2010 in Review

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End-of-year lists can be so tedious.  I know this.  And yet here we are.  Because the only thing more tedious than end-of-year lists is searching for some documentation of some thing that happened a year or two or three ago, and not being able to find anything about it because I was too lazy/tired/overjoyed/myopic/disassociated to actually write about it.  I therefore offer up this end-of-year list as a compendium of my professional shenanigans so that searching for them in the future won’t drive me crazy.  You’re welcome, Me. Be sure to thank me later. In 2010 I made my living in front of an audience and behind the mic.  And for that I am so deeply in awe.  So deeply grateful for my fortuity.  While our economy is not nearly as bad as 2009, it’s still in terrible disarray and record numbers of people are still unemployed.  Even so, I was able to make a modest living via my profession; a modest living that didn’t require me to engage in morally questionable behavior (the kind where one would accompany a raised eyebrow with ‘actress’ in air-quotes).

Without further ado, my performance highlights of 2010:

January

February

  • Began rehearsals for the Science Museum of Minnesota’s next exhibition – The Dead Sea Scrolls: Words That Changed the World, wherein we would perform a three-minute introductory monologue for visitors every 7.5 minutes.  In all honesty, it was mind-numbing, but the visitors were mostly appreciative.
  • Interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio’s Chris Roberts about my line-memorization techniques – ultimately compiled into a clever on-air story and accompanying slideshow with fellow actors Steven Epp, Mo Perry and Clarence Wethern.
  • The Big Oscar Crunch 2010 – wherein I try to see as many of the Oscar-nominated films as humanly possible before the awards ceremony.  The fun of doing it that way is not only seeing excellent movies, but actually feeling invested in more than just the red carpet.
  • Started rehearsals for Spring of Freedom/Summer of Fear – a new Iranian play by Ali G. Ravi , produced by Table Salt Productions.
  • VO gig for Carlson Companies – got to put Nurse Evelyn Marsden’s darling English accent to good use.

March

  • Devastated to drop out of Spring of Freedom/Summer of Fear due to a harrowing family crisis which, because it apparently wasn’t bad enough, led to a nasty case of shingles.  Yes, shingles.  Probably the worst three weeks of my adult life to date.
  • Called in by the lovely Barbara Shelton at Bab’s Casting to audition for a new WB pilot Mike and Molly.  The network was looking for someone 30 pounds overweight.  I was exactly that (not anymore, thanks to a newfound love of yoga), and so happily went in.  Between the script (and the eventual casting choice), it became quite clear that LA thinks 30 pounds overweight is the same thing as obese.  Surprising?  Not really.
  • Called in by the Guthrie Theater to audition for the role of Eunice in Streetcar Named Desire.  Almost missed the e-mail because I assumed it was Guthrie marketing spam and was about to delete it.  Didn’t recognize the sender’s name, though, so opened it.  Close call.
  • VOs for Nexxus demos/animatics.  These are voice-overs for a concept by the ad agency for the client.  If it gets approved by the client, the agency then films the spots.  Since I almost never watch commercial TV, I have no idea if these ever made it though the pipeline...my guess is no (especially since many of these were the same as, or similar to, the ones I did in April 2009).

April

  • VOs for Nexxus demos/animatics – two more sessions.
  • Public reading of Casa Cushman, a new work by NYC’s Tectonic Theater Project (the folks who brought you The Laramie Project, at the University of Minnesota Nolte Center.

May

  • Crickets. Both figurative and literal.  Aside from live science demonstrations at the Science Museum of Minnesota, it appears that I did nothing performance-related in May.  And I went camping.
  • On Tuesday, May 11, amongst of a jumble of scheduled meetings and things to do, I found written in my calendar, “Hell-cat Maggie and Slops McConnell.”  I have no idea what that means, but I think it’s funny, so thought I would share with anyone who is still reading by this point.  Kiss, kiss.

June More crickets.  Figurative.  See May.

July

August

  • 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival, and my performance in Walking Shadow’s critically acclaimed See You Next Tuesday.  I was so excited to be back at the festival that I advance-purchased an Ultra Pass, with which I ended up only seeing three shows due to an emergency hospital visit and an emergency vet visit.  2010 was not turning out to be a great year for health.
  • VO spots (more, again) for Marketplace Events home shows with Ty Pennington – TV and Radio (listen).  Continued airings on HGTV and ABC.

September

October

  • Obscenely busy month that had almost nothing to do with performing.  Included business travel to San Francisco for continued work on behalf of the Science Museum of Minnesota for NISE Net (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network), with a little leisure travel to San Diego and LA on the side.
  • No! Wait!  Because of my General Mills VOs in September, this is the month that I was required to join the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG)!  That’s right, I got my SAG card in October.  October was not an actorly loss, after all.

November

  • Started rehearsals for a three-week, 30-hours/week workshop of Casa Cushman – in collaboration with NYC’s Tectonic Theater Project, choreographer Carl Flink, University of Minnesota Department of Theater Arts and Dance, a couple other U of M departments that I can’t recall at the moment, and The Playwrights’ Center.
  • Sent live the brand-spankin’-shiny-new leighahorton.com.

December

  • Performance of Casa Cushman at the Northrop Auditorium.  This was a wild ride, and at the end of it all, despite some crazy-cray-cray, it was kind of awesome.  And I kind of loved it.
  • VOs for General Mills (42 in total) for Progresso Light Soups, Yoplait and Yoplait Light Yogurts, and Big G Cereals national TV spots.  I just about died and went to heaven.
  • VOs for Marketplace Events Home Shows with Ty Pennington – third year running!
  • Authored and published a children’s book for NISE Net, Alice in Nanoland, which, as you read this, is being mailed to 200 informal science education institutions (science museums, children’s museums, etc.) across the nation in the 2011 NanoDays kits.  What a curious little experience that was.

And there we have it!  The months of 2010 demonstrate both feast and famine and average out to healthy; December being, by far, the most entertaining (well, for me, anyway).  I continue to stand, mouth agape, at the wondrous profession I have chosen and the beautiful trajectory it has taken thus far.  I cannot wait to see what delightful paths await!

Such a Thing as an Aural Peek?

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Oh how I love me some public library.  I just ordered a slew of audio books recommended by friends, as I have somehow been on this earth without ever having listened to one that didn’t also provide chimes that alert me when I need to turn the page.  Side note - through the magic of scotch-taped tabs, the Rip Van Winkle audio-tape was the first sacrificial lamb to my homemade strawberry-shortcake-bedroom-slash-recording-studio - “take THAT, boring old white guy!”  I was five.  Cut me some slack. Anyway, I figure if I’m interested in delving into the world of long-form audio narrative, which I am, I had better do some research on what works and what doesn’t. Take an aural peek, if you will.  So a few months back I put out a request in hopes of discovering what single-narrator audio books most delighted my friends, based on the narrator’s read, not necessarily on the quality of the book in question.  And the results were many:

  • Jim Dale’s readings of the Harry Potter series (this came highly recommended by many)
  • Just about anything written and read by David Sedaris or John Hodgman
  • Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation
  • Lisette Lecat’s reading of The Double Comfort Safari Club
  • Tony Horwitz’ reading of his own novel, A Voyage Long and Strange
  • Patrick Tull’s readings of the Aubrey/Machurin series
  • Ralph Fiennes’ reading of Oscar and Lucinda
  • David Tennant’s readings of the Dr. Who series

First off, I’ve gotta admit I am shocked (shocked, I tell you!) by how many of my friends listen to audio books.  Second, I was thrilled by the great response and look forward to taking a listen.  Third, I am always looking for more inspiration - so if you have any favorites, please share them in the comments here or privately via my contact form.

And fourthly, ahhhh, the unfortunate fourthly: I can’t believe I call myself a voice-over artist and haven’t listened to an audiobook since I was a little dude.  It’s embarrassing.  That’s like saying I’m a doctor, but have never looked inside somebody’s ear - except for when I used to practice on my teddy bears.  Guh.

Hello, Chosen Profession, meet Responsibility.  Being a grown-up is hard.

An Actor Prepares (Her Taxes)

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Taxes. Bleh. I’m not going to wax poetic about the royal pain in the hoo-ha that is filing taxes every year - especially actor taxes that come in the form of a slew of W-2s and 1099s, a kajillion itemized deductions, and a bevy of industry-specific tax questions that tend to escape the expertise of the average tax preparer. Instead, I plan to arm you with the best resources I have: ONE - Fox Tax. These fellows know their business. They know artists. They specialize in artists. They’re affordable to artists.

TWO - Actor’s Tax Tips. Free! A brand spankin’-new blog by local actor and tax whiz and all-around responsible and intelligent guy, Mark Bradley.

THREE - The Actor’s Tax Guide. Not free! But totally worth it! Chock-full of industry-specific tax info for you, handy-dandy worksheets, organizational advice, AND tax-deductible! By the aforementioned Mark Bradley. And he’s local, so if he steers you wrong, you “know where to find him.”

FOUR - Backstage.com’s Actors’ Assets. I just found these articles today when looking up what it means to be a “Qualified Performing Artist.” They’re well written and quite informative. I must say, though, $16,000 cap on your adjusted gross income?! What a joke. Too bad “Qualified Performing Artist” and “Successful Performing Artist” seem to be mutually exclusive.

If you, too, have a little bundle of actor tax preparation secrets up your sleeve, by all means, do share. Misery does love its company, does it not?

January Noise

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Startin’ off the year in fine vocal form - ten more voice-over spots for radio, six more for TV.  All in all, that makes for a grand total of 34 voiceover spots recorded in December and January alone.  Whee! Wait - just wait - before you start making plans to roll me on my way to the gym tomorrow - know that this is merely preventing a personal economageddon (to make up for the slim 15 hours per week I’ll be performing at the museum until the start of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition mid-March).  Therefore, there will not be any extra cash on my person.  And we’ll have to cancel the order for Cristal.

We cool now?  Good.  Until it’s lottery-induced party time, sooth thyself with these here dulcet tones:

[audio: http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/ParentAwareRatings30.mp3] ParentAwareRatings.org :30 ParentAwareRatings.org Recorded at Babble-On

[audio: http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/ParentAwareRatings60.mp3] ParentAwareRatings.org :60 ParentAwareRatings.org Recorded at Babble-On

[audio: http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/StKatesradioInterviewJan2010.mp3] St. Catherine University: Interview :60 (Jane) St. Catherine University Recorded at Babble-On

(audio coming soon) Home Shows: Washington, D.C.; Buffalo, NY; Orlando, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Denver, CO; Indianapolis, IN Marketplace Events Recorded at Audio Ruckus

And, as always, remember you can listen to the whole shebang (most stuff I’ve done over the past couple of years) via VoiceZam.

A Little Something for The Show-Me State

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The previous post here at the greenroom involved me doing a whole lotta tootin' my own horn, but not so much tootin' of the finished products.  So I'm here to remedy that. Missouri would be proud. In relative order of recording, here are some of my spots from 2009:

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/HomeShow_Denver_radio_60.mp3] Denver Home Show with Ty Pennington Marketplace Events* Recorded at Audio Ruckus

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/HomeShow_Philly_30.mp3] Philadelphia Home Show with Ty Pennington Marketplace Events* Recorded at Audio Ruckus

*There are a kajillion of these spots in both TV and radio format for locations all over the U.S. I was hoping to post some of my better reads in cooler markets (hello, DC! hello, New York!), but a certain production house wasn't very interested in e-mailing me the spots, regardless of kind, timely requests. *ahem*

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/ACME.mp3] ACME: Spring Savings Supervalu Recorded at Babble-On

Okay - now that you've heard the ACME spot, I should warn you that the rest of these "Grocery Store: Spring Savings" spots are nearly identical. Feel free to skip right on down to the Caribou Coffee spots and resume listening there.

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Albertsons.mp3] Albertsons: Spring Savings Supervalu Recorded at Babble-On

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Biggs.mp3] Biggs: Spring Savings Supervalu Recorded at Babble-On

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/CUB.mp3] CUB: Spring Savings Supervalu Recorded at Babble-On

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Hornbachers.mp3] Horbachers: Spring Savings Supervalu Recorded at Babble-On

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Jewel_Osco.mp3] Jewel-Osco: Spring Savings Supervalu Recorded at Babble-On

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/CaribouCoffee_RippingMonday.mp3] Caribou Coffee: Ripping + Happy Monday Caribou Coffee Recorded at Babble-On

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/OldElPaso_Mariachi.mp3] Old El Paso: Mariachi General Mills Recorded at Babble-On

And as luck would have it, I've already recorded a few spots for other clients this month, but those in the new year merit a new post. You'll just have to come back later. Aren't I a tease?

Or hell, you could just visit VoiceZam to hear a more comprehensive selection of my voice-overs to date.  Plenty of stuff is left out for various nefarious reasons (audio is tied to the video and I don't feel like futzing with that whole process, never got a copy from the engineer, sound quality is "meh," my read = "no likey," etc.), but there's a fine sampling of my wares.  Be warned that the damn thing auto-plays as soon as you open the link - probably not the stealthiest way to slack off at work.

2009 In Review

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Oh dearest 2009, how I neglected to give you a proper adieu. But because I always need to have the last word, your shenanigans shall not go untouted nor unscathed. This here is my farewell parting shot: The past year brought a load of work, a load of appreciation for the work I was getting, and one giant, lazy attitude toward writing about it.  Of particular note, midway through 2009 I was able to make a return to performing for a living.  “What?  What do you mean?    Actresses in the Twin Cities aren’t filthy stinking rich and famous?!”  Surprisingly, no, not so much.  See, periodically a girl like me is obliged to suck it up and take a part-time “day job” to keep some steady cash rolling in while filling in the rest with voice-overs and stage work.  What is this world coming to?

What happened was this: in June I was cast as Nurse and First-Class Stewardess Evelyn Marsden in Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota, as well as joined the museum’s Science Live Theater cast. When at the museum, but not in 1912 costume, I bust out my mad knowledge of nanoscience to thwart an Evil Scientist From The Future, as well as demonstrate the important properties of surface area by blowing giant fireballs and discussing chemical reactivity.  It has been a joy to perform regularly for the (what by now must be) thousands of audience members taking an interest in science.  Additionally, I am responsible for coordinating and moderating public forums for adults about nanoscale science on behalf of NISE Net (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network).  Moreover, it’s less than part-time, and voice-overs and stage work really ARE filling in the rest.  Even in this wretchedly hobbled economy.  My stars are indeed lucky.  And I thank them regularly.

So here, for posterity, are my performance highlights of 2009:

January Marketplace Events spots - Ty Pennington (that dude from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) and me on TV and radio urging you to attend particular home shows here and there in the U.S.  TV commercials aired on HGTV and ABC and their affiliates.  Read more about my sister's hilarious request.

February Nothing of note - sometimes that’s a good thing.  Looks like I was in rehearsal.  Not always a good thing.

March

  • Performances of Adam Szymcowicz’s The Captivity Plays at the Bryant Lake Bowl
  • After 18 months of pain in the form of oral torture, treatment was completed and my braces were removed.  I was rewarded with awesomely perfect teeth and new-found confidence.  Join me in reliving my happy dance.
  • Supervalu spots - radio spots for grocery stores around the U.S. - Albertson’s, Lucky, Supervalu, Shaw’s/Star Market, Cub Foods, Jewel-Osco, Kroger, Hornbacher’s, etc.

April Nexxus spots - I don’t believe these were ever aired - just voice-overs for a concept by the ad agency for the client.  If it was approved by the client, the agency would then film the spots.  Since I almost never watch commercial TV, I have no idea if these ever made it though the pipeline...my guess is no.

May

June

  • Caroline or Change, The Homosexuals’ Guide to the Universe, Tiny Kushner - now these didn’t involve me at all, save for my presence in the audience.  But I found the first two to be incredibly moving, incredibly powerful pieces of work.  And I was thrilled that Minneapolis was able to honor such a fantastic playwright in this way, and that such a fantastic playwright got to workshop a brand-new play in our fine city.
  • Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition opens at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  This is my new “day job” wherein I get to spend part of my weekdays engaging with the general public and informing them about Miss Evelyn Marsden’s life and the hospitals aboard the ship in a darling English accent. Personal ship preparation stories here.
  • United Health Care spots - my first political spots, something about calling your congresspeople somewhere in New England. Connecticut maybe? Urging you to take a particular stand on some kind of health care legislation.  Don’t remember the particulars, but got to work with the guys at Shout.  And I absolutely adore Mark Benninghofen, so it was a joy.

July Joined the Science Museum of Minnesota to work on NISE Net (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network) projects - both performing live stage plays and demonstrations that deal directly with nanoscale science, as well as coordinating and facilitating adult public forums about nanoscale science.  This is only 10 hours per week, and I love it.  And it makes me feel a little closer to my scientific heroes of audio over at RadioLab.  And to paraphrase the words of my delightfully brilliant colleague Michael Ritchie: I realize that my day job can never be bad, because I work in a place with musical stairs.

August

  • Fringe Festival fail - this was hard.  This was very, very hard.  The Ministry of Cultural Warfare, the company I have both figuratively and literally sweat and bled for since 2000, planned to do a show.  Due to a Perfect Storm of really crappy circumstances, I had to remove myself from the process, and we ultimately had to back out of the festival at a late date.  It was heartbreaking, and the fallout was equally heartbreaking.
  • Marketplace Events radio and TV spots - the plus side of August was that Ty Pennington had some more home shows to promote, so it was back into the studio to add my special female aural sparkle.
  • The Minnesota State Fair - I spent an afternoon as host of the Labor Pavilion at “The Great Minnesota Get-Together.”  They gave me a wireless mic, put me in a Green building and the adjacent pavilion, and let me loose amongst the various Labor kiosks and the throngs of fair-goers.  There was trivia, there were hand-crafted on-the-spot copper roses, there were nurses and flight attendants and machinists and steel workers and everything in between.  At the end of my shift, they snapped a photo which made its way into the national AFTRA magazine.

September I spent nearly half the month on the road, traveling to Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco - this was for my work with the Science Museum of Minnesota on behalf of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), and it was incredibly inspiring.  It did indeed involve some performing, but it also involved meeting with social scientists to consider the social, political, and ethical implications of nanoscale science, and how to get audiences considering these aspects, as well.  We also met for the purpose of setting goals for years 6-10 of NISE Net’s grant funded by the National Science Foundation, and it involved learning how other organizations engage audiences in learning about nanoscale science.  Inspiring, and the locations were fantastic.  I love the Pacific Northwest.

October Lead role of Hannah in Table Salt Productions' inaugural show, Burned at the Gremlin Theatre.  Nothing like spending an hour before each performance putting glue on my face, letting it dry and manipulating it and coloring it to make it look like nasty scar tissue.  While it was a serio-comic post-apocalyptic tale, it was a joy to make a foray back into dramatic work.  Read a little more about it.

November

  • Workshop and public reading of Dog and Wolf - an incredibly well-crafted, powerful,  and riveting play about a Bosnian refugee by Catherine Filloux, in which I played the lead, Jasmina.  This play is being produced Off-Broadway this February.
  • My first public nanoscience forum about privacy, civil liberties, and nanotechnology.  It was a small group of about 15 people, but helped me get my feet wet.  Now that I’ve done something in the accepted mold, I can hack it and make it more interesting, accessible, and engaging.  Watchout Twin Cities - you’re about to get schooled in nano.

December

  • more Marketplace Events spots - this time for home shows around the U.S. in 2010.
  • Caribou Coffee spots - The tone and delivery in these spots makes me feel like we’re sitting on a front porch swing, lazing the day away.  And they’re all about handcrafted oatmeal.  And I got to spend some good time with my friends over at Babble-On Recording studios.  I love those engineers.
  • General Mills spots for Tuesday Taco Night - you know you’ve made it when your VOs keep getting interrupted by a mariachi band.  Plus more time at Babble-On!  Whee!

Plenty to share for January already - but it’s a new year, so it gets a new post.  Here’s looking forward to a peaceful, prosperous 2010.  And I'll actually work on getting all of these 2009 (and future) voice-over spots posted for your listening pleasure.  It's not as hard as I make it sound, and yet here we are.  Soon, I promise.

Missed/Missing

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I have turned down four gig offers since January due to schedule conflicts.I have been turned down for one gig due to schedule conflicts. I hate turn-downs, self-initiated or imposed, due to schedule conflicts. I want it all.

On the other hand, since last writing here I participated in a two-performance run of Adam Symkowicz’ Captivity Plays, did eleven voice-overs for the Supervalu chain of grocery stores (Albertson’s, Cub, Jewel/Osco, Bigg’s, Shaw’s & Star Market, Hornbacher’s, etc., which should be playing all over the U.S. right now), recorded a tv demo for Nexxus hair care products, formalized my involvement in this year's Fringe Festival, and started research for my role in the upcoming Titanic exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

And yet I still feel like it’s not enough; like I’m missing out on something. I'm ravenous. Insatiable.

Perchance this means it's time to cut the excuses and dedicate myself to my craft; no more coasting.

Kids! Tune in next week to see how long this particular brand of inspiration lasts!

Extreme Voice Over

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Last month I did 20 commercials with Ty Pennington and I could just squeal.  There, I said it.  I've been trying to find a dainty or clever or daintily clever way of saying it, but nothing has come to mind and this news is verging on stale.  So there you have it – I just did 20 commercials.  With Ty Pennington.  For those of you who have effectively killed their televisions (mine is stuck on PBS and I love it), he's the dude who hosts Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, yells into a bullhorn, and then makes viewers weep when they see how he’s improved the depraved lives of the family whose home is being remodeled that week. And before anyone asks – no, I don't know Ty now, nor does he know me.  We were in completely separate cities when we recorded, and never interacted with one another.  It follows then, much to the dismay of my 14-year-old sister, that I can't tell you what he smells like.

We split out the recordings over two sessions, the first of which had me regrettably on the tail end of a nasty cold; I was, however fully redeemed in the second session by being smokin' hot.  Or at least something that resembled healthy non-suckage.  The fellas talked football, I met them with blank stares.  They laughed.  Good times were had by all.

Anyway, 10 commercials for TV, 10 for radio, all location-specific, advertising Marketplace Events home shows with various HGTV star appearances and special attractions.  The TV spots will be shown on HGTV, not sure about the market for the radio spots.  Anyway, I am your friendly announcer for spots in New York, the Washington, D.C. area, Philadelphia, greater New England, Minneapolis, Denver, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis, and Des Moines, among others.  You hear me, you hear Ty.  That's it.

Samples or links or some kind of proof coming in the near future.

An Ounce of Perspective

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Every year, often quarterly, I notice a small void between performance-related activities and idiotically dive into a vortex of emotional self-abuse. It starts with a broad, all-encompassing, “I’m not doing enough as a performer!” and twists and whirls its way into a tight, frenzied, “Why am I kidding myself?! – I’m past my prime! – I used to be moderately good, and now I’m just a lazy-good-for-nothing-egotist-with-a-ridiculously-inappropriate-sense-of-entitlement!” It ultimately whittles down to a quantum-level slide through the fabric of reality as we know it, into an alternate plane of absolutes – “I don’t EVER do ANYTHING! EVER! My vocation is a JOKE! People are STARVING and DYING, and I’m panicking about my weight!” followed by inconsolable tears and self-loathing. As if there ever was any doubt whatsoever - I am the stereotypical “needy” actor. If I remember correctly, my last director opted for the term “psychotic.” Lovingly.  It’s important to remind myself of this, lest I wind back up in the downy comfort of denial – “no, no –I’m different.  I hate needy actors.  I consider myself one of the few performers who can actually function normally in civilized society.”  Because man, that warm blanket is co-ZY.  And it is a harsh awakening to have that ripped off the bed.  Which happens.  A lot.

In times like these I’ve learned that my calendar is one of scant wormholes back to this particular reality (and God bless Moleskine). An hour spent with my little black book, a pad of paper, and a pen is easily worth several weeks of therapy.  I leaf through, page by page, writing down all my performance projects since the start of the year.  That said, I invite you to join me in an exercise for sanity - behold this year’s accomplishments, thus far:

1/04/08 – Voice-over gig for the Kansas City Lottery 1/07/08 – Joined AFTRA 1/28/08 – Voice-over gig for LifeTime Fitness 2/07/08 - (and onward) Performed in the Twin Cities Chekhov Festival 2/23/08 – Performed “Mrs. Man of God” in Columbus, Ohio 3/01/08 – Performed as the Red Carpet host for the Shack Nasty Costume Ball 3/24/08 – Performed in a round-table reading at The Playwrights’ Center 4/06/08 – Performed via video in Gremlin Theater’s “Everywhere Signs Fall” 4/21/08 – Performed in a round-table reading at The Playwrights’ Center 4/30/08 – Voice-over gig for Landscape Structures Inc’s GlobalReleaf Project 5/07/08 – Voice-over gig for Cellular South 5/10/08 – Performed as a defendant in Faegre + Benson’s mock trials 5/12/08 – Performed in a round-table reading at The Playwrights’ Center 6/11/08 – Voice-over gigs (two) for Target (HP Pavilion and Toshiba Laptops) 7/11/08 – (and onward) Performed in “Slasher,” as part of The Playwrights’ Center’s annual PlayLabs series 8/11/08 – (and onward) Rehearsed for + performed in “Wellstone!” 9/05/08 – Voice-over gig for Kona Grill 10/07/08 – Performed in a round-table reading at The Playwrights’ Center 10/29/08 – Voice-over gigs (seven) for General Mills’ Totino’s Pizza products 11/16/08 – Begin rehearsals for and performance in “A Christmas Story” in St. Croix Falls, WI

Add to that nine other “close calls” and castings that didn’t work out due to schedule conflicts, and that’s not a bad year.  Big breath in…..ahhhhhhh, reality.  So nice to be home.

In Your Radio 3.0

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Last month I recorded a couple of radio spots for Target. Yes, that Target. I had to keep mum on sharing the audio files due to proprietary-product-launching-somethingorother-yadda-yadda-yadda, BUT – here, finally, they are:

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Final_Mix_QDAF-7671_TargetHP.mp3] Target - “HP Pavillion Notebooks” Recorded and Produced by Babble-On Market: Our entire Estados Unidos - Baby’s first truly nation-wide spot. Line: All of them. I am Narrator; hear me roar!

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Final_Mix_QDAF-7695_TargetToshiba.mp3] Target - “Toshiba Laptops” Recorded and Produced by Babble-On Market: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! Line: Same as the HP Pavillion Notebooks spot. Rawr!

Ta-DAAA!

all things green

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My first crush was for the Jolly Green Giant. It even preceded the exchange of smiles with Jesse, the cute boy with blonde spiky hair and the earring (I always liked ‘em bad), who let me sit next to him at the top of the jungle gym in the second grade As an adult, I was reminded of this long-forgotten love off-handedly – (the tall green guy, not the short blonde kid) probably during some late-night inane party conversation about hot cartoon characters. The oddity of that particular recollection stayed with me and I began to dissect it. What was the draw? Why did I foster the notion that I would be forever safe in the arms of a cartoon character created to push broccoli? I finally decided that on a subconscious level, I found him strong and handsome; he was an embodiment of all masculinity: husband, teacher, protector.

Around this same time of curiosity and subsequent dissection, I purchased XTC’s stunningly beautiful album, Apple Venus, Vol. 1. In it is a song called Greenman, which is about the pagan mythological being purported to be the male yang to mother nature’s yin. The song is immense in its orchestration, yet simple and pure in lyrics, a fitting musical ode to the essence of the idea. It was then that it hit me: the Greenman was the adult manifestation of my childhood Jolly Green Giant. He was present in my consciousness before I even knew what to make of him…that makes me…a dirty pagan hippy. HELL YES!

None of this should have come as a surprise - I have harbored a long love affair with nature. I have spent countless hours in the wilderness contemplating trees, paddling through still waters, communing with fauna, awed by the richness of this earth and appreciatively breathing clean air. And recently I’ve forged a new relationship with vegetable gardening – I’ve planted tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, herbs, and strawberries, and walked away dirty, soaked from rain, grounded, and happy.

So now we get to the point of reference for this here green room – the way this all relates to my life as a performing artist. Yes, yes, I’m big on exposition, whatever, my point is more supported if I take you along on this ride rather than just slap down meaningless truths without background. As I was saying:

The point of reference to my life as a performing artist is twofold, really: one, pushing soil through my fingers gives me a basis for reality, for the tangible. We as actors often get so swept up into our own dramas and the delving into character minutiae that we lose ourselves completely. I do indeed have my head in the clouds, but this makes me stretch my legs extra-long, to keep my feet on the ground at the same time.

Two, this relates to one of my more recent voice-over gigs for a video which highlights the relationship between a decades-old green company called Landscape Structures, Inc., and the American Forests’ Global ReLeaf initiative. That last sentence sounds like a commercial, I know, but bear with me here - before we began recording, the producer/director sat me down and explained to me the history of the organization, and explained, in detail, their participation in Global ReLeaf. It was incredibly fulfilling to not only do the voice-over work in the studio, but to participate in something I support whole-heartedly. Just posting the name of the company and the raw audio, as I did below, without video animation, without music, without context, seemed too cold, too irreverent.

I feel better now. And you have good ammo for the next time you want to embarrass me. “Ho, ho, ho!"

In Your Radio 2.0

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Just when you thought I was getting a little too quiet…again…

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/050708IWantVers1.mp3]

Cellular South – “I Want” Recorded and Produced by Babble-On Market: Mississippi, Southwest Tennessee, Coastal Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle to Destin – so, basically, the old confederacy – or the Dixie Cup of Shame, if you will. Line: “I want to find my friends online.”

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/VOeditedselectGlobalReLeafvideo.mp3]

Landscape Structures, Inc. – “Global ReLeaf Video” Recorded and Produced by Babble-On Market: Industrial and Internet – so, uh, I guess the market is worldwide. Line: All of them. I Am Narrator. Rawr!

 

I had me a blast over at Babble-On for these two gigs (one Wednesday right after the other – score!). Although my allergies were getting the best of me for the Cell South read, so I’m not thrilled with my contribution to that one; pollen is my kryptonite. Damn you, pollen! Dammmmnnnnnn youuuuuuu!

In summary: Spend more time in the studio? Check. Foster diabolical plan for world airwave domination? Checkity-check. Make more friends and contacts while doing so? CHECK, baby. CHECK.

In Your Radio

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Just when you thought I was getting a little too quiet…

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/Centex_Breakup_40.mp3] Centex Homes – “Breakup” Recorded and Produced by Audio Ruckus Market: Minneapolis I play the ummm, erm, “snotty” daughter. Biiiiiig stretch, right mom? It was pretty easy to channel that character, as the attitude was clearly mine from roughly 1992 through 1999.

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/KL8025A.mp3] Kansas Lottery– “Keno Radio: Questions” Recorded and Produced by a confounding digital relationship between Minneapolis’ Babble-On and Kansas City’s (yes, MO) Evolution Audio. Market: Kansas I am the ditz: “My boyfriend went to Topeka and played Keno…should I be concerned?”

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/RLTF8008.mp3] LifeTime Fitness – “In My Lifetime” (1 of 2 – my favorite of the two - it positively smolders) Recorded and Produced by Audio Ruckus Market: Minneapolis, Dallas I am the dreamer: “In my lifetime, I will listen to my heart.”

[audio:http://www.leighahorton.com/docs/audio/RLTF8008REV3.mp3] LifeTime Fitness – “In My Lifetime” (2 of 2 – more practical, straightforward) Recorded and Produced by Audio Ruckus Market: Minneapolis, Dallas I am the doer: “In my lifetime, I will listen to my heart.”

Quiet? HA! See what I did just there? I unleashed a fury of sound because I CANNOT BE SILENCED. BWAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Kidding. In all honesty I just wanted to share because voice-over work makes me feel all shiny. SHINY!

"In my Life Time..."

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Monday? Yes, Monday. Monday I did a radio spot for Life Time Fitness at Audio Ruckus. God, I love being union; it was the best paid nine words I’ve ever spoken (yessiree, whittlin’ down that AFTRA initiation fee-beasty little by little).

I got there early and killed time discussing books with Engineer Jim. Engineer Jim might possibly be the most conversational-in-a-good-way engineer I’ve ever met. Good times, Jim, good times. Then Mason from Life Time arrived and was instantly bombarded and subsequently baffled by an Ayn Rand reference – turns out it’s hard to explain Rand’s work without sounding like an Objectivist oneself (ack! NO!), so I clumsily added that I’m on the far opposite end of the political spectrum but that her works are still fascinating reads. Um, awkward. I blame Engineer Jim for bringing it up in the first place. Blame, Engineer Jim, blame. Despite it all, Mason was cool. It boded well for the session.

And what a great session it was! I supposedly nailed the spot in the first take (One-take Wonder, thankyouverymuch), but we did a handful more just for good measure. Not sure what take they actually ended up using – I suspect the guys were just trying to pump my ego.

Now, the story would normally have ended there, but I later received a call from my agent indicating the need to re-record the spots because Engineer Jim botched the recording. Son of a… Kidding, Engineer Jim, kidding. We needed to re-record the spots because the client wanted to offer an entirely different mood to the CEO – it sounded like a clash in the eternal marketing battle of vision vs. sales. But, I love me some studio, so that was just fine by me.

I’ll be sure to post the spot at some point in the near future – until then, listen for it in Minneapolis and Dallas – it starts with a heartbeat and then I say, “In my lifetime, I will listen to my heart,” then the announcer comes in with all the Life Timey details.

Can I say how much I love the studio atmosphere? Yes, I can. I love the studio atmosphere. It feels like home.

 

p.s. - if it appears that I'm harassing Engineer Jim in the post, it's because I am. He likes it.

AFTRA, AFTRA – read ALL ABOUT it!

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You’re reading the ramblings of an AFTRA newbie and I have a shiny little pin to prove it. I signed all the paperwork January 7 and wrote them a horrendously fat check to cover a mere ¼ of my initiation fee. I think I urped a little when I handed it over. And I know I about had a coronary when I was handed the payment schedule for the next three months.

I find it ironic for unions to require actors, on actors’ wages, to pay a crapload of money that they don’t have in an obscenely short amount of time so that they can make union wages. It brings to mind a scene in Quicksilver wherein Paul Rodriguez explains collateral to Kevin Bacon, ultimately breaking it down to “you need money to make money” (sidenote - My uncle is credited in Quicksilver as “Options Trader,” and I’m certain I’ve been in a home video here or there with my uncle, thereby solidifying my place as a mere two degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon – WIN!).

Back to my point – I will grant that I’ve gotten some good voice-over jobs lately – it’s just that they’re one-off radio spots and one-off radio spots aren’t all that lucrative if they’re only coming around once a month. I tried to impress this point upon the union’s Assistant Executive Director. His response? A story about a guy who landed a Miller Lite spot aired during Monday Night Football for the season, and how he made a load of cash and how the union initiation fee was a pittance to him. My response? “That’s great for the guy, I guess – maybe he’ll want to pay my initiation fee, too, while he’s at it – do you know his address?”

Enough kvetching… did I mention that I’m actually THRILLED to finally be Union? It’s true! I am.

Baby's First Digi-Patch

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I recorded a spot for the Kansas Lottery Friday morning over at Babble-On. In and out in 15 minutes - yes, I do believe my internal station was tuned to ROCK.

It was great, blah, blah, blah, the Babble On staff were awesome, blah, blah, blah (all true, just not interesting reading - keep reading for the cool and awkward part). The cool and awkward part was that I recorded via digi-patch (aka digital patch; aka ISDN voice-over session). Oh - you want English? The director, producer, writer, clients, etc. were in some other city, but I was still able to hear them and get direction through my headphones.

It was like a professional game of Marco Polo - I knew the principle mechanics of the thing - headphones, mic, music-stand for the script, sound booth, technician, etc., etc., etc.; but I found it tricky to not see the director's face - I couldn't get a feel for the room, for the mood. In past sessions I've been able to see through the glass into the control room and read the expressions on the director's and technician's faces to help guide my performance. It's easier to gauge if they're jazzed, frustrated, if I'm close or way off the mark. This time, it was a sea of faint voices and laughter that I couldn't confidently interpret.

All in all, I nailed it in twelve takes and my session was wrapped with a "that was it – perfect. Good work, kiddo," through the headphones. I'm still not sure who said it, but I thank them nonetheless for being my First.