Published on Tuesday April 26, 2005 .
I nailed it! I went into the CBS “Let’s give Asians a chance” Diversity Showcase audition and threw down with a passionate one-minute performance of the Edmund Pollard monologue from Edgar Lee Masters’ SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY. The casting director was kind enough to tell me that my performance was very good and that I handled the material very well. What more could I ask for? Even though I’m a little jaded with these network (CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX) “diversity” showcases I went in today to show passion, to inspire, to leave an impression and I’m confident I achieved my goals.
I left the office with a big smile on my face knowing that I gave a very good performance using probably the most difficult material that anyone else auditioning was bringing in. Big thanks to Tom Patton from the Joanne Baron/DW Brown studio who introduced this material to me as part of the two-year acting program and also gave me the skills to perform it.
Published on Saturday April 23, 2005 .
H and I were talking the other day about the short film projects I’m developing. She pointed out how interesting it was that ever since I started making a strong commitment to “make something happen”, people have rallied arond me. It’s as if my creative energies are being validated telling me that this is the way to go. A lot of opportunities have opened up recently and things are moving in the right direction. Over the past week I have developed and written a short film which will shortly be in pre-production. I’m excited about my script because I have been watching a lot of short films recently on iFilm and other places and most of the films aren’t all that great. Even the ones which have won multiple awards. My film actually conveys a serious message that I hope will get people thinking. So far, response to my script has been great but I’m still in the process of doing some small revisions and tightening up the story.
I also happened to meet with a producer friend of mine whom I first met when I was a host on the short lived tv show “IZ”. We had a great meeting over lunch last week and now we are working on a short film based on a great monologue he wrote.
So there it is. I now have two short films in pre-production and I’m still developing a couple more scripts. I’m hoping to have at least one of my projects in the film festival circuit this year. Hopefully these projects will give my acting career a good jump start.
On the pure acting front I have an audition for the CBS Showcase. It’s a yearly thing that all the studios do. It’s actually a little like American Idol, except for the fact that you have to be “invited” to be seen by the “judges”. For the audition I have to perform a 1 minute monologue. I’m thinking I will do the Edmund Pollard monologue…
Published on Thursday August 5, 2004 .
“I think I love and reverence all arts equally, only putting my own just above the others; because in it I recognize the union and culmination of my own. To me it seems as if when God conceived the world, that was Poetry; He formed it, and that was Sculpture; He colored it, and that was Painting; He peopled it with living beings, and that was the grand, divine, eternal Drama.”
-Edmund Vance Cooke
(I got this inspirational quote from my illustrious acting coach, Tom Patton.)
Published on Wednesday February 11, 2004 .
Tonight in class I finished my work on the Edmund Pollard monologue. For my performance I modified my toga costume so that it was sleeveless and hanging off my right shoulder. Tom wanted more “bohemian” so I showed more skin. I also used grapes instead of an apple for the top of the scene. I remember seeing an illustration of Bacchus online and he was reclining eating grapes. So that is what I did. Before the lights came up on stage I reclined on the ground holding the grapes above me while I bit one of the grapes from the bunch. The lights then came up and there I was reclining in a toga eating grapes. I thought it was very effective and got a good reaction from the class when they saw me. My performance of Edmund Pollard tonight was more playful, soft and seductive. After the first run through Tom gave me some slight adjustments to my performance and I performed it again. I ended up performing it three times with Tom’s approval on my third performance.
So now we’re back to scenes again. The play I will be working on is “One Sunday Afternoon” by James Hagan. I’ll have to pickup the play tomorrow…
Published on Wednesday February 4, 2004 .
Tonight in class I performed another paraphrase of the Edmund Pollard monologue. I was trying to address the notes Tom gave me on my last performance. He wanted me to be more passionate and more like Bacchus who is half man, half beast. So tonight I was preparing my performance thinking of vampires, seduction and the old Nine Inch Nails song, Closer.
Well I came on strong in my performance hitting the emotions I prepared to express. The only problem was that my interpretation was completely wrong. Tom said I was way too evil and sounded like evil Zargon from outer space, or I was from the underworld. He said no one would want to party with me or join me. The entire class started laughing like crazy. It was pretty funny. I guess I went way over the top with the beastly passion. Instead I’m suppose to be seducing and inspiring people to join me in my hedonistic ways. I’m suppose to be challenging and inviting people to party with me.
Tom asked me to try it again and the third time I performed the paraphrase Tom said I was now headed in the right direction for the monologue. He said I need to continue to be more playful and let my own personality seep through a bit more.
So next week I will be performing the monologue using the original text. Hopefully I won’t come off evil again…
Published on Wednesday January 28, 2004 .
Last night my partner and I rehearsed our scene from The Woolgatherers and worked out the blocking. Neither of us are off-book as of yet but hope to be by tomorrow(!). The scene itself is really fun and full of dramatics. The female character “Rose” basically has a mental breakdown in the scene and flips out while my character “Cliff” tries to hang in there with her and console her (because he wants to sleep with her). Our rehearsal went well and we made a lot of progress with the piece. Tomorrow will be our dress rehearsal. Luckily we won’t be performing on Sat which is the first day of Master Class and we will be able to watch to see how harsh Joanne will be on the actors and scene. It will also give us a chance to rehearse our lines a couple more times before our performance on Sun.
Tonight I performed the paraphrased version of the Edmund Pollard monologue. I felt very commanding and confident and was sure to really play the audience and address each person with my eyes. Tom liked it a lot but said that right now I am “performing” it instead of relating to every word. He also thought that my delivery was too clean and more like an oration. He wants more passion, sensuality, more from the guts and the heart. More bohemian, raw, inspiring but edgy. Less poetic and formal.
Published on Friday January 23, 2004 .
I sent my headshot to New York today for a Meryl Streep movie that will begin shooting this summer. I was told that they are looking for an asian actor to play a native born Chinese character which has a major part in the movie. I’m not sure I can pass for a native born Chinese, at least probably not the “look” that they want. Some of my asian friends actually thought I was Thai or Hawaiian when they first met me. Plus, I honestly can’t do a Chinese accent. But you never know… maybe there is another part in the movie that I might fit better. If not this movie, maybe another movie. Heck, any studio movie will do. But what an incredible opportunity! Working with Meryl Streep would be amazing!
I’ve picked out a 10min scene from the Woolgatherers. It’s in Act II when my character “Cliff” freaks out ’cause he thinks Rose is cheating on him. In the process of him trying to catch her in a lie (which she isn’t lying, per se…) she flips out because of a traumatic experience that happened in the past. It’s all pretty dramatic. We now have one week to get it into performance shape complete with costumes and props. Luckily the costumes and props won’t be that hard. It’s just memorizing the scene and getting it in good shape that I’m worried about.
I’m REALLY worried about it…
On the positive side, I rocked in my paraphrased performance of the Edmund Pollard monologue for class. My paraphrase was more like a modernized spoken word, R&B singing type of thing. I know they weren’t expecting that. Just imagine me in a toga performing spoken word and singing R&B… It was a lot of fun and my acting coach said that I have the “actions” and “emotional line” down so I can now start incorporating the original text with my paraphrase.
Published on Tuesday January 20, 2004 .
EDMUND POLLARD,
SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY by Edgar Lee Masters
I WOULD I had thrust my hands of flesh
Into the disk–flowers bee-infested,
Into the mirror-like core of fire
Of the light of life, the sun of delight.
For what are anthers worth or petals
Or halo-rays? Mockeries, shadows
Of the heart of the flower, the central flame
All is yours, young passer-by;
Enter the banquet room with the thought;
Don’t sidle in as if you were doubtful
Whether you’re welcome–the feast is yours!
Nor take but a little, refusing more
With a bashful “Thank you”, when you’re hungry.
Is your soul alive? Then let it feed!
Leave no balconies where you can climb;
Nor milk-white bosoms where you can rest;
Nor golden heads with pillows to share;
Nor wine cups while the wine is sweet;
Nor ecstasies of body or soul,
You will die, no doubt, but die while living
In depths of azure, rapt and mated,
Kissing the queen-bee, Life!
Published on Wednesday January 14, 2004 .
Tonight I told Tom my three choices of characters from the Spoon River Anthology. Tom thought I should play Edmund Pollard. Edmund Pollard is a guy who lived through life cautiously and is now speaking from the grave telling people to live life to the fullest. His monologue is very poetic and passionate. It sounds very interesting and I look forward to working on it. The downside to playing this character is that Tom wants me to wear a toga for the piece.
A toga???
Tonight Tom told us that an actor is cast in a specific role/character because the actor has the look, personality and behavioural traits that fit a specific character. We were encouraged to take a hard/realistic look at ourselves and really imagine what kind of roles/characters would fit us. Looking at my training up to now I have been assigned romantic leads or “take charge” characters. Does this mean the studio views me as a leading man type of actor? Very cool. In my acting “career” I have been sent out on a lot of commercial auditions as a “hip and cool” character. Theatrically I have auditioned for a lot of “asian gangsta/thug” roles (Fast and the Furious, Biker Boys, Crossing Jordan, etc, etc). Hmmm….