Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Producers' Panel on Creating New Musicals Dec. 17

"Where do musicals come from?"

This question is as problematic from theatrical newbies as "Where do babies come from?" is from children. Fortunately, Theater Resources Unlimited, Audience Extras, and Back Stage are holding a producers' panel to address the matter.

Producers Randy Adams ("Memphis"), Tom Polum ("The Toxic Avenger"), Tom Smedes ("[title of show]"), and Ken Waissman ("Grease") are among those who will discuss musical development from the perspective of the producer. As producer-driven musicals become more common in the theatrical world, the ability to guide the pocess without intruding into the creative process is increasingly difficult. The panelists share their advice and their insight into the types of shows resulting from this trend and commercial success they find.

"Cooking from Scratch: How a Producer Puts Together the Ingredients of a New Musical" will be held Thursday, Dec. 17. 7:30 p.m. The Players Theatre Mainstage, 115 MacDougal St., NYC. Doors open at 7 p.m. for networking and refreshments. RSVP: (212) 714-7628, by Dec. 16. TRU members, free; non-members, $12.

'Glory Days' Are Here Again

  After the abrupt closing of the Broadway musical Glory Days in May of 2008, after 17 previews and just one official performance, the cast will be reuniting November 23 at Joe's Pub to (finally) celebrate the release of the Broadway cast recording.

The pop musical, featuring Steven Booth, Andrew C. Hall, Adam Halpin, and Jesse JP Johnson, centered around four young men coming back together one year after high school. As producers John O’Boyle and Ricky Stevens said in a statement after the shows closing, “We adore Glory Days and everyone connected with this production. Sadly given the over-night reviews and our low-advance sales, we believe it is prudent to close the show on Broadway immediately.” This adoration continues today, as the cast excitedly gears up for the reunion concert nearly a year and a half later.

All of the original cast and writers, as well as some special guests including Kacie Sheik (Hair), Brian Spitulnik (Chicago), and Paul Colaizzo (High School Musical), will be coming together on Monday, Nov. 23 at 11:30 p.m to revive the Glory Days music at Joe’s Pub in NYC. For more info and to reserve your tickets, visit www.joespub.com

Watch the promo for the reunion concert below:

Photo: Andrew C. Call, Jesse JP Johnson, Adam Halpin & Steven Booth in Glory Days

-Alexa Trummer

Riant Theatre's Van Dirk Fisher to be Honored at "VIV" Awards

Our congratulations to Van Dirk Fisher, founder and artistic director of the Riant Theatre, who will be honored at the 37th Annual Vivian Anderson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (The "VIV" Awards) with the Special Achievment Award for the work he has done at the Riant.

The award will be presented to Mr. Fisher on Monday, Nov. 16 at HarlemStage/Aaron Davis Hall at the Marian Anderson Theatre at City College in NYC. The VIP gala reception starts at 6 p.m., with the awards ceremony to follow at 7:30 p.m.

ECNY Awards Nominations Now Open

The ECNY Awards are now open for nominations. The ECNYs "celebrate the comedic performing arts in New York City by honoring the best, funniest, and most creative performers, shows, and producers working in the field."

Groups or individuals are eligible for nomination in 15 categories, including: Best Female Standup Comedian; Best Male Standup Comedian; the Emerging Comic Award; Best Host; Best Improv Group; Best Musical Comedy Act (Solo or Group); Best One Person Show; Best Short Comedic Film; Outstanding Achievement in Flyer or Postcard Design; Best Sketch Comedy Group; Best Technician; Best Variety Show; and Best Website. Plus, new this year are the awards for Best Comedic Book and Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Tweeting.

To nominate your favorite New York comedians, visit ECNYAwards.com. Nominations will be accepted through December 18, and the nominees will be announced February 2010. Winners will be announced at the 2009 ECNY Awards ceremony March 8, 2010 at Comix in NYC. The ceremony will be hosted for the third year in a row by Jon Friedman. Read our Blog Stage coverage from the 2008 ECNY Awards here.

At the Artios Awards with Vincent Kartheiser

After all of the statues had been handed out at Monday night's 25th Annual Artios Awards in New York City, we had a drink with "Mad Men" star Vincent Kartheiser, who was on hand to present several awards honoring the top casting directors in the industry.

Back Stage: What brings you to the Artios Awards tonight?

Vincent Kartheiser: Well I was offered to come, and I said, "That’s a huge honor and I’d love to do it." I have primarily worked out of L.A., although I know some casting directors in New York. I love casting directors. I owe my career, like all actors do, to two or three casting directors who have really stood behind me.

Who are some those casting directors who've shaped your career?

Mali Finn was actually a huge, huge impact on my life as a young man. She basically pulled me out of Minnesota, brought me to L.A., screen tested me. She passed away a couple years ago now, but she was a huge catalyst in my career – and they always are. Throughout your career, you’re going to go through periods where the public doesn’t want you and directors don’t know you, but these people who do the work, and spend their evenings watching movies they don’t want to and plays that are out of their way, are the people who we owe our careers to and who believe in us.

At the Artios Awards with Patrick Wilson

On Monday night, some of today's hottest actors came to the new Times Center in New York City to honor the industry's top casting directors at the 25th Annual Artios Awards. Back Stage spoke with actor Patrick Wilson ("All My Sons," "Watchmen," "Little Children") at the pre-ceremony reception, before the lights dimmed and he presented several of the night's awards -- and he actually seemed excited to see us!

Back Stage: Does this mean you used to read the Back Stage casting notices when you began your acting career?

Patrick Wilson: I started pre-internet! Absolutely, my first job was from Back Stage, though.

Do you remember what that first gig was?

I used to get Back Stage when I was in college – well, I had friends who got it and would tell me about it, and my friends and I would drive up from Pittsburgh [to auditions in New York]. I auditioned for so many things then, let me think... My first job was "Miss Saigon," which I got out of Back Stage West.

But even though I had an agent, I would still go to open calls or EPAs, you know. It's what I tell young actors now: Just because you get an agent doesn’t mean the work stops, or the pursuit stops. A couple times you’ll get cross-referenced, like "Yeah, so I got you an appointment," and you're like “Oh yeah, I already went in for that." And they're like, "What?"

At the Artios Awards with Janeane Garofalo

Comedian and actress Janeane Garofalo ("Reality Bites," "The Truth About Cats & Dogs," "24")  hosted the Artios Awards in New York City on Monday night, where CSA-member casting directors are recognized annually for their work casting film, theater, and television projects. Back Stage was there before the ceremony to speak candidly with Garofalo about past auditions, the ups and downs of her long career, and why acting is always personal.

Back Stage: Do you have relationships with any of the casting directors being honored here tonight?

Janeane Garofalo: I mean, I know some of them. I don’t know them know them, but I’ve met some over the years. But I don’t even know if they know who's hosting. (laughs)

What does it mean to you to be hosting the awards tonight? As an actor, these casting directors kind of control your destiny, right?

Yeah. So they’re getting rewarded for controlling the destiny of millions of young – and middle-aged – actors.

Speaking of casting directors, do you remember your best – or worst – audition experience?

My worst audition was for Oliver Stone, many years ago. He walked out of the room while I was auditioning for "Natural Born Killers." That’s the only time I remember that happening. And I was told by others that that was not unusual. That was his behavior back in those days.

Need a Daily FIX? Share It and Meet Olivia Wilde

Everyone has something they just can't live without, right? For some, it might be a morning cup of coffee or a trip to the gym, and for others, maybe something more dangerous.

In the case of young Leo Ruspoli, his insatiable need to live life on the edge nearly landed him in prison. Leo's brother Tao explores this recklessness in his first narrative feature film "FIX," which tells the story of the day he had to scrape together $5,000 by 8 p.m. in order to check his brother into rehab to avoid three years in prison. Tao's real-life wife, actress Olivia Wilde, stars along with newcomer Shawn Andrews as Leo.

In advance of the movie's November 14th premiere in New York City, the makers of "FIX" are asking you to make a short video describing your daily fix, with some pretty snazzy prizes up for grabs. As Ruspoli describes in the video below, the fix can be something as benign-seeming as playing the flamenco guitar (as in his case).

First place wins you two round-trip tickets to the film's premiere, two nights hotel stay in New York, a walk on the red carpet with Olivia Wilde and the director, a chance to screen your video at the premiere, and a digital camera or iPod. Second and third place also feature some lovely rewards, as outlined on the contest's website. The contest runs now through November 10th.

--Jessica Jardine

Last Night at Punchline's 4th Anniversary Show

Online comedy hub PunchlineMagazine.com celebrated its fourth anniversary last night with a star-studded stand-up show at Comix and a packed house (tickets were even sold to watch a live simulcast outside in the comedy club's bar). Comedians Pete Dominick, Robert Hawkins, Ted Alexandro, Christian Finnegan, Todd Barry, Janeane Garofalo, Lewis Black, and surprise guest D.L. Hughley each took the stage to honor Punchline -- a website usually devoted to honoring them.

While Hawkins brought to mind a dirty old uncle offering inappropriate advice, rising star Alexandro followed with a more low-key, calm, and deadpan approach. Hughley made sure to hit all the current comedy standards (with jokes about our black president, the economy, the N-word, politics, and crazy celebrities), but it was all refreshingly funny. Garofalo was at her best in her stream-of-consciousness delivery of the "seeds" of new jokes, and the audience showed their love. As headliner, Black came out to raucous applause and said, "That was a great show you just saw. I don't think I should have to do shit." Of course, his angry old man shtick continues to kill (not to mention his soon-to-be-retired story about having to follow opening act Vince Gill at a USO show).

It was perhaps Pete Dominick who best embodied the spirit of the evening, though, by supporting his fellow comics in his role as the night's emcee. He even asked Ted Alexandro to return to the stage to perform his favorite joke as an encore (To which Christian Finnegan reacted when he took the stage afterwards, "So how awkward is it gonna be when Pete doesn't ask me to do an encore?" Up next, Todd Barry then promised to "do somethng a little different: I'm gonna open with the joke Ted Alexandro told as an encore." No, we're not going to ruin the joke by printing it here).

But the real star of the show was Punchline itself, and its founder and editor-in-chief Dylan Gadino. Gadino compares Punchline to Rolling Stone or Spin, replacing music coverage with stand-up. As Dominick stated simply at the beginning of the night, "Comedians love Punchline."

Join Back Stage at New York City's "Free Night of Theater"

Imagine being able to enjoy the exhilarating thrill of live theatre, absolutely free! Oct. 15 marks the start of Theatre Communication Group’s fifth annual "Free Night of Theater." The event features over 650 theatre companies in over 120 cities, offering more than 75,000 free tickets.

Tomorrow, Oct. 15 from noon to 6 p.m. at Union Square, help kick off New York City’s "Free Night of Theater." The day includes music, performances, appearances by celebrities and politicians, booths, costumes, and much more. Come watch Broadway’s best perform for free!

Featured at the event this year: Grammy nominee "Cabas" from the new musical Pantaleon y las visitadoras; a fashion show from the Theater Development Fund, which houses more than 75,000 Broadway and off-Broadway costumes; and appearances by Mark Russell (assoc. artistic director of The Public Theater), The NY Neo-Futurists, Michael McKean (Superior Donuts on Broadway), and many other prominent faces from the New York theater scene. Plus, don’t miss your chance to join Back Stage! We'll be there to share information about our upcoming Actorfest NY event.