Oct28

“Blood Relative” Screening (H48 Contest)

Posted on by
“Blood Relative” Screening (H48 Contest)

Remember that short horror film, "Blood Relative" that I've been rambling about for eons? Of course you don't, because we just made it a few days ago. It was part of the first-ever "H48" film contest here in Boise, Idaho. It's like the "i48" (if you've heard of it) in which teams have 48 hours to write and produce a 5 to 7 minute film from scratch. All you get is a genre (we got "Slasher") a line of dialogue and a few other tidbits.

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing it up is because the official H48 screening is happening this weekend. Saturday, to be exact. They'll be showing our film along with the other dozen or so competing teams; then they'll crown the winner.

If Horror is your thing and you're looking for something to do this Saturday, come check it out.

Here's The Details:

  • Country Club Reel Theater in Boise
  • 4550 Overland Rd.
  • 5 p.m.
  • Cost… beats me. But it's worth whatever it costs.

Sadly, you probably won't see me there. I'll be attending the funeral for my beloved grandfather, who passed away in Pocatello. But if you do go, let me know how it turned out.

Aug19

The Jersey’s Done It

Posted on by
The Jersey’s Done It

First off, I know it's been a while since I've kept up with this whole website thing. So I apologize. Not for my lack of updates, but the role I played in the collapse of the US economy. Nobody else is stepping up and taking blame, so what the heck, I'll take it for the team.

But for those of you who are interested, I've got two shows left of "The Jersey's Done It," a western melodrama that runs out at Bogus Creek Ranch just south of Meridian, Idaho. I play a town idiot who never really stops yelling. Kind of like my normal life, but with cowboy boots. It's hilarious, and you can read more about it or order tickets through the Bogus Creek Events website HERE.

Here's the skinny:

Friday Aug 19, 2011

Friday Aug 26, 2011

*Show up at the front gates around 6 p.m., a wagon train will take you into the theme park. So technically, you're saving a bit of gas, too!

I think the show costs about $20 per person, but I think there are group rates and special discounts available.

Come on down and cheer the good guys, boo the bad guys and oogle the damsel in distress. But don't expect to hide behind the mystical 'fourth wall.' We'll pick you out of the crowd and make you part of the show whether you want it or not.

Feb9

Almost, Maine

Posted on by
Almost, Maine

Come watch me in Almost, Maine at Boise Little Theater Feb. 26 – Mar. 13.

Almost, Maine is my most recent venture onto the stage. The show features an insanely talented cast and crew, headed up by one of the world’s best directors, Larry Dennis (of Clam City fame).

This show isn’t the traditional two-act theater show. Instead of one story, it consists of smaller independent scenes that share very little with the others – except they all take place within the same town of – you guessed it – Almost, Maine. The stories all focus on “love,” but in very different ways. The writers call it a “New Romantic Comedy,” which is fitting, though ambiguous.

The shorter scenes mean that each story wraps up after about 10 minutes.

Most of them are heavy on comedy, though some venture a little darker – but still have light spots.

Times & Dates:

  • Feb. 26: 8 p.m.
  • Feb. 27: 8 p.m.
  • Mar 4: 7:30 p.m.
  • Mar 5: 8 p.m.
  • Mar 6: 8 p.m.
  • Mar 7: 2 p.m.
  • Mar 11: 7:30 p.m.
  • Mar 12: 8 p.m.
  • Mar 13: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Boise Little Theater is located at 100 E. Fort Street in Boise, Idaho. Order tickets online HERE or buy them at the theater.

Jan18

Will Act For Food: Judges Choice Award

Posted on by
Will Act For Food: Judges Choice Award

oscar-trophyMy group’s 10-minute short play “The Problem With Sheep” won the “Best Overall Play” award at the first annual Will Act For Food 24-hour play festival.

Check out the local newspaper story here.

Will Act For Food was one of those speed-style programs, where each team has a total of 24 hours to write and produce a 10-minute short play completely from scratch. I got very lucky in that I was randomly paired with some uber-talented actors and directors, and the gal who wrote the script (who was independent of the rest of us – it’s part of the rules) did a great job.

All proceeds from Will Act For Food went to the Idaho Food Bank. The whole shebang was produced by the fine folks from Daisy’s Mad House.

Aug21

Awesome 80′s Prom

Posted on by
Awesome 80′s Prom

Fancy yourself some interactive theater? Don’t miss “Awesome 80′s Prom.”

Awesome 80′s Prom is my most recent show in my hometown of Boise, Idaho, but there are only two performances:

  • Friday Aug. 21, 2009, 7:30 p.m. at The Balcony in Downtown Boise.
  • Saturday Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m. at The Shrinners Theater in Downtown Boise.

Synopsis: Relive every body’s favorite decade with a theme prom set in 1989. The characters are straight John Hughes stereotypes, and the action is about 50 percent scripted, 50 percent improv, 50 percent fun and 50 percent bad at math.

This is an interactive show, so come dressed up as if you’re going to the prom… a 1989 prom. Wear a prom dress or a tuxedo, drive your Camaro, wear loafers without socks, run for prom king or queen, rub elbows with your favorite characters. What makes these kinds of shows so great is that the audience plays just as big of role as the actors.

The show is put on by Daisy’s Mad House, an amazing grass-roots theater company in Boise, Idaho. They’re small, but they do some amazing shows. I’m fortunate to have acted for Daisy’s before, as the stoner-philosopher “Van” in “Dog Sees God.”

Jul4

I48 “Best Use Of Genre” Award

Posted on by
I48 “Best Use Of Genre” Award

oscar-trophyMy group’s i48 short film, “Bedhead” took home the “Best Use Of Genre” for this year’s contest.

Check it out here: “Bedhead”

Here’s the plot summary: I am standing in front of a mirror as I go through a typical morning toiletry routine.

The award was quite an honor, especially considering the highly qualified competition. Our particular Genre was “Silent Film,” but there were a handful of other possibilities, which were randomly assigned to each group. I should probably note that our award wasn’t specific to the silent film genre, as there was only one award handed out. In other words, all films were competing for the same awards regardless of genre.

If you’ve never heard of the i48 Film Contest, here’s how it works: On a Friday, all the teams meet at a central location and are given sealed packets of information. At exactly 6 p.m., the packages are opened, and each team finds:

  • A line of dialogue
  • A character name
  • A Prop
  • The Genre

Even though each team is randomly assigned a genre, the dialogue, character name and prop are universal, meaning all teams must work with the same details. Here’s how they panned out this year:

  • Dialogue – “See if it makes sense when you read it out loud.”
  • Character – Jean Parker, a musician
  • Prop – A pair of dice.

We had to get creative considering we had no real dialogue. Our solution was to create a fictional CD case for Jean Parker, and the album name was “See if it makes sense when you read it out loud.” I was a risky device, as we weren’t sure how the judges would react. Apparently they liked it, because we walked out of the finals with a trophy – not the BIG grand prize trophy, but a trophy none-the-less.

And considering there were about 60 teams this year, we were pretty proud of it.

“Bumblebird” was directed and produced by Troy Custer of Bumblebird Productions.

Jun2

i48 Two-Day Film Contest

Posted on by
i48 Two-Day Film Contest

film-cameraJust spent the last 48 hours cranking out a short film for this year’s i48 Film Contest.

Like last year, I was approached by Troy Custer of Bumblebird Productions to act, and couldn’t resist the opportunity to disregard sleep for two whole days.

This year Troy asked me to help on production ends as well, so my duties extended beyond acting – I also helped write and, to a small degree, set up shots and various ideas.

In fact, our film was actually loosely inspired by a short video I recently shot and edited myself using only a flip video camera for video, audio and sound effects. I originally created the short as a way to teach myself Final Cut, and had no real plans to show it to anyone. But when Troy mentioned me as an editor, I responded with, “You don’t want me, otherwise the finished product will look as bad as this,” and showed our team the video.

Somehow – and I still don’t understand why – the entire team LOVED it. Maybe it was because we had spent four hours developing other scripts, or maybe Troy’s house (our scripting location) was overflowing with Radon gas; but the guys convinced me to scrap our original ideas and build a similar project.

All told it was a great experience. Troy basically let the camera run while I did my thing in various ways. How he and Josh, our editor, were able to sort through that stuff is beyond me.

I think we’ll find out next week if our video makes it past the first round of judging.

Apr24

Best Actor Award

Posted on by
Best Actor Award

oscar-trophyI’m finally a “Best Actor,” according to the Can-Act Theater in Caldwell, Idaho.

For the first time in my short acting career, I’ve actually been awarded a bon-a-fide acting award. Can-Act Theater, a regional community theater serving Southwest Idaho, handed me the official “Winky” Award (Oscar who?) for my role as the accident prone, socially inept Gordon in the ultra-long titled “We Found Love and an Exquisite Set of Porcelain Figurines Aboard the S.S. Farndale Avenue.”

I had a blast with this show, which ran Nov. 2008. It was directed by MaLinda Gunderson and featured a very small, but very talented (and very hilarious) cast. Every show was amazing, and every rehearsal was a hoot.

In a way, Can-Act has been my where I’ve accomplished many of my acting firsts. Namely, it’s where I auditioned for and performed in my very first play, “The Philadelphia Story.” I played Mike Connor, a disenfranchised reporter sent to cover an aristocratic wedding.

My third act entrance still lives in infamy, as I slammed a door a little too hard and sent dozens of glasses, pictures and other breakable objects crashing down.