"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before."

-Jacob Riis

Persistence, enduring adversity, overcoming unbelievable obstacles - is what we've been dealing with; "we," being my family.

Fortunately, the baseless accusations and lies are slowly being revealed for what they are. A"normal" life is being reattained. The house of cards that is the gossip, innuendo and untruths that surrounds my family is slowly starting to fall. Moreover, we have the legal documentation to prove it.
To "the island of misfit toys" - keep coming, the truth will out.

OK! enough of that....


On another note - my busiest semester is progressing quite nicely. I have a fantastic group of students, across the board. While I'm busy as hell, I find myself genuinely looking forward to each class. There is an energy and enthusiasm that is really pretty cool.
I have to acknowledge the possibility that some of this may be because I am becoming a better teacher.

Working on some irons in fires, acting-wise too.
Will keep you posted.


...kinda pleased with myself over here.

“Chapter 1. He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion...no, make that: he - he romanticized it all out of proportion. Yes. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin."

...I gotta get busy and LIVE here....!

'The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.'

"As You Like I" V, 1 - Touchstone

I just completed my first week back at teaching. Fall ' 12 is my busiest semester yet. 3 Universities, 4 courses, 5 classes.

It's quite a course-load this semester, but I can't help but believe this is all good....working towards something: my ultimate goal of a life that balances my passion to act as well as teach.
The students, so far, seem great; enthusiastic and willing.

With all humility, I feel myself growing as an educator. My confidence continues to grow, my lessons become more and more elegant (I am able to make more apt points and reference things more efficiently). My greatest challenge continues to be my ability to push my students to strive to do their best, while not being too harsh. One's intent and how one comes across is a balance I am still seeking to find.

As I stated before, I want a balance between my two professions. One downside to the semester is I fear I won't be as available to work, much less audition as much as I'd like. However, my manager and agents are aware of my schedule and are open to working within those schedule restrictions, so who knows? Perhaps my trepidations are for naught...

“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

― Socrates

Not gonna lie - the summer's been rough; eventful and rough.
As one can quickly observe, it's been a while since my last post and a great deal has been happening, not all of it good.

The semester ended event-free. The show closed (early, as you know - unfortunate).

My father has been in and out of the hospital. He had another "episode." Twice, in fact; both in my presence. As a human being, it shakes you up to witness a loved one go blank right in front of you. Literally caught him in my arms the first time. The second, in his Dr.'s office; a more controlled environment, thank god. Good news - we finally diagnosed the problem: his blood pressure. Over-medication!!! Jesus CHRIST! All these doctors, and none of them communicate with each other. I could go on, oh...I could go on...but I won't. It's the same story we all know.
While it was horrible to witness my father go into a stroke-like state (TWICE), it was fortuitous that I was present and therefore able to relay the experience to the doctors. It turns out that his blood pressure (systolic) would drop 50 points upon the simple act of standing up! Positive side note: it is likely that the "episode" he had 2 years ago is likely to have NOT been a stroke, but this.
Life's little victories, the silver-lining, keeping the glass at half-full.

We're not out of the woods yet. He is still on the mend from his terrible accident from last March. He's so anxious to get better...he tends to disregard the not so subtle messages of what his body will permit him to do. He's a fighter that guy, love him for it.

Then there's my brother. He is unfortunately in the midst of a difficult time himself.
I must be delicate.
He is now embroiled in a nasty divorce that has consumed our entire family. 
Again, I won't go into details as there are many legal factors in flux at this time.
But I will say this, there are several words that find themselves floating around in my head these days. Words like "slander" and "transference,"one in particular that rhymes with words like blunt and  confront.
I wish I could say that everyone's best interest is for the children, my beautiful nephews and niece. I wish that were true.
In addition, he is gallantly working hard to maintain his business, a luxury business at that; difficult to do in any time, let alone a recession. It is a business that relies heavily on reputation, a reputation that has been built for over 60 years. A reputation that my brother has successfully maintained and made his own for almost 10. So when that reputation finds itself being chiseled away by a gaggle of bored, despondent gossip-mongers who live vicariously through the trials of others...it makes me very, very angry.
It angers me how little truth need be in an accusation for it to have a major impact on someone's life while at the same time having little ramification to the one who fabricated it. It angers me how people (some) would rather enjoy the drama of "their own movie" than follow through with what's right and what is in the best interest of, oh I don't know...their children?
It was a sad day helping my brother move him out of his house. I never want to see him like that again.
I have learned more about a topic that I never wished to learn about. I hope to god I never have to share this knowledge with anyone.

...and that's about all I have to say about that.

As I look back at what I just wrote, you notice I have decided to censor myself. I do not retract any of it, and have much, MUCH more to say on the matter. It fills me with much emotion and feeling of protection towards my family, but considering the sensitive time in which my brother now lives; my catharsis need not come at the expense of his future. I indulge in the therapeutic nature of writing it all out. But ultimately, this chapter is not about me.
Moving on....

It hasn't been all bad (he laughs to himself as he just read what he just wrote!)
I am preparing to embark on my busiest semester yet!
I will be teaching 5 classes at 3 universities this semester!
uh...wow!
2 Acting classes
Theater Appreciation
2 sections of Stage Make-up

In addition to returning to Rider and Montclair State Universities, I am proud to be returning to Rutgers as well. While it is a full load, it is a very workable schedule: 1 class per day. It's gonna be nice to not have to high-tail it out of one class in order to make it to another.
My only lament is that these next few months will limit acting opportunities. My audition schedule will unfortunately be confined a great deal. I have spoken to my agent and manager about this and all seems to be workable. Bottom line-my primary passion is acting and I strive to maintain forward, upward progress.
All said, I'm quite pleased with how it all seems to be going. YES-I want more, but it should not be at the expense of the acknowledgement of past accomplishments.
(I have to keep reminding myself of this)

In addition, I have been working hard to maintain that forward motion.
I shot some new headshots
Took an Improv class at UCB (that shit is hard)
Revamped my website - CHECK IT OUT!!!
The short film I shot in L.A. earlier this year is progressing quite nicely.
   - I saw a rough-cut, and a clip of one of my special F/X moments - very cool!
   - I have a good feeling about this project. Should do well in the festivals as it is a clever piece with fantastic production value.

So, that's about it.

and that is "what I did last summer."

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.

Buzz

-designed by a fan of the show

"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."