It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…CHARACTER MAN! I didn’t quite make it into my own Marvel Comics superhero uniform (though YOU can…Curious? Read on, you tempted thing), but I have been making things happen in movies, shows, and religious institutions. Make sure to check out the details for the upcoming Chamberet and why we should all be grateful that Mary Feinsinger was put on this earth.
So, bring your waterproof laptop into either of your home Jacuzzis and relax into this e-journey until we reach the e-conclusion with the usual 2 (by which I mean 3) items of interest for FODs!
(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.)
Making neighborhoods safe…from people who weren’t doing anything wrong
In the short film THE CYCLE, I played Officer DeLuca, who is called on the scene in response to a lost bicycle and ends up aggravating tensions between residents of Bedford Stuyvesant by insinuating that some local tenement youths are hiding drugs. THE CYCLE is produced by Mundo Loco Films, directed by Roy Clovis, with Jacob Pinger as Director of Photography. Fellow actors in the scene included James Holloway, Jaymes Jorsling, Tomike Ogugua, Sheila Tapia, Phyllis Johnson, Benja K. Thomas, Tanesha Gary, Dracyn Blount, and Lynda Gravatt.
Okay, how I landed this gig ties into a few things I mention in these newsletters regarding building relationships with industry professionals: The Network and targeted mailings. The Network is an organization that puts actors in front of agents, casting directors, and other industry folk. So, I was working as a monitor for Diversity Fest, in which three casting directors meet 30 artists of color in three hours. Liz Ortiz-Mackes of Casting Solutions had finished up early and we had a chance to talk. Now, I hadn't actually seen Liz since an audition for her in 2003, but I had kept the relationship going through postcards and invitations to shows and when I saw her, she knew who I was. Liz is one of the nicest casting directors in the business and is committed to helping actors stretch themselves.
So, Diversity Fest was on Saturday.
Sunday I get a call from her that Officer DeLuca had to drop out of the film, which was shooting the next day, and why shouldn't he be a Jewish guy?
Monday and Tuesday I shoot the film with an incredible creative team and cast (in a role which was a stretch from my usual comic fare).
Side note--Liz and I bonded over Joe--The Art Of Coffee.
Additional side note--garnering information from actual police officers can be interesting. "Here's what I do all day. [sits in chair]," "If you really want to know what it's like, go through training for a year [he smolders. he turns. he walks away.]"
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor crowded elevators...
I returned to 30 Rock, this time as one of the guys from the mailroom. 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 us (I'm in the foreground, loaded up with too many packages) and Tracy (Tracy Morgan). It's the season premiere and is absolutely hysterical. Thanks to Barbara McNamara Casting!
The Plagued Voice I Hear? That's Andy, Yanking the Greenbrier Ghost through The Iron Curtain...
What on earth does that header mean? It means I'm involved in a wonderful variety of new musicals!
***I recorded a demo of "The Voice I Hear" for composer/lyricist Stephen Burns. The song is from the point of view of Joan of Arc (there I go again, typecast as a 14-year old girl warrior) as she tries to explain her relationship with the voice that is her constant companion. Beautiful stuff. A huge Thank You to Howard Levitsky for his music direction (oh, he plays beautifully and knows how to speak "singer") and for recommending me for the gig. Just so you know, not only does Howard music direct, and tickle the ivories, he's a composer too.
***YANK! is a love song to Hollywood's "it takes one of every kind" platoon flicks and to 1940s Broadway. Suffused with songs (swing, big band, boogie-woogie) it explores what stories get told in wartime, and how WWII became the great catalyst in bringing gay men and women together. I played a crowd, as usual, from military brass to radio announcers to a typist with a Gone With the Wind obsession. We performed the reading at The York Theatre on September 21st in preparation for a potential six-week run there early next year (tell your producer pals!). YANK! is written by David Zellnik, composed by Joe Zellnik, directed by Igor Goldin and staged managed by Kathleen Munroe. The cast included Nancy Anderson, Michael Andrew Baker, Chris Carfizzi, Trey Compton, Todd Faulkner, Chris Gunn, Ivan Hernandez, Noah Racey, me, Michah Shepard, and Daniel Shevlin.
***Next up, I'll be returning to The York Theatre on October 5 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 will be reprising 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 will be directed by Clayton Phillips and stage managed by Elliot Lanes. The cast will include 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. The show has been selected for presentation in mid-October at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Musicals, which is a huge honor. This will be my third time playing multiple characters for this show. (Kudos also to the creative team of It Shoulda Been You: Composer Barbara Anselmi and Writer Brian Hargrove, with additional lyrics by Jill Abramovitz, Carla Rose Arnone, Ernie Lijoi, Will Randall and Michael Cooper. I recently worked on an incarnation of this wonderful musical which was also selected for presentation at the festival.)
***In late October, I will be heading up to The Wilton Playshop in Connecticut to do 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.
***In early November, I will be in a reading of Nicholas T. Moore's Plagued! Or How to Survive Persecution at the Hands of an Angry Mob as a part of the dark night reading series for Resonance Ensemble. I don't know much about the show yet, but I do know that I'll be working with FODs Michael Anthony Pesce, Jr. and Carol Hickey. There's time. I'll have more details in the next e-newsletter.
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!)
Giving a helping hand...
Thank you for helping make the world a better place, my dear FODs! On Sunday, September 13, 2009, the Greater New York city Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure held its 19th annual 5K run/walk--the Komen New York City Race for the Cure--its premier fundraiser. As of this writing, I raised $1,923 and our team for The Savvy Actor raised $11,236 towards breast cancer research. I walked in honor of my dear friend Melinda Puglisi, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2005 and my mother-in-law Evelyn Cowls and friend Jodie Bentley who are survivors. I also created an iron-on and wore the names of those for whom all of you asked me to walk. (If you donated, and I did not send a thank-you card, please let me know so I can correct the error!) I am truly humbled with gratitude by all of your generosity and support. Thank you.
For a few years now, I have had the best volunteer job in the world. Every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Jill Burk and I were the voices of New York Times for InTouch Radio reading news and periodicals for the visually impaired over the air. I regret to say that as of September 30, 2009, the Jewish Guild for the Blind will no longer be funding In Touch. The Guild has agreed that if we can find the money they will step aside, allow us to bring in our own board Of Directors, and turn over the assets of In Touch to new management. These assets include all equipment, our name, and the history of the organization. The Guild has also agreed that if we cannot find the assets prior to September 30th and the service is forced to shut down, that they will keep the studio intact for a period of 3 months while we try to fundraise. We need to raise no less than $250,000. That is only 3/4 of the yearly budget but enough to get us started. Obviously, this does not need to come from a single donor. A donation of any amount would be great. Given the amount of time we have to raise the money, it is best to try to find individual "Angels" who have the ability to write a check rather than go through layers of corporate or foundation decisions. If anyone in your life is blind, dyslexic, or too weak to read for themselves, please contact Gail Starkey at gjstarr@gmail.com with any ideas or monetary pledges.
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! Once there, click on "dancer" in the "Donate Now!" section and search "Annie Shapiro". Please remember 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.)
Come to the Chamberet!
Choir director Paul Stephan of The Madison Avenue Baptist Church has requested that each member of our sextet team up with two outside singers to perform a night of music in the fall. 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 into the world. Please join us as we sing an evening of original works written for us (or that would work for us) by some of our favorite composers and lyricists. It will take place in the church sanctuary and will be a sort of a chamber concert meets 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: Donations at the door are appreciated. Not you should worry--we're performing in the sanctuary, so there won't be a 2-drink minimum.
Savvy Doug
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 Sunday, October 4 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 Sunday October 4 from 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time from the comfort of your own computer.
Why Mary Feinsinger makes the New Year bright
I am in my second year of singing High Holy Day services with The Park Avenue Synagogue. Piles of music to learn. Who can save me? MARY FEINSINGER! She cantors! She composes wonderful music! She is an amazing voice teacher! She teaches sight-singing! She has a new hip! But most of all, she is a mensch. As a favor to me and in the spirit of the Jewish New Year, she worked with me for several hours last year and this year to get nearly all of the songs on tape so I could practice. So, I say unto you: reach out to Mary Feinsinger at bitterpearl@nyc.rr.com for all of your musical needs. You will adore her as I do.
Dougbytes
***Animator extraordinaire Ken Truhan is still hard at work on 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 on both YouTube and Facebook. Please log on to the YouTube site, give it a rating, and share with your friends!
***I had a blast working with Jim Norman and Becky Trenton of The Norman Agency on one of their Creative Conversations podcasts. Jim and Becky talk very effectively about how to create powerful radio commercials and were 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." They flew down from Toronto for a couple of days and we had a great discussion about how their clients can most effectively work with voice actors. (I also introduced them to pork soup dumplings at Grand Sichuan, Tea for 2 at Tea and Sympathy, deep-fried Mars Bars at A Salt and Battery, and New York City's best-kept secret burger at Burger Joint.) Stay tuned for further updates on these podcasts!
***I will be traveling down to Shenandoah University in early October to join 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 will be my first time as a representative of The Savvy Actor.
***I did a quick coaching for a music theatre audition with Ari Rossen. Very good! I recommend him!
***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.)
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as jar of high-fructose corn syrup in a Halloween Candy factory-- but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a guy who can voice your creepy commercial or croon your creepy tune, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Three) 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 totally smart. Might as well know everything.
I recently had a great website recommended to me: HowStuffWorks.com, where you can find out a little bit about everything. They also have some excellent podcasts, my favorite ones being "Fact or Fiction?:Stuff You Missed in History Class" and "Stuff You Should Know."
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. We were blown out of the water by the wonderfully versatile Joelle Lurie in her one-woman show at The Metropolitan Room and on October 10-11, 2009 we will be joining the National Equality March in Washington D.C. to fight for Marriage Equality. When Congress sees that I've got the forces of my FODs behind me, they're going to scramble back into the Capitol building and I anticipate we should have Federal marriage rights by Hanukkah.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, have a blessed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
Enjoy Yourself!
Doug Shapiro
Fearless Mensch
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