A TRULY VIBRANT AND MAGICAL WONDER

Vibrant, friendly, simplistic, peaceful, refreshing, calming, clean, and inviting are just a few words that instantly entered my mind while visiting the natural wonder of Prince Edward Island. PEI is one of the four Atlantic Provinces located on the east coast of Canada, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and is the setting for the well-known novel “Anne of Green Gables,” penned 100 years ago by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, in 1908.

The book and island are positively recognized around the world, bringing hopeful inspiration and imagination, to people of all ages and backgrounds, much like that held by its title character, Anne Shirley. In fact, one of its biggest draws is with the Japanese. More than 10,000 a year venture to the small island of 138,000 people to visit all the places mentioned in the widely celebrated book.

I was unaware of PEI, Anne, and Green Gables until friends of mine introduced me to the “Anne of Green Gables” movie, based on the book, starring the perfectly cast Megan Follows. It was huge while they were growing up, but I spent a lot of my childhood overseas, something I wouldn’t change for the world, and, therefore, was not familiar with it. So, while being an old discovery for my friends, it was a new one for me, and one reason for our most recent travel destination.

We just spent a very memorable and relaxing week there, renting a beautiful home by the water in Valley Victoria, a remote area about 30 minutes outside of the city of Summerside, and an hour and half from the island’s biggest city, Charlottetown. There we found ourselves amongst some of the nicest and most patient people I have come across since San Francisco. It seems they all wear a welcoming smile daily, which made me happily fit right in.

Our adventure began at LAX where we caught the red-eye that took us to Halifax via Dulles before hopping in our rent-a-car for an hour and a half drive to Caribou, where we boarded the ferry for the hour trip to Woods Island, PEI. The ferry was, until 10 years ago, the only way to get to the island, aside from flying in a small plane, but you can now take the 8 mile long Confederation Bridge across, as well, which we did when leaving the island to head back to LAX via Newark.

During our time there, we were off exploring all that this quiet island has to offer, including seeing the musical “Anne and Gilbert” at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre. We wanted to see what acting opportunities and actors exist in the area, since those on the trip were all in the entertainment industry in some form, be it acting or casting.

The weather was simply beautiful, with crisp, breezy and cooler temperatures at night and later in the week, giving it the fall feel we were looking forward to. In LA things stay relatively the same with few clouds and an often barely visible skyline, clouded over by the thicker, gray air called the “marine layer.” Plus, there are no seasons, so our taking in the fresh, clean, wide-open landscape and varying nature PEI has to offer was a true sight to see. Our bonus was that it was also the start of autumn, with the leaves changing.

Speaking of sights, Prince Edward Island has some of the most vibrant colors I have ever seen! These varied from the apricot oranges and rusty, terra cotta reds of the roads and sands to the bright, emerald, forest green trees and lime, harlequin green grass, stretching all the way out to the shining cobalt waters, covered with crystal clear, azure blue skies.

Unique to the area is what is referred to as “magic hour,” adored by filmmakers on the island, which is a small time frame where the light is truly magical, hence magic hour, and beyond picture perfect. The sun reflects golden beams of light off the water, down onto the trees and across the endless fields, leading into the most gorgeous sunsets of periwinkle, coral, amethyst and persimmon!

It was all refreshing, to say the least, and sometimes a get-away with friends is what one needs to recharge oneself, which is exactly what this trip did. I truly enjoyed my mini-beak from cell phones, the Internet, traffic, and smog, among others things. I did not miss any of it, in fact, it slightly pained me to have to turn my cell phone back on, check e-mail, and get back to the reality of LA, when I returned.

All in all, if you have not gotten a chance to visit the area, I highly recommend it and believe you will not be disappointed, but inspired. Those who know me know that I take lots and lots of pictures and like to document my adventures, big or small. This outing was no exception, so, there was no lack of picture taking and I have what I refer to as a picture explosion, with over a 1,000 taken on this trip alone.

My multitude of pictures now can instantly transport us to tranquil Prince Edward Island anytime. They allow me to visually go back to PEI, until I get the chance to drop in again in person. ‘Till then, and until you get the opportunity to visit the island and experience it yourself, I shall leave you will a few of the pictures I took, including some from “magic hour,” which were captured surprisingly well on my new, oh so fabulous Cannon PowerShot SD 1100 Digital Elph.

I hope you too will one day be able enjoy Prince Edward Island…a truly vibrant and magical wonder!

“You never know what peace is until you walk on the shores or in the fields or along the winding red roads of Prince Edward Island in a summer twilight when the dew is falling and the old stars are peeping out and the sea keeps its mighty tryst with the little land it loves. You find your soul then. You realize that youth is not a vanished thing but something that dwells forever in the heart.” - Lucy Maud Montgomery

TEMPORARILY UNPLUGGED

I am beginning to wonder if there are still 7 days in a week these days, since every time I turn around I feel as though another week has snuck up on me, yet again. Anywho, this past week I spent some time playing Galinda, Elphaba, Boq and Nessa from the Broadway musical WICKED at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. I was the reader at the callbacks along side some multi-talented actors, some of whom have now become friendly faces.

In doing so I got to explore the world behind and underneath the famous stage and along its many winding paths that are filled with so much character and history, dating back to 1930. Since WICKED is based on Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” inspired by the very popular classic “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, you are actually creatively instructed and guided to “follow the yellow brick road” in order to get to different areas behind the scenes. Sure enough there are yellow brick-like marks painted on the floor and throughout the many narrow corridors, which make your journey a little more fun.

Simply being at the theatre brought back the magic that exists within it for me, since I got my start acting on stage. Theatres are places where the energy runs high with the anticipation that goes hand in hand with each day being a new show with a new audience. Theatre holds the exciting, slight uncertainty of not knowing exactly what will happen while you are also fully aware that “the show must go on,” no matter what.

Overall, it was a pleasure working with the creative team, yet again, while meeting some new key players who have helped make WICKED the success that it is today and surely will continue doing so long into the future. I always look forward to any work I may get in the future working on any aspect of the show, and I know that it will be full of fun and adventure no matter whenever I am given the chance.

With WICKED behind me for now, I am gearing up to head out of the country, where I will be unplugged, so to speak, which means unreachable and offline for an entire week. Therefore, I will be unable to post next week, but will fully update you upon my return to the US, complete with some pictures, I hope. As a result of traveling without my computer, for once, I realize this means coming back to a mass of e-mails. However, I think it will be refreshing to be out of contact for a bit and worth being briefly on overload, when I get back.

Until then I hope you all enjoy your start to the fall season, which happens to be one of my favorites, and I will be back with a new blog as soon as I recharge myself and get plugged back in, after being temporarily unplugged.

 

“I find it refreshing to unplug from it for a while. You kind of forget how deeply you get embedded in it.” – Will Wright

Side Note: I will be thinking of and sending extra smiles to everyone who has come into my life thus far, whether they stayed for a short or long time, and whether or not they are still in it or not, on September 11th. It is a day that hits me in a strange way each and every year it comes around, as I am sure it does everyone, since I was living in NYC and in the middle of it all back in 2001. Thank you for touching my life and know that, good or bad, you have contributed to the person I am today and I wish you the best, always!

THE R-E-E-L DEAL

Some of you may have been wondering where I was last week, since I did not post a blog. Well, the answer would be stuck at Washington Dullas International Airport, during what turned into a long and event-filled Jet Blue adventure, en route to Burbank, CA.

When I finally arrived back at my apartment on the west coast, my Internet was not working for reasons my cable and Internet provider could not understand. So, on top of being a bit overwhelmed with people in town visiting, mini trips around Los Angeles and as far as Santa Barbara, celebrating Birthdays and my parent’s 35th wedding anniversary, I was unable to get online to post. Fear not, because I am now not only back in LA, but back on the World Wide Web as well…what ever did we do before it!

Since my last FIB post, something that came in handy for me as an actor was having an acting reel. That is a short DVD that showcases a variety of moments from your work as an actor that can be used to show to those in the industry when they want to know more and see you in action, so to speak. As an actor, you really never know when someone out there might become aware of you and make a simple call to your agent inquiring about you. With a reel, your agent quickly can show them more.

There was such a request for my acting reel that happened while I was on my way to Washington D.C. So, with the help of my amazing dad, I put together one with my most recent work on it and overnighted it to my agent in LA, so she could get it to casting as soon as possible. In this case, a simple, short, but catchy reel, paid off. From it casting was interested in seeing me for two different series regular roles in a new HBO series pilot. Next thing you know, I was reading the creative and entertaining script for the pilot episode. This allowed me to familiarize myself with the show and characters, before learning my sides for each character.

As I always say, it is so important as an actor to take each opportunity presented to you, be as prepared as possible, and then simply do the best you can. You really never know when that one role that fits may find you; and, in this industry, often it only takes one. You just have to be persistent and keep as positive an attitude as possible, while also realizing the reality of it all, because some things are truly out of your hands. That is the name of the game in this wonderful biz called show!

In this case, I was given the opportunity to choose between two characters for which to audition. I personally related to both, their style and even to the location, in some ways, but to one more so than the other. For that one, I found the words of the writer easily flowing from the page to my mouth. I honestly think she has the ability to grow and gain even more layers than she already has been given, if the show becomes successful and moves forward. That would be so exciting to take on as an actor and something most, if not all of us, dream of one day having the chance do.

I realize that either character would be big shoes to fill for someone who is as relatively unknown as myself, and I am well aware of the “ins and outs” of the industry, the odds, etc. The fact is that both roles have most likely already been offered to a known name out there or will be before all is said and done. Either way, it is a chance to meet new casting directors, act and be seen, even if it ends up being for just those few minutes.

In the end, each successful actor has had that one audition that changed his or her career. Therefore, each audition we are lucky enough to get has the potential to be that “one audition” for us. It was my acting reel that opened the door to this audition itself, and perhaps it will be the audition we as actors wait for that becomes the REEL deal…you simply never know!

 

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” - Abraham Lincoln