In the Aftermath

11Nov09

OK, well maybe that sounds a bit too harsh. I’m just coming out of my coma from this past weekend and i’ve got a lot to update.

There’s a different ambiance, you know, because it’s during the day…

During my withdrawn, crab like behavior over the past several days i managed to catch up on HEROES. I gotta say that watching a series, whether in whole or in part, in succession, is not for the faint of heart. Indeed, i had to restart some of the episodes because i fell asleep. That’s not to say they were bad, but there were a lot of them. The first 2 seasons were pretty spectacular. The characters were awesome and you could really get into the plot as it unfolded episode after episode. The third season began to de-construct the established boundaries of the characters and of the plot but i was still hanging tough. Now with the start of the 4th season, it has lost the pizazz that it once had. Following down the long and winding road that is LOST, its unpredictability is starting to disconnect the audience from the story and the characters. Lets face it, the American public is dumb and likes to have things a little bit predictable. But when you go off the reservation (or to a carnival as the case might be) you better have a damn strong means by which to return. Although, i do appreciate the attention the Italian-American characters get, even if they represent the rise and downfall of the superhero mafia.

The reading of Permanent Darkness

This took place on Saturday November 7th. I would like to thank everyone who came out to listen and to read. Despite it being a bit nerve-racking, i think it went over quite well.  The play itself read for about 45 minutes. While the talk back with me lasted over an hour i think. I got a lot of good feedback on what worked and what did not. I will definitely start to rewrite it as soon as i get rolling on other priorities. Visit my Writings page to view the draft i used at the reading. I really want to thank all my friends and family that came out to support me. And a special shout out to all my Lyco friends that made it.

Me, Nicole, Will and Nikki

Tim, Will and Me

Feenix Films’ “Nicky Newark” Film Shoot

The next day i had to get up at the crack of dawn (which for me is any time before noon) and headed up to Ramsey to meet up with our Director Dave LaRosa. We got to Cornwal by about 10 A.M. and started shooting around noon. At first glance you didn’t know what to make of the building. Very NY state, however.

Looks can be decieving.

I hadn’t seen the space before we got there but it was very impressive. Bill Diamond of Bill Diamond Productions was nice enough to let us use his sound stage for the shoot.

Studio Entrance

We spent the entire day on set from about 12p.m. – 9:30 p.m. It was a long day but extremely well worth it. I had never been on a sound stage before, let alone acting in one. The shoot went smoothly and we managed to get some great scenes shot. Not only did i learn a lot from participating in the action of the film shoot, but just watching the few other scenes that went on was incredible. Major props to Jeanine Bartel for an incredibly emotional scene she had to play. I was so taking aback by her investment in the small scene that i found myself trying to look away cause it was so on point and grounded. Of course my character then had to pop into the room and ruin the whole thing. But i digress…

On the set: Me and our Director, Dave LaRosa

A view from back of Reggie's classroom.

What was really cool about the studio, other than all the fancy tech and assorted gear that made our Director and DP salivate, was some of the cool memorabilia Bill had on display in the hallways of the studio. At one point i know i stopped and pondered while walking out of his office did Mister Miyagi give him one of his patented massages? Or was Bill just busy using toy trucks to create his own Proton Pack?

Bill Diamond’s very own Proton Pack…I’m very jealous…

So What Now?

Well thanks for asking! I recently received an email about possibly doing a V.O. for a book in the next week or so. We’ll see what comes about from that. However, my main goal for the next several weeks is to prepare myself for Grad school auditions. I think i have a very eclectic list of schools i’m interested in, however, more than 5 is still too many. I really need to boil it down to about 4, maybe 5 schools at most. The well is running dry after all. I would love to get as concentrated an experience as i can from a graduate school. I know i can do the academic work no problem. I know i can do anything that’s asked of me. I just hope someone at one of the schools thinks so. Here is a list of the ones i’m currently looking at:

University of Washington — University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill — Trinity Rep @ Brown University — Rutgers — Wayne State University — UCLA

Those are the main ones. Of course  there is always NYU and Yale as well. That might be pushing it though.

Even if nothing comes from any of the Grad school auditions i do line up, i’m still working towards a better end for myself. It may not be lucrative but at least its honestly what i love to do. If anything in the last few months has proven, its that i’m doing the right thing.

Filed under: Acting, Personal, Theatre, Writing   |  1 Comment

First Reading of Permanent Darkness

28Oct09

Hello blog-o-sphere people! Certainly if you’re reading this chances are you’re someone i know already (or want to know!) and have received the official invite to the event. But for posterity’s sake here is the email blast that i got from Steve and Frank of Boz and the Bard Productions, Inc. :

Boz and the Bard Productions, Inc. is happy to announce that “Play with a Play” is returning on Saturday, November 7, 2009. We will be presenting “Permanent Darkness” by David Monti.

Estranged brothers Mike and Don are hiking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado when disaster strikes, leaving them trapped in a cave with daylight quickly fading and the temperature dropping. As they face the impending darkness, the two are forced to also face each other, and come to terms with the events which pushed them apart so many years ago, and the events which brought them back together on this fateful day.

You can take a script in hand and be part of the show – no experience necessary – or you can sit back and watch an original story unfold before you. Steve Hess and Frank Avellino, as directors, will guide you through the process. Afterwards, you engage in a fascinating conversation directly with the writer, offering constructive feedback on the work in progress.

Dubbed “Karaoke for Actors” by a Hackensack reporter, “Play With a Play” audiences need only bring their interest in theater in order to participate.

November 7, 2009

December 5, 2009

All sessions take place at 7:00 PM at the

Center For Modern Dance Education

84 Euclid Avenue

Hackensack, NJ.

Admission is still only $10 at the door, $7 for students and seniors.

So, there it is! I would really like to take some space real quick and thank some people in advance. Firstly, to Steve Hess and Frank Avellino of Boz and the Bard Productions for helping with the each draft of the play, their insightful guidance, and of course for allowing me this awesome opportunity to stretch my creative legs. I would also like to thank my good friends Keith Guthrie and Joanna Bell for reading (several times) the script in its infancy and for their support during this process.

I’ll have a big update following the event. If you do happen to stop by and find your way here, please feel free to drop me a note or leave a comment about what you thought!

Filed under: Theatre, Writing   |  2 Comments