I had a TON of fun this past Saturday and Sunday taking a “Weekend Voice Over Introduction” presented by WCS Voice Spot and facilitated by the very talented Jonathan Love.  I’ve had a bug in my ear for quite some time about getting involved in voice over acting and this was my first step to pursuing it.  Number one lesson from the weekend: I’ve got a LOT to learn.  (But that is pretty exciting on it’s own… I love learning new skills, especially when they involve performing of some kind.)

The main benefit of pursuing this new “career”, or at least adding it to my existing one, is that it allows me to flex my acting muscles with less time commitment than a full stage play.  As I mentioned in my blog post from a few weeks ago, I do very much enjoy the opportunity to work with other people to produce creative work, and “on mic” opportunities often allow for that to happen.

Two days of working in the “classroom” (well, in the hotel boardroom) culminated in a brief stint in a studio here in town recording a commercial that would have originally aired sometime in the 90s.  I’ve included a couple of takes of the same script here - these are exactly as read with no edits. If you have a trained ear for the industry you’ll notice some areas for improvement.  If you don’t… well… you may still notice areas for improvement.

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For now I’m casually hunting for any opportunity to work “on mic” and will see how it goes for the next few months before making any final decision on whether or not to include this skill in my regular repertoire.

On a personal note:  It was great to work with Jonathan again!  He’s also a part of a great music group called The Heebee-jeebees and they are playing the Coke Stage during Stampede.  (Click here for the showtimes.)

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PS:  Happy Birthday, Canada! I was going to get you a card with some money it, but then realized that I paid taxes again this year, so we’ll call it even.

Saturday night was the closing night gala of Tuesdays With Morrie and since then I haven’t been quite sure what to do with myself.  Yes: I get back to being a magician, comedian, and speaker, this weekend… but the last couple of weeks have been so dominated with the play that there are now lots of hours in a day.

Several friends have been asking, “Are you sad it’s over?” And, yes, I am.  There is nothing quite like working with other performers and creating something special to share with an audience.  So much of the performing that I normally do is solo work.  I write by myself, I rehearse by myself, and perform on stage by myself (even when there are other acts on the show).  The opportunity to “play” with like-minded (and ridiculously talented) people is a rarity that I will surely miss (and already do).

Fortunately, the memories of the experience will last a very long time… and the skills that I learned and developed will last even longer.  Speaking of memories (how’s that for a segue?), there is now an online scrapbook of the show available with pictures, newspaper clippings, and some other “souvenirs” of the event.  You can see everything that is online by clicking here.

I look forward to my next venture into acting (whenever the opportunity arises) and am using these few days off to switch gears back to my work as a solo performer.

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Oh, and I would like to point out that I achieved my goal of making this week’s blog post “on time”.

In the past when a blog post was delayed (from posting on Tuesdays) for some reason I would make an apology… that time is past!  It is my blog - it’s my decision.  (It’s not like anyone has ever complained about the delay.)

The reason for the “two days late” post today is the run of Tuesdays With Morrie.  We opened on Sunday night to a sell-out crowd and have been performing nightly ever since - with no break until after Saturday.

I must confess that I am enjoying the process of going to the theatre nightly.  It is a very different atmosphere than the normal venues that I appear in and it is a wonderful experience and a great change of pace.  That said, I did decide to take off to the mountains yesterday for a coffee, some lunch, time with great friends, and a short hike.  It refreshed me and I’m ready to go for our final three shows this week.

If you haven’t made it the play yet, tickets are still available tonight through to (and including) Saturday.  (www.CalgaryTickets.com)

Next week’s blog post might actually be “on time” - but no promises.

We’re now less than a week away from the opening night of Tuesdays With Morrie.  Rehearsal yesterday was smashing and we’ve got just a few left to put the finished touches on the show.  There are still tickets available online here:

www.CalgaryTickets.com
(there are no service fees)

It has been an absolute pleasure working with such amazing and talented people for this show including my co-star Richard Michelle-Pentelbury and our director Christopher Hunt.

A big thanks also goes out to my friend Andrew Delong for stepping up and stage managing the show.  He had a lot to cover in the last few weeks here and he has done a marvelous job.

And, of course, none of this would be possible without the generosity of M&M Meat Shops - providing the sponsorship necessary to make this show happen and ensure that we raise the most money possible for The ALS Society of Alberta.

I do hope that if you are in Calgary you’ll be able to see the show one night from June 7 to 13 (that’s this Sunday to Saturday).  There’s a Facebook event page also created, click here to view it.  And tickets are all sold through this site.

This Thursday night is the opening night of the new Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club in Edmonton, AB! (For those of you that thought this post was about Tuesdays With Morrie: don’t worry, still lots of time to get your tickets for our June 7 to 13 run.) And guess who is on the show?  That’s right… it’s Nikki Payne!  Oh, yeah, and I’ve been given one of the coveted opening spots on the show.

I’m quite honoured to have been selected for this and have been obsessing about my set for that night.  (And by “obsessing” I mean “putting in about twice the work I normally would for a show”.  And by “twice the work” I mean “showering”.)

Having seen Nikki Payne (the headliner) several weeks ago I can tell you that it’s going to be an unforgettable night.  If you’re in Edmonton and looking for tickets all the details about the show are online here.  Also, Nikki created a Facebook event for the evening.

While it is a little strange being a Calgarian and playing the new Edmonton club before the new Calgary club I trust the audience up there won’t hold it against me.  (And if you are surprised to hear that there is a new Yuk Yuk’s in Calgary: it’s a great new club in the Elbow River Casino with great acts coming through all the time.  Click here for details.)

See you in Edmonton!

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PS:  Part of the reason that you might not have known that Yuk Yuk’s in back in Calgary is that they haven’t got approval for a sign on the casino to promote themselves.  The city has held them up in red tape.  So, to do my small part, I created a petition a few weeks back that I would love for you to sign.  It’s online here, only takes a minute, and is free to sign. The petition isn’t so much about comedy as it is about the rights of local businesses.

OK.  There’s nothing to “win”, but tickets for the upcoming production of Tuesdays With Morrie sponsored by M&M Meat Shops and starring Richard Michelle-Pentelbury and me are available online now!

For those that don’t know, this show is based on the true story of Morrie Schwartz (played by Richard) and his student Mitch Albom (played by myself).  After graduating university, Mitch loses touch with his professor only to be reunited 16 years later when Morrie is diagnosed with ALS (a degenerative nerve disease).  The wisdom that Morrie imparts to his former student became the basis for the best-selling book, hit movie, and this theatrical script. It truly is an inspiring story and I’m glad to be a part of it not only for the challenge of presenting the production, but also because a portion of proceeds will be going to the ALS Society.

The show runs from June 7 to 13 nightly at 8:00pm in Motel (in the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts) here in Calgary.  On June 7 (opening night) tickets are on a “Pay What You Can” system and on June 13 tickets are $30 for the closing gala (there will be wine!).  Otherwise, tickets are $20 with GST included.  (Ticket sales are being handled online through Karamatix.)

Click Here to Purchase Tickets Online

I hope to see you out at one of the shows.  I should also answer some common questions:

• Yes, this show isn’t a comedy… I like to branch out every now again.  (Although there are some funny moments.)
• “Motel” is a new(ish) arts space in the Epcor Centre that seats 56 people.  It’s on the second floor just up the stairs that are beside the coffee shop and cafe.
• We’ve got a local director helping Richard and I make the show the best that it can be, his name is Christopher Hunt and he’s adding a TON to the production.
• The title of the show may sound familiar to you because of it’s exposure on Oprah.  (She LOVED the book and it’s message so much that she was the producer of the movie.)

That’s all the details that I can think of right now.  So… go buy some tickets!

With the production of Tuesdays With Morrie under two months away now I’m very excited to have a key sponsor on board to help with the production.  Please join me in welcoming M&M Meat Shops to the team!

The folks at M&M Meat Shops have always been big supporters of the arts in and around Calgary (not to mention the rest of the country) - and as a bachelor and “often on the road” performer I can tell you that I am a big supporter of them.  Tickets for Tuesdays With Morrie will be on sale shortly (I’ll have more information on this blog when that happens).  In the meantime, I hope that you stop by M&M Meat Shops on the way home for an easy dinner tonight.  (That’s probably what I’ll be doing as well.)

For some reason the month of April is turning into the “fundraiser” month for myself.  I’ve got three seperate performances coming up to raise money for various charities.  All of these nights should be a lot of fun and they all help a very worthy cause…

April 20 - Comedy Monday Night - 4 Year Anniversary Show. The CMN room has been “self medicating for 4 years” now and to celebrate we’re raising some money for The Epilepsy Association of Calgary.  It’s going to be a bit different than an “open mic” - mostly pros on the show doing tried and true material.  I’m honoured to have been asked to appear on the line up and am looking forward to it!  Click here for all the details on the event.

April 25 - Live’r Up! Comedy Fundraiser & Silent Auction. This event is being produced by some friends of mine in the industry, and I received this note from them about the event…

It’s been quite some time since we’ve contacted some of you, and almost a year since our “Savannah Brown Comedy Fundraiser and Auction” was held. Our courageous Savannah has been recovering from two liver transplants, and in February celebrated her 10th birthday! We are so happy she is on the road to recovery.

However joyous that recovery is for Savannah, Ruth, and John, it has also been a struggle. The aftermath of cancer treatment is almost as traumatic as the cancer itself.  Side-Splitting Productions has decided to host one more fundraiser for our friends to help them through this rough time, celebrate Savannah’s life, and promote Organ Donor Awareness in our community.

Please join us in aiding Savannah’s recovery by laughing ‘till your liver hurts at another fantastic show!

And here are the details for this show:

When: Saturday, April 25, 2009
Location: Thorncliffe Community Centre, 5600 Centre Street NW Calgary
Time: Doors open 7:00 PM, Showtime 8:00 PM
Tickets: $20.00, available for purchase prior to show date, limited tickets available.
Please call 403-282-5974 for details.

April 29 - The Magic of John Horsley and Friends in support of Parkinson’s Research. This special night at Calgary’s Club Paradiso will be more of a variety night than a magic night.  (In fact, it looks like I’ll just be doing stand up on the show.)  This room is one of my favourites to perform in.  The fundraiser we did for The Friend 2 Friend Learning Society in March raised close to $1,600 and we should be able to do at least that much on this show.  For tickets and information please call The Village Cantina at (403) 265-5739.

I love that I get to spend the month of April giving back to the community, and I hope that you will be able to support one or more of these shows.

PS:  While not a fundraiser… I’m working Friday and Saturday night at Daryl Makk’s Comedy Detour.  Click here for event information.

Yesterday was the first Tuesday I have missed making a blog post since I started in September of last year.  Could it have something to do with St. Patrick’s Day?  Possibly.  Far more likely it is becuase I have a show to do this evening (show ends at about 10pm) and from there I drive all night to get to a 10am show the next morning in Hinton, AB.  The travel schedule has been stressing me out just a little.

So, I have decided to quite proudly take a week off from blog posts (with the exception of this post that is), and will return next week (hopefully on Tuesday) with something fresh and new.  In the meantime I wanted to share this video of the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  It is an interview he conducted with Jim Cramer last week and has been circling around the internet quite a bit.  With the clip people seem to be asking the question, “Why is it that a comedian is the one to so accurately hit the nail on the head and be the voice of reason?”  The truth is, that I have always felt that is the role of comedians… Jon Stewart is doing his job, and doing it VERY well.

Click here to visit The Daily Show website for Canadian viewing. (Damn copyright laws are a pain.) You’ll then have to hunt through the centre column for the three clips of the Jim Cramer interview - but it is well worth it.  Happy Hunting!

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On a much more personal note: one of my best friends in the world has his Mother going in for surgery today (probably already there), and despite my crazy travel schedule both he, his Mom, and his family will be in my thoughts.  Good luck.

In last week’s blog post I made mention of an exciting new television project which I am working on and I can now share all the details… it’s a show that I co-created with my best friend, Steve Nagy, and is called Going My Way.  At it’s heart, it’s a travel show featuring both Steve and myself as we jet-set around the world and show you all the splendor that this planet has to offer.  “But that has been done to death!”  Sure has… that’s why we added a twist…

It is important to know that Steve and I travel VERY differently.  I take a nice plane to the nice hotel and the bill is covered by my clients.  Steve, on the other hand, has been known to travel to China on two weeks notice and camp on the sides of roads.  Going My Way will pick one destination and showcase each style of travel.

That’s just the basic idea.  We’re still working out the final details about what we’ll be doing while on the road.  Maybe it will be a competition between the two of us, or a race to do the most good for the local communities, or… actually - this is where you come in.

Yesterday we completed work on the Going My Way website.  On the site you will learn a little about each of us, read up on how we took this idea from the pitch to very early pre-production stage, watch a video of Steve and I telling some stories, and then be asked to pitch in your own ideas.  It’s difficult for us to sit back and guess at what you will find entertaining on television - so why not ask you directly.  You have the option to become a Virtual Producer for the show and share with us your stories, your ideas, your “notes” - anything that you think would be of value.

So, for all the details check out http://GoingMyWay.ca - read the blog posts, our bios, and watch the video.  Then, if you are so inclined, sign up for a Virtual Producer account and start sharing your stories with us.  We’ll read all the feedback that we get and see what we can incorporate into our final idea.

There are those that have asked if this website launch isn’t a little premature… the show isn’t produced yet after all.  While that is true, we think that, with your support, the show becomes all the more marketable to potential broadcasters.  If we can show them an interest in this idea by their audience, and use our future viewers to help refine the concept to make it all the better, I am confident that Going My Way will eventually be a reality.

I hope you can spend some time in the coming weeks and learn all about the show online:

GoingMyWay.ca