Like Rick Ross But with Actors
Erry day I'm castin'
from the desk of the unknown penguin
I have intoned the maxim “cast early, cast often” about (no exaggeration) Googleplex times in the last twenty-four hours. When you’re a small-budget director, film or theatre or anything, you will lose actors to better gigs close to the wire. That is the way of things. And since I’m directing two projects, I’m losing actors in both directions. This is a special kind of pressure and anxiety I don’t care for, mainly because of the helplessness it leeches into my spinal column. And one must be very careful to keep the helplessness/vulnerability from metastasising into bitterness/anger because that way madness lies. It’s a business of show. And we don’t go on because we’re ready, we go on because it’s 11:30pm on Saturday night. And that which doesn’t kill us can still destroy everything so we’re not going to use that lowest of bars as a metric because that saying sucks. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I’m not messing with Mr. Inbetween. Just being cool.
And fidgeting.
A lot of fidgeting.
- Patrick, 10/9/24 (dictated but not read)
fundraising
The Ferberizing of Coral
Our Substack is in its final week and we’re LESS THAN $1,600 AWAY from securing our funding. So many of you have already donated and it’s an amazing feeling. If you haven’t donated yet, please watch the video and donate if you are able. It’s going to be an amazing movie.
pre-production
The Ferberizing of Coral
Design boards, design boards everywhere! Shooting starts in 15 days and it is getting real! I don’t think people realize how much paperwork there is in making a short film the right way. Like insurance and unions and payroll. Seriously. So much paperwork. Luckily I have the world’s best producer, Maureen Monterubio, so I’m not sweating too much. Just a little. And fidgeting.
Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
The design meetings have been amazing. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say we’re leaning into the “Fairytale” episode of Bluey in a very specific way and leave it at that.
The journey of an actor in Washington, D.C. goes something like this:
start getting cast regularly in the smaller theatre
get a good reputation in town
get leads in the smaller theatres
get understudy roles in one of the big theatres in town
go Equity
become frustrated that you can no longer do smaller theatres and you’re not getting cast in the big theatres
move to New York
get cast in the big DC theatres almost immediately (this is not really a joke)
We’re looking for folks before they get to #4 and it’s a thing. But, luckily, there are a plethora of talented actors in this city!
production
Visual Literacy - 2nd Edition
You know what’s hard? Finding fair use images that fit a chapter you wrote. That’s what’s hard. So that’s also on my plate this week! Draft due to the publisher in 17 days!
coming soon!
Shakespeare’s Histories Podcast
Only 8 days until the first episode drops of this massive podcasting effort covering 8 plays in 24 episodes totalling (roughly) 950.5 minutes drops on YouTube through their podcasting service. Get over and subscribe!
out now!
Shonen Jump the Shark
The wonderful Alex Fosella was kind enough to have me on his anime review podcast Shonen Jump the Shark to talk about a Frank Wildhorn musical adaptation of a classic anime series called Death Note. It was a fascinating discussion because I know nothing about anime and Alex’s co-host Maxim knows nothing about musicals. I think we all walked away better for the experience and just wished we didn’t have to listen to Death Note the Musical.
live on stage
Sheila and Moby
available on New Play Exchange
Boston Latin School (Boston, MA) - December 5-7
Tinker Bell
available through Dramatic Publishing
Valley Christian High School (Chandler, AZ) - October 31-November 3
Elmont Memorial High School (Elmont, NY) - November
Greenville High School (Greenville, PA) November 8-9
Spring-Ford Senior High School (Royersford, PA) - November 15-16
Prairie High School (Cedar Rapids, IA) - November 22-23
Naperville North High School (Naperville, IL) - December 6-8
Primero Junior-Senior High School (Weston, CO) - December 11
Evangel Classical Christian School (Greenville, PA) - February 14-15, 2025
Chicago Chrisitan High School (Palos Heights, IL) - March 7, 2025
The Velveteen Rabbit: A Toy Story
available through Theatrical Rights Worldwide
Northwest Rankin High School (Jackson, MS) - October 25-December 7
Conejo Players Theatre (Westlake Village, CA) - May 2-11, 2025
from the vault
Exit the Stage Door!
10 Years Ago (lord) I appeared on my first podcast as a guest ever. Erin was so kind of bring his gear out to American University and just let me talk for a long time about things. And then only 2 years later, I did some podcasting of my own . . .