Hey all!
I know it has been a bit since my last post. Honestly, there has not been too much happening as of yet. I will be posting an in-depth update soon, but for now just know that I am still here, still trying, and still waiting. Best, JP
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I am currently in the midst of reading my 30th consecutive work written by Stephen King. I didn't anticipate that I would become fully immersed in the world's that Mr. King has created, but I am ravenously consuming his works. Growing up, I detested reading. It was to the point where there were a couple book reports I did in grade school where I reported about the musical based on the book rather than the book itself. I have remedied that with reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but have yet to read the actual Phantom of the Opera. Even in college, when my joy for reading began to kindle, the spark was still rather small. I picked up Revival while on the road with F&T on a whim and ended up devouring the book. And so, here we are, 29.25 novels and short story collections later. In addition, we are seeing a new King Renaissance in film. With Castle Rock recently debuting on HULU and other noted film ventures, we are going to be seeing a lot of Maine's favorite son. On a self-serving note, Mr. King. If you happen to be reading this, Hello! Just wanted to say that I am a huge fan. Thank you for lighting the fiery passion for reading that I now possess. Also, should you know of any projects in need of a slightly over-weight actor, let e know. :) What on Earth does it mean to be a working actor? This is a question I have asked and struggled with since moving to the Bid Apple. I have always thought that it meant I was on Broadway, playing to a packed house every night. This is not really the case, merely a fantasy. This is still a goal I intend to achieve, mind you, but it is not the definition of what I think a working actor is.
I recently attended a free seminar presented through Reproductions. The casting director and life coach Peter Paula Rose was our host, and boy did she help to open our eyes. (Yes, her first name is Peter. Get over it.) She said that 100% of actors are working their asses off. Every actor who is attending auditions and attempting to further hone their craft is essentially a "working actor." However, this can then be broken down even farther. Only about 10% of that initial 100% are working in the biz, while the other 90% are (much like me, dear reader) struggling to get by. Why? A HUGE factor is mentality. An actor who is desperate for a job will come off desperate and needy. A Casting Director wants you to succeed, but they also want you to be ready for the job the instant you walk into the door. Being confident (not cocky) in your audition and knowing that you are right for the job is key. Nail the crap outta your audition and they will root for you. As Peter was talking, I had a revelation. I am in that 90% right now. The auditions that I have been going on, while I feel decent about the work that I did in the room, I can tell you that my mentality was not where it needed to be. Because I have been struggling lately, I have taken it mentally upon me that I am not good enough and thus perpetuating a cycle. I walk in thinking ala Chorus Line, "God, I hope I get it...I really need this job." The show may be great, but that is THE WORST MENTAL MANTRA YOU CAN HAVE!!! (that was in all caps for me...cuz, you know, subtlety) If I am looking for approval, they will see that. This is something that I have been doing ever since I returned from tour. I walked back into NYC from the road with a pep in my step and a stone of need around my neck. Everyone wants to attain some level of success in whatever they do. It is perfectly natural and if you're not striving to succeed at anything you're either a fool, lying, or running this country. All politics aside, I have had it with me being in my own way. I have made it my solemn vow to be on Broadway by the time I am 30...and I am turning 28 in just a few months. So, what must I do? First off, I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. If I screw something up, as Anna says, "Be pissed for a day, then move on." When you've lived most of your life looking at the positive for others and at the negative for yourself, that can feel line an insurmountable task. However, I know that I have resources that will help me through literally anything I have happening in my life. Secondly, I need to be more aggressive abut what I want. I tend to be a very timid individual. I think that to over compensate for my size, I should let people roll over me. No more, Mr. Pyfferoen! From this point on, I will be working to stand my ground and say what I need. Finally, I need to remember that this is a matter of when and not if. Thinking the latter leads to doubts and further digging myself into a mental hole. The former will allow me to take any failure that I have in stride rather than in strife. So you didn't get that particular show...it must mean that something else is waiting for you. My point of this mini-manifesto is to get it all out there. Spiritualists often say, "If you put it out into the universe, it will come back to you." So I pray to whomever is listening out there. I have the strength already inside me, I just need to recognize it and then use it to my advantage. So, buckle you seat-belts folks. It's gonna be quite the ride. On a different note, I will be doing more posts in the months to come, so stay tuned. Finally, I wanted to give a huge shout out to a great friend and mentor Lindsay Mendez and congratulate her on recently winning the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Congrats to you, my dear! Greetings to my reading several! I hope that you've been following the adventures of myself and Jesse over at Empty Can Productions! Episode 3 of our podcast, "Down the Hatch" comes out on February 13th.
While Jesse and I are working on our company and all that entails, I am also hitting the audition game hard. Recently I had an amazing B-way audition, a stellar on-camera audition, and I am feeling great! In addition to that, I recently did a class with Actors Connection where I worked on and shot two fully produced scenes. Final cuts will be in my inbox soon and in my media page not too long after that. Before moving to NYC I had never even really thought about having a Reel, but it is one of the major things that you need in this city. I have a couple of clips, but these new ones are going to give me an edge...I hope. In addition to that, I recently joined One on One and will be taking my first seminar with them in a few weeks. More things (and hopefully big things) are on the horizon! Jesse Luciani and I had the idea that we would create a Production Company. So, guess what? We started one. Jesse and I decided that we should produce our own podcast as this company. And we did that too! Check it out here. That is one of the biggest updates that has been happening lately. Auditions, classes, and whatnot have all been happening lately, so fingers crossed that I can share more soon! Greetings people! For those of you who have been wondering where I have been since my last post. I've been working and auditioning like crazy. Unfortunately, the hooks I have thrown into the casting world have yet to be snagged. I am hopeful that the new year will provide new opportunities and (knock on wood) some more successes for my career.
I will be honest, part of the reason I have been so lax in my blog posts has to do with my lack of booking. I feel very semiconscious as an actor that is not currently working. Don't get me wrong, I have the money job and I am still working to improve myself as an actor and as a human in general, but I have been less than enthusiastic in terms of sharing my journey lately...because I feel as if I have nothing much to share. That being, said, in January, I will be putting out a new post about '17 in review and a look ahead to new things on the horizon. Keep positive thoughts in your minds for me!!! Time always seems to move quickly as we breach Autumn. In just a matter of days, I will have to update this site to say that I am a "27 year-old" actor in NYC. I wanted to take a brief moment to update those of you who are still following my journey in the crazy world of acting.
Currently, there is nothing new or exciting to share. I have been continuing to audition and work my butt off, but thus far I have borne little fruit over the past few months. Although it can be disheartening, I am not without hope. I have wonderful people who love and support me even when I am at my most negative. This is a job all about rejection, and I have had my fair share. I wanted to give a few special shoutouts in this post to those friends and family members who have been amazingly supportive. First off, I would not be here without the people who helped raise me. Mom, Grandma, and Amanda: these three women were what helped build the base of my life and my career. Dad and Grandpa: they may not have been doing the shows with me (except for that one time), but they have always been in the audience. Anna: my amazing and inspirational wife has never given up hope for me. There have been many days when I just wanted to call it quits, but she never allowed me. I honestly don't know where I'd be without you, my love. Jesse: my best friend and brother (not by birth, obviously) has been an amazing creative force in my life. We have been collaborating on some amazing projects together, and I couldn't be more thrilled! Everyone who has supported me: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Fingers crossed that I'll have more updates to come! It is just a matter of time before I have the ability to share exciting news here. I am saying that while not currently booked for anything, but I am confident that it is just a matter of time.
In the meantime, I have new media on my site! I recently performed at 54 Below thanks to the amazing people at Actors Therapy. Now on the media page of my site (and on YouTube) you can see me performing Who I'd Be on stage. I was nervous as hell, but as you hear from the audience, I guess I did pretty well. Much like this original post for instance. This was originally going to be a story about how I messed up an EPA, but I will get to that later.
Let's begin with some positive information, seeing how it's been an age since I last did a blog post. First off, I AM OFFICIALLY AN EQUITY MEMBER NOW!!!! After 6 years being stuck in EMC hell, I am finally a member of Actors Equity Association. This has been making my acting career so much better here in NYC so much more exciting. The number of auditions I go to and get seen as has improved greatly. Next week alone, I'm already scheduled to attend two Broadway calls. Yeah, I'm pretty excited. As an actor, I always have to continue my education. Last night I just started my second session of Actor's Therapy with Ryan Scott Oliver and Lindsay Mendez. Not only are they helping my beef up my music book, but they are also helping me to gain confidence in my abilities as a performer. I would get into my lack of confidence, but that is for another blog. I've also been working out more lately as well. As I've written in previous posts, my weight is something I have been struggling with my whole life. Since returning from my tour, I've been trying to focus on self-improvement, and tough though it is I feel that it is working. Okay, now story time. A couple weeks ago, I was attending a big EPA audition (Equity Principal Audition, for those who need a refresher). I was up that morning feeling confident that I would nail it. It's a show that I know and the song I had selected was one that I had used at many auditions. My confidence that morning was what did me in. I felt so sure that I was ready that I neglected to fully warm-up. I get in the room, I start my song, it's going smoothly...and then I get to the money note. A note I've hit hundreds of times. That morning, however, was not one of them. I royally botch the note. I sounded like a dying whale on that note. Needless to say, I finish the song, grab my book, and scurry on out as fast as I can. The moral? ALWAYS WARM-UP!!! It's hard to believe that it has only been a few weeks since we left Fort Worth to begin this tour of A Year with Frog and Toad. We are on our way to the St. Louis area where we have our longest sit, SIX WHOLE DAYS IN ONE PLACE!!! Currently on the road about 4 hours out from our hotel. Our expert sound tech, Ryan, won the above photographed Toad in a claw machine. I've been photographing some of his adventures, but more will be comming!
But to tell the truth, the road can feel long sometimes. It's days like this when I really miss my Anna. On the bright side, soon we'll be back in NYC for a nice little spell. Just finished reading Stephen King's Revival and now on to the next. if you have any other must-read King, please comment!!! Just started 11/22/63 and it is great thus far. Well, that's all for now! |
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