K.L.'s Artistic Blog, Apr-Jun, 2010 at klstorer.com

Apr-Jun, 2010

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Thu, Apr 1, 2010
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SCREENTEST IN CHICAGO NEXT WEEK!!:
I got a call from my agent about going to Chicago next week to do a screentest for an Amblin Entertainment full-length feature based on the novel by Dutch author Lars Bekwaam, De Dwaas Op De Vierde Maand.
I will be reading for a supporting principal role as Dakota Fanning's father.

IN DEVELOPMENT:
Tonight and tomorrow night, my co-conspirator, Heather Atkinson, who was terribly under-cast in The Cashier as the painter in one scene, and I will be rehearsing for our private reading of this play we both desire greatly to do on a stage in Dayton next season. Ms. Natasha Randall has signed on as our director ‐‐ depending on when the production would go up in conjunction with her 2010/2011 theatre schedule-- but will be there as our director for these rehearsals and the staged reading on Saturday.
Once I know the fate of our hopes, based on Saturday's "audition", if you will, I'll reveal for the small handful of locals who don't already know, and the rest of you, the title we are so enchanted to put up.

PRODUCING A CASE OF LIBEL:
Remember, auditions are next Monday and Tuesday, April 5 and 6 at The Guild, 7:00 pm.

Okay, okay. Pay attention now. This is April 1st.
There is no Dutch author named Lars Bekwaam and De Dwaas Op De Vierde Maand is Dutch for "The Fool of the Fourth Month."
I'd love to think that I'd get a screentest, as an untried professional screen actor with one professional credit on my Résumé, for a principal role in a full-length feature for Steven Speilberg's production company, but, though it's not impossible and I don't reject such a vibe, I have almost as good a chance of going on a date with Jennifer Aniston tomorrow night.
I don't reject that vibe, either.

Sun Apr 4, 2010
EASTER SUNDAY
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Mon, Apr 5, 2010
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AUDITIONING A PLAY:

Heather Atkinson

Natasha Randall

Late Saturday afternoon I was involved in a most artistically successful dramatic reading, playing opposite the lovely and talented Heather Atkinson, who was nothing less than spectacularly amazing!
As previously stated here, Heather and I, as well as the also lovely and talented Natasha Randall, (our director), hope this little "audition" will get the play that was read into production next year.
If our audition didn't persuade the eyes and ears we played to that the play ought to be mounted, that unfortunate error in judgement will not be perpetrated because Heather and I did not prove we can carry it off.
Our small audience did like the performances. I was told by one that the sixty-five minutes was "riveting."
Despite that I really do not think the actual play and other details are really a well-kept secret, I still am not ready to name the play or give more specific details about this whole affair.
Not until the production is either a lock or has been rejected.
Again, I don't know if my reluctance to "come out with it" is superstition or what, but it's there and I am honoring it.
Like any other audition, it's Wait And See.

Heather                                             photo by Craig Roberts

Heather & me                                             photo by Craig Roberts

                                            photo by Craig Roberts

PRODUCING A CASE OF LIBEL:
Auditions are tonight and tomorrow night at The Guild, 7:00 pm.
I'll be there as both the producer and an auditioning actor, among a throng of middle-aged male actors.

U.D. LAW GIGS:
In the next week I have three gigs coming up as witnesses in trial practice classes.
Wednesday night and Saturday morning I'm playing the same two characters in the same trail practice case for two different classes.
Next Monday night I'll be in another criminal trial practice class with Judge Mary Huffman.

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

I was told by someone that the promotional video above would cause Samuel Beckett, were he still alive, to shut down the Steppenwolf production. This proposition is nonsense.
Beckett is not alive, so the argument is moot. So, on June 1, I'll be there to watch this horrible production that somehow with an innocuous promotional video would raise the ire of an egomaniacal playwright. I actually think Beckett would have a much better sense of humor about the video than he was just given credit by the one who put forth the ridiculous postulation.

Thu, Apr 8, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:

The cast of A Case of Libel

Saul Caplan            Robert Sloane

David Shough            Boyd Bendix

J. Gary Thompson            Dennis Corcoran

Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard            Anita Corcoran

Richard Young            Abner Coles

Duante Beddingfield            David Strong

Jamie McQuinn            James Baldwin

Geoff Burkman            Paul Cleary

K.L.Storer            Fred Alston

Jennifer Lockwood            Claire Marshall

Jerry Buck            The Judge

Craig Smith            Colonel Douglas

Jeri L. Williams            Miss Brand

Timothy Behnken            Court Clerk

Dawn Roth Smith            Court Stenographer

U.D. LAW GIGS:
Last night I played two different witnesses in a wrongful death civil case. The VP & ACEO of a manufacturing company (the defendant) and a mechanical engineer, the expert for the plaintiff. Did both these characters in this same exercise last year. I'll repeat these Saturday morning.
Natasha (Randall), by the way, played the bereaved daughter of the deceased, the daughter being the plaintiff, as well as playing another witness for the plaintiff.
My game was messed with a little. When I play more than one character I usually bring a different dress jacket and tie for the two roles. I wore black slacks and for the VP I brought a grey jacket and a red power tie. For the engineer, who I played as a bit foppish and eccentric, I brought a brown jacket and a brown themed plaid tie. I checked to see which character was up first and was told it would be the corporate executive. So, I put on the grey jacket and the power tie, only to have the engineer called to the stand. So my costumes were switched on me.
It was traumatic!
Have one this coming Monday evening that I know no details about as of yet.

Fri, Apr 9, 2010
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OPENING TODAY AT THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD:

Sun, Apr 11, 2010
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U.D. LAW GIGS:
Yesterday morning I was at the Montgomery County Courts Building doing the same characters for the same classroom case as I had on Wednesday. Then the mock trail was presided over by Connie S. Price; yesterday it was Magistrate Robert F. Cowdrey. My mechanical engineer expert witness character was on stand much longer on Saturday than the previous time. In part this was because both plaintiff and defense, as well as the judge himself, called many sidebars. I was on the stand for almost an hour through all of this. There were a few side bars while the other actor, again, as Wednesday, Natasha Randall, was on the stand as well.
Natasha gave two very distinct performances as the two characters, yesterday and Wednesday. I hadn't felt I had delineated my two very much. But Judge Dennis J. Langer, who facilitated all the mock trials that were going on, complemented me on "being able to switch personas and characteristics so well." Interesting, since it didn't seem to me I had done so effectively, and certainly not with the clear distinctions Natasha had delineated.
But, I'll go with Judge Langer's assessment.
Tomorrow night I have another criminal trial practice mock trial with Judge Mary Huffman. It's one I did last year about a cop killing, though I believe I am different witnesses this time, or at least one of the two is different. I need to refresh myself, and I am taking the notes for study right now. I was planning to see Independence at The Guild this afternoon, but I overslept, so now that time belongs to the study for tomorrow's gig, as does later tonight when I'm back from the first rehearsal for A Case of Libel.

WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY ARTS GALA:
Earlier this week I became the beneficiary of two free tickets to this year's WSU LA Arts Gala ‐‐ two tickets to this run $350. The tickets had been won by someone through Classical WDPR 88.1 FM. The winner couldn't use them so through a chain of generosity and serendipity they were offered to me by an angel who'd heard me say I'd go could I afford it. So, I and a friend were able to attend last night, thanks to WDPR and all those in between them and ourselves.
There were well-done excerpt performances from 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Pajama Game; there ere some fabulous virtuoso instrumentalists; there were excellent dancers; there was wonderful visual art all over the place; there were painters and sculptors creating work right there as we watched; there was wine (though I did not personally imbibe) and much fine food. It was a lovely evening in all manners to speak of.
One final note: as I watched the performers doing the songs and choreography in the Pajama Game excerpt, I remembered one reason why I shy away from musicals ‐‐ I suck as a dancer.

A CASE OF LIBEL:

Table read through this evening. I'm there mostly as producer.

Mon, Apr 12, 2010
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U.D. LAW GIG TONIGHT:
Tonight I have a criminal trial practice mock trial with Judge Mary Huffman. I feel like I am not ready, but probably am. I left The Guild right after I read the one scene my minor character is in for A Case of Libel, to get home and attend to work on this.

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

Still gearing myself for this. My friend I am going with does not want to spend the night in Chicago because of his work schedule.
On thing for sure, he's getting to bed late after the show. I am not leaving that theatre until after the talk back with cast and director is done.
The show opened last week and here is a review, "Steppenwolf makes sense of Beckett's perplexing 'Endgame'," by Hedy Weiss in the Chicago Sun Times. As well, here's another good review by Jake Lindquist in the Chicago Critic: "Endgame by Samuel Beckett; directed by Frank Galati."

On a not-really-related-except-peripherally note: an acquaintance, Brian McKnight, who is both a native Chicagoan (I believe) as well having been a local Dayton professional actor for more than several years, is auditioning at Steppenwolf tomorrow. If you know him, send him "break a leg" vibes. Send them even if you don't know him.

Thu, Apr 15, 2010
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U.D. LAW GIG MONDAY NIGHT:
I was a little mistaken in that Judge Mary Huffman did not preside over the mock trial I played witnesses for, but rather was the facilitator for the four versions of that same trial that were all going on simultaneously. To be honest, I don't know the name of the judge, or perhaps, magistrate, who presided in our class session. His face is not on the judges page for the Montgomery County Courts.
Whatever his name, he was a taskmaster over the law students for both the prosecution and the defense. Rather than wait until a student was done with his or her examination, cross-examination, or re-direct, he would stop them during and discuss what they were doing wrong, in terms of all of procedure, wisdom and errors that might be fatal to their case.
One poor student seemed to get picked on a lot. But, it was a classroom.

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:
Ah, the following clips bring back memories for me of my own work in this show, several years back.

Meanwhile here's the dog from our 2005 production of Endgame for Springfield StageWorks. Dog being designed by Mr. Larry Coressel.

June 1 is only forty-seven days away!.....

One
           Two
                      Three
                                 Four
                                            One
                                                       Two

THREE FOUR!:
Okay, who got it?
Any Beatle fans in the house? Can you hear the jump-walking bass right about now? ‐‐ played, by the way, by George, not Paul.
Yeah, so this entry could also be titled "How I Spent My Tuesday."
Some fun facts:

I drove 9924 miles last year. 3269.9 of those were directly as an actor; 4404.3 were other miles driven for The Dayton Theatre Guild.

My fabulous income as a ‐‐ ahem ‐‐ "semi-professional actor" was $765.00. My expenses were $587.93.

As it turned out, taking the standard deductions was more beneficial to me than the itemization ‐‐ thus, I spent most of Tuesday in what eventually proved to be a nullified venture.

Sun, Apr 18, 2010
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The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;=
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,---
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1860 \ published 1863

DAVID HARROWER'S BLACKBIRD:
Though it's a ways off (a whole year), I am pleased to be appearing in David Harrower's Blackbird, playing opposite Ms. Heather Atkinson, and under the direction of Ms. Natasha Randall.

STUDENT MOVIE:
I've been approached by Chris Tung, who helped crew that "rumored" improv movie project, about appearing in a movie. He's finishing up his quarter as a film student at Wright State University's Motion Pictures program. He has a silent short to shoot within the next week or so, and he also asked if I know a female actor he might use. I've given him a good referral. We'll see what happens with this. I may spend an evening this week as an alzheimer patient, or the spouse of one. I haven't seen the script and only know general concept.

A CASE OF LIBEL:
Gathering them bios and headshots from actors and setting up whatever pictures need to be taken.

Fri, Apr 23, 2010
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STUDENT MOVIE:
There was a shoot tomorrow. I'd cleared my day for it, but a character has not been cast and the director is re-writing the script to compensate. So there is no shoot this weekend, and his new script will not need an actor my age.
Here's an updated version of the note I recently posted on facebook and also sent out in an email:
I have a friend in the WSU Film School who needs to shoot a short narrative silent film post haste. His name is Chris Tung.
He needs a woman who can look in her 60's or 70's, even if it's with make-up.
Chris thinks it'll take about six hours.
The good thing is, it's a silent, so line memorization is a moot point.
Please pass this one to ant actress you think might be interested:
Chris Tung can be reached on facebook, MySpace or at cbtung01@sbcglobal.net.

If Chris can cast this role he will use his original script, which is his preference.

COMMERCIAL AUDITION:
I have an audition in Cincinnati on Monday for Cincinnati Bell. Technically, the role I'm up for calls for a "pot belly," which I don't have, despite that I am nowhere close to as in shape as I ought to or want to be. It also calls for "an interesting face" and the agency thinks I have that interesting face; I, on the other hand, find my face to be, oh, I don't know, perhaps "pedestrian" is the word I'm looking for, at least without a beard.

A CASE OF LIBEL:

I've done two rehearsals as an actor (Fred Alston), but have been on set far more often as producer ‐‐ not to suggest I've been on set a lot.
Right now I am diligently getting pictures for the conceptual lobby poster we will be putting up for this, as well a bugging people for their program bios and program headshots. Next Wednesday the DTG house photographer, Craig Roberts, will be on set and we're doing publicity pictures, grabbing headshots for all those who don't have them to provide, and getting all but two of the actors pics for the poster. At least that's the plan.

Sat, Apr 24, 2010
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UPCOMING AUDITIONS:

I doubt many local actors who read this ‐‐ if any do read this ‐‐ won't know that this coming Wednesday morning at 10:00 is when The Human Race Theatre Company starts taking appointments for the May 15 & 16 general auditions for the 2010/2011 season (The audition page is www.humanracetheatre.org/auditions.shtml).
I, of course, not even contemplating, whatsoever, in any way shape or form, the idea of putting myself out there for a musical, will be doing two contrasting monologues, rather than one monologue and a song. I am pretty set on one of my monologues but I don't know what the other will be. Perhaps I'll make it easy on myself an pull something from my vast material as Alston in A Case of Libel. It would mean that I'm doing any comedic material this year, but, well, hell, I'm not very good at comedy anyway.

As many of the other men in Libel, I have a relatively strong interest in the FutureFest 2010 auditions. Problem: The auditions are Sunday, June 6 at 2:00 pm, which happens to be call time for the closing performance of A Case of Libel. And quite a few of the FF staple male actors and one director are in the Libel cast.
Certainly is a bit if a dilemma for us in the Libel cast.

A CASE OF LIBEL:
As producer, I am still haranguing a few actors, some whom I would have thought would know better, to get program bios to me. Plus, I'm otherwise getting all the program material together as well as getting the publicity photo session set up. Plus, we are now starting to address budget allotments and the sort.
As actor, I still have to get Alston's lines memorized. I have not even begun the process. A sticking point for me, beyond some heavy schedule things, is that I have been inflicted with tendonitis for the last week and my personal choice for line memorization, my trusty index flash cards, has been a trouble spot as I haven't wanted to use my right hand (the infliction is in my right forearm) to write out my lines on the flash cards.
Yeah, I know, that index cards thing is a lame-ass excuse, but not wholly invalid, only mostly invalid.

Sun, Apr 25, 2010
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CLOSING TODAY

The cast of Independence

Marcia Nowik            Evelyn

Rachel Wilson            Kess

Angela Timpone            Jo

Brittany Brown            Sherry

I saw the show yesterday. Congrats to the cast and director Fran Pesch. I sat in audience and was quite uncomfortable with the action unfolding before me, which I believe was the point.

MOBY DICK BY THE ZOOT THEATRE COMPANY:
Then, right after the Guild show, I thoroughly enjoyed the pupeteer performances in Moby Dick by The Zoot Theatre Company this evening at the Mathile. Really cool work on a script by Bruce Cromer.

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

Check out these steppenwolf podcasts
Ensemble Member Francis Guinan discusses Endgame with Literary Manager Joy Meads.
Ensemble Member Frank Galati discusses Endgame with Director of Artistic Development Polly Carl.
Ensemble Member Ian Barford discusses Endgame with Artistic Director Martha Lavey.

Wed, Apr 28, 2010
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AUDITION FOR CINCINNATI BELL:
I drove down to the audition in Cincinnati Monday for Cincinnati Bell. The audition director had me screentest for another role than for what I had been sent there. The original "muffin man" was the one that calls for a "pot belly," which, again, I don't have. The director instead auditioned me for "technician," described as "Nerdy. Scientist. Stereotypical, maybe balding a bit, glasses."
Truth be, I anticipated this change, but really only after I arrived at the casting agency. I did not dress as geek tech, I dressed as blue collar muffin man. I was, however, sure to bring my glasses into the studio on the hunch that I would be found more suitable for the tech.
As to how it went, I have pretty close to no idea. I don't at all think I tanked it, but I did not get a read on what the director thought or whether or not I gave her what she was looking for.

AND SPEAKING OF AUDITIONS:
I just made my appointment for the Human Race Theatre Company's general auditions for the 2010/2011 season. My appointment is Sunday morning, May 16. I still haven't picked my second monologue.

A CASE OF LIBEL:
Slews of photographs being taken tonight.
Publicity shots; pictures for special processing for the lobby display poster; headshots for those who don't have one (for the program); and some shots to be used for a set property (a book cover mock-up, I believe).
That's producer's hat stuff. Actor's cloak stuff is that I have now actually begun to study the lines for Alston's scene. I will attempt to stumble through the scene when it is rehearsed tomorrow night. I will not be anywhere close to "off book," just for the record, so will be saying, "Line," a lot.
I do hope that I can get out of rehearsal early enough tonight (attending as producer) to get some good study time in. I'm contemplating recording the lines soon, as a supplement, or sibling process, to the index flash cards.

Fri, Apr 30, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:

AS ACTOR ‐‐ At my only appearance on stage during rehearsal this past week, Thursday evening, I was in the neighborhood of about 90% off-book. The good news is, I am not expected to be off-book until this coming Thursday. The don't-be-too-terribly-impressed news is that I don't have a lot of lines, so getting close to off-book early was not a major feat. Can't say it's not gratifying to almost be at a place already where all I have left to do, in terms of line accuracy, is fine-tune the "verbatim" aspect.
And lines are not yet tripping off my tongue; there were more than a few times I was not sure or had no idea what came next until prompted.
Now, I did go through that anxiety I always experience at the front end of the memorization process, where I look at what there is to learn and have no faith that I'll get the words etched in my brain. That, despite that I only am in a few pages of the scene I am in, and I have only one monologue of anything close to substantial length.
In another vein: that hesitant, spastic body movement that I seem to have on stage, and for which I hate with a red, hot passion, actually is useful for this role. So, rather than try to consciously kill it ‐‐ and I have no confidence I ever am as successful with that as I wish to be, I have embraced it.
I haven't created Alston's backstory yet, but will soon, perhaps over the weekend.

AS PRODUCER ‐‐ My big move right now is to get the coordination of the various photographs and the program copy finished and that it all ends up in the correct hands.

Wed, May 5, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:

THE SET HAS BEGUN TO MATERIALIZE ‐‐ Last Sunday the set work began and quite a bit of good progress was made. I actually think set designer Wendi Michael had come in before Sunday and painted the floor, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I'd love to say that I played a role on Sunday, but, though I was there, I didn't do set work. My tendonitis in my right forearm is on the mend and I did not want to aggravate it into a relapse. I did take pics, though *(see below).

AS PRODUCER ‐‐ My time put in on Sunday was administration work as producer. The big project was getting as much of the material for the program (playbill) gathered and coalesced for our print media person, who also happens to be Wendi Michael, as well as the DTG webmaster, Bob Mills. Some of that was dramaturgy-like work to finish off the "about the playwright" and the "about the play," sections, and the order of the cast listing in the program.
For those who are interested, the cast list will be in order of the character's appearance (as it now is below) and the cast bios will be alphabetical by actor's last name, with the director and the playwright following.
Monday night I got the last of the photos we need and finished almost all the program copy. So I gave Wendi a disk with all the photos, for the program, the lobby poster and the mock book jacket. And today I emailed her the text material for the playbill, save for those last-minute additions (set construction workers, more special thanks, and the names of run crew, the last of which I have no names at present). Sent all this material to Bob, too.

*MAY 21 UPDATE: AND I'M SORRY TO REPORT THAT MY IDEA FOR THE CAST PICTURES FOR THE LOBBY POSTER WAS NOT FOLLOWED THROUGH ON.

The fresh set of A Case of Libel at the end of the first day of set construction. The ghost light sitting on stage.

AS ACTOR ‐‐ Feeling reasonably confident about my level of being off-book for this. Again, this is not a terribly difficult feat to achieve based on the little amount of lines I have to be memorized. I'm struggling for the verbatim quotient, which I always strive for and don't see why I can't conquer with these few pages confronting me.
I've been playing with a slight east coast, Bostonian-type accent for Alston, but a middle-class Bostonian accent, not the Kennedy's or Charles Winchester, III, more of the Tom and Ray Magliozzi variety, though not as strong. Fred Alston's backstory, on the other hand, has not materialized as of yet. But I feel a need to this time. I don't always do one; this time I believe I should. Seems clear I want to make him from Boston, so I suppose I've started it.
This is off-book week and Alston is on stage tonight. But, as I was essentially off-book last week (with minor problems) and am much improved from that, I have no deep anxieties about it. That does not mean I won't be running my lines a lot before tonight; I'll be pulling the index flash cards out every time I have a chance, and, really, with this role, I can just run the lines mentally without them whenever they may not be handy.

FUTUREFEST 2010 ANNOUNCED:
Here is a link to the Dayton City Paper article about this summer's FutureFest weekend:
"Dayton Playhouse Announces FutureFest Finalists."
You may recognized the actors in the accompanying photo, from a jail scene in last year's winner, M.J. Feely's Night and Fog. Hint, two of them are in A Case of Libel.

Fri, May 7, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:

AS ACTOR ‐‐ Wednesday night I did pretty well with the lines. It certainly was not that aspiratory verbatim, but there were no horrible cases of paraphrasing, either. I did stop and retrace a few lines to correct them into verbatim, but I'm sure I erred other places. I only called for line, once.
I did give Fred a slight east coast (Bostonian) accent, though I don't think it was consistent. The character was okay, but I have not fully developed him yet.
Last night was particular scene work night. One up was the Alston portion of what is Act II:Scene 1. We ran it a couple times and I am at a level of "not unhappy" with Alston, but I'm not quite at the level of satisfied yet.
Despite my decision to embrace my typically weird, jerky, lumbering movement on stage, I do want to smooth it out a bit. I was conscious of what I could feel was bad movement last night. That's gotta go. Alston's self-consciousness and nervousness does need demonstration in his physical behavior, but I instinctively felt that my movement last night was, well, bad.

As Producer ‐‐ In many ways the producer's job is over. There may still be some things to do, a problem to help solve here or there, but overall, I won't be wearing the producer's hat a lot any more on this one.

Saul Caplan & David Shough

Geoff Burkman, J. Gary Thompson & Richard Young, with Director Debra Kent & AD Steve Strawser in the upper-right background.

Jerry Buck & Timothy Behnken, with Richard Young & J. Gary Thompson down front, looking toward them.

Jamie McQuinn, with set designer Wendi Michael in the far upper-right, painting, Richard Young to the far right, director Debra Kent in the down right corner & Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard in the down-left corner.

Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard

This isn't dirctly related to the production, but it's a photo I like of the light grid ‐‐ so, I inlcude it.

A HARROWERING GLITCH:
A couple weeks ago I stated here that "I am pleased to be appearing in David Harrower's Blackbird, playing opposite Ms. Heather Atkinson, and under the direction of Ms. Natasha Randall." . . . . .

g l I t c h     !
Dramatist Play Service has responded to the request for performance rights, in part, with:
Unfortunately, we are unable to grant you the rights for production at this time. There are restrictions in place that currently limit the availability of this play for nonprofessional use in your area....if you contact us again after June 2010, we may be able to predict the play's future availability....

So, this actor is trying not to be terribly disheartened. I am holding on to the hope that the rights will end up granted. I really want to do this show!

LATELY, THE "NOVELIST" HAS BEEN CALLING:
The last few days I have thought on my novel, Starting for the Sun, the universe of which big-banged itself about 1991 or 1992 (maybe a year or two earlier), the first-draft manuscript having its real birth in 2000. The last chapter was finished a little over a year and a half later in 2002. I then did some re-writes and revisions. In 2003, while sending queries to literary agents in New York, Chicago and L.A., I began the first draft of the second novel in the series.
Then, in October 2003, through research for the second novel and reaching forward into at least the third novel in the series, the dormant actor in me was aggravated into awakening.
See the essay, "The Knowing In Me: the artist becomes himself (formerly titled 'When a Hiatus Isn't a Hiatus')"; and see the first page of this silly blog.
Reentering the thespian life seriously distracted me from the writer's life, or, at least the fiction writer's life, and certainly the so-called "novelist's" life. I suppose these last six years of consistently regular blogging means I have still been a writer.
Granted, there has been some screenplay work in there and I have written some fiction prose. In fact, in 2004 I did a pretty major re-write of Starting for the Sun that included moving some things around in the manuscript, adding some things and cutting some things.
The last few years though, the novel and its sequels have been back-burner items. Then, of late, the whole novel project has been on my mind more often (It always has popped up as an errant thought every now and then). I've found myself looking at a lot of the supplemental material created for the story and for L.D., in his adult life as a greatly successful actor and recording artist with the stage name David Dawn.
I don't know if this means I'm about to plunge back in or not, but something's going on.
First of all, I really need to fix an awkwardly worded paragraph right close to the top of the first page of the first chapter:
L.D. had just come down to the bottom of the stairs, right at the start of the one-story part of the house, and the living room. He was on his way to turn on the living room TV. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen, behind the dining room, which was the other side of the living room. Dad's words made him stop."

That really needs refined. It still needs to be in the vernacular of a ten-year-old, but spruced up a bit regardless of that.

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

Did I mention that I'm going to see Endgame at steppenwolf in Chicago next month?
Okay, here's a steppenwolf blog post, written by Martha Lavey, who plays Nell in the show:

"Martha on Endgame."

Tue, May 18, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:

AS ACTOR ‐‐ Fred Alston is pretty much developed to my own satisfaction. My goal to effect a slight middle-class Bostonian dialect has been achieved. And between myself and director Debra Kent some performance adjustments have proved worthwhile.
As of yet I haven't created his backstory, but it is still on my agenda, despite that my schedule is, to use the vernacular a Bostonian might, wicked crazy. But at this date I'm wondering if it will be done. We've moved through Tech Sunday and on into Tech/Dress week and I am just not seeing that I will have time to create the backstory. The truth is I probably don't need to, but I still want to. Is that weird?
Rehearsals have been going well for the cast in general and I think we have a good show on our hands.
Last night's first tech/dress ended just about 11:00, after notes, and I had to hang around a bit as producer. Got to bed after midnight. The whole rehearsal week will run like that, and in fact, tomorrow night and Thursday it'll be worse because we're running at real curtain time (8:00) rather than 7:30. So I was into work late today and have arranged with my very understanding, supportive and most accommodating boss to be late all week, with the agreement that most days I'll work late to keep the cut into work time at a minimum ‐‐ good for her and me: she gets more work out of me and I burn less vacation time.

AS PRODUCER ‐‐ It's all budget stuff. It become apparent that we would need a little more money alloted to the production and the board did agree to that. So now it's all circling down to the final ledger.

AS STAGE CREW ‐‐ I work a few scene changes including the one that happens about five minutes after my Alston exits the stage. So, I'm in stage crew dark until right before my scene; then I change into my costume; then, after I exit, I quick-change into the dark stage crew top for the scene change; then I change back into costume for the curtain call.

Fred Alston

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The greenroom

The greenroom

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

The set

GENERAL AUDITION FOR THE 2010/2011 HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY SEASON:
Before I headed to the Guild for Tech Sunday I went to The Race and did my audition for the coming season. And I believe I did quite well. I used "The Great Constable Explains the Folly of Virtue to His Son, His Prisoner" from the John Crowne play The Ambitious Statesman.
My second, "contrasting," monologue ended up being the last sixty seconds of my Alston monologue from Libel. It's not comedic. I had thought of writing one based on a story an acquaintance of mine has told, and writes of, about a friend of his who visited him on the NBC Studio Lot, where this acquaintance used to work. It's all about being neurotic and negative and is quite funny. I did write it, but it was getting to crunch time and I didn't have time to commit this to memory ‐‐ Despite that I wrote it, it still needs memorized.
I'm happy with my audition. So it's all more than good.
And I know several of my thespian siblings had good auditions, too, so: Here's to us all!

OH, AND ONE MORE THING. . . . . IT'S BA-A-A-A-CK!:

Fri, May 21, 2010
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OPENING TODAY AT THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD:

Final Dress was in danger of being cancelled last night. There was a major fire in a scrap yard, the Franklin Iron and Metal Company, and health officials were concerned that there might be toxicity in the large plume and the fumes coming from the fire. For most of yesterday there was an advisory for all people who lived or worked within a two mile radius of the yard to stay inside. Clearly there was some chance this might elevate to evacuation of the area, maybe even a larger area, and official mandates to not enter the area. The Guild is about a mile and a half from Franklin Iron and Metal.
Our director, Debra Kent, and I monitored the situation throughout the day and when it was relevant kept the cast and crew advised. By about 4:00 it was clear that there was no reason to cancel rehearsal. The advisory had not elevated and some cast members had friends or family inside the two-mile radius who reported they could detect little or no odor. One cast members wife also said that the plume was blowing away from the direction of the Guild. So we found it okay to keep the rehearsal scheduled. Which is good because it was Final Dress ‐‐ the last opportunity to fix things before the show goes up; kind of an important rehearsal to not miss.
We were prepared for maybe at least one cast or crew member to say, "You know, I don't think I want to take the risk," and agreed that we would have to respect that. Not that I proffered that as an option in my we're-going-on email message. And by about 5:30 or so the advisory was lifted, anyway. The EPA had finished tests and found no dangerous toxins in the fumes of smoke.
The show, (rehearsal), went on, as we were all so glad it could. Okay, so, technically it was not a final "Dress" rehearsal because we did wear the costumes. But it was a good rehearsal as we've pretty much had all Tech Week. There are a few light tech problems that need to be worked out and Nick Vanderpool has come in to help us fix those problems. But I believe we have a good and solid show going up tonight.

I never did get to that backstory for Fred Alston perhaps I shall before it's all said and done. Why not? It is okay to further develop a character after the performances have started. Certainly it is welcomed ‐‐ and I would hope, expected ‐‐ to hone the performance of the character itself.
The show's an early-sixties play so it's three acts and three hours. I've been getting home from rehearsal and into bed late, too late, as I indicated last post, to welcome arriving at the paycheck job at 7:00 a.m. with anything close to open arms. Being allowed to take most of the mornings off from the paycheck job all week has been a very good thing. Today I worked 10:00 to 2:00. then was off to be DTG house manager, with some shopping, then cleaning chores at the theatre, which will commence in a few minutes with a major mopping of the Guild floors on my agenda toward the start.
I'm not incredibly enthused about burning eleven hours of vacation time this week, but at least it was related to acting. And I didn't get to rehearsal less than fully awake.
So, as I write this, opening curtain is about five hours away.
So away we go.

Tue, May 25, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:
We had a very good opening weekend with much positive response from our first three audiences.
The consensus seems to be that the show and the performances are compelling.
There has been a lot of praise swimming around for the cast in general.
So we launched off well. Here's hoping we have two more weekends as good as the first.

Fri, May 28, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL:

Weekend number two begins in almost exactly three hours from this moment that I type this.

SCREENTEST FOR AN INDY:
PC-Goenner called yesterday. The casting director for a indy full-length feature film shooting near Cleveland wants me to read for the film. I will be reading for two minor supporting roles in a screentest tomorrow afternoon at the agency office.

Mon, May 31, 2010
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To Lt. Col. George A. Storer, veteren of the Second World War, South Pacific Campaign, decorated with a Bronze Star for bravery in action, born 1919, died 1995.
And to all his comrades in arms throughout the history of the United States of America from 1776 to 2010, and beyond:
We Remember You with Honor and Pride.

A CASE OF LIBEL:
We had another most successful weekend with top-notch performances and raves from the audiences. Three more shows to go.

THE SCREENTEST FOR AN INDY:
The screentest at PC-Goenner Saturday morning went quite well. I spied some serious competition on the sign-in sheet, but it's not like there wasn't going to be any; I just happened to know a name on that thing that belongs to a very good actor who read for one of the two roles I read for.
The screentest was directed by Shaunn Baker, who is a local director, (such as, The Nerd at The Human Race Theatre Company a few years back).
It was a good screentest. We had to do several screentests for the role of the psychiatrist, in between my flubbing some lines and some fine-tuning by Shaunn. The role of the social worker we did in one take.
I feel good about the audition, which, if nothing else, is good for my morale.

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

I'm heading to Indianapolis later today -- should be on the road now, but.... -- then tomorrow I'm off to Chicago for an encounter with Hamm, Clov, Nagg & Nell.
Unfortunately, Dave, my Indy friend, cannot attend the show; he cannot get off work. At this point it looks like another of my Indy friends will go in his place, which I hope happens. I was not able to find anyone locally who could take the time off for the trip, though I did know a few who wanted to go. But, C'est la vie. I'd really hate to see a good seat for a good show empty.
Also I'm acquainted with someone who saw the show Saturday night. One thing he shared on facebook was that there was no curtain call. I have fb emailed him to ask if the cast participates in the talk back after the show. If they don't, I am not as hardcore on staying for it, though it still could be a nice event.

Tue June 1, 2010
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ENDGAME IN CHICAGO IS TODAY:

Got into my friend Dave's in Indianapolis last night and I am off to head up to Chicago later today.
That second ticket is still unclaimed. The other Indianapolis fellow was not able to take advantage of it either. Someone may have a really good day up in Chicago as they may end up with a cheap (or, who knows, maybe free) ticket.
I don't know that I'm going to actually give it away, but really, giving it away would be better than having the seat empty, especially such a damned good one.
Then, there was the possibility of some really, really bad news. I got forty-five minutes out of the Dayton area, within minutes of the Indiana border, when it hit me that I had left the actual tickets for the play at home.
Whereas that was a bit of a pain I am most grateful that this thought didn't hit me, oh, perhaps as I entered the Chicago city limits. This little bone-headed gaffe added about ninety-five miles and ninety minutes to my trip as a whole, unfortunate but much better than it could have been.
I'm not wholly enthused about making the trip to Chi-town solo, nor not having someone to share the experience of the show with, but, again, C'est la vie.
The plan is possibly to come back to Dave's, but whether I rent a motel or hotel room for the night, or drive back tonight is, as I sit here waiting for the coffee maker to finish gurgling, up in the air.
Maybe I'll go to Shatner's Priceline website and get a four-star for $75 or something.
Then, there are potential reasons to not go back to Indianapolis after Chicago,
*SEE BELOW
.

INDEPENDENT MOVIE AUDITION UPDATE:
Of course, I'm out of town, and just found out from my agent that the callbacks for the indy movie will be tomorrow in the Cleveland area.
This however, is not really a big problem, since I am in Chicago tonight. Cleveland is only about five and a half hours east of there. So, though I'd rather have a strong night's sleep going into a callback, this is doable.
But, I get ahead of myself a little, don't I.

Thu, June 3, 2010
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ENDGAME
IN CHICAGO TUESDAY NIGHT:
Well, even though some will rightfully accuse me being predispose to such, I was impressed with the production and everyone's performances.
I read the play the night before I headed up and between that and watching the actual performance I summoned some fond memories of the rehearsals and performances I was a part of back in 2005.
It was pretty easy to watch Ian Barford's Clov without letting my experience and interpretation of the character get in the way of my enjoyment and assessment. Every other time I have watch another actor in a role after I have done it, there's been an inability to let go of a certain bias toward how I did it as opposed to how he is doing it. It's made me very hesitant to render any comment on the other actor's, at least not without a caveat about my blind spot.
I did thoroughly enjoy Barford's work. Of course, there were a few lines that were played differently between us. More than few, of course, but a few that were of note to me.
One in question was when Clov says "What for Christ's sake does it matter!" My Clov snapped the line, was far more aggressive and then said the following lines, "When old Mother Pegg asked you for oil for her lamp and you told her to get out to hell, you knew what was happening then, no? You know what she died of, Mother Pegg? Of darkness," more acerbically and with heavier accusation.
Perhaps because it's several years now, perhaps because I was watching a professional in an Equity production, or perhaps just because he did such good work, I was able to watch Clov on the steppenwolf stage without biased and reservations and blind spots.
As well, William Petersen was superb as Hamm. Again, he naturally gave a very different Hamm than Wayne Justice did in our Springfield StageWorks production, and let me be clear to not diminish Wayne's fine work one small sand grain. Again, I was able to set aside my experiences watching and interacting with Wayne's good work to drink in Petersen's different manifestation of Hamm. Those weird, convoluted, mammoth monologues rolled of Mr. Petersen's tongue. I believe I detected a line flub, but I am not sure. If Petersen did misstep a line, he regrouped and recovered quickly. I'm thinking only other actors and very sophisticated theater goers were able to notice the possible waffle.
Petersen's Hamm was a bit odd-duck, quirky and it was a really effective approach. And, for those who may wonder, Gil Grissom was nowhere to be seen on that stage.
I am very sure a section was missed, however. There is a point where Clov turns his telescope glass toward the audience and says "I see... a multitude... in transports... of joy. (Pause. He lowers telescope, looks at it.) That's what I call a magnifier." I swear I do not remember that moment happening at steppenwolf. It is in Beckett's directions so all productions are obliged to follow the direction and have Clov turn the glass on the audience. I was looking for the moment, so I am sure it did not happen. And I don't remember the lines being delivered sans the action.
Martha Lavey and Francis Guinan were in many ways very close to Nancy Mahoney and Ron Weber (from the StageWorks mounting) in their work as Nell and Nagg. Despite a very different physicality, Lavey and Mahoney were eerily the same in terms of delivery and vocal cadence. Ron Weber has a certain quirkiness that Guinan did not emote, but there still was a close interpretation in their Naggs. So, Lavey and Guinan lived up to Mahoney and Weber, or vise vera. At any rate, the two professional actors filled out the great work I witnessed Tuesday evening.
So, it was worth it. I am just still a little chagrined that this was a solo flight.

INDEPENDENT MOVIE AUDITION UPDATE:
I did not have to worry about plotting out the trip from Chicago to Cleveland today. I did not get a callback. But, I think perhaps I know at least one Dayton area actor who got a callback. I won't say who because I'm not sure I am correct.

STUDENT SHOOT SATURDAY:
A film student has solicited me for a shoot on Saturday, and we've negotiated the time so that I will be wrapped by 2:00 pm or earlier. I have to be at The Guild by 3:00. I am not at all sure how I will get the lines memorized by then. It's a practice scene, I believe. It is from Joe verses the Volcano.
I'm meeting with the director, Jay Taylor at The Guild later today, just before a line-through, brush-up rehearsal for A Case of Libel.

Sun, June 6, 2010
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CLOSING TODAY

The cast of A Case of Libel
in order of appearance

CHARACTER

ACTOR

Claire Marshall            Jennifer Lockwood

Abner Coles            Richard Young

David Strong            Duante Beddingfield

Robert Sloane            Saul Caplan

Anita Corcoran            Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard

Dennis Corcoran            J. Gary Thompson

James Baldwin            Jamie McQuinn

Miss Brand            Jeri L. Williams

Paul Cleary            Geoff Burkman

Boyd Bendix            David Shough

The Judge            Jerry Buck

Court Stenographer            Dawn Roth Smith

Court Clerk            Timothy Behnken

Colonel Douglas            Craig Smith

Fred Alston            K.L.Storer

Fri, June 11, 2010
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OPENING TODAY

Sun June 13, 2010
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A CASE OF LIBEL WRAP-UP:

Gotta say we had a good run with the show. We had good, receptive audiences and strong work on the stage.
I have to admit I didn't see all the work, though I did sneak into the light booth to see as much of the final performance as I could. I still missed a good portion of Act II, at least the second half of it, as I was getting into costume and makeup, and rehearsing my scene, for the top of Act III.
I missed part and parcel of the ends of other scenes because I was getting in place to help Stage Manager Deirdre Root with those particular scene changes.

The A Case of Libel set from the down stage thrust perspective, looking up stage. Sloane's office is downstage, the New York City Supreme Court is upstage.

The seal of New York State as recreated by Wendi.

Wendi's cover art for the book Hangman on Horseback by Edwin Curry, from the plot-line of the play.

But, based on what I saw, which was probably 80-90% of the show, hey, we had a mighty fine production!
And it was nice to work with the new, talented folk I had not worked with before. And I was happy to finally share a scene on stage with Saul; all our past work together, where I've been acting, has been with him as director for a FutureFest production. Needless to say I was happy to work with those whom I have shared the boards with in the past.
I hope I work with them all again at one point or another.
As for Fred Alston, I was happy with what I breathed into him. Some performances I felt his shame and despair which is always a great place to be as the actor: experiencing the character's emotional place.
I'm happy to say that line blunders by me were at a minimum and I never came close to going up (forgetting lines on stage).
As producer, I'm also happy to say that the official budget closeout has us only $5.63 over.
As a Dayton Theatre Guild Board of Directors member I am quite thrilled to say we closed out our "official" freshman season in the new digs with a rousing bang.
And kudos to Wendi Michael for a really fine set and some great production artwork. See the pics to the right.
And major kudos to Nick Vanderpool and Dara Bornstein, who made some last-minute lighting corrections. Nick came in and did some last-minute design things that needed done and Dara and he stayed until the wee hours of the morning, during the end of Tech week, to get the lights in final focus for the run. It was an invaluable and very appreciated act of emergency care.
And to add to that, here are the production credits:

Director: Debra Kent

Assistant Director: Steven Strawser

Stage Manager: Deirdre Bray Root

Producer: K.L.Storer

Set Designer & Decorator: Wendi Michael

Lighting Designer: John Falkenbach

Sound Design & Technician: Bob Mills

Light Technician: Dara Bornstein

Costume Design: Carol Finley

Properties Design: Dawn Roth Smith

Set Construction Manager: Greg Smith

Set Construction Crew: Blake Senseman, Wendi Michael, Saul Caplan, Tym Henry, Jennifer Lockwood, Debra Kent, Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard, Doug Lloyd, Jamie McQuinn, Joe Mitolo, David Shough, K.L.Storer, Steven Strawser, Eric Thompson, Evelyn Thompson, J. Gary Thompson, Brian Wilgus, Richard Young

Program & lobby poster design and production artwork: Wendi Michael

Publicity: Steven Strawser

Photographer: Craig Roberts

Box Office Manager: Brian Buttrey

House Manager: K.L.Storer

special thanks: Dara Bornstein, Michael Boyd, Brian Buttrey, Clearwire, Al Michael, The Muse Machine, Playhouse South, Stefanie Pratt, Blake Senseman, Greg Smith, Staples Copy Center on Dorothy Lane, Nick Vanderpool

In line with the credit above, all the A Case of Libel photos shown in this post are official production shots by Craig Roberts, who is the Guild's official photographer.

BACK ROW, L to R: K.L.Storer, Craig Smith, David Shough, Geoff Burkman, Jerry Buck, Saul Caplan, Jamie McQuinn, Timothy Behnken, J. Gary Thompson
FRONT ROW, L to R: Jeri L. Williams, Dawn Roth Smith, Richard Young, Deirdre Root *(Stage Manager), Debra Kent *(Director), Duante Beddingfield, Jennifer Lockwood, Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard.

Saul Caplan as Robert Sloane

David Shough as Boyd Bendix

J. Gary Thompson as Dennis Corcoran

Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard as Anita Corcoran

Geoff Burkman as Paul Cleary

Duante Beddingfield as David Strong

Richard Young as Abner Coles

Jamie McQuinn as James Baldwin

K.L.Storer as Fred Alston

Craig Smith as Colonel Douglas

Jerry Buck as The Judge

Jennifer Lockwood as Claire Marshall

Jeri L. Williams as Miss Brand

Dawn Roth Smith as Court Stenographer

Timothy Behnken as Court Clerk

STUDENT SHOOT LAST SATURDAY, JUNE 5:
The morning of June 5, I spent on campus, mostly in Millett Hall, with film student Jay Taylor appearing in his repurposing assignment for a film class. We did a vignette based on a few pages from the Joe Verses the Volcano script.
I was a boss who was a, well, I think perhaps "prick" might be the right term.
This was a very last minute thing, in fact we shored up my doing it just a few days earlier, while I was still out of town on vacation, via facebook, email and cell phone. So, I got the script pretty last-minute, plus it then when through some re-writes, so there were a few changes when I arrived on set.
Good thing about film is you can literally learn your lines right before a shot, because often the shot is only several second with only a few lines, maybe even only one line.
I haven't seen the cut yet, but just from the shoot I can see that Jay's a good director; I think he's going to be making some fine, fine movies.
And here's to Heather Atkinson for connecting Jay and I for this project. Since it's a class assignment and a repurposing, I can't put it on my résumé, but, still, it was screen time and chance to act, and, if you think about it, it was a screentest for other film students who will see it, as well as keeping me in Jay's mind for future projects.
Chris Tung, who worked with me on the improv movie project is in the class and fb'd me that the cut was shown in class and that everybody liked it. Chris, and I guess others, were impressed that I was able to fake chewing gum for the shoot. I'm looking forward to seeing the cut. I may not be able to put it on my résumé, but I may be able to place it on a private audition reel.

WHITE TRASH ON WAYNE AVENUE:
Though I haven't seen the show yet ‐‐ I've been hosting ‐‐ the first two performances of the Dayton Theatre Guild fund-raiser, Sordid Lives, have gone over very well with the audiences.
Attendance hasn't met its pinnacle yet, but there are four more shows, including one I am moments to heading for to, once again, host.
3:00 today
8:00 next Friday
5:00 Saturday, June 19
3:00 June 20

www.daytontheatreguild.org or 937-278-5993 for tickets.

Tue June 15, 2010
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25
!!!!

I told a friend the other day that my birthday was coming up and I was going to embrace my pseudo-dyslexia and claim my age as twenty-five.
I don't feel fifty-two, but I think I'm starting to look my age, which is disconcerting to me. I'm starting to long for those conversations that went like:
Me: "I'll be (insert age number here) in June."
Other person: "Wow, you don't look a day over (insert lower age number here)!"

I actually was in the gym yesterday afternoon for the first time in a while. As has been the song for several years now, it's been months since I was there and a couple years since anything close to routine attendance. I present yesterday's partaking as something other than a novel event.
I'd forgotten that working out makes you feel better in a holistic manner.
Whether or not I'm at the crossroads of some intense mid-life crises is yet to be determined. But I do have this strong sense that I need to get frikkin' busy on some of my wants, wishes and goals.

BACK IN THE IMPROV MOVIE PROJECT GROOVE:
Here's what I posted on my facebook account a week ago:
Okay ‐‐ so I finished principal photography on my little experimental improv narrative movie in June 2009. I've shot a little pick-up work and started an edit on a excerpted short; but it's been months. This summer is about immersing myself in post and getting a final cut by, I hope, sometime in the fall.
With the short excerpt (featuring Natasha Randall and Craig Roberts) done this summer. It gets finished first, though I am pretty much starting the edit over from scratch.

That work will start tonight, with a back-to-the-drawing-board session of color correction. This time I'll fine-tune and match the color correction on the footage from all three cameras before I'll start over on the edit of The Audition. The opening establishment work, i.e.: everything before the actual interior footage of the scene, will stay. I doubt I get past color correction, tonight however. Then I do have a small movie project that will distract me for a few days -- *see next entry.
And note the new addition: the logo graphic.

PROMO FOR THE COMING GUILD SEASON:
Plans have been hatched for a short video to promote the 2010/2011 Dayton Theatre Guild season. We shoot tomorrow night. There's only one probable extra production that we can't mention yet, because of technicalities that keep it from being secured.

WHITE TRASH ON WAYNE AVENUE:

Sunday, Sordid Lives had a small but appreciative audience who laughed their asses off!
You should be, too......next weekend!

Three more chances:
8:00 Friday, June 18
5:00 Saturday, June 19
3:00 Sunday, June 20

www.daytontheatreguild.org or 937-278-5993 for tickets.

Fri June 18, 2010
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IMPROV MOVIE PROJECT:
Color correction
   b a r e l y
          a
     b e g I n n I n g !
But, "First Steps," right?

PROMO FOR THE COMING GUILD SEASON:

I shot video Wednesday night to promote the 2010/2011 Guild season. On camera were Greg Smith and Blake Senseman.
I borrowed a different model of DV camcorder from campus, one that has an external mic plug. The plan was to use my two mics ran through my four-track recorder, which would serve as a mixer, and into the DV recorder's input so I had better audio on the DV tape than I'd get from the external condenser mics on the camera.
I don't have boom stands and I was hoping I could get some from campus; they don't loan such items out. But they did offer me two lavaliere mics they offered me (the tiny mics that one clips on the lapel). I took them.
On site I could not get the lavalieres to operate; I believe the problem was the RCA to quarter-inch input adaptors were not correct. So, I had to go with my regular mics, but I really didn't want to have Greg and Blake hold their mics. It wouldn't have been inappropriate since this was an interview style shoot, but I preferred they not hold the mics.
I was able to cobble together one mic stand, with the help of a screwdriver, my second camera tripod and a healthy application of duct tape. So we shot it with one mic, centered between the two men, but off-screen, and I got a good sound level that way.
It's important to note that as I did the sound levels and while I was shooting, I did not hear a talk radio station in my headphones!
However, before I got that good sound check, I found that I was getting a heavy hum when running into the DV camera's mic plug. So I elected to record the sound separate, actually using the four-track recorder for audio recording, then I would sync the sound in post production.
Now, the first of two problems: the talk radio problem. The "production" audio ‐‐ ie.: Greg's and Blake's voices ‐‐ sounds great on the four-track audio tape recording; there's good tone and richness. There is, however, a signal pick-up of an AM talk radio show captured on the four-track audio and running all the way through it. So, though it doesn't have as good an overall quality, I do have to use the condenser mic audio from the DV tape. This has happened to me before, with the reason for the necessary switch being different.
Second problem: I did something stupid. I rolled the video tape back to the start of the shoot, while still there on site. A little later, as I was packing up, I decided to get some B-roll. So, I shot the hallway poster of the 2010/2011 season as well as a shot of the front of the theatre. Then it dawned on me I had cut into the first couple minutes of the tape. Fortunately there was junk footage before the actual interview began, so I recorded over only the first half of the introductory sentence.
All I have to do is get some audio pick-up of the first part of that sentence and I can put B-roll under that pick-up audio then cut to interview footage during the second half of the sentence. I might have done such an edit anyway, even if there had been no erasure.

BLACKBIRD SINGING ON THE APRIL STAGE?:
The application for performance rights has been resubmitted.
Here's hoping.

Sun June 20, 2010
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BLACKBIRD:
So here's the whole story on Blackbird.
Of course, most who would read this silly blog will know that I went to The Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago in August of last year to see William Petersen and Mattie Hawkinson in David Harrower's gripping play, Blackbird. I went with my very good friend Dave from Indianapolis. As we ate at a little Thai restaurant in Lincoln Park, close to the VGT right after the performance, I already knew I wanted to do this show.
By fall I had started on the course to get the show up somewhere. The Guild was, of course, my first idea but quite selfishly and for also quite practical reasons I had no plans to suggest it as a regular season show.
The selfish agenda: I had no expectation ‐‐ and rightfully so ‐‐ that just because I brought the show into the playreading committee, that if it were to be excepted that I would be cast as Ray. That's the way it should be for regular season shows. We are a community theatre so all regular shows should be open to auditions to the local non-Equity actors.
The practical reason: The Guild may be known for edgier shows, but Blackbird is such a touchy show dealing with such a sensitive issue that it's a hard sell as a show to put up for nine performances. I was not at all confident that it would make it to the six shows that make up the regular season.
I started talking to various board members at the Guild about the possibility of doing it as an extra show. In this same time frame, Heather Atkinson and I had set up to rehearse our mutual audition scenes for the upcoming DTG production of Shining City. During our first meeting for that I told Heather what I was planning for Blackbird, with which I knew she was familiar. She was immediately interested in playing Una. As it turns out she had auditioned for the show while she was in Florida. And I knew by the end of our reading of the Shining City pages that night the Una (the Blackbird female lead character) had arrived on the scene.
Now it was time to sculpt the presentation to the board and to find a director. We met several times, into winter 2010, for readings of Blackbird and invited Natasha Randall in to lend an ear once we had a few readings under our belts. Tosha is on the DTG play reading committee so I had given her a copy of the script back in December '09. She told us when we were through with the reading that she wanted to direct. And so we now have our director.
Between myself and a couple other board members the idea was sprouted that a staged reading be presented to the board to present it as a possible extra show for the 2010/2011 season. On April 3 we read for about ten people to very positive response. Two weeks later the board voted to slate it for one weekend in April of 2011.
So, now there are two stumbling blocks. First, is Dramatist Play Service's response to the first application for performace rights, which, as I reported on May 7, says in part:
Unfortunately, we are unable to grant you the rights for production at this time. There are restrictions in place that currently limit the availability of this play for nonprofessional use in your area....if you contact us again after June 2010, we may be able to predict the play's future availability....

The application was just resubmitted a few days ago, although I understood the original response to mean, "wait until July." But now we are waiting for the second response, which I suspect will be, essentially the same as the first. To be honest though, I think we are indeed going to get the rights in the end.
But, dilemma number two.
During our rehearsals leading up to the staged reading, we talked about the upcoming general auditions for The Human Race Theatre Company, and I said it'd be just our luck that one of us would get a callback for the show that was up in conflict with our proposed April slating of Blackbird.
Don't worry, it was said, The Race show in that slot has an all African American cast.
Well, the show is Thomas Gibbons' Permanent Collection, and it's not an all African American. And I just received word from the HRTC company manager, Kryss Northrup, that I am on the callback list for Permanent Collection. And it seems that I would likely be read for the antagonist, Paul Barrow, which, though a long shot, would be a lovely way to debut on a professional stage.
It's a little difficult to whine about this dilemma. But still I have been presented with this theatrical conflict that my first gut instincts demanded would likely have me turning down the chance to be on the professional stage. My reaction on Friday was that if the rights to Blackbird come through, I cannot walk away from that, and posted such on facebook a hot five minutes after I got the email from Ms. Northrup. Not but shortly did some fb friends offer up an opposing opinion:

"Don't do it! take the professional gig. Blackboard* can wait!" *PRIVATE JOKE

"Ditto what [he] said!!!"

"Ditto: 'if, if, if: if the queen had balls, she'd be king!' Don't live for IFS!"

At the performance of Sordid Lives that evening, another friend told me he agreed with the fb feedback.
My response on fb had been:
"Thing is, I AM cast in Blackbird, in a challenging and interesting lead role, it's mine. It's slated, it's cast and all that is left is the probable granting of the rights. The pro show is a callback. It is a much much much bigger 'if.' Plus, if the rights are not granted, there is not conflict."

As I looked a little into the Gibbons play and assessed which character I'd be likely to be read for ‐‐ not to mentioned just better weighing the fact that it's a professional gig, as I talked with DTG board members about the situation, and as I got with both Heather and Tosha about the "dilemma," it has become clear that the course to take is to wait and see. Blackbird can be postponed until the 2011/2012 season if it comes to that.
My only chagrin here is that as soon as we get the rights clearance I want to start promoting it to our target audience, which is essentially college age theatre goers and others who are more attracted to edgier, sensitive-subject work. If it still goes up this coming April we won't know until perhaps February or later (when I am clear on a Yes or No about the Permanent Collection casting) and I would prefer more lead time to get the word out about Blackbird.
I suppose buzz can still be generated but it's a little less impacting when there is not a firm date. Now, if we move it, my original promotional idea can still be employed: start talking it up months in advance.
So it's all wait and see.
I'm skeptical as a nuts-and-bolts realist that I score a substantial role on a professional stage as my first gig in such arena, but, as always, I am an idiot if I don't go in and give my all to the auditors. And, as always, I am most very willing to accept the role if it's offered.
I cannot, however, over stress just how badly I wish to portray Ray in Blackbird. It's necessary for me to tackle this role before it's all said and done.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY:
By the way, I am tentatively on the callback list for this Tracy Letts play at HRTC, too, which The Race is opening its 10/11 season with, in collaboration with the Wright State University Theatre Department. The way the notice words it is, "(if a callback is needed you will be contacted)."

PROMO FOR THE COMING GUILD SEASON:
I'll be grabbing that pick-up dialogue with Blake before the Sordid Lives closing performance today.
I've also been looking for royalty free music to put under the interview. I've found nothing that I like for this project and really can't afford the one-time fee right now, if I did fond something. I may go the route I did with the Dice House promo video trailer in 2007 and write and record my own music.
We'll see.

CLOSING TODAY AT THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD:

Can Sissy quit smoking or will she fail again? Will LaTrelle and LaVonda stop fighting long enough to bury their Momma? Was Bitsy Mae falsely arrested or is she just prison trash? Can Ty tell his deepest secrets to his Mother? Will Brother Boy be released from the Mental Institution long enough to attend his Momma's funeral? Will Noleta get revenge on her lying, cheating husband? Will Juanita ever sober up?
These questions and many more will be answered in the return engagement of
Del Shores' Sordid Lives.
Be prepared to laugh until you cry.
WARNING: Adult situations and strong language.
NOT for the "Faint of Heart!"

Wed June 23, 2010
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IMPROV MOVIE PROJECT:
"Yadda yadda"
That's the place-marker text I stick in when I'm formating a new blog entry. And, at this time, that's all there is.
Other things have gotten in the way.
This must change.

PROMO FOR THE COMING GUILD SEASON:

I did get that pick-up audio Sunday, during the Sordid Lives strike. as a matter of fact. Have worked some on graphics for the intro. Hope to have this in final cut by the end of the weekend.
This, being one of the "other things have gotten in the way" of the improv movie post production.

SOUND DESIGN AT THE GUILD:

FRANK'S LIFE ‐‐ With auditions coming up next Monday and Tuesday, rehearsal is likely starting around July 6. I have to read the script. It's probably time.

SUGAR WITCH ‐‐ This one isn't up until October 22, but still, I know just from conversation with the producer that there are some sound considerations that ought to have an early attack made upon them. But first things first.

* As a point of interest, I was contacted about designing sound for other productions this summer and had to regrettably decline.

Thu June 24, 2010
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BLACKBIRD SINGS.....:
Got word yesterday that Dramatist Play Service has approved performance rights for April of 2011. So, at least that part's cleared. As to whether it goes up is in the air.
In terms of the big factor, callbacks for Permanent Collection at The Human Race Theatre Company: that audition schedule will not even be determined until no earlier than September.
As our DTG Treasurer, Deirdre Root, just said about attaining the Blackbird rights, "This didn't help your dilemma at all. But it's great that we got the rights."
My response being that at least it makes it far more probable that I have a good role, and a lead role, this season.
I'm still being conservatively hopeful about this project. I am paranoid that I have somehow jinxed or torpedoed it.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE INDY FILM:
The agency contacted me yesterday with a tip on an independent film that will be shooting some scenes in Dayton next week. It's not a signature project through the agency, they just gave me an FYI about it.
I'll be submitting my résumé, etc, on-line for a possible call next Wednesday.

PROMO FOR THE COMING GUILD SEASON:

So, after my session in the gym yesterday -- "What's that, he was in the gym?" Yes, I was in the gym ‐‐ I decided to take a different approach to working on movie editing. This is an experiment for the improv movie. Rather than drive home, I drove from the Student Union back to the Library and I went to the third floor, pulled out the laptop and worked there rather than going home, where ‐‐ TV baby that I am ‐‐ I would be tempted to turn on a rerun of some crime show or sitcom on cable (just for a few minutes!) and waste time on a story line I've probably seen twelve times already.
I got through a good chunk of the main assembly edit, though the video is proving to be longer than it ought to be. I guess I'll finish it then make another pass through to cut more.
Being at lunch right now, I may put at least a few minutes in right after posting this blog entry.

Mon June 28, 2010
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PROMO FOR THE COMING GUILD SEASON:
I am what I'll designate as 99-point-1 percent done with this ‐‐ moving toward a final cut. I did not go back and extract further, as I suggested I might. For one thing, I've changed The DTG YouTube account to a Director's account, which means we can post videos longer than ten minutes. This one is going to come in at about fifteen, but as I looked at the assembly cut I decided there is nothing extraneous that needs excised. What does not directly provide the pointed information, still gives the tone and mood that we are looking for.

Under the overhang of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library, at Wright State University, this past Saturday, editing the promo video.

There's another fifteen to twenty minutes that I have not used and some of it is good stuff that I may be able to use later, perhaps for a promo for a particular production.
I am using just short of a dozen still images, most are the official graphics for the Guild season, mostly from the hands of Wendi Michael. I have also created a couple, myself ‐‐ one that will have to be designated as "unauthorized,"
For the opening and closing titles I'm using some royalty-free music that I bought back in 2007 to run under the intro clip for my On The Lot submission of The Chorus for Candice. Yesterday I wrote and recorded a 15:31 new-age-esque instrumental, titled "2010-2011," to serve as the video underscore. It's not Vangelis, but for a guy who has probably an eighth of an inch of rust on his music-making gears, it isn't horrible.
I am that point-nine-percent away from a final cut because there are some credits for some extra shows that I made an educated guess about; so, those credits may need to be changed before the DV movie is ready for YouTube, etc. I rendered a smaller file-size and dimensioned version and placed it in a directory in my domain so that the relevant people can look at it before we publish it ‐‐ essentially a very finished, polished rough cut, or a galley, if you will.

THAT NEW INDY FILM POSSIBILITY:
I submitted my résumé and actor's photo Friday morning. The call will be tomorrow night. They are making fast casting decisions (fast for a movie) as the shoot is Thursday through Friday. I was sent the side and location information last night. As of the writing of this entry, I haven't looked at the side, yet, but I will at least give it a glance during the day today, and do some study on it this evening. Though I do plan to attend the Frank's Life audition this evening ‐‐ as an observer.

IN THE AUDIENCE ‐‐ THE WHO'S 'TOMMY' AT BCT:
Only a couple hours after the photo above was taken outside the WSU library, I was at Beavercreek Community Theatre for Tommy. I much enjoyed the production ‐‐ several performances were especially excellent! And none were even close to bad. Here's to the cast and crew!
Again, my usual disclaimer: this was a "response" not a critical review.

K.L.'s Artist's Blog, (previously K.L.'s Blog: a Diary of Artful Things), © 2004-2025 K.L.Storer ‐‐ all rights reserved

This website and all content © 2021-2025 K.L.Storer, unless otherwise stated ‐‐ all rights reserved

SCREENTEST IN CHICAGO NEXT WEEK!!:

AUDITIONING A PLAY:

Heather Atkinson

Natasha Randall

Heather photo by Craig Roberts

Heather & me photo by Craig Roberts

PRODUCING A CASE OF LIBEL:

U.D. LAW GIGS:

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

U.D. LAW GIGS:

OPENING TODAY AT THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD:

U.D. LAW GIGS:

WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY ARTS GALA:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

U.D. LAW GIG TONIGHT:

U.D. LAW GIG MONDAY NIGHT:

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

Meanwhile here's the dog from our 2005 production of Endgame for Springfield StageWorks. Dog being designed by Mr. Larry Coressel.

THREE FOUR!:

DAVID HARROWER'S BLACKBIRD:

STUDENT MOVIE:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

STUDENT MOVIE:

COMMERCIAL AUDITION:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

UPCOMING AUDITIONS:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

CLOSING TODAY

MOBY DICK BY THE ZOOT THEATRE COMPANY:

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

AUDITION FOR CINCINNATI BELL:

AND SPEAKING OF AUDITIONS:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

*MAY 21 UPDATE: AND I'M SORRY TO REPORT THAT MY IDEA FOR THE CAST PICTURES FOR THE LOBBY POSTER WAS NOT FOLLOWED THROUGH ON.

The fresh set of A Case of Libel at the end of the first day of set construction. The ghost light sitting on stage.

FUTUREFEST 2010 ANNOUNCED:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

Saul Caplan & David Shough

Geoff Burkman, J. Gary Thompson & Richard Young, with Director Debra Kent & AD Steve Strawser in the upper-right background.

Jerry Buck & Timothy Behnken, with Richard Young & J. Gary Thompson down front, looking toward them.

Jamie McQuinn, with set designer Wendi Michael in the far upper-right, painting, Richard Young to the far right, director Debra Kent in the down right corner & Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard in the down-left corner.

Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard

This isn't dirctly related to the production, but it's a photo I like of the light grid ‐‐ so, I inlcude it.

A HARROWERING GLITCH:

g l I t c h !

LATELY, THE "NOVELIST" HAS BEEN CALLING:

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

Fred Alston

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The set

The greenroom

The greenroom

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

The set

GENERAL AUDITION FOR THE 2010/2011 HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY SEASON:

OH, AND ONE MORE THING. . . . . IT'S BA-A-A-A-CK!:

OPENING TODAY AT THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

A CASE OF LIBEL: Weekend number two begins in almost exactly three hours from this moment that I type this.

SCREENTEST FOR AN INDY:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

THE SCREENTEST FOR AN INDY:

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO IS TODAY:

*SEE BELOW

INDEPENDENT MOVIE AUDITION UPDATE:

ENDGAME IN CHICAGO TUESDAY NIGHT:

INDEPENDENT MOVIE AUDITION UPDATE:

STUDENT SHOOT SATURDAY:

A CASE OF LIBEL:

Weekend number two begins in almost exactly three hours from this moment that I type this.

ENDGAME
IN CHICAGO TUESDAY NIGHT:

WHITE TRASH ON WAYNE AVENUE:

Sunday, Sordid Lives had a small but appreciative audience who laughed their asses off!
You should be, too......next weekend!

Three more chances:
8:00 Friday, June 18
5:00 Saturday, June 19
3:00 Sunday, June 20

www.daytontheatreguild.org or 937-278-5993 for tickets.

Del Shores' Sordid Lives.
Be prepared to laugh until you cry.
WARNING: Adult situations and strong language.
NOT for the "Faint of Heart!"