And, Wow, Here's November!

October is by far my favorite month (only problem is that all 31 days go by faster than the first two weeks of July...).

Do try to catch "Sondheim Unscripted" at the Asylum Theatre in Hollywood this month. It's improvised Sondheim and I've now seen it three times. Make sure you see a show with Lisa Fredrickson, Edi Patterson, Dan O'Connor, Brian Lohmann, Cory Rouse, Kelly Holden, Ryan Smith or Brian Jones in it, because, frankly, I've had the pleasure of working with each one in my voice studio and they're all pretty fantastic.

Last week, B.K. Cannon hit it again, another spectacular co-starring turn on network television: this time on "Lie To Me" as a "troubled teen."

Kelly Holden guest-starred on "Parks and Recreation." Totally great.

Too bad for the viewing public, tho, neither one burst into song during their scenes...

"Every time I get on the mound, I pitch like it's the World Series..."

Just heard that on Sportstalk tonight from one of the game's top pitchers.

What would it feel like, if every time you opened your mouth to sing, you sang like it was opening night on Broadway?

Try it!

Removing The Emotional Distance....

Music has some very magical properties. Magic happens in my studio quite a bit, mostly because I push my singers to "remove the emotional distance" between themselves and the song.

We don't ever want to fake ourselves or our audience out of the real energy that is present in our being. That would not only be inauthentic, but, ultimately, pretty boring.

Of course, we don't need to be a serial killer barber in real life to pull off the lead in Sweeney Todd on stage, either.

Our job within the context of a song or a musical theatre role is to find the through-line of humanity and spirit, which makes all things "relate-able." Let the sets, lights and costumes do their part. Let the orchestra do theirs. Let us choose to be the vessel of informed energy, armed with words, pitch and emotion, and, having burned said information into our DNA, let us become full energy in performance; concentrated and free, focused and present.

Paying Attention, Are We?

I have super talented students/clients/friends/pals who, sometimes, during the course of our voice training, have a tendency to not "pay attention."

Not to me;

Not to their vocal technique;

Not to the words or music;

But, to the "detail of performance."

If you are looking for an edge in your auditions and performances, pay attention.

When you practice, make every practice a performance with performance energy -- don't practice with your typical high school, college, community theatre, or "hey, I'm a pro, I do this all the time" energy. That only serves to make you as mediocre as the rest of the performers.

Practice Performance.

Once you get into this habit, you're still not finished.

Pay Attention.

Keep connecting the dots of the song. It doesn't matter how many times you've performed a song. It's not just a series of notes or words strung together, it is something that lives through you. A song can ONLY live through you. The more attention you pay to the song, the deeper and more complex it becomes.

In other words, "If you phone it in, we won't call you back."

NOW I'm Up-To-Date!

Whew!

Hey, so great things have been happening. "Fellowship!" was a huge hit over at the Falcon and doors are opening in two, count 'em, two major metropolitan cities for the production. GREAT vocal work by Kelly Holden-Bashar, Edi Patterson, Cory Rouse, Ryan Smith and, of course, the lovely Peter Vogt. Well done!!!!

What's New?

Look for "Fellowship!" at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theatre in Toluca Lake. L.A. Weekly named it the 2005 Musical of the Year Award and it's back for a limited run. Keep an eye out for the vocal talents of Cory Rouse, Ryan Smith, Edi Patterson and Kelly Bashar. More to come!

Take Off The Blinders

Blinders don't give you determination. Blinders don't give you drive. Sure, they help a 1,300 lb. horse run faster in a straight line or a single direction --

But, you'll notice, the "little guy in charge" never wears blinders....

So, which kind of artist are you?

Like a thoroughbred; tunnel-visioned, blinders on, can't even see the crowd and spent at the end of the race?

Or like the rider; flexible, strategic, in command, ready to "see the whole field" and ride again and again?

It's your art.

The flag is up!