Six Degrees...

My audition for Tartuffe for Two Rivers Theater in New Jersey went really well. I coached with a friend and was able to to put a cool character together. It's out of my hands now, I'd love the job, but if it's meant to be... it will.

I did have a suprise short notice audition for the new TV series Six Degrees, the role of a Jewish salesman in the diamond district selling a diamond ring to Damien. Well being jewish was no problem... I arrived at Silvercup Studios East early, I like to chill out first & also scope the competition (which I shouldn't do). While I was there, there were 2 other very friendly guys, we all started chatting. The coolest thing was that we were all different "types": one guy had an olive complection & looked Israeli, another was smaller, reddish blonde short har, and myself with my dark hair, goatee & girth. Mary Jo Slater was called in from LA to cast the series & she was very friendly considering she flew in overnight on the red eye. My audition was with her assistant Beth and no one was put on tape. So there would be a call back for the producers. Today is friday, the audition was yesterday, doesn't look good for me, I would have been called in already.

I'm scheduled to audition for the Prince Music Theater of Philadelphia next Wednesday for "Annie Get Your Gun", in the role of Buffalo Bill. Now that should be fun. Buffalo Bill's only solo singing is in the number "There's no Business Like Show Business" and I was told to sing a ballad in the style of the show. Well poo, poo on that! I'm gonna sing an uptempo that makes me sound really good. I'll sing either "There is Nothing Like a Dame" from "South Pacific" or "That's Entertainment".
I called my voice coach & I already had a session scheduled with her for Thursday, but I added another one for Wednesday morning, the day of the audition. It's expenses like this that keep adding up & keep me in the poor house. But it would be a great gig to to.

I'm tired... I have an editing project to finish, and I'm shooting a short film on Sunday. Ahh the life.
My words from New York City.
-Jeff

Picking up some work

My agent got me an appointment for an equity audition next wed for Two Rivers Theatre in NJ, they're doing Tartuffe, the role is Loyal the police official who evicts Orgon, and it is in Molier speech (verse) but it takes place in modern day Texas, complete with drawl accent. Interesting I'll rehearse with the sides over the weekend.

The theatre at Lincoln center is dark now so I've been soliciting myself around as a substitute usher and have gotten to see The Drowsey Chaperone...what a dense hit of musical theatre, wow! and for the first time The Lion King. The visuals were spectacular... talent was remarkable, it's like being transformed into a fantasy world. After a while you saw animal characters, instead of the people operating them. Their personalities grew & were so compelling.

Ushering the whole weekend for City Center where the Greek Theatre is doing...epichles, persiclues....I don't know... something like that, so should be interesting. This is the greatest being a union usher, they pay me to hand out playbills & see shows.

Getting ready for France.. I leave on Oct 13th & back on th 27th.
Ah, the life!

That's my life here in New York City
-Jeff

My thoughts, my views... 9/11/06

I'm sitting at my computer listening to relatives say the names of the deceased angels from 9/11 and the tears are rolling down my face. Am I emotional? Yes, very. That is what makes me the good person that I am. It is also a monkey on my back when it cannot be controlled. Being a native New Yorker this event is very personal to me, but I wasn't at ground zero. I watched the entire event through my bedroom windows (I was living in Williamsburg Brooklyn at time time), like a picture through a frame.

I was preparing to go to an accounting client I had on Bleecker Street that morning, when I noticed on TV, it looked liked there was a fire on one of the floors of the Twin Towers. As I sat in a trancelike state and listened to what actually happened, I called my Mother who was living in Albany, NY at the time. We then stayed on the phone till both Towers fell. My glance out the window was of lots of smoke as the two icons grasped their last breath before succumbing to the fate of the worst evil that can exist.

I was numb the rest of the day, but stayed in the solitary warmth of my own apartment. The next day was the hardest. As I stepped onto the subway train still numb, I noticed others looked "normal". No one was crying, no one looked like they were in a city where the most famous of buildings was attacked by terrorists, killing almost three thousand people. This was so strange to me. As I walked the streets of midtown, their was a strange air of silence, but looking around the city was still operating. Maybe this is what was supposed to happen. To show those evil people that they cannot, and will not take us down. But I wanted to scream out "Hey people! Don't you realize what happened!" I didn't. Instead I let the tears roll down my face and I cried for the people who perished.

I was on 7th Avenue by St. Vincent's Hospital (which was quiet) in front of a tall chain link fence that had been used as a notice board for people who haven't heard from their friends, relatives, loved ones who were in the Towers. Many pictures of people of all ages, shapes, colors, long hair, short hair, beards, smooth skin, glasses...they just looked like masses of you and me. A girl with long dark hair just lit a candle and placed it next to flowers on the street with a picture of a goodlooking young man. It was her brother, he was 22 years old and was so proud of his job as a maintenance worker at the Towers, she said. It was the first job he kept for over 6 months. He loved his job. My heart broke as far as it could. I hugged her & we both cried.



I used to work for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, in the South Tower. I worked out of their kitchen on the 44th floor, doing cater waitering. I was on an "on call" basis with them & I wasn't scheduled to work that day. It had been a week since I'd been there last. Days after the attack I called my boss there and she was alright. She told me that after the first plane to the North Tower she, along with her assistant left the South Tower, against the announcements and direction of authorities. As they existed onto the plaza the second plane hit and they were showered with glass.

Now with all this behind us, we still live every day in reminder that the battlefield is not just "over there" it's over here too. I try to be as decent a person to others as I can, and truthful to myself. Sometimes it's hard for both. I don't consider myself a prejudice person but sometimes society itself forces us to. For example: with the issue of racial profiling on individuals going through a turnstyle in the New York City subway system, or at the airport. My heart says all people are equal, treat them as such. But my mind says: well some muslims are a threat, BUT not all, and techniquely Americans can be a threat also... BUT not all... There's always that BUT that keeps me in question.

It's all a very fine line now between love and hate, peace and war. It's so ironic to say that we fight in a war "by the rules", and yet the terrorists do not. So how do we defend ourselves? Who do we point a finger at?

So on this somber day Monday September 11th, 2006 of rememberance, and sorrow the most I can do is to offer my hand to the next person & just hope that they do the same in return.

With love & warmth,
-Jeff

September Songs

September 1st... where the heck did the summer go!
It's Labor Day weekend already, way too fast for the summer to end.

Had a great dinner last night with friends at a wonderful Greek place... Uncle Nick's.
Located on 9th Avenue in the heart of Hell's Kitchen here in New York City, we sat in the garden area in the back & it had quite the charm about it.
Maryellen, Yana, Judy, Angela (our reining Greek Goddess), and myself were in attendance. We are co workers/friends at a not for profit theater company (Plays for Living) that deals with bringing awareness to social issues in the home, community and workplace. We all started with appetizers: Fried smelts, pita bread & dips of all types with lots of garlic, and the flash fried cheese wrapped in filo pastry. And to wet our palattes we induldged in a fruity sweet wine from Samos. Everything was so good we could have stopped there.

For entres there were Sauteed Scallops, Mussels, Spinache Pie, Some kind grilled fish that came with head & tail intact, and I had the "succulent spring" lamb chops. The food was fabulous! Dessert brought us a carmel flan, a custard wrapped in filo pastry (I had that... yum!), Baklava, and a fresh yogurt with honey & walnuts. Oh my god! What a meal, the food was fab! The company was even faber! All co workers should take an example and get along as good as we do. In absense were Eunice who was on a trip to the Carolinas, and Jenny who was under the weather. Eunice we'll take to dinner when she returns, but for Jenny we dropped off flowers and chocolate ice cream (her favorite) on route to the restaurant.

With September beginning, I am going over my budget for the next 2 months... I leave for France in 6 weeks. I will need more $$$, so I called the union office for my ushering and I'll work a few performances each week (if they can find the work for me as a substitute usher) and when I return from France, the show in my home theater (Vivian Beaumont @ Lincoln Center) will have begun (The Coast of Utopia by Tom Stoppard).

Speaking with my agent, I'm cautious on what auditions to go on, don't want anything that is in rehearsal or shoots during the time I'm away.

Shooting a short film this weekend with some friends for festival circulation. Next Tuesday starts the 1st September work week.

Enjoy life & take time for yourself.
That's my life here in New York City.
-Jeff