Happy Love, Presidents Day, and Chinese New Year season to all y'all. Let's all pick any President we love and take their picture to dinner in Chinatown, buy him candy and flowers, and tell him he's pretty and [did/is doing] a good job...then give the picture to a Groundhog.
But before you start Romancing the Rutherford or Gushing over Grover, pour yourself a saucy beverage and settle in for this monthly e-journey, and when we reach the e-conclusion, oh yes, there will be the usual 2 (by which I mean five) items of interest for FODs!
FODapalooza VII...Ten Years in New York City!
Join me for the seventh FODapalooza!
WHEN: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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. Gather, ye FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the seventh FODapalooza! This gathering at People will be to commemorate TEN YEARS as a performing artist in New York City and meeting all of you swell people. We'll have the upstairs lounge all to ourselves with the Wall of Rain, meat on a stick, delish-ish margermellon wadderidas (Translation: delicious Watermelon Margaritas), and excellent company. (The date is for all of you that begged me to switch from a Tuesday night for once.) 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. You know who I'm pretty sure will be there? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
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).
SNAPSHOTS
I just finished a wonderful run of SNAPSHOTS for Prospect Theater Company with seven "groups" of composers and lyricists. Each group wrote a piece centering on a character that has an effect on the central character (CC), whose life is the subject of the entire show. Each actor (with the exception of the actor playing CC) played one of these characters and then assorted others. It was all under the direction of Dev Bondarin, stage management of Naomi Anhorn, music directon of Dan Feyer (who, by the way, just won first place in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament before coming to play our Sunday night show), and lighting of Ryan Bauer.
Performers: David Andrew Anderson, Jennifer Blood, Maria Couch, Ali Ewoldt, Devin Ilaw, Doug Shapiro, Stacey Scotte, and Anthony Holds.
Composers and lyricists were Michele Brourman & Sheilah Rae, Adam Cohen & Patrick Gallagher, Oran Eldor & Marcus Stevens , Brian Feinstein & Amanda Yesnowitz, Timothy Huang, Adam Overett, and Katya Stanislavskaya.
2010 Composer-Librettist Studio
I've been asked back to work on the 2010 Composer-Librettist Studio for New Dramatists.
The New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio, presented in cooperation with Nautilus Music-Theater, is an intensive two-week program designed to provide an opportunity for five writers and five composers to work with professional performers (that's me!), exploring the possibilities and basic elements of music-theater. The studio focuses on the process of collaboration through a series of brief exploratory assignments for the writers and composers. The exercises are then sight-read by the performers (that's me!) in brief working sessions. The studio is co-directed by Ben Krywosz (Artistic Director of Nautilus Music-Theater) and music director Roger Ames. This experience was one of the highlights of my professional life and I can't wait to dive back in. Some of the creative sessions can be observed and there is an informal "presentation" of all the works at the end. The workshop will run from March 17-April 2, 2010.
By the way, guess who was also a professional performer for the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
CHAMBERET FOR EQUALITY!
The Chamberet returns, this time as a fundraiser for Marriage Equality New York! This coming June (exact date TBA), Jennifer Wren, Marissa Rosen, Karla Mosley, Michael Morgan, and I, along with Musical Director Paul Stephan, violinist Yury Shubov, and Director Ilana Becker, will bring the work of my FOD composers and lyricists to the masses. [Did you miss the last one? Go to YouTube and enter "The Chamberet" in the search engine or just Click Here for some of the bits a friend was able to get with his video camera.] I love my husband and value the commitment we made before the rabbi and our friends and family, so it's time to take action and raise some dough. Still in the planning stage. More details to come.
Service to my Savvy Clients...
Such clients I've got! In my side career as a career consultant with The Savvy Actor. (Founded by two fabulous actor/business mavens Jodie Bentley and Kevin Urban) I have been helping my savvy clients set up systems for themselves to treat their acting craft as a business through classes, coaching and seminars. (Yes, we coach by phone, too.) As a result, they're getting their Equity cards, booking Independent Films, taking the steps to responsibly leave their "survival jobs," and dancing across the United States. Interested in doing this work for yourself? Click this link to set up a free half-hour intro session with me. Let's get your career going too.
And speaking of getting your career going, my next webinar: Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! is coming up on Sunday, March 7 at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and you can be there from your own computer. Click this link to register for this webinar!
Alexandra de Suze!
Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze! All right, people. I've been yammering about this amazing woman in every e-newsletter since I started in 2007. It's time to see her in action. Alexandra de Suze will be in concert on March 17 (Yes. St. Patrick's Day. Drink later.) with fellow talented songstresses Amanda Baker (fellow Barnstormer and another one of the best people in my life) and Teresa Zugger presenting the work of Fabulous Female Composers and Lyricists (including FOD Sara Wordsworth). This concert is part of the Trios series for The Madison Avenue Baptist Church. I will be there, beaming in the pews. I just want to know what amazing earrings she'll be wearing.
WHEN: Wednesday March 17, 2010 at 7:00 pm
WHERE: The Madison Avenue Baptist Church
30 East 31st Street, New York, NY
COST: Suggested Donation of $10
Dougbytes
***Animator extraordinaire Ken Truhan has completed the animated storyboard and is now creating the animation 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!
***Holy Potato! I'm featured in the Alumni Spotlight for the January/February issue of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts Alumni Newsletter "Momentum."
***I recorded two roles for the new musical BRADLEY COLE, music by BoMi Lee and lyrics by Jason Young. I helped to workshop this musical for the NYU program for Graduate Music Theatre Writing. In April, I will be returning to the program to workshop "Cruise Musical."
***I will be attending "Meet the Coaches" night for Theatre Resources Unlimited as a coach with The Savvy Actor. The event is this coming Sunday, March 28, 2010 and will take place at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal between Bleecker and West 3rd St at Minetta Lane. It is produced by FOD Jaye Maynard and you'll never guess who is doing check-in at the door--Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
***For any actors auditioning for the 2010 season with The Barnstormers this coming Wednesday and Thursday at the Equity Principal Auditions in NYC, I will be a friendly face behind the audition table. Currently slated for the 2010 Summer Season: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Wait Until Dark, The Miser, Almost Maine, Room Service (early Barnstormers play- 1937- John Murray and Allen Boretz- very funny), The Ghost Train (Barnstormers Classic), Ernest In Love, and The Mystery of Irma Vep.
***My contract has been renewed and I will continue to be the voice of the lobster in the live production of Disney's FINDING NEMO: THE MUSICAL at Disney World in Florida. I'm also all over the cast album which you can purchase on iTunes. The Show was written and composed by FODs Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
***While you're on iTunes, you can subscribe (free) to "Creative Conversations." Jim Norman and Becky Trenton of The Norman Agency put out the wonderful podcast "Creative Conversations" in which they discuss how to create powerful radio commercial campaigns and I'm a featured VoiceOver talent on their podcast series. Tell your friends in the marketing, advertising, audio, and VoiceOver fields to sign on too!
***I continue to monitor casting sessions, train readers, and meet casting directors weekly at The Network. I said it before and I'll say it again, 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 have 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 a one-armed juggler-- but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need me to speak the spot, give face time for the photo, or sing the song, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Five) Items of Interest for FODs...
A Little Lovin' from me to you...
I authored an article for the Savvy Actor newsletter this month on reigniting your passion by valuing yourself. I talk about this by using the example of my favorite actor, Stockard Channing, in the article titled Finding Your Inner Stockard.
There. Thou has been coached.
The Savvy Actor Career Manual...
It's here! The founders of The Savvy Actor, Jodie Bentley and Kevin Urban, have created the ultimate manual to help actors become savvy business people. The Savvy Actor Career Manual goes beyond career books to give you a step-by-step guide to every element the professional actor needs to turn talent and training into a successful career. There are over 140 pages of advice, guidance and worksheets including: Define Your Career Vision, Discover Your Unique Brand, Create Marketing Strategies, Design Your Support System, Manage Your Finances, Customize Organizational Systems, Ace the Agent Interview and more. I love the work we do and am so excited about this tool to enhance the work we do one-on-one and in our classes, or as a tool for actors who are outside of the major acting markets. Parents of actors who are nervous about how their kid is going to make a living? Get the book! Okay, you click this link to purchase the The Savvy Actor Career Manual, and I'll go get a glass of water to cool off.
A podcast I'm loving...
Girl Power! Towanda! The website HowStuffWorks.com puts out some amazing podcasts and right now I'm into Stuff Mom Never Told You. Every week, staff writers Cristen Conger and Molly Edmonds cover issues pertaining to women from "How do male and female brains differ?" to the controversial history of lipstick. A great podcast for women and the men who love them.
Audiobook Class with Paul Liberti!
Paul is a phenomenal voice actor and teacher and his next five-week class on narrating Audio Books begins on Friday February 26, 2010. Sign up to take Paul Liberti's Audio Books Master Class!
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 were invited to the home of our friend Sarah Melissa Rotker for the penultimate Jewish meal, complete with brisket, pomegranate apple kugel, and kasha varnishkas that made me teary with nostalgia. Dessert was what she called the "Diabetes Express" with graham cracker pie crust, a layer of chocolate chip cookie, a layer of double fudge brownie, a layer of Funfetti cake, and of course frosting and sprinkles. Want the recipe? e-mail Sarah at sarahmelissarotker@gmail.com
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 Shapiro
Fearless Mensch
(917) 929-0998
www.dougshapiro.com
doug@dougshapiro.com
A Career Coach with The Savvy Actor!
The Savvy Actor Career Manual
The Most Comprehensive Actor's Business Guide Ever.
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