Any ideas on how to dress for an audition as well as other daily tasks when it's 91 degrees outside, much schvitzier on the subway, and thunderstorming most evenings? In the absence of the gas-powered purse suburbanites call a "car," I'm thinking of putting our apartment on a rolly cart and just bringing it with me wherever I go. Well, it's nasty outside, but you're beautiful inside and it's time for some monthly e-lovin' from me to you.
Now, wash the sand and suntan oil off your hands from your day on your private beach 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!
(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.)
...It Shoulda Been You
So, there I am, on the bus back to NYC from my summer stock gig with The Barnstormers, when my phone buzzes. (Not to worry--I let it go to voicemail on the crowded bus.) It was FOD Barbara Anselmi with a gig that would begin the next day. I love that! Composer Barbara Anselmi and Writer Brian Hargrove (additional lyrics by Jill Abramovitz, Carla Rose Arnone, Ernie Lijoi, Will Randall and Michael Cooper) have created a wonderful musical titled It Shoulda Been You. I played six characters in the reading, including a senile Jewish uncle, a pretentious cater-waiter, and a "Party People" wedding DJ. I also received a very gracious compliment after the reading from David Hyde Pierce, which means I'm going to be impossible to live with for a while. Direction by Joe McDonald, Musical Direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Stage Management by Chris Munnell. The rest of this powerhouse cast included Jill Abramovitz, Sebastian Arcelus, Ray DeMattis, Nathan Lee Graham, Jessica Grové, Kate Guyton, Harriet Harris, Arielle Jacobs, Matt Leisy, Michael X. Martin, Debra Monk, and Bobby Steggert. It Shoulda Been You has been selected to be presented for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in the fall.
Some will race, I will walk, towards a cure for Breast Cancer
Time to make the world a better place, people! My dear friend Melinda Puglisi lost her battle with breast cancer in 2005. My mother-in-law Evelyn Cowls and friend Jodie Bentley are survivors. On Sunday, September 13, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. in Central Park, the Greater New York city Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will be holding its 19th annual 5K run/walk--the Komen New York City Race for the Cure--its premier fundraiser. I have joined up our team for The Savvy Actor to do something about it.
Please help support me in this important event by contributing generously to Komen Greater New York City. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund national peer-reviewed breast cancer research programs and breast health services in the five boroughs of New York City, on Long Island, and in Westchester and Rockland counties. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make your donation online by simply clicking on this link to my Race for the Cure Page (even better, go to "Join My Team" on the page and walk with The Savvy Actor!) or, if you would prefer, you can send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below. More information on Komen Greater NYC and its programs can be found at http://www.komennyc.org.
Whatever you can give will help it all adds up! (If everyone receiving this newsletter gave $1, it would be a substantial donation). I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Even if you cannot donate at this time, please let me know if there is someone for whom you would like me to walk and I will wear their name on Sunday, September 13.
Click here to donate online.
To send a donation:
Write "Doug Shapiro" on the memo line of the check.
Make all checks payable to: Komen Greater NYC
Mail to:
PO Box 9223
New York, NY 10087
That's Andy!
Conceived and developed by Robert Jay Cronin, Book & Lyrics by Crystal Skillman, and Music & Additional Lyrics by Kevin Carter, That's Andy! is 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." I will be reprising my roles as an aged chorus boy on a television show and Boozer the Bum in a reading at The York Theatre Company.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: The York Theatre Company; The Theatre at Saint Peter's: 619 Lexington Avenue (on the south side of 54th Street just east of Lexington Avenue. COST: FREE!, but call the York Theatre Box Office at:
(212) 935-5820 for a reservation.
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. While in New Hampshire, I started work with a client up there and now have phone coachings with clients in Kentucky, Florida, and Boston as well! 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 this coming Monday night and you can be there from your own computer!
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 this coming Monday, August 24 from 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time from the comfort of your own computer.
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! I also had the great pleasure to finally meet Ken in person this month (he's based out of Colorado) and show him the glory that is Billy's Bakery cupcakes. 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 did a demo recording for actor/composer/lyricist/Longtime FOD Adam Overett of Duck for President, singing the roles of Farmer Brown and Ms. Governor.
***I also a demo recording for Dan Furman and Mary-Liz McNamara of their musical Impossible But True, a rewriting of the story of Rip Van Winkle. By the way, do you know who would be a great choice to sing on your next demo? Alexandra de Suze! (Surely you've heard of Alexandra de Suze!)
***Coming up in late September, I will be 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." We'll be discussing how their clients can most effectively work with voice actors and I'm incredibly excited about working with them again.
***I will be singing High Holy Day services again with The Park Avenue Synagogue.
***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 also saw Erin's one-woman show The Last Good Girl this week and it was great.
***I'm still continuing to monitor casting sessions, train readers, and meet casting directors weekly at The Network. 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!
***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, and Jamie Hurley.
***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.)
***...and speaking of The Madison Avenue Baptist Church, choir director Paul Stephan has requested that each member of the choir team up with two other singers to perform a night of music in the fall. I have chosen to team up 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 RESERVE NOVEMBER 18, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. 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. We're calling it a "Chamberet." (pronounce it with a French accent! It's fun!)
Please Don't Panic! I'm as busy as an ant at a Labor Day picnic -- but for you, I'll find the time. Should you need a guy to advertise your September Sale, voice your September Sonnet, or sing your September Song, let's create something great together.
And now the monthly Two (by which I mean Four) Items of Interest for FODs...
Voiceover skills class with Emmy nominee Pete DeMeo!
As a twice Emmy-nominated voice over artist for over 16 years, Pete DeMeo's career spans all areas of the VO field: commercials (voice of Dr. Scholl’s, Kohl’s, Visa, Tylenol, Howard Johnson, Avis), promos (NBC, HBO, Turner, Fine Living) and over 300 documentaries (Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic, TLC, Biography). Pete also offers private VO coaching and full demo production services by request for additional fees. (He also used to be a part of my Friday morning voiceover call.)
VOICE OVER SKILLS CLASS
WHEN: Two different classes:
Mondays in September (7,14,21,28)
or Wednesdays (9,16,23,30)
From 6:00-8:00 PM WHERE: 3 of Us Studios 39 W. 19th St. Rm #301
FEE: $450 ($400 if you mention you're an F.O.D.!) REGISTER: e-mail pete@petedemeo.com or call 212-924-2240.
A little relationship tip...
When I'm working with my career coaching clients, we cover career stuff, but we also touch on financial and life goals in order to complete the whole person. Several of my clients have it as a part of their goal to nurture their relationships--be it with their family, partner, or children. One of the most successful things one can do towards this goal is to simply ask them, "What do I do [or what can I do] that makes you feel loved?" and then make sure you follow through on that.
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 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.
Work your dialect...
FOD Barbara Rosenblat is a New York actress/singer with numerous performance credits both on Broadway and in the U.K. She is also one of the most sought after and beloved narrators of Audiobooks in the country. Her extraordinary range of accents and characterizations in a distinguished body of work (more than 400 titles to date) has earned her 6 coveted Audie Awards from the Audio Publishers Association. The Audies are the industry's Oscar and Barbara has won more of them than any female narrator.
What does this have to do with you? Well, if you have an upcoming audition or role for which you need some dialect work, she coaches! Barbara helped me prep my British accent for Private Lives this summer and her help was essential. Contact her at barbara@barbararosenblat.com for a session and she will work by phone if necessary!
Additional note: As I mentioned, Barbara works with her clients for specific roles and auditions. Two other dialect coaches with whom I have not worked but respect as professionals are Adam Raynen (for actors) and Jordan Yanco (for those who would like to try it for fun).
Life is good here. Our family has grown--we adopted a beautiful black/smoky grey Maine Coon mix named Ricky (to go with our African Gray parrot, Lucy) who was rescued by the SaveKitty Foundation. They were borrowing a truck from The North Shore Animal League right outside Central Park this summer and kept Ricky in foster care until Shawn and I were both back from our summer travels. He's already caught and presented us with a large water bug. Eeew. I mean, thanks...eeew.
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
