showed up and she had downloaded and article entitled "Special Considerations in the Vocal Training of the Bass Singer." Well, now you can benefit from her too. If you're in New York City, check out her website and sign up for a lesson. If you live elsewhere, you can check out her blog "Being Vocal". Enjoy. Learn. Sing. Tell her I sent you. (By the way, a voice lesson makes for a great birthday gift. Did I tell you mine's June 30? I'm just saying...)
Life is good here. Shawn's parents are coming into town this week and on Friday, we'll be heading to Henry's End Restaurant to celebrate Father's Day (last Sunday), my birthday (June 30--did you know?), Shawn's and my second wedding anniversary (June 18) and his parents' 50th wedding anniversary (June 20). Said the man taking the reservation, "Oh, no pressure here!" Final touches are being put onto the apartment before their arrival: new air conditioner (the old one doesn't leak anymore, but doesn't blow cold air either. The heat wave was interesting.), q-tip holder, and THE BEST THING EVER--The Tie-o-Matic: I'm actually giddy with excitement about this one.
I did not run this week, but I did walk to work, ate vegan lunches, and did not get a cupcake from Billy's Bakery. Oh, Billy's Bakery. Why can't I quit you?
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday (mine is June 30), pull up your pants and wear a belt, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Thanks to all who braved the storm and came to FODapalooza II at People! A great time had by all, made all the better by their signature drink which we were calling "Margermellon Wadderitas" by the end of the night (made with fresh watermellon!). Read on for news and for opportunities to sub at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church!
The New Musical...
I will be returning to 1950's Russia on my birthday. (June 30! The day all your coupons expire, so get to the grocery store fast.) Prospect Theater Company will be bringing back a concert version of Iron Curtain for this year's 10th Anniversary benefit.
WHEN: Monday, June 30, 2008 (My birthday!)
(Also the one-year anniversary of Jeff Bratcher and Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
6:30 - 7:30pm Cocktail Reception
7:30pm Concert Reading of Iron Curtain
Post-Show Party with Artists
WHERE: The Engleman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave (at 25th St.) NYC. Here's the Google Map
COST: $100 tickets - Cocktail Reception, Concert, Post-Show Party
$60 tickets - Concert & Post-Show Party
available by calling (212) 352-3101, or visiting www.ProspectTheater.org.
Are there comp tickets for members of Actors Equity you ask? No! It's a benefit, people --
for a company that's bringing amazing original work into the world. So, pony up and I'll see you there!
An uproarious musical comedy set during Broadway's Golden Age of the 1950's! Follow the adventures of an unsuccessful composer / lyricist team as they are kidnapped by the KGB and taken to the USSR to ghost-write communist propaganda musicals. Will they choose fame or freedom? Don't miss this encore concert presentation of Prospect's 2006 sold-out production.
Book by Susan DiLallo * Lyrics by Peter Mills * Music by Stephen Weiner.
The morning after this gig, three of us will hop on a train and head up to Annandale-on-Hudson to begin rehearsals for the next show...
The Old Musical...
Remember when I said three of us will be hopping a train the morning after Iron Curtain to start our next gig? This is it! I'll be playing Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.
WHEN: August 1-10 2008
(Click this link for the times on each day. They vary a lot.)
WHERE: The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
It's a college. Street addresses don't apply in their universe. Here's the downloadable map and driving directions.
COST: Tickets, priced $45, available by calling (845) 758-7900, or by clicking here for their online box office.
"Love Is Sweeping the Country" in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. This production of Of Thee I Sing is jam-packed with the wholesome goodness of FODs! Not only is this my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director, it will also include the characterysingydanciness of FODs Marcus Neville, Rich Silverstein, Amy Justman, Andy Gale, Chad Harlow and Nikol Wolf! Not to mention the piano stylings of Jim Bassi! Check out the article on Playbill.com.
Dougbytes
***I recorded a demo of "Climb" for composer/lyricist team Marisa Michelson and Josh Cohen. Marisa has just been chosen as an honoree with the American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation with Signature Theatre in Virginia. The song should be on their website soon.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***I continue to sing through my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Preston Thompson, and the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) By the way, you know who is taking over for Julia when she moves to Boston? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze! This coming Sunday, I'll be singing my first Sandi Patty solo! See below for subbing opportunities.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a marriage clerk in California (can I hear an "AMEN!"), but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a face to represent your California winery, a bass/baritone for your song about the Redwood Forest, or the voice of the Golden Gate Bridge, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Be a sub for the The Madison Avenue Baptist Church
Remember that time, a couple of paragraphs ago, when I talked about seeking subs for my church gig? Well sit down, we're going to talk about this. Every now and then, one of the four of us can't be there on a Sunday, and if someone is to take our place and make the money, it should be you. So, I'm compiling a list for our truly extraordinary music director so we're never in a bind. If you are a professional singer, are a proficient sight-reader, can handle styles ranging from classical to gospel/rock to gregorian chant, will work hard on the music before you show up to sing, and feel pride in being the vehicle that brings a loving and accepting congregation closer to their spiritual needs, e-mail me with your voice part and contact information. Please do not pass this on to your other singer pals. I am only comfortable recommending you, the known quantity. (Unless you know Barbara Cook or Cheyenne Jackson. They'll be okay.)
Phenomenal Voice Teacher now has a blog...
I study voice with the incomparable Joan Barber. She is an excellent technician who goes the extra step to understand the anatomy behind vocal technique. One lesson, I showed up and she had downloaded and article entitled "Special Considerations in the Vocal Training of the Bass Singer." Well, now you can benefit from her too. If you're in New York City, check out her website and sign up for a lesson. If you live elsewhere, you can check out her blog "Being Vocal". Enjoy. Learn. Sing. Tell her I sent you. (By the way, a voice lesson makes for a great birthday gift. Did I tell you mine's June 30? I'm just saying...)
Life is good here. Shawn's parents are coming into town this week and on Friday, we'll be heading to Henry's End Restaurant to celebrate Father's Day (last Sunday), my birthday (June 30--did you know?), Shawn's and my second wedding anniversary (June 18) and his parents' 50th wedding anniversary (June 20). Said the man taking the reservation, "Oh, no pressure here!" Final touches are being put onto the apartment before their arrival: new air conditioner (the old one doesn't leak anymore, but doesn't blow cold air either. The heat wave was interesting.), q-tip holder, and THE BEST THING EVER--The Tie-o-Matic: I'm actually giddy with excitement about this one.
I did not run this week, but I did walk to work, ate vegan lunches, and did not get a cupcake from Billy's Bakery. Oh, Billy's Bakery. Why can't I quit you?
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday (mine is June 30), pull up your pants and wear a belt, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Remember that time we had together last month? When I sidled onto your computer screen with my April Update and cooed into your mind that FODapalooza II was June 11? It was a lie. A cold, dirty lie brought into an unfair world by a cruel typographical error. You want the truth? Well, despite what Jack Nicholson may say, you can handle it. (And he's not invited to FODapalooza II because he's all hoyty-toyty and didn't want me to have his e-mail address or to be his Facebook friend.)
The party's a day earlier than that. Enough with the intro. On with the update!
Join me for FODapalooza II! (The day after Love! That 4-Letter Word takes its final bow at The Algonquin!)
WHEN: Tuesday, June 10, 2008
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST: No cover, cash bar
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapalooza II! here
Come join me and meet fellow FODs (Friends/Family of Doug) at the second FODapalooza! You are the best people in the world and should really know each other. You are charming. You are successful. You are quietly centered in that powerful kind of way. You are networking goldmines. Your succulent abdominal muscles are tightening even as you read this. (Sorry, Mom.) You are also paying for your own drinks but they are very good.
This second gathering of the FODs from all walks of life shall converge in the upstairs lounge, which we will have all to ourselves.
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
Show, Show, then Show. Three Shows in a Row.
The Next Show
June will start off with Love! That 4-Letter Word, in which I'm playing a lovelorn psychologist going through his mid-life crisis. Naturally, it's a musical.
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Deborah Vines, Produced by Bill Sharp, Directed by Deb Failla, Choreographed by Andrea McCullough, Generally Managed by R. Erin Craig and La Vie Productions, Marketingly Consulted by Brady Amoon, with Musical Direction by Lenny Babbish and Stage Management by Melissa Gregus.
Cast: Melissa D'Amico, Doug Shapiro, Kate Wood Riley, Carl Anthony Tramon, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Heather Stricker-Dispensa, Scott Sowinski, and Christopher Totten. Here's the information:
WHEN: June 4-7 and June 9, 2008
June 4-7 8:00 pm; June 9 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
WHERE: The Kaufman Theater at The Algonquin Theater,
(NOT the hotel in Midtown)
123 East 24th Street, in Manhattan between Park Avenue South & Lexington Avenue. Here's the Google Map
COST: Tickets, priced $18, available by calling (212) 868-4444, or visiting www.smarttix.com.
(Industry and members of AEA get in free.)
The Next Next Show
I will be returning to 1950's Russia on my birthday. Prospect Theater Company will be bringing back a concert version of Iron Curtain for this year's 10th Anniversary benefit.
WHEN: Monday, June 30, 2008 (My birthday!)
(Also the one-year anniversary of Jeff Bratcher and Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
6:30 - 7:30pm Cocktail Reception
7:30pm Concert Reading of Iron Curtain
Post-Show Party with Artists
WHERE: The Engleman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave (at 25th St.) NYC. Here's the Google Map
COST: $100 tickets - Cocktail Reception, Concert, Post-Show Party
$60 tickets - Concert & Post-Show Party
available by calling (212) 352-3101, or visiting www.ProspectTheater.org.
An uproarious musical comedy set during Broadway's Golden Age of the 1950's! Follow the adventures of an unsuccessful composer / lyricist team as they are kidnapped by the KGB and taken to the USSR to ghost-write communist propaganda musicals. Will they choose fame or freedom? Don't miss this encore concert presentation of Prospect's 2006 sold-out production.
Book by Susan DiLallo * Lyrics by Peter Mills * Music by Stephen Weiner.
The morning after this gig, three of us will hop on a train and head up to Annandale-on-Hudson to begin rehearsals for the next next next show...
The Next Next Next Show...
Remember when I said three of us will be hopping a train the morning after Iron Curtain to start our next gig? This is it! I'll be playing Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.
WHEN: August 1-10 2008
(Click this link for the times on each day. They vary a lot.)
WHERE: The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
It's a college. Street addresses don't apply in their universe. Here's the downloadable map and driving directions.
COST: Tickets, priced $45, available by calling (845) 758-7900, or by clicking here for their online box office.
"Love Is Sweeping the Country" in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. This production of Of Thee I Sing is jam-packed with the wholesome goodness of FODs! Not only is this my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director, it will also include the characterysingydanciness of FODs Marcus Neville and Rich Silverstein (also in Iron Curtain), Andy Gale, Chad Harlow and Nikol Wolf!
Dougbytes
***How do you like this sentence...I just got back from teaching Shakespeare in St. Thomas. It's true! FOD Bethany Burgess-Smith runs the Pistarckle Theater Company, which hosted a Shakespeare festival for students. Boston theatre vixen/FOD Celeste McClain and I were the MCs for the students' Shakespeare scenes. After the break, the two of us worked our funky Bard thangs with Demetrius/Helena from A Midsummer-night's Dream along with some other sonnets, monologues, and demonstrations.
***For those of you interested in the Canadian advertising scene, I voiced the most recent Creative Conversations podcast for The Norman Agency. Just to put it out there, Jim and Becky Norman are wonderful people with whom to work.
***I participated in a reading of a new play with Stageplays Theatre Company. Old Songs Remembered by Allen Davis III features three vignettes which all take place in a Jewish Funeral Parlour. I played a young, womanizing future head of a company who is rendered helpless by his very dramatic Jewish mother. If you are one of my female relatives and are reading this, of course I wasn't using you for my acting work.
***Memorial Day weekend, I'll be recording the demo of the Hard Rock musical DethFest (book & lyrics by Laurie Lefkowitz, music by Scott Louis), a modern-day parallel of the Orpheus and Euridice myth. I will be voicing Charon the snake and one of the three doggy heads of Cerberus. Then I shall proceed to rock out the back up vocals in a manner befitting the piece.
***I continue to do more great gigs for NYU Students, including a photography project for Brian Huselton about a cake delivery guy and a sound/image project for Adam Raichilson in which I played both roles in the dialogue between the condemned revolutionary and the tyrant who has ordered his execution.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***I continue to sing through my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Preston Thompson, and the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) By the way, you know who we're trying to get to fill in for Julia while she's away at her summer internship? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a bottle of patchouli at an Indigo Girls concert, but for you, I'll find the time. I've worked Shakespeare in the Islands, voiced podcasts in Canada, and sung serpents in the underworld this month. We can create something great together, too.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Draw or animate DougToons!
The first installment of DougToons! has been penned by the incomparable Crystal Skillman and voiced by me at Silver Hollow Audio, with producer (and fine voiceover talent in his own right) Brett Barry. Now that it is in the can, my very talented graphic designer and animator have a great deal of other work on their plates. I'm looking for a few more graphic designer/cartoonists and cell/computer animators to add to my team. The work we create would be for each other's websites to display our cartoon fortitude! Drop me an e-mail if you or someone you know would like to join my toon team!
Great resource for my NYC area actor pals...
I've just renewed my yearly subscription to BroadwayDemo.com
David Libby and Tina Marie Casamento have created a demo/website package to showcase music theatre actors. Tina Marie coaches you on the song, David plays and then does the ProTools and website magic. For a limited time, they’re offering a discount on demos from referrals. Performers who mention me when they contact David and Tina Marie can buy their website/demo starter package for $245 (a $50 discount), provided they book their recording session prior to July 1, 2008. Contact them at either (917) 414-5403 or David@BroadwayDemo.com
I’ve recorded my demo with them and you can check the result at Doug’s BroadwayDemo.com Profile. In addition, I'm composing this blog on a train back from an audition in Philadelphia with People's Light and Theatre Company. Tina Marie and David coached me on this audition, and I received applause for my song. I'm feeling pretty groovy right now, and I owe a good deal of it to them.
Life is good here. Our building has repaired the leaky air conditioner which was torturing our downstairs neighbor and repaired the water damage that had been bleeding through our walls from the outside. With that complete, my valiant husband has been waging a war against the apartment armed with only a paintbrush and a can of lavender paint. We loved the St. Thomas vacation (snorkeling! fruity beverages! a one-eyed waitress!) and also attended the book signing of composer/author/aerobics instructor/go-go dancer Joel Derfner's newest release: Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever. I'm about a quarter of the way through the book and loving it.
I am still running in the mornings, but remember if you see me laying on the curb somewhere, proceed immediately to Billy's Bakery and get me a cupcake.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, honor our soldiers on Memorial Day, remember to come to FODapalooza II, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com
Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Remember that time we had together last month? When I sidled onto your computer screen with my April Update and cooed into your mind that FODapalooza II was June 11? It was a lie. A cold, dirty lie brought into an unfair world by a cruel typographical error. You want the truth? Well, despite what Jack Nicholson may say, you can handle it. (And he's not invited to FODapalooza II because he's all hoyty-toyty and didn't want me to have his e-mail address or to be his Facebook friend.)
The party's a day earlier than that. Enough with the intro. On with the update!
Join me for FODapalooza II! (The day after Love! That 4-Letter Word takes its final bow at The Algonquin!)
WHEN: Tuesday, June 10, 2008
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST: No cover, cash bar
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapalooza II! here
Come join me and meet fellow FODs (Friends/Family of Doug) at the second FODapalooza! You are the best people in the world and should really know each other. You are charming. You are successful. You are quietly centered in that powerful kind of way. You are networking goldmines. Your succulent abdominal muscles are tightening even as you read this. (Sorry, Mom.) You are also paying for your own drinks but they are very good.
This second gathering of the FODs from all walks of life shall converge in the upstairs lounge, which we will have all to ourselves.
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
Show, Show, then Show. Three Shows in a Row.
The Next Show
June will start off with Love! That 4-Letter Word, in which I'm playing a lovelorn psychologist going through his mid-life crisis. Naturally, it's a musical.
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Deborah Vines, Produced by Bill Sharp, Directed by Deb Failla, Choreographed by Andrea McCullough, Generally Managed by R. Erin Craig and La Vie Productions, Marketingly Consulted by Brady Amoon, with Musical Direction by Lenny Babbish and Stage Management by Melissa Gregus.
Cast: Melissa D'Amico, Doug Shapiro, Kate Wood Riley, Carl Anthony Tramon, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Heather Stricker-Dispensa, Scott Sowinski, and Christopher Totten. Here's the information:
WHEN: June 4-7 and June 9, 2008
June 4-7 8:00 pm; June 9 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
WHERE: The Kaufman Theater at The Algonquin Theater,
(NOT the hotel in Midtown)
123 East 24th Street, in Manhattan between Park Avenue South & Lexington Avenue. Here's the Google Map
COST: Tickets, priced $18, available by calling (212) 868-4444, or visiting www.smarttix.com.
(Industry and members of AEA get in free.)
The Next Next Show
I will be returning to 1950's Russia on my birthday. Prospect Theater Company will be bringing back a concert version of Iron Curtain for this year's 10th Anniversary benefit.
WHEN: Monday, June 30, 2008 (My birthday!)
(Also the one-year anniversary of Jeff Bratcher and Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
6:30 - 7:30pm Cocktail Reception
7:30pm Concert Reading of Iron Curtain
Post-Show Party with Artists
WHERE: The Engleman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave (at 25th St.) NYC. Here's the Google Map
COST: $100 tickets - Cocktail Reception, Concert, Post-Show Party
$60 tickets - Concert & Post-Show Party
available by calling (212) 352-3101, or visiting www.ProspectTheater.org.
An uproarious musical comedy set during Broadway's Golden Age of the 1950's! Follow the adventures of an unsuccessful composer / lyricist team as they are kidnapped by the KGB and taken to the USSR to ghost-write communist propaganda musicals. Will they choose fame or freedom? Don't miss this encore concert presentation of Prospect's 2006 sold-out production.
Book by Susan DiLallo * Lyrics by Peter Mills * Music by Stephen Weiner.
The morning after this gig, three of us will hop on a train and head up to Annandale-on-Hudson to begin rehearsals for the next next next show...
The Next Next Next Show...
Remember when I said three of us will be hopping a train the morning after Iron Curtain to start our next gig? This is it! I'll be playing Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.
WHEN: August 1-10 2008
(Click this link for the times on each day. They vary a lot.)
WHERE: The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
It's a college. Street addresses don't apply in their universe. Here's the downloadable map and driving directions.
COST: Tickets, priced $45, available by calling (845) 758-7900, or by clicking here for their online box office.
"Love Is Sweeping the Country" in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. This production of Of Thee I Sing is jam-packed with the wholesome goodness of FODs! Not only is this my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director, it will also include the characterysingydanciness of FODs Marcus Neville and Rich Silverstein (also in Iron Curtain), Andy Gale, Chad Harlow and Nikol Wolf!
Dougbytes
***How do you like this sentence...I just got back from teaching Shakespeare in St. Thomas. It's true! FOD Bethany Burgess-Smith runs the Pistarckle Theater Company, which hosted a Shakespeare festival for students. Boston theatre vixen/FOD Celeste McClain and I were the MCs for the students' Shakespeare scenes. After the break, the two of us worked our funky Bard thangs with Demetrius/Helena from A Midsummer-night's Dream along with some other sonnets, monologues, and demonstrations.
***For those of you interested in the Canadian advertising scene, I voiced the most recent Creative Conversations podcast for The Norman Agency. Just to put it out there, Jim and Becky Norman are wonderful people with whom to work.
***I participated in a reading of a new play with Stageplays Theatre Company. Old Songs Remembered by Allen Davis III features three vignettes which all take place in a Jewish Funeral Parlour. I played a young, womanizing future head of a company who is rendered helpless by his very dramatic Jewish mother. If you are one of my female relatives and are reading this, of course I wasn't using you for my acting work.
***Memorial Day weekend, I'll be recording the demo of the Hard Rock musical DethFest (book & lyrics by Laurie Lefkowitz, music by Scott Louis), a modern-day parallel of the Orpheus and Euridice myth. I will be voicing Charon the snake and one of the three doggy heads of Cerberus. Then I shall proceed to rock out the back up vocals in a manner befitting the piece.
***I continue to do more great gigs for NYU Students, including a photography project for Brian Huselton about a cake delivery guy and a sound/image project for Adam Raichilson in which I played both roles in the dialogue between the condemned revolutionary and the tyrant who has ordered his execution.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***I continue to sing through my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Preston Thompson, and the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.) By the way, you know who we're trying to get to fill in for Julia while she's away at her summer internship? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a bottle of patchouli at an Indigo Girls concert, but for you, I'll find the time. I've worked Shakespeare in the Islands, voiced podcasts in Canada, and sung serpents in the underworld this month. We can create something great together, too.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Draw or animate DougToons!
The first installment of DougToons! has been penned by the incomparable Crystal Skillman and voiced by me at Silver Hollow Audio, with producer (and fine voiceover talent in his own right) Brett Barry. Now that it is in the can, my very talented graphic designer and animator have a great deal of other work on their plates. I'm looking for a few more graphic designer/cartoonists and cell/computer animators to add to my team. The work we create would be for each other's websites to display our cartoon fortitude! Drop me an e-mail if you or someone you know would like to join my toon team!
Great resource for my NYC area actor pals...
I've just renewed my yearly subscription to BroadwayDemo.com
David Libby and Tina Marie Casamento have created a demo/website package to showcase music theatre actors. Tina Marie coaches you on the song, David plays and then does the ProTools and website magic. For a limited time, they’re offering a discount on demos from referrals. Performers who mention me when they contact David and Tina Marie can buy their website/demo starter package for $245 (a $50 discount), provided they book their recording session prior to July 1, 2008. Contact them at either (917) 414-5403 or David@BroadwayDemo.com
I’ve recorded my demo with them and you can check the result at Doug’s BroadwayDemo.com Profile. In addition, I'm composing this blog on a train back from an audition in Philadelphia with People's Light and Theatre Company. Tina Marie and David coached me on this audition, and I received applause for my song. I'm feeling pretty groovy right now, and I owe a good deal of it to them.
Life is good here. Our building has repaired the leaky air conditioner which was torturing our downstairs neighbor and repaired the water damage that had been bleeding through our walls from the outside. With that complete, my valiant husband has been waging a war against the apartment armed with only a paintbrush and a can of lavender paint. We loved the St. Thomas vacation (snorkeling! fruity beverages! a one-eyed waitress!) and also attended the book signing of composer/author/aerobics instructor/go-go dancer Joel Derfner's newest release: Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever. I'm about a quarter of the way through the book and loving it.
I am still running in the mornings, but remember if you see me laying on the curb somewhere, proceed immediately to Billy's Bakery and get me a cupcake.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, honor our soldiers on Memorial Day, remember to come to FODapalooza II, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com
Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Thursday, April 24, 2008
April Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Ah April! The warming temperatures, the colors of the blooms peeping out of tree branches, the smell of lamb's blood drying on the doors of our loved ones that reminds us it's Passover! Please do not feed or tease my people by waving the challahs at us. Next week, feel free to wave all the challahs you want, but now we're working the matzo thing. And speaking of reasons to celebrate, FODapalooza II is slated for June 11, 2008 (whoops--that was an error. It's June 10!) at People Lounge in NYC so save the date! Enough with the intro. On with the update!
Love, Monsters, and Politics
LOVE!
I've just started rehearsals for LOVE! THAT FOUR LETTER WORD, playing a lovelorn psychologist going through his mid-life crisis. Naturally, it's a musical.
Written by Deborah Vines, Produced by Bill Sharp and Brady Amoon, Directed by Deb Failla, Generally Managed by R. Erin Craig and La Vie Productions, with Musical Direction by Lenny Babbish.
Cast: Melissa D'Amico, Doug Shapiro, Kate Wood Riley, Carl Anthony Tramon, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Heather Stricker-Dispensa, Scott Sowinski, and Actor TBA once we fill the final role. Here's the information:
WHEN: June 4-9, 2008 (Times TBA)
WHERE: The Kaufman Theater at The Algonquin,
123 East 24th Street,
in Manhattan between Park Avenue South & Lexington Avenue. Here's the Google Map COST: Tickets, priced $18, will soon be available by calling (212) 868-4444, and visiting www.smarttix.com.
(Industry and members of AEA get in free.)
MONSTERS!
Well, monster.com, that is. This past Friday, I voiced one of four office drones who steadily find their calling in a radio ad for Monster.com. Stay tuned! (Thanks to FODs Faith Sandberg and Tim Ewing for being my muses. This was the audition where I saw you guys last Wednesday!)
POLITICS!
I've just been cast as Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. What? I'm being paid union salary? Was brought in by a bona fide NYC Casting Director? A rehearsal process of more than one week? I won't be holding my script during the show? There's time to DEVELOP a character rather than find my funny voice and silly walk and go? Whose life is this? This will be my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director and I know of two other FODs who have signed on: Chad Harlow and Rich Silverstein. If there are any more of you, let me know!
In the bittersweet department, it also means I will not be returning to The Barnstormers in Tamworth, NH this summer after being a company member seven years running. (I've been acting in New Hampshire and Maine every summer since 1995.) I love you New England. Time to make new friends in Annandale-on-Hudson.
Draw or animate DougToons!
The first installment of DougToons! has been penned by the incomparable Crystal Skillman and voiced by me at Silver Hollow Audio, with producer (and fine voiceover talent in his own right) Brett Barry. Now that it is in the can, my very talented graphic designer and animator have a great deal of other work on their plates. I'm looking for a few more graphic designer/cartoonists and computer animators to add to my team. The work we create would be for each other's websites to display our cartoon fortitude! Drop me an e-mail if you would like to join my toon team!
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***I continue to sing through my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Preston Thompson, and the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a farmer with one hoe and two rattlesnakes, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need the pigs and chickens voiced in yer cartoon, a down-home campfire ditty sung fer yer musical project, or a model to sport that little gingham number fer yer photo shoot, give me a yee-haw and we'll create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Meet the famous Alexandra de Suze in person!
Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Well, from April 7 to May 7, she is going to travel across the country in order to interview folks about the "what are you" culture of our nation for her show Single What? Female. She's already been meeting some wonderful FODs across this great nation. If you're along her Amtrak route, could you spare a couch? If not, perhaps you could sponsor her? How about just meeting her for a beverage and answering the question "what are you?" This e-mail is already plenty long, so I'll direct you to her blog page which will tell you all you need to know. She's great company and living the dream for all of us.
Get NetWORKING!
I have been having a wonderful experience monitoring and taking seminars with The Network. Paul Michael has created a wonderful alternative to Actors Connection and TVI with a very professional staff and great guests. If you're looking to meet with casting directors and agents one on one, this is a great way to do it. Through these seminars, I have landed a wonderful on-camera commercial agent, Erica Amsinger with The Mine and am back on the radar of many casting directors. Check them out!
Life is good here. We have a working bathroom again so we are no longer the wandering Jews trekking down to the gym showers every morning with our bag of shampoo past Miguel...the Troll Beneath the Bridge. We just had two great dining experiences: one at Vegetarian Dim Sum House at 24 Pell Street in Chinatown (to celebrate FOD Annie Shih) and an incredible dinner party with FODs John and Abz at their glorious home in New Jersey. We're gearing up for St. Thomas in early May.
I also started running two days ago. If you see me laying on the curb somewhere, please run immediately to Billy's Bakery and get me a cupcake.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Ah April! The warming temperatures, the colors of the blooms peeping out of tree branches, the smell of lamb's blood drying on the doors of our loved ones that reminds us it's Passover! Please do not feed or tease my people by waving the challahs at us. Next week, feel free to wave all the challahs you want, but now we're working the matzo thing. And speaking of reasons to celebrate, FODapalooza II is slated for June 11, 2008 (whoops--that was an error. It's June 10!) at People Lounge in NYC so save the date! Enough with the intro. On with the update!
Love, Monsters, and Politics
LOVE!
I've just started rehearsals for LOVE! THAT FOUR LETTER WORD, playing a lovelorn psychologist going through his mid-life crisis. Naturally, it's a musical.
Written by Deborah Vines, Produced by Bill Sharp and Brady Amoon, Directed by Deb Failla, Generally Managed by R. Erin Craig and La Vie Productions, with Musical Direction by Lenny Babbish.
Cast: Melissa D'Amico, Doug Shapiro, Kate Wood Riley, Carl Anthony Tramon, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Heather Stricker-Dispensa, Scott Sowinski, and Actor TBA once we fill the final role. Here's the information:
WHEN: June 4-9, 2008 (Times TBA)
WHERE: The Kaufman Theater at The Algonquin,
123 East 24th Street,
in Manhattan between Park Avenue South & Lexington Avenue. Here's the Google Map COST: Tickets, priced $18, will soon be available by calling (212) 868-4444, and visiting www.smarttix.com.
(Industry and members of AEA get in free.)
MONSTERS!
Well, monster.com, that is. This past Friday, I voiced one of four office drones who steadily find their calling in a radio ad for Monster.com. Stay tuned! (Thanks to FODs Faith Sandberg and Tim Ewing for being my muses. This was the audition where I saw you guys last Wednesday!)
POLITICS!
I've just been cast as Gilhooley in OF THEE I SING at The Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. What? I'm being paid union salary? Was brought in by a bona fide NYC Casting Director? A rehearsal process of more than one week? I won't be holding my script during the show? There's time to DEVELOP a character rather than find my funny voice and silly walk and go? Whose life is this? This will be my second go-around with the wonderful Will Pomerantz as director and I know of two other FODs who have signed on: Chad Harlow and Rich Silverstein. If there are any more of you, let me know!
In the bittersweet department, it also means I will not be returning to The Barnstormers in Tamworth, NH this summer after being a company member seven years running. (I've been acting in New Hampshire and Maine every summer since 1995.) I love you New England. Time to make new friends in Annandale-on-Hudson.
Draw or animate DougToons!
The first installment of DougToons! has been penned by the incomparable Crystal Skillman and voiced by me at Silver Hollow Audio, with producer (and fine voiceover talent in his own right) Brett Barry. Now that it is in the can, my very talented graphic designer and animator have a great deal of other work on their plates. I'm looking for a few more graphic designer/cartoonists and computer animators to add to my team. The work we create would be for each other's websites to display our cartoon fortitude! Drop me an e-mail if you would like to join my toon team!
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***I continue to sing through my Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Preston Thompson, and the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks.
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a farmer with one hoe and two rattlesnakes, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need the pigs and chickens voiced in yer cartoon, a down-home campfire ditty sung fer yer musical project, or a model to sport that little gingham number fer yer photo shoot, give me a yee-haw and we'll create something great together.
And now the monthly Two Items of Interest for FODs...
Meet the famous Alexandra de Suze in person!
Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Well, from April 7 to May 7, she is going to travel across the country in order to interview folks about the "what are you" culture of our nation for her show Single What? Female. She's already been meeting some wonderful FODs across this great nation. If you're along her Amtrak route, could you spare a couch? If not, perhaps you could sponsor her? How about just meeting her for a beverage and answering the question "what are you?" This e-mail is already plenty long, so I'll direct you to her blog page which will tell you all you need to know. She's great company and living the dream for all of us.
Get NetWORKING!
I have been having a wonderful experience monitoring and taking seminars with The Network. Paul Michael has created a wonderful alternative to Actors Connection and TVI with a very professional staff and great guests. If you're looking to meet with casting directors and agents one on one, this is a great way to do it. Through these seminars, I have landed a wonderful on-camera commercial agent, Erica Amsinger with The Mine and am back on the radar of many casting directors. Check them out!
Life is good here. We have a working bathroom again so we are no longer the wandering Jews trekking down to the gym showers every morning with our bag of shampoo past Miguel...the Troll Beneath the Bridge. We just had two great dining experiences: one at Vegetarian Dim Sum House at 24 Pell Street in Chinatown (to celebrate FOD Annie Shih) and an incredible dinner party with FODs John and Abz at their glorious home in New Jersey. We're gearing up for St. Thomas in early May.
I also started running two days ago. If you see me laying on the curb somewhere, please run immediately to Billy's Bakery and get me a cupcake.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
As Always,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Thursday, March 20, 2008
March Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug)!
First of all, thanks to all of you that attended FODapalooza! A great time had by all and new friendships and connections forged. Not you should worry. The next one will be in a few months.
Oh, Spring. Smell it, see it, taste it, touch it. You've worked hard. You deserve it. It was the least I could do for you after all you've been for me. If you feel the need to give something back to me in return, I'll take the white jelly beans. They're my favorite. But this is not about confectionary tastes, it's about goings-on since the February update. Lots of great things, so here goes!
New On-Camera Commercial Agent!
I'm proud to say that after a few meetings through AFTRA Open Door and The Network, I have landed exactly the kind of On-Camera Commercial Agent I have been working to bring into my life. Erica Amsinger with The Mine is positive, driven, has an excellent reputation, and is taking the time to figure out how best to position me in the market. She's also hip and foxy. I'm feeling groovy to have my agent team in place, now with Erica handling the On-Camera commercials, Arcieri & Associates for voiceover, Judy Boals for legit, and Lauren Green for print. May I be able to earn enough for all of us that they can have beach houses on a balmy coastline...that I own.
HALF A SIXPENCE with Musicals Tonight!
Dude! I'm a headliner on Playbill.com! This means I'm almost famous enough to start demanding white jelly beans in my dressing room. Check out the link to the Playbill.com article!
HALF A SIXPENCE will be my third show with Musicals Tonight!, this time digging deep deep down to create the role of Chitterlow--an eccentric actor who is very enthusiastic.
Produced by Mel Miller, Directed by Thomas Sabella-Mills with musical direction by James Stenborg.
Cast: Jon Peterson, Robert Lydiard, Amy Griffin, Doug Shapiro, Deborah Jean Templin, Kathryn Holtkamp, Danny Beiruti, Patti Perkins, Roger Rifkin, Sean Bell, Jenna Coker-Jones, Michael Jennings Mahoney, Sara Sawyer, Christine Walker, Erika Zabelle and Anthony Zillmer. Here's the information:
WHEN:
April 1-13, 2008
Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30 PM, Wednesday and Friday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM
WHERE:
The McGinn/Cazale Theatre, located in Manhattan
2162 Broadway, between 76th and 77th Streets, on the 3rd Floor
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST:
Tickets, priced $20, are available by calling (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com. (Industry and members of AEA get in free.)
Spend Good Friday with a Nice Jewish Boy
I've just started with a new quartet on Sundays with the Madison Avenue Baptist Church. Under the musical direction of Paul Stephan, I'm singing with Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Peter Thompson. We're having Good Friday service this coming Friday, March 21 at 6:30 pm and we'll be singing our faces off. It's a wonderful, welcoming environment and the Reverend Susan Sparks is also a professional comedian. Come join us!
WHEN:
Friday, March 21, 2008 at 6:30 pm
WHERE:
The Madison Avenue Baptist Church
30 East 31st Street (off of Madison Avenue) in New York city
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST:
What's our favorite word? FREE! (Though donations are gratefully accepted)
Draw or animate DougToons!
The first installment of DougToons! has been penned by the incomparable Crystal Skillman and voiced by me at Silver Hollow Audio, with producer (and fine voiceover talent in his own right) Brett Barry. Now that it is in the can, my very talented graphic designer and animator have a great deal of other work on their plates. I'm looking for a few more graphic designer/cartoonists and computer animators to add to my team. The work we create would be for each other's websites to display our cartoon fortitude! Drop me an e-mail if you would like to join my toon team!
***Thanks to all of you that voted for our Tide-to-Go commercial on YouTube. We didn't make the final ten but had a great time putting it together.
***I voiced a game show host character for an incredible upcoming documentary on veganism, Glass Walls, created by Marisa Miller Wolfson for the organization Kind Green Planet (website pending). Please do not tell her that I had a tough day and solaced myself with a bacon cheeseburger before the gig.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***My hair is just huge. The Jewfro that ate New York. Cut my hair, make two sweaters. But, do you know who has just the right amount of hair? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as matzo meal on Passover, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need the song sung, the voice voiced, or my mug to mug drop me a line and we'll create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Three) Items of Interest for FODs...
My Husband is EXPOsing himself!
Shawn will have a booth at the upcoming GLBT Expo for his Financial Planning Practice. Come visit him (and me on the Saturday) in the wedding section at the 15th Original GLBT Expo
WHEN:
Saturday, April 5, 2008 11 am- 7 pm
Sunday, April 6, 2008 12 pm- 6 pm
WHERE:
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
38th & 11th Aves, New York City
And for 5 dollars off your ticket, Print this out!
Meet the famous Alexandra de Suze in person!
Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Well, from April 7 to May 7, she is going to travel across the country in order to interview folks about the "what are you" culture of our nation for her show Single What? Female. If you're along her Amtrak route, could you spare a couch? If not, perhaps you could sponsor her? This e-mail is already plenty long, so I'll direct you to her blog page which will tell you all you need to know. She's great company and living the dream for all of us.
Bring my sister to New York!
This one's going to repeat monthly. My agenda is out of control on this one.
My beautiful sister Andrea is looking to make the move back to the New York City area from North Carolina and we want her here! She is both an MSW (Masters of Social Work) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and currently has a thriving practice in Raleigh. Andrea is looking to purchase an established psychotherapy practice in the five boroughs to precipitate the move. She is also open to the possibility of a partnership with someone that has a good referral base. If any of you FODs out there have a psychotherapist in your circle who is retiring or changing professions, please let me know and I will get the information to Andrea.
Life is good here. Bathroom renovations actually started, just in time for our friend and stage manageress Melanie Wood to crash on our couch while in rehearsal here in NYC for MARRIED ALIVE which will be performing at the Gulf Shore Playhouse in Naples, Florida. Welcome to New York City, Melanie! Now go shower downstairs in the gym and brush your teeth in the kitchen sink.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours! (And, of course, Happy Easter, Good Pesach, and Happy Women's History Month)
As Always,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
First of all, thanks to all of you that attended FODapalooza! A great time had by all and new friendships and connections forged. Not you should worry. The next one will be in a few months.
Oh, Spring. Smell it, see it, taste it, touch it. You've worked hard. You deserve it. It was the least I could do for you after all you've been for me. If you feel the need to give something back to me in return, I'll take the white jelly beans. They're my favorite. But this is not about confectionary tastes, it's about goings-on since the February update. Lots of great things, so here goes!
New On-Camera Commercial Agent!
I'm proud to say that after a few meetings through AFTRA Open Door and The Network, I have landed exactly the kind of On-Camera Commercial Agent I have been working to bring into my life. Erica Amsinger with The Mine is positive, driven, has an excellent reputation, and is taking the time to figure out how best to position me in the market. She's also hip and foxy. I'm feeling groovy to have my agent team in place, now with Erica handling the On-Camera commercials, Arcieri & Associates for voiceover, Judy Boals for legit, and Lauren Green for print. May I be able to earn enough for all of us that they can have beach houses on a balmy coastline...that I own.
HALF A SIXPENCE with Musicals Tonight!
Dude! I'm a headliner on Playbill.com! This means I'm almost famous enough to start demanding white jelly beans in my dressing room. Check out the link to the Playbill.com article!
HALF A SIXPENCE will be my third show with Musicals Tonight!, this time digging deep deep down to create the role of Chitterlow--an eccentric actor who is very enthusiastic.
Produced by Mel Miller, Directed by Thomas Sabella-Mills with musical direction by James Stenborg.
Cast: Jon Peterson, Robert Lydiard, Amy Griffin, Doug Shapiro, Deborah Jean Templin, Kathryn Holtkamp, Danny Beiruti, Patti Perkins, Roger Rifkin, Sean Bell, Jenna Coker-Jones, Michael Jennings Mahoney, Sara Sawyer, Christine Walker, Erika Zabelle and Anthony Zillmer. Here's the information:
WHEN:
April 1-13, 2008
Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30 PM, Wednesday and Friday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM
WHERE:
The McGinn/Cazale Theatre, located in Manhattan
2162 Broadway, between 76th and 77th Streets, on the 3rd Floor
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST:
Tickets, priced $20, are available by calling (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com. (Industry and members of AEA get in free.)
Spend Good Friday with a Nice Jewish Boy
I've just started with a new quartet on Sundays with the Madison Avenue Baptist Church. Under the musical direction of Paul Stephan, I'm singing with Renee Jarvis, Julia Mintzer and Christopher Peter Thompson. We're having Good Friday service this coming Friday, March 21 at 6:30 pm and we'll be singing our faces off. It's a wonderful, welcoming environment and the Reverend Susan Sparks is also a professional comedian. Come join us!
WHEN:
Friday, March 21, 2008 at 6:30 pm
WHERE:
The Madison Avenue Baptist Church
30 East 31st Street (off of Madison Avenue) in New York city
See below for directions or go to the Google Map
COST:
What's our favorite word? FREE! (Though donations are gratefully accepted)
Draw or animate DougToons!
The first installment of DougToons! has been penned by the incomparable Crystal Skillman and voiced by me at Silver Hollow Audio, with producer (and fine voiceover talent in his own right) Brett Barry. Now that it is in the can, my very talented graphic designer and animator have a great deal of other work on their plates. I'm looking for a few more graphic designer/cartoonists and computer animators to add to my team. The work we create would be for each other's websites to display our cartoon fortitude! Drop me an e-mail if you would like to join my toon team!
***Thanks to all of you that voted for our Tide-to-Go commercial on YouTube. We didn't make the final ten but had a great time putting it together.
***I voiced a game show host character for an incredible upcoming documentary on veganism, Glass Walls, created by Marisa Miller Wolfson for the organization Kind Green Planet (website pending). Please do not tell her that I had a tough day and solaced myself with a bacon cheeseburger before the gig.
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
***My hair is just huge. The Jewfro that ate New York. Cut my hair, make two sweaters. But, do you know who has just the right amount of hair? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as matzo meal on Passover, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need the song sung, the voice voiced, or my mug to mug drop me a line and we'll create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Three) Items of Interest for FODs...
My Husband is EXPOsing himself!
Shawn will have a booth at the upcoming GLBT Expo for his Financial Planning Practice. Come visit him (and me on the Saturday) in the wedding section at the 15th Original GLBT Expo
WHEN:
Saturday, April 5, 2008 11 am- 7 pm
Sunday, April 6, 2008 12 pm- 6 pm
WHERE:
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
38th & 11th Aves, New York City
And for 5 dollars off your ticket, Print this out!
Meet the famous Alexandra de Suze in person!
Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
Well, from April 7 to May 7, she is going to travel across the country in order to interview folks about the "what are you" culture of our nation for her show Single What? Female. If you're along her Amtrak route, could you spare a couch? If not, perhaps you could sponsor her? This e-mail is already plenty long, so I'll direct you to her blog page which will tell you all you need to know. She's great company and living the dream for all of us.
Bring my sister to New York!
This one's going to repeat monthly. My agenda is out of control on this one.
My beautiful sister Andrea is looking to make the move back to the New York City area from North Carolina and we want her here! She is both an MSW (Masters of Social Work) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and currently has a thriving practice in Raleigh. Andrea is looking to purchase an established psychotherapy practice in the five boroughs to precipitate the move. She is also open to the possibility of a partnership with someone that has a good referral base. If any of you FODs out there have a psychotherapist in your circle who is retiring or changing professions, please let me know and I will get the information to Andrea.
Life is good here. Bathroom renovations actually started, just in time for our friend and stage manageress Melanie Wood to crash on our couch while in rehearsal here in NYC for MARRIED ALIVE which will be performing at the Gulf Shore Playhouse in Naples, Florida. Welcome to New York City, Melanie! Now go shower downstairs in the gym and brush your teeth in the kitchen sink.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours! (And, of course, Happy Easter, Good Pesach, and Happy Women's History Month)
As Always,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
Friday, January 25, 2008
January Update with Doug!
Hello Friends and Family!
You've traveled the journey from December grace/materialism to New Year resolution/debauchery and landed safely on the other side of civil rights leader celebration/day off. Doug here, glad to be with my FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug) for another e-sharing.
This one is chocked full of goodness, but don't fear. It clips along at a peppy pace. Read to the end to find out how you can attend the first ever Gathering of the FODs, be in a show with me at the York Theatre, and score a vacation in Austria! (Would someone PLEASE cast me in an informercial?)
(And if you're not interested in my monthly e-mail lovin', just let me know and I'll take you off my e-mail lovin' list.)
But first, a moment of Kvelling: one of my coaching clients (sorry, have to keep names confidential) was just cast in The Carousel Dinner Theatre's production of The King and I.
[kvell (kvel) verb intr; To feel proud; to beam; to gloat (I try not to); From Yiddish kveln, from German quellen (to gush, to well up).]
Join me for the first ever FODapalooza!
A Dozen Voices...
I started off the new year performing in Spontaneous Combustion with Manhattan Theatre Source. 5-minute pieces written, rehearsed, and performed in 48 hours. I had the honor of performing in two pieces:
In Maura Kelly's My Real Name, a Master (me) and servant (Mark Adamsbaum) wish a little too effectively to live the simpler life on the moon. We reassess our relationship as we try to figure a way back to Earth.
In John McKinney's Close Encounters of the Stupidest Kind, Two astronauts (Helene Galek and myself) have crash-landed on a distant planet. An alien life form takes over my brain and proceeds to channel tv characters through me as a way of communicating with her. These included Pepe le Pew, Alex Trebec, Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy), Bullwinkle, Ralph Kramden, Jeannie, and, of course, Marvin the Martian.
A Million Tomorrows...
This coming Monday and Tuesday, I will be narrating and performing in a private presentation of Wallenberg. [Book and Lyrics by Felicia Needleman and Laurence Holzman, Music by Benjamin Rosenbluth, and Directed by Annette Jolles.] It's a closed event, but I encourage you to learn more about Raoul Wallenberg. I'd tell you more but, as I said, it is private. Move along. You never read this paragraph. This e-mail will self-destruct if it lands in your SPAM box.
and Eight Museum Pieces...
In early February, I begin rehearsals for the following theater venture. Come and see!
Prospect Theater Company's Dark Nights Series presents MUSEUM PIECES: When Art Inspires MORE Than Life
8 Musical Theater Writing Teams create 10 minute musicals inspired by 8 Artworks Exhibited in New York City
WHEN: Performances will be presented February 23, 2008 at 3:00 pm and February 24-26, 2008 at 8:00 pm
WHERE: The West End Theatre, 263 W 86th Street
COST: $10:00
MORE INFORMATION (Including the Artworks being showcased) visit the Prospect Theatre Company website.
Composer and Lyricist Teams:
Frederick Alden Terry and John Herin;
Marisa Michelson and Joshua H. Cohen;
Deborah Abramson and Amanda Yesnowitz;
Carol Hall;
Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet;
Michael Mitnick;
Hyeyoung Kim and Michael Cooper; and
Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan
Directors:
Marlo Hunter, Christine O'Grady, Stefanie Sertich
Music Director: Dan Feyer; Stage Manager: Marcie Friedman
Performers: Michael Winther, Tina Stafford, Sarah Corey, Amy Justman, Doug Shapiro, Alexander Elisa, Blake Whyte, Paul Woodson, and (drum roll, please...) Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
Please Don't Panic! I may be busy, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a trustworthy voice for your radio campaign, a flexible face for your print promotion, or my body for a go-go gig at the local character men's bar, a job's a job. Give me a call or bid for me on e-bay.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean "three") Items of Interest for FODs...
Bring my sister to New York!
This one's going to repeat monthly. My agenda is out of control on this one.
My beautiful sister Andrea is looking to make the move back to the New York City area from North Carolina and we want her here! She is both an MSW (Masters of Social Work) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and currently has a thriving practice in Raleigh. Andrea is looking to purchase an established psychotherapy practice in the five boroughs to precipitate the move. She is also open to the possibility of a partnership with someone that has a good referral base. If any of you FODs out there have a psychotherapist in your circle who is retiring or changing professions, please let me know and I will get the information to Andrea.
Work with me at The York Theatre Company!
I have been offered the title role in the musical Oscar Wilde, but all the other roles have yet to be cast as the creative team [Mike Read, Michael Reed, and Peter Kosta] is across the Atlantic Ocean. They will also probably need an audition pianist. It is a 29-rehearsal hour AEA showcase contract and some of the actors cover several roles. I do not have the character breakdown, but please e-mail your picture and resume across the pond to Peter Kosta at peterkosta@aol.com and indicate your vocal range. I am asking that we keep it only to those that receive this e-mail so the creative team does not get inundated. Auditions would be in early February with performances at the York on February 27 and 28, 2008.
Vacation in Austria! Shawn, his parents, and I will not be using our timeshare week in Austria due to some personal priorities that have come up. You should really go in our place. Here is the information:
WHEN: March 8-15, 2008
WHERE: The Schloss Grubhoff, near Salzburg, Austria
MORE: We're asking $1000.00 for the week. (Plane fare not included.) A single room that sleeps four. Go on der hike, der ski, and der twirl like Maria in der Sound of Music.
Life is good here. Shawn and I have grand plans to get our Holiday newsletter out by Passover and I am determined to conquer my fear and coax Lucy (our African Gray parrot) on to my finger within the next ten years.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours! (And, of course, Happy New Year.)
As Always,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
You've traveled the journey from December grace/materialism to New Year resolution/debauchery and landed safely on the other side of civil rights leader celebration/day off. Doug here, glad to be with my FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug) for another e-sharing.
This one is chocked full of goodness, but don't fear. It clips along at a peppy pace. Read to the end to find out how you can attend the first ever Gathering of the FODs, be in a show with me at the York Theatre, and score a vacation in Austria! (Would someone PLEASE cast me in an informercial?)
(And if you're not interested in my monthly e-mail lovin', just let me know and I'll take you off my e-mail lovin' list.)
But first, a moment of Kvelling: one of my coaching clients (sorry, have to keep names confidential) was just cast in The Carousel Dinner Theatre's production of The King and I.
[kvell (kvel) verb intr; To feel proud; to beam; to gloat (I try not to); From Yiddish kveln, from German quellen (to gush, to well up).]
Join me for the first ever FODapalooza!
| WHEN: |
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM |
| WHERE: |
People, in the Loft upstairs 163 Allen Street, New York, NY See below for directions or go to the Google Map |
| COST: | No cover, cash bar |
| RSVP: |
Requested, but not required.
RSVP for FODapaloosa! here |
Come join me and meet fellow FODs (Friends/Family of Doug) at the first FODapaloosa! The Gathering of the FODs from all walks of life shall converge. FODs from Drama Camp will sip Chardonnay with FODs from the day job. FODs from theatre in New Hampshire will raise a pint with FODs from High School. All this coming in
March at a great bar on the lower east side. We'll have the upstairs
lounge all to ourselves.
Directions
People is just a block and a half below the intersection of First Avenue
and Houston (the east end of the F and V train).
A Dozen Voices...
I started off the new year performing in Spontaneous Combustion with Manhattan Theatre Source. 5-minute pieces written, rehearsed, and performed in 48 hours. I had the honor of performing in two pieces:
In Maura Kelly's My Real Name, a Master (me) and servant (Mark Adamsbaum) wish a little too effectively to live the simpler life on the moon. We reassess our relationship as we try to figure a way back to Earth.
In John McKinney's Close Encounters of the Stupidest Kind, Two astronauts (Helene Galek and myself) have crash-landed on a distant planet. An alien life form takes over my brain and proceeds to channel tv characters through me as a way of communicating with her. These included Pepe le Pew, Alex Trebec, Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy), Bullwinkle, Ralph Kramden, Jeannie, and, of course, Marvin the Martian.
A Million Tomorrows...
This coming Monday and Tuesday, I will be narrating and performing in a private presentation of Wallenberg. [Book and Lyrics by Felicia Needleman and Laurence Holzman, Music by Benjamin Rosenbluth, and Directed by Annette Jolles.] It's a closed event, but I encourage you to learn more about Raoul Wallenberg. I'd tell you more but, as I said, it is private. Move along. You never read this paragraph. This e-mail will self-destruct if it lands in your SPAM box.
and Eight Museum Pieces...
In early February, I begin rehearsals for the following theater venture. Come and see!
Prospect Theater Company's Dark Nights Series presents MUSEUM PIECES: When Art Inspires MORE Than Life
8 Musical Theater Writing Teams create 10 minute musicals inspired by 8 Artworks Exhibited in New York City
WHEN: Performances will be presented February 23, 2008 at 3:00 pm and February 24-26, 2008 at 8:00 pm
WHERE: The West End Theatre, 263 W 86th Street
COST: $10:00
MORE INFORMATION (Including the Artworks being showcased) visit the Prospect Theatre Company website.
Composer and Lyricist Teams:
Frederick Alden Terry and John Herin;
Marisa Michelson and Joshua H. Cohen;
Deborah Abramson and Amanda Yesnowitz;
Carol Hall;
Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet;
Michael Mitnick;
Hyeyoung Kim and Michael Cooper; and
Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan
Directors:
Marlo Hunter, Christine O'Grady, Stefanie Sertich
Music Director: Dan Feyer; Stage Manager: Marcie Friedman
Performers: Michael Winther, Tina Stafford, Sarah Corey, Amy Justman, Doug Shapiro, Alexander Elisa, Blake Whyte, Paul Woodson, and (drum roll, please...) Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!
***Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I continue to be the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air.
Please Don't Panic! I may be busy, but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a trustworthy voice for your radio campaign, a flexible face for your print promotion, or my body for a go-go gig at the local character men's bar, a job's a job. Give me a call or bid for me on e-bay.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean "three") Items of Interest for FODs...
Bring my sister to New York!
This one's going to repeat monthly. My agenda is out of control on this one.
My beautiful sister Andrea is looking to make the move back to the New York City area from North Carolina and we want her here! She is both an MSW (Masters of Social Work) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and currently has a thriving practice in Raleigh. Andrea is looking to purchase an established psychotherapy practice in the five boroughs to precipitate the move. She is also open to the possibility of a partnership with someone that has a good referral base. If any of you FODs out there have a psychotherapist in your circle who is retiring or changing professions, please let me know and I will get the information to Andrea.
Work with me at The York Theatre Company!
I have been offered the title role in the musical Oscar Wilde, but all the other roles have yet to be cast as the creative team [Mike Read, Michael Reed, and Peter Kosta] is across the Atlantic Ocean. They will also probably need an audition pianist. It is a 29-rehearsal hour AEA showcase contract and some of the actors cover several roles. I do not have the character breakdown, but please e-mail your picture and resume across the pond to Peter Kosta at peterkosta@aol.com and indicate your vocal range. I am asking that we keep it only to those that receive this e-mail so the creative team does not get inundated. Auditions would be in early February with performances at the York on February 27 and 28, 2008.
Vacation in Austria! Shawn, his parents, and I will not be using our timeshare week in Austria due to some personal priorities that have come up. You should really go in our place. Here is the information:
WHEN: March 8-15, 2008
WHERE: The Schloss Grubhoff, near Salzburg, Austria
MORE: We're asking $1000.00 for the week. (Plane fare not included.) A single room that sleeps four. Go on der hike, der ski, and der twirl like Maria in der Sound of Music.
Life is good here. Shawn and I have grand plans to get our Holiday newsletter out by Passover and I am determined to conquer my fear and coax Lucy (our African Gray parrot) on to my finger within the next ten years.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours! (And, of course, Happy New Year.)
As Always,
Doug
Doug Shapiro
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com Doug's LinkedIn Profile
Doug's MySpace profile
and, oy vey, I'm also on Facebook
Doug's song stylings on BroadwayDemo.com
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