i'll tell you what's interesting:
although i feel like i have nothing to do here, because i still don't have a money job, the time, it flies. i mean, here we are, three weeks later. there's some art on the walls, only a couple of boxes yet unopened (mainly video-cassettes, thank you cable!), and i am actively looking for work. but in case you hadn't heard, the economy is, well, bad. unemployment in chicago is up again this month, which does not bode well for me. i've got 5+ years of working in the new york restaurant business and i'm having trouble finding a bartending job. what?
some things are good -- i've been auditioning a lot, actually, mainly voice over stuff that my agent is bringing me in for. so far i've auditioned for the following voice-overs:
lasalle bank announcer
agannis arena in boston true fan
comcast cable announcer
theraflu sick guy
and my personal favorite --
the lead character in a new videogame from midway.
i'm learning a lot about voice over from these auditions... i haven't done much voice over at all, a couple of things in school that i was asked to do, but they were for theatrical things, and that's about it. the world of commercials is strange, and i don't quite have a handle on it, but i'm getting there.
as for legit stuff, i went on an open call through equity. just walked in. nice. also, i had my meeting at
steppenwolf the other day, and it went very well. it was mainly an interview, because of my recommendation, and toward the end i did end up doing a monologue, which seemed like a formality. it was a pretty good go at this piece, but i realized as i was doing it that it's sort of a cheat as far as monologues go. i mean that it's very bombastic and virtuosic, and all that, and a cool performance piece and out there, and memorable, but i wonder if it seems a little too polished or something, like it might be hard to guage how good an actor i am from it. i mean that opens up a whole new can of worms, what with auditioning being such a difficult way to hire actors, and monologues being the worst way to do it. because acting is about working with people on a stage in front of an audience (for me, anyway), not about being in a room trying to show one o two people how good you are. anyway, i have mixed feelings about the monologue, but the CD said she had projects she was working on and would try to figure out where i fit, and how to get me in. i can't ask for more... i've known since school that people have a hard time trying to place me in any sort of genre, and my friend amo and i have talked about how once i find and define my niche, i will likely make a meteoric rise, but until i do, it's a project by project basis where i sjhow people i'm great at this and that and the other thing, which confuses people. because they want it to be easy. who doesn't? me i just want to do good and interesting work. sigh.
anyway, that's my life. i have no means of monetary support, which is starting to get scary. but i have some good stuff going on in the actor arena, so maybe i won't need a job. i have to start thinking positively, i know, but pinky and i agree it's very lonely out here, and hard to get into a routine, and i do not do well without a routine. i founder, in fact, which i'm very near to doing now.
on the other hand, this city has a lot to offer, fun wise, and pinky and i are just getting out there now. yesterday, we watched the
cubbies get a little bit closer to the playoffs (what?), and the day before we visited
navy pier, which is what coney island might be like if it was run by disney.
and we periodically do homey things like go to target and home depot. and we have a car, so we went to milwaukee last weekend to visit pinky's family. and so that's nice.
we just miss you all, i guess.
okay.
so it's been some time since last i've posted. but come on, i've moved to a brand new city since then.
yes. we are arrived. and we are well. see
pinky's chronicle for details on the move. i will give you details on my derring do since arrival.
i have broadband at home now, for one thing. and for this, i am grateful. i was banging my head against the desk pre-move because of the speed differential, and now, man, am i happy. thank you cable modem. and the cable modem means, yes, you guessed it, cable. again, happy. with the hbo and showtime families of channels to boot. hooray. and finally, today, after a week of waiting, we have a telephone, so most is well on the home front.
as for work.
i had a meeting with an agency on tuesday. this agency is one of the few in the city that handles legit ork as well as commercials. they asked me to do a monologue. they asked me to sing. they asked me to read copy. they said they'd like to represent me. today i auditioned for a voice-over for a major midwestern bank commercial. tomorrow i go on a go-see for a major computer company commercial. things are looking well for me as an actor in this town.
because i haven't had the time yet, what with all the unpacking and phone company berating to do my own legit footwork. i sent in my pic to steppenwolf, which the casting director there asked me to do, but i haven't followed up on any of my other connections, nor have i supplemented my mailing. i did visit the theatrical bookstore in town (and the
comic book stores,) and learned abit about how things work out here. for starters, the analogue to backstage is, how shall we say it, oh, that's right,
free. secondly, when you go on an equity open call, you do not have to show up at 5am. you call the hotline and
set up an appointment. third, it's fun to be an actor. i had forgotten that last one in new york, beng all jaded and bitter and everything, but this starting over thing is really jazing me up. i'm having a great time.
on saturday night, we saw
k-rad play with the silos at shubas, a cool joint over in wrigleyville. it was great to see a familiar face in unfamiliar territory, and greater to hear him rock the hizzouse. our friends we took (our only friends in town really, and we later found out they don't live in town at all really, like actually waaaaaaay out in the 'burbs) were very impressed by mr. lulu's percussionary skills, and we were happy to show him off. shubas is cool too, because they have a
photo booth.
anyway. we went for a walk on the beach yesterday to explore our new neighborhood, and tomorrow i really have to find a bartending gig.
end progress report.
