Back in Hell ;)

Today's been busy already! I was up early, working on scenes for an audition tomorrow to play a diva in a new web series. Very fun stuff!

And later today I'm playing Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Joan Crawford and Alice B. Toklas in the invite-only performance on Hell's Belles.

 Really fun show! As Judy says, "Let's Sing 'em All!" ;)

Busy booking!

This past month, it's been raining scripts! I've been juggling so many different versions of text and research. It's been a great test of focus, and miraculously, I've been booking gigs!
 
I booked a radio spot for Toyota, posted under Voice Overs on my Media page. I'm the excited caller. :)

I also just booked the role of Pat the Park Ranger in Sasquatched! The Musical, running in the New York Musical Theatre Festival July 9-14 at the Pearl Theatre. It's an incredibly cute show, and I'm excited to start rehearsing next month.

I got a call to play a devious debutante on the recording of Jerome Kern's "Roberta" this Fall.

And I just completed Heidi Marshall's on-camera class, which was AWESOME. I loved diving into a new script each week, casting my net wide, learning to trust my instincts and fine-tune my on-camera skills. It'll help with a web series callback I just got as well! ;)

Love love love this exciting time!

Bloomin!

I love this time of year! Everything's in bloom! And I feel like that too!

Last week I booked and recorded a radio spot for Toyota, working with the lovely Laurel Coppock. It was a great gig, giving me the opportunity to try a gazillion voices, finding the right tone for the piece.

I also booked more "concert performances" (backer's auditions) of Hell's Belles the musical. Seems we might be getting close to a sit-down Off Broadway.

And I was called back for "Sasquatched! the Musical" at NYMF.

My friend, Tina, joked that last year I fell in love with a shark in JAWS The Musical. This year... could be Sasquatch! ;)

Taking the reins

"If you don't take the reins, it's going to stay the same. Nothin's gonna change if you don't change it!" :) - Dolly Parton

I've been hearing this call to change the past few weeks. Someone even told me to "change your tactic," and I guess it finally got through, because I just kinda let everything go and opened up to possibilities. And you know what? I feel lighter. And things just seemed to blossom easily. I received 3 offers for gigs this week. REALLY cool! And I booked a BIG gig, a radio spot which I'll blog about after the fact.

I'm just digging the changes, ya know, that feeling of riding the wind. It feels great!

Writing for SNL at the PIT

Last week, I completed the "Writing for SNL" workshop at The PIT (aka The People's Improv Theatre). It was a blast! Taught by the brilliant Ali Farahnakian, the class was set up like a writer's room with Ali as the head writer.

We'd bring in a new sketch each week - lots of homework, kids! - and we'd learn from each other's examples as Ali helped us to fine-tune our ideas. It was incredibly fun and expanded my mind in a really neat way.

The cool thing was that the class gave me the structure I was looking for to start working on other short scripts. I'd had a few ideas of things I wanted to work on, going into the class. Now, I've got a bunch! The river of imagination is flowing! :)

I find myself writing every day, and applying the same daily discipline to my acting. When I started the class, Ali said, "A writer writes (and rewrites) daily." I immediately thought, "And an actor must act. A singer must sing!"

One of the challenges of living in a big city like NY is the need to pay the rent while doing shows. Even some actors on Broadway keep a day job so they can pay their mortgage. The key is to do it in your field. So that's my goal: Focusing on growing my art and repertoire every day. Because it makes me happy. :) And life's too short not to invest in what makes you happy.

                                  Rose Petal Pool by Rounder (Joanne Jovinelly/Figment)

Happy Easter!

Happy Spring!

Tweiss Productions

I have to thank Eileen and Sharon Weiss of Tweiss Productions.

I've been working with these tenacious ladies since Hell's Belles took the stage on at the West End Theatre on 86th Street, and it is always a pleasure to circle up with them.

We had a lovely private reading for potential investors last week, and it gave me such a boost to do the show again. Playing larger than life women like Janis Joplin and Judy Garland will do that for a girl, and I'm so thankful to these ladies for giving me the opportunity to do just that! :)

An Imitation

Have you every heard that saying, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? I'd like to think that applies to some of the acting the work I do, paying homage to Janis Joplin and Judy Garland in the musical "Hell's Belles." I'm doing a concert version of the show this Thursday March 21 at the new HA! Comedy Club. We've done several private performances, garnering support for the show to have an Off Broadway run. It's a lot of fun!

I've studied these ladies in depth, and it's an honor to slip into their guises for a song and a scene. One producer told me he saw Garland's entire career in my performance, and another producer delighted in my unbridled no-holds-barred expression of Janis.

These "imitations" are meant with great respect to the original artists.

However, a friend of mine recently had her work stolen, and that blows me away. She's a writer, and she created The Essential Herbal magazine. This print magazine (she also has PDFs for the digital side) brings together a fantastic community of herbalists, who in turn share their recipes and herbal adventures. Well, someone decided to steal these recipes word for word and re-issue them in an e-book, selling for a hefty fee.

I was furious when I heard about this. How could someone think they could just lift her material and publish it as their own? That is not only incredibly disrespectful but against the law!

Tina, always a class act, is now posting these recipes (with permission from her partners) for free on her blog.

"The truth will out!"

I marvel at Tina and am so glad she's my friend. I love the work she and her sister Maryanne do. We've been friends for a long time since we met at the PA Renaissance Faire. My husband and I were in the acting troupe, and Tina and Maryanne were vendors. It's been a lifelong friendship ever since.

                                                        (Maryanne, me, and Tina)

Tina's situation makes me think of something I constantly hear as an actor, which has really begun to resonate with me: "Bring yourself to the table," and to the role, because you are unique. Your experience is unique and informs the work you do. Embrace that!

Musical Works in Progress

This weekend, I got to sing "At Night He Swims Home to Me" from JAWS: The Musical by Wayne Henry.

This was a presentation for the Dramatists Guild in which writers met and discussed their work, looking to grow. It was such a cool experience and reminded me of some of the BMI presentations I've done over the years. It's always cool to be part of something like that, to sing for a composer I adore, to share his or her work with others, and to hear what other writers are working on. There are a lot of cool ideas out there, and it'll be interesting to see if these musicals get on their feet.

I think that's one of the most interesting parts of being involved in a musical in development. It takes years for a show to grow.

Downton Abbey Season 3 Finale: An Actor's POV

My friends tease me about reading the end of books before I dive into them, but it gives me a sense of comfort, knowing what's coming.

So when Downton Abbey's season 3 finale hit last night, I thought I was ready to say good-bye to a beloved main character, but boy, was it hard.

I can only imagine it was just as difficult for writer, Julian Fellowes, to work around some of his lead actors' decisions to not renew their contracts. But I understand these things happen, and I understand Dan Stevens' desire to do other things.

Hey, at least Bates came home!

Still, I wish TV was like theatre, in which case Matthew would have been replaced by some other young actor, eager to step into his shoes. They did it on Bewitched and Roseanne! ;)

Ah well! I still thought it Season 3 was very well done. It really gave the whole cast some serious drama to dive into.

SPOILER:

Lady Sybil's death scene was really heart-breaking. I lost it when Tom (Allen Leech, who was really superb this season) was holding onto her, begging her to stay with him. I wasn't so keen on his character in the past, as he seemed too pushy. So I was surprised to see his character really dive deep, and I felt for him. Last night's breakdown to Mrs. Hughes was heart-breaking!

And I couldn't stop the tears when Elizabeth McGovern's Lady Cora talked to her dead daughter, telling her she would take care of everything. That was chillingly beautiful.

I'll still take the journey to Downton Abbey next season, curious to see what happens with Lady Mary and the rest of the family upstairs and downstairs. I liked the side story of Dr. Clarkson and Cousin  Isobel. I hope that blooms.

I'm sad to see Matthew Crawley go, because as Mary said, he brought out the best in her and was looking out for Downton.

But as one reporter said, "However sad the end of Matthew Crawley, the happiness of Dan Stevens is likely to grow and grow." And I'm glad. I look forward to seeing him in other productions, and I look forward to seeing what else happens at Downton Abbey.

Carry on!

Character Voices

Today I had the immense pleasure of working with composer Andy Monroe on a demo recording of a new musical. Andy and I met several years ago when I was cast as the lead in The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun. The show won several awards at the NY Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), including Outstanding Individual Performance for me. :)

Today I got to play Bawbwa Wawa (thank you, Gilda Radner!), Diana Ross, a teenage girl, and a young boy's mother. It was a BLAST!

Next up, I'll be taking an SNL writing class with Ali Farahnakian, whom Tina Fey mentioned as a mentor. My last round of performing in Hell's Belles had various folks saying to me, "You should be on SNL!" Writing and fine-tuning my comic chops is a good step.

Musically, I'm working on a cabaret with my Singing Nun co-star Tracey Gilbert. Woo! So I have a lot of fun projects in the works!

Making faces

Had a blast at today's commercial print audition for a major client. All I had to do was make funny faces!

Making it Happen

I was excited to see a former classmate from Karen Kohlhaas' class, Bonnie Swencionis, have a scene in last night's final episode of 30 Rock. Quite a few classmates, friends and castmates have been getting screen-time, and I'm so inspired and excited for them!

Ann Reilly, who directed me in "Sincerely Yours," had some delicious scenes on Castle and Leverage. My friend Kacey Camp (below), whom I worked with at the PA Renaissance Faire, had a supporting role on Justified.

And Kevin Kolack, whom I worked with Off Broadway on Johnny On a Spot, recently worked on Blue Bloods and filmed a commercial for the Superbowl.

I'm so thrilled for these folks and am encouraged. Everyone gets a chance.

And I'm off to an audition for a commercial print! :) Woo!

Creating Your Own Work

I finally got into the show GIRLS on HBO. A friend of mine who's a filmmaker had mentioned Lena Dunham to me a few years ago and told me about Dunham's film, Tiny Furniture, so I was aware of this inventive filmmaker through my friend, The Filmmaker. :)

Totally weird segue, but this makes me think of the SAG Awards which I just got to vote for. It was so cool to see all these delicious films. They were really really good this year, and I'm honored to be a SAG member, and I love getting to vote for the recipients of the awards. They're incredibly talented people who inspire me to be a better actor.

One of the actors up for nomination was Helen Mirren in Hitchcock, which was a fascinating film because it was about the struggles Hitchcock went through to get Psycho made. Who would've guessed that one of his most popular films almost didn't get made? Hitch had to produce it himself!

And look at Argo - Ben Affleck's film on the hostage crisis of the 70s. Affleck also produced the films with George Clooney and a host of others.

I just dig that people are committed to getting their work out there!

Lastly, the TV show "Enlightened" was created by Laura Dern and Mike White, who star in it. It's a really good show, and I love how each episode surprises me.

All these examples make me want to get my writing cap on. I have some 
ideas in mind. I just need to let them out there!

Hell's Belles ride again!

Performing today at the Snapple Center at 6:30 PM. If interested, please contact Tweiss Productions at HellsBellesNY@gmail.com

I've been with Hell's Belles for a few years, and it's always a thrill to step back into Judy Garland and Janis Joplin's shoes, performing music that's basically an ode to these iconic women and countless others!

The musical has a Forbidden Broadway vibe with 3 actresses playing 20 women from history and pop culture. My castmates for today's show include the fabulous Kristen Mengelkoch (Forbidden Broadway), Danielle Erin Rhodes (Grease), and Kevin B. McGlynn (9 to 5).

As Judy says, "Let's sing 'em all!"

The Audition Process

I've found it encouraging that the A-list actors for Les Miz were put through and prepared for a rigorous audition process. I love hearing Sally Fields' story of fighting to be seen for the role of Mary Lincoln. Each audition is an opportunity, and it's something that's still part of the artistic process.

I've already been to 2 auditions this New Year, and it felt good! Even the nervous energy that can hit before going into the audition room feels exciting. It's all part of it!

Tim Phillips' book, "Audition for Your Career" has been an invaluable tool. Though it's geared towards film auditions, the "Sherlock Holmsing" section can be applied to any audition. It's great homework for analyzing the text and looking into the human element of why characters do what they do, and of course, what they want. :) I cannot recommend it enough! It gives me the tools to go into auditions feeling stronger.

Happy Auditioning!

2012: What a trip!

It's been a really weird year, seeing people go through incredibly traumatic times, doing what I can to help. I am hopeful that each day brings people closer together, hopeful that people will let go of hate and really let love light the way.

Not to get heavy. I just care.

My husband always says that laughter is the best medicine, and I found in 2012 that my artistic adventures were indeed more skewed towards comedy. It was cool to hear many a casting director discover, "Oh! You're funny!" ;)

Most of my work was Off-Off Broadway, and I took part in several readings. At the Manhattan Theatre Club, I played Judy Garland and Janis Joplin in the musical, Hell's Belles, which has a Forbidden Broadway vibe. I've been involved with this show since 2008, and the audiences are incredibly loyal. Many folks have come up to me after each presentation, telling me that I remind them so strongly of Judy Garland, that they can see and hear her entire career in my performance. I'm always moved by how people respond to my take on Judy, and I'm thrilled to take them down memory lane.

Wayne Henry, a friend of mine from the Off Broadway play Johnny on a Spot, caught me in Hell's Belles at HA! Comedy Club, and asked if I'd be interested in playing Sally, the quirky female lead in JAWS: The Musical! Wayne wrote the book, music and lyrics; took the basic premise of JAWS and made it entirely his own, focusing on a love story between the shark and a woman while finding plenty of humor for all the characters that inhabit "Amity Island." It was one of the most joyous experiences of the summer and ran from June to September at the Broadway Comedy Club.

Wayne is working on extending the 40 minute show into a full length musical for 2013, and I'm hoping we record some of the tunes, because they ROCK!

I also got to work on the new musical, "How to Marry a Divorced Man," reprising the role of Glenda, a punk rock mom going through a divorce, trying to find love and reboot her punk rock career. It was a lot fun! We did the reading at an art gallery in Manhattan, and as one of the producers said, I was the art! :)

I also found fulfillment, preparing for auditions and callbacks this year. I was called back for Martha in "The Secret Garden," received great response in my audition for Clarice in "Silence! The Musical," and was called in for leading roles in "Educating Rita" and "Urinetown."

Studying with LA acting teacher Tim Phillips was life-changing. I also took a 5 week commercial workshop with Brette Goldstein and video game voice overs with Kim Graham.

It was a good year, and I look forward to many more adventures in 2013. Hope your New Year is very happy!

Twinter Wonderland

Last week I had the pleasure of entertaining the masses via 360i's snowglobe cam at http://www.twinterwonderland.com.

Every time someone tweets about this project, 360i donates $5 towards Hurricane Sandy Relief.

360i is one of the online ad agencies I work for at my support job. They're a great company and have worked around my theatre schedule for the past 8 years. Since the main company I work for is global, I've been able to juggle hours successfully around both this job and my acting projects. They even gave me time off for a gig in Michigan!

So playing in the snowglobe last week was a real treat. I joined fellow comedian and improv clarinetist, Allison Hein. And Stephen Dauwalter alternated as Santa then a penguin. We even paid tribute to the Rockettes with the tiniest kickline ever!

I am very thankful to have a good support job, surrounded by other artists, innovators, techies, movers and shakers.

Here's to bringing some holiday cheer to everyone out there! Happy Holidays!

The Blessing is in the "Break"

I don't know if it's the holidays or what, but this month in particular has me meeting up with old friends whom I haven't seen in years. Three in particular are actresses whom I loved working with, and it's a delight to share past adventures and learn from each other.

While I've stayed in NY, working on new plays and musicals Off and Off-Off Broadway, one friend has done the same thing and just closed a great play. Another friend went to grad school and was doing delicious work there. Another has been playing stellar roles in musicals throughout the country.

While we've all been very lucky, surviving the hurricane, one friend mentioned something about how "the blessing is in the break," and she equated it to the story Jesus breaking bread, miraculously building loaf upon loaf to feed the masses.

This made me think of all the ways artists view "the break." We're all looking for our "big break," and that seems to come about through discipline, persistence, patience, positivity, passion, and connecting with others.

My friend who went to grad school mentioned breaking bad habits as part of her acting process, and it makes me think of "tempered steel," how metal must be heated in order to be shaped.

                                     (Russian woman blacksmith in Siberia)

This also makes me think of the film, "The Life of Pi," which I saw last night (I'm now reading the book). I love the main character's view of religion since as a child he was initiaed in Hinduism, "met" Christ as a boy in a Christian church, and later discovered Allah. He viewed spirituality as different rooms in the same house. Not to get all preachy, but I love that sentiment, and the story of "The Life of Pi" sees a young man whose spirit is constantly tested when he's lost at sea in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.

Just when you think he's broken, something appears to lift him up. It's like the book The Alchemist, another fabulous spiritual adventure story.

So where does this put me and "breaks"? I feel like I'm excavating, digging for buried treasure within myself. There are classes I want to take to strengthen my acting and singing. My writing side is also calling to me, and there are projects I'm working on with friends. I can see the need to break bad habits, or to release old ways of thinking. It is time to change, to let go, stretch and grow, be persistent but flexible.

I am open to the ride.

The Privilege to Act

I took a chance and hit two auditions today that were not my usual fare. One was playing an uptight homophobe in the new Off Bway play called "Hit the Wall." The other was for an old fashioned play from the 1930s-50s. I do a monologue by Paddy Chayefsky that's a passionate declaration of love, and it was such a treat to go from playing such a closed person in "Wall" to a woman making a stand for love in the other play. It really was a rush, and each audition room felt so full of possibility, alive with potential because of my commitment to these characters and their needs. It was an absolute blast and reminded me of why I love acting in the first place, that feeling of being creative and unfettered, playing and discovering. I love it!