Heatwave!!!!

The sun was shining all day today, and the temperature rose. It kept rising, right up to a barmy 46F (7C).

And boy,did it feel nice! I felt like I could walk outside in just a tshirt! That's what the cold winter here in Madison does to you, after subzero temperatures for weeks, anything above 40 degrees feels positively scorching!

Sadly though, the sun melted all the big piles of snow sitting on the side of the road everywhere. Water was dripping all over the place, despite it being a dry cloudless day!

Farewell winter, hello spring? Perhaps. But I think Jack Frost has at least one more snow storm and freezing temperature week in him yet.

A Day Trip To Chicago...

Last Wednesday I took a little trip (3 1/2 hour bus ride) down to Chicago in order to audition for acting graduate school.

The day began with me reciting my monologues one last time in the shower, making sure I knew every last word, every single pause, every slight nuance in my delivery. After breakfast, I made my way to the Van Galder bus for the long journey down to the Windy City. I stopped off at Walgreens first though, to buy some apple juice- it's great for the voice apparently!

I settled myself into a seat on the bus, and listened to my new (though delayed) December 2010 playlist. When I wasn't nodding off and catching a little bit of shut eye, I was going over my lines again and again. There could be nothing worse than fluffing a line in the audition. (Thankfully I didn't pull a Christina Aguilera and shout out the wrong words!)

When I arrived at Union Station in downtown Chicago at 1.30pm, I began a 20minute brisk walk across the city to the Hyatt hotel, where my audition was being held. It had to be a brisk walk not because of time constraints- my audition wasn't until 3- but because of the cold.

It was that snot freezing cold again. Biting. The kind of cold where any exposed skin is going to get chapped almost immediately. The following day when I left for work in the morning it was -12F (-24C)!!

With the wind being funnelled off Lake Michigan and down the criss-cross streets, it certainly was chilly. Nevertheless I had a nice walk across town to the hotel, taking in the sights of downtown Chicago and noting that not much had changed since my last visit with Nicole almost 2 years ago.

I arrived at my audition with plenty of time to spare. I signed in and wandered the narrow hallway where fellow auditionees  were waiting. That's when the nerves began to kick in. I didn't realise (though I should have) that a number of schools would all be auditioning in the same place. So in this narrow hallway on the second floor of the conference center, were Yale, Harvard, NYU, USC, American Conservatory, Stella Adler School and various others, all with little registration desks set up.

And then there were all the people present. All the Thespians eager to get a place. Most of them had done BA and undergraduate degrees in acting and theatre. Some of them had agents, or at least knew a lot about the business. Most people had lengthy looking resumes and full size, glossy colour headshots of themselves, taken of course by professional photographers.

And there was me with my little resume, recently updated to 7 items with my turn in The Mourning Hour, and my snipped up 4x6 walgreens print out photos, taken with my little digital camera (although with Nicole's photographic skills).

Most of the people there had been in Chicago for a couple of days, staying overnight and auditioning on multiple days to multiple different schools. I learnt there was one set of auditions where you go before twenty different schools at once. Nerve-wracking yes, but at least you kill many birds with one stone.

I on the other hand, had chosen to just audition to the one school- Yale School of Drama. Because it sounds awesome. I had really wanted to apply to UCLA, but they weren't open for applications this time around. I should undoubtedly have applied to more, but I was constrained by the financial costs of all the applications. $100 per school severely limited my applications.

So it was that we got briefed on the days events, and waited for our names to be called. I warmed my voice, doing the little exercises I've learned from the few plays I have been in. Before I knew it, it was into the audition room with the Vice Chair of Acting at Yale. We said hello, and then off I went, performing my monologues for him.

I chose to do Shakespeare's Henry V- the spirit rousing battle speech of Henry to his troops, beginning with "once more unto the breach dear friends, once more". I followed it up with a monologue from Up the Road, written by Australian playwright John Harding.

I was certainly very nervous standing in that room, but, despite my mouth getting a little dry, thought I did fairly well. Upon leaving, the auditioner thanked me, and then told me to make sure I check the callback sheet at the end of the hour. This gave me hope that he wanted to make sure I was still here, that he wanted me to audition for his colleague to0, and then perhaps invite me back for end of day call backs. From there I could even get invited to Yale for the final auditions.

Alas, it wasn't to be. Only three names were posted on the call back sheet, and mine wasn't one of them. A little disheartened, but strangely not too disappointing. I decided on a new course of action.

You see all the schools that were auditioning that day had signs up that all said they welcomed walk-ins. This seemed a little strange to me, for what is the point of having the online application process and the closing date, if you then accept walk-ins? I had been speaking to a USC alumni on the set of The Mourning Hour, and as they were just across the way, I decided what a walk-in entailed. After all, I had come all this way to Chicago, what did I stand to lose?

All I needed was a resume and headshot (I had extra) and $40 and then to fill in a short form. Since that was less than half the cost of other schools, I figured, why not! So I printed a resume, went to an ATM and soon found myself waiting for another audition slot. This time however, the nerves weren't really there, and I just relaxed a little and talked with "Sergio" from student admissions and services. He was very friendly.

A short while later I went into another audition, this time with an English professor at USC. She asked me a little about myself, and seemed surprised that I had never had any training in acting, not even an acting coach! (Did this mean most other auditionees did?) We talked about what I wanted from a master's program, and then it was on with the audition.

I felt I performed better the second time around, and got a clap from the auditioner after my Shakespeare piece. After my second piece, she thanked my very much for taking the time to audition, and said that my second monologue was such an interesting piece. Things sounded promising once again.

However, it wasn't to be. I got an email Friday from USC saying, thanks but no thanks. At least I didn't have to fill in all the extra application stuff and financial aid apps. But that's just about the only silver lining on that cloud. For some reason, I thought USC was going to be the one, but it turns out I was wrong. It was hard reading the rejection email, that's for sure. It's like being told you're not even good enough for us to teach you how to act.

But, I guess rejection is all in an actor's life right? There's going to be numerous auditions where I get told I am not suitable, and you just have to deal with that. It would be nice to get some groundwork down, to learn procedures and skills, but I suppose I will just have to wait until next year.

So what's next then? Well that I really don't know. The whole future is ahead of me, but I just don't know what it holds. It's a waiting game for other schools to respond; it's a search for any kind of job, if someone is willing to hire me and pay $4000 in visa fees; it's a search for more and more auditions, in the hope I get a breakthrough somewhere.

It's many options, but just no concrete plans. That sucks, not knowing. But I do know something will work out. I am big believer in things happening for a reason! After all, look where I ended up already! :)

Thank goodness for boots!

Snow boots. Big, huge, heavy things that cost me over $100.

So worth it though. Worth every penny, despite the pain and hassle of them. By that I mean transporting them anywhere other than Wisconsin, due to the size and weight of the things. And the time it takes to put them on in the morning, and take them off.

But they have served me well for two winters in Madison now, and they're still in great shape. Warm, dry feet- despite walking through the numerous snow drifts. And I haven't slipped in them once.

With them on, the snow and ice are no match for me! It's like they're superhero boots; they make me invincible!...................... Yeah right!

Snowpocalypse or Snowmageddon?

Take your pick. They were used interchangeably by the media to describe on the worst snow storms to hit Wisconsin in recent years. By the time it struck, I don’t think it was as bad as it could have been, but it still hit the state hard.

It began on Monday, with a few inches of snow fall throughout the day. Tuesday during the day was calm, but by evening, when I was still at work staffing the State of the State, it came down thick and fast. 3 inches an hour at times, and continued throughout the night.

What was worse was the wind. It brought the chill factor down to negative 15, and blew the snow everywhere. A blizzard is exactly what it was outside, walking home from the Capitol at 8.30pm, jumping over, around and through snow drifts. I made it home in one piece though.

Snow was blowing everywhere at this point, though it's hard to tell in this photo.

The wind howled throughout the night, and the snow just kept tumbling down. By Wednesday morning, about 14 inches had fallen on Madison. In some places, because of blowing wind, especially from the lakes, it seemed like much more.

Snow had blown under the canopy at our apartment

Schools were closed; UW-Madison had a snow day (which it very rarely does); stores opened late; buses suspended all services; all government offices were closed to the public- many just did not open. But not the state legislature. With all the legislators in town for the State of the State, they decided it was still fine to hold session on Wednesday. So, I battled through over a foot of snow to get to work for 8am. Some streets had already been ploughed by the superb snow service force the city has in operation. In some places, the snow went up to my knees.

Either way, it made for some great pictures, and it was fun. All I wanted to do was jump in the big snow piles, or grab a sledge and find a big hill to race down. Sadly though, work called. Growing up sucks!

Anyone for a seat?

Snow piled on N Frances St.

State Street Snow

More snow on Langdon Street

A buried bike

Ploughing the streets

Back to work, despite the snow

Shovelling State Street

Clearing the Capitol, piling the snow high

A Capitol covered in snow







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Capitol Dome has been lit green and gold throughout this week in honour of the Greenbay Packers, who compete for the SuperBowl title tomorrow!

‘Lights, Camera, Action’ on The Mourning Hour!

I didn’t hear that. Not once. Just one of those sayings that doesn’t actually ring true. There was something similar, but it was actually a little more complicated, a little more ordered and instructional. Something along the lines of  “Lock down every one, quiet please. Camera rolling, roll sound ‘speed’ ‘sound rolling’ annddd action!” And away we went. The excitement and wonder had hit home well before that moment though.

The day began at 5.20am. That’s the time I left my apartment for a short cab ride over to the west side of town. Our call time was 7.30am, up in Baraboo, about an hour north of Madison. Given the recent weather, we wanted to leave to take our time on the road. I say ‘we’, I really mean my fellow actor, co-star, and all around great guy Tim, who very kindly allowed me to share a ride with him and drove me up to Baraboo and back. It was him I was meeting in Starbucks at 5.45am.

Speaking of Starbucks, did you know you can ask for a coffee ‘extra-hot’? It was news to me, and I struggled to imagine how or why you would get a coffee extra hot. Nevertheless, ask for it and you shall receive, a coffee with the milk made extra extra hot. Boiled or steamed or something to a higher temperature.

Anyhow, having met up with Tim we were on our way to Baraboo, anticipating what lay in store for us. At 7.15, I walked onto my first ever movie set. It’s only a short film yes, but it was still a fully fledged film set. Director, 1^st Assistant Director, Producers, Grips, Sound Guys, Camera Crew, Art Department, Wardrobe, Hair and Make-up, PA’s and so on. There was even one person dedicated to standing in front of the camera with the clapperboard (electronic now, not the chalkboard type I was expecting), announcing what scene and take was next up. At least that’s all I think she did. I was too busy just taking everything in.

We were on location in an old theatre. The Al Ringling Theatre, one of the oldest and best preserved theatre’s in the US I am told. (We have a number similar in type to it in England... not that I am boasting or anything). The set was all ready on stage, and around the theatre spot lights were set up, rails were being laid in the aisle, equipment was scattered backstage, and wires were running everywhere. Breakfast arrived as I was wandering around simply observing all the preparation. A full buffet table was available for us throughout the day, complete with healthy and unhealthy options. Great stuff, much appreciated by everyone, and just one part of what being on set meant.

If you wanted to be lazy, food would be brought down to you in the dressing rooms by helpers. That was where we were taken first- down under the stage to the dressing rooms. Straight to business, I was one of the first in the make-up chair. Twenty minutes later, and a removal of half my sideburns, I was all done-up, complete with foundation, lip gloss and mascara (how manly of me!) and nicely gelled comb over hair style. Next it was on to the costume, suit and a bow tie.

With that all done, I went back to my observations, barely believing I was actually in this position, about to act in a short Hollywood film! There wasn’t too long to wait until we were called up to begin shooting our scene. We were all set in place, with a quick rehearsal, and a make-up touch up (those pesky chapped lips of mine were looking too red on camera) and off we went. Filming what I won’t say. I don’t want to give anything away!

I have a new deep appreciation for the whole film making process now, having spent just one day on set: All the thought and effort; the multitude of things that can go wrong; and the need to get so many different takes and shots. We probably got about 5 minutes of footage, maybe not even that, and we didn’t leave until 9.45pm. 14 hours on set. The need for perfection is going to make for an amazing looking film, but it did entail painstaking shots and actions on set.

We’d film 5 or 6 takes with a long shot, the camera in the distance, then we’d wait 20 minutes for the camera to move to a position for a close up. Then we’d repeat, then the camera would move over another person’s shoulder... and so on and so forth. One thing I learnt... “Let’s do that one more time” actually meant at least three more takes. And then we’d go over the whole scene again to accurately record the sound, with one poor guy standing on box hanging the boom over our heads.

Then we’d be off, not required for the next shot, but needed again soon. At first it seemed so crazy, taking us on and off stage and having actors change costumes and change back again, but I think the method to their madness and the order of the shots was done to minimise camera movement... though as a newbie on set, I cannot be certain of this. For this reason, there was a lot of sitting and waiting around. And we didn’t get finished until almost 10pm. (There was a moment when we thought we were done at 8. We got clapped off set and said our goodbyes, and I was half undressed, before we were called back for another shot).

But I would go and do it all again tomorrow if I could. I wouldn’t change the waiting around and the long day for anything, as it was just an incredible experience. Hopefully not once-in-a lifetime, as I got the film set bug, and I will be back. I got to work with some incredible actors and be a part of something so unique. I met an actor from Heroes, but sadly did not get to work with him, as he was sent home because of sinus infection; things go wrong, adjustments are made, and everything works out. I got to work with Brandon Barash from ABC’s daytime soap General Hospital, which was just awesome. He gave me some great advice on drama schools and some good encouragement for my Yale auditions next week.

I got to be a part of the filming of an award winning script, and learnt a lot that may help me if I ever get around to writing my own script (and hopefully some connections for some help too!). The story is incredible and the film is just going to look amazing. Perhaps even phenomenal. It’s going to be entered into film festivals, and it will win awards. There is a definite possibility it could get to the Oscars. Wouldn’t that just be incredible? Follow its progress at www.themourninghour.com

It wouldn’t have been possible without everyone. All the actors, but more importantly the crew. The directors, the writer, everyone backstage. I don’t know where we would have been without the special order herbal cigarettes, used in place of real ones to protect the health of everyone; or the constant refilling of our drinks of scotch (which was actually watered down cola); or the ironing of the table cloth. Making a film is a true team effort. It’s really made me realise the amount of work and time that goes into making a blockbuster like Lord of the Rings of Titantic.

But it hasn’t deterred me. Instead it’s made me want to come back for more and more. Here’s hoping there’s many more opportunities like this in the future.

For now folks, that’s a wrap.