2nd Opening, and 2nd Closing

Oh what a night! Not often does one get a 2nd Opening….we had ours the other night (Aug. 4) at the Tonight is our 2nd (and final ) closing. I can’t believe we’re here already…today we have 2 shows, a matinee and closing tonight. Every show here has been sold

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Full Swing

The festival is in full swing, and our show has had quite the reception. Audiences are consistent and responses mostly unanimous – we have something special here… We just completed the 3rd week of the festival, the final week at The Contemporary American Theater Festival begins on Wednesday, July 27th.

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Back in the Room

So excited to be acting IN PERSON again…it’s been quite a while since I’ve had the opportunity to be onstage, including the over 2 years since “the lockdown” due to COVID. This play was my last “in-person” audition before the world closed over 2 years ago. Last year, I was

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Life, Love, and Action!

It’s been a while, I realize…what can I say? It’s been a crazy few months. Go Get the Axe had a very successful run this past summer. As I write this, I am currently on set for my latest gig on The Blacklist! Very cool, very exciting…between a nice multi-week

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Go Get the Axe

I can’t believe it! After a year in development and fundraising, our play is in rehearsals and set to open in a few weeks! We have amassed an impressive cast and design team! I am overwhelmed to be working with such a fantastic group, and my god! I get to

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Stirrings….

It’s already been quite the year. 2017 is looking good! Booked my 3rd gig and it’s not even May. – Law and Order:SVU     Aired last month – Mr. Robot (in a very exciting role!) Shot the episode last week; hard work, but a thrill. Both Sam Esmail and

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One foot in front of the other…

Wow! It’s been a while. Apologies. I guess I’ve been struggling with the idea that I don’t feel like anything new has been happening; nothing worth mentioning, I guess. That’s not true however, it’s just easy to fall into monotony, or feel like you’re stuck in it. Let’s see…Since my

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It’s not always about Acting…

It’s been a while, I know… Many entries seem to begin with that passage, it seems. Perhaps it might be because I’m finding it’s all about the same stuff..? Career woes, goals and aspirations A new show Veiled jealousies brought on by the seeming successes of former colleagues and classmates

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Final exams and buzz-cuts…

It’s been an exciting few weeks… Another semester has come and gone. I’m currently in the midst of grading.After some uncertainty (low enrollment issues), it seems that I will be keeping both classes that I’m slated to teach in the Spring (excited to teach American Contemporary Theater again!) Oh, and

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It’s not always about Acting…

Yes, it’s been a while since my last post however, a lot has been going on….and it’s not all about Acting. It can be easy to forget at times; this career pursuit can often be all-encompassing, and that’s not always a good thing. Sometimes we have to take a step

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Conquering, fighting and Doubling-down…

Another semester comes to a closeDoubling-down on the acting pursuitsConquering a few fears“fightin’ the good fight”Almost a month ago I finished yet another academic year. A year marked with some of my most cherished experiences as a teacher, as well as working through some struggles to find my way. I

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The Winter of my Discontent

Ironically, as I write this, we get nailed with another blast of snow on the 1st day of Spring!Ha!Funny… Another brutal winter.Bitter, bitter cold.Though, gratefully, we did not receive the amount of snow that was dealt with last year.Reminder – as I was in transition last year (geographically, thank you),

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New Year’s

Wow!Another year has passed.I know it’s a cliché, but time really does fly (especially as I’m getting older, I find). I remember reading somewhere, or it may have been listening to a podcast, or…whatever, not important where or how I heard this, anyway….it has been discovered that as a person

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The times they are a-changin’

-Bob Dylan As this semester concludes, I am in a period of self-evaluation and reflection. While, in some ways, this semester has been my most successful with regard to my teaching; it also has been my most challenging.True, the word “challenging” does not mean “bad,” but in this case –

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Give and Take…

He giveth and he taketh away. For the first time in my career – ever, really…I find myself facing the reality of being released from a show. With regret, I am no longer involved with Love and Intrigue. Fortunately, the decision was made without malice or ill-feelings; it was merely a

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Seize those moments that seize you…

I didn’t coin that.I recently saw the movie Boyhood; a solid movie that follows the life and literal growth of a young boy as he and his family negotiate their way through questionable choices and the unknown that is life itself. Anyway, that heading is inspired by a line from

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slow burn…

The Peddler’s Tale closed.Too, too brief run.Great group of people. Beautiful production.Richard (director) and Liz (writer) complimented each other with the show, I believe.The show truly deserves a bigger, longer run…we’ll see. Now on to the Fall semester; 1 class at Rutgers (Intermediate Acting 272), 2 classes at Rider (Basic

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Working….

Ah, to work on something again…! it continues to bring joy to my soul, especially when I have been given the opportunity to work on something significant, meaningful and smart. The Peddler’s Tale written by  the brilliant Liz Thaler directed by  my friend Richard Aven We had our 1st read

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What I did this past winter….

Ok, so I realize it’s been a while…I’ve been in the process of a significant transitional period.As you may recall, I was residing at my parent’s place since I returned from my gig in West Palm Beach. Christ, I hadn’t “lived at home” since I was in high school (I

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Auld Lang Syne

Forgive my neglect.Happy New Year! 2014 is already feeling pretty good. At the risk of jinxing anything, I’ll resist going into detail on my major development; more will be announced when things become more official. Other than that – I’ve been based out of PA since I returned from Florida.Doing

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All good things must come to an end…

Well, I can’t believe that my time here at Palm Beach Dramaworks is almost done.We are in our final week of Of Mice and Men. We extended due to how well this show was received. I am proud to have been a part of it, proud to have been invited

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Free Fall…

After much internal debate, I’m doing something drastic (for me). I gave up my apartment.Removing the net.No harness.Free fall. I strongly considered subletting my place however, I would have taken a substantial financial loss, while working in Florida. I couldn’t justify it. The apartment had a great number of conveniences,

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Heading to Palm Beach!

I will be playing the role of Curley this fall in Palm Beach Dramaworks‘ production of, “Of Mice and Men.” This is a play that is “on my list.”  I am tremendously excited and looking forward to a working vacation out of the New York area. My classes for the

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Two roads diverged…

I’m at an impasse, I feel. The acting front has been slow…too slow!I know its been slow for many however, it still drives me nuts. On the other hand, my spring semester is underway and things are going well.My Theater Appreciation class seems to be getting better and better; I’m

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A New Age..

Looks like we made it!The world did not end.What will we do within the dawn of this new age? Whether you believed the Mayan “prophecy” or not – I do believe the one truth the calendar conveys is that we have entered a new age/epoch/era…or whatever…. Will anything change?Will this

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Finish line…

Wow…I did it! My busiest and most packed semester – EVER. What a couple of months.Lesson learned – 5 classes in a single semester is just too much to commit to.While I feel I have made it work, this semester was not without its challenges: “Sandy” disrupted EVERYTHING. Between the actual

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Perspective shift-

This is what I witnessed outside my window on Sunday evening as Sandy came ashore: Outside my window, the parking lot below my apartment complex Marin and Columbus Blvds., just before the electricity went out. Pictures by Wesley Broulik & Mandy Haskin Truly horrible what I witnessed. When the tide

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“Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”

-Jacob Riis Persistence, enduring adversity, overcoming unbelievable obstacles – is what we’ve been dealing with; “we,” being my family. Fortunately, the baseless accusations and lies are slowly being revealed for what they are. A”normal” life is being reattained. The house of cards that is the gossip, innuendo and untruths that

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Closing…

We opened just about a month ago, and I wish I could say things are going wonderfully.The sad thing is, we’ll be closing early – today, in fact.In Masks Outrageous and Austere will take its final bow this afternoon. It’s a shame as we’ve finally found this play; receiving standing

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It’s always something….

What a couple of weeks it’s been!Savor the serenity folks, bask in your victories, be grateful for all you have….because you never know when you find your life blind-sided by an out of control Buick Century slamming into a telephone pole, killing your uncle and almost claiming your father.Public Service

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A bit of Theater History

Well…! As it turns out, I am now a part of Theater History. The show I am now rehearsing with The Culture Project‘s, “In Masks Outrageous and Austere” is the World Premiere production of Tennessee Williams’ last full-length play, directed by David Schweizer. I am so excited to be a

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Whoever said Acting was easy…..

is very wrong! Movie Night is wrapped! Now, it’s all about the post and editing. I wish I could say I enjoyed my stay in LA…but I was too damn busy to… Mostly 15 hour + shoot days, had to extend my trip…hardly had time to see my close friends.

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…and we’re rolling….

While filming is going great, we’ve fallen a bit behind. Not surprising considering the intricacies of this project: tracking camera effects, special F/X make-up, complete coverage, etc. So, I’ve had to extend my stay here in LA for a few more days.No worries – it’s all gonna look great. And

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Auld Lang Syne!

Another year.While 2011 was not without its challenges, I can’t complain. Truly, I cannot complain. The year began with my literally being snowed in, in New Jersey, and it ends with my basking in the sun in Los Angeles. I’m here shooting a short film. It is between 70˚-80˚ here.As I

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Academia

This past month I’ve been able to focus on my teaching.I must confess, I find myself surprised and never quite getting used to people calling me, “Professor” – though technically, I’m not.It’s that fact that makes me feel a bit unworthy.  However, I do enjoy it – the role in my

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Winding down…

My several month run is winding down.This stretch of work for this length of time is what we actors dream of.But alas, all good things come to an end.Small Talk has closed. The houses not only grew, but just got better and better throughout the run. As did the run

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on set…

Loving the busy-ness. Shot my Law and Order: SVU the other day – went well.Whenever a co-star, it’s good to NOT be a problem: know your lines, get your blocking, do your job.My scene was with Kelly Giddish and Ice-T (very cool, very chill, crackin jokes the whole time). Apparently,

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It’s Deja vu all over again.

What a difference a week makes! I closed one show last week, opened another yesterday, and…I booked my first Law & Order:SVU! I feel like an official New York Actor, now. I’ve gotten into the groove of teaching this semester (3 classes!), and I’ve been auditioning like crazy lately. I

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Order Now!

The movie I shot 2 summers ago is on sale now! Check it out! Just click on the logo to order yours now! or click HERE to go to the movie’s official website. (caveat – while this movie contains no nudity, it’s not for the faint of heart) Enjoy…

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Aftermath

Woke up this morning after being serenaded to sleep (not sound) by steady, pelting rains and blustering winds with 68-80 mph gusts. While we have our electricity, and sewage system seems to still work, Chester County was hit by the most severe path of the Hurricane. Our house is OK;

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Irene…

So those plans went out the window! New Brunswick is shut down, TECH/Rehearsals are cancelled through the weekend.So, now I’m at the parent’s place in PA, which actually feels OK, considering. Best to be with family during this – I feel better knowing I can be there for them if

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Here’s to you, Murphy…

“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”Like the the production needed any more obstacles…in an effort to not be one of those, I have booked a hotel in New Brunswick. We start TECH this weekend (with any hope).But, alas – meet Irene. It appears the New York Metropolitan Area is

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go(ing) swifter than the wind!

AWAY WE GO – We’ve had a few significant rehearsals thus far, and I finally feel like I might be getting a handle on this play. Don’t be mistaken, I have quite a bit of work to do; but I have worked hard on my own – dissecting each line,

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Correction!

It seems that some of my last entry has been misconstrued…Keeping a blog is tricky – I use it as a device to express myself, and purge, if you will.  The other side of that coin is “it is out there.” In addition, my “stream of consciousness” style often blur my

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What fools these mortals be…

While in the midst of a brutal heat wave, our government seems to be suffering from collective heat stroke as their ineptitude is growing more and more apparent; the debt ceiling crisis is getting more and more ominous. For the first time since the market crash of ’08, I’m actually

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change is constant…

It always amazes me how much can change in a matter of moments… Sunday morning I am jogging in Montréal looking forward to returning to my “normal” life in NY- as I cross the border into the US, I find out my father has been rushed to the ER due

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Au Revoir!

Well, we’re off tomorrow in the am. Our final show tonight was our largest and most receptive house. All in all, it’s been a good run. While the houses have been small (up until tonight), they’ve been receptive and responsive. I’ve met and worked some great people. Though I don’t feel

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“O” my

At our last performance, we received a standing ovation! That was quite nice. Our next performance is tonight at midnight. Midnight show? this could go either way, house-wise: either packed, or barren. We’ll see. One never really knows how these types of shows will turn out, especially since marketing has

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Rainy Day…

Woke up to a cold, rainy morning.I can’t believe this is June….feels more like March. Discovering I under-packed. Not prepared for this weather. Buying clothes, as needed. When I’m not performing, days spent wandering about…exploring as much, as inexpensively as I can. There is a type of tree about that

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Vive la Montréal!

So, here I am – Montréal, and what a fascinating place it is.Performing in the Montréal Fringe Festival this year, I am based in a neighborhood called the Plateau. It is the very French (trés français) section of the city. I feel like I am in Europe…without the hassle of

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mind f^ck

I don’t quite get why I’m not more satisfied with things right now…quite frankly, this is the best stretch of work I’ve had, probably…ever. Yet, I’m still not quite able to enjoy it. WTF? In addition to the good stuff listed in the previous post, it is confirmed that I will

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momentum…

Finals have been taken, grades are submitted – the end of another semester was not without its challenges: resistant actors, disinterested students, and blizzards. While it is easy to throw ones hands up in resignation and complain, I believe a good teacher will face those obstacles and aspire to o’er-leap

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Moving on…stirring the sh!t

I resigned from Dark Luna, the theater company I worked with for the past 18 months. I won’t go into the details – no, I’m not being noble, I just finished writing about it in my business blog – you can check it out there. So now I am focusing

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The Best Laid plans…

Alas, Things did not work out between Sadie and I.A word to the wise – when adopting a pet, or a rescue dog – one never knows what issues are there until you bring them home. This is especially true of older dogs. Sadie was between 3-4. Certain behavior was

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Spring hath Sprung! and change is in the midst…

Us vs. Them has closed. Dark Luna successfully produced their first show!Admittedly, despite the rocky process, personality conflicts and horrible space issues – the show was a bona fide success. Goes to show, that when you have solid material, solid actors (for the most part), it is difficult to screw

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And, we’re off and running!

We opened last week –Us vs. Them, for the most part, is being well-received! Click here for our first review Not bad… Now, our challenge is getting butt’s in seats – hopefully the reviews will help. Needless to say, putting up a show is a very difficult process-I’ve learned so much.I do

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Breakthroughs…?

I think I may have had a breakthrough with some of my students in my Acting class last week. While the specific student may be the last one to acknowledge the breakthrough,  it seemed evident that the rest of the class observed something new and remarkable. Acting truthfully, NOT performing.

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A New Year

A new show A new semester…. Once more in my life, I feel as if I’m in the midst of more change. It is difficult to explain, or perhaps dangerous. I find myself grateful for the opportunities that I have been given, while at the same time, I still yearn

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