Ok, I've been very busy since my last post, with auditions and callbacks for theater and film, a little work on TV's 30 Rock, rehearsing for my SAFD SPTs (coming up in about a week) and seeing some interesting shows. Perhaps I'll get to that eventually (but not right now, sorry). Now, I've got to let you know that I've decided to do a little volunteering for a worthy cause and we need your help...
Join me in donating to inMotion and help protect women and children from abuse.
I'm proud and excited to be participating in a unique stair climb fundraiser on Thursday, November 18, 2010 called Story by Story—Climbing to End Domestic Violence!
This event directly benefits inMotion, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to battered women and their children.
Hundreds of inMotion supporters will come together on November 18 to climb the stairs of 1411 Broadway—a 42-story skyscraper in the heart of Manhattan’s Fashion District and Times Square.
My goal is to raise $500 to help the families in domestic crisis. Please support my climb by making an online donation. To access my personal fundraising page, click on the link at the bottom of this email message.
All donations are completely tax-deductible, and donors will receive a letter for tax purposes after the event.
There are also many volunteer opportunities to help set up and assist with the event. If you or friends are interested, please call 646-442-1364 or email StorybyStory@inmotiononline.org to learn more.
Be a part of a critical chapter in the life of an abused family. Please make a donation (in any amount) today! And feel free to forward this along to anyone else you think would like to help.
Thank you,
Robert
Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support inMotion
******************************************************************************
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http://www.storybystory.org/robertdyckman
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I've seen some great theater lately and last night...
...was not one of those times. Oh, my god, I just saw the worst version of Macbeth ever. To be kind, I'm not going to name names, but to protect the innocent in other recent productions of the same play, I'll say that it was a British company that came to NYC last night, September 14th, and any intrepid researchers out there can try to discover for themselves.
The one good thing about this production is that it proves that American actors really have no disadvantage when it comes to performing Shakespeare - British actors can be equally bad.
Based on a recommendation - which I can now only imagine was based on reputation rather than actual knowledge - plus an enticing ticket discount, I found myself in the lobby of an off-off b'way black box excusing my way through a medium sized crowd of people who - both by their accents and by the fact that they actually applauded when this tragedy was over, (and not out of sheer relief) - I will assume were the friends and family of this 13 member cast, and who were just standing like sheep in this tiny lobby in front of the make-shift box office barring the way for patrons, like myself to pick up tickets, instead of going into the theater, which was open.
I settled in to a relatively comfortable seat and after a delay of only a few minutes, the performance began.
It was immediately clear that these actors had no idea who their characters were, where they were or what they wanted. There was no indication that any of these men were soldiers, nor was there any sense of the danger of what was going on politically, or the with war, or the state of the country. And it was also clear that they hadn't thought at all about who they were to each other. (Their relationships.)
Plagued with "Politeness" - Overall they were dutifully waiting for their scene partner to finish their lines before speaking or moving. For example, when Macbeth enters his castle for the first time, presumably rushing home to his wife, excited to see her, after being in battle, getting promoted, and of course, seeing the witches - sees Lady M., neutrally walks a few steps toward her, stops, waits till she says her line, then he neutrally walks and kisses her. And that's just one of the many staging issues that were probably a combination of bad direction and lack of knowledge on the part of the actor as to what the character really wants or lack of trying to actually get it.
Along those lines, the entrances and exits were horrible. I could almost hear the thoughts going through the actors' heads: "I'm coming on stage now. Here I am. Now I'm acting. Ok, scene's finished. Now I'm going offstage."
The actors were breaking up the verse way too much, losing much of the meaning as well as the poetry of the language. Most of the actors just didn't have the breath support necessary to breathe through the ends of their lines, since most of the pauses seemed to be less of a choice than a chance to take a breath - and the times they did continue with a longer phrase, most weren't able to sustain the sound and it trailed off or they pushed and it got strangled.
The director really didn't help matters - having the witches scratch themselves, make funny faces and noises while crouching and moving distractingly behind the other actors - except when they left the stage, put a different costume over their witch attire and came on as a different character (which looked really silly) or by allowing Macbeth to hold the daggers in plain sight of Lady M and who proceeded to ignore them for many lines until she says, "Why did you bring these daggers from the place?" as if she hadn't noticed them all the while. And then to grab the daggers out of Macbeth's hands by the blades! Oh, my god!
And speaking of weapons - the fight direction did not tell the story - Macduff had Macbeth by the throat with his dagger and didn't kill him. What??? Then they dropped their daggers and proceeded to bang the flats of their swords together. Come on! Have these actors ever seen a sword? I bet my life that neither Macbeth nor Macduff have ever fought with broadsword before. And several actors stepped on (or kicked) the dropped weapons.
I was embarrassed for them.
I would have left at intermission, but there wasn't any. Thankfully it was cut to about 90 minutes. I was the first out the door.
I'm going to see Julius Caesar on Saturday. Hopefully my review will be much different - for all our sakes!
The one good thing about this production is that it proves that American actors really have no disadvantage when it comes to performing Shakespeare - British actors can be equally bad.
Based on a recommendation - which I can now only imagine was based on reputation rather than actual knowledge - plus an enticing ticket discount, I found myself in the lobby of an off-off b'way black box excusing my way through a medium sized crowd of people who - both by their accents and by the fact that they actually applauded when this tragedy was over, (and not out of sheer relief) - I will assume were the friends and family of this 13 member cast, and who were just standing like sheep in this tiny lobby in front of the make-shift box office barring the way for patrons, like myself to pick up tickets, instead of going into the theater, which was open.
I settled in to a relatively comfortable seat and after a delay of only a few minutes, the performance began.
It was immediately clear that these actors had no idea who their characters were, where they were or what they wanted. There was no indication that any of these men were soldiers, nor was there any sense of the danger of what was going on politically, or the with war, or the state of the country. And it was also clear that they hadn't thought at all about who they were to each other. (Their relationships.)
Plagued with "Politeness" - Overall they were dutifully waiting for their scene partner to finish their lines before speaking or moving. For example, when Macbeth enters his castle for the first time, presumably rushing home to his wife, excited to see her, after being in battle, getting promoted, and of course, seeing the witches - sees Lady M., neutrally walks a few steps toward her, stops, waits till she says her line, then he neutrally walks and kisses her. And that's just one of the many staging issues that were probably a combination of bad direction and lack of knowledge on the part of the actor as to what the character really wants or lack of trying to actually get it.
Along those lines, the entrances and exits were horrible. I could almost hear the thoughts going through the actors' heads: "I'm coming on stage now. Here I am. Now I'm acting. Ok, scene's finished. Now I'm going offstage."
The actors were breaking up the verse way too much, losing much of the meaning as well as the poetry of the language. Most of the actors just didn't have the breath support necessary to breathe through the ends of their lines, since most of the pauses seemed to be less of a choice than a chance to take a breath - and the times they did continue with a longer phrase, most weren't able to sustain the sound and it trailed off or they pushed and it got strangled.
The director really didn't help matters - having the witches scratch themselves, make funny faces and noises while crouching and moving distractingly behind the other actors - except when they left the stage, put a different costume over their witch attire and came on as a different character (which looked really silly) or by allowing Macbeth to hold the daggers in plain sight of Lady M and who proceeded to ignore them for many lines until she says, "Why did you bring these daggers from the place?" as if she hadn't noticed them all the while. And then to grab the daggers out of Macbeth's hands by the blades! Oh, my god!
And speaking of weapons - the fight direction did not tell the story - Macduff had Macbeth by the throat with his dagger and didn't kill him. What??? Then they dropped their daggers and proceeded to bang the flats of their swords together. Come on! Have these actors ever seen a sword? I bet my life that neither Macbeth nor Macduff have ever fought with broadsword before. And several actors stepped on (or kicked) the dropped weapons.
I was embarrassed for them.
I would have left at intermission, but there wasn't any. Thankfully it was cut to about 90 minutes. I was the first out the door.
I'm going to see Julius Caesar on Saturday. Hopefully my review will be much different - for all our sakes!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Great reviews! And there's a performance tonight at 8pm!!
Hi! We got some great reviews for both As You Like It and Triumph of Love! Here's some highlights:
For As You Like It:
“…a group of talented performers… serve as a nice reminder that audiences can still be wowed with simply some phenomenal actors and text.” - BroadwayWorld.com
“The entire cast is to be commended for making such magic in such a tiny space… a real treat for the audience.” - BroadwayWorld.com
For Triumph of Love:
“The Triumph of Love stands as a good example of what great acting and direction can do for a good play.” - nytheatre.com
“Overall, the production is very captivating.” - TheaterOnline.com
“Intuitive, smart direction is enhanced by some very thoughtful acting. Le Triomphe indeed!” - nytheatre.com
Although As You Like It has closed, Triumph of Love is running for 3 more weekends. Come see what the buzz is about!
Triumph of Love
Aug. 13, 19, 21, 27 @ 8pm; Aug. 14, 28 @ 2pm; Aug. 15, 29 @ 7pm
Nicu's Spoon Theatre
38 West 38th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10163
(Bet. 5th Ave. and Avenue of Americas)
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=TRI38
Enter discount code: ROBERT
For As You Like It:
“…a group of talented performers… serve as a nice reminder that audiences can still be wowed with simply some phenomenal actors and text.” - BroadwayWorld.com
“The entire cast is to be commended for making such magic in such a tiny space… a real treat for the audience.” - BroadwayWorld.com
For Triumph of Love:
“The Triumph of Love stands as a good example of what great acting and direction can do for a good play.” - nytheatre.com
“Overall, the production is very captivating.” - TheaterOnline.com
“Intuitive, smart direction is enhanced by some very thoughtful acting. Le Triomphe indeed!” - nytheatre.com
Although As You Like It has closed, Triumph of Love is running for 3 more weekends. Come see what the buzz is about!
Triumph of Love
Aug. 13, 19, 21, 27 @ 8pm; Aug. 14, 28 @ 2pm; Aug. 15, 29 @ 7pm
Nicu's Spoon Theatre
38 West 38th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10163
(Bet. 5th Ave. and Avenue of Americas)
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=TRI38
Enter discount code: ROBERT
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Upcoming Performance Schedule and Ticket info
Just a quick note that my next shows are coming up soon! Rehearsals are shaping up great - and I'm really excited about both of them!! Tickets are now available on www.smarttix.com. (I've included direct links below, as well as links to the shows' websites, with info on the shows, fun rehearsal pics, cast info, etc.)
Hope you can make it!!
As You Like It
July 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31 @ 8pm; July 27 @ 7pm; Aug. 1 @ 3pm
Roy Arias Theatre
300 W 43rd St, Ste. 506
New York, NY 10036
(Bet. 8th/9th Aves.)
Tickets are $15 in advance, $12.50 for actors/students and $18 at the door
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=ASY5
Note: Tuesday, July 27th is "pay what you can night" - no pre-sale tix available.
Production Company website: www.snorksandpins.com
Triumph of Love
Aug. 5, 7, 13, 19, 21, 27 @ 8pm
Aug. 14, 28 @ 2pm
Aug. 15, 29 @ 7pm
Nicu's Spoon Theatre
38 West 38th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10163
(Bet. 5th Ave. and Avenue of Americas)
Tickets are $15 in advance, $13 for students, $12 on Sunday nights and $18 at the door
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=TRI38
Production Company website: www.reddtale.org
Special Notes: For both shows, AEA members can come for free as standby, if tickets are available. Also, industry professionals should contact me directly for comps.
Hope you can make it!!
As You Like It
July 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31 @ 8pm; July 27 @ 7pm; Aug. 1 @ 3pm
Roy Arias Theatre
300 W 43rd St, Ste. 506
New York, NY 10036
(Bet. 8th/9th Aves.)
Tickets are $15 in advance, $12.50 for actors/students and $18 at the door
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=ASY5
Note: Tuesday, July 27th is "pay what you can night" - no pre-sale tix available.
Production Company website: www.snorksandpins.com
Triumph of Love
Aug. 5, 7, 13, 19, 21, 27 @ 8pm
Aug. 14, 28 @ 2pm
Aug. 15, 29 @ 7pm
Nicu's Spoon Theatre
38 West 38th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10163
(Bet. 5th Ave. and Avenue of Americas)
Tickets are $15 in advance, $13 for students, $12 on Sunday nights and $18 at the door
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=TRI38
Production Company website: www.reddtale.org
Special Notes: For both shows, AEA members can come for free as standby, if tickets are available. Also, industry professionals should contact me directly for comps.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Hi! Well, this past Saturday I performed at the Manhattan Monologue Slam. Even though I didn't win, I had a great time. Thanks to everyone who came!! In case you missed it, or if you just like it so much you want to see it again, here's a video of my monologue performance. There seems to be a small glich in the video, and the word "parties" is skipped. You probably can get the idea anyway, but the line is: "...all they do is go to birthday parties for other people's kids." But other than that, it came out pretty darn good. Feel free to rate it with a thumbs up if you like it! Enjoy!
Monday, May 24, 2010
What a Weekend!
Well, in a fit of theatrical zeal (or something like that) I saw 4 shows this weekend! That's right! 4. "The Forest" by the Classic Stage Company on Friday night, "That Face" by the Manhattan Theatre Club on Saturday afternoon, "Family Week" at the Lucille Lortel Theater on Saturday night, and "Banana Shpeel" by the Cirque du Soleil gang at the Beacon Theatre. And the 4 had quite a wide range of material: Tragedy, Black Comedy, Slapstick, Farce - The only similarity was that they all had 2-word titles.
I think this is the most shows I've ever seen in a weekend, other than my own, and I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time - or at least a large period of time where I didn't see much, or anything. But for now it means I've got some catching up to do, so when I have some more time, I'll write my thoughts.
Till then...
I think this is the most shows I've ever seen in a weekend, other than my own, and I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time - or at least a large period of time where I didn't see much, or anything. But for now it means I've got some catching up to do, so when I have some more time, I'll write my thoughts.
Till then...
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Some Reviews
Well, I promised to say a few words about some of the shows I've seen recently - I'll try to keep it brief. Love, Loss and What I Wore - a Nora/Delia Ephron project was interesting, though I don't believe I was in the target demographic. The style was similar to A.R. Gurney's Love Letters, (am I dating myself?) where the show is more like a (minimally) staged reading with the actors seated and reading from scripts. The revolving cast, like the cast of Love Letters, changed several times throughout the run. And many famous actors took the stage. The night I saw it, towards the end of the run, Melissa Joan Hart was probably the biggest name and Lucy DeVito, the daughter of Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman (who was previously in the cast, but not when I saw it) gave a very strong performance.
"Beach Lane" is a new sit-com starring Matthew Broderick, which hopefully you will be seeing on NBC sometime soon. I went to the taping of the Pilot episode and it was pretty funny. Kristen Johnston co-stars and the cast is rounded out by talented newcomers. If you've never been to a TV show taping, it's a lot of fun. You get to see the scenes several times and in-between takes there's a warm-up comedian keeping the audience laughing.
This gentleman, Phil, is actually the same guy I saw several years ago when I went to a taping of "Hope and Faith" - the Kelly Ripa vehicle. He's hilarious! And he does a bit where he speaks any language the audience can name as well as making crank calls to audience members family - priceless!
We had a glimpse of Lorne Michaels as he briefly surveyed the proceedings as well as a ring-side view of Sarah Jessica Parker, who was on hand the entire time giving support to her husband.
All in all, a fun evening and again, I do hope this one makes it. Perhaps one day, then, I'll have a chance to do a guest spot. :)
Last Friday, I went back to New World Stages to see "White's Lies" starring Betty Buckley, Peter Scolari, Christy Carlson Romano, and Tuc Watkins. 4 actors with plenty of stage experience who are mostly famous for their TV roles. And though I really did enjoy it, I think the pacing was a bit off. I think, in part, these actors were cast because the director and writer were probably looking for a fast-paced, sitcom feel. But even though the story was funny, it never achieved that roller-coaster speed it likely would thrive on.
That said, it was great to see Betty Buckley, whose recordings I've enjoyed, (particularly "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" - awesome), on stage. She has quite a formidable stage presence! And Peter Scolari, who's TV work I've enjoyed very much, though he seemed to be suffering from some vocal trouble, was still able to land some very funny lines. And Christy Carlson Romano was an absolute dynamo of energy. A joy to watch! This one probably has a limited run, but it's worth a look if you can get to it. For Romano's performance as well as the "Newhart" reference and the remaining 2 members of the cast, 1 male, 1 female, who play, respectively, all other men and all other women. A cute bit. (Though not nearly as striking or hilarious as in The 39 Steps.)
On Saturday, I found myself at one of the theaters on the new Theater Row (42nd St.) between 9th/10th Aves. for a production of The Master Builder at The Clurman Theater. For an off-off b'way play, not bad. The 3 women were by far stronger than the 3 men, but the story was told. Although I'd read the play, I'd never seen it performed, although I have a vague memory of seeing one scene in a class many moons ago. The actress who played the wife was really interesting to watch - with her facial expressions and body language speaking as loudly and clearly as her text. Plus the actress who played the young girl was very creative in her physical movement.
This company also has a production of a play called "The Glass House" starring Harris Yulin which I will try to see before it closes. However...
Next up: Oliver Parker starring John Larroquette (Night Court) on Thursday and Family Week starring Kathleen Chalfant on Saturday.
I'll keep you posted!
"Beach Lane" is a new sit-com starring Matthew Broderick, which hopefully you will be seeing on NBC sometime soon. I went to the taping of the Pilot episode and it was pretty funny. Kristen Johnston co-stars and the cast is rounded out by talented newcomers. If you've never been to a TV show taping, it's a lot of fun. You get to see the scenes several times and in-between takes there's a warm-up comedian keeping the audience laughing.
This gentleman, Phil, is actually the same guy I saw several years ago when I went to a taping of "Hope and Faith" - the Kelly Ripa vehicle. He's hilarious! And he does a bit where he speaks any language the audience can name as well as making crank calls to audience members family - priceless!
We had a glimpse of Lorne Michaels as he briefly surveyed the proceedings as well as a ring-side view of Sarah Jessica Parker, who was on hand the entire time giving support to her husband.
All in all, a fun evening and again, I do hope this one makes it. Perhaps one day, then, I'll have a chance to do a guest spot. :)
Last Friday, I went back to New World Stages to see "White's Lies" starring Betty Buckley, Peter Scolari, Christy Carlson Romano, and Tuc Watkins. 4 actors with plenty of stage experience who are mostly famous for their TV roles. And though I really did enjoy it, I think the pacing was a bit off. I think, in part, these actors were cast because the director and writer were probably looking for a fast-paced, sitcom feel. But even though the story was funny, it never achieved that roller-coaster speed it likely would thrive on.
That said, it was great to see Betty Buckley, whose recordings I've enjoyed, (particularly "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" - awesome), on stage. She has quite a formidable stage presence! And Peter Scolari, who's TV work I've enjoyed very much, though he seemed to be suffering from some vocal trouble, was still able to land some very funny lines. And Christy Carlson Romano was an absolute dynamo of energy. A joy to watch! This one probably has a limited run, but it's worth a look if you can get to it. For Romano's performance as well as the "Newhart" reference and the remaining 2 members of the cast, 1 male, 1 female, who play, respectively, all other men and all other women. A cute bit. (Though not nearly as striking or hilarious as in The 39 Steps.)
On Saturday, I found myself at one of the theaters on the new Theater Row (42nd St.) between 9th/10th Aves. for a production of The Master Builder at The Clurman Theater. For an off-off b'way play, not bad. The 3 women were by far stronger than the 3 men, but the story was told. Although I'd read the play, I'd never seen it performed, although I have a vague memory of seeing one scene in a class many moons ago. The actress who played the wife was really interesting to watch - with her facial expressions and body language speaking as loudly and clearly as her text. Plus the actress who played the young girl was very creative in her physical movement.
This company also has a production of a play called "The Glass House" starring Harris Yulin which I will try to see before it closes. However...
Next up: Oliver Parker starring John Larroquette (Night Court) on Thursday and Family Week starring Kathleen Chalfant on Saturday.
I'll keep you posted!
You're Invited!
Ok, I mentioned this in my last post, but here's the official announcement! Please note the date change because of the holiday weekend, from May 29th to June 5th.
I'm performing at the next Manhattan Monologue Slam, June 5th @ Bennett Media Studio: 725 Washington Street in the West Village of NYC. 7PM Door - 7:30PM Curtain.
Come cheer me on!
Here's a link for 1/2-price tickets and directions:
http://www.mmslam.com/memberdiscount.shtml
What is The Slam? It's a monologue competition judged by industry members (Agents/CDs/Producers, etc.). Kinda like "American Idol" for actors, (only no one's as mean as Simon). It's a lot of fun!
Hope to see you there!!
PS: Anyone who's in the audience can sign up to do a 30-second monologue in the 2nd half of the show!
I'm performing at the next Manhattan Monologue Slam, June 5th @ Bennett Media Studio: 725 Washington Street in the West Village of NYC. 7PM Door - 7:30PM Curtain.
Come cheer me on!
Here's a link for 1/2-price tickets and directions:
http://www.mmslam.com/memberdiscount.shtml
What is The Slam? It's a monologue competition judged by industry members (Agents/CDs/Producers, etc.). Kinda like "American Idol" for actors, (only no one's as mean as Simon). It's a lot of fun!
Hope to see you there!!
PS: Anyone who's in the audience can sign up to do a 30-second monologue in the 2nd half of the show!
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