BUSY YEAR PERFORMING

It’s been a busy year performing.

 

I started the beginning of the year knowing that I had been cast in MARY POPPINS at Pechanga Resort and Casino, as Admiral Boom/Bank Chairman, and trying to get into a good physical shape to audition for Moonlight Amphitheaters summer season in Vista California. I did get cast as Cecil B Demille in SUNSET BLVD, and got a call back for pharoah in AIDA that didn’t go as well as I had prepared for. Still, I’m happy to be in Sunset Blvd.  Love the music, and the director, Larry Raben, and producer, Steven Glaudini, are great to work for.

 

 

Trying to focus on getting back into TV and film.

 

My other intention at the beginning of the year was to pull back just a little on performing in theater.  Not because I don’t like it. I love it. But I wanted to get myself into good physical shape, and focus a bit on re-entering the film and TV zone, since there are so many more platforms for actors to work in now, then when I was younger. There’s original programming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Cinemax, Univision, and various other cable oriented companies, When I was younger, all there was were ABC, CBS, NBC, some local channel programming, and the beginnings of HBO.

My resume is better now too. Back then my singing voice got me cast in shows, and guest starring credits. Now I get cast in good roles on stage for my acting, even though I still get good roles in musical theater because I sing well too.  So, I’m beginning to send some introductions to casting directors, and a few agents.

 

Juan Peron again

 

Saying all that, there have been some pleasant distractions on my way to sitting on the sidelines. I was contacted regarding auditioning for Juan Peron in a production of EVITA at the California Theater for the Arts in San Bernardino. I had played the role before, around 2011, and had not even thought about doing it again, but I’m glad that I did. It was fun performing as Peron again, and I think I understood him even better this time around. This was a very good production, as well, with Rachel Saez as Evita, and Jeffrey Ricca as Che, wonderfully directed by Paul Jacques.

While rehearsing for EVITA, I was also contacted to perform in the role of Caldwell B. Cladwell in URINETOWN, but had to pass because I had already committed to EVITA. But that would be a role, Caldwell B Cladwell, that I would love to do again. URINETOWN is such a fun show, especially if you get the right cast mates to play with. So funny.

 

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

 

Next, based on my performance as Peron, I was cast in the role of the ACTOR in an Arts Institutes film production of the ghost story THE WOMAN IN BLACK.  There are only two actors in this story, but the ACTOR plays 7 other roles, besides his own, in order to recount the tale of how he met the spectre of the Woman in Black. T.J Sloan was the other actor, and he was wonderful to work with.

Next came a second opportunity to perform as Mr. Laurence, in LITTLE WOMEN, THE MUSICAL for ACT ONE in Temecula. This was more of a labor of love because after many years of nurturing young talent, the theater group is about to close its’ doors, and some of the cast members are daughters of a dear friend, and they too were about to move away. It was a pleasure working with this cast, but it is sad to see old friends move away.

 

Working out, and losing weight

 

Besides all this work performing that I really hadn’t initially intended to be involved with, (not that I’m complaining. I’m not. I love it.) I’ve been trying to improve my physical fitness, and it’s working. I’m down from around 230 lbs in December 2016 to 200 lbs as I write this post today, in July 2017. It’s come as the result of a protein and vegetable focused diet, and light, but high intensity, resistance training, mostly with dumbbells and body weight. I’ll write more about that in a separate blog post, but I do write about some of it in an earlier blog post titled PAY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF  .

 

Next up

 

So, to brings things up to date as of July 2017. I’m presently in rehearsals for SUNSET BLVD, which has an August 2017 opening at the Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista, California, and have also been cast as General Waverly for a production of WHITE CHRISTMAS at Pechanga Resort and Casino in December 2017, directed by Scott King.  You can view some of my video clips, reels, and photos at my ACTORS webpage. I’ll be posting some more videos from ASSASSINS, SEUSSICAL, and JECKYLL and HYDE as I have access, and time.