In honor of Halloween, this installment will be chock-full of nifty and cheap costume ideas (put on light blue pajamas and glue cotton balls to a shower cap--you're a q-tip!). There's lots to tell about recent goings-on. In fact, I'm torn about which to tell you first (Chamberet? The Creative Conversations Podcast? 30 Rock? FODAPALOOZA VI?) What should get top billing?
So, tell your apprentice to bring you a toasty beverage from the cauldron and to go out to Trader Joe's for some eye of newt. It's time for the monthly e-journey, and when we reach the e-conclusion, oh yes, there will be the usual 2 (by which I mean 6) items of interest for FODs!
30 Rock with Doug the Mailroom Guy...
I appeared in the season premiere of 30 Rock, as one of the guys from the mailroom. (Thanks so much to everyone who let me know on Facebook!) The scene takes place after a confrontation between Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) and Jack (Alec Baldwin). Kenneth pushes the elevator button with resolve and it opens on and Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and us (I'm in the foreground, loaded up with too many packages). I've already shot a subsequent episode as one of the mailroom guys (again with Kenneth), so this could be a lovely recurring gig. Thanks again to Barbara McNamara Casting!
Fun story about getting the call for my most recent episode. My friend Jonathan Flom was in town with two of his students from Shenandoah Conservatory for a free audition workshop and signing of his book: Get the Callback: The Art of Auditioning for Musical Theatre. Shawn and I are out to dinner with the three of them, after which the plan is for me to head down to Virginia with them where I'll be teaching a day of seminars, when the call comes in from Barbara McNamara casting for 30 Rock the next day. So, in front of two students to whom I'm about to teach the business of acting in two days, I get to say that I won't be able to head down with them because I have to work on 30 Rock. It totally gave me street cred with all of the other students when I got there. I couldn't have planned it better if I had asked my mother to call me during dinner to make the whole thing up. More about the fantastic students at Shenandoah Conservatory later.
Another costume idea: Wear a piece of cardboard that says "meanwhile..." and say you're a caption!
Creative Conversations with Doug the Voiceover Guy...
Jim Norman and Becky Trenton of The Norman Agency put out a wonderful podcast called "Creative Conversations" in which they talk very effectively about how to create powerful radio commercials. Creative Conversations was voted one of the top 40 business podcasts series in 2007 by PodcastAlley.com. I've been a big fan of their podcasts ever since I did some voice work on "What Listeners Hate Most About Radio Ads." Jim and Becky flew down from Toronto for a couple of days and we had a great discussion at 38 Greene about how their clients can most effectively work with voice actors. They were so pleased with how it all came out that they extended the conversation into six episodes that will come out weekly. Episode 1 and Episode 2 are already available.
Please proceed directly to iTunes and subscribe (free) to "Creative Conversations" with The Norman Agency. Then tell your friends in the marketing, advertising, audio, and voiceover fields to sign on too!
Le Chamberet with Doug the Singer Guy...and sultry vocal vixens
Choir director Paul Stephan of The Madison Avenue Baptist Church has requested that each member of our Sunday sextet team up with two outside singers to perform an evening of music. I have chosen to join forces with Jennifer Wren and Marissa Rosen to do that about which I'm most passionate--bringing the work of my FOD composers and lyricists to the masses. Please join us as we sing an evening of their original works, some of which were written or arranged for us. Le Chamberet will take place in the church sanctuary and is a fusion of chamber concert and cabaret. So we're calling it a Chamberet! (pronounce it with a French accent! It's fun!)
WHEN: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Madison Avenue Baptist Church:
Madison Avenue and East 31st Street, New York, NY
COST: Suggested donation of $10 to benefit the church. Not you should worry--we're performing in the sanctuary, so there won't be a 2-drink minimum. There may be refreshments afterwards!
Our featured composers and lyricists definitely include, but are not limited to, Brad Alexander and Kevin Del Aguila; Adam Gwon and Bridget Carpenter; Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth; Nick Levin; Robby Sandler and Lizzie Hagstedt; Barbara Anselmi and Ernie Lijoi; Kevin Carter, Crystal Skillman, and Bobby Cronin; Lisa DeSpain and Kristen Anderson-Lopez; Derek Gregor and Sam Carner; Jeff Blumenkrantz; and Clay Zambo and Susan Murray.
We'll also be previewing a song or two at Big Night Out on Thursday November 5.
Another costume idea: sport a short haircut, add Red Sox earrings, and sing your face off and you can be Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
FODapalooza VI: VOTE FOR NEW FRIENDS AND PG-13 BEVERAGES with Doug the Friend Guy...
Join me for the sixth FODapalooza!
WHEN: Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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.
Gather, ye FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the sixth FODapalooza! After a hard day of voting and dodging volunteers with flyers on the sidewalks, I'm sure you'll need some good company and saucy beverages. It will also be the day after I finish my run of SEVEN new musicals in a row which has greatly increased the number of you swell folks in my life who should really know each other. We've got sultry goth vixens, poignant lyricists, efficient stage managers, cuddly activists, empathetic social workers, foxy doctors, Renaissance folk who do it all, and even some single men with no criminal record who want to date women! We'll have the upstairs lounge all to ourselves with the Wall of Rain, meat on a stick, and (hopefully) de-lishish Margermelon Wadderitas. (Translation: delicious Watermelon Margaritas.) If you have an event coming up or a service you provide (PG-13 please), bring your cards/flyers and we'll spread them around on the tables. I will certainly be bringing flyers for the upcoming CHAMBERET!
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).
Great New Musicals with Doug the Multiple Character Guy...
I'm in the home stretch of a run of wonderful new musicals!
***I returned to The York Theatre for a reading of That's Andy!, the story of a 10-year old boy who wants to save his town of Grand Falls by playing the lead in their production of "Annie." Media enters. Madness ensues. I reprised my roles as an aged chorus boy on a television show and Boozer the Bum. The show is conceived and developed by Robert Jay Cronin, with book and lyrics by Crystal Skillman (who is also the writer of DougToons!), music and additional lyrics by Kevin Carter, and was directed by Clayton Phillips and stage managed by Elliot Lanes. The cast included Marci Bing, Trevor Braun, Ali Brier, Ben Cameron, Dalton Harrod, Chantylla Johnson, Lauren Kennedy, Beth Leavel, Joey Maher, Jennifer Mintzer, Brad Nacht, Hugh Panaro, Kate Pazakis, Johanna Pinzler (with whom I went to French Woods when we were performing arts teens), Julie Reiber, Tim Salamandyk, me, Brad Simanski, and Casey Whyland.
***Iron Curtain, a musical which was developed at Prospect Theater Company, is the story of two American music theatre writers during the cold war who are kidnapped by the KGB, brought behind the Iron Curtain, and forced to write propaganda musicals. Directed by Cara Reichel, Composed by Stephen Weiner, Lyrics by Pete Mills, and book by Susan DiLallo. We presented it at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Musicals, which is a huge honor. This was my third time playing multiple characters for this show. Our incredibly funny cast was comprised of Fred Applegate, Maria Couch, Gregg Edelman, David Foley, Jr., Liz Larsen, Lisa Mindelle, Aaron Ramey, Dara Seitzman, me, Robby Sharpe, Jim Stanek and Betsy Wolfe with Music Direction by Remy Kurs and Stage Management by Kat West.
***This weekend, I've been with The Wilton Playshop in Connecticut doing a benefit reading of Greenbrier Ghost. Book by Susan Murray, Music & Lyrics by Clay Zambo, Directed by Scott T. Brill. I play the town sheriff, whose daughter's ghost may or may not have come back from the dead to accuse her husband of her murder. Fellow cast members include David Andrew Anderson, Michael Armstrong Barr, Janice Dehn, Tom Dehn, Jorie Janeway, Katie Kozlowski and Quinto Ott. Last performance is tonight (Saturday the 24th) at 7:00 if you get this in time.
***On November 2, I will be in a reading of Plagued! Or How to Survive Persecution at the Hands of an Angry Mob (Music by Nick Moore, Book and Lyrics by Daniel John Kelley) as a part of the dark night reading series for Resonance Ensemble. I play a life-long servant, who learns life lessons when his daughter embarks an epic adventure that changes her forever. The reading will be presented at 7:00pm at The Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row: 410 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. Here's the cast list: Rick Adams, Jennifer Blood, Peter Cook, Brad Harris, Sam Heldt, Carol Hickey, Helen Highfield, Jane Hoffman, Allison Hupp, Thomas Lash, Hakim McMillan, Michael Pesce, Kris Roberts, Erica Rowlett, me, and Matt Vinson.
By the way, do you know who would be a great choice to sing in your next musical? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
A Charitable Opportunity...from Doug the Cousin Guy
On November 13, my cousin Annie Shapiro is participating in the 2009 Indiana University Dance Marathon to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children - Ryan White Infectious Disease Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can donate with your credit card through their new fundraising webpage! Please make sure to donate in her name so it can be credited toward her personal goal. (I know we're all raising money for many causes. I'm including Annie's in this newsletter because she's family.)
Another costume idea: if you have vericose veins, wear shorts and say you're a road map! (I think I have to credit Woody Allen with this one.)
Business Savvy for Actors with Doug the Career Coach Guy...
I continue to work with phenomenal clients as an acting career consultant with The Savvy Actor. Jodie Bentley and Kevin Urban have built a remarkable business helping actors turn their craft into a business through classes, coaching and seminars. Yes, we coach by phone, too! Interested in doing this work for yourself? E-mail me at doug@thesavvyactor.com or call (917) 929-0998 to set up a free half-hour intro session. Let's get your career going!
And speaking of getting your career going, my next webinar: Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! is coming up on Monday, November 9 at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and you can be there from your own computer!
Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! is a fantastic FREE webinar offered by The Savvy Actor. Mailings are a very important part of our acting business. Yes, we know, they can be tedious, time consuming, and not always affordable. Most of us will do them without the consistency truly needed to both brand ourselves and maximize the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. This system has also proved very effective for anyone who needs to nurture client relationships as part of their business.
How would you like to....
AND... save time and money.
We are ecstatic to share with you this amazing service where you can CREATE, PRINT, STAMP, and MAIL your personalized cards and postcards – at the click of a button! It is time to work smarter, not harder, so come experience our free demo of the system.
Click this link to register for my next Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! webinar on Monday November 9 from 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time from the comfort of your own computer.
Dougbytes
***Animator extraordinaire Ken Truhan is in the storyboarding phase for the second installation of DougToons! In this episode, the character Doug is sent on an audition by his agent, only to find out that he is applying to be a henchman to the evil Mr. Mayhem! If you have yet to see the work of animator Ken Truhan, writer Crystal Skillman, producer/engineer Brett Barry and voice actor me, the first installment of DougToons is also on YouTube. Please log on to the YouTube site, give it a rating, and share with your friends!
***I had a wonderful experience at Shenandoah Conservatory joining Assistant Professor of Music Theatre (and longtime FOD) Jonathan Flom in teaching their theatre students about the business of acting. Though not my first time teaching university students, this was my first time as a representative of The Savvy Actor. We divided the day into three sessions dealing with branding, business systems (we worked specifically on goal systems, audition systems, and networking systems), and marketing/mailing systems. These students are wonderful and their energy and excellent questions were especially inspiring, being that much of the department was battling the flu. If you're connected to a university drama department and would like us to do this work with your students, let me know!
***I did a reading of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia for the Princeton University Physics Department, playing the roles of Jellaby and Brice. The reading was directed by Marlo Hunter and included a top-notch cast, none of whom I had ever met before and am proud to count as my cohorts now: Elizabeth Atkins, Craig Baldwin, Mike Braun, Adam Brown, Lisa Joyce, Austin Lysy, Tara Ohrtman, Susan Pourfar, Martin William Scheeler, Ted Schneider, and Sarah Grace Wilson.
***I voiced the documentary "From A to D" about the changes in Alphabet City for NYU Students Matt Ahl and Rachel Guest.
***I volunteered with Jaradoa Theater, reading the radio play "Lost in Hollywood" and singing in a Midtown center for senior citizens along with Telly Leung, Kelly McCreary, Julianne Merrill, Liz Piccoli, Eileen Rivera, and Kevin Smith Kirkwood.
***I continue to participate in "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. Intrigued? Send Erin an e-mail at stutsreal@yahoo.com.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions, train readers, and meet casting directors weekly at The Network. As I said before, I cannot recommend this organization highly enough.
***On Mondays at 8:00 a.m. I have a phone gathering with fellow voice actors Brett Barry, Cristina Doikos, Tercio Bretas, Marc Garber, Lucien Dodge, Maggie Phillips, and Jamie Hurley. We're planning on putting out our own demo CD! Let us know if you would like one for your casting needs.
***I continue to sing Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Helen Lyons, Karen Rich, Christopher Preston Thompson, Brian Long, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) The congregation is led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.)
Another costume idea: wear a necklace of rubber duckies and say you're a "chick magnet!"
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as gravy boat at Thanksgiving-- but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need the stoic Pilgrim for your print campaign, the singing turkey for your Thanksgiving tune, or the voice of Captain Hannukkah for your upcoming holiday spots, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Six!) Items of Interest for FODs...
You're a superhero. Might as well get paid for it!
This from FOD Terry O'Malley: Marvel comics has lost a few of their costumed folk from New York City recently (the actors moved to Los Angeles). If you are a guy who can carry off a superhero build, please contact Terry at hireterry@aol.com. Sorry, powerful ladies, they're only looking for men right now...unless you can fill out the Hulk Costume.
You're a show girl. Might as well book a great backup gig.
Cabaret sensation Quinn Lemley is seeking a sizzling backup girl to be a swing for her upcoming tour. Even better, you'll be working with the Fabulous Jennifer Wren!
Aforementioned sizzling backup girl is ideally 5'4" or under, a pretty show girl type, brunette, a soprano to an F who can hold harmonies, and a good mover who is quick with picking up choreography as she will have to be rehearsed into what is already set.
It's you, isn't it?! Well, e-mail your headshot and resume to Jennifer Wren at crazylittlewren@gmail.com and get this thing started!
You love Disney. Might as well make some money during Thanksgiving.
FOD Jim Mundy is currently working on a big event for Disney taking place Nov. 23 - Dec. 13 in NYC and is seeking referrals for support roles. Each event will run approximately two hours, four or five times a day, with an hour in between. Up to 1100 people are expected at each event. People are especially needed over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Hosts/Photographers: Suitable people to act as hosts for the Princess Meet and Greets. These confident, outgoing personalities must provide fantastic Guest Service while simultaneously keeping an expectedly long line for each Princess moving as quickly as possible and offering to take pictures for Guests with the Guests' cameras. Hosts will wear their own business casual clothes and have a neat appearance (think Disney Parks, but long hair on men is acceptable as long as it can be tied in the back). Anyone being considered for these positions must be willing to work Thanksgiving Day.
Pay Rate: $15.00 an hour. Shifts will be either 5.5 or 7.5 hours, depending on the day and shift. Shift 1 is approximately 11:15am to 5:15pm. Shift 2 is approx. 5:15pm - either 11:15pm or 1:15 am (Fridays, Saturdays and Thanksgiving week). You can work up to 6 days a week, depending on your availability.
Operations: Again, must provide fantastic Guest Service and may be called upon to provide crowd control, information, coat check, running birthday parties, being a runner or any other myriad responsibilities that can pop up at an event like this. Know a jack-of-all-trades? This is the place for them.
Pay Rate: $10.00 an hour. Shift times have yet to be determined.
Merchandise: Looking for people with Retail experience here, though they may also be asked to take on some responsibilities in the Operations area. Especially looking for people with experience handling money and processing credit cards.
Pay Rate: $10.00 an hour. Shift times have yet to be determined.
This event will be very hectic. Any referrals must be good under pressure and willing to go with the flow, physically able to stand for long periods of time, and have a great attitude under any circumstances. If you are looking to make just a little extra cash for the holidays, Jim would be happy to put your name forward to the people doing the hiring.
All interested parties, please contact Jim Mundy at JMundy5@gmail.com ASAP with a short description of relevant background.
You're stylish. Might as well personalize it the Savvy way.
A great upcoming weekend seminar from The Savvy Actor! In this Savvy Style Weekend, you’ll discover and embrace how you are seen in the industry, what makes you unique, and how to package your product with style and confidence. Led by branding experts The Savvy Actor with special guests, Casting Director Alison Franck and Broadway image consultant George Brescia, you’ll begin to align every piece of your brand, from material to resume. Every decision you make impacts your career! Dates are November 7 and 8 from 10:00-5:00. Click this Savvy Style link to learn more!
You need a portable engineer/producer. Might as well call in someone with their own setup.
I've worked with the very talented M.P. Kuo on several demos I've recorded for composers and lyricists. She is top-notch, excellent with pro-tools, and can bring her recording setup to you. Contact her at mpkuo206@yahoo.com.
You need financial guidance. Might as well give my husband a call.
I must brag on my man. After eighteen years as an actuary, Shawn brought his industry savvy to the people side of the business five years ago to be a financial advisor. 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. Shawn and I participated in the National Equality March in Washington D.C. to fight for Marriage Equality. It was interesting to read the New York Times article (on my iPhone) on the bus back to New York City with Marriage Equality NY and find out that, according to the article, all of us were in our twenties and early thirties. Most of us on the bus had been under the notion that we were in our mid-30's to 60's and were thrilled to get the news.
Oh, one last costume idea: wear gray, mess up your hair, and pin socks and dryer sheets to yourself--you're static cling!
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, have a safe Halloween and Samhain, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
Enjoy Yourself!
Doug Shapiro
Fearless Mensch
