Fasten your seat belts! This Fearless Mensch is eating danger for breakfast. Breaking out the new headshots (BAM!), Leaping onto the Web (ZOWIE!), Bursting out of the day job to act and coach full time (POW!), and Singing in the upper range for a whole evening (AMEN!). All of this living outside the boundaries, this trapeezing across crocodile-infested waters, just makes a MAN want to...
...hide under the bed with his childhood pillow person Cap'n Charlie.
But, we soldier on, even when we almost finish this newsletter and the computer deletes everything after seven hours of work.
Now, tell your Swedish spokesmodel to start on your pedicure (you need your hands to work the computer) and join me on this e-journey--and at the e-conclusion, oh yes, oh yes, there shall be the two (by which I mean four) items of interest for FOD's!
Above and to your left, you see the results of my third go-round with headshot photographer Joe Henson. Great man, incredibly funny, always up-to-date on the latest trends in the industry. Joe’s main studio is located in New York City but he also regularly shoots in Boston, Washington DC and various colleges and universities. You can check his website JoeHenson.com for the dates of his out-of-town shoots. The makeup was by Kerry-Lou Brehm, who used an incredibly cool airbrushing device to apply the base. She's also trained in permanent eyelash extensions, but I decided not to go with that. They were both incredibly receptive to my ideas about branding (intelligent charm of Kevin Kline meets physical wit of Groucho Marx meets sensitive soul...and hair...of Patrick Dempsey) and we chose the final shots based more on "Does this fit my brand?" than "Does this make me look handsome and virile?" I've already started sending them out to casting directors and we'll see how they're received!
Doug Committed (ZOWIE!)
I'm a huge fan of the web series 50 to Death, which stars Norm Golden, Joan Barber and Jon Freda under the production/direction of Jason Sokoloff. In Episode 8, "Committed," I played one of (the character) Joan's vocal students (I am a proud student of the real Joan in real life) being trained in her new "holistic" singing method. It's hysterical. Watch it now!
Doug Instructive (POW!)
It really happens! I left my day job of eight years at the end of March and in the space created by that, more gigs and coaching work has come in. My client base as an acting career consultant with The Savvy Actor is growing rapidly and I am in love with this work. Jodie Bentley and Kevin Urban have built a remarkable company that helps actors turn their craft into their business through classes, coaching and seminars. 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. We also coach by phone for those of you outside of NYC.
Doug Passionate (AMEN!)
What does a good Jewish boy do on the first night of Passover? Sing for the Catholics, of course! I was brought in by the remarkable music director/organist John Failla to sing the baritone role in "The Seven Last Words of Christ" by Théodore Dubois at the Church of Our Lady Fatima in Scarsdale, NY. Maintaining an entire work of music mostly above middle C was a stretch outside the comfort zone (mantra: open throat. closed mouth. flow of air. open throat. closed mouth. flow of air) but completely worthwhile when the incredibly gracious congregation stood at the end for John and the rest of us. Along with the FODs of the chorus (Deb Failla and Tom and Kimberly Shay), I solo'd with Christopher Preston Thompson (tenor) and Cidalia Alvarez (soprano). By the way, do you know the difference between a Catholic Grandmother and a Jewish Grandmother? The Catholic Grandmother says, "You finish what's on your plate or I'll kill you." The Jewish Grandmother says, "You finish what's on your plate, or I'll kill myself." Ladies and Gentlemen--Doug Shapiro, Kosher Ham.
Doug Gnomely (HAR!)
UNLOCK'D is a gorgeous new musical by Sam Carner and Derek Gregor and was the winner of last year's New York Musical Theatre Festival. Producer Jana Robbins and La Vie Productions LLC are taking it to the next level, which included two table reads in New York City at either end of their week-long work session. I sang the roles of Caleb (a Gnome) and Lord Littlewit (a suitor). This work is one of my favorites and this time around it was directed by Amanda Denhert, music directed by Brad Haak, and fellow performers included (I didn't get everyone's name) Maria Couch, Alison Cimmet, Jordan Kai Burnett, Christopher Totten, and Gerritt VanderMeer.
Doug Sycophantic (MWAH!)
I was brought in by The NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program to workshop Jason Young and Bomi Lee's BRADLEY COLE, a story of a successful anonymous blogger and his roommate whose lives are turned upside down when they use the blog to benefit a friend working on a cooking show. I played the suck-up assistant to the Cooking Show Diva. (Take Mark from UGLY BETTY, drop his voice two octaves, and add the breathiness of Marilyn Monroe--that was me.) Directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni, Music Directed by Ben Cohn, Stage Managed by Lauren Epsenhart, Jaime Lozano, and Leah Miles, and performed by Leo Ash Evens, Claybourne Elder, Patricia Noonan, Anne L. Nathan, me, Benjamin Howes and Sarah Statler.
Doug Beneficial (THANKS!)
I'm singing in two events to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The 23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition
I'll be one of the pit singers for the opening number, under the impeccable music direction of Jeffrey Biering.
WHEN: Monday April 27, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Tuesday April 28, 2009 at 2:00 pm
WHERE: The Minskoff Theatre
200 West 45th Street, NYC
See the Google Map
COST: $20-$350, depending on where you choose to sit
Tickets: Order Online or call (866) 840-0770 x268.
The Music of Hope
Westchester based theatre company Little Fig Stage will be presenting “The Music of Hope,” a benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. The benefit will feature an all teen cast with special guests from the professional theatre community (one of whom is me) and 20 new songs from a variety of composers and lyricists including FODs Robert Lopez, Deborah Abramson, Steven Alper, Kristen Anderson, Dan Acquisto and Sammy Buck, Haim Cotton, Michael V. Ficocelli, Adam Overett, and Amanda Yesnowitz. Directed by Marci Elyn Schein, Music Directed by Michael V. Ficocelli, and Choreographed by Megan Hawkins. They are also still seeking a set designer and someone to do computer projections. Interested? Send an e-mail to Marci Elyn Schein at mezzobari@aol.com.
WHEN: Saturday May 16, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:00 pm
WHERE: The Players Theatre
115 MacDougal Street, NYC
See the Google Map
COST: $25
Tickets: Order Online or call (866) 811-4111.
and one more benefit for The New York Society for Ethical Culture...
Jekyll & Hyde in Concert
SAW Theatricals, Inc., will be staging a one-night concert benefit performance of Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde to benefit the New York Society for Ethical Culture. I will be playing the Bishop and singing baritone. FOD's will include Sarah Melissa Rotker (Producer/Music Director), Richard Binder, Sal Sabella and Tony Wolf. They are also still seeking an oboe player. Interested? Send an e-mail to Sarah Melissa Rotker at sarahmelissarotker@gmail.com.
WHEN: Monday June 15, 2009 at 7:30 pm
There will also be a FREE pre-concert panel discussion on the ethical issues of Jekyll & Hyde.
WHERE: The New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street, NYC
See the Google Map
COST: Concert Tickets $15-$20
Post-Concert Donor Reception Tickets $50-$75
Tickets: Visit www.ethicaljekyll.com or call 212-352-3101.
Dougbytes
***We continue work on the second installation of DougToons! This one is also going to double as my animation voiceover reel, so we've got a wonderful challenge ahead of us. 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 on both YouTube and Facebook. Please log on to the YouTube site, give it a rating, and share with your friends!
***I will be recording the role of the Invisible Man for Jay Alan Zimmerman's show of the same title. The man knows how to write for a bass/baritone. I was recommended to Jay by one of my very favorite composer/lyricists, Adam Gwon.
***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. Recently, I took seminars with three of the casting directors from the Law & Order series as well as the casting director of Ugly Betty. I cannot recommend this organization highly enough.
***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!
***Every Friday at 8:00 a.m. I have a phone gathering with fellow voice actors Brett Barry, Cristina Doikos, Marc Garber, and Jamie Hurley.
***I continue to sing Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Renee Jarvis, Christopher Preston Thompson, Andy Redeker, Daryl Freedman, and Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) Paul Stephan not only put together beautiful services for Good Friday and Easter, but composed and arranged all of our Good Friday solos. For Easter, we were joined by singers Edd Clark, Bettina Covo and Brian Taylor and a choir that came over from Austria. The congregation is led by the fabulous Reverend Susan Sparks. The sermons are now podcast! (The choir is not.)
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as a unicyclist juggling rabid fire-breathing weasels -- but for you, I'll find the time. Should you require your song sung, your cartoon voiced, or your print campaign modeled, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Four) Items of Interest for FODs...
All the great recommendations...
Looking for a great voiceover class? chiropractor? transcriber/arranger? Check out the Resources page on the Savvy Actor website! Most of the great classes, coaches, and resources about whom I've told you in past FOD updates are there, as well as Jodie and Kevin's recommendations. (Pete DeMeo, Nadette Stasa, and Paul Liberti all have great classes coming up.) Be sure to check them out!
All the great successes...
Thanks to Jodie from The Savvy Actor and Erin from intenSati for pointing me towards this. A Success Journal! There's so much about which we should be worrying, such a long list of things we should be doing, and we can never keep up with all of it. Each night, I list in my success journal five successes I've had during the day, from getting to an audition to letting someone in the subway before me to just getting out of bed in the morning. I also list three things for which I'm grateful. Then, during the overwhelming times I can look back and realize, okay. I'm actually accomplishing things and my life is very good. A quick list like this is also an easier commitment for me than "write in your journal every night."
All the efficient mailings...
Mailings--Faster, Smarter, Cheaper!
A fantastic FREE seminar 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.
How would you like to....
• Send a 100 piece postcard mailing in less than 10 minutes?
• Send thank you cards with your headshot printed inside?
• Keep track of who you sent to, what you wrote, when you sent it and even be reminded to send your follow up?
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.
Free Seminar: Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper!
WHEN/WHERE: Monday April 20, 2009, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
at Pearl Studios at 500 8th Avenue, 4th Floor
COST: Free!
RSVP: To reserve your spot for the seminar, please e-mail jk@thesavvyactor.com
Should you not be able to attend the seminar, I would also be more than happy to set up a time to take you through this individually.
All the brilliant financial plans...
I must 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. Shawn and I have enjoyed a whirlwind holiday season, including a delicious seder with so many distractions that few realized we had read the Four Questions three times...bringing it to Twelve Questions, and little else. We also saw Watchmen. Cool Flick! You know who else would totally love it? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!) Shawn and I are wishing all of you the best during this season of renewal.
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!
Enjoy Yourself!
Doug
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