A Klingon Christmas Carol

Dear Kahless. A Klingon Christmas Carol is here. Open. Running. Buy Tickets before they sell out.

Too late to put up an adequate post about this insane journey and incredible show. A full write-up, with review round-up, coming real freakin' soon.

Till then: Qapla batlh je'! (Success and Honor)




Oh yeah... made some changes to the site. A new blog has begun: The Forge. More on that later.

Apocalypso!

I've been working on this one for a couple months and we open tomorrow. Come see!



Psssst... use code "I have a message" for cheap tickets! (Only on brownpapertickets.com, not at the door.)

Extinction Fantasies Photos

Extinction Fantasies is all done (Abbey Hoffman Festival was an insane closer!) but I just got a hold of the press photos and thought I'd post them here. Enjoy.



Standoff at the top of the show.


We're a cute couple...


... except when we're not.


Poptarts: official candle-warmed food of the apocalypse.


Images courtesy of Paul Martinez / Tympanic Theatre.

What's a Vacation?

Sometime in the distant past, I think it was April, I told myself I was going to take a break for the summer. Well, that didn't end up happening. Here's a brief rundown of what I've been up to since my last big update:

In the spring I kept busy playing Sampson in Romeo and Juliet at Chase Park Theatre, and simultaneously playing Red Samurai in The Rise of Emperor Eric at Gorilla Tango. These two shows could not have possibly have been more different. One is, of course, Shakespeare, and the other was a brand spankin' new "kung fu absurdist comedy". Both shows did really well, with Romeo and Juliet packing the house for the duration of the run, and ...Eric getting reader recommended for the general hilarity and awesomeness of the show, as well as the comical fight choreography of yours truly.

All the while I started taking classes at The Green Room Studio, which has been an incredible experience. The Green Room is run and operated by current and former casting directors from the Chicago scene. The focus is on commercial technique and these guys really know their stuff. Having taken a couple levels of classes with them, I now feel equipped for any commercial audition.

After ...Eric ended I immediately started rehearsing for Extinction Fantasies with Tympanic Theatre Company. This was another big transition, as I went from an ensemble role in a comedy to a lead role in a more dramatic show. The show also had good reviews and was a great experience. I'm now rehearsing Apocalypso! with Point of Contention, which opens September 9th at the Boho theatre space in Rogers Park.

After that, I'll be performing in A Klingon Christmas Carol with Commedia Beauregard at the Greenhouse Theater Center here in Chicago. Nope, not a joke. AKCC is the only play written entirely in the Klingon language, with supertitles so the audience knows what's going on. And in the spring, I'm performing in Soul Samurai with Infusion Theatre Company at the newly renovated Theatre Wit space!

I'm getting tired just typing this - taking a break has definitely not happened, but I've been pretty productive. More updates to come as these shows get closer. Damn, wasn't I going to record an album this year? Not enough hours in the day...

Voice Acting, and Auditions times one millions

Did some voice acting today with www.tipyourwaiter.org - big thanks to Bil, Lance, and Trevor! Had a really good time. The project was acting out hate mail written about various people and sent into tipyourwaiter.org. The audio will be edited in with music, video images, and other cool stuff. The finished product should be pretty interesting. Here's me and Bil at work:



In other news, just auditioning, auditioning, auditioning. Looks like I'm doing fight scenes in a production of Romeo and Juliet, but other than that I'm not sure yet. Oh and starting this month I'm taking an on-camera acting class at Green Room Studio here in Chicago, which has come highly recommended. Very exciting stuff, I really can't wait to get started.

Annnnnnnd still working on the album. Actually having thoughts about expanding from a solo act into a group, maybe a trio? More to come...

Oh yeah! St. Paddy's coming up soon! If it's as cool this year as it was back in 2008 in Seoul, then I'll be pretty excited about that. Somehow this past version of me doesn't seem convinced. We'll see!

2010: a running start

This week I am opening two shows:

Aelita/Shiny Boxes

These are two brand new plays presented together, and I’m in the second one. Working with the folks at Dream has been a really good experience overall and I’m incredibly excited about this show. I can’t recommend it enough. Details:



Tonight being a dress rehearsal I got a chance to see Aelita and came away impressed. As for Shiny Boxes - I haven’t been this excited about a play in a long time. This is going to be an incredible night of theatre.

TGIF: Raw

“Dramatic and Dangerous interpretations of Vintage Sitcoms”




I’m also doing a show with my good friends Lauren Maul and Tom Bambara (as well as a great cast of brilliant improvisers.) This show is going to be friggin bananas. We’re doing improvised versions of Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, and other classic TGIF junk food TV of yesteryear - but with a sinister and hilarious edge. Details:

Saturdays at 11:30PM
February 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th
12 bucks
The Gorilla Tango Theatre
1919 N. Milwaukee (right next to the Western blue line stop)

Did I mention that I am doing live acoustic versions of all these TV theme songs as part of the show? You do NOT want to miss this...