A New Age..

Looks like we made it!
The world did not end.
What will we do within the dawn of this new age? Whether you believed the Mayan "prophecy" or not - I do believe the one truth the calendar conveys is that we have entered a new age/epoch/era...
or whatever....

Will anything change?
Will this change occur on its own? or via our own doing (or undoing)?

I may have stated before, this past year brought with it some tremendous opportunities, as well as some harsh life events:

*I shot and co-produced a SAG Short film in LA
(I must say, while I'm proud of the work, I'm also pleased of the make-up effects I pulled off. Thanks Scott Ramp!!)
*I shot a pilot with Michael McGlone
*I performed in an Off-B'way production of Tennessee Williams' last full-length play with the incomparable Shirley Knight and the magical Alison Fraser
*I actually booked another play but couldn't do it because it was in conflict with the above!
*I taught more courses this year than ever
*I was invited back to teach at Rutgers University (that's now 3 schools where I currently teach)
*I will be teaching a new course for the winter session at Rider U., "Great Performances in Film."
among other things...

But there were also some adversity that my family faced:
* My father struggled with his blood pressure that caused much instability; i.e. stroke-like events (one occurred right in front of me - literally caught him in my arms as he was collapsing)
* My father was in a terrible car crash that claimed my uncle (his brother). He is on the mend, I'm thankful to say, but it was rough going there for a while; what can I say? the guy's a fighter!
* My brother is still in the midst of a nasty divorce. It is taking its toll on him, our family, as well as his kids...obviously. Sad.

Anyway - blah, blah, blah....this too shall pass.
While 2012 was not all bad, far from it in fact, I'm fine with its passing.


I'm hopeful for 2013.

Happy New Year everyone!

Closing...

We opened just about a month ago, and I wish I could say things are going wonderfully.
The sad thing is, we'll be closing early - today, in fact.
In Masks Outrageous and Austere will take its final bow this afternoon.

It's a shame as we've finally found this play; receiving standing ovations from packed houses.
But it's not been easy.
No way around this one - we may not have been as prepared as we should have for our opening. Plain and simple.
Not throwing blame, but for a piece such as this (not finished, an amalgam of about 7 different manuscripts, and let's face it - during the writing of these drafts, the playwright [Mr. Tennessee Williams] was very likely under the influence of more than one substance), we needed more time to investigate and rehearse. Then again, with a play such as this - is it every ready? Perhaps it is intended to be a constant exploration?
Bear in mind, this goes beyond the usual course of discovery one experiences during the rehearsal process and therefore the run of a play. Early in the run, there were parts that remained a mystery to me, I strung together actions and objectives the best I could; but the harsh truth is I was still learning about the world I was inhabiting within the play. True, we should never stop availing ourselves to discoveries throughout the process; however, I just wish I knew more, earlier on.

This piece (actually I call it a "theatrical event") received mixed responses at best.
No need to get into all that, BUT I was fortunate to come away with some nice mentions:

“deliciously campy and a definite highlight of the show”

    -Theatermania.com

“hunky”

    -New York Times

“strapping mechanic swain”

    -The Huffington Post

“a studly grease monkey”

    -NJNewsroom.com

“Echoes of Stanley Kowalski are conjured by Christopher Halladay who performs Joey, a muscular, mechanic boyfriend.”

    -Pick Entertainment.com

As stated before, over the past couple of weeks, we found something quite special. The set and world created by David Schweizer and James Noone was downright breathtaking. The cast (for the most part) was tremendous, the crew (Scott, Chris, Patrick, Andrea, Matt, Kj and Megan) - THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!. To work with the likes of Shirley Knight and Alison Fraser has been a privilege, an education, and an honor. I feel I have acquired a 2nd MFA working with those two Madams of the stage.
It is still challenging to wrap my head around the fact that I am now a part of Tennessee Williams' anthology. It is a gift I will always cherish. Thank you for that, David.

Thank you all for the journey.
Thank you to the new friends I made at Gideon's Point.

And most of all...thank you, Mr. Williams.

"Why did I write? Because I found life unsatisfactory."-Tennessee Williams

Opening on Monday, April 16th!

"Tennessee Williams goes for broke in his final full-length play, exploring the surreal, the nefarious, and the erotic in ways never before attempted by the great American master. The richest woman in the world, her gay husband and his young lover are thrust into a mystery world, defined by disorientation and paranoia, where they are held captive by omnipotent corporate forces. A cast of bizarre characters enters an increasingly threatening environment, and tensions reach a fever pitch as trust among the three protagonists begins to disintegrate. This stunning production, which includes a state of the art video system, sixty LED panels, and eleven projectors, takes its characters—and its audience—to a wholly unique theatrical realm that's every bit as thrilling as it is dangerous."

A bit of Theater History

Well...!

As it turns out, I am now a part of Theater History.

The show I am now rehearsing with The Culture Project's, "In Masks Outrageous and Austere" is the World Premiere production of Tennessee Williams' last full-length play, directed by David Schweizer.

I am so excited to be a part of this!

Moreover, I'll be sharing the stage with Tony-award winning actress, Ms. Shirley Knight.

Checkout the PR:

It's gonna be interesting...