Tenacity

I can't remember where I found this - it might have been posted on Actorsite.com - but in any case, it's one of my favorite inspirational pieces. Hope you enjoy it!

In 1944 the director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency in Hollywood told a young girl who wanted to become a model and an actress, "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married. You don't have 'the look' or talent for this business."

The young girl's name was Norma Jean Baker.

 She went on to become Marilyn Monroe.

In 1954, the manager of the Grand Ole Opry fired a young singer after one performance. He told him, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."

 The young man stayed at it and became the most popular singer (and actor) in America. His name was Elvis Presley.

In 1962, four terrified young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of Decca Records. The execs were not impressed by these young men who gave a "disappointing audition" and "were not a wonderful band musically."

The lads were turned away and told, "Guitar groups are on the way out."

The four lads from Liverpool went on to become The Beatles.

These stories show that through "failure" the soul is strengthened, the vision cleared, the ambition inspired and success finally achieved.

The truth is that you will gain strength, will-power, experience and confidence every time you look "failure" in the face and continue on.

A winner is not the one who never fails, but the one who NEVER QUITS.

(For more inspiration, check out the Treehouse)

To Those Who Teach

I've been taking an acting class called Committed Impulse, and it has totally put my head in such a wildly wonderful spin. It's like when you're a kid and you stand on your head to get a different perspective, or you look through a kaleidoscope. You see things in a different way...

This class has made me aware of acting habits - good and bad, things that work and things that need to be retooled. I've become especially aware of this as I've been going on a lot of auditions lately, because that's where all this stuff comes into play. It's like finding more pieces of a puzzle, and I feel like things are coming together in an exciting and unexpected way.

I just feel more open to the ride which is seriously cool.

And it's made me think about all the teachers throughout my life.

I was talking about this with my brother a few weeks ago, and we both agreed that there are things a teacher will convey to you that may or may not take hold for weeks, months, and even years later. But the seed has been planted.

True, some of those seeds may not really work for you and need to be weeded out, but I think, with anything, you find what works for you.

And with that, I'd like to give kudos to my teachers, from my parents and friends to my grade school teachers like Mrs. Borden in kindergarten and Mrs. Cloyd in Jr. High who saw my potential as a writer and performer and helped me break through all sorts of barriers. Mrs. Cloyd and I are still friends to this day.

 Wynne Hammond was my first voice coach, and she helped me prep for my first professional gig in "Annie" at San Bernadino CLO. She was an incredible lady who had been one of the singers for The Munchkins for the MGM film "The Wizard of Oz." Her stories about Old Hollywood were amazing!

Krista Elhai, my high school drama teacher, was awesome for her wild-card casting. Dennis Anderson also broke the mold by casting me as a tiny Audrey to a super tall Seymour for "Little Shop of Horrors." They both gave me such unique opportunities to hone my craft. 

Carol Fox Prescott in New York taught me about "acting on the breath and seeking the joy of your own experience." Chas Elliott, a brilliant opera singer, helped me increase my vocal range and open my mind to music I didn't even know about. Thanks, Chas!

VP Boyle's musical theatre and pop rock workshops absolutely rocked my world and sent me soaring! VP is still a great source of inspiration.

Karen Kohlhaas' work at the Atlantic Acting School is absolutely revolutionary! Her monologue and cold reading classes got me out of a rut and reignited my excitement to keep reading plays.

It's something I loved to do as a kid - just hunker down in the theatre section of my local library and dive into a play. I've been doing a lot of that this past year with absolute revelry! Living next to the Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts helps immensely!

It was at the Atlantic Acting School that I heard about Josh Pais' Committed Impulse Actor Training, and I am so glad I started taking his class. Such an incredible workout!

Kudos also to my brother, Sean, who is a drummer, and used to teach drumset to everyone from little kids to doctors. His counsel on the artistry of rock and roll and modern art has been invaluable!

We share the wild rollercoaster ride of art, and it's a comfort to do that together!

I am also so thankful for my husband, Rob, who is a master comedian and has helped me with every comic role I've ever done.

And my friend, Tina Sams, helps me stay motivated about the business side of show business.  Thank you, Tina!

There are so many incredible teachers in our lives, people who appear just when you seem to need them. I've been working with a round-table forum of musical theatre folks lately, and we have a blast helping each other fine-tune our audition material. We all have our strengths and insights to help each other out.

I look forward to learning every day and sharing what I've learned along the way!

Practice and Play

I've had a blast with auditions this week, and a lot of it comes down to preparation, practice, and play.

Lastly, there's perseverance, because if you don't stay in the game, how can you play to win it?

Ironically, I hear this all the time at auditions: people waffling, should they or shouldn't they? It's like going to a swimming pool but not going in the water. I say, Dive in!

I know we're all trying to work things out, but it's so fascinating to me, the sense of uncertainty. There was a lovely young actress who was doing her first Equity Principal Audition on Monday, and she asked me, "Do they ever really cast from these things?" You wouldn't believe how common that question is, but I told her, Yes, I have been cast from EPAs and open calls. Showing up is half the battle!

It makes me think of something one of my acting teachers, Karen Kohlhaas, says about the uncontrolled aspects of auditions. You can't control if the show/role is already cast, or whether or not they're required to hold the audition in the first place. That may just be a rumor... But if you don't show up, you'll never know! And you'll never get the chance to try out your material in front of casting directors if you don't give it a try.

If you don't go, you don't grow!

How can you learn if you don't go through the actual audition process? Even A-list actors say how nerve-wracking the audition process can be. It's an entirely different game from simply performing. Sure, you go into the room to perform your piece, but you're also there to meet the people in the room and interact with the folks who are trying to put a project together. It's a fascinating process, and I'm loving it more and more each day.

As Karen says, "The steps you take into an audition room are the next steps towards making your dreams come true."

Why not enjoy it?:)

Take a deep breath and go for it! You may surprise the heck out of everyone, including yourself!

(kudos to the All American Girls Baseball League and all the players who stay in the game!)

Dreams and a Movie

I dreamt last night that I was Queen Elizabeth I of Renaissance England, which was pretty cool considering I played the queen for an event quite a few years ago.

The Queen was known to go "on progress," to travel about her country and see her people. An acting company I worked for incorporated this into corporate feasts whereupon the Queen would meet local companies. It was a fun job, and I took great delight in being the queen.

I was likened to Bette Davis, swagger and all! :)

In last night's dream, I felt incredibly strong as the Queen, and ironically, I was "on progress," which seems like a good sign.

Speaking of dreams, I just got back from filming a scene for Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dreamathon. The cast is mainly from Hemet, CA, and the director is a student at UC San Jose. The film is based on the concept album by Hippie Cream, and the band plays a key role in the film.

I play Marty's Mom in one of the dream sequences, and it was such a blast to join the cast and crew. They'd been filming for a few weeks, and their energy was still wonderfully fun and focused. Great combo!

I also got to hang out with my brother (above), who's the drummer for Hippie Cream. Everyone was simply so cool. It was one of the best film shoots I've been on.

A good time was definitely had by all!

Ready to ROCK!

With summer at full sizzle, I've found myself catching up on some summer movies.

Like Anchorman.

I'd only seen snippets of it before and never really "got" it until I saw the film in its entirety. And believe me, Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team (brilliantly played by Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and David Koechner) need to be seen in their entirety! ;) They charmed the pants off me and Christina Applegate! ;)

Then my husband and I caught Taking Woodstock on Cinemax and absolutely LOVED it!

I've always been a fan of director Ang Lee, and I felt he captured the look and feel of that era beautifully!

The cast was phenomenal! Anything with Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, and Liev Schriber is pretty delicious in my book!

I swear, Liev Schriber is like a young Orson Welles. He just raises the talent bar with everything he does! Such an inspiration! His cross-dressing ex-marine named "Vilma" in Taking Woodstock is pretty mind-blowing.

And newer stars like Demetri Martin, Jonathan Groff, Mamie Gummer, Emile Hirsch and Kelli Garner (whom I loved in Lars and the Real Girl) added such vibrant beauty to the piece.

Now I'm getting ready to jump into my own psychedelic film! My brother drums for the band Hippie Cream, and they have been collaborating with young filmmaker, Daniel Philip Maggio, for the past year on an independent feature film called Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-a-thon.

Hippie Cream wrote the concept album, and the film is about a young man who undertakes risky dream therapy to save his grandfather's life. I play Marty's Mom in his first dream about his childhood, and I'm psyched to jump into her shoes because she is the perfect, protective, party-throwing mama! :)

They've been in production for a few weeks, and I join the cast and crew this weekend. Can't wait!

The Gift of Friendship

Something I've always found to be a fantastic bonus about being an actor is that the friends you make during a show are often friends for life.

One of my first gigs out of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy was for the Shakespearean improv troupe for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

I was in CA playing Rita in Educating Rita when I heard about the auditions for the Faire, and I was intrigued. Two of the directors were from LA, and it sounded like great fun, so I went and performed my Shakespeare monologue for them. Then I did a cartwheel, which I think landed me the job since one of the East Coast directors, Benny Reehl, was creating a comedy tumbling show for the Faire.

When I arrived in PA, I was greeted by a lovely actress named Kacey Camp, who would be playing Queen Elizabeth herself!

Kacey was from New York, and she was an exceptionally lovely person and talented actress. She embodied the Queen completely!

She even took me under her wing and gave my character, the lowly thief, some lady-in-waiting lessons. Talk about a Renaissance Reform Program!

When the Faire season ended, I stayed on for the other shows, Poe Evermore and a Dickens' Christmas. Kacey returned to NY, and my husband and I moved there a year later.

Over the years, our friendship has definitely been a buoy for both of us. Kacey moved to LA and has been doing acting work there, and I'm making strides in the NY theatre scene.

Kacey came back to Manhattan for a visit last week, and I tell ya, it was like no time had passed at all. We picked up right where we left off.

It's lovely how some friendships continue to grow no matter what!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I love you! Thank you for sharing so many adventures with me, and thank you for always encouraging me to Live Out Loud each day! Here's to making our dreams come true!

Masters of the Craft

Today's audition was brought to you by....


Columbia University's MFA program.

I really love auditioning at Dodge Hall. I've been called back for a few short films for the MFA program, and I also performed a scene for John Erman's master directing class. Today's audition was for a meaty role in a meaty short film.

It's just such a neat space and is always humming with artists seeking growth.

This Wide Night

Last week, I got to see the amazing Edie Falco take the stage in This Wide Night. I so completely love her work in Nurse Jackie on Showtime, and when I heard she was doing this play, I had to see her work onstage - especially since she started as a stage actress.


Plus I had auditioned for the understudy position of the younger character (this is a play about 2 women who've been in prison together) so I really wanted to see it.

When I picked up my ticket at the box office, I discovered the theatre was on the 4th floor. The door to the stairwell was locked, so I joined the crowd waiting for the elevator. It was funny because each audience member attempted to open the door, hoping to walk the 4 flights up to the theatre, but the door wouldn't budge. It was as if the locked door was Excalibur, and we hoped someone would be strong enough to pull it forth.

Suddenly a beautiful woman breezed in behind me. She was tall and wearing this gorgeous violet-colored blouse.

"Did anyone try the door?" she asked politely.

"Yeah," we all sighed. "We have to wait for the elevator."

When I took a second glance at this lovely lady, I realized she was Cherry Jones, the actress who originated the role of Sister Aloysius in the Broadway production of Doubt.

I wanted to say, "Oh my gosh! You are the reason I'm here! My best friends, Carl and Michael, saw you in Doubt and I always regretted missing your performance. That's why I'm here! To catch another tour de force!" But before I could say anything to her, someone else jumped in and gushed about how much they enjoyed her work.

Still, I thought it was a pretty cool sign.

When we finally got upstairs and into the theatre, I took my seat, which was front row center. It was a small Off Broadway theatre, but wonderfully deluxe, and I was about 5 feet away from the stage. When the play started, I felt like I was actually onstage with these women. It was so intimate - I could see tears spilling down their cheeks!

Edie Falco was lovely. I could feel her character's pain, masked behind her humor. And Alison Pill blew me away! It was like she was channeling her character. She WAS this broken prostitute! There was no artifice. It was a master class on acting, watching these two women work.

And I have a massive new respect for Naked Angels, who produced this play. I also love that actors like Cherry Jones and Victor Garber were there in the audience. It reminded me of when a 2-time-Tony-Award Winning actress came to see a staged reading I was in at Bleecker Street Theatre, and told me how much she liked my work. I was absolutely blown away by her generous praise, and incredibly inspired and delighted by these great artists who come to the theatre to support new artists, plays and musicals.

I feel so fortunate to be a part of it.

Blog Away!

This week I've been running into some yummy blogs.

Bekah Brunstetter's Blog is a delightful look into the daily doings of one of today's up-and-coming playwrights. I recently read her play, OOHRAH! and stumbled upon her blog quite by accident. Well, what a happy accident!


Then I found VP Boyle's blog on Broadway World, and was thrilled to see my musical theatre coach sharing his insights with the public at large. :)

VP had coached me prior to my bookings of The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun and Lucky Stiff, so coming upon his blog was like another happy accident, because I wasn't even looking for it.

So of course, I'm reminded of Kung Fu Panda's wise turtle, Oogway, beautifully voiced by Randall Duk Kim, who says, "There are no accidents!"

Ha!

Everyday Pleasures

My friend, Tina, is always sharing gorgeous pics on her blog, The Essential Herbal, and it is a sweet sweet taste of the country.

Here in Manhattan, I am always dazzled by something. My auditions and performances take me all over the city, and it feels like one delightful adventure after another. Last week, it was Times Square. There was just something delicious about walking around the city in the morning after signing up for an audition. It was remarkably peaceful and quiet, which is unusual for Times Square.

Today, I was at an audition downtown on Bleecker Street, and I just love going down there.

It's a street that connects the East and West Village, and I just love how artsy and edgy it is.

I've auditioned at the Bleecker Street Theater a few times, and performed Got You on the mainstage there last Fall.

Today I was auditioning in the smaller theatre, which was still an awesome space!

It's always interesting to audition in the theatre itself. Since most auditions are in a brightly lit rehearsal studio, there's something so lovely about walking into a dark, intimate theatre and going onstage into the blinding spotlight, doing a scene, and then leaving the theatre, going back into the "real world."

That little infusion from Bleecker Street must've opened my eyes to the other beauties of the city. On my way back to my support job, I saw this charming little garden outside of a brownstone, and I just marveled at all the work someone had put into it.

It's lovely, isn't it?

There are so many delights to be found everywhere every day. We just have to be open to seeing them, and take time to nurture them within our ourselves.

In the thick of it

Whenever I'm having a challenging day, my friend, Tina, always reminds me that I'm in the thick of making my dreams come true. I'm living it every day!

And I feel that way now more than ever.

Coming off of the Hell's Belles staged reading at HA! Comedy Club, I went right into Committed Impulse Actor Training with Josh Pais, and I feel like I haven't stopped moving. I'm in this... pace! And it's exciting!

You know when you take a class that just turns your head around? It's fabulous! It's also scary and uncertain, but hey, that's life!

And I feel like this wild culmination of all of my studies are coming together: Karen Kohlhaas' classes at The Atlantic (I swear, I walk taller because of her), Carol Fox Prescott's "On the Breath / Joy of Acting," Chas Elliott's vocal coaching, VP Boyle's musical theatre classes, working with my Musical Mondays workshop buddies... everything feels like it's coming together inside of me!

And I LOVE going to auditions! I love riding that wave of energy, going into a room, feeling all that nervous stuff, but also feeling excited about doing my work, bringing a character to life, reading a new script!

Yesterday I went in for Mrs. Warren's Profession, coming to Broadway with Cherry Jones, and I'd never been exposed to the play before, so when I finally got to read it, I was like WOW! SHAW! I mean, all these treasures! Old playwrights! New playwrights! There is so much art on the page of a play!

So of course, I'm always reading. On the subway, my favorite thing to do is to read a scene from a play. I just finished reading Adam Bock's The Receptionist, and it was MIND-BLOWING! I wish I would've seen it when it was playing Off Broadway. And I'll never forget reading Private Lives on the train, reading about these lush tempestuous characters while shuttling under the streets of Manhattan. It's just wild!

And I'm IN it! Walking out of the Actors Equity building where so many auditions are held, right into the heart of Times Square, being surround by all these wonderful Broadway theatres.

I am here and I LOVE it!

And I am making it happen. :)

The Next Big Thing

There are 2 questions actors are frequently asked: "What have you been up to?" and "What are you doing next?"

This latter question never ceases to amuse me, because we're often asked this while on the brink of getting one project on its feet. It can be opening night for a show you've spent your blood-sweat-and-tears on, and people still ask, "So.... what's next?"

I especially love when Academy Award Winners are asked this, immediately upon receiving the Oscar, because you can see the shock on their faces. They're so dizzy from the whirlwind of it all.

My favorite answer (often by my favorite actors) is "simply savoring the moment."

Ironically, I'm taking an acting class on this very thing: Committed Impulse with Josh Pais. It's all about being in the moment, embracing uncertainty and riding that wave. It's an AWESOME class!

Now, granted, I know why people want to know "what's next?" It's human nature, looking out there into the unknown, wondering about... everything! And as artists, we have so many projects and ideas bouncing around in our heads. Of course we're always in the midst of building, creating something new.I'm especially excited about this current "What's Next" phase of my life, because I'm working with people who are near and dear to me. Doing the Hell's Belles reading last week seems to have sparked this, because most of the cast and crew (with the addition of the lovely Clare Cooper) returned for the mini presentation at Ha! Comedy Club, and it was a thrill to work with them all again.

Now I'm focused on the Committed Impulse class, really digging it. And I'm working with this great group of actors/singers who have Broadway/National touring credits and we get together every Monday to help each other with auditions and new songs. The talent is just mind-blowing, and we've all talked about putting together some sort of showcase this summer. I think a summer sing-thing would ROCK! :)

I'm also developing a solo performance show called The 20 monologue Challenge, inspired by Karen Kohlhaas' challenge for her students at the Atlantic Acting School. And I have an idea for an original solo show that keeps tugging at my mind. I just need to write it out.

Lastly, I'm playing Marty's Mom in the independent feature film, Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dreamathon.

It's based on the concept album by Hippie Cream, and it's about a young man who tries to save his grandfather via his dreams. I'm really jazzed to be a part of this project, because I adore everyone involved, and I love the style of director Daniel Philip Maggio, who directed the Life is Long video and the underground cult film, Brosis.

So yeah, there's a lot of groovy stuff in the works, and I'm savoring it all! :)

A great day

We had a great show last night for the staged reading of the new script for Hell's Belles. The crowd was lovely and enthusiastic despite the heat. But hey, it's supposed to be a nightclub in hell, so we were sizzling!

Today's show should be cooler. It's a 2 PM reading at Ha! Comedy Club, and I have friends from PA coming to see it: the fabulous Twisted Sisters, Tina and Maryanne, from The Essential Herbal Magazine and Torchsong Studio jewelry.

I've known The Sisters since my days at the PA Renaissance Faire where my husband, Rob, and I met. He and I were cast in the professional acting troupe, doing Shakespeare and madrigals, and Rob actually introduced me to the girls. They ran a cozy little herb shoppe, and were fondly known as "The Twisted Sisters," because they had such a wickedly wonderful sense of humor. They still do as a matter of fact! ;)

As Bogart said, it was "the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

We've kept in touch over the years, and have cheered each other on from afar. They're still going strong in PA with their own home businesses while Rob and I are making our dreams come true in the Big Apple.

Maryanne and Tina were both saying they haven't seen me perform since the Faire, so I'm especially jazzed to share this show with them since I get to rock out as Janis Joplin and then sing my heart out as Judy Garland.

My husband even took the afternoon off to catch the show again!

He was there last night with some of our NY friends, and it was such a blast to see so many smiling faces in the crowd. Hopefully we had some industry folks attend as well since that's what the reading is for. In any case, this has been a great chance to do my thing! :)

Right now, I'm off to an audition. I was called in to read for the lead in a new play, and then I have to jet from there to make the 1:30 call for Hell's Belles. After the show, I get to relax a bit with my husband and friends, then I'm off to an acting class tonight.

It's a full, artistic day, and I can't stop thinking, What a great way to spend the day! :)