I have the great honor of teaching Acting to select group of BFA and MFA students at the University of Connecticut in the Department of Dramatic Arts. Many of them are now making great strides in the film and television industries, as well as in theater. This month, I had the pleasure of catching up
Improvising for film is one of the most exciting and memorable creative challenges I have had as an actor. It is a sure fire way of creating unforgettable scenes with intense, immediate performances. Director Francesca Joseph and I had been collaborating for several months on the outline of a script called Tomorrow La Scala! before
Over the years students have approached me from inside and outside the School of Fine Arts with requests for an independent study in film. There is no film school at UCONN and although we have classes in Drama and Art and Art History, students often want to pursue their own projects such as live action,
I was so excited to discover the half hour comic drama Transparent by Jill Soloway, writer of Six Feet Under. Starring Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent is about a 70 year old man who transitions from a he to a she and the subsequent reaction by his grown up family. Based on Soloway’s experience of her own
“Everything that kills me makes me feel alive” sing One Republic in Counting Stars. It could be the theme song for Serendipity, the protagonist in my original television pilot Red Fish, Blue Fish. Serendipity is a complex woman of contrasts seeking that next dopamine rush. She is her own worst enemy, a pleasure seeker, a
One of the joys of making art lies in the collaborative process. Sure it can be frustrating and arduous, but when you are creating with like-minded souls, working towards a common goal, it is a deeply fulfilling experience. I recently attended a workshop led by Robert McKee. His subject was long form television with a
I cannot help but bring the political into my work. Whether I am writing or directing, I am interested in how the issue of power filters into a story. When directing Pride and Prejudice I was compelled to delve into Mary Wollstonecraft and really investigate the social and economic pressures that shape Darcy and Elizabeth.
