Past Shows
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Below is a listing of the past shows that I've been in with a little info about each.
They are in order from most recent to the first.  Read on if you care!

Use this section to jump to a particular show or year.

2001

ALYX Corporate Video
"The Museum"

"Choke"

"Plain and Simple"

"Nature Called and Left a Message"
"Threshold"

"Chris Lervings's: Human Hunter"
"Root Canal"
Illinois Lottery Print Shoot
"The 8th Annual Comedy Pigs Anniversary"

"Anarkali at Jallozai"

cocksurehanded

"Mancow's Morning Madhouse"
"Meeting Mr. Marvelous"

2000

"It's a Miracle"
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
"Random Theft and Other Acts"
"The 7th Annual Comedy Pigs Anniversary"
"The Glass Menagerie"
"Early Edition"
"Judge Mathis Show"

1999

"The 3rd Annual Christmas Carnival, Hanukkah Holiday Hoedown and Kwanzaa Kraziness"
"Picasso at the Lapin Agile"
"The Traveling Dingleberry's Variety Hour!"
"The 2nd Way Off Broadway Who-Done-It"
"Hunting Humans"
"2nd Annual Miss Pig Pageant"
"Death by Deception"

"The Taming of the Shrew"

"Same Time, Next Year"

1998

"Runaway Bride"
"The 2nd Annual Christmas Carnival, Hanukkah Holiday Hoedown and Kwanzaa Kraziness"

"The Baby Dance"

"All in the Timing"

"1st Annual Miss Pig Pageant"
"The Music Man"
"The Comedy Pigs" - the first weekly gig in our own space!
"The Papa John Chronicles"
"The 5th Annual Comedy Pigs Anniversary"

1997

"The 1st Annual Christmas Carnival or Hanukkah Holiday Hoedown"
"The Comedy Pigs at Avanti Ristorante" - my first full Pig gig!
"One of the Gang"
"Maryland Renaissance Festival"

"Ashes on the Bridge"
"Lost in the Present"
"A Midsummer's Nights Dream"
"42nd Street"

1996

"The Comedy Pigs New Years Eve Show"
"The Way Off Broadway Who-Done-It"
"Maryland Ensemble Theatre Benefit"

1995

"Twelfth Night" - my first time improvising!

2001

Show: ALYX Corporate Video
By: Baxter Medical Equipment - Dreaming Tree Films
Role: Eric Throwcyte
Date: Shot Dec 20

This is me listening to the description of the the medical equipment.
I think I'm asleep here.  And by the way, they made me get a haircut!

I'm a whore.  I shot a corporate video for money.  I'm now part of the system that will one day take us all down.  This video was to promote Baxter Medical Equipment's new product ALYX.  It takes blood out of people and gives you twice as much as normal blood taking out machines.  How bout that!?

Dreaming Tree Films (who I've worked with before) gave me the nod.  Those guys are a good bunch.  If you get a chance to work with them, do so.  The video didn't actually turn out too bad.  It's pretty funny overall and I'm sure it will be a big hit at Baxter's sales conference.  And as long as the client likes it, we did our job!

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Show: The Museum
By: The Bulbous Twins - Directed by Danny Jelinek
Role: Robby
Date: Shot Nov 29

Another student film for Columbia College.  Danny & Pedro are friends and they had two characters appear in both of their films.  Me and the girl playing my girlfriend.  What the hell was her name?  Feisty one she was.  This turned out to be a better shoot.  We didn't have the two log lumps there and the day went pretty smooth.  We were basically a couple in an art gallery who thought we knew what we were talking about when it came to art, but really didn't.

And then we meet a crazy old lady with an arrow in the back of her head.  Yep...an old lady.

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Show: Choke
By: The Bulbous Twins - Directed by Pedro Jimenez
Role: Robby
Date: Shot Nov 15

This was a Columbia College student film.  It was my first time working in this type of environment.  We were in a sound stage like place and the teacher was there the whole time giving notes on the process.  It was a little unnerving (is that the right word?), but still a good time.  My role was a bit part in a coffee shop scene.  And by the way, the girl playing my girlfriend was a freak but cool and the other two guys in the scene TOTALLY BLEW MAJOR CHUNKS!  Man there are some horrible actors in this world..

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Show: Plain and Simple
By: Eye Spy Productions
Role: Ebenezer Kragwich
Date: Shot Sep 12 - 17

Merrin Trantum (writer/director) giving direction to Deborah and me.

This is going to be one of those films that I'll remember forever.  It was an animated film that only had a couple of main live characters.  Everything else will be animated later.  I mean EVERY thing else.  The walls, the animals, the environment, everything!  It will probably take over a year before it's even close to being done.

It was an awesome experience.  The wall, doors, props, and floor was painted blue.  They even had a little blue piece of cardboard with yellow stickers and dots for eyes that I talked to.  I don't think you've truly acted until your scene partner is a piece of blue cardboard.  You know I think I have acted with wood before...DOH!

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Show: Nature Called and Left a Message
By: The Second City Level 5 Conservatory class - Directed by Norm Holly
Role: Ensemble
Date: Aug 27 - Oct 29

After doing 13 improv shows and 56 weeks of the Conservatory class levels (1 thru 5) at Second City, you put up a show that is the culmination of your training.  The Level 5 class puts up a sketch revue that comes from improvised scenes and scene ideas we bring in.  My class is absolutely amazing and we have a great working relationship with nice open lines of communication.  So we are able to say..."that's good..and that's not so good."

Week 1 - Aug 20

This was our first show and I was very happy with what we put up.  I think it was a great show for our first.  I ended up playing a dwarf, Jesus' brother, and a D. J. at a disco among other wacky fun stuff.

Week 2 - Aug 27

Our second show consisted of some technical issues that pretty much threw the timing off for everyone.  That part sucked, but we had some pretty good things go up.  We all remembered the words to our closing song this time, so that was cool.  In a Jaws blackout, I came out in a sleeveless t-shirt (commonly referred to as a "wife-beater") and terrorized my fellow train riders.  In another visual sketch I killed everyone is slow motion.  In a fun one that needs tightening up, my buddy Adam and I played our respective instruments.  He played the sax and I did the fart hands.  Ella Fitzgerald even showed up to sing!  I guess you had to be there.

Week 3 - Sep 10

In our third show I ended up wearing my "wife-beater" again in our Jaws blackout.  I think people like that sketch and it will probably end up in the final shows.  I played Mayor Daley briefly in a blackout that I don't think the audience got, so we're probably not doing that one again.  I did a pretty fun scene with Dan Stone as brothers at  a NASCAR race.  We ended up sharing intimate details as the loud cars drove by so no one really knew what we said.  It turned out pretty funny.

A highlight for me was when I sang a song solo with a guitar.  It was titled "I Don't Have a Girlfriend."  And if you didn't know, I can't really sing well and I don't know how to play the guitar, so it was a lot of fun and I think the audience liked it.  Which is the important part, of course.  I kinda hope I get to do that in the final shows...we shall see!

Week 4 - Sep 24

Today was one of our tightest shows so far.  Even though the piano player couldn't really play what we needed and we had to cut a really big number.  Of course, he only found out that he was that night's piano player an hour before the show.  From all of that I realized that Second City is just like every other theatre when it comes to little communication problems and technical errors.  It makes it all seem a little more real and not so "mystical."

When we got the running order, I was in nothing!  Which is the way it goes sometimes, so Norm and my class let me do my solo song.  It was pretty cool, except I think I'll change one part that might be offensive to some.

And when we cut the big "Quarter Life Crisis" number, we replaced it with our slow-mo killing scene to the tune of Carmina Burana.  Which incidentally, is my personal favorite thing in the show.

Week 5 - Oct 1

This week's show got cancelled due to lack of attendance...on time attendance that is.  Boy was I pissed.

Week 6 - Oct 8

We had a show this time and it was pretty good.  The audience was small and not too responsive, but they seemed to enjoy themselves.  And once again, I wore my wife-beater to look silly and sang my song and performed in all the group scenes.  It looks like that's gonna be pretty much it for me in this show.  It's a lot of fun, but it sure is tough to put up a show with eleven different minds & senses of humor...whew!

Week 7 - Oct 15

This show was not too shabby.  We are starting to find a good grove.  The house was pretty big so it was a good show.

Week 8 - Oct 22

The house was huge and the show was huge too.  The energy of the crowd made everyone have a really good show.  I think the feelings are starting to show that we are almost done.

Week 9 - Oct 29

Wow!  A sold out house equals an amazing show.  Everybody was on and the show was hot.  I think we all did pretty well for ourselves with this show.  After the show we got free pizza, beer/coke (cola silly), and the famed Second City t-shirt wrapped in a pretty bow.  I think I'll vow to never take the bow off and never wear my shirt.  It just feels too sacred.  Sorry...I'm such a dork!

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Show: "Threshold"
By: Jim Joyce - streamoconscious productions
Role: Bobby
Date: Shot 07/29/01 - 08/02/01

In the film Threshold, my role was very different than I normally play.  It was a hillbilly type, which isn't that hard for me to play as I grew up in the South, but this character had a bit of an edge.  He was in love with the local diner waitress and liked to get into trouble with the tourists that past through his favorite hangout.  But this day, he picked the wrong man to mess with.

The shoot was great with the exception of the sweltering heat inside the abandoned restaurant "Yesterdays" in Evanston, IL.  Luckily the director wanted me to be greasy and sweaty, which was simple to pull off since I sweat like a pig in that kind of heat.

On our final day of shooting the damn monsoon season deciding to rain with what seemed to be baseball size rain.  The streets flooded and, of course in this old restaurant, the basement flooded out and we had to suspend shooting until the afternoon.  We all went back and shot our final scenes and then we wrapped!

The Director (Jim Joyce) and Director of Photography (Kevin Richey) were awesome to work with and I made some new friends with the cast.  I'm sure I'll work with these guys again.

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Show: "Chris Lervings's: Human Hunter"
By: Allan Bott - Lemurian Productions
Role: Jimmy the Pimp
Date: Shot 07/17/01

As I read the side for this audition, and listened to the director explain the role, I knew that I wouldn't get the part.  I did my monologue anyway, of course, and just left it at that.  When I got the call and the offer to do the role...I was like...uh...ok.

And boy am I glad I did.  It was a blast.  My friend Maud was visiting at the time, and did my hair and makeup and the costume was absolutely nuts!  I was playing a bit part as a pimp in a purple crushed velvet jacket and pants set with zebra striping on the cuffs of my pants and sleeves.  I even had Elvis glasses and a load of gold around my neck.

The film was a parody of "The Crocodile Hunter" on the Animal Planet channel.  Except in this episode, he's gone into the big city and runs into a homeless guy, a ho, and his pimp.  And, of course, insanity happens everywhere!

The people were really cool and funny, so the film should definitely show that!

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Show: "Root Canal"
By: Scott Gribble - Wonder Dog Media
Role: Mr. Stans
Date: Shot 05/26/01 thru 05/28/01

I got a message from Scott one day saying that he was considering me for the lead in a short film called "Root Canal" he wrote and would be directing.  He found me on the ChicagoActors.com website.  He explained it as a film about a man's severe fear of dentists.  Since that wouldn't require much "acting" on my part, I accepted the role.

Mr. Stans finds himself at the dentist office in a state of utter shock and paranoia.  So much so that the fish begin to talk to him and he sees wacky visions in empty exam rooms.  The film is very funny and freaky at the same time.  I was able to introduce my good friend Julia to Scott and she ended up getting cast as the dental assistant.  The rest of the cast and crew were very cool and the shoot was a lot of fun.

The plan is to get it into some cool film festivals and to see how she flies!

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Show: Illinois Lottery Print Shoot
By: Ogilvy & Mather - Jean Moss Photgraphy
Role: Cubs Fan
Date: Shot 05/25/01

I got this gig through Lily's Talent Agency.  The audition was a couple of days before the shoot and we just went in dressed as Cubs Fans.  I had no Cubs paraphernalia, so before my ImprovOlympic class (which is right next to Wrigley Field) I went to the souvenir shop and bought about $80.00 worth of Cubs stuff.  The shoot should pay about $200.00 so I'll come out ahead.

For the shoot, we just sat in the stands and cheered like we were at a Cubs game.  The concept is a Cubs fan (the main guy at the shoot) won the Lottery, so he purchased a whole section in the Wrigley stands.  We were the guys behind the velvet rope cheering the game, but a little envious.  But by the time the pictures are developed and the billboards are up, I think the most you'll see is my knee and maybe my hat...on someone else!  I may now retire...I've reached the pinnacle of my career.

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Show: "The 8th Annual Comedy Pig Anniversary"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: April 28

This show was my second time that I was an out-of-town Comedy Pig for the anniversary show.  We had two great shows.  We did an old sketches from the vault and one that brought the house down called "The Spice Boys."  Imagine 5 scantily clad guys singing "If you wanna be my lover."

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Show: "Anarkali at Jallozai"
By: Alex Court
Role: Emperor Akbar
Date: 05/06/01

This was a play reading at Katerina's Coffeehouse.  It was written to bring the plight of the Afghanistan woman to the forefront.  I've never really been involved with such a heavy piece before and it was a little intimidating.  I played an evil emperor who had Anarkali entombed in stone so my son wouldn't look at her.  I wasn't such a nice guy.  But at least I died, so that part was good.

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Show: "cocksurehanded"
By: Jon Bigness
Role: various characters
Date: 03/16/01 - 04/07/01


Visit the website!

This was a crazy sketch show that had crazy fun sketches.  Let's just say that we sang, we danced and my favorite role was Scotty Barnes, your friendly neighborhood porn dealer...enough said.

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Show: "Mancow's Morning Madhouse"
By: Q101
Role: myself
Date: 03/12/01

As a promotional event, the cast of "cocksurehanded" went on the Mancow show to be interviewed and to perform a song from the show.  We waited around forever and went on at the end of the show and did pretty good.  I found the show to be a little too "staged" from the "we are being wild & crazy" people, but it was at least an interesting event.

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Show: "Meeting Mr. Marvelous"
By: Ted Burke for Dreaming Tree Films
Role: Moose Callahan
Date: Shot 02/22/01

A shot of the cafe where I eat and they talk. Moose seems angry at first, but really praises Mr. Marvelous for saving his Great Aunt Betty.

In September of 2000, I sent my headshot to Dreaming Tree Films for consideration for a film they were doing.  I didn't get a call for that film, but on February 19th of 2001 I got a call to audition for the character of Moose in a short film they were doing for a couple of websites.  The audition was the next day, a rehearsal the next, and the shoot the next.  So bada bing, bada boom!

The film is about a girl looking for her "Mr. Marvelous" when little does she know that a caped hero called Mr. Marvelous answers her personal ad.  It's a comical rough start at first, but they seem to get along as time passes.  I play Moose.  The guy in the diner who isn't the neatest eater.

It was amazing fun.  The cast and crew were awesome and everyone at Dreaming Tree Films is unbelievably amazing.  It's like a tight nit family and everyone is very cool.

"Meeting Mr. Marvelous" is one part of a four part series entitled "Book of Stories."  You can see all of the short films on http://www.knin.com or http://www.wbkansas.com.  

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2000

Show: "It's a Miracle"
By: PAX TV
Role: Rick
Date: Shot 11/20/00 & 11/21/00 - Aired 03/15/01


Visit their website!

This was my first gig that I got through my agent (Lily's Talent Agency).  It's a reality based show on the PAX TV network.  Essentially it's miracle type things happening to real people.  Then the show tracks these people down and tells their story through the show.  Their website says: "It's a Miracle" is a one-hour prime time series that features heartwarming, inspirational, true stories of amazing miracles occurring in everyday life.

I played Rick.  A guy who lost his Doberman and ended up being reunited with him after two years.  The dog was saved by these two good Samaritan type dudes from the city.  The dog was near death when they found it.  They think it may have been used for dog fighting.  It was purely chance that Rick went looking for a new puppy at the very place in the suburbs where the two dudes took the dog to be rehabilitated.  It's a miracle!

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Show: "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
By: William Shakespeare
Role: George Page
Date: August 3 - 12


Visit Talisman Theatre!

This was Talisman Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park 2000 series.  The same theatre that I did the play reading "Random Theft and Other Acts" with. The show was a fun time with a great cast.  I met a lot of nice people that I'm sure I'll see again.  My character was one of the two husbands who's wives Falstaff is chasing after.  But they plot and fool him big time in the end.  That crazy Shakespeare!

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Show: "Random Theft and Other Acts"
By: John David Westby
Role: Ham
Date: June 15

This was a new experience for me.  I had done play readings before, but never one with movement.  So we had to do basic blocking and hold our scripts.  I even had to throw around a girl at one point so that was interesting!  This play is a little like "Fargo" with a splash of Quentin Tarantino and a sprinkle of Oliver Stone. 

We did the reading in the Rialto Room at Prairie Rock Brewing Company.  We were basically normal people from the suburbs that turn into amateur bank robbers.  The play takes place in a hotel room after the actual robbery.  Then all hell breaks loose.  It's an awesome play and I hope it is put up one day.

I played "Ham" which is short for Hamilton.  He's a cross between a bad ass and someone with a good heart.  He also seems to always look for love in all the wrong places.  So it wasn't too far of a stretch.....hee....hee.....

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Show: "The 7th Annual Comedy Pig Anniversary"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: May 6

The first time that I was an out-of-town Comedy Pig for the anniversary show.  The Comedy Pigs is an improv and sketch troupe that resides in The Cultural Arts Center in downtown Frederick, Maryland.  I've performed with the troupe since 1997 doing weekend improv shows after Saturday main stage performances and special sketch shows throughout the year.  It was great to see the gang and to perform some of The Comedy Pigs old sketches.

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Show: "The Glass Menagerie"
By: Tennessee Williams
Role: Tom
Dates: April 14 - April 23

My first stage show in the Chicago area, so I was very excited of course.  This show was in Joliet which is about an hour away.  The drive to rehearsals became long, but were a great way to nail down my monologues.  During the run of the shows, I stayed over at my director's house, so that made it easier.  It was a great classic role and I had a lot of fun with a good cast and director.  The odd thing with this show was I had to smoke.  I've never smoked before and I pretty much hate smoking.  So that became loads of fun.  I practiced outside in the back alley and finally figured out that lighting the filter was not the way to do it!

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Show: "Early Edition - The Play's the Thing" 
By: Pat Page & Vic Rubenfeld
Role: Theatre Actor
Date: April 8

My first TV role as an extra.  This was a very cool experience.  The show is shot here in Chicago and I got to see all kinds of things that go on behind the scenes when it comes to shooting a TV show.  And that was the exact reason why I did it.  When you are an extra, the likelihood of being seen in the shot is very low.  But somehow I got pretty lucky and was seen a couple of times in a couple of good shots.  It was just beginners luck I think.  I was seen very quickly in the kitchen as a chef chopping cabbage, in a circle of actors doing an acting exercise and finally in the audience at the end of the episode.

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Show: "Judge Mathis"
By: Orbis Entertainment
Role: Audience Member
Dates: Various


Ok, maybe this really isn't a role, but it was a paying gig!  What a lot of people probably don't realize is the audience at this show comes for free, but they fill the rest of the seats with extras.  They shoot this show in Chicago and it plays nationally on different channels and different times.  I've done a number of episodes, so my mug could be seen who knows when on this thing!  It's a weird environment with all the freaks that come through the courtroom with most of them being really silly problems, but hey...it's a gig!

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1999

Show: "The 3rd Annual Christmas Carnival, Hanukkah Holiday Hoedown and Kwanzaa
             Kraziness" 
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: December 18

This was another wacky Christmas show with a Comedy Pig twist.  We did a carnival outside the theatre with all kinds of crazy booths for people to have fun with.  My buddy Mark and I did improv, one magic trick and other insane things for tickets!  Between the carnival and show, Sara English McDonald sang and then the Pigs went on to do a blazing set of improv and sketches.  This was my final show as a Frederick resident so it was like a farewell show for me.  Tad made a few comments at the curtain call that were really nice, so that was pretty cool.

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Show: "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"
By: Steve Martin
Role: Freddy
Dates: November 12 - December 11

This was my final play with the group that I got my start with, so this was a special show near and dear to my heart.  I never really got to slow down and enjoy the little moments that I knew I would miss, but I look back with many happy thoughts.  As Freddy the bartender, I got experience with being on stage almost the whole show, but not necessarily talking all the time.  Quite a chore I might add!  It was a perfect show for the MET to do because of the underlying theme of toasting a new century.  For me it was also like toasting a new career to come!  

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Show: "The Traveling Dingleberry's Variety Hour!"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: September 18

This was a wacky show hosted by Cletus & Cyrus Dingleberry flavored with a menagerie of characters from the Dingleberry family.  The show was full of songs and sketches parodying a variety hour style show.  To give you an idea of this show, the final character I played had been living in a cave for most of his life where a coyote had eaten his wife.  And of course, this lead into a song!

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Show: "The 2nd Way Off Broadway Who-Done-It"
By: Susan Thornton 
Role: Detective & Ensemble
Dates: September 10 - November 6

I was invited back to Way Off Broadway for another murder mystery show.  I accepted of course and had a lot of fun.  I got to work with some really fun people and had a good time with the crowd.  I played around with a couple of different characters like an artist who couldn't paint and had a horrible French accent!  That was a fun one!

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Show: "Hunting Humans"
By: Kevin Kangas
Role: Frank
Date: August 12


In bed almost getting shot.    The makeup for a wound.    The final confrontation.        A shot over my elbow.

This was an independent film that I was involved with.  I was only needed one day and night on August 12th.  My friend Bubby got me the gig.  He was already involved when another actor bailed and the Director asked if anybody knew someone who could play a scummy detective and Bubby thought of me of course.  It was a great experience and I once again got a chance to learn valuable things about filmmaking. 

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Show: "2nd Annual Miss Pig Pageant"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Miss Overlook
Date: June 26 

The first one was so nuts, the Pigs had to do it again.  My duty was to hand over my crown to the new winner.  I also got to show the crowd my winning talent from last year.  The Amazing Magical Mystical Musical Hands!  A guy won again!  My buddy Mark won with a brilliant song and dance number.  The crowd went wild.  I'm sure this show will continue for many years to come!

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Show: "Death by Deception"
By: Murder Mystery Express
Role: Detective Richard Short
Dates: June 5 - August 21

My third year doing the murder mystery show that myself and a gang of talented people developed.  It was a fun goodbye to a good run of shows.  During this particular run, my buddy Mark and I even did a "Jesse James" type train where we attacked the train and robbed everyone of their fake jewelry and money.  I even made a little girl cry.  It was so sad.  But hey...it was a paying gig!

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Show: "The Taming of the Shrew"
By: William Shakespeare
Role: Petruchio
Dates: April 23 - May 8

This is one of those shows that you remember for the rest of your life!  Picture this:  I'm online and a friend begins chatting with me and asks me if I'd like to audition for this show.  I say "of course."  She said the audition was in two days and I say "no problem" and then she tells me the fun part.  The show opens in a week!  Apparently the original Petruchio injured himself doing a stage stunt (which they later cut of course).  They needed someone to step in immediately!  They auditioned one guy on Saturday and me on Sunday.  The audition was basically walking through the show holding the script!

I got the role and did nothing else but work on the lines every waking moment until we opened.  I had four days to learn this role and this was tech week!  The producer and director got an ear prompter for me to wear that I concealed in my pouch and inside my shirt.  So I had to do the blocking, fighting, ranting and raving while speaking in Shakespeare's verse and listening to the original Petruchio in my ear!  I got the lines after the first week or so, but the ear prompter stayed in for backup.  The ear prompter actually came out once during the wooing scene with Kate.  I just kept going and put the earpiece back in.  You should have seen the look in Kate's eyes!

Looking back, this was an insane endeavor.  I also realized that my main goal was to calm the rest of the cast and crew so they would know that the show would go on.  They had put in a lot of work for a long time and I'm sure they thought all was lost.  It was, of course, and incredible learning experience and I can now say that I've got first hand experience with the phrase "the show must go on!"

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Show: "Same Time, Next Year"
By: Bernard Slade
Role: George
Dates: March 5 - 14

This was my first and only show with the Fredericktowne Players.  It seemed next to impossible to get cast in one of their shows.  I think I auditioned for three or four shows before finally getting this one!  I think I got this role because so many people were too scared to audition.  This was a really tough role because you're on stage the whole time with one other person and have so many lines and costume changes that leap you into the future.  On opening night, my costumer (Steve Ross) wore a pink feather boa for my first costume change.  What a nut!  It was really cool to develop a character that grew old in front of the audience.  I had fun working on the idiosyncrasies and changes throughout his life.  Sadly, the last show we did was for about a dozen people in the middle of a snowstorm.  Not the best way to end a run I might add.  But still, it was another great learning experience for me.

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1998

Show: "Runaway Bride"
By: Paramount Pictures
Role: Extra
Date: December

This was my first extra gig.  It was pretty cool.  I learned a whole bunch of film terms, dos and don'ts and all kinds of things that would help me in the future.  I got to see Julia Roberts and Richard Gere so that was pretty cool.  I did a couple of different days but was only used for one shot.  I drove a white van in the background of a scene.  I doubt it even made it into the movie, but it was still pretty cool.

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Show: "The 2nd Annual Christmas Carnival, Hanukkah Holiday Hoedown and Kwanzaa
            Kraziness"

By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Dates: December 11 - 19

Our second Christmas show, but our first in our own space!  It was a good show with our take of the insane Christmas holiday fever with Kwanzaa Kraziness added to this years show.  We didn't want to leave anyone out from the special kind of love only The Comedy Pigs can give!

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Show: "The Baby Dance"
By: Jane Anderson
Role: Ron Davis
Dates: September 11 - October 10

My first straight play and dramatic role.  It was a special show because the cast consisted of the four very same people that I started with when the theatre and company was just a dream.  I also got to work with a very talented director who had worked with and taught numerous people from the realm of film, TV and stage.

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Show: "All in the Timing"
By: David Ives
Roles: Milton/Al
Dates: September 11 - October 10

A great show to be a part of.  This was a collection of six one acts where everyone in the cast did more than one role.  Three of the actors even directed two shows a piece.  A true collaborative effort by all.  My favorite part was playing a monkey who typed on an old typewriter and loved to swing on a tire swing.  It was hung from one of the rafters and I was told my butt showed when I would swing around.  Damn, I always like to show my butt for some reason.  This show was special for another reason.  It was the first show that I acted in at our new space.  Wow!  What a feeling!

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Show: "1st Annual Miss Pig Pageant"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Miss Overlook
Date: July 25

This started out as a fundraiser idea for The Comedy Pigs and turned into an event that would be remembered for a long time to come!  Originally just women would compete for the coveted "Miss Pig" crown, but somehow I got in there in a dress just to add some surefire comedy I think.  We did an evening gown, talent and swimsuit competition and when it was all said and done, I won!  How weird is that!  I went on to ride in a convertible car in Frederick's 250th Anniversary Parade.  It was a blast and I think the crowd loved it.  Boy, am I scary as a woman or what!

 

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Show: "The Music Man"
By: Meredith Wilson
Role: Charlie Cowell
Dates: July 3 - 12

Since I can't sing, I auditioned for the only role in the play that didn't sing.  I don't think anyone else auditioned for this part, so my odds were good.  It was a fun role and the lead girl slapped a big kiss on me (it was part of the show).  You should have seen me mouthing the words during the curtain call.  I sounded awesome!

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Show: "The Comedy Pigs" - the first weekly gig in our own space!
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: June 20

This was our first weekly gig in our own space!  The Comedy Pigs began a long road of performing every Saturday night after the main stage performance.  Oh what fun!

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Show: "The Papa John Chronicles"
By: Murder Mystery Express
Role: Joey Pizza'
Dates: June 13 - September 25

The show was such a success in our first year the train people asked us back and added more dates.  I got most of the same crew back and we once again developed a fun show.  This show centered around the family rivalry between the Dominos family and the Papa John family (ala The Godfather).

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Show: "The 5th Annual Comedy Pigs Anniversary"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: June 5 - 6

This was our first gig in our own space!  What a feeling!  We had been working hard since January on cleaning up the building and getting it ready for shows.  The anniversary gig was a perfect show to do as our first in the theatre that we had built ourselves.  The space happened because of a group of dedicated people and a number of wonderful volunteers.  One of the crazy things we did for this show was our take on the rising fame of The Spice Girls.  Picture five guys in skimpy outfits singing "Wannabe."  We were The Spice Boys of course!

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1997

Show: "The 1st Annual Christmas Carnival or Hanukkah Holiday Hoedown"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: December 13

This was an awesome gig.  We had it in the Jack B. Kussmaul Theatre at FCC.  We had the lobby full of fun booths that were a big hit with the crowd.  One super cool thing was performing at my booth with my best buddy Steve.  We did improv, the infamous fart hands and a big kiss if you paid enough tickets.  Not a real kiss mind you.  Two bands played before our show and then the Pigs went on for a really tight show.  One of the things that stick in my mind was the spoof on Michael Flatley.  The crowd went nuts!

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Show: "The Comedy Pigs at Avanti Ristorante"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble
Date: October 25


Pictured (left to right - clockwise)
Trent (me), Tad, Sophie, Randy, Gene', Wendy, Tom, Joel & Rona

My first official gig as a Pig!  It was exactly 2 years and 23 days since I started taking improv and acting classes with The Ensemble School.  I had filled in on a couple of games in a past show, but this was my first time as a full fledged Comedy Pig.  I had been hanging around and selling tickets and t-shirts at Pig gigs since I met these guys.  I think they finally decided to let me in because they knew I wasn't going away any time soon.  I felt honored to be part of a very talented troupe that I respected and looked up to.  We did an out of town gig on the back room stage of Avanti Ristorante in Charles Town, West Virginia.  Little did I know, that I would be doing "Taming of the Shrew" a few blocks away eighteen months later.

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Show: "One of the Gang"
By: C. J. Crowe
Role: Colin
Date: October 23

This was a murder mystery show in Annapolis, Maryland.  The guys from the Renaissance Festival needed someone to fill in on one of their other shows with very little notice.  I got the script faxed to me and read it in the car on the way there!  I was suppose to have an Irish accent which didn't come off too well, but the best part was being a highly trained hit man that shoots the guy at the end.  It was the first time I had fired this particular prop gun and my ears are still ringing from that bang!

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Show: "Maryland Renaissance Festival"
By: Carolyn Spedden and Mike Field
Role: Christopher Beeston
Dates: August 23 - October 19


"The Southwark Players"
(left to right) Phillip Verbage (Tee Morris), Christopher Beeston (me),
Sally Sly (Kelley Kelso Anthony) and Humphrey Henslow (Russell Therrien)

I only auditioned for this to have lunch with this girl that was in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  That lunch did end up happening and we even started dating!  Woo hoo!  My monologue audition was horrible but my improv part must have got me in.  I got the role of a traveling actor with a merry band of fellows.  We basically went around the whole area making everyone laugh.  It was a tough gig because we mostly walked around all day, but it was fun entertaining the crowd.

                                   
Wooing a beautiful maiden.                      Getting wooing pointers.                        Dueling dancing Flatleys. 

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Show: "Ashes on the Bridge"
By: Ensemble
Role: Arthur Gibson
Dates: June 28 - August 16

I got a call one day to do a murder mystery show on a train.  I thought sure!  Sounds like fun!  It turned out that they wanted me to really "do" a murder mystery show.  As in, hire actors, create the show, rehearse it and put it up!  I, with no experience in creating a show, said of course yes!  It was a little bumpy at first, but I hired fun people with improv skills and together we created a fun show that the audiences really enjoyed.

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Show: "Lost in the Present"
By: Mitch Teemley
Role: Robert
Date: July 28

This was a one act piece that was part of The Source Theatre Festival.  The girl I was dating at the time brought me along to the audition because the director said to bring someone she was comfortable with (there was kissing).  We both got the parts and off we went.  It was a pretty cool piece and the first time I performed in Washington, D. C.

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Show: "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
By: William Shakespeare
Role: Peter Quince
Dates: April 11 - April 13

My first Shakespeare role so I was very pleased to get the part.  I met people that have been friends every since so that was pretty cool.  I had a good time with the show and learned some valuable acting lessons as well.

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Show: "42nd Street"
By: Harry Warren (music), Al Dubin (lyrics), Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble (book)
Role: Andy Lee
Dates: January 10 - March 22

I rotated with another guy in this show.  He wasn't available for almost half the shows, so I got to do a good bit of the run.  This being a musical, I began to show off my talent of "mouthing" the words and smiling while everyone else sang.  If you didn't know, I can't sing one note.  Nope, not even one note.  Me singing sounds like Chewbacca getting beat with a bat!

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1996

Show: "The Comedy Pigs New Years Eve Show"
By: The Comedy Pigs
Role: Ensemble (swing)
Date: December 31

I was slotted to fill in for Sophie because she couldn't make the show.  At the last minute, she was able to get out of work but Tad still allowed me to do a couple of games.  I was still a student with The Ensemble School at the time, but boy was I ready to get on stage!  I think the Pigs thought I was a little "too" ready for my own good, so it was a long time before I got into the main show.  I had an awesome time that night and man I was fired up to get back on stage one day!

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Show: "The Way Off Broadway Who-Done-It"
By: Susan Thornton
Role: Detective & Ensemble
Dates: I can't remember - the summer I think

My very first paying gig!  This was a very fun murder mystery show.  We basically had a rotating cast of crazy characters, but I mainly played the Detective.  Another first for me was waiting tables.  We only had to take drink and dessert orders, but it was still tough!  I was a horrible waiter, but luckily my character was a bumbling detective (big stretch) so that helped.

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Show: "Maryland Ensemble Theatre Benefit"
By: The Comedy Pigs & The Ensemble School
Role: Ensemble
Date: April 26

I was studying improv with The Ensemble School at the time and this wasn't a paying gig, but it was the first time I performed in front of a big crowd.  It was a benefit at The Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, Maryland to raise money for Maryland Ensemble Theatre.  It was an improv gig with students from The Ensemble School and The Comedy Pigs.  I was only in a few improv games, but it was a big rush doing improv in front of an audience.  I knew I definitely wanted to do more in the future!

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1995

Show: "Twelfth Night" - my first time improvising!
By: The Ensemble School
Role: Ensemble
Date: December

The very first time I improvised in front of a crowd.  This was like a recital for our acting and improv class.  I did a scene from "True West" (horribly I might add) and we did an improv set.  We were only students performing for our friends and family, but it was still awesome.  I knew that I wanted to be an actor forever, and this night just confirmed what I always thought.  Making people laugh was the way to go!

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