My Sunday...

Hey all! Just dropping a quick note about my tomorrow. But first... my today. I spent the day sketching for my Monday Facebook posting and taking steps to finalizing some recent commissions. I've decided to have a curious Sunday.


(The best of life is reserved for the curious as far as I know.) So after the morning coffee and a little "The Swingin' Years" on KKJZ, my Sunday will start with a visit to All Saints Episcopal and soon thereafter find me seeing what's new at independently owned Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. Then I'll jet to The Stuffed Sandwich or Lucky Baldwin's for a bite before heading to LaVerne for an event featuring four of the foremost wacky minds in childrens' literature (Adam Rex, Mac Barnett, David Shannon, and Jon Scieszka). I'll then head back west to catch a "Where the Wild Things Are"-themed exhibit called "Terrible Yellow Eyes" at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra. I have some inking to do in the evening, so I'll likely head home early evening to prep the drawing board... but not before keeping my own big yellow eyes open and eager to witness something magical. Here we go...

NYC and the Flea Market!

Hi all! I'm finally feeling rested after a whirlwind trip to NYC. The main purpose of the trip was to participate in the Broadway Flea Market (benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS). Here's a little photo montage from the day. Due to rain, we had to relocate the event to the Roseland Ballroom (from Shubert Alley and 44th Street). It was crowded and crazy, but festive and fun. I offered prints of sketches and I drew quick-sketch caricatures. The best sellers of the day were the live sketches and prints representing Next to Normal, 9 to 5, and [title of show]. We did pretty well and made some decent cash for the charity. The photo furthest right is of my table team, my pals Tyler Foy and Aaron Umstead who I worked with in Wichita. Both of them recently graduated from college and hit NYC in a big way, each booking a show pretty quickly.


Another exciting development in the Flea Market excitement was getting featured on the Broadway.Com featurette on the Flea Market. Susan Blackwell interviews me and I sketch her... right around the 11 minute mark. See it here. Thank you Susan and team!!


Here are some narcissistic shots of me around Central Park. I was in town for just three days with a travel day on each end. So it wasn't the easiest to get together with all I had hoped to, but I did see a few cherished pals... old friends, new friends, Wichita peeps, California folks transplanted or just visiting, online friends and fans, amazing Broadway gypsies and celebs, etc. etc. etc.

It was a fantastic trip and I can't wait until I can get back to the city.


Now I'm home and I've hit the drawing board running. Lots to do! I have a few commissions, and I'm working on a line of fun stuff for possibly putting on t-shirts. I'm prepping for the Signature Theatre exhibit (premiering November 10). Just booked my ticket to head to Arlington, VA to curate the exhibit and see the first preview of the show my work is accompanying, Show Boat. Add to all this an engagement at Disney Concert Hall, a visit to my bro and his family in St. Paul, and a smorgasbord of autumnal activities, and life is a fun, challenging, wonderful whirlwind. I'm so grateful. Take care, all! Peace and love.

I won!

Hello all! I'm so grateful to report that I've received a lovely award. The Mary Jane Teall Awards recognize excellence in theatre in Wichita, Kansas. They've given me the 2009 award for Outstanding Guest Artist. I treasure my time with Music Theatre of Wichita, and I'm really glad any chance I get to visit the city. I'm proud to say that I've taken part in eight shows and a gala fundraiser since 2002. Thank you Wayne Bryan and MTW family, and thank you Troy Dilport and Deb Campbell for the nomination. I'm so thankful for you all. I look forward to the next time I can return to Wichita.

In other news, I'll be jumping on a NYC-bound plane tomorrow morning. Sunday brings the Broadway Flea Market where I'll be selling prints and drawing live quick-sketch caricatures to benefit BC/EFA. Monday I have an audition. I'm doing my best to get in touch with as many friends as humanly possible, and I've got tickets to a couple shows (new musicals via NYMF). It's a quick trip, though. I'll be home midday on Wednesday. I'm really looking forward to the whirlwind.

Well, I'm back to last minute prep and packing. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Behind the Stop the World scenes...

Here's a wee video I cobbled together. You can see a little bit of the behind the scenes happenings when putting together a staged reading... and a backstage glimpse of the wonderful folks I get to play with. We done good on Monday night. For those not familiar with the show, the histrionics I'm in at the beginning refers to the size of the role. And my absence from a good portion of the thing is because I was running the camera (when I wasn't busy talkin' and a-singin'). Take a peek...



The rendition of "Gonna Build A Mountain" is by Rachel Bay Jones on her CD, ShowFolk.

All the crazy effort has been worthwhile. I've received so many amazing comments from people I love and admire... and folks I didn't know previously. Also, there was a super positive review by a critic who really understands the quickly-paced staged reading format, Les Spindle of Backstage West... click here.

We have one more performance in Thousand Oaks on Sunday. Come see us at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center at 3pm. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Instant bio...

At the headwaters of my theatrical career, I remember reading the voluminous bios of actors who had amassed vast amounts of credits. Some of these bios just went on and on. I remember thinking that I would instantly have a lengthy bio if I could only perform in three particular shows with long titles... Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (which I landed early on in 1994), How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (eight years later in 2002), and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum (finally achieved last year). And now I've tackled Stop the World – I Want To Get Off. Another longish title. Instant bio. At least they balance out my single word credits... Carousel, Camelot, and Seussical. Anyway... These are the things I think about when the mind wanders. Back to work.

Victory on a few levels...

Short post. I'm tired. The show went well tonight. Things just clicked. Teensy missteps gave way to some solid storytelling. I felt so proud and happy to be a part of the show this evening, especially playing opposite the amazing Tracy Lore and the rest of our amazing cast. The whole Stop the World team was fantastic and put together a show to be proud of... in 25 hours. I think it was a great kickoff to the Musical Theatre Guild's season.

And something happened for me that has never happened before. I stopped a show. It's an absolute treasure of a moment for stage actors. There's nothing like an applause that goes on a bit longer than your typical ovations. I'm so grateful for the opportunity and the moments and the wonderful audience. And now I'm going to hit the hay with joy and gratitude in my heart. Take care, all! Peace and love.

It's the day of the show, y'all...

Tonight, we'll welcome our first (and penultimate) audience to see our staged reading of Stop the World I Want To Get Off. Yesterday's rehearsal brought our first run-through of the show which went as well as can be expected in a down-and-dirty process like this. We get to the Alex Theatre in Glendale around noon. We'll run-through the show with our orchestra and then we'll dress up, take photos, and open the doors. At this time tomorrow, I'll have one official run of this beast of a show under my belt. I'm nervous, but I'm excited too. Here we go...


And briefly, here's today's sketch over at Squigs Knows His Lines. My goal on that page is to occasionally be current with my illustrations (to show my editorial capabilities I guess). If my topic net were cast a bit wider, I would have given a tip o' the hat to Taylor Swift and Beyonce regarding last night's VMAs incident with that butthead. But rather in Broadway circles, breaking news from yesterday was that Avenue Q had their big closing on Broadway BUT they're moving to New World Stages off-Broadway. I'm trying to figure out if other shows have made this move. It's sign of the times, but still encouraging that producers felt that the show was worth keeping open.

Well, I've got to get all my wheels going in the same direction (towards Glendale). Wish me "break a leg!" Take care, all! Peace and love.