I'm happy to announce that I'll be spending another Christmas at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.
The plus is...this time I get to keep my clothes on.
I'll be performing a new adaptation of The Christmas Carol with book, music, and lyrics by George Puello. I'll be playing Bob Cratchit.
I'll post more info as it comes along.
That and I'll tell ya where I've been since May.
So, almost 2 years ago, I did a reading for a new musical called Saving Anne. It turns out that the creators just so happen to live here and were doing a recording and I was lucky enough to be a part of it.
It was the first time I've been in a recording studio like that and I definitely had a great time. Can't say I like hearing myself on tape though :)
I'll try to post a sample when I get copies.
I know. Months in between updates. I know.
And now...tales of the Full Monty World Tour...
I'm happy to announce that I've been cast as Jerry Lukowski in Arkansas Rep's production of THE FULL MONTY. This will mark the third and final time I'll be revisiting this role and I'm very excited to get one more crack at it.
A lot of my friends in New York have worked at The Rep and have all loved it...so I'm really lookin' forward to spending my summer there.
It will run June 8th to July 1st. You can find info on their website: http://www.therep.org/
Oh, also....in case you've never seen the show...I've put a clip of the song "Man" from Westchester's production in the Media section.
Remember me?
Been a long time since I posted last and a lot has been going on.
When WARSAW was over, I took a short break. Then I helped build the Apple Store on 5th Avenue from the ground up and became a certified Apple Product Specialist there.
After a few months at Apple, I was tapped to play Jerry Lukowski in THE FULL MONTY once again....this time at The Westchester Broadway Theatre in New York. It's an amazing cast and I'm having a great time revisiting the role. Currently we're on a holiday break until after Christmas. I'll post the official info soon.
In the meantime, I redesigned this site (as well as a few others), and started pursuing my photography. I also started something called Project 365 where I take a photo a day for 365 days and write the stories that go with them. Kind of an interesting way to chronicle a year...and it'll help the fact that I have very little long term memory.
Oh, speaking of this site, bare with me while I work all the bugs out. I'm sure Internet Explorer is going to ravage the hell out if it. Haven't done a lot of testing, so If you find any broken links or things get a little funky, feel free to let me know. I'd appreciate it.
So...yeah. That's what I've been up to. Hope you enjoy the site.
Yeah, I said it.
Man...What a crazy week this has been. We just completed an arduous 11 day, 16 performance show stint without a break. My birthday came and went. And today...I had one of the best experiences of my life.
My Mother flew in last minute to see the show. So today, we went up to Breckenridge, Colorado and decided to go snowmobiling. My first time, actually.
Sweet. Hot. Damn.
We drove to about 12,000 feet above sea level and stopped at the edge of The Continental Divide. My Mom even did a few snow angels in 10 feet of snow. Seeing pure driven snow like that was pretty damn amazing.
I disapeared for a bit there, didn't I? Let's catch up...
This past July, I closed The Full Monty...marking 2 straight years of working in Chicago. I had some great times and some even greater opportunities. So I finally decided to take some time off. But during my vacation, someone very close to me inspired me to change a few things.
Long story short, I dropped what I was doing, packed only my clothes and a laptop, and moved to New York.
So, now I'm living in Manhattan and startin' a new phase of my career. That's where I am and that's where I'm goin'...
More to come.
The Full Monty has opened to some really amazing audiences and some great reviews. It's been named Critics Pick by the Tribune, Highly Recommended by the Sun Times, and has also been recommended by the Joseph Jefferson Committee.
Been having a blast with it, too. I think I might actually be getting used to stripping on a nightly basis.
I've been really behind on putting all this stuff up because my schedule has been ridiculous....but here's what we've got:
I've added a new page where you can find all of the reviews, box office info, directions, and buy tickets directly online. Any information or press that comes through will be posted here. I've also posted a new photo gallery with our productions photos. I"ll add more as theyy become available.
**A REMINDER** If you're interested in seeing the show, please contact me! I've got 1/2 price tickets for the entire run of the show and a few comps from week to week. This offer is open to friends, family, and complete strangers. If you want to see the show...just drop me a line.
I'm so behind on this because of the show, but I just found out that The Zoo Project, the film I did 2 years ago, just premiered at the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival in France.
I'm really excited about this news. Haven't heard anything on how it went or what the audience reaction was...but I'll post the details as they come in.
For more information, please visit the official site of Awake Films.
There's a red g-string no bigger than an envelope sitting ten feet from me.
...just staring at me. Waiting...
Tickets for The Full Monty are now on sale.
I'm happy to announce that recently I was asked to go exclusive with the Geddes Agency in Chicago. I've been with Elizabeth Geddes for just about 2 years and I'm excited to be working even more closely with her. For more information on their offices in Chicago and West Hollywood, please visit their website.
Just returned from Nashville Tennessee after filming a public service announcement for the AFRTS (American Forces Radio and Television Service).
Basically flew in Monday night, rehearsed a bit in my hotel room, got up really early and filmed most of Tuesday. Immediately on completion, I jumped right back on a plane and came home. In and out, just about 24 hours total.
Had an amazing time. As much as I love live theater, film is just so much more intricate and challenging. Really gets me goin'. The crew was great and I met some amazing actors in the form of Daniel Tatar and Kay Anderson. We spent just as much time laughing as we did working.
The PSA was shot by Film House and will be released in a few months. When I receive the copy, I'll post it on the site.
Really good times and really amazing experience. Though I did end up having this little surprise.
Still getting used to that.
Some more good news for LET THERE BE LIGHT..! The Chicago Reader has just named it Critic's Choice. Here is the blurb:
This is also good news for the WNEP Theater company. This is the first time one of their shows has gotten this nod. So congrats to them!
I know this may not mean much coming from just some random actor that you've never worked with nor met in person. But wherever you are Mr. Miller, please know it was a privilege to work on your writing.
Thank you.
May you find a peaceful place.
Well, just got the go-ahead from Equity...so I will definitely be able to perform in the upcoming production of Let There Be Light..!
Advance tickets are still on sale so jump on that ASAP. Again, the offer ends February 17th so get them now!!
For more information on LTBL, click here.
Advance Tickets for WNEP Theater's LET THERE BE LIGHT..! are now on sale via PayPal.
They will be on sale until February 17th for only $10.00. Get get 'em ASAP...seats will fill up fast.
Just gotta clear a few things up with Equity before I get to do the show. In the mean time...
For more information, click here.
Happy New Year and such.
I'm officially back in Chicago and I had a ridiculous time out on tour. Seriously...the time of my life. But I have to admit, I'm really happy to be back in my own bed.
Scrooge was unlike anything I've ever done in my life. Working with that cast was like going back to acting school. The production team too. Bob Tomson, Lisa Kent, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Farnsworth. Amazing people to watch and be directed by. I learned so much, it's kinda sick. And having crews that worked like a finely tuned machine didn't hurt either. Also, I was fortunate enough to go on for the man I was understudying....so out of no where, I found myself singing a duet with Richard Chamberlain. And although I might be a generation or two behind the Thornbirds and Dr. Kildare....it was still pretty damn cool. Overall, working with Richard was just amazing. Hell...overall the entire experience was amazing. But I digress...back to real life.
Since I got back of been auditioning up a storm and apartment hunting. Also, we're preparing to remount a production of Let There Be Light with the WNEP Theater. More on that soon.
Glad to be back in the Windy City.
Today is a very sad day.
God bless you Jerry Orbach.
You will be sorely missed.
Remember me?
The Scrooge tour hit Baltimore and I was without internet access for the week. Then Christmas and my Birthday came and went. Now I'm in Philly and finishing up the last week of the tour. For information on the final performances of Scrooge, click the link below:
Scrooge @ The Merriam Theater: Philadelphia
Hope you had a happy Holiday and I'll update again once I return to Chicago.
I'm proud to announce that the criticially acclaimed World War II drama, LET THERE BE LIGHT..! is coming back to Chicago for a Limited Return Engagement. It will open February 24th at the Live Bait Theater and run until March 25th.
Tickets will go on sale soon and updates will follow.
For more information, please visit the official Let There Be Light..! website
I'm proud to announce that as of yesterday, I was signed with STEWART TALENT. I will be represented by both their Film/Television and Musical Theater divisions.
Thanks to having my website address in the program for SCROOGE, agent Sam Samuelson was able to contact me, have me come into their offices, and I was accepted in a day later. I'm extremely exctied about working with this agency.
Contact information for their offices will be added shortly.
I'm very pleased to announce that Drury Lane Oakbrook's production of Fiddler on the Roof was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson citation in the Best Production (Musical) category.
For the full story, please click here.
Well, I'm back.
New York was a great time. Though I do have to say that I really appreciate being back in a town that has a place behind their buildings for trash. Overall, I had a wonderful time. Saw some great shows, got used to walking everywhere, and figured out affordable ways to eat other things besides pizza.
We did handbilling all over the city and instead of just mindlessly throwing them into the masses, we actually staked out the stage doors at all the Broadway theaters. So as soon as a tech person would walk out, we'd strike up a conversation and get them to take a stack of the postcards. I can't believe how many of them were so nice about it. Special thanks to the people at Avenue Q for taking and handing out 200 postcards for me. You guys were amazing!
And the last odd thing to happen....I was out at around 6am looking for a review of LTBL in the New York Times (which I'll post soon). And long story short, I got "stuck" in an Alicia Keys video. They were filming her walking along Broadway while I was ordering a McDonald's breakfast and, for continuity sake, they had me order and eat my sausage McMuffin twice. Thanks to her production company for buying me breakfast.
So, if you ever have a chance to go to FringeNYC, you really should check it out. A real theatrical melting pot, I tells ya. I saw a severed head sing about being in love, listened to a joke about a shaggy dog go on for an hour too long, and saw puppets having sex.
Pretty successful outting if you ask me.
New York and FringeNYC has been a crazy trip thus far. The streets are filled with hundreds of actors all trying to cram into church basements and tiny black boxes just to catch a glimpse of a show. Some really amazing stuff. And the city itself is just a trip. It's almost as if business' are in competition to see who can create the tallest pile of garabage on the street.
I have:
A) Never walked so much in my life.
B) Never eaten so many pieces of pizza, so many days in a row, in my life.
We've completed 2 of our 5 shows and the response has been very positive.
That's all we can ask for at this point. What a great time.
At the risk of sounding too much like a tourist...
I heart NYC
Well, in about 12 hours I'll be in New York, getting ready to perform Let There Be Light..! at the New York International Fringe Festival.
If you're on the East Coast and would like to see a performance....click here for more information. Depending on conditions in NYC, I might post pictures and stories from FringeNYC. That, or I'll just update when I get back.
Wish me luck!
On the one year anniversary of coming to Chicago, I have some wonderful news!
WNEP Theater will remount their production of Let there Be Light..!. We will have our East Coast premiere at the New York International Fringe Festival this August. Excerpt taken from the FringeNYC website:
I am more than ecstatic. Not only do I get to work with all my old friends again, but I also get my New York debut! I really am beside myself with excitement on this one.
We will most likely have a benefit of some sort in the not too distant future to raise funds. I'll post more as it becomes available.
In the meantime, for more information on FringeNYC...click here.
Woooooooooooooooo!
I will be going on for the role of Bert Jefferson in The Man Who Came To Dinner during the 5:30 & 9pm shows on February 14th.
That's right, Valentine's Day! What else says I love you more then going to see me portray a small town newspaper man?
For more information, visit http://www.drurylaneoakbrook.com
Just flew back from Canada and I can easily say that I had the best time of my life. Vancouver was simply gorgeous and the people I worked with, for lack of a better phrase, inspired the hell out of me. According to the creators, it will premiere at some very serious film festivals....but again, can't really mention too much. When the movie finally comes out, I'll definitely share all the stories and pictures. I'm exhausted, but happy. And I'd like to be melancholy, but this is yet another project that I won't be able to mourn:
Today rehearsals start for The Man Who Came To Dinner. I'll post more information as it becomes available.
LTBL is going exceptionally well. It has become Highly Recommended by the Chicago Reader and noted as a Critic's Pick by the Chicago Tribune. Thus, we will be extending our run until November 29th, 2003. Once again, the show info is as follows:
Thursday-Saturday @ 8pm
Sunday @ 3pm
WNEP Theater, 3209 N. Halsted
(773) 755-1693 for reservations
or order online tickets online at: http://www.wneptheater.org/
Day 3 in Chi-Town was a good day.
Earlier this morning, I was contacted by Elizabeth Geddes and it seems that she sat in on my first audition. Long story short, I'm officially registered (though not exclusive) with The Geddes Agency.
*whew*
Well, that one got knocked off my To-Do list a lot quicker than I thought it would.
If this is beginner's luck........I really hope it lasts.
Well.....I'm here.
Officially graduated from Illinios State University yesterday. I'm proud (and extremely honored) to mention that I was given the coveted Jean Sharfenberg Award at the ceremony. Excerpt taken from the Illinois State Theater website:
Can't even describe how excited I was.
And now, here I am. I'll begin my professional acting career starting Monday with an audition for Erica Daniels at Steppenwolf.
I've started this blog as a way to mark progress. To have something to enable me to look back. I'm sure as time goes on, I'll be embarrased about some of the things I wrote. But I'm really intrigued by the idea of having a detailed journal from the moment I started my career straight through to the end.
Nothin' else to do now but to close my eyes, cross my fingers and dive in head first.