Okay, so it isn’t MY awkward sexual adventure. It’s the title of Sean and Jonas’ new film. Remember that read I did for “Kosher Sexy” back in 2009? Well, it turns out the title has changed and I GOT THE PART. I was originally going in to read for one role but found a way to read for the “Bank Manager” (no not sexual favours, get your head out of the gutter). I got the part and we shot it in November. The title of the film is now “My Awkward Sexual Adventure.”

Director Sean Garrity, Writer and lead Jonas Chernick, actor Emily Hampshire and all the crew were amazing to work with. I love professional people that are willing to hire local Winnipeg actors. There are so many talented people in this city that are in the movie. Emily even asked me to come out and coach her for a day. It was such a great experience.

I’ve attached some picks from the day. They sat me in the middle of the bank and allowed me to wear my slick business glasses: “I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to use your condo as collateral on a line of credit.”

I played Bank Manager Melvin Fleener who makes customer service his number one priority.  This just goes to show that nice guys don’t just finish last. Especially if there’s money involved. Wink Wink.

Posted: under Acting, Auditions, Film

Comments (0) Jan 26 2012

A crazy thing happened to me on the way to the gym…

I wish more stories happened this way although I don’t go to the gym as often as I would like. So, on the morning I decide to get my but to the gym I figured I should check my messages first. GOOD THING!! It was Manitoba Theatre Centre!!! I was asked to come to a call back. IN AN HOUR!!! WHAT!!?? I was preparing for a separate audition later that day for the docu-drama film “We Were Children” so MTC was out my head already. “That was yesterday!” I replied as I scrambled to find my “old” script.

The MTC audition was quite a task. Ten pages of dialogue for the british speaking artist, Leonard Irving. It took an intensive 3 days of study to get it to flow and even then I was only getting started, so it was a real joy to do it again, although I still wish I had more time to prep. The director (Rick Ross) gave me a few notes and then let me do my thang. He was very gracious and seemed to like it yet I know that a few extra hours in the morning would have helped me “kill” it. Lesson learned. I’m checking my messages as we speak and every hour on the hour from now on. Of course a call like that will still come when I’m in the shower or shoveling the driveway or framing a door in my basement with the saw a blazing.

That’s right I also framed and installed a door yesterday. I’ll get to that.

The ‘We Were Children’ audition with the fantastic Shelly Anthis went quite well. Shelly is newer to the casting scene but I love how she gives the time and assurance that allows actors to do their best. She also fills in any story direction that might be helpful. I wish her well. At any rate a film script like this was so much easier to prepare than the MTC script as long as I didn’t slip back into british. Not saying I don’t put my time in. Not saying that.

Off to framing the door.

We’ve been finishing our basement for the past 2 months and hey, it’s not finished but it’s a great switch from acting because it offers a tangible reward for ones efforts. You get to see your accomplishment everyday. I do recommend it. Although I am a bit of a perfectionist as my wife will attest. The door wouldn’t close strait. It was baffling. I took off the hinge and banged it around. I lifted one side jam so that the door was level because the floor was not. I took out nails because the frame wasn’t strait. We removed frame, added smaller spacers, added shims, hated the shims. Needless to say Rose-Anne was not having a good time. She’s put a lot of work into the project and is great at the drywall but the game of inches with the door was something she was not interested in at the days end. So we parted ways at 10:30 and I gladly finished a smooth closing door at 12:05.

I couldn’t stop. I hate stopping in the middle. I hate sleeping like that. Grraah it makes me agitated thinking about it. Not at Rose-Anne, let’s be clear, just an unfinished half swinging door that is impossible to close and causes problems for 10 years. I will not die with that on my conscious. I refuse. I will not have you come to my house, open my lazy ass door while I’m dead and say, “There, this goes to show how much Dean Harder was obviously a sluggish lackadaisical sloth man. The door doesn’t even close. Cremation it is.”

No. There is nothing like ending a fantastic day, than to have a tangible accomplishment staring you in the face. It was icing on the cake. I am very proud of our work together. I am proud of where I’ve come in the past year as an actor, as a makeshift carpenter, as a fake british painter and I am excited for the future. A future where I can invite people to a party in my basement with my angled walls and smooth closing door and a makeshift green screen and my friends can finally rant the pride right out of me and tell me what I should have done instead.

Can’t wait.

Posted: under Acting, Auditions, Comedy, Rants, Theatre

Comments (0) Feb 16 2011

I auditioned for the role of Jimmy, a hoser who smokes pot during the Shiva for the late Sam Blecher. It was a fun role and my first audition for Less Than Kind. I was stoked. The director (Kelly Makin) was in the room. After doing 2 read-throughs I was asked to cold read for the part of the “Bartender” at the Shiva. This guy basically is a guest at the party and got designated as the bartender. I felt pretty good about that cold-read as well.

Then I got a call today from my agent, Tammy. I GOT THE PART. Which one? BOTH OF THEM. After seeing my audition they decided they could combine the roles of “The Bartender” and “Jimmy”. I also got a great complement from the casting agent who said, that this was by far the best audition I have ever done. He also suggested, that whatever acting style I’ve been using keep using it.

So if I were to credit people it would be clear. I need to thank Ivana Chubbuck, Ben Davis and Yonda Davis for coaching me in the Chubbuck Technique. As for the audition process for this particular part I need to thank Jackie Lind for showing me how to be confident at the audition.

As for this role, I have been waiting for this for a very long time. It’s an amazing show. It’s a great cast. I guess its time to bring the revolver to gunfight.

Oh, did I mention Mark McKinney is the show runner?

Amen.

Posted: under Acting, Auditions, Comedy, Film

Comments (0) Nov 06 2010

I had a very unique opportunity this month. I played the head of the North West Company 200 years ago (William McGillivray) next to the current CEO now (Edward Kennedy). The concept was a lot of fun, comparing the challenges and similarities of the company past and present.

As a challenge to me, this was one of those incidents that occurred simply because of who you know. I walked into the local Neighbourhood Cafe in Wolseley and met an actor acquaintance who was doing a tour of his music to Ontario and couldn’t make a gig. He showed me the script. I saw the challenge and told him I was interested. The next day I was hired. I performed the scene with Edward Kennedy on Sept. 24th to a group of young business owners.

The challenge: 5 full monologues worth of dialogue in 4 days!!!!

If someone had asked me to do this a year ago I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. But with all the work I’ve been doing such as the workshops I’ve been teaching and the intense script work in LA I can safely say, that the mind is a muscle that has stretched in such a way that I can now intensely memorize 5 monologues in 4 days, add technique, apply a full Scottish accent and add my personal stamp of humour.

The crowd had a lot of fun and the North West Company has in fact asked me to do it again on Oct. 4th. Needless to say, I’m elated. This is just one of those examples where time, networking, opportunity and luck meet (Or is it divine intervention?). I love the Neighbourhood Cafe.

And thanks Tom.

Posted: under Acting, Theatre

Comments (0) Oct 02 2010

On to month 2 of teaching the Chubbuck Technique here in Winnipeg and I’m really excited for the potential of this city. I’ve taken tons of courses and styles from University to workshops but none of them really feel as complete a package as what Ivana puts together in the Power of the Actor. The thing that she recognizes is that good acting does not come without hard work. She points out that actors like Jake Gyllenhaal and Cherlize Theron are the types of actors that want to act everyday. Its a powerful reason they are where they are. But by using this technique they also found the tools to drive them there.

I found when in LA, at one point, I was working on 4 different scenes with 4 different scene partners. How was I going to be able to make this work? Well, the 12 principals in the book were the perfect compass for me. I set out the same way with each scene and the results where fantastic. I became immerse in each scene. It was exhilarating. For myself it was a triumph and became even more enamoured with what can be accomplished. In fact, that harder I worked, the more I began to love each scene. I believe the same thing happened with With Theron and Gyllenhaal and I want to see more of it happen for the aspiring locals in Winnipeg. Are they willing to take the risks to fall in love? The proof will be in the pudding.

Posted: under Chubbuck Technique, Film, Teaching
Tags: Ivana Chubbuck

Comments (0) Jul 30 2010

Just got some amazing headshots done by Gabrielle Touchette. She is such an amazing photographer. I had a hard time picking which ones to use for my main headshot. There are so many nice varieties and personality traits that she picked up on. She is TOP NOTCH!!!! Here are just a few.

[svgallery name="headshots-gab10"]

Posted: under Acting

Comments (0) Feb 18 2010

I just did a reading as the main character, Jonathan, for Jonas Chernik and Sean Garrity’s new film entitled, “Kosher Sexy”. Jonas couldn’t make it out because his wife is due to have a baby plus he IS in Toronto. It was through Winnipeg Film Group’s new “Open Screen Door ” program where a draft of a feature film gets read once a month. What a great concept. Thanks Darcy Fehr and Cecilia Araneda.

I got the opportunity to read with some of the best in the city. A crew of great actors. Many who have not had the opportunity to connect with each other. There were people I knew but who never worked with me like: Read More

Posted: under Career, Comedy Offerings, Connecting, Film, Reading
Tags: CindyMarie Small, Graham Ashmore, Harry Nelkin, Jonas Chernik, Lisa Durupt, Melanie Dahling, Quinn Green, sean garrity, Sunny Sidhu

Comments (0) Nov 09 2009

I had 2 auditions today and they were both a lot of fun. One was for a commercial for Manitoba Securities Commission and the other was for a web series by Original Pictures. They were both humourous and fun and I’m always greatful for the opportunity. Techniques from the Chubbuck technique have really been helping me along.

Now I have to put props out to Kim Todd of Original pictures. I know she’s a producer Read More

Posted: under Auditions, Comedy, Film

Comments (0) Sep 11 2009

So I’m looking on Casting Workbook at some of the up and coming auditions and I decided to call up a casting agent to ask to submit my resume. They said I could but also asked if I had “Paid taxes in Ontario in the past year.” Of course the answer was no. They said that would make it hard as that was who they were looking for. They also said that many actors go back and forth between cities and so this is likely. (Yeh, I’m sure there are thousands of actors that do this)

So I’m thinking of ways to pay taxes in Ontario now. Read More

Posted: under Career

Comments (0) Aug 26 2009

I just got Cast in a Two Lagoons Production as a “Condemned Man” in a Western. I auditioned for the part playing a jailed man who has lived a terrible life, drunk out of his tree and went through the Civil War killing and staying alive at Gettysburg. I don’t ever recall having such a great response at an audition before. The techniques I’ve been picking up from the workshops I’ve been taking this year that Film Training Manitoba has been offering have really given me an edge. I’ll add some updates to this later.

Posted: under Acting, Film

Comments (0) Jun 07 2009

Look I’m a Bear-Goat.   This is one of the funniest costumes I’ve been placed in yet. I place the costume on in the background of the scene while Josh Blecher (Benjamin Arthur) and Shandra (Lisa Durupt) are having a fight. Look for it in Season 2. The amazing Jacqueline Guertin took the pics with her mobile.

Posted: under Comedy Offerings, Television
Tags: Comedy

Comments (0) May 07 2009

Took a fantastic workshop with Ben Davis on the Ivana Chubbuck Technique.   This guy rocks.   Basically the Ivana Chubbuck takes most of the things from the traditional “Actor’s Handbook” and completes what it is driving at.  Ivana’s work can be seen evidently on “Monster’s Ball” with Halle Berry.

Everyone at the workshop was quite impressed with what Ben got out of us after 2 days.  There’s chapters in her book that round you and prepare you for being an in an authentic way.  Some examples include: Substitution (Substituting elements in the scene from real elements in your life), Inner Object (making an object come alive by connected it to something that has meaning for you), Doings (using real objects in a scene like you would in real life), and Inner Monologue (what are you thinking versus what you are saying?).   These are positive elements that I will now add to my tool belt.   They can also add to the fun of the rigorous task of memorizing.

I hope to further more of this technique in the near future.

Posted: under Film, Training

Comments (0) Mar 27 2009

Just took a great workshop from Casting Director Jackie Lind
through Film Training Manitoba.  She was so positive and really gave everyone involved some real authentic feedback.  She demistified a lot of the casting process and made auditions seem easier to attain.  Read More

Posted: under Auditions, Film, Training

Comments (0) Jan 19 2009

I’ve recently arranged a deal with with ShawTV, the local Cable channel in town, to perform my character, Johnald Slow on a monthly basis. They’d use it for a 7 minute slot on their SHAW TV loops. I’ll be bringing in local guests much I like I did for the Fringe Festival. The difference is that it will have a 3 camera set-up like other TV shows do. This is extremely exciting for me. SHAW TV is a fun local station and I’m glad that they are looking to bring back some local talent to work with them.

Posted: under Comedy Offerings, Johnald Slow, Television

Comments (2) Dec 16 2008

I was hired by the Foodgrains bank to do a monologue for Geoff Hughes’ play Unequal Harvest.  We performed it at PTE’s Colin Jackson Studio.  The place was PACKED. Read More

Posted: under Theatre
Tags: PTE

Comments (0) Dec 16 2008