In Which I Become "That Guy"

They should have known better.  I just saw the Old Globe's production of The Rocky Horror Show and, well, let's just say I became the extra member of the cast.

Some friends and I dressed up and went to see the show.  We weren't the only ones, but there weren't many of us:  A Frank and Riff from a shadow cast in Vancouver, a couple dressed as Brad and Janet in their underwear and lab coats, and then we three:  Me as Frank, my friends as Phantoms.

Before the show started, I asked the usher if it were OK for the audience to call out and he was quite enthusiastic about it.  So the show starts with a pair of lips projected on the scrim to tell us to turn off our cell phones, don't record the show, check for the exits in case of an emergency, and the show starts.

"Michael Rennie was ill The Day the Earth Stood Still, but he told us where we stand."
And I say in a voice loud enough for only those sitting next to me to hear, "On our feet!"  I wanted to gauge just what the audience was up to.  Well, there was a strong contingent down in the stalls calling out.

Good.

"And Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear" ("It was gold!")
"Claude Rains was The Invisible Man" ("I can see right through you!")

I'm now bold and using my trained voice to project through the theatre.  Now, you must remember: I'm a Rocky veteran and learned the audience part in Albuquerque, NM. I've seen the movie all over the world and the rowdiest crowd ever was at the Guild.  I've seen it in New York and shouted down Sal Piro himself, having the audience wonder who the hell that crazy person in the back was who wouldn't shut up.

So suffice to say that I was making the audience pay attention to me.  They were laughing and I was toning it down a bit.  It has been a long time since I was in my Rocky prime and many of the lines have gone away, but I still have enough to prove I'm no virgin and they're not the typical lines most people know.

The cast did break a couple times.  The first was not by me.  When Frank is playing with Rocky's body during "Charles Atlas," he runs his finger down Rocky's abs toward the crotch.  The timing was such that I didn't quite snag the cue when he finally got past it, but another audience member was on the ball to shout it out:  "Missed it!  Missed it!  Now ya gotta kiss it!"  Frank paused and nearly guffawed.

The second was when Frank was about to start the Floor Show.  "What tastes good on cornflakes?"  And Frank stopped dead in his tracks, knowing what his line was and how it was the answer to my question.  You can see the thought bubble in his mind as he realizes what he is about to say.  Too long of a pause to be dramatic effect.

I got him.

"Come!  Our guests will be growing restless!"

But they did get me back.  Twice.  The first time was during the Mouseketeer Roll Call:

"Dr. Scott!  Janet!  Rocky!  Piss off!"  And the gasp at the creation turning on his creator.  "Actually, I was referring to that guy," pointing up in the balcony in my direction.

The audience applauds, me along with them.

But the scene continues:

"I suppose you intend to do with us what you did with Eddie!"

"Eddie!"

"Shh!"

"Eddie - I've seen him.  He looks terrible."

And Frank pulls Brad aside, turns to the audience, and says, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Brad's been trying to get a laugh out of that line since we've opened."

So I immediately pipe up:  "Oh, sure!  Now you want me to respond!"

The audience erupts in laughter.

But the second time was the killer.  Frank appears in a silver sequin gown to sing the intro to "Don't Dream It":

"Whatever happened to Fay Wray?"  ("She went ape-shit!")
"That delicate, satin-draped frame?"  ("It was polyester!")
"As it clung to her thigh,"  ("What?  The ape shit?")
"How I started to cry."  ("You'd cry, too, if you were being fucked by a 40-foot ape with a 10-foot banana!")

And Frank just turns to me and calls out, "You know, I wish you'd find a 10-foot banana because you certainly sound like you need attenion.  What?  Don't they have big dicks in Vancouver?"

And the audience erupts in applause, me right there with them.  Now..."Vancouver"?  I had no idea what he was talking about.  Why are we making fun of Canadians?  I don't think I have a Canadian accent...I've never lived there, though I did have a vacation in Toronto and Montreal when I was 4.  The closest I ever got to living nearby was when I was living in Dayton, but I don't sound like a Canadian.  Ah, but if you'll recall, there were some members of the Vancouver shadow cast there.  Apparently, they had been told of such and he thought I was part of them.

So the show ends, they get a standing ovation, and we wait out front to jaw with some other folks who saw the show and the cast slowly trickles out.  The Narrator comes by, I admit that I was "that guy," and he gives it a good laugh.  We get a picture of him strangling me.

13.1

So I just ran the America's Finest City Half Marathon.  The goal was to break 2 hours.  While my tracker on my phone put me at 1:58:19 for a total distance of 13.3 (unless you follow the ideal run line, you will always be running a little bit further than the official distance), my official time was:

2:00:04

So close!  I probably would have made it below 2 hours if I hadn't had to go to the bathroom the last couple of miles.  Yeah, there were portapotties at the 10.2 mile marker and I could have gone then, but going to the bathroom would have definitely slowed me down even further.  Now, I went before I left the house and I went again before the race started, but the body seemed to think the third time would be the charm.

The path of the AFC starts at Point Loma at the Cabrillo National Monument, heads down along the Bay by the airport and marina, then up into Balboa Park.  Thankfully for my goal, the first few miles are downhill so I could put some quick miles in early to keep my average pace up and get to the end in 2.  That said, the 11 - 12 mile stretch is all uphill.  It's not horrendously bad (only about 200 feet over a mile), but combined with my guts doing everything they could to get me to pay attention to them, it was what killed me.

My pace the past couple of weeks has also been a bit off.  I started truly training for it back in May and my pace was usually around 7 mph, even for my 10+ runs.  That's good for 1:54 final time and I have run the full distance at 1:56 in training.  But the past couple weeks, I've been huffing it at 6.8 or worse and to do my distance at 2 hours requires 6.7.  Everybody said the adrenaline will push you along and I think there might have been a bit of that, but I'm a little sad I didn't do better.

But after all is said and done, I'm happy I did it.  I pretty much hit my goal and the thought of doing the Triple Crown (Carlsbad, La Jolla, and AFC in a single year) is going through my head, but I certainly don't have a full marathon in me right now.  I'd want some pro training if I were going to do that.

It's a good run and the weather was great:  Cool morning, overcast, the sun didn't start beating down until the end, and San Diego is a beautiful city.

Read the Notice

So one of the local theatres (who pays as they have an Equity contract) is holding auditions.  They emailed me, I wrote in for my slot, got the time and place, great.

And when I get there, I'm noticing that everybody is singing stuff way out of the time period I had chosen.  See, the notice, like many for musicals, gives guidance about what to prepare.  This one said, "No songs before 1960."  And here I am wondering why I'm hearing The Last 5 Years and Chicago and other modern stuff.  I mean, I was doing "It's Only a Paper Moon."  That's from 1932.

Yeah, that's because the word "before" doesn't mean "after."  Yes, the musical is set at the turn of the century, but the show is from the 90s.

Pay attention, Brian.

But, I do a wonderful rendition of "Paper Moon," so it sorta falls into that last rule about auditioning.  There are some rules for what to sing at an audition:

1. Pay attention to the notice and follow the directions.
2. Do not do someone's signature piece.  You are not Liza or Barbra or Mandy and you won't do yourself any favors in having the auditioner compare you to them.
3. Do not do the latest, hottest number from the big show on Broadway right now.  Everybody else is going to do that, too.
4. Do not do something so obscure they have no idea how to react to it.  This includes your own material.

But the last rule is the kicker:

5. If you can knock it out of the park, forget the rules and do it.

It is always better to do a piece that you are completely comfortable with and shows you off to your best abilities that bends the rules somewhat than it is to do something that you're unfamiliar with and will stumble through during the audition.  This is why it's so important to have a large repertoire of songs rather than just "an up-tempo and a ballad."  You need to be able to sell yourself in any style and manner when the casting call comes.

I was once at a talent competition where the winner of the youth division in singing was this 9-year-old girl and for the final show, she sang "Life is a Cabaret."  She came out on stage in a blue sequin dress with a slit up the leg and she sang the whole thing, including the patter in the middle about how her prostitute roommate died of a drug overdose.

Nine years old.  Completely inappropriate.  I'm wondering where the hell her parents are and what on earth convinced them that they should let their not-even-adolescent daughter get dressed up like that and sing that song.  And I still do think that, but it's combined with something else:

That girl could SING.  She knocked it out of the park.  It was one of the best renditions of that song I've ever heard and while I still have trouble with her doing it, I would have cast her in a second for almost anything I needed a young singer for.

I've always had a bit of a talent for the smiley ballad and so while it was out of line with the instructions they gave, I think I knocked it out of the park.  The accompanist knew the song and followed me like a pro, no fighting over tempos, it was wonderful.
And I rocked the dance audition, too, if I do say so myself.  Here's to hoping I get called back.

Aubrey Awards!

So the Aubrey's just opened and its my first live blogging of an event. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up. I'mnominated for Lead Actor in a Musical (see below) and will be presenting the Production awards for Musical, Comedy, and Drama.

UPDATE:  Well, so much for the live blogging...the Internet connection evaporated right when the Aubrey's started.

We had the pleasure of Mr. Aubrey himself, namesake of the awards, present at the ceremony.  Cool beans.  And now, the winners:

HOUSE

Chris Johnson & Pamela Everett, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse

SOUND DESIGN

Ashley Foughty, Much Ado About Nothing, Cornado Playhouse

LIGHTING DESIGN

Chris DeArmond, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

SET DESIGN

Raylene J. Wall and Joel Colburn, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

COSTUME DESIGN

Jane Russell and Victoria Mature, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Mike Davis, Shadowlands, PowPAC

CHOREOGRAPHY

Rick Shaffer, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players

MUSICAL DIRECTION

Erich Einfalt, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse

SUPPORT ENSEMBLE

Ashley Foughty, Danielle Gallaher, and Renee Ulloa-McDonald as the "Pre-Show Entertainment," Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse

CAST ENSEMBLE

James Tarbert, Raylene Wall, Teri Brown, Rob Conway, Michael Fuller, Dee Kelley, Frank Remiatte, Yvonne Lindroth Silva, Holly Stephenson, and Susan Stratton, Sordid Lives, OnStage Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Shaela Parrott, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Tie:
P J Anbey, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
Jamie Channell, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

PJ Anbey, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Patio Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

John Antonov, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Nick Bonacker, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Alex Guzman, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Lisa Allison, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Robin Boyington, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN COMEDY

Kelli Harless, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Manny Bejarano, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Kevin Fipps, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Nuvi, Mehta, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Jamie Channel, The Last 5 Years, PowPAC

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Robin Boyington, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Victoria Mature, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Brian Imoto, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

James M. McCullock, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY

James Steinberg, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Raylene J. Wall, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

DIRECTION OF A DRAMA

Holly Stephenson, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse

DIRECTION OF A COMEDY

Jim Clevenger, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse

PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Debbie David and Lynn Wolsey, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

PRODUCTION OF A DRAMA

Tie:
Luc R. Pelletier, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
Frank M. Guttiere, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse

PRODUCTION OF A COMEDY
Victoria Mature, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

As you can see, I didn't win.  Ah well.  There's always next time.  But, at least a Brian won.

Aubrey Nominations

The 46th Annual Aubrey Awards are July 31st and the nominations came out today.  Any typos or mistakes in the list are mine.

HOUSE

1. Helen McGuiness, Sherrie Colbourn, and Maxine Brunton, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
2. Helen McGuiness, Brenda Robinson and Maxine Brunton, Skin Deep, PowPAC
3. Chris Johnson & Pamela Everett, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
4. Nettie Allen, Mark Genovese, and Lisa Genovese, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
5. Chris Johnson, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse

SOUND DESIGN

1. Kurt Dahlvig, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
2. Matt Warburton, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse
3. Raylene J. Wall, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
4. Ashley Foughty, Much Ado About Nothing, Cornado Playhouse
5. Steve Murdock, Sordid Lives, OnStage Playhouse

LIGHTING DESIGN

1. Chad Oakley, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
2. Deborah Zimmer, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
3. Chris DeArmond, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
4. Chad Oakley, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse
5. John Ashcroft and Deborah Zimmer, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Patio Playhouse

SET DESIGN

1. Paul Rossi, The Costume Ball, PowPAC
2. Chad Oakley, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse
3. Kevin Jones, Kris Bauer, and Rob Wolter, Steel Magnolias, Patio Playhouse
4. Amy Reams, Pamela Everett, Jane Russell, Rosemary King, and Dale Goodman, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
5. Raylene J. Wall and Joel Colburn, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

COSTUME DESIGN

1. Eileeen Salsman, Jane Russell, and Ria Carey, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
2. Miranda Porter and Sarah Brandt, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse
3. Lisa Burgess, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse
4. Mary Anderson and Jane Russell, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
5. Jane Russell and Victoria Mature, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

SPECIAL EFFECTS

1. Daniel Zisko, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse
2. Dave Rethoret, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
3. Rod Wolter, Steel Magnolias, Patio Playhouse
4. Chad Oakley, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse
5. Mike Davis, Shadowlands, PowPAC

CHOREOGRAPHY

1. Diane Valero Olivier, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
2. Patrick Mayuyu, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse
3. Alisa Williams, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
4. Rick Shaffer, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
5. Dawn Marie Zuniga-Williams, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse

MUSICAL DIRECTION

1. Rick Shaffer, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
2. Erich Einfalt, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
3. Kirk Valles, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
4. Kirk Valles, A Taffeta Christmas, OnStage Playhouse and Pickwick Players
5. Emily Awkerman, The Last 5 Years, Patio Playhouse

SUPPORT ENSEMBLE

1. Emmy Farese, Emily Jardel, Nettie Allen, Alyssa Carey, and Ariel Carey as the "Teen Chorus," Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
2. Jennifer Bologna, Corryne Chenowth, Danielle Edmonds, Jacklyn Jardel, Jacob Rodebaugh, Imagine Truelove, and Bryn Williams as the "Kids Chorus," Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
3. Ashley Foughty, Danielle Gallaher, and Renee Ulloa-McDonald as the "Pre-Show Entertainment," Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
4. Genevieve Robertson and Wendy Hayne as the "Vampire Women," Dracula, Coronado Playhouse
5. Bea Conzalez, Jenise Jaquin, Keith Macario, Karina Montgomery, Sean O'Hara, and Rachel Throesch as the "Phantoms," The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse

CAST ENSEMBLE

1. Kris Bauer, Caro Louise Ariste, Kelli Harless, Erin Rincus, Aisa Diaz, and Krysti Litt, Steel Magnolias, Patio Playhouse
2. Jessica Brandon, Jennie Gray Connard, Meredith Russo, and Alisa Williams, A Taffeta Christmas, OnStage Playhouse and Pickwick Players
3. James Tarbert, Raylene Wall, Teri Brown, Rob Conway, Michael Fuller, Dee Kelley, Frank Remiatte, Yvonne Lindroth Silva, Holly Stephenson, and Susan Stratton, Sordid Lives, OnStage Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

1. Lauren Adkins, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
2. Jazley Genovese, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
3. Shannon Matsch, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
4. Shaela Parrott, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
5. Katie Umlor, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

1. P J Anbey, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
2. Jamie Channell, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
3. Tisha Penny Coull, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse
4. Julie Foster, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse
5. Elaine Litton, The Crucible, Pickwick Players

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

1. Julie Clemmons Vizzard, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
2. P J Anbey, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Patio Playhouse
3. Ashley Foughty, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
4. Candice McClung, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse
5. Mary Anderson, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

1. Nathan Plummer, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse
2. John Antonov, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
3. Ryan Prades, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
4. Jack Harlow, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
5. Tony Bejarano, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A DRAMA

1. Joel Gossett, Shadowlands, PowPAC
2. Nick Bonacker, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse
3. Steve Haiman, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
4. Thomas McCaverley, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse
5. John McClean, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse

MINOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A COMEDY

1. Alex Guzman, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse
2. Christian Wright, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse
3. Devin Collins, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse
4. J J Rowley, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Patio Playhouse
5. Frank Guttiere, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Patio Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

1. Lisa Allison, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
2. Danielle Van Orden, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
3. Kelly Prendergast, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
4. Megan Spector, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
5. Kate Hewitt, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

1. Quiyatta R. Owens, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
2. Deborah Zimmer, Death Takes a Holiday, PowPAC
3. Robin Boyington, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse
4. Lori Duncan, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse
5. Carla Nararro, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTRESS IN COMEDY

1. Sarah Hunter, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse
2. Michelle Johnson, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse
3. Sandy Hotchkiss Gullans, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse
4. Cheryl Warner, Skin Deep, PowPAC
5. Kelli Harless, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

1. Manny Bejarano, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
2. Philip John, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
3. Michael Williams, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
4. Eric Gonzales, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
5. Patrick Mayuyu, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A DRAMA

1. Joel Colbourn, Shadowlands, PowPAC
2. Kevin Fipps, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse
3. Julio C. Mas, Death Takes a Holiday, PowPAC
4. Doug Smith, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
5. James Steinberg, To Kill a Mockingbird, OnStage Playhouse

MAJOR SUPPORT, ACTOR IN A COMEDY

1. Sean Tamburrino, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Patio Playhouse
2. James Darvas, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
3. Nuvi, Mehta, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse
4. Samuel Warner, Skin Deep, PowPAC
5. STeve Murdock, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

1. Mary Augustine, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
2. Megan Barrow, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
3. Jamie Channel, The Last 5 Years, PowPAC
4. Adi Mullen, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
5. Amy Pruitt, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

1. Robin Boyington, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse
2. Diana Sparta, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
3. Christina Phares, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse
4. Julie Clemmons Vizzard, Shadowlands, PowPAC
5. Ruth Carlson, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

1. Marilyn Wolfe, The Costume Ball, PowPAC
2. Samantha Ginn, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
3. Shirley Coggon, Skin Deep, PowPAC
4. Danielle Gallaher, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
5. Victoria Mature, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

1. Jeremy Schull, The Last 5 Years, Patio Playhouse
2. Brian Imoto, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
3. Robert Alegria, Godspell, Patio Playhouse
4. Don Evans, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
5. Brian P. Evans, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

1. James M. McCullock, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse
2. Justin West, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
3. Mark Zweifach, Shadowlands, PowPAC
4. Hunter Smith, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
5. Philip John, The Crucible, Pickwick Players

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY

1. Terence J. Burke, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
2. Bob Himlin, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
3. Joe Salazzo, Skin Deep, PowPAC
4. Dave Rivas, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse
5. James Steinberg, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

1. Geoffrey A. Cox, The Last 5 Years, Patio Playhouse
2. Raylene J. Wall, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
3. Nick Reeves, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
4. Rick Shaffer, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
5. Jessica Brandon and Alisa Williams, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players

DIRECTION OF A DRAMA

1. Kevin Jones, Steel Magnolias, Patio Playhouse
2. Eric Scot Frydler, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse
3. Jay Mower, Shadowlands, PowPAC
4. Christopher DeArmond, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
5. Holly Stephenson, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse

DIRECTION OF A COMEDY

1. Mark Loveless, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
2. Keith Anderson, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
3. Vanessa Dinning, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse
4. Jim Clevenger, The Beard of Avon, Patio Playhouse
5. Sherrie Colbourn, Skin Deep, PowPAC

PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

1. Cameron Williams, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pickwick Players
2. Debbie David and Lynn Wolsey, The Spitfire Grill, PowPAC
3. Phyllis Reeves, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Coronado Playhouse
4. Jessica Brandon, Snoopy!!!, Pickwick Players
5. Lisa Davis and Desmond Hassing, The Rocky Horror Show, OnStage Playhouse

PRODUCTION OF A DRAMA

1. Luc R. Pelletier, The Crucible, Pickwick Players
2. Frank M. Guttiere, Death Takes a Holiday, Patio Playhouse
3. Teri Brown and Desiree Peters, Extremities, OnStage Playhouse
4. Jim Clevenger, Steel Magnolias, Patio Playhouse
5. Ro Harrison, Dracula, Coronado Playhouse

PRODUCTION OF A COMEDY

1. OnStage Playhouse, Sordid Lives, OnStage Playhouse
2. Bob Christiansen, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, OnStage Playhouse
3. Joel Colbourn and Gerry Reeves, Pardon Me, Prime Minister, PowPAC
4. Mary Anderson, Much Ado About Nothing, Coronado Playhouse
5. Victoria Mature, The Importance of Being Earnest, Coronado Playhouse

If you want to help support San Diego theatre, please donate to the San Diego Association of Community Theatres.

Five Months of Nothing

So the last thing I did was Lysistrata playing the Athenian Commissioner back in January. It was fun. I haven't done a Greek play in a long time and as the only one who could pronounce any of the names, I came in handy. But since then, it's been a long, dry spell.


It isn't that I haven't been auditioning. I just haven't been able to snag the role. The one that really got to me was The Last Five Years. I've been wanting to do the show for a while but, to be honest, I'm just too old for the part anymore. Damn. Other shows have come and I've tried out for them, too, but no prize.


So in my copious spare time, I'm getting ready for the America's Finest City Half Marathon. I've never run that distance, so it'll be a new challenge. I have done a 5K race (placed 23rd) and I will do 10K on the treadmill without too much trouble, but half a marathon is twice as long.


But, it's not completely out of the way. I've got 12 weeks to get up there and I've been extending my runs slowly. This past week, I got to about 8.5 miles in just over an hour. I didn't hit the wall, but I could see it.  I don't have any pretensions of coming in anywhere near the top runners.  The goal is to get through in under two hours.  A friend is saying I should do it in an hour and a half, but that's nearly 9 mph pace and I've never been able to sustain that.  But, who knows what'll happen by August 21.

There Are Fans...and There Are Fans

So I went to see a production of Grey Gardens at the Tempe Live Theatre.  It was a nice production, but this isn't a review of the performance but rather of the audience.

I'm not sure if it was because they were filming that night, but there was a person about two rows in front who was very enthusiastic.  Clearly, he was a fan of the actors on the stage.  And believe me:  As an actor, it is wonderful to have people in the audience who are on your side.  When the audience is with you, it makes it much easier to work on stage.  One of the jobs you have as an actor is to feel the audience and how they are receiving what you are presenting and alter your performance to match.

But this guy...yeesh.  Hooting and hollering after every song, laughing at things that weren't that funny with much more gusto than really required, clapping as if he needed to save Tinkerbell all by himself.  One of the people I was with thought he was a plant.  No...just a fan.

But really, guy...stop it.  Yes, you're pals with the actors.  Yes, you think they're wonderful.  Yes, it's good for you to let them know that you're here in the theatre.  But stop it with the outrageous behaviour, and I say that as somebody who has a very obvious laugh and has a habit of laughing at things I'm not supposed to.  I'm a terrible person to take to action movies because I'm laughing through all of the "intense" scenes due to their ridiculousness.

But even I know that if nobody else is cheering for the song, then I shouldn't do it, either, no matter how much I like it.  It wasn't a question of the audience not liking the show:  It received a standing ovation at the end.  But by making a spectacle of himself in the audience, it took me away from the show.  I was more concerned about how this guy was going to whoop it up at every turn than I was about the emotive power of the performance.  There is a difference between showing your enthusiasm for the actors on stage and upstaging them.

Nearly a Year Goes By

Yeah, yeah...it's been nearly a year.  But it's been a busy year.  Got myself a few shows under my belt:  Arsenic and Old Lace, The Rocky Horror Show, Lysistrata.  It's been a lot of work.  And during this, my day job had a major web site launch.  But then, I've hit a bit of a dry spell with my auditions.  Little Shop of Horrors came and the director seemed to be have been very impressed with Rocky, but not even a call-back.  Hmmm.

A theatre called to ask about me stepping in as a replacement for Shadowlands.  An actor had to step out and they needed someone who could get up to speed fast.  I have a bit of a reputation for being a quick study (my first Aubrey award was for a show I had only 10 days to prep for), so I got a call from a desperate producer.  Alas, I wasn't available for the performances and had to say no.  And I hate saying no.  I've got a bit of a Michael Caine streak in me:  I'll do anything if you ask.

Then, another theatre held auditions for Little Shop, but I was out of town doing a training and was unable to attend.  But, they then lost the rights (probably because the other theatre, which is a bigger, LORT-contract theatre was doing it) so they decided to replace it with The Last Five Years.  Yes!  I've been trying to figure out how to do this show.  They had cast their Kathy with whom I had worked in City of Angels, she playing Gabby to my Stein (and we were also in Woods together, her Cinderella to my Narrator.)

During the audition, I thought I did very well.  However, I'm a little old for the part:  Jamie's in his mid- to late-20s and I've just passed 40.  I'm still carrying a bit of the Dick Clark aura and if I were to say I were in my 30s, it would be believable, but still.  Needless to say, I didn't get it.

And then I hear someone's doing Dr. Horrible.  Sweet!  But once again, I'm out of town (though this time for personal reasons) during the audition.  Coming up on three months and no show for me.  I haven't had this long of a break in a long time.  Ah well.