Looking backward, thankfully

Another year comes to a close. My agent is on a well-deserved vacation and the auditions have all but stopped. Not much happens in the way of pursuing theatre work from now through the end of the year, so I think this is the right time to look back at the year and see the many things for which I can be grateful.
I was lucky enough to be part of a new musical called THE MOLLY MAGUIRES. I have no idea what the future holds for this piece but the experience allowed me to reconnect my love of all things Irish with my belief in theatre. I met wonderful people and felt inspired and hopeful. I consider it lucky to leave each show with one person who will remain a friend. We meet so many people that it's impossible to stay connected to them all. However, this show left me with a number of friends that will be around a while.
I was fortunate to be able to say the same about the other two major shows I worked on this year: LES MISERABLES (which I'd always wanted to perform) and a new version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS. Wonderful people, interesting places, and exciting work.
I also learned some difficult lessons about ego and business and promises. Some were hard lessons, but I'm grateful for the learning and the chance to carry that knowledge forward with me. Disappointments can often be as informative as successes.
I've rediscovered a desire to write, both here and on my other website www.happyhourmobile.com. Both allow me to explore in different ways and claim my own voice which actors can so often lose track of in the constant search for work and approval.
I'm still happy to live in New York. A city that constantly surprises and offers endless adventure.
I'll look forward as a New Year approaches. Today, I look backward with thanks. I hope you can do the same. Go ahead. Give yourself a hug. They're free.

What can my pizza teach me?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have long believed that pizza is the perfect food. Hey, it has all the major food groups, right? It stands to reason that I would end up in New York arguable the pizza center of the universe (settle down in Chicago. I said arguably.) But something sinister is seeping into the pizza landscape. When I first moved in I noticed, and read articles to the fact, that most of the major pizza chains had chosen to avoid New York. It was a conscious choice made in light of all the fantastic corner pizza places throughout the city, most of which deliver.
So, why have I noticed more and more of the franchises throughout the boroughs and around my neighborhood? Why are the familiar pizza chains becoming a common sight here? There was a time no self-respecting New Yorker would be seen ordering from them. What is it that pushes people to turn to the familiar choice, even if it's not the better one? It's a mystery to me why the McDonald's in Times Square is always busy when there are unique, inexpensive quality options only a block or two away. This "strip-malling" of the city, and ultimately the nation, is something I've written about with my partners in another website, www.happyhourmobile.com, where we've seen our local pubs and taverns disappearing only to be replaced by more corporate, less original establishments (oh, to have McHale's and the Collins Bar back again...).
And why is this appearing in a blog about being an actor? Sadly, the same "play it safe" attitude has seeped into the theatre. Familiar faces, often from the world of TV and film, appear repeatedly. Artistic experimentation has almost ceased to exist on Broadway as large companies move in and look at the finances first and the material second. Not all of them are bad. Some are good. It's the variety, the risk, the thrill that's missing. The willingness to sample something unknown.
Well, they can't take my pubs. And they can't take my theatre. And they can't take my pizza. I choose to spend my time and money elsewhere. And I hope you'll stop and think about that before you order your next number four double-sized to go. Why have Wonder bread when you can have an everything bagel? Go on, be a Pizza hero.
I'm going down the street to get a slice at Brother's.

A Friday in November and chasing the next job

First, a word on auditions: If you are lucky enough to have an agent, he/she will submit you for auditions. The Producer or casting director or director will look at all of the headshots and resumes submitted and decide who they would like to invite for an audition appointment. If you don't get an appointment, you can usually go to the union hosted auditions which are called Equity Principal Auditions. For these, you arrive early in the morning (they are first come, first served) to sign up for a time later in the day. These lines can begin forming as early as 5 or 6 in the morning and often attract hundreds of actors, depending on the project. Obviously, it's preferable to get an appointment through your agent rather than burn an entire day getting up early, signing up, returning for audition, etc. Keep in mind, not all actors have agents. Not all agents get their clients every audition. Sound complicated? It is. And we haven't even discussed chorus auditions or non-union auditions. We'll save those for another time.

Today, I emailed my agent to find out if I would be getting an appointment for an upcoming show. I have an excellent agent. I'm one of very few actors who don't complain about their agents. Unfortunately, this time she wasn't able to get me an appointment. This doesn't happen often, especially given that the audition in question is a decent job, but not exactly the highest of profile. End result: I'll be going to the Equity audition on Monday. Things like this are happening to me and my friends more often right now. Why? Well, it's a fairly quiet time right now for auditions so competition is more fierce. However, I think there's another force at work here: the Writers' Guild Strike. Television and film production has virtually stopped and that means a lot of tv and film actors looking for work. Where do they head? Many head back to the theatre leaving the rest of us with a larger pool of competition. Competition with face recognition from the screen. I'm not blaming the writers at all. I'm in full sympathy with their strike, actually. Reality however means that some of us will be left scrambling for jobs.

So I began this blog to take back some control during an uncontrolled period in the workplace. And to share the actor experience with anyone who is interested.

This weekend I'll be seeing a show. Good shows excite me and motivate me. Bad shows can make me angry or sad. They almost always make me frustrated at the waste of money creating "art" that is too often controlled by corporate entities. We'll see how the show makes me feel...
Enjoy your weekend!

A beginning

It seemed like an auspicious time to begin this new blog. Broadway resumed last night after a 19 day strike by the stagehands union. The year is coming to a close and hope for the future is in the air. So here I am.
And who am I? My name is Mark Aldrich and I've been a working professional actor for well over a decade. I'm far from famous, but have made my living pursuing one of the most difficult and unpredictable careers around. It can also be one of the most rewarding, full of interesting people and travel and creativity. Those come hand in hand with the rejection, self-doubt and instability. Actors are misunderstood in many places. Most of us are neither rich and spoiled nor starving in a garret tortured by creative demons. We simply want to raise a family, have a home, pay our bills and be actors. True, some seek fame. Some seek wealth. Most that I know simply want to work.
So here we go. Follow along as I blog about what it really is to pursue this in that supposedly harshest of cities, New York. I guarantee you're in for some surprises.


Some words about myself: I've appeared on LAW&ORDER and LAW&ORDER:SVU. I was (briefly) in the film GODS AND GENERALS. However, I mostly appear on the stage, often singing. I've been seen in numerous Off-Broadway shows, some have won awards, some have passed unnoticed. I've performed in nearly all the 50 states. I can be heard on a few cast albums. There are two shows I'm a part of that are looking to be on Broadway within the next year or so. I belong to the three major acing unions: Actors' Equity, SAG, and AFTRA. I'm an actor. I live in New York.