Rainbow City

With the Supreme Court's decision to declare Marriage Equality in all 50 States - HOORAY! - the entire island of Manhattan has rainbows springing up everywhere! I feel like Dorothy: "We must be over the rainbow!" :)

 There are so many couples who are now going to be able to legally benefit from this ruling. As a friend of mine said, "FINALLY!"

 I've been thinking about lesbian characters I've played over the years, and how they'd celebrate this momentous occasion. Darlene in "Petunia's Coffee House" would definitely be partying!

Jeanine Deckers and her partner, Annie, would be singing in some spiritual sanctuary.

I played Jeanine, AKA the Singing Nun, in the NYMF show, "The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun" written by Blair Fell and composed by Andy Monroe. Jeanine leaves the convent to be with her long-time lover, Annie, but the two are beset by such challenges... they can't make it through (below with Tracey Gilbert as Annie). With governmental support, their story might have been very different.

There was also an amazing HBO film in 2000, "If These Walls Could Talk 2" about lesbian couples, and the most powerful story was embodied by Vanessa Redgrave and Marion Seldes who played a couple who had been together for decades. When the partner who owns the house dies, the other partner has no claim to the place or the things she's shared with her lover for 30 years, and she is asked to leave.

Marriage Equality will prevent that from happening.

Finally.

The Quest for the Perfect Take

I recently met a lovely casting director who advised, "In this world of (self-taped) auditions, everyone is searching for the Perfect Take."

This was timely advice considering I filmed 4 video auditions last week. 2 were for the big networks (woo!) and 2 were callbacks for web series (woo too)!

I learned a lot, specifically how hard it is to get The Perfect Take, but I had a ton of fun, and look forward to doing more, constantly working to improve my process. "This is my quest."

Below is a comic take about The Last Couple on Earth. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Wonderful Writers

This has been a busy month for me, working on new projects by wonderful writers I'm lucky to know! :)

On May 4, I had the honor of singing in a cabaret honoring female writers of musical theatre:

Clare Cooper asked me to sing one of her pieces from her show with Bryan D. Leys, "How to Marry a Divorced Man." This re-teamed me with Richard Binder, who's played my husband in many shows! In this piece, we played exes who have a tender moment, much to the chagrin of his new love interest, played by Tiffan Borelli, who also rocked a song from "Urban Momfare" by Pamela Weiler Grayson:

Then, on May 18, I played a sister mourning the loss of her brother in Rob Cardazone's new play, Terribly and In Private. It's an exquisite 5 character play that re-teamed me with my "Petunia" co-star, Wayne Henry, and gave me the opportunity to work with Andrew Schulz, whom I met in Heidi Marshall's on-camera class. Andrew is an incredible actor from The Actors Studio who recommended me to my current acting coach, Susan Aston.

Rob was mentored by Romulus Linney (father to Laura Linney) and Arlene Hutton, whom I met when I auditioned for her play, Gulf View Drive. Small world! Rob and I worked together a gazillion years ago at the PA Renaissance Faire, which was the basis for his play, "Ren Rats," which premiered at the Hunter Playwright Festival in 2013. Reading a play like Terribly and In Private took me back to my drama roots and was such a delicious piece to dive into! Hope to do so again soon!

More Fun with Film

Inspired by the scene I shot for the indie film, "Child's Play," I wanted to keep working that cinematic muscle, so I signed up for Heidi Marshall's 4 week on-camera class. I've worked with Heidi before, and was looking for a window in my schedule to open so I could take her Part 2 session. It was just what I needed!

We started with a scene called "Nice Apology" where I played a big sister on the eve of her wedding, struggling with her baby sister's recovery from addiction.



Then I got to do a scene from one of my favorite films, The Way Way Back. In this scene, the mom, Pam, has to tell her 14 year old son that they're leaving the beach house early, so they can head back home with her boyfriend who's cheated on her.


It was a really great experience, researching scripts and finding my groove. So much good writing out there! Can't wait to do more!

Filming in the Snow

A few weeks ago, on March 2nd to be precise, I filmed a scene for the independent film, "Child's Play." It's a family drama about a little boy obsessed with trains and time. I play a local news reporter who appears near the end of the film.... which happens to take place in the snow.

I've filmed in snow before for an NYU short called "Every Day." But that was a psychological thriller which took place inside a 3 story house. My scene for "Child's Play" was filmed outside in a few feet of snow, and it was absolutely exhilarating!

I met the cast and crew in Newfoundland, NJ at the train station which was used in the beautiful film, "The Station Agent," written and directed by Thomas McCarthy, starring one of my favorite actors: Peter Dinklage. It was such a treat to be working in the same place as that great film!



The cast and crew of Child's Play was AMAZING. They'd been filming in the snow for three days, and they were absolutely tenacious in their positivity and professionalism. I can't wait to see the final result, because just for my scene they tried so many different angles and lenses. It was such a unique experience, meant to put the viewer into all sorts of different shoes.

I met the director and writer, Aleksandra Szczepanowska, a few years ago in a class taught by Playwrights Horizons' casting director, Alaine Alldaffer. Somehow Aleksandra remembered me and brought me in for this role in her film. It was an honor to work with her and the superb crew. Alyssa Fulmer and Julia Warner are the producers. Patrick Linberg, Director of Photography, pictured above with Aleksandra, was so cool! Everyone was amazing!

So now, as I trek out into this snowy day that's supposed to be the first day of Spring, I'm reminded of the cast and crew of "Child's Play," with whom I made a movie in the wintery weather, and I take heart. :)

In the Groove

I feel like I'm in a really good place in my life. Every day, I get to dive into a script - whether it's a working on a monologue for auditions, rehearsing a scene for acting class (I work with the sensational Susan Aston), or crafting a scene for a film. I love it! It's all part of my daily routine.

Today I'm working on songs for upcoming auditions, and I find the prep work is very similar to crafting a scene or monologue. It's all about communication (as well as the sustained notes, but you now what I mean). What does the character need in that moment? What are the circumstances? And all of that deep-diving stuff that comes with researching a play, screenplay or musical. It's all about the story, bringing what I can bring to the character, and letting it flow through me. I love getting into the groove of it all!

To "get in the groove " means to enter into the spirit of the situation or circumstance of the moment. The groove is really the track on an old record in which the needle of the record player had to ride in order to reproduce the music--so the meaning is figurative. Gorgeous pic below by James Woody.

A Day in the Life of a NY Actress

Something I've discovered about acting in NY is that it feels like you're part of a community. Everyone you meet is doing something to make their dreams come true, and I've been so lucky to meet people who, as Bonnie Gillespie says, "share their toys."

I recently took a seminar with Bonnie about Self Management for Actors, and through that workshop, I met some incredibly motivated people who formed a Facebook group and have been sharing knowledge, experiences, and other "toys." :)

One such actor is Tanya Perez (pictured below right), who recently penned this awesome article for "Ms. in the Miz." In it, she chronicles her day in the life as a film actor in NYC.

This reminded me of friends and family who've asked me what my daily life as an actor is like, so here's a glimpse into my daily groove:

It usually starts with visiting Actors Equity and Actors Access to see which auditions are happening when. This gives me prep time, so I can work on songs, scenes, or monologues for each audition. Preparation is key. Even if I'm going in for the cold reading of a new script, I research the author's previous works or find reviews about a previous productions/readings, so I have a sense of the style of the piece.

Now, as Tanya pointed out for film / TV, we usually don't get the script until the day or night before the audition, so then it's time to cram and jam!

This happened for me a few weeks ago when I was called in for the role of a News Anchor in the independent film, Child's Play. I got one page of a script and had to "fill in the blanks" for the character, so I could fill her shoes. It was a blast, and I got the gig!

With plays and musicals, if I don't get an appointment ahead of time, I go to the "open" Equity call. That means getting up at 6 am to go wait in line at whatever studio is hosting the audition. Aasif Mandvi recently talked about this in an interview with NY1 about his book, "No Lands Man."

You wait in line with a ton of other actors and hope to get a timeslot to audition later in the day. I have this down to a science:

6-something AM: get up, shower, pack breakfast and lunch and audition materials, including clothes, shoes, makeup, hair tools, music or monologue, headshot and resume.
7-something AM: take the train or walk to the audition studio. If it's a major open call, move everything up by an hour and get there EARLY!
Hang out and wait until 8:30 or 9 AM when the sign-up begins. Hopefully get a slot around lunch time.
9-9:30 AM: go work at my support job
Anywhere from 11:50 - 4:30: get hair and makeup done, go back to the audition location and wait to go on.
Audition time = about 2 minutes.

If it's possible to hit more than one audition, I do.

As Tanya wrote, it can take about 10 hours (or more) to prep for  a 2 minute performance, but if you book the gig, it's worth it!

What's Your News?

A few weeks ago, I was called in to audition for the news anchor role in an independent film, and I booked it! :)

Being a research nut, I looked at the different styles of reporting the news, and brought in some options to the director. Did she want a news anchor in the style of MSNBC, Fox, CBS, or (my favorite) PBS? This seemed to delight the production team, and gave me room to show different possibilities. However, in addition to each style, I realized the goal for my character in the scene was to get the truth, and that helped me drive it.

We film this week, and I'm very excited. The script is really good, and I get to improvise at the end of my scene. Gotta love when a section is set aside for improv!

Madcap Musical Review

Last week was non-stop musicals for me!

On Monday, I performed in the concert reading of  the new musical, "Merton of the Movies." It's about a young man in the silent film era, who dreams of making it as a "serious" actor in Hollywood, only to discover he's a born comedian! AJ Shively, the recent lead in Steve Martin's and Edie Brickell's new musical, "Bright Star," was our amazing Merton. He cracked us all up! As one audience member said afterwards, "I'll never look at eyebrows the same way again!

I played one of Merton's buddies, Edna, a jazzy comedienne who stars in one of the old pie fight films. My big song was "The Chase," and though we had no props or set, so many audience members said they loved when I pantomimed getting stuck in a trunk, trying to evade the Keystone Cops. It was a BLAST!

"Merton" was composed by the dynamic Doug Katsaros, who also wrote the lyrics, and the book was by my "Sasquatched the Musical" director, Donald Brenner. In fact, the reading was a mini Sasquatched reunion, as I got to play with my old "sweetheart," Patrick John Moran....

And the incredibly versatile Jonathan Randell Silver, who played Harpo Marx in "The Most Ridiculous Thing You Ever Hoid," had a pivotal role as Merton's friend, Elmer, from his smalltown beginnings.

Jonathan's heartfelt performance actually made me cry! He was so sweet!

Our marvelous music director was Jeffrey Lodin (above top L). Patrick and Jonathan are also above, followed by the fabulous Martin Van Treuren, who was hysterical as the madcap film director of the Buckeye Comedies.

The rest of the cast was completed by gorgeous voiced Tony Castellanos, the lovely Loni Ackerman (former Broadway Evita and Grizabella - she had the BEST stories!), Janine Divita as Merton's love-to-be (who also recently played Evita) and Lara Hayhurst, a former Elle from "Legally Blonde."

Everyone was so wonderful, and it was such a charming show! I hope we go somewhere with it! :)

Last but not least, I ended the week with a turn as Blanca Vacuous, a maid of dubious origin in "The House in Beverly Hills." I also recorded demos for "The House in Beverly Hills" on the weekend.

For my next trick, I'm back to the writer's table with Wayne Henry and Roberto Cambeiro, fleshing out "Petunia's Coffee House."

A double-take: Merton of the Movies

One of the first plays I read when I moved to NY was George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly's Merton of the Movies. It's a charming play about a young man who moves to Hollywood to become a serious actor in the Silent Film era. The funny thing is, he's SO dramatic, it's funny!

Jim Parsons (Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory) is doing a reading of the play tonight at Roundabout Theatre's Studio 54, and I wish I could be there!

Parsons hand-picked the play and gave a great interview about why he was drawn to the piece.

Ironically, Next Monday I'm doing a reading of the new musical version of Merton of the Movies based on Kaufman and Connelly's play. It's by Donald Brenner and Doug Kastaros, and it benefits the Abingdon Theatre Company, who's hosting the concert.

It is such a charming show, and the music is so fun! I'd love for the folks going to the Roundabout tonight to come see our show next week! It's like a Double Feature a week later. :)

There are a few seats left! Come join the adventure! :) Tix are $20-30 and are available through Abingdon's website at http://www.abingdontheatre.org/

So Thankful!

It's been an amazing year, and I'm blown away by how quickly it's zoomed by!

I'm thankful for my family and friends, that everyone is healthy and happy. There's definitely been some health scares for our dads, so I'm glad they're staying strong.

 (my little bro and me with our Dad - love you both!)

I'm thankful for my husband, Robbie, who keeps me laughing and looking for "the funny." You are my best friend, and I'm so glad to be sharing this ride with you!

I'm thankful for my friends who keep me laughing as well, and who've supported all my artistic adventures. I have a core group of 4 friends who've seen every show I've ever done, and I'm so thankful for you: Michael and Carl, Ataman and Jayne! Love you guys!

                                Michael, Carl and me clowning on the beach. :)

A special shout-out to Tina Sams from "The Essential Herbal" who gives me a kick in the pants when I'm feeling blue and reminds me to look back and see everything I've accomplished. She and her sister, Maryanne Schwartz, who makes incredible jewelry in her Torchsong Studio, keep me inspired!

I'm thankful for all the incredible people I've worked with on so many fun artistic adventures! The year started with the international recording of "Roberta." Larry Moore had seen me as a tempestuous spitfire in the Off Broadway revival of "Johnny on a Spot," and asked if I'd like to play a devious debutante, or "debutramp," as Larry called her. Well, who wouldn't want to play that kind of character? ;)

I got the best review on Amazon: "Laura Daniel deserves a special award for bitchiest bitch this side of the Bitchissippi." And I love being on the album cover!

Huge thanks to Andy Monroe for asking me sing his great song, "The Grand Gesture" for the NY Theatre Barn, which was taped for YouTube.

Thanks to Tweiss Productions for keeping the fires of Hell's Belles burning!

Thanks to my Petunia cast and writing team: Wayne Henry, Roberto Cambiero and Elizabeth Bell. Looking forward to seeing what we develop in 2015!

Thanks to my "Sasquatched the Musical" director, Donald Brenner, for offering me the role of Edna in the new musical, "Merton of the Movies." We are going to have a BLAST!

Thank you to my fabulous acting coach, Susan Aston, for challenging me with larger than life characters like Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," and Alexa Vere de Vere in "As Bees in Honey Drown." What a treat to work with you every week!

And to other great teachers, Heidi Marshall, Tim Phillips, and Bonnie Gillespie: you all enrich my world and make think outside of the box! Thank you!

Thankful to everyone who boosts my day in a wonderful way! Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Merton of the Movies

There must be something in the air about silent movies. A few weeks ago I played silent film star Phyllis Fontaine in Kaufman and Hart's "Once in a Lifetime." Next month, I play Edna, a comic film actress of the silent film era in the concert reading of the new musical, "Merton of the Movies."

I get to work with the my Sasquatched the Musical director, Donald Brenner, as well as some of my fabulous Sasquatched cast members: Patrick John Moran and Jonathan Randell Silver!

And hello! We're featured in Broadway World!

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/AJ-Shively-to-Star-in-Abingdons-MERTON-OF-THE-MOVIES-Concert-Reading-Full-Cast-Announced-20141103#

VERY excited! :)

Once in a Lifetime

For my next trick, I'll be playing Phyllis Fontaine in the reading of Kaufman and Hart's "Once in a Lifetime." It's a great play about the movie business in the late '20s, going from silent films to talkies. I play a movie star with a terrible voice. Can't wait!

My first cast album

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of playing the petulant debutante, Sophie Teale, for the international cast recording of Jerome Kern's "Roberta."

The musical debuted on Broadway in 1933, but it was never recorded in its entirety, so New World Records decided to release a full length musical recording. It was actually done as a radio play, so there are a lot of scenes in the midst of the songs, which is where my character comes in. I get to make the hero's life hell and thus inadvertently push him into the arms of the heroine. Such a blast!

I played a similar vixen in "Johnny On a Spot" Off Broadway, which is where Larry Moore spotted me and told me about the plans to record "Roberta."

When we recorded this winter, I knew it was something special. The music is so lush! Annalene Beechey's version of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is GORGEOUS! I'm so honored to be part of this recording, and I'm so delighted to say it's my first cast album!

We sold out on Amazon last week, but it looks like they restocked. They also have it a a digital album. Or you can go to New World Records directly to hear some clips: http://www.newworldrecords.org/album.cgi?rm=view&album_id=92994

"My Best Friend": Another video from the NY Theatre Barn

YouTube posted another video from NY Theatre Barn's presentation of Andy Monroe's songbook. This is me singing "My Best Friend" with David Marshall. It's a song about the dating game. :)

The Grand Gesture

Last month, I performed in the NY Theatre Barn's cabaret focusing on new composers. Andy Monroe, whom I worked with on "The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun," asked me to sing a song from his musical  Chasing Garbo, based on the film, Garbo Talks. My character, Jane, helps the hero (played below by Tom Stuart) find his way to Garbo while expressing her longing for the type of man who uses a "Grand Gesture" to win his fair lady:

Up Next: Singin at the NYTB in the D-Lounge

While in the midst of developing "Petunia's Coffee House," I'm also performing some of Andy Monroe's songs next Monday July 21 at the D-Lounge at the NY Theater Barn on 101 E. 15th Street.

NYTB in the D-Lounge is New York Theatre Barn’s revolutionary platform for meeting emerging writers, supporting established writers and presenting new musical theatre work. Established in 2007, the series has featured hundreds of writers and performers.

UP NEXT: MONDAY JULY 21 @ 7:30 pm

Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 7:30pm

$15 General Admission ($10 for students/BMI Members)

2 drink minimum at the bar

MOSTLY SOLOS: SONGS BY ANDY MONROE

Featuring songs from many of his shows (including his Jerry Bock Award-winning musical, DRIVE) along with stand-alone gems and little-heard specialty material, Andy’s new concert shines a spotlight on the solo performer.  Seven singers (Bill Coyne, Laura Daniel Koch, Robbie Fowler, Deborah Grausman, David Marshall, Courtney Shaw, and Tom Stuart) take turns at the mic, delivering songs that are funny, poignant, and brimming with humanity.

Andy and I worked together on "The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun" for the NY Musical Theatre Festival. I won the NYMF Award of Excellence, and Andy later received countless awards for his musicals, including "The Kid." 

Andy has a great pop sensibility, and I LOVE his music! 

I'm singing from a show he wrote called, "Chasing Garbo," which is based on the movie "Garbo Talks." I play Jane Mortimer, a struggling actress who loves old movies and helps the hero in his quest to find Greta Garbo for his dying mother.

Looking forward to singing, "My Best Friend" from Sally Peaches and "The Grand Gesture" from Chasing Garbo.

Another opening, another show!

We unveiled "Petunia's Coffee House" last night in the Colleen Dewhurst room at the Aurora / Friedman building, which is part of the Actors Fund. It was a full house, and there were a lot of laughs.

Elizabeth Bell plays LeeAnn Cumberpatch (L), Wayne Henry plays Petunia Lee Swanson (top right), and I play Darlene Yvonne Kramm, a blast from Petunia's rock n roll past.

LeeAnn and Petunia are trying to open a Bohemian coffee house in NYC, but every stone has been left unturned, and Dar shows up to wreck havoc.

The show is part improv and partially scripted with music from the 80s. We have one more developmental performance on July 28th, and then it's back to the drawing board!

Hope to see you at the Coffee House! ;)

Petunia's Coffee House

I've been writing and developing a show with my friend and UCB alum, Wayne Henry. He created a character named Petunia Lee Swanson, who's had some segments on YouTube, and he wanted to expand her horizons in a somewhat musical way, so Petunia's Coffee House was born!

We started improvising scenes, and then writing them. I've written some pieces over the years: one for the Vagina Monologues, one was a cabaret called "Love in 35 Minutes," and I've been taking writing classes at The PIT.

In "Writing for SNL," Ali Farahnakian talked about the Writers' Table, and with Petunia's, we've definitely been there! I love the roundtable forum. It's been a blast to toss around comic lines , seeing what makes us laugh. A lot of those sessions have ended in laughter through tears, because we've been cracking each other up!

We "open" Petunia's Coffee House in July as a workshop-in-progress. It'll be interesting to see if people want to go along for the ride! I hope so! :)

Who put their foot on the gas?

This year has been zoomin by, so blogging has taken a backseat.

I just wrapped playing "Martha" in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf for Susan Aston's acting class. What a RIDE! Greg Connelly, who plays the Osborn butler in The Amazing Spider Man 2 was my George, and it was a delight peeling back the layers of this combustible couple.

In the midst of this, I've been writing and developing a show with my friend, Wayne Henry. We met a few years ago when we were cast in the Off Broadway revival of the 1940's comedy, Johnny on a Spot. While our characters never had a scene together, we just clicked and said, "Let's make something happen!"

He then brought me onto JAWS the Musical, a mini musical he wrote and composed. It was fabulous fun, running 35 minutes.

While he's been fleshing JAWS out, he wanted to write a show around an improv character he created a few years ago named Petunia Lee Swanson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDTEdavY-Y0

And so Petunia's Coffee House was born! It's a lesbian love story about a couple trying to open a Bohemian coffee spot in NY. I play Petunia's ex-girlfriend, Darlene, aka DAR, and it's been a blast to develop this wild, dark woman who doesn't care about anything but getting what SHE wants. WHAT FUN!

Most of our initial rehearsals were improvised, but we've been writing as well, and it's been fascinating to feel the piece taking shape. I wonder if Christopher Guest works this way, taking a bunch of improvised larger-than-life characters, marrying them together through story, song, and edits, and then unfolding... something fun. :)

It's been an interesting way to work, and I'm enjoying every step of the way! We "open" Petunia's Coffee House in July as a workshop-in-progress. It'll be interesting to see if people want to go along for the ride! I hope so! :)