People

Here’s a bunch of characters I’ve played from different time periods. There’s a story to go along with each one…

Flyer for Event Work

Here’s a little something I put together during the SAG strike. Time to return to live performance.

A Near Miss

Here’s a story I don’t think I’ve told. The time I almost fell for a scam as an actor. I’ve just watched a video on YouTube about how scammers operate, and how you can keep your phone number from being data mined. (Hint: You can’t.)

No Guns On Set

The accidental shooting on set of the low budget western Rust has people wondering how a gun could have been fired on set, and how a real gun could have been used in the first place. After all, movies are the realm of make believe. The walls are fake. The backdrops are fake. Why should the props be real?

Get a Real Job!

Many young actors back in the NYC of the 1990s spent months at a time on tour, doing classical theatre, or TYA musicals, or message plays focused on social issues. It was a way to add credits to your resume, pay the rent for a few months, and maybe even save up a little money to get through a dry spell until you booked the next show. 

Remembering Mimi

There was a funny commercial I remember from childhood. It was for C&C Cola. A red headed lady was talking about a taste test with Coke and Pepsi, but every time she tried to say, “Coke and Pepsi,” a car horn would beep. Until the end, when she rushed it in before the horn.

I met this lady in 1993, when we both were cast in a season of summer stock in Kentucky.

Banning Peter Pan

“Have you seen my childhood?”

Sings the creepy wax figure as, above him, little children sail to the moon in flying boats. His legion of fans still claim he was a magical being, too sensitive and innocent for this world. Me? I’m wondering which of those flying children he molested.

Standing in the Wings

“Do you ever get stage fright?”

One of the most common questions an actor is asked. Entirely understandable, since many people have a fear of speaking in public. Anyone who is not an actor might imagine that it must be terrifying to step on a stage in front of an audience.

My answer? Never. Not ever. To me, the stage is the safest place in the world.

Shadows in the Park

Peter Quince stood in front of the crowd and began to introduce the play:

“The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe.”

I’ve been in several productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’ve played both Pyramus and Thisbe, the title characters in the play within the play. I’ve also played Oberon, Theseus, and Demetrius. So I’ve watched the rude mechanicals put on this performance from the house, as well.

How Far Would You Drive To Audition?

It used to be, years ago, that you showed up to the Actors’ Equity building for an audition at four in the morning and waited on line. Outside. On the sidewalk. People brought blankets and folding chairs and cups of hot chocolate and books to read. This was before. Before cell phones, and before things changed.