We opened Cinderella today at Old Log Theater! Two performances down, only 39 more to go!
Tickets are pretty affordable. Get yours by clicking here.
We opened Cinderella today at Old Log Theater! Two performances down, only 39 more to go!
Tickets are pretty affordable. Get yours by clicking here.
I just started rehearsals for my first ever show at Old Log Theater! I'm SO EXCITED! And I'm playing a wicked stepsister!
I take that back...WE are so excited. My roommate Neal is also in the show. Not only do we get to work together, but we can carpool to Excelsior as well. Neal is playing Cinderella's bird friend.
Me, and my fellow steps, Katie Adducci and Brittany Parker!
Only two more weeks of rehearsal and this baby will be on its feet. Get your tickets now!
When a boat like The High Hope sinks into the ocean, you don't expect to see it again. Maybe that is for the best. Told through movement, sound, and light, The Deep Dark is an account of two sisters' strange, harrowing return to the wreck that killed their father, and their encounter with what has been waiting for them in the depths.
Fri, Oct. 23 @ 10pm
Sat, Oct. 24 @ 4pm
Sun, Oct. 25 @ 8:30pm
Tue, Oct. 27 @ 10pm
Fri, Oct. 30 @ 7pm
Individual tickets and festival passes available at http://www.tchorrorfestival.com
Featuring the talents of:
Sean Dillon - Writer/Director
Kayla Dvorak Feld - Performer
Leah Isaacson - Performer
Bryce Kalal - Stage Manager/Sound Designer
Billie Jo Konze - Performer
Erik Nielsen - Performer
Victoria Pyan - Performer
Rhett Romsaas - Performer
Katie Vannelli - Performer
Rob Ward - Performer
Anna Weggel-Reed - Videographer
This past week, a commercial I shot for Medica started airing in a few markets, including locally. The spot is called "1975" and in it I am wearing a dress I bought at Goodwill when I was about fifteen. Gotta love the vintage clothes!
If you'd like to see the spot, it's available to watch on the Medica Nebraska website. I am also featured in a few still shots on the site as well, so go check it out!
Hi there! Yes, it's been months since I've written. Don't take that to mean that I've not been busy...far from it. I'm just a lot better at posting on my personal social media pages ten plus times a day than sitting down to even write a simple little post about my most recent audition, or class work, or the shows I've been doing.
I've been doing a commedia dell'arte show monthly with Shadow Horse Theatre, playing all sorts of fun commedia characters. We do the shows in half-mask, and they are partially-improvised comedies. Sometimes sketch-based, sometimes a full-length storyline. They've been really fun to perform with, but I'll be on hiatus from that for a while because of my upcoming show for the Twin Cities Horror Festival!
More details on that soon. In the meantime, Fringe just ended, and while I had to opt out of doing a show this year, I did end up attending and seeing 25 mostly really good shows. I love my yearly theater binge SO MUCH. And this time I came out truly inspired to create my own production, with two totally different ideas for shows, and I have a meeting with a friend to start brainstorming for the one this week.
I will also be taking part in The Actors' Workout's first ever industry showcase, performing a scene from Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane with Colleen Barrett, directed by Adam Glatz.
And finally, I got new headshots taken last month, and I am currently agonizing over which ones to choose. I won't stay indecisive long, because I can't wait to show them off! I'll post them here once I've whittled it down from 225 to 4. Wish me luck!
The MN State Lottery spot I shot two weeks ago just started airing this week! I haven't seen it yet (I don't have live TV at home), but my friends have been telling me it's great. One of them mentioned something about human/loon eroticism(?) It's highly possible, knowing how crazy my facial expressions can get.
Mark, Tom Kristjanson (back), me, and director Jason Ho (Photo by Bo Hakala)
Mainly, the shoot involved me drinking a LOT of soda. By the end of the day, my wardrobe was covered in slushie, and I was a little bit sticky and a lot bit shaking from the sheer amount of corn syrup I had ingested, but it was all worth it.
Shooting the spot was a BLAST! Director Jason Ho and the crew from Committee Films, especially DP Bo Hakala, were awesome to work with...they both have really great upbeat energy. I knew two of the guys on crew (Tom Kristjanson, with whom I worked on the Uptown Girl Movie, was pretty much my personal cup attendant for the day), the makeup artist Mary K. Flaa (worked with her two other times), and actress Jane Froiland was also on set with me. I hadn't worked with Sarah, my wardrobe person, before, but she and I got along swimmingly as well. Nice to have friendly faces around! I'm so grateful to everyone for making it such a fun experience, and grateful as well to Toni at A&E Casting and my agents at Talent Poole for helping me get there.
I've heard the spot will be posted online eventually, and I will share it here when that happens. In the meantime, check out Jason's and Bo's reels - they've got some pretty sweet footage on there! And also, check out In An Instant on ABC, which was also produced by Committee Films for ABC TV. A lot of my friends appear in episodes of the show!
I wish I knew more about the ins and outs of social media in regards to self-promotion in the acting world. I don't want to say anything where I could potentially get fired from my exciting opportunities. So...here goes nothing! (Vaguebooking alert)
I got booked for a really exciting commercial gig for CLIENT, and I'm shooting the spot tomorrow! As soon as I clear it with people, I will post more info here, but for now, just be happy that I'm getting paid work, which I will then use to get new headshots (long overdue) and record my VO demo (even more overdue).
And I haven't been posting here as much as I would like. It seems like so much work for some reason, even though it really shouldn't. Part of it is how many auditions I've been on in the past few weeks (four auditions and a callback last week, two auditions and two callbacks the week before), plus prepping for upcoming season auditions and working a ton of cases at the U of M Medical School. I sat through the first readthrough for Candid Theater Co's upcoming production of Collected Stories, which looks like it's going to be awesome, and helped get the press release ready for the two shows they're running in rep (some of my first duties as a new board member!) I wrote a new article that I hope to shop out soon, and I'm working on another article which is due next week. So much going on! All great things!
Until the next fortnight...but hopefully sooner,
Billie Jo
First off, before I lament my lack of progress this past week, I have an exciting announcement: I have just joined the board of Candid Theater! I’m honored to be asked, and enthusiastic about helping promote and support the efforts of such a great theatre company.
On to my weekly check-in. What did I accomplish this past week?
Last week I had a meeting with a future scene partner that fell through, emailed three others about scenes, and have another meeting set up for this week. Now I just need to get on those other two. Didn’t go to class last week or this week because of financial reasons and work. Planning to be back in class next Monday for monologue day, with two monologues memorized. Whew!
I did succeed in transcribing the commercials. Check. Now, I’m going to work on doing at least three more.
Did I work out at least three days last week? That’s a really good question. It depends on what I define as working out, so really I need to be more specific with myself. I ended up working at the restaurant a lot last week, so I did a LOT of walking, but when I say “work out,” I specifically mean my HIIT program. Which I only did ONCE last week. Boo. If I do it Friday and Sunday this week, I’ll be doing better than last week, because I already did it yesterday.
Didn’t write at all this week. Once again…boo. And my blog post is late again. Double boo. I can do better than that.
I did cut one monologue from a play that I read last week, and found at least one other that might work. So, definitely a win in this category. Gonna use that for Monday's monologue class…
I saw Frank Theatre’s production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill last week. Not sure yet, but I think I am seeing Defying Gravity tonight at the Southern and the preview of Workhaus Collective’s new show Skin Deep Sea tomorrow night. That’s two more *new plays! Well on my way to at least 80% this year!
*"new" meaning shows that are either being produced for the first time or that have not yet been produced here in the cities, though I may also decide to include shows that I have not personally seen on stage yet.
Didn’t get any of my tax stuff done and had to reschedule my filmmaker meeting because I wasn’t feeling well. I think part of this process is going to be actually learning to schedule in time for these things which aren’t directly paying me. I’m really good at scheduling time for work that pays and for hanging out with friends, and I’m really good at wasting time that isn’t scheduled.
Other things I accomplished last week:
So, really…I have a lot more to accomplish this week. And only a few days left. Audition season has now begun, and I already have SEVEN auditions scheduled in the near future that I need to prepare for. Onward and upward!
Goals for this week:
I meant to post this Sunday night, but got sidetracked. Going to have to be more mindful in the future...
Part of keeping myself on track this year is going to be setting goals, and another part is going to be me writing about what I do each week. Sometimes it's hard to see progress or feel like I'm working on "my craft" when I really am (for example: those dead spaces where I'm not in a show, but keep busy with auditions, class scenes, writing, reading plays, and other actor-related things). And other times, I lose sight of the art I love and spend weeks doing nothing to work toward any goals whatsoever, and then wind up feeling really lost and purposeless.
A major goal is to not get stuck in the latter one this year. Having goals is important. And achieving big goals requires lots of little tiny steps toward them, not big, giant leaps.
Baby steps.
My goals for 2015:
1. Do 10 scenes for class. Not including remounts. Last year I only did 3 all year (plus remounts), and so I hope to do much better this year.
2. Record my voiceover demo.
3. Get new headshots.
4. Write at least weekly in my blog, and publish 5 articles before the end of the year.
5. Find and rehearse 5 new monologues for audition season.
6. See approximately 80% new work, 20% previously produced shows.
That's what I've got so far. I might add more goals as the year goes on.
So, the past 14 days of my life as an actor have been filled with a ton of theater-related things. There is no particular order of importance placed on these things, though perhaps there should be. Some of them are definitely more meaningful, more purposeful, and more in-line with my goals than others. I'm going to star the ones that are important baby steps toward my bigger goals.
I think that's a pretty good start to my year! Now on to my second month...
Small steps I want to take this week toward each of my big goals:
1. Email possible scene partners about a few more class scenes. I have possibly in the works two scenes. I'm meeting with one classmate on Thursday to discuss, and the other one hasn't gotten back to me yet.
2. Transcribe 3 commercials that I've recorded that I could use for my demo.
3. I have to pay my taxes for last year before I can get new headshots, but I will work out at least three days this week. Gotta get more in shape for my shots!
4. I will write on a topic of importance to me, some sort of rough draft. And I will update this blog by this Sunday as well.
5. I will cut a monologue or two from one of the plays I read recently.
6. I am seeing one play this week, and it's Caryl Churchill's newest play, Love and Information...so I think I'm doing good on my percentage so far.
Also:
Taxes. I need to get my tax stuff for last year together. This is not working toward any big goals, but it needs to get done, so this week I would like to get all my mileage entered in my spreadsheet.
I am meeting with a filmmaker I know to discuss a project we want to work on together.
I'm sure that's plenty...I still have work and rehearsal for Commedia Day with Shadow Horse Theater, which is February 25th. I'm sure all of this will keep me quite busy!
Until next Sunday...
Less than a month into the New Year, and I published another article! This one is about New Year's resolutions, and you can read it here on the newly redesigned MN Playlist website!
I always have more ideas, as well, so there may be more articles to come over this year. Fingers crossed!
Well, there has been no real time for reflection. Not really. What with that family holiday stuff, working solid since I've been back in town. Who needs to reflect? Okay, I probably still should, but I haven't had time to figure out numbers and such or finish my record-keeping for last year, so maybe let's just do a little bit right now.
Auditions:
I do keep track of my auditions. In theory. In practice, I have no clue. I'm really really bad at keeping my spreadsheet updated. Back when I started keeping track and trying to get myself to go to many many auditions just to get over my fear of them, I believe during my first year of having that goal I went to 55 auditions, and I thought that was a lot. Since then I've gotten a little more selective about my auditions, but I still think that 60 is about average. I might find out differently after I do my tally. I already know that my callback rate has gone WAY up over the past few years, so that's always a positive.
Performances:
I was in only two actual full length shows (Crazyface by Clive Barker with Shadow Horse Theatre and Hauptmann by John Logan with Candid Theater). Crazyface took about three months out of my year, though, and the other about two months. I did one music video and World Commedia Day as well (which was a full two hour show, but improvised, so that should count for something, right?), and I did Chameleon Theatre Circle's season preview day, performing a piece from their upcoming production of Durang's "Betty's Summer Vacation."
Class Scenes:
Ugh, this might be harder. I know I did a scene from Butterflies are Free, one from Other Desert Cities, and then one from the movie Housesitter. I think that's it. There were a few others discussed and then shelved for various reasons. That's not the best record. Okay, that's a terrible record, actually. I will do better this year!!
With that in mind...
My next blog post is going to be about the roles that I'm working on for class right now and the challenges inherent in each. I've got three scenes on the books, so there's plenty I need to be doing to prepare for them. Research is one of those things I'm apparently terrible at getting myself interested in doing (though it wasn't always that way...hm, I wonder what THAT'S about), so writing about my roles here and the research into each will be a fun exercise.
So, it's that time of year for reflection. And I'm going to SO do some of that. Soon. I want to put together some statistics and compare with previous years. I'm kind of a dork and keep spreadsheets of many things, but I do like to keep track of how I'm doing theater-wise in particular.
The beginning of this past year was a bit fraught, with some very large life changes for me: breakup, move, giving away one of my cats. (No worries...Luna found a good home with my friend Rachel). Because of all this, acting got put on the backburner somewhat. I was still auditioning, but my priorities were figuring out where I and my cats were going to live, if I would be able to afford it, and where I might work if I needed to find a new job. Luckily, my friend Neal needed a roommate, and I moved into his lovely home in Minneapolis. Neal, our other roommate Ryan, and Ryan's cat Milo have been wonderful roommates, and they and my friends have all been very supportive in my year of big changes.
During this transition, I did find time to perform in World Commedia Day with my friends at Shadow Horse Theater, and then I spent eight weeks rehearsing and four weeks performing in Crazyface by Clive Barker. That show was so physically demanding that I lost ten pounds(!) I took a breather after that and just enjoyed going to see many Fringe shows, attending the Ivey Awards, and then worked on Hauptmann by John Logan with Candid Theatre. I acted in one music video this year. And I wrote two articles that got published, one for Minnesota Playlist and the other for Paid Actor.
It's been a light theater year, but a good one. I'm going to work on that spreadsheet, and I'll be back with some concrete numbers. I like to know how much progress I'm making.
Also, I just wrote another article that I'm trying to get published. If it doesn't get picked up, then I plan to publish it here at my blog and do the follow ups here as well. I have a plan. Stay tuned!
Well, quiet time is definitely over.
Theatre Prom came and went last week. Lots of deserving people won Ivey Awards (including Tyler Michaels, with whom I performed in Flanagan's Wake a few years back, and Bonnie and Michael, my old bosses at the Illusion Theater). My roommate Neal Beckman got to perform the closing number "Sit Down (You're Rocking the Boat)" with his Guys and Dolls cast from Bloomington Civic Theatre. VitaMN has a really great slideshow of some of the highlights here. And everyone looked especially gorgeous this year, too, if I may say so myself.
Me and my friend Ethan. He is wearing an awesome suit from the Norwegian retailer Moods of Norway, and has a martini glass to match. (Note the tractor pin just under the pocket square.)
Click here to see our awesome red carpet photo!
I've had one rehearsal for Commedia. I recently got cast and have now started rehearsals for Hauptmann with Candid Theater, which opens on Halloween. The show is about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case, and I am playing the wife of the man who went on trial for the crime which he (most likely) did not commit. Working with Candid for the first time, and aside from Matt Saxe, who I worked with on Crazyface this summer, all of the actors are new to me as well! (Note: Playwright Seraphina Nova just won an Ivey Award for her script for her original play "Dogwood," which was produced by Candid Theater earlier this year, so it's exciting to start working with them a week after that win...good energy to take going into rehearsals for a very serious show.)
Tickets are already available! Click on the picture to go to the ticketing site. :)
Aaaaaand....the article I wrote for Paid Actor came out. Get your copy here and you can find out why I think that the only real competition an actor faces is him or herself.
Well, I'm off to Wisconsin in the morning to visit the family. Until next time!
Crazyface closed a few weeks ago now. Fringe was here and gone in a whirlwind of parking fees, drinking and 36 performances that I sat in the audience for. (If you include travel time between venues, Fringe was more than a full-time job for me this year!) And most of the season auditions are now over.
And now, it's the quiet time. Time to enjoy the rest of summer, start working on some scenework for The Actor's Workout, finally finish my taxes (no, I still haven't done them...yes, I know...yes, I got an extension...jeez, lay off!), find a dress to wear for Theatre Prom (aka the Ivey Awards), and figure out what I want to do this fall if I don't get cast in a show.
A lot of my friends have already begun rehearsals for their next projects, my roommate just opened Guys and Dolls at Bloomington Civic Theatre, and I am left answering the question "What do you have coming up next?" with the always tepid "You know, I'm not sure yet."
That's not entirely true, actually. I am scheduled to play Sarah in A Drinking Game - Minnesota's November 1st drinking game presentation of Labyrinth at Bryant Lake Bowl. I get to play Sarah. And drink. At the same time!
I was also just asked to do a piece for Chameleon Theatre Circle's 15th Annual New Play Festival and Season Preview coming up September 13th. I will be performing a monologue from Betty's Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang.
And my friends at Shadow Horse Theatre are planning to start an ongoing Commedia Dell'Arte troupe that will perform regularly...I just don't know exactly when we'll be rehearsing yet.
So, I guess I should stop telling people I'm not doing anything. I'm sure my time will get filled with things soon enough. It always does.
Crazyface, produced by Shadow Horse Theatre, July 10-26, 2014
Our first (real) review is in! (There were a few City Pages preview articles, but they haven't posted a review of the show yet.)
"...Shadow Horse Theatre has staged a well directed, wonderfully acted and inspirationally costumed production..."
"Crazyface is provocative and possibly a mess. But von Stoeztel’s production of the weirdness is outstanding."
Every time a show opening comes around, I always mean to do a few things.
1. Invite directors. Even if they don't show up, at least they know I'm working.
2. Invite my friends. I mean, at LEAST send out an email, right?
3. Make a cake, or cupcakes, or cookies or something to bring my cast for opening night. Maybe even write out cards like some people do.
4. Update my damn website with opening weekend news, ticket links, etc.
I mostly failed.
1. I invited directors who I'd recently auditioned for only. Unless you count adding them to the Facebook invite, which isn't exactly personal.
2. Ditto...Facebook invite.
3. Cards? Oh crap, I can't even do birthday cards for close family. I'm just not good at writing sentiment down. And I ran out of time to do any baking whatsoever.
4. EPIC FAIL.
What did I do instead? I made an epic playlist based on the show and its characters. Seriously, I spent HOURS making this damn playlist perfect. If you'd like to hear it, click on the links below. I've included my notes about the playlist, with quotes from the show.
1. Entry of the Gladiators...The classic circus song. To start off the show.
2. Send in the Clowns by Barbara Streisand...Because everyone is a fool, truly.
3. Earth Angel by The Penguins...This is the song Derek sings to himself about his character, and it's only fitting for an angel doomed to roam the earth. "Mama says you don't exist" "That's heresy! I'm an ANGEL!"
4. Broken Wings by Mr. Mister...What a terrible fucking song. Seriously. It's awful. But it fits. Take these broken wings, and learn to fly again, learn to live so free.
5. Visions by Saintseneca..."You mean like in a vision?" "It's all vision...there's nothing real at all."
6. The Gravedigger's Song by Mark Lanegan Band..."Gravedigger...you look like a strong boy."
7. Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers...Alvarez is a man who leads a life of danger.
8. Apocalypse Please by Muse..."This is it now, of course." "Of course. The deluge." "The apocalypse."
9. Counting Stars by OneRepublic...Annie is stargazing.
10. Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson...Ain't no sadder thing than the tears of a clown
11. Bolivar...such a nice appropriate bolero-style circus song for going into the Spanish court. Ole!
12. Chocolate by La Pegatina...Todos quieren el chocolate!
13. Rain King by Counting Crows..."Taste the rain, Mengo! God is pissing on us today because he fears we may have heaven again!"
14. Witch by Bird and the Bee..."You sure she's a witch?"
15. Burn the Witch by Queens of the Stone Age..."Take her with you. You can burn together."
16. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson...Annie almost gets raped but is saved by Crazyface: "Annie are you okay?"
17. Outlaws by Sir Psyko and His Monsters..."Bout time we had a flood or a lynching or a visit from some friendly bandits."
18. Hell Broke Luce by Tom Waits...OH SHIT. Mengo just set Lenny luce on the world. We're all fucked.
19. White Wedding by Billy Idol...Nice day for a white wedding.
20. March of the Pigs by Nine Inch Nails..."Pigs inside and out!"
21. War Pigs by Black Sabbath..."They're killing the pigs! There's blood coming down like rain!"
22. Clowns: The Booster (An American Rag)...Intermission music
1. Liberty Horses...the meat's a little tough and they sass back
2. The Pocket of a Clown by Dwight Yoakam...I imagine the pockets of clowns are kinda yucky places, and are bottomless besides.
Full of fake flowers, tied handkerchief chains, and pickled herring. YUM
3. Angel Baby by Rosie and the Originals..."If you don't stop seeing angels, you're going to get yourself in a lot of trouble."
4. Rock Lobster by the B52s..."The fattest and the finest"
5. Up On Cripple Creek by The Band..."I'm very suspicious of so many cripples. Maybe they're breeding somewhere."
6. You're So Vain by Carly Simon..."Hear that? She's got lace underwear!"
7. Fight Song by The Aquabats..."I...am NOT...PEOPLE!"
8. Everybody Loves a Clown by Gary Lewis and the Playboys...poor Crazyface
9. I Fucking Hate You by Godsmack..."I hate you. I've always hated you." This is what Lenny's brain sounds like on a nice day.
10. Lola by The Kinks..."This isn't a woman!" "It's the best we could get you at this short notice."
11. Gallows Pole by Led Zeppelin..."What's that?" "Final adjustments to the gallows."
12. Chocolate Jesus by Tom Waits..."EAT."
13. Sabotage by the Beastie Boys..."We can't all be winners."
14. God's Away On Business by Tom Waits..."The Pope sees no one."
15. Mama I'm Coming Home by Ozzy Osbourne..."The right wind can take you anywhere, more or less...anywhere you want..even home."
16. Blackbird cover by Sarah McLachlan..."Mama, another bird"
17. Grand Finale: Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
Bonus Tracks:
18. Cathy's Clown by the Everly Brothers...for Crazyface
19. Black Wings by Tom Waits...it SO fits Lenny, but my whole playlist would have been Tom Waits if I wasn't careful.
20. Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday...it's a terrible song, but it fits the court of Spain...
21. Don't Send In The Clowns from Space Ghost...because it bookends the whole playlist, and Space Ghost is awesome.
Rumor is that Clive Barker fans from OTHER STATES are planning on coming to town for this show, so get your tickets now!
Trena Bolden Fields, actress, career coach, and the host of the Paid Actor radio show, invited me on her show, and I had a lovely chat with her about many of the topics covered in my recent article on MN Playlist. Namely, acting and getting paid for it.
Andy Schnabel as Crazyface
The trailer for Crazyface has gone live, and it's great! (WARNING: Contains scary clowns and an angel reading porn) Check it out here
Apparently Clive Barker (@RealCliveBarker) gave us a retweet when it went live! Follow him on Twitter
Announcement: I have just recently started rehearsals for Crazyface with Shadow Horse Theater. This fun show, written by none other than Clive Barker, will run July 10-26th at Nimbus Theatre in Minneapolis.
I think they cast all of Minneapolis in this show...
The cast includes Andy Schnabel as Crazyface, as well as Derek Meyer, Matt Saxe, Megan Noel Johnson, Corey Ryan Boe, Derek Dirlam, Fawn Wilderson-Legros, Matt Kelly, Angela Walberg, Audrey Callerstrom, Ethan Bjelland, David Otto Simanek, Jay Kistler, Shana Eisenberg, Ilana Kapra, Earl Milton, Joel Raney, Jane Hammill-Golembeck and Joe Heaney.
Director: Paul von Stoetzel
More info to come!
*Note: I saw this show when Mary Worth Theatre did it over 10 years ago, and I loved it so much I saw it twice. I can only hope that we can match even half the brilliance of their amazing production. We definitely have some large theatrical clown shoes to fill with this one!