I stand by my decision to not audition for commercials anymore, and here’s another reason why: Somewhere in some casting joint waiting room this incredibly awkward scenario is going to be played out:
“Hey Rob Smith, what’s new? Oh. Oh, dear… Oh, dear god!
A quick career update: contrary to to old improv axiom “say yes and see what happens”, yours truly has turned down two work opportunities in about as many weeks.
I passed on the chance to be the drummer in the house for the new Rumoli Brothers talk show premiering at The Second City this month. From what I can tell it would have been a pretty easy gig, basically playing guests on then sitting back and watching the show for free. But when you factor in hauling my kit back and forth from my mom’s place, setting it up and striking it each week, the musical payoff wasn’t enough to justify the time commitment for me.
Then out of the blue I get an email from Second City in Chicago, asking if I’d be interested in a four-month contract doing a best-of revue at The Denver Center for Performing Arts. With 7 shows a week and Equity scale pay, it would have put me just a little worse off career-wise on my 40th birthday than my 30th, peforming my material on the Toronto mainstage in April of 1996… Sorry, Denver!
If this gig could have promised me just a little more money, a few less shows per week or a shorter contract I probably would have taken it. Instead, I’m sticking to my guns, still on the lookout for that first, big break as a director.
Hey Andrew,
This is a really good treatment. I like the subject matter. Very interesting and excellent descriptive powers. I mean the entire blog. And you, I feel honoured to have been privy to that news on today”s before it was published. Hey, you know, we might be on to something there. Looking forward to working together. Been fun so far. And by the by, looking to pick your brain a bit more. Will be in touch, dog.
Just a few days ago I read on a cast member’s blog about The Second City Touring Company being dissolved—awful news, considering that six very talented actors, and their musical director are now unemployed. And no matter how you spin it, it reflects badly on the company as well… For example, getting a an audition for the Touring Company is a big reason why many students go through the Conservatory program at the Training Centre, so this news is almost certainly going to affect the graduating class that I’m about to take on.
What I didn’t know was that the powers that be also saw fit to fire Peter Sherk, pictured above on tour with yours truly in China in September of 2001. I’ve worked with Peter since my first day on the Second City mainstage in 1993, and was fortunate enough to go overseas with him three times, twice to Asia and once to Bosnia-Herzegovina. In fact, Peter holds the unique honour of being the only person to have ever aimed a loaded grenade launcher at me!
I know I’ll have the pleasure of working with Peter again, and I’ll go out of my way to do it. If Second City is foolish enough to let this guy go, then as far as I’m concerned they don’t deserve to have him.
I graduated from level E and due to circumstances did not continue I have to say that sadly enough I’m happy that I didn’t. Still keeping in contact with a few conservatory folks they all seem a little upset about the state of Second City and truly many of them wanted to continue but since the whole system fell apart they don’t really know what to do. I’m not one to do this but I really think someone should try and build a project like Second City to rival them. It’ll either wipe them out completely or leave a stronger Improv/Theater company or each will feed off the other creating lots of work for actors and lots of great theater. I know Bad Dog is trying and they may be the ones to do it, the problem is when people come from out of town they’ve rarely heard of Bad Dog, Second City is unfortunately the tourist only choice.
Hey Chris,
Interesting that you should bring this up… Al Howell, Jack Mosshammer and I have been talking about holding master classes of our own since the summer. We tried to secure a weekend afternoon in the back room of the Rivoli, but so far have only the Blue Moon at Queen & Broadview as a possible class and performance space.
Just out of interest, would anyone reading this be interested in such a thing?
Yes! Yes! I love the idea of master classes….!
Thanks for letting me know, rufus—and nice blog, btw—now all we need is another 11 students and we’re in business!
Lets do it. You bring the gas, and and we’ll bring the matches. Fire it up!
Peter Sherk was the first stage manager I ever had the pleasure of working with – as an apprentice ASM straight out of Niagara College.
He was WILD and fun and I loved working with him. Was is ASM on more time at Huron Country Playhouse in the early 80s.
What a guy! Whoever employs him now is one lucky theatre company.
You may have noticed that directing the Second City Touring Company is no longer listed as an upcoming event for yours truly. A verbal offer had indeed been made to direct some shows in the fall, but the party responsible for said offer has since been fired resigned. That was over the summer, and I’ve heard nary a peep since from the current powers-that-be.
So once again some lucky Conservatory students may well get to spend their winter with yours truly—unless, of course, that offer gets rescinded as well…
How’s this for a scoop—possibly the first-ever published photo of the
inside of Toronto Second City’s new home?
Also, some good news for alcoholic alumni: The bar won’t be run
by outsiders… Happy days are here again!
Robertson is discussing.
Andrew Currie 1:19 PM on February 18, 2006 Permalink |
As an update to this developing story, it should be noted that Second City has been quick to distance itself from this particular member of the community. I even got a call from someone at the Training Centre, instructing me to tell my students that he was “just some guy who is the Touring Company in the 80s”!
Now don’t think for a second that I’m excusing the the alleged activities that Rob was charged for, but at the same time I think that just a little bit of compassion is in order here—if we can’t understand how this type of behaviour came to be, how are we supposed to prevent it from happening again?