News

The Seduction Community // This Thursday // I'm a Sleaze (for charity!)

One last reminder, if in Los Angeles, this Thursday May 21st, swing on by The Art of Acting Studio (1017 N. Orange, 90038) at 8pm, for a reading of The Seduction Community by Greg Keller.  All proceeds go to the International Medical Corps and the Earthquake Relief in Nepal.  I play a total sleaze, so, you know, art imitating life for charity.  Reservations/Questions - thesparechangeseries@gmail.com.

If You're In Poland // Or Los Angeles // Or New York...

If you find yourself in the Polish city of Wrocław this Saturday May 16th at 8pm Polish time, consider stopping by Łukasza Górnickiego street, 4/11 as a part of the city's Media Art Biennale.  I will be performing, via skype, The Bartender Drinks, a half-hour interactive experience that delves into the psyche of he who pours the booze.

Then, next Thursday May 21st, at 8pm California time, I'll be performing in a reading of The Seduction Community, written by Greg Keller, as part of The Spare Change Series' effort to raise funds to benefit the International Medical Corps and the earthquake relief in Nepal.

The reading will be performed at the Art of Acting Studio, located at 1017 N. Orange, Los Angeles CA 90038.  Laugh and donate (bring cash).  Please direct reservations and questions to thesparechangeseries@gmail.com.

And I am thrilled to announce that I will be working with Third Rail Projects on a new piece later this year.  Details to come soon.

Wil Petre is Tom Ford // Coke & Bros

Ladies and Squirms, the world premiere of "Wil Petre is Tom Ford in Tom Ford in 24 Hours" will occur this February 20th, at Judson Church (55 Washington Square South), in NYC, as a part of the Fresh Ground Pepper Birthday Party.  The event starts at 7:30pm and goes till midnight.  Performances and screenings begin at 8pm.  Admission is free, but bring some moolah for the cash bar.  Dance party at the end of the night!  I'm currently in LA, so I won't be at the screening, but I'll be available via phone/text/email for all comments and concerns.  

Also, I teamed up with old friend, and Williamstown Theatre Festival alum Adrian Anchondo on his latest project, "Coke & Bros," a music video within a larger feature called "Medias Res," directed by Edwin Gonzalez.  See if you can spot a flouride-guzzling, flannel-wearing homeboy in Andrian's entourage.  

2 Workshops This Week // Casey Llewellyn // Adam R. Burnett

Happy December y'all.  You've got 2 opportunities to see me perform this week.  This Friday night, December 12th, I'll be in a workshop performance of Casey Llewellyn's untitled play inspired by Thornton Wilder's Our Town, commissioned by The Foundry.  There are limited number of seats, but if you'd like to attend, please send an email using this page, and details will be forwarded.

And then on Saturday, I'll be joining Adam R. Burnett and his team, for a workshop reading of Poshlost Saudades! (PS!).  We'll be performing Saturday night, December 13th, at 10pm, at Dixon Place, 161a Chrystie St, NYC.  Tickets are 12 in advance (buy here), 15 at the door, and 10 for students and seniors.

Proof // Life in the Ministry

It was an honor and a privilege to officiate John-Scott's and Yoshiko's wedding.  A beautiful venue, a wonderful ceremony.  Here's to many many years of happiness.

What is a One on One?

It's not often that I talk about why I perform.  Recently an old family friend asked me about recent projects.  And as I began explaining the most exciting projects I've worked on the past few years, many of these were immersive works that utilized one-on-one performance.  Curious to know more, he asked what a one-on-one performance was, and what about it excited me.  This is a paraphrased articulation.

A one-on-one is a theatrical moment that involves just one "performer" and one "audience member."  I put these characters in quotation marks, because when just two people involved, the sharp edges around these roles quickly blur, and what happens is often remarkable and unreplicable.  As a "performer" of one-on-ones, I always set out with an intention, and I have a script.  But the very moment that I grab someone to share a specific experience, everything that I do has got to become as lyrical as the wind; the person I grab is not simply an audience member, they are the other half of the experience.  And who they are, how they're feeling that day, their expectations or hopes or fears, their sense of bravery and adventure, completely shape the moment we will have together.

My first experience with this type of performance was when I was an audience member of Sleep No More, in the spring of 2011.  My friend and longtime collaborator Jenny Koons told me, "Just go.  If you go with someone else, split up immediately and go off on your own.  You can share experiences later.  Say yes to anything that happens."  She told me nothing more than that.  When I finally went to the show, I split up from my date, and within the first 15 minutes I found myself alone in a room with a performer.  She grabbed my hand, pulled me into a smaller room, took my mask off, pushed me to my knees at a tiny pew, and began whispering in my ear.  Her lips brushed my earlobe and every hair on my body stood up on end.  She rubbed rock salt behind my ear, ripped out a page of a book, shoved it in my hands, and threw me out of the room.  My entire body was shaking.  I continued to explore the large "hotel" that Sleep No More inhabits, but that was the moment that my hunger for these types of experiences began.

The next year I auditioned for Sleep No More, but didn't make the cut.  The following year I auditioned for Queen of the Night, an immersive, dinner-theater, circus, nightlife, spectacular event, as was hired as one of the original creative cast.  Being on the other side, and creating these incredibly unique moments, and having the opportunity to share these moments with strangers for over eight months, was nothing short of life-changing.  It may be hard to imagine, but every day for eight months, I was changed.  Constantly changed by existing in a space with a stranger, and encouraging them to be open with me, as I was open with them.  And this hunger has not yet been satiated.

If you have yet to go to a production that features this style of performance, I highly encourage you to do so.  Maybe we'll find ourselves in a tiny cave, sharing secrets over a delicious cocktail that I'm preparing only for you.  Or maybe you'll create a tiny raincloud in your hand, and as the wind rushes by, you lean your head back and taste the rain.  Or maybe it's the future and we've decided to leave earth, and we're figuring out how to exist as a part of a brand new colony together.  Who knows?