Hello my dear FODs (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Greetings from the set of Boardwalk Empire! And speaking of the 1920's, All Hail Cole Porter! Not only is it his (and my) birthday month, but in honor of it, It's Too Darn Hot. But, hey, It's Just One of Those Things, and I Happen to Like New York, so Between You and Me, Let's Do It. Pour yourself that mint julep and Let's Begin this e-journey together, and when we reach the e-conclusion, oh yes, there will be the usual 2 (by which I mean four) items of interest for FODs, because I Get a Kick Out of You!
(And if you're not interested in my monthly e-mail lovin', just let me know. I'll take you off
my e-mail lovin' list and accept that It Was Just One of Those Things.
FODapalooza XI!..Birthday and Burnett!
Join Shawn and me for the eleventh FODapalooza! It's also my birthday and we'll be helping out comic icon Carol Burnett. Read on for details...
WHEN: Thursday June 30, 2011
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
WHERE: People, in the Loft upstairs
163 Allen Street, New York, NY
COST: No cover, cash bar, donations gratefully accepted for the Salk Institute in Memory of Carrie Hamilton (Carol Burnett's daughter)
RSVP: Requested, but not required.
Gather, ye FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your brethren at the eleventh FODapalooza! This gathering at People is to celebrate the incredible blessing to have all of you swell people in my world. 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. 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. Not only is it my birthday, but also the wedding anniversary of Jeff Bratcher and Alexandra de Suze!
(Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
No birthday presents, please, but donations will be gratefully accepted for the Salk Institute in Memory of Carrie Hamilton (Carol Burnett's daughter). This great idea comes from FOD Claire Moed: The Carol Burnett Fun and Joy Dinner Party For Artists and Other Miserable Artists. More information on this idea can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
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).
The Return to The Public Theatre
I've just finished my second gig with The Public Theatre in Maine, having appeared in Three Little Pigs last fall. The show is BEAU JEST (by James Sherman), and I finally got to play the skeptical, divorced, psychologist brother Joel. Even better, I had the chance to add some extraordinary actors and friends to the FOD Family. Not only was this group of professionals dedicated and curious on stage, it was also one that cooked for each other, put away dishes in the drainboard, and openly provided resources for one another. Heck, we even made ice cream sundaes together! May you all have the chance to work with the excellent staff at The Public Theatre (Artistic Director Christopher Schario, Carol Ham, Jennifer Madigan), director (and co-Artistic Director) Janet Mitchko, actors Damon Bonetti, Sarah Corey, Marina Re, Bill Van Horn, & Brian White, Shawn Durbin as your Assistant Director, Kathleen P. Brown (Costume Design), Amber Callahan (Technical Director), Bert Garvey (Lighting Design), Lisa Bragdon (Props) and crew Sophia Gamache, Katelyn Roy, and Sam Corey. You can see some pictures of this production at the new dougshapiro.com!
Teaching a class with one of my best pals...
Live and in-person! High-Ranking FOD Brett Barry and I will be presenting From Start to Finish: Do-It-Yourself VoiceOver from Home I'm bringing the branding and marketing know-how and Brett is bringing the equipment expertise.
WHEN: Tuesday June 7, 2011
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
WHERE: Paul Michael's The Network
242 West 36th Street, New York, NY, 3rd Floor
COST: $30 online, $40 at the door
Here's the shpiel:
It starts with branding and ends with a recording from your home studio.
Didn’t think you had to Brand yourself for VoiceOver work? Think again!
Like any field you MUST know your specific niche - the difference here is how your voice is perceived. And now with the current trend of the market, having your own studio is becoming a must as well.
Join Savvy Coach Doug Shapiro and Brett Barry, both working VoiceOver Actors, as they delve deep into the toolbox of a VoiceOver actor and how to use those tools to make yourself stand out in this competitive field as well as how to set up your VoiceOver studio for maximum effect!
You’ll learn:
• Branding techniques specifically for VoiceOver
• Networking strategies to build your client base
• Advantages to recording at home (it's the way the industry is going!)
• How to create the ideal acoustic space
• The ins-and-outs of building your Digital Audio Workstation
One participant will actually record a session and the group will be taken through the process of formatting an audition-ready file!
Brett Barry is a VoiceOver performer of many national commercials, promos, and audiobook narration (including the "For Dummies" series). With his wife Rebecca, he runs Silver Hollow Audio, a professional broadcast studio, out of their home in Chichester, NY. He has been a speaker on this topic to an audience of AFTRA members and he teaches production and performance classes at SUNY.
Doug Shapiro is a career coach with the Savvy Actor and has voiced national commercials as well as multiple characters for video games and Disney.
Cavorting with Composers and Whisking about with Wordsmiths...
My FOD Composers and Wordsmiths continue to bring amazing things into the world and I get to be their vehicle! Here's the latest news:
LONELY RHYMES: The Music of Pete Mills
Who can write an hilarious song about the color-coded threat levels from the Bush Era? Pete Mills. About cell phones breaking up? Pete Mills. About an amorous triangle, complete with delicious geometric puns? Pete Mills, and I got to sing that last one. I had my debut at The Laurie Beechman, people, singing the works of one of the fiercest composer/lyricists on the scene: (say it with me now...) Pete Mills! LONELY RHYMES is his contemporary music song cycle and it was performed as a fundraiser for the Prospect Theater Company. Directed by Cara Reichel and Stage Managed by Kat West with fellow performers Jason Collins, Victoria Huston-Elem, Jaygee Macapugay, Liz Power, Robby Sharpe, Lucy Sorenson and Max Spitulnik. The band included Pete Mills, along with Dennis Michael Keefe and John Herin. Not only was there a full-house and a great deal of talent, but the whole thing was live-tweeted by two of the cast members as well as Alexandra de Suze!
(Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
Sundays at Tiffany's
I sang the role of a tough dispatcher of guardian angels in a song demo of "The Girl's in Trouble" from the musical Sundays at Tiffany's, music by Fred Thaler, Lyrics by Susan DiLallo (one of my all-time faves), and based on the novel by James Patterson. I was joined in the recording booth at Macrose Music by the very talented Darcy Yellin.
Coaching with Clients...
Such clients I've got! In my side career as a career consultant with The Savvy Actor, founded by the 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.) Recently, my clients have signed with managers, booked off-broadway shows, earned their union cards, and got things DONE. Interested in doing this work for yourself? Click this link to set up a free half-hour intro session with me. I also recommend our amazing book The Savvy Actor Career Manual. Let's get your career going too!
And I'm teaching too! Remember what you read a few paragraphs ago when your mint julep was 3/4 full? Brett Barry and I are still teaching From Start to Finish: Do-It-Yourself VoiceOver From Home on June 7. I'll also be teaching my usual section in the Crash Course MBA Weekend on June 4th and 5th about Enriching Your Support System. Oh, and if you're interested in the Weekend, e-mail me. I know a guy that can get you a FOD discount. ;-)
And speaking of getting your career going, my next webinar: Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! is coming up on Sunday, June 26th at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and you can be there from your own computer. Now I can even show you how to add video to your card. That's right, add a scanable QR code that links to your demo video which you can then send to Industry folk. Click this link to register for this webinar!
Dougbytes
***I returned to the set of Boardwalk Empire as a member of Mickey Doyle's gang. What have I already done as a dangerous gang member on this show? Well last time I MOVED BOXES. But I promise I did so in a really evil manner. This time? I smoked and drank in a Speakeasy. Ain't I just so unsavory?
***VEGUCATED is going to have its first public sneak peek screenings this summer at various vegetarian/animal protection conferences. Marisa Miller Wolfson produced this guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it’s all about. I provided a fun game show host voice for a section that takes place in the supermarket.
***I'm entering the world of Audio Books! Starting with Paul Ruben's Audio Book Narration Class. It's a delicious 6-week course and I'm having a great time learning the tools to this next step in my VoiceOver career. It's a very talented group of people: Denise Ashlynd, Drew Davidson, George Kuch, Suzanne Landgren, Ilka Panera, Ira Rosenberg, Cecilia Vanti, Christine Verleny, and me with expert engineering by Barbara Vlahides. I really want to list some of the great things I'm learning here, but the best place to read about them is at Paul Ruben's excellent blog.
***I continue to sing Sunday mornings at The Madison Avenue Baptist Church with choir director Paul Stephan, singers Erika Buchholz, 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 and Leslie Jackson. The sermons are podcast! (The choir is not.) On June 12th, I'll be soloing on Twila Paris's "When You Speak to Me" and on June 26th (Gay Pride Sunday) I'll be duetting on Sandi Patty's "More Than Wonderful."
Please Don't Panic! I'm busier than a woodpecker in a lumber yard-- 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 Four) Items of Interest for FODs...
You deserve a little Lovin' from me to you...
In this new world of 140-character dashed-off responses, we tend to forget that we're all on this Earth struggling to really relate to each other, to be truly emotionally felt by one another. We need to remember to be human, which is what inspired me to write the article Being Human for the Savvy Actor Newsletter, based on my great experience with actor Cheryl McMahon. While you're at it, check out my subsequent article The Five Stages of Your Audition.
There. Thou hast been coached.
You deserve to listen to a great book...
This one's for everyone. If you enjoy books about nature narrated by an expert reader, you want to check out the Silver Hollow Audio titles The Outermost House by Henry Beston, and Autumnal Tints by Henry David Thoreau. Both works are narrated by Brett Barry and will take you out of your daily grind and into a place of gratitude for the mighty works of nature. (You know who is in serious competition with Brett Barry for most mentions in this newsletter? Alexandra de Suze! Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
You deserve a FUN/RAISER...
Remember the Carol Burnett event that I mentioned in the FODapalooza XI when you were still on your first mint julep? Well, the lovely and talented Claire Moed came up with an idea because she, like me, adores Carol Burnett. Claire piloted this project as a tribute for everything she's gotten from watching her show and singing along with the soundtrack Once Upon A Mattress.
Because Carol Burnett's daughter Carrie Hamilton died of cancer, Ms. Burnett is a staunch supporter of cancer research, in particular, the Salk Institute in California. So, Claire came up with an endless dinner party and game that would FUN/RAISE for cancer while giving the rest of us artsy folk a break from our multi-layered lives. It's called the Carol Burnett Fun and Joy Dinner Party For Artists and Other Miserable Artists.
Here's how it is goes! (Please note that we're not doing this at FODapalooza XI, we're just raising funds, but you should definitely do this.)
1. Bring something to eat for six people. Anything easy to heat up or to nibble. Or bring a bottle of wine or anything you might like to drink.
2. Bring a check made out to the Salk Institute in memory of Carrie Hamilton IN THE AMOUNT OF THE LAST TAKE-OUT OR EAT-OUT MEAL YOU HAD.
3. Now here's where we artsy folk get to play: While gathered around the dinner table, everyone throws words into a bowl, such as:
Carol Burnett
Fun and Joy
Miserable Artist
Dinner
or Claire's favorite: Support Group For Cats of Writer
4. Each person would then pull a word and be given 10 minutes to write or draw/create something starting with/ based on that word.
5. Each work will then be posted on a new blog called - yep -the Carol Burnett Fun and Joy Dinner Party For Artists and Other Miserable Artists.
6. Now, here's the endless part of the dinner. Would you then go back to your home and friends and have your own Carol Burnett Fun and Joy Dinner Party For Artists and Other Miserable Artists ? Can you imagine what this could grow into if each one of us invited our friends to raise money for cancer while having fun and making new work and then our friends invited their friends and their friends invited their friends? A bunch of money honoring Carrie Hamilton and lots of wonderful new work on the blog.
Start this on your own and look forward to food and fun!
You deserve financial guidance...
Of course I must brag on my husband. After eighteen years as an actuary, Shawn brought his industry savvy to the people side of the business seven 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 went down to Princeton University for their Reunions weekend. We were also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the organization he founded, Fund for Reunion/Princeton BTGALA, which is devoted to improving the quality of life for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people at Princeton University and to strengthening their ties as alumni with each other and with the University. Over the past 25 years, the organization has funded three post-doctorate positions at Princeton in Gay and Lesbian studies (the first of its kind), created networking opportunities all over the globe, and inspired alumni at other schools to form their own organizations. Needless to say, I'm incredibly proud to be married to this guy.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, sing some Cole Porter songs in honor of his birthday on June 9th, and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
Enjoy Yourself!
Doug
Friday, June 3, 2011
March/April 2011 Update with Doug!
Hello my dear FODs (Friends/Family of Doug)!
Cancel that therapy session! Stop drunk-dialing your pastor! Walk sloooooooowly back from the ledge, because your newsletter has returned. Spring's almost here and great things are yet to come, so pour yourself a citrusy Zima and settle in for this semi-regular e-journey, and when we reach the e-conclusion, oh yes, there will be the usual 2 (by which I mean four) items of interest for FODs!
The Very First Ever FODapalooza West!..
Doug and Shawn are hitting the West Coast and we're bringing FODapalooza!!
WHEN: Sunday, March 20, 2011
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
WHERE: Jones
7205 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046
COST: No cover, cash bar.
RSVP: Not required, but I'd love to know you're coming.
Gather, ye FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your West Coast brethren at the ninth FODapalooza! This gathering at Jones will coincide with The Savvy Actor Crash Course MBA Weekend, for which I'll be facilitating the "Enriching Your Support System" section. So, I get the incredible blessing to have all of you swell people that I haven't seen in years along with my new friends from the weekend seminar all in one place. By the way, the first person who responded to my Facebook event about this happens to be a straight, single male friend from High School who is a massage therapist. Just sayin'.
The Brand-New dougshapiro.com has gone live!...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to the brand-spanking-new dougshapiro.com! It's been updated to reflect my brand of "Fearless Mensch," so drink in the new color scheme, relish the new photos and cruise gleefully through media and VoiceOver clips. You will be inspired to call anyone who hires actors or career coaches and insist they partake in my Fearless Menschiness. This new website was created by the handsome and talented Stephen Mitchell Brown of Money Note Designs. Hire him to design your performer website and then hire him again for your music theatre needs because he's a wonderful singer too.
Makin' Movies...
The Cycle
I'm kvelling up a storm! The short film The Cycle, in which I played a diplomacy-deficient police officer last fall, just finished its run on HBO and continues to rack up the awards, most recently BEST DIASPORA SHORT FILM at the 2011 Africa Movie Awards. (Note: the word "kvelling" is not used anywhere in the film.) Based on actual events, The Cycle takes place in the modern-day Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and brings the fallout from an ongoing gentrification process to life through the stealing of a little girl's bicycle. The movie is written and directed by Roy Clovis, produced by Mundo Loco Films and cast by Liz Ortiz-Mackes of Casting Solutions. The cast includes Randy Baisden, Dracyn Blount, Corinne Bobb-Semple, Tanesha Gary, Lynda Gravatt, James Holloway, Sharon Hope, Dennis Johnson, Phyllis Johnson, Royce Johnson, Justin Jones, Jaymes Jorsling, Leopold Lowe, Christine Renee Miller, Tomike Ogugua, Surfin Percy, Sheila Tapia, Benja K. Thomas, and me (as Officer DeLuca).
The Egg Timer
I've been cast as the male lead in the 3-minute movie musical THE EGG TIMER, in which a couple struggles to define their relationship in the time it takes to properly cook an egg. I was invited into this gloriousness by the talented brothers David Rigano and Paul Rigano who composed and wrote the piece. Fellow cast members will include Erin Cronican, Christina Cervenka, Lisa Hufnagel, Jacob McGlaun, Brandon Peker, and the delicious Jennifer Wren!
Adventures in VoiceOver
Stewart Talent
As of the beginning of this year, I'm now working with Stewart Talent for VoiceOver and On-Camera Commercials. They're great. I'm thrilled.
Rockstar Games
So, if you're walking by a game console and you hear someone screaming for ammunition to fend off the zombies, that's me. Rockstar Games has come out with RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMARE and I had a great time voicing it. The story of how I booked the gig through a mastermind group, LinkedIn, and a one-on-one informational meeting with a generous soul is now a part of The Savvy Actor Crash Course MBA Weekend.
Irrational Public Radio
Whoa, boy, am I excited about this one. One of my most bestest pals from my Syracuse University days is the very talented Joe Smith. In addition to his excellent commercial career, Joe is the talent behind Irrational Public Radio, a brilliant sendup of National Public Radio. Download this podcast on iTunes. Really. Do it now. I'll wait....
.....
...Welcome back. Make sure to listen to future episodes because when I'm out in California this month, I'm joining the cast.
The Return to The Public Theatre
In Late April, I'll be returning to The Public Theatre in Maine, having appeared in Three Little Pigs last fall. The show is BEAU JEST (by James Sherman), and I've been wanting to play the skeptical, divorced, psychologist brother Joel for ages. Even better, I'm going there with three friends from completely different parts of my life and they're playing my family. Marina Re as my mother Miriam (we're friends from my Boston actor days), Bill Van Horn as my father Abe (from The Theater at Monmouth in Maine and Theatre Three on Long Island), and Sarah Corey as my sister Sarah (from Prospect Theater Company and New Dramatists' Composer-Librettist Studio here in NYC). My actor family becomes my stage family.
Plan your trip to Maine. Here's the info:
WHEN: May 6-15, 2011
See The Public Theatre website for specific times.
WHERE: The Public Theatre
31 Maple Street, Lewiston, ME, 04240
COST: $18, $16 for students and seniors.
TICKETS: Call the Box Office at (207) 782-3200.
Cavorting with Composers and Whisking about with Wordsmiths...
My FOD Composers and Wordsmiths continue to bring amazing things into the world and I get to be their vehicle! Here's the latest:
Exodus Code: Advice to Wanderers
Oy! Such a reading with music we had! You've heard of A Bintel Brief, nu? The advice column started in the early 1900s in the Yiddish newspaper The Forward. So that nice girl, Lynn Thompson of America-in-Play, she makes a few calls and oy, such nice writers she gets! That Susan Tenneriello and the Andrea Lepcio and such music by that nice boy Rob Hartmann! I was kvelling! Bursting with pride, I tell you. And the actors? Nu, such a talented bunch. Shane Baker, so funny I plotzed. Daniel Maté, so good with the guitar and voices. Jonna McElrath, a speaking voice like velvet. Yelena Shmulenson, she sings like an angel. Me? With the Jewishness, the multiple characters and accents and the singing, a good time I'm having too. Add Shane Breaux and Leah Miles to the production staff, an accordian player named Michael, and put it in the Tenement Museum? A glorious kosher event for the whole mishpocha.
Coaching with Clients...
Such clients I've got! In my side career as a career consultant with The Savvy Actor, founded by the 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.) Recently, my clients have signed with managers, booked off-broadway shows, earned their union cards, and got things DONE. Interested in doing this work for yourself? Click this link to set up a free half-hour intro session with me. I also recommend our amazing book The Savvy Actor Career Manual. Let's get your career going too!
And, for my West Coast pals, think about this: an intensive weekend on the 19th and 20th to inspire your inner business owner, your good pal Doug teaching a technique to enrich your support system, and then we head over to Jones bar to start enriching your support system with your fellow classmates and warm-hearted FODs! Click the pretty link...click the shiny link...Crash Course MBA Weekend. Oh, and if you're interested, e-mail me. I know a guy that can get you a FOD discount. ;-)
And speaking of getting your career going, my next webinar: Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! is coming up on Sunday, March 27th at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and you can be there from your own computer. Click this link to register for this webinar!
Dougbytes
***I worked another day as The Mailroom Guy on 30 Rock! So, why wasn't this the first item in the e-mail? Because after I was in holding for 8 hours, the powers that be decided that Sherri Shepherd and the guy playing her assistant could handle the scene on their own. (As the fantastic props lady said when it happened, "Hey, the checks don't bounce.") But the best thing about it was that I had the time to interview some of my fellow actors and then write an article for The Savvy Actor. It's called The Liquid Network and I hereby share it with you.
***Liz Ortiz-Mackes of Casting Solutions brought me in to speak on a panel about the business of The Business for her students at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Fellow panel members included Molly Kramer Meador of Theatreworks USA, Margaret Emory of Dulcina Eisen, and David Bellantoni of Beth Melsky Casting. This coming Saturday, I'll be an audition reader for a movie Liz is casting, CAN'T DANCE.
***I'm keeping my technique sharp with three phenomenal teachers. I've been studying voice with the amazing Jeff Halpern, gaining confidence on higher notes and tackling songs I've always wanted to sing.
Joan Bogden has been coaching me on VoiceOver and most recently on the "fair balance" read you hear in pharmaceutical commercials when they list all the symptoms you could get. Such a fine line to walk, so much fun.
I've also been taking Patricia Angelin's class in ALBA technique, learning to induce real emotion and then "step out" of it in order to stretch my emotional range as an actor. The work is tough to describe and requires a long commitment, and I can't recommend it 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, 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 Erika Buchholz, 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 and Leslie Jackson. The sermons are podcast! (The choir is not.) Recently, I got to return to the days of my Senior Honors Thesis at Syracuse University (Duke Ellington's influence in Music Theatre) and sing Duke Ellington's Come Sunday and What Color is Virtue? in honor of Black History Month.
Please Don't Panic! I'm busier than a wetnap at a rib eating contest-- 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. (Thanks, Jordan Yanco, for the wetnap idea.)
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Four) Items of Interest for FODs...
You deserve a little Lovin' from me to you...
Small steps are the key to beginning daunting tasks. Is your workspace too cluttered? Start by putting away two items and call it done each day. Looking to cut out dessert? Throw out the first bite every time for a week. Terrified of dating again? Take your lunch and sit in a public place to begin putting yourself amongst people. I learned this concept from Dr. Robert Maurer's book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. The key is to make the initial step small enough so that it's a snap to accomplish. Once your brain is reprogrammed to let go of the flight response, you can increase your tasks by small increments until your goal is achieved.
There. Thou has been coached.
You deserve quick turn-around for your music needs...
FOD Mat Eisenstein has had many great successes lately, such as being the Associate Conductor of the Broadway companies of PROMISES PROMISES and ELF. Well, Mat has developed a great side career of creating MP3 TRACKS for actors or anyone who needs a recording of a song from sheet music. You send him the PDF- he sends you back a melody and accompaniment track the SAME DAY! (Usually within a couple of hours). Many of his clients have found this service helpful for those last minute sides you are expected to digest overnight and/or wanting to have digital versions of all your audition songs! His fee ranges between $10-$20 a song. (Depends on how many pages, etc.) Feel free to email him at vocalcoachmat@hotmail.com for any questions or to get started on a track. This service is in addition to Mat's vocal coaching schedule, transpositions, and transcriptions that he does on a regular basis. He also arranges excellent (but easy to sight read) piano parts for your POP/ROCK song so that it sounds awesome and real on the piano for your audition!
You up-towners deserve a chance to make music near home...
I have news about Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!). Fresh off her victory with the Composer-Librettist Studio with New Dramatists, she is hosting No Name Presents: The Uptown Cabaret at the Indian Road Cafe. Ye northern composers, lyricists and singers who have built your igloos in the area where the A train ends, there is now a home for you to bring your music theatre selections old and new. Enjoy, and buy Alex a car bomb, why don'tcha? The cabaret is usually the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm, but this month, it's March 10th, so as not to mess with St. Patrick's Day.
You deserve financial guidance...
Of course I must brag on my husband. 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.
But wait! There's MORE! Shawn will have a table for his Financial Advisory practice at the 18th Original GLBT Expo on Saturday March 13 and Sunday March 14 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center (38th and 11th Avenues). I'll be working the table with him so he's free to talk with the people. Come by and say hello! And here's a Savvy tip: before you come, print out labels with your name, address, e-mail, and phone number so when you're signing up for all the raffles and giveaways at each booth, you don't have to write it all out a zillion times. The website link for the Expo has a downloadable coupon for $5.00 off admission.
Life is good here. My brother Phil generously donated some office chairs from his Wall Street office for our new Savvy Actor office in Midtown. All we had to do was move them from from Wall Street to Midtown...without a truck. Well, office chairs roll, so Savvy Actor co-founder Kevin Urban, fellow Barnstormer Kathleen Fiorito, and I rolled six chairs out of the office, down the service elevator, through the Wall Street area, through the subway system, out onto the street near Macy*s, and up into the Savvy offices. A great New York City adventure, and the chairs are just right. By the way, tax time is so very soon, and my brother Phil Rosenberg has an office chocked full of great CPA's (himself included) so get your receipts together and proceed to the website for Rosenberg & Manente, PLLC. The website music is the icing on the cake.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, hug a woman (it is Womens' History Month after all), and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
Enjoy Yourself!
Doug
Cancel that therapy session! Stop drunk-dialing your pastor! Walk sloooooooowly back from the ledge, because your newsletter has returned. Spring's almost here and great things are yet to come, so pour yourself a citrusy Zima and settle in for this semi-regular e-journey, and when we reach the e-conclusion, oh yes, there will be the usual 2 (by which I mean four) items of interest for FODs!
The Very First Ever FODapalooza West!..
Doug and Shawn are hitting the West Coast and we're bringing FODapalooza!!
WHEN: Sunday, March 20, 2011
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
WHERE: Jones
7205 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046
COST: No cover, cash bar.
RSVP: Not required, but I'd love to know you're coming.
Gather, ye FOD's (Friends/Family of Doug), and meet your West Coast brethren at the ninth FODapalooza! This gathering at Jones will coincide with The Savvy Actor Crash Course MBA Weekend, for which I'll be facilitating the "Enriching Your Support System" section. So, I get the incredible blessing to have all of you swell people that I haven't seen in years along with my new friends from the weekend seminar all in one place. By the way, the first person who responded to my Facebook event about this happens to be a straight, single male friend from High School who is a massage therapist. Just sayin'.
The Brand-New dougshapiro.com has gone live!...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to the brand-spanking-new dougshapiro.com! It's been updated to reflect my brand of "Fearless Mensch," so drink in the new color scheme, relish the new photos and cruise gleefully through media and VoiceOver clips. You will be inspired to call anyone who hires actors or career coaches and insist they partake in my Fearless Menschiness. This new website was created by the handsome and talented Stephen Mitchell Brown of Money Note Designs. Hire him to design your performer website and then hire him again for your music theatre needs because he's a wonderful singer too.
Makin' Movies...
The Cycle
I'm kvelling up a storm! The short film The Cycle, in which I played a diplomacy-deficient police officer last fall, just finished its run on HBO and continues to rack up the awards, most recently BEST DIASPORA SHORT FILM at the 2011 Africa Movie Awards. (Note: the word "kvelling" is not used anywhere in the film.) Based on actual events, The Cycle takes place in the modern-day Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and brings the fallout from an ongoing gentrification process to life through the stealing of a little girl's bicycle. The movie is written and directed by Roy Clovis, produced by Mundo Loco Films and cast by Liz Ortiz-Mackes of Casting Solutions. The cast includes Randy Baisden, Dracyn Blount, Corinne Bobb-Semple, Tanesha Gary, Lynda Gravatt, James Holloway, Sharon Hope, Dennis Johnson, Phyllis Johnson, Royce Johnson, Justin Jones, Jaymes Jorsling, Leopold Lowe, Christine Renee Miller, Tomike Ogugua, Surfin Percy, Sheila Tapia, Benja K. Thomas, and me (as Officer DeLuca).
The Egg Timer
I've been cast as the male lead in the 3-minute movie musical THE EGG TIMER, in which a couple struggles to define their relationship in the time it takes to properly cook an egg. I was invited into this gloriousness by the talented brothers David Rigano and Paul Rigano who composed and wrote the piece. Fellow cast members will include Erin Cronican, Christina Cervenka, Lisa Hufnagel, Jacob McGlaun, Brandon Peker, and the delicious Jennifer Wren!
Adventures in VoiceOver
Stewart Talent
As of the beginning of this year, I'm now working with Stewart Talent for VoiceOver and On-Camera Commercials. They're great. I'm thrilled.
Rockstar Games
So, if you're walking by a game console and you hear someone screaming for ammunition to fend off the zombies, that's me. Rockstar Games has come out with RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMARE and I had a great time voicing it. The story of how I booked the gig through a mastermind group, LinkedIn, and a one-on-one informational meeting with a generous soul is now a part of The Savvy Actor Crash Course MBA Weekend.
Irrational Public Radio
Whoa, boy, am I excited about this one. One of my most bestest pals from my Syracuse University days is the very talented Joe Smith. In addition to his excellent commercial career, Joe is the talent behind Irrational Public Radio, a brilliant sendup of National Public Radio. Download this podcast on iTunes. Really. Do it now. I'll wait....
.....
...Welcome back. Make sure to listen to future episodes because when I'm out in California this month, I'm joining the cast.
The Return to The Public Theatre
In Late April, I'll be returning to The Public Theatre in Maine, having appeared in Three Little Pigs last fall. The show is BEAU JEST (by James Sherman), and I've been wanting to play the skeptical, divorced, psychologist brother Joel for ages. Even better, I'm going there with three friends from completely different parts of my life and they're playing my family. Marina Re as my mother Miriam (we're friends from my Boston actor days), Bill Van Horn as my father Abe (from The Theater at Monmouth in Maine and Theatre Three on Long Island), and Sarah Corey as my sister Sarah (from Prospect Theater Company and New Dramatists' Composer-Librettist Studio here in NYC). My actor family becomes my stage family.
Plan your trip to Maine. Here's the info:
WHEN: May 6-15, 2011
See The Public Theatre website for specific times.
WHERE: The Public Theatre
31 Maple Street, Lewiston, ME, 04240
COST: $18, $16 for students and seniors.
TICKETS: Call the Box Office at (207) 782-3200.
Cavorting with Composers and Whisking about with Wordsmiths...
My FOD Composers and Wordsmiths continue to bring amazing things into the world and I get to be their vehicle! Here's the latest:
Exodus Code: Advice to Wanderers
Oy! Such a reading with music we had! You've heard of A Bintel Brief, nu? The advice column started in the early 1900s in the Yiddish newspaper The Forward. So that nice girl, Lynn Thompson of America-in-Play, she makes a few calls and oy, such nice writers she gets! That Susan Tenneriello and the Andrea Lepcio and such music by that nice boy Rob Hartmann! I was kvelling! Bursting with pride, I tell you. And the actors? Nu, such a talented bunch. Shane Baker, so funny I plotzed. Daniel Maté, so good with the guitar and voices. Jonna McElrath, a speaking voice like velvet. Yelena Shmulenson, she sings like an angel. Me? With the Jewishness, the multiple characters and accents and the singing, a good time I'm having too. Add Shane Breaux and Leah Miles to the production staff, an accordian player named Michael, and put it in the Tenement Museum? A glorious kosher event for the whole mishpocha.
Coaching with Clients...
Such clients I've got! In my side career as a career consultant with The Savvy Actor, founded by the 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.) Recently, my clients have signed with managers, booked off-broadway shows, earned their union cards, and got things DONE. Interested in doing this work for yourself? Click this link to set up a free half-hour intro session with me. I also recommend our amazing book The Savvy Actor Career Manual. Let's get your career going too!
And, for my West Coast pals, think about this: an intensive weekend on the 19th and 20th to inspire your inner business owner, your good pal Doug teaching a technique to enrich your support system, and then we head over to Jones bar to start enriching your support system with your fellow classmates and warm-hearted FODs! Click the pretty link...click the shiny link...Crash Course MBA Weekend. Oh, and if you're interested, e-mail me. I know a guy that can get you a FOD discount. ;-)
And speaking of getting your career going, my next webinar: Mailings - Faster, Smarter, Cheaper! is coming up on Sunday, March 27th at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and you can be there from your own computer. Click this link to register for this webinar!
Dougbytes
***I worked another day as The Mailroom Guy on 30 Rock! So, why wasn't this the first item in the e-mail? Because after I was in holding for 8 hours, the powers that be decided that Sherri Shepherd and the guy playing her assistant could handle the scene on their own. (As the fantastic props lady said when it happened, "Hey, the checks don't bounce.") But the best thing about it was that I had the time to interview some of my fellow actors and then write an article for The Savvy Actor. It's called The Liquid Network and I hereby share it with you.
***Liz Ortiz-Mackes of Casting Solutions brought me in to speak on a panel about the business of The Business for her students at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Fellow panel members included Molly Kramer Meador of Theatreworks USA, Margaret Emory of Dulcina Eisen, and David Bellantoni of Beth Melsky Casting. This coming Saturday, I'll be an audition reader for a movie Liz is casting, CAN'T DANCE.
***I'm keeping my technique sharp with three phenomenal teachers. I've been studying voice with the amazing Jeff Halpern, gaining confidence on higher notes and tackling songs I've always wanted to sing.
Joan Bogden has been coaching me on VoiceOver and most recently on the "fair balance" read you hear in pharmaceutical commercials when they list all the symptoms you could get. Such a fine line to walk, so much fun.
I've also been taking Patricia Angelin's class in ALBA technique, learning to induce real emotion and then "step out" of it in order to stretch my emotional range as an actor. The work is tough to describe and requires a long commitment, and I can't recommend it 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, 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 Erika Buchholz, 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 and Leslie Jackson. The sermons are podcast! (The choir is not.) Recently, I got to return to the days of my Senior Honors Thesis at Syracuse University (Duke Ellington's influence in Music Theatre) and sing Duke Ellington's Come Sunday and What Color is Virtue? in honor of Black History Month.
Please Don't Panic! I'm busier than a wetnap at a rib eating contest-- 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. (Thanks, Jordan Yanco, for the wetnap idea.)
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Four) Items of Interest for FODs...
You deserve a little Lovin' from me to you...
Small steps are the key to beginning daunting tasks. Is your workspace too cluttered? Start by putting away two items and call it done each day. Looking to cut out dessert? Throw out the first bite every time for a week. Terrified of dating again? Take your lunch and sit in a public place to begin putting yourself amongst people. I learned this concept from Dr. Robert Maurer's book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. The key is to make the initial step small enough so that it's a snap to accomplish. Once your brain is reprogrammed to let go of the flight response, you can increase your tasks by small increments until your goal is achieved.
There. Thou has been coached.
You deserve quick turn-around for your music needs...
FOD Mat Eisenstein has had many great successes lately, such as being the Associate Conductor of the Broadway companies of PROMISES PROMISES and ELF. Well, Mat has developed a great side career of creating MP3 TRACKS for actors or anyone who needs a recording of a song from sheet music. You send him the PDF- he sends you back a melody and accompaniment track the SAME DAY! (Usually within a couple of hours). Many of his clients have found this service helpful for those last minute sides you are expected to digest overnight and/or wanting to have digital versions of all your audition songs! His fee ranges between $10-$20 a song. (Depends on how many pages, etc.) Feel free to email him at vocalcoachmat@hotmail.com for any questions or to get started on a track. This service is in addition to Mat's vocal coaching schedule, transpositions, and transcriptions that he does on a regular basis. He also arranges excellent (but easy to sight read) piano parts for your POP/ROCK song so that it sounds awesome and real on the piano for your audition!
You up-towners deserve a chance to make music near home...
I have news about Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!). Fresh off her victory with the Composer-Librettist Studio with New Dramatists, she is hosting No Name Presents: The Uptown Cabaret at the Indian Road Cafe. Ye northern composers, lyricists and singers who have built your igloos in the area where the A train ends, there is now a home for you to bring your music theatre selections old and new. Enjoy, and buy Alex a car bomb, why don'tcha? The cabaret is usually the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm, but this month, it's March 10th, so as not to mess with St. Patrick's Day.
You deserve financial guidance...
Of course I must brag on my husband. 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.
But wait! There's MORE! Shawn will have a table for his Financial Advisory practice at the 18th Original GLBT Expo on Saturday March 13 and Sunday March 14 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center (38th and 11th Avenues). I'll be working the table with him so he's free to talk with the people. Come by and say hello! And here's a Savvy tip: before you come, print out labels with your name, address, e-mail, and phone number so when you're signing up for all the raffles and giveaways at each booth, you don't have to write it all out a zillion times. The website link for the Expo has a downloadable coupon for $5.00 off admission.
Life is good here. My brother Phil generously donated some office chairs from his Wall Street office for our new Savvy Actor office in Midtown. All we had to do was move them from from Wall Street to Midtown...without a truck. Well, office chairs roll, so Savvy Actor co-founder Kevin Urban, fellow Barnstormer Kathleen Fiorito, and I rolled six chairs out of the office, down the service elevator, through the Wall Street area, through the subway system, out onto the street near Macy*s, and up into the Savvy offices. A great New York City adventure, and the chairs are just right. By the way, tax time is so very soon, and my brother Phil Rosenberg has an office chocked full of great CPA's (himself included) so get your receipts together and proceed to the website for Rosenberg & Manente, PLLC. The website music is the icing on the cake.
Take some breathing time for yourself, tell me your birthday, hug a woman (it is Womens' History Month after all), and thanks for being in my life. Please let me know what's going on in yours!
Enjoy Yourself!
Doug
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