James profile picture

James

I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

Married, live in Oak Park. Theater actor in Chicago. Sometime voiceover guy. Love pool, tennis, darts, my wife, not neccesarily in that order.

My Interests

Love travel. Really. It's my favorite thing to do. Whenever I get a little cushion, I like to go out of the country somewhere. My wife's been to many more places than I, but she's given me the bug. Florence, Paris, Rio, Belize, Toronto. Won't go back to Puerto Vallarta--really got sick there. I'll travel anywhere else, though. Also a big fan of theatre. I used to dislike going; the last place I wanted to go on a night I didn't have a show was to another show. But in the last year, i've begun to go more and more, and i've started to see the value in seeing what other actors do on stage. How to learn from what they do, and how it helps me shape my own work. Never been very knowledgeable about playwrights or schools of thought regarding training. Never majored in theatre. But I try now to watch as much as I can, and learn from seeing and doing.

Music:

Not much that I don't like. It usually depends on my mood. Huge Prince fan, and lately jazz, because of the show i've been in recently

Movies:

So much depends on mood. But i'm a fan of Fargo, Apocalypse Now, Exorcist, Top Secret, Naked Gun, City of God, Slingblade, History of Violence, Open Water, Shining (w/Jack N), Chasing Amy, Roman Holiday, Whale Rider, West Side Story, Monsoon Wedding, Blazing Saddles, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Napoleon Dynamite, Lost in Translation, Far From Heaven--i'd come up with more if I thought about it a bit.

Television:

Lost and 30 Rock are my standbys, though i've been trying to watch more of House, and I hear Heroes is pretty good, so I may check that out.

Books:

Black and White (Sammy Davis Jr. Bio), Kraukhauer, Dunant, Updike (love Brazil), Short Stories from O'Connor and Carver, Harry Potter Books, Infants of the Spring, Langston Huges "Simple", The Kite Runner, House of Sand and Fog, The Rule of Four, Tartt (The Little Friend), John Irving, Of Human Bondage, My Name is Asher Lev, Dan Brown (I don't care--I loved Angels and Demons), etc, etc, etc.

My Blog

Ummm...Does this thing still work?

Yep, i've fallen off the wagon. It's been a very crazy period for me, the last few months, and I guess i've let some things slide as a result. I'm towards the end of Carter's Way at Steppenwolf. Th...
Posted by James on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:41:00 PST

Wedding Play (I know, it’s closed), What Dreams May Come, etc.

Saw a couple of shows in the past week.  Wedding Play, over at Steppenwolf's Garage with About Face, and What Dreams May Come: American Visions Through Jewish Eyes.  Had a lot of fun watchin...
Posted by James on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:50:00 PST

Don’t get caught shoplifting in Pasadena, Texas

This isn't a theater blog, just a pissed off blog.  I meant to bring this up in my last entry, but was too busy talking about plays and such.  Just listen to the audio on this vide...
Posted by James on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:35:00 PST

Death of Proctor, Farewell Umbrella, Savannah Disputation, and Iguana

Been away a bit, I know. Crucible ended a week ago today, and i'm glad I got through it without going up save a couple of minor instances. Really happy that Anna Shapiro entrusted me with so central...
Posted by James on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 02:09:00 PST

Carter’s Way, Long Lost Audience Members, Austin, and Elephant Man

Just finished effing around with this alto sax that I have. Cathy bought it years ago to take some lessons, and she's long since given it up. But, luckily, she never sold the thing, so i've been abl...
Posted by James on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 03:09:00 PST

Scufflin For Jobs, Crucible Meandering, My Global Rule One, and Stuff

It's such a funny thing--people see you in a big show with a good part and think that you're not hurting for work. I know it's relative. Some actors I know happen to not be working now, and I unders...
Posted by James on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:49:00 PST

Crucible, My 7th Grade Drama Teacher, Carter’s Way, and I’m Neurotic--So What?

Talk about getting a late start. Haven't done jack today until now, damn near 4:30pm. Crucible has officially opened, and we're starting to get into the day to day flow of things. Opening, normally...
Posted by James on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:28:00 PST

Bad Vocal Habits, Crucible, and the Pessimistic Democrat

Hanging out on a Monday off, after my first weekend of Crucible shows, and trying to give my voice a break, as it's pretty fried. I know there's a way to have volume and emotion onstage without killi...
Posted by James on Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:47:00 PST

Rehearsal And Stuff, Plus My New Favorite Singer, This Week Anyway.

I should be doing lines, but I hadn't checked in for awhile, and so here I am. The Crucible is hard. No real other way to say it. I mean, it's an amazing time, and i'm doing what I want to do, and ...
Posted by James on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:57:00 PST

A Loss... Spinning Into Butter... Rehearsal

Was just reading Chris Jones' Theater Loop blog, and saw that a local actor, Joe Van Slyke, passed away yesterday at age 55. I didn't really know Joe very well, and we were only in one show together,...
Posted by James on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:47:00 PST