★ News from April 2003:
Today I had Ian Marshall's Contemporary Combat class. After a lively class discussion on the characteristics of great fighters, Ian took a different route than planned and taught us about chi and aikido.
A memorable demonstration of chi I will take from class involved making a circle by touching the thumb and index finger. With all your might, try to keep your finger and thumb together while someone else tries to pull them apart. In all likelihood, you will not be able to keep your digits together.
Ian told us then to put our focus on the soft spot in the palm of our hand where the index finger and thumb meet the hand. With focus on that point, with all your might, try to keep your finger and thumb together while someone pulls. There's a good shot, with focus, the person will not be able to pull your fingers apart.
Ian did another demonstration involving placing your outstretched arm on the shoulder of a person facing you. Then, you have the person try to bend your arm downward, defending with all your might. It is likely you will not able to do it; however, if you focus on your arm's reaching out, then your partner will likely be unable to bend your arm.
These demonstrations were best described by Ian and "what chi is." I was certainly interested in the power of these exercises, and I was wondering what might be involved in the process that allows you to fend off breaking the circle or breaking the arm.
It seems that when you think in terms of the whole object, when you infuse the whole object with your concentration, it is harder to break that object. However, when you force an object to stay a whole, the stress to your body of forcing weakens your staying together--your concentration is compromised, and therefore so is the security of your body. You thus become more "breakable."
When you focus on the whole, you become unbreakable.
I can extend that lesson to improv. When you're improvising with a group of people, it's not about yourself, it's not about your being funny, it's about supporting the group, about helping others, about trusting that the others will be there to support you. The stronger the group, potentially the better you look. It's the group that matters more than any one person.
Later, we worked on some simple aikido moves, like punches and defenses. It was really cool to watch how a simple defensive move uses the energy of the punch to down the puncher. We were grabbing attacking fists mid-punch, then tossing the aggressor to the floor with the momentum of his assault.
Good stuff.
April 2, 2003
(Wednesday)
Tonight I had callbacks for the 5th Annual TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series. In attendance were Producer Laura Penney, Director Paul Kelly, and Director Catherine Lamm, among others.
April 3, 2003
(Thursday)
This morning I had an audition for the Pittsburgh Public Theater. In attendance was Casting Associate Ed Lewis of McCorkle Casting.
April 4, 2003
(Friday)
My episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is airing (finally) tonight at 10pm EST on NBC. Here is the blurb about the episode.
DOMINANCE (Advisory)
10pm EST 2003-04-04 ALL NEW!
A DEADLY KILLING SPREE SENDS THE SQUAD IN SEARCH OF A MURDERER WITH AN AXE TO GRIND; TONY WINNER FRANK LANGELLA GUEST STARS -- When an engagement celebration dinner ends in sexual assault and a gruesome quadruple homicide, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) search for a violent killer looking for revenge through the domination of his victims. However, when the killer goes on a murder spree aimed at the upper class, it’s a race against time as the squad tries to stop this deadly rampage. Tony Winner Frank Langella ("Fortune's Fool") and Ian Somerhalder ("Rules of Attraction") also guest star. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, [Ben Hauck!], Stephanie March, B.D. Wong and Ice-T also star. TV-14
I play a victim named Paul Dumont. In the episode there should be a take of me in a hospital bed, and some photos of me in another take looking rather normal.
Let me know if you see me. I'll be watching a play so I won't be able to catch it, but I'm pretty sure it'll get a second airing later in the season. If I find out about another air date, I'll send out an email to my email list.
Today I received phonecalls about callbacks for a couple of projects I recently auditioned for. Director Brett Levner called me back for her Columbia student film, Hard Boiled, and Producer Laura Penney called me back for her production of Breakfast in the Evil Empire, in the 5th Annual TRU Reading Series.
Watch me on Law & Order: SVU tonight! See below for details . . .
April 6, 2003
(Sunday)
Today I accepted the role of Oscar Wilde's Lord Alfred in an April 29th reading of a new play, as part of the 5th Annual TRU Reading Series. Catherine Lamm will direct.
This afternoon, I had a callback for Hard Boiled, a Columbia student film to be shot in June. In attendance was Director Brett Levner.
April 7, 2003
(Monday)
For Wednesday afternoon, 4/9/2003, I arranged a meeting with Agent Michael Hartig of the Hartig-Hilepo Agency.
This Friday night, 4/11/2003, at 9pm EST on NBC, the season finale of Ed is to air. I worked on the episode as a college kid at the house party where Josh Randall's character breakdances. Watch for me in a short-sleeved red shirt holding a beer, placed ubiquitously in the house talking to girls. Click here to monitor any changes in the airing of the season finale.
On Sunday night, 4/13/2003, at 11pm EST on the USA Network, my Law & Order: SVU episode will re-air! I play Paul Dumont, a victim. Click here to monitor any changes in the re-airing of my episode--the episode is called "Dominance."
I was just cast in the role of Jackson, a lead in Brett Levner's Columbia student film. It's a great script! It'll shoot in June, with an in-class rehearsal set for next week.
April 8, 2003
(Tuesday)
This morning I had an audition for the Berkshire Theatre Festival. In attendance was my former internship boss, Casting Director Alan Filderman, and Associate Casting Director Jillian Hahn.
This afternoon I had a fitting for upcoming 4/15/2003 work on the Kate Hudson film Raising Helen.
Before that, in Comtemporary Combat class with Ian Marshall, we had fun doing various initially-scary backrolls.
The first exciting one we did was while seated in a chair. The roll was very controlled but looked great. As you fall back in your chair, you extend your arms and legs out for balance--this creates an arc on the back and helps generate momentum to use to pull off the backroll.
After experimenting with a chair backroll, we did a more involved backroll involving a chair that Ian said was inspired by Charlie Chaplin. Ian had us approach the chair, sit, backroll while remaining fully seated in the chair, and come back up, seated, with a look around as if nothing had happened. It was very funny to see done well, and of course Ian pulled it off the best. To get the chair around properly, you grasp the chair between your legs with your left hand (if you step back to tilt the chair with your right leg) and hold your right hand out as if you're twirling it for balance. When the right hand has the opportunity, it should give you a push-off from the ground to get you back up and seated.
After conquering the fears of backrolling while seated, we did backrolls that involve a table. One thing you must do is make sure your head is over the edge of the table while your shoulders and back stay on the table. When you roll back, you should land on your legs rather than on your knees (but that could be a choice).
We incorporated punches into the table backrolls, and additional backrolls after we landed for more dramatic effect.
April 9, 2003
(Wednesday)
This afternoon I interviewed with Agent Michael Hartig of the Hartig-Hilepo Agency. The meeting went wonderfully.
April 10, 2003
(Thursday)
Tonight I went to see A Year with Frog and Toad, a Broadway children's musical, with Agent Michael Hartig of the Hartig-Hilepo Agency, with whom I'd had a meeting yesteday afternoon. We talked for several hours after the show as well.
Unfortunately, I had to cancel my callback for Breakfast in the Evil Empire because of this generous last-minute invitation.
April 11, 2003
(Friday)
Watch for me on Ed tonight on NBC! I'm wearing a short-sleeved red shirt in the house party scene. I am all over the party, pretty ubiquitous in my placement, always holding a glass of beer and talking to a girl. (My part got around.)
Also, if you see the pig being roasted on a spit, you probably just missed my yellow shoulder moving out of the lens. At the top of the shot, they had a couple of other guys and me clear the lens to reveal with real roasted pig.
The episode's on at 9pm EST and is Ed's season finale. We only shot it a couple weeks ago! Here's the show description:
THE DECISION - SEASON FINALE
9pm 2003-04-11 ALL NEW!
HE LOVES HER, HE LOVES HER NOT -- ED MUST DECIDE BETWEEN CAROL AND FRANKIE IN SEASON FINALE -- In the season finale, Ed (Tom Cavanagh) remains in a quandary about his choice between his romantic interests in Carol (Julie Bowen) and an impatient Frankie (guest star Sabrina Lloyd, "Sliders") -- until Frankie forces him to finally decide or she will leave town and return to her former boyfriend for good. Oddly, part of Ed's confusion could be resolved when Mike (Josh Randall) tells him of his relationship with a comely college coed (guest star Sarah Jane Morris) who comes on to him. Elsewhere, Phil (Michael Ian Black) urges Eli (Daryl "Chill" Mitchell) to ask out an attractive woman to the big blowout celebrating Stuckeybowl's 75th anniversary. JanaMarie Hupp, Lesley Boone, Rachel Cronin and Justin Long also star. TV-PG
April 13, 2003
(Sunday)
Tonight I auditioned for Uncovering Eden, an upcoming production at Wings Theatre in Greenwich Village. In attendance was Co-Director Richard Bacon.
April 14, 2003
(Monday)
This morning I auditioned for the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY. In attendance was Co-Artistic Director Sybil Christopher.
I got a callback for the roles of Nirah and Anan in Uncovering Eden, an upcoming production at Wings Theatre. I will not be able to attend the callback because I'll be on the set of Raising Helen.
April 15, 2003
(Tuesday)
Because Kate Hudson was sick, my work on the film Raising Helen was cancelled after only a few hours. I still get paid, fortunately. They will try to reschedule the shoot for a later date.
April 16, 2003
(Wednesday)
This morning I auditioned for the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT. In attendance was Associate Artistic Director Anne Keefe.
April 17, 2003
(Thursday)
This morning I auditioned for the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater in Wellfleet, MA. In attendance were Norman Meranus of Norman Meranus Casting and WHAT Artisitic Director Jeff Zinn.
April 25, 2003
(Friday)
Today I worked on the set of Large's Ark in the Morristown area of New Jersey.
Zach Braff, the lead in NBC's hilarious hospital sitcom Scrubs, serves as writer, director, and star for the project. The scene we shot takes place in a casting office's waiting room. All of the actors in the room are dressed similarly--gray t-shirts over long-sleeved t-shirts, jeans, designer sneakers, and spiked-up hair. Zach wanted a variety to the actors as the camera pans 360-degrees, taking in all of the auditionees. He singled me out to play asleep while holding my headshot (from which the above photo was snagged)--a contrast he found rather funny because of the energy my headshot has.
There was a point between takes that a small spider was crawling across my chest, and Zach'd nearly wanted that in the shot too--that I'd been asleep so long, bugs had been crawling all over me.
I'm wearing a gray t-shirt with red cuffs and neck, over a white long-sleeved t-shirt. My hair is spiked up eleven stories high, and I have sunglasses in my hair. My headshot makes it into the shot with me. If the last take gets used, the name on my headshot may be visible.
In a weird coincidence, there were two, 2-foot tall stacks of headshots on the set as decoration. My headshot was on the top of one of the stacks. No one knew I was going to be on set that day--had I not been, I might have ended up in the film without working!
Zach had said the headshots came from Casting Director Avy Kaufman, so it was good Avy had my headshot. I thought the headshots' presence on set was kinda ... ironic.
April 29, 2003
(Tuesday)
Tonight at 7:30pm at the Greenwich Street Theatre, I will be participating in the 5th Annual TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series in a reading of Cat Bistransin's play, Connie Wilde. The play focuses on the neglected wife of famed writer Oscar Wilde, and I play the infamous inspiration of Oscar, Lord Alfred Douglas.
The reading is free and will be followed by a panel and reception. Here are the details:
Theater Resources Unlimited presents:
THE 5TH ANNUAL TRU PLAY READING SERIES
A reading of
Connie Wilde by Cat Bistransin
Directed by Catherine Lamm
with
Amanda Baker, Mark Campbell, Ben Hauck,
Cliff Jewel, Doris Martin, Andy Macdonald,
& Karen Barrie Prager
Produced by John Chatterton (Midtown Internat'l Fringe, OOBR.com)
Tonight @ 7:30pm
at the Greenwich Street Theatre
547 Greenwich St. (btwn Charlton & Vandam)
(1/9 --> Houston St., South to Charlton, West to Greenwich St.)
Reservations strongly encouraged: 212.714.7628
$FREE$
For more information and maps, visit:
http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm?int_show_id=21247
http://www.oobr.com/ads/copy/truNewVoices.htm
Let me know if you'd like to go, and I'll call in a reservation for you. (Call me on my service!)