Stage Door Traditions

The air was chilly and crisp, but the anticipation kept me warm. We were waiting outside the Artists' Entrance at the Pasadena Playhouse after a stellar production of Art starring Bradley Whitford, Roger Bart, and Michael O'Keefe.

I don't remember who taught me about waiting by the stage door to meet the performers. I certainly didn't do it all the times I went to Broadway shows as a youth. But once I learned how to do it, I was hooked.

Because theater actors will always come out the stage door and greet their fans. It's a tradition, even today on Broadway, where actors will autograph Playbills and pose for pictures while receiving accolades for the performance they just finished minutes ago.

I was eager to meet the actors in Art for a few reasons. One, the show was incredible - a brilliant play executed brilliantly by three skilled wordsmiths. I laughed, I gasped, it was better than CATS.

Two, I had a minor connections with two of the actors - I'd acted opposite Bradley Whitford for a day on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and had seen Roger Bart in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. Awkward hellos always feel less awkward when you have an "in" to start the conversation.

We waited for a while outside, managing doubt that they would come out at all. But true to theater form, they did. Michael emerged first - we told him his performance was wonderful. He smiled and walked away. (That's the other piece of stage door etiquette - the space around the stage door is where you say hello. After the performer exits that zone, you leave them alone.)

Bradley was lovely - when I mentioned we had worked together, he perked and asked, "Oh! How are you doing?" Like we were old friends - so sweet.

Roger Bart came out next, and I have to admit, I totally fell in fandom love. He was funny, down to earth, and seemed genuinely interested to meet us. When I mentioned seeing him play Snoopy on Broadway, he quipped, "Wow, back when I was a young man."

As the conversation continued, he learned I went to MIT and instantly started asking questions about how I went from an engineering school to becoming an actor and writer. I would have loved to take him out for a drink and tell him my life story, but out of respect, I kept it brief, congratulated him on the show again, and said farewell.

As we walked away, my friend realized we didn't ask for a picture, but that was okay. I look forward to working with these guys someday (especially Roger) and saying, "I met you at the stage door after Art." They may not remember me, but I'll remember them.

Hopping on the Blogger Challenge Bandwagon

I heard about this blogger challenge from my friend Lynn’s blog The Actor’s Diet, who heard about it from her friend Lauren.

The Rules:
1. List 11 random things about myself
2. Answer the 11 questions she asked
3. Come up with 11 questions to ask other bloggers
4. Tag 11 other bloggers to do this next

I want to play, but I don’t think I know 11 other bloggers. I know Lynn, Michelle, Junk Food Guy, and that's about it. And how exactly do I tag bloggers?

So I’ll do a half version, starting with 11 random things about me:

1. I’ve never been to Europe.
   
   
2. My high school band director told us he went to school with Jonathan Frakes, and I once wrote Jonathan a fan letter asking him to come play with our concert band. It never happened.
   
   
   
3. I had insomnia for almost two years while working at Disneyland. The happiest place on earth was stressful as hell! Listening to spa-type relaxation music finally helped me fall asleep consistently.
   
   
4. For my sweet sixteen birthday party, I asked my friends to make a donation to an environmental group instead of giving me a gift. (Yup, I was a charity nerd even back then.) My friends all made donations and brought gifts too. They were awesome.
   
   
5. I think Angelo should have won Top Chef Season 7 instead of Kevin. There, I said it.
   
   
   
6. Growing up, I always wanted to be a dancer and I still mourn the fact that I missed my window.
   
   
7. I had braces for four years of junior high & high school – head gear, rubber bands, the whole shebang. Five years ago, a fancy dentist in LA told me I should get braces and I wanted to slap him.
   
   
8. I was so scared by a kiddie roller coaster ride as a child, I didn’t ride another roller coaster until senior year of high school, and even then I did it under duress.
   
   
   
9. I had pictures of Barry Manilow and Bruce Boxleitner in my locker in high school. I know, total dork.
   
   
10. I actually like Circus Peanuts.
    
    
11. I got banned for life from Google Adsense for clicking on my own ads on this blog, which I honestly did not know was against the rules. At my last day job company, we were constantly told we should click on our own ads whenever possible by our VP of Biz Dev. Thanks for nothing, Richard.
    

And here are answers to the same 11 questions that Lynn answered:

1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? In a magical version of LA with less traffic, cleaner air, and my family close by.
   
   
2. Beer or Wine? Both! In moderation, of course. I enjoy lagers, but also look forward to my first trip to Napa.
   
   
3. What is your favorite quote? “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi
   
   
4. One thing you always have in your purse? My Lactaid pills – so I can eat cheese!
   
   
   
5. The best concert you’ve ever been to? Barry Manilow at the Hollywood Bowl, baby!
   
   
6. What would be your last meal? This is a morbid question and I cancel/deflect any energy created by answering it, but I suppose it would be a lobster clambake from Legal Sea Foods.
   
   
7. What is one word that makes you cringe? The F word that refers to gay people in a derogatory manner.
   
   
8. If you could live one day as the opposite sex, what is the first thing you would do? Make a proper machine gun sound effect with my mouth – it’s the one thing I will admit ALL men do better than women.
   
   
9. Do you believe in soul mates? Sure, why not?
   
   
10. Gossip Girl or Glee? Glee! Because try as I might, I can’t relate to rich white society girls in NYC.
    
    
11. What would be your ideal job? I have it! Though it would be more ideal if I had more hours in the day. Still, I’m happy.
    

Phew, that was fun!

Do you have a blog? Share your URL below!

Passing the Blame

Earlier this week, an Asian-American actor email list I’m on was abuzz over this ad, which ran locally in Michigan during the Super Bowl.



Attack-the-other-candidate commercials are common in an election year, but this ad seemed to have an additional “Let’s blame China!” message that felt inappropriate. Opinions were tossed back and forth – "That actress should have known better." "No, she was just someone taking an acting job." "Who’s this icky politician who approved this message?"

Upon further research, I realized it wasn’t just people in the Asian-American acting community who were talking about the ad, but the entire news media and blogosphere. Gawker, The Washington Post, and Politico, and more condemned the ad as racist and chastised the candidate for perpetuating stereotypes.

I prefer to focus on the poor actress in the middle of this bad publicity storm. I side with the people who support her, saying she’s not to blame for the ad. After all, she didn’t write it! She’s probably just a local non-union actress in Michigan who was excited about getting a paid commercial gig. It’s likely the job only made her a few hundred bucks.

I’ve blogged before about being willing to do stereotypical accents for a job and I still would. Because ultimately, I’m an actor and I work for hire.

Of course, there’s a line of appropriateness and taste that I won’t cross, but I’m guessing this actress didn’t think in a million years that those six lines would plaster her face would end up all over the Internet. I'm sure if she could go back in time, she'd refuse the job. But if she had done that, someone else would have done it instead. You can't blame actors for wanting to work.

Lawrence O’Donnell pretty much told the actress she should have been ashamed of herself, but I say back down off her. Don’t shoot the messenger.

AFI Audition Report

With the sun shining brightly this morning, I drove across town to audition for an AFI film. Every year, I pay $25 to join the SAG Conservatory so I can be in the AFI casting database that film students use to cast their projects. I’ve only been called once or twice over the past eight years, but this was my second AFI audition since the new year. I’m on a roll!

Parking at AFI is tough – I drove all the way to the top of the hill before I found a spot. Then walked down the giant outdoor staircase to the middle of campus. Today’s audition was in the basement of the Warner Building, where I discovered something amazing.

Multiple bulletin boards featuring actor headshots! Probably from actors who came for an audition and decided to leave behind a souvenir in hopes a passing filmmaker will take interest.

Every student had a mailbox along the wall, and there were also boxes for specific projects. Several actors had distributed postcards or business cards to every box.

That kind of mass self-promotion can be a waste of money if you’re a specific type like me, but the bulletin board was intriguing. I even saw flyers and resumes from a few below-the-line talent like PAs and composers.

So even though it felt a little cheesy, I tacked one of my headshots up before leaving, along with some business cards for friends’ businesses I always try to promote, including Bubba’s Chop Shop and Castle’s Catering.

You never know, right?

Money Monday: Why I Love Suze Orman

There are a million self-proclaimed experts out there offering advice on personal finance. Suze Orman is one of the juggernauts for good reason. She’s whip smart, tells it like it is, and most importantly, she has street cred because she’s been at the bottom before – living paycheck to paycheck with big dreams and no financial security.

My favorite Suze story – early in life, she trusted a big name brokerage firm to handle her money and lost everything. Then she went to work for that big name brokerage firm – if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, she figured. While there, she realized that the agent who had lost all her money was a sketchy crook, so she sued the company she was working for! The company settled out of court, which is a win in my book.

If you’re a struggling artist who thinks Suze’s mainstream personal finance advice doesn’t apply to you, think again. She’s the perfect person to help you get your financial life into shape. She gets that people are emotional about money and that to achieve financial security and wealth, you need to look at your emotions first. And if there's anyone that understands the importance of being in touch with your emotions, it's actors.

Her biggest catchphrase – People first, then money, then things.

Notice how “things” is the lowest on the priority list? I discovered this first hand with my No Buy Resolution last year – I didn’t buy any things and life went on just fine. In my opinion, if you have financial security and feel you and your loved ones are well cared for, that’s wealth. Owning a big house, driving a fancy car, and dropping $590 on one sweater – that’s just stupid.

Bottom line, Suze Ormanis a smarty pants who can teach all of you a thing or two about handling your money. If you’re new to Suze, I suggest starting with the free weekly podcast of The Suze Orman Show. Start watching and you’ll not only learn something, you’ll be wildly entertained. (I love hearing her say, "DENIED!")

If you’re just starting out and looking for some nuts and bolts advice, I suggest reading her book The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke.Pick up a used paperback from Amazon for less than $5! Now that's smart...

Why No Follow Back Love?

On this #FollowFriday, I have some ‘splaining to do about this –

I don’t follow people back on Twitter.

As of this writing, I have 246 followers on Twitter. I only follow 24. Mostly comedians, TV news feeds, and a handful of friends.

I’ve been called on this many times by other friends who I don’t follow or people who msg me specifically to ask for a follow back. I politely decline them all.

It’s not that I don’t love all of your or want to be involved in your virtual lives. The reason for my Twitter coldness traces back to my long-standing technophobia. (Or spendophobia, really.)

Despite the fact I went to a tech-focused university, I’ve always been a spendthrift when it comes to new technology. I never ride the wave – I wait for it to pass. When the world went crazy over palm pilots, I stuck with my imitation Franklin-Covey planner. When people were buying Gameboys and PSPs, I bought Sudoku books. It took me forever to finally give in and get a DVR. I was still using my VCR to record shows just three years ago.

And I don’t own a Smartphone. I’m still using the free phone I got when I switched to T-Mobile more than three years ago. Yes, I know I qualify for an upgrade and could probably get some sort of free Smartphone, but I’m not ready for the additional data cost yet and I don’t want to be locked into a 2-year contract. Plus I’m not ready to be one of those people whose faces are permanently planted in their phones.

So on my free phone, which doesn’t use apps, all Tweets come through as text messages. When I started on Twitter, I followed over 100 people. My phone buzzed non-stop all day. So I pared it down and started to be more selective in who I follow. I pare it down further all the time. Now my phone only buzzes every 10 minutes all day.

I’ll get a Smartphone someday and I’ll follow each and every one of you. But until then, this is how I manage my phone life. Please don’t hate me.

The Hump Day Update: A Fresh February Start

Where did January go?

I shot something I wrote on Monday. Editing last night and this morning. Related to this blog post.

Watch for it next week!

Also working on a Web series for hire and my newest pilot idea. And my novel. And my graphic novel.

Uh oh, getting overwhelmed already. Time for a nap...