...but you can still see me in Judas for 7 more shows! http://tschreiber.org/productions/now-playing/

Check out this interview with me from Works by Women: 

Interview: Erica McLaughlin

22 FEB

Erica Lauren McLaughlin tackles the unforgettable role of Saint Monica in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis.  T. Schreiber Studio and Theatre’s production of the saintly and sinful play opens tonight at the studio’s Chelsea home.  She also starred in the Studio’s award-winning production of Balm in Gilead, which late playwright Lanford Wilson attended and praised in a post-play talkback.

Erica talks to Works by Women about Saint Monica, Lydia Diamond and her hops for women in American theater.

WBW: You are playing Saint Monica in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.  What a fabulous role.  Tell us more about your take on her.
ELM: A friend of mine told me I should audition for this play because there was a part for me in it. I heard of it, but didn’t really know anything about it when I read it–so when I opened the pages to Saint Monica, I was immediately in love. Terrified at attempting a three page tour-de-force, but determined to get this role and play it to the max!
 I think at the end of the day, Saint Monica is just a fiercely proud mama. She worked crazy hard on her son, Saint Augustine (as the play says “I nagged and nagged and nagged and nagged till God got so tired of my sh*t that he did save my son”) and look how he turned out. She is so proud she is unafraid of saying anything and speaking up for what’s right, including nagging God on Judas’ behalf, because she knows her faith and dedication is what get’s her through. Don’t get up in her grill, and don’t get in the way of what is good and right.

 WBW: What can audiences expect from the T. Schreiber Studio and Theatre production?
ELM: The unique thing about seeing a production at the studio is that all the actors had to train there in order to audition, so everyone on stage has the common thread of the excellent training and technique that study at T. Schreiber provides. So, everyone does their research, and the specificity of each character will be fascinating to watch.
 Also, you can expect beatboxing, karate chops, feather boas, and S&M. And no, I’m not kidding.

 WBW: What have you learned from Terry Schreiber, director of the play and founder of the studio? ELM: Many things. One that comes to mind is that focus and concentration is key. We warm up as a group each rehearsal and before each performance. Terry believes that is the kind of focus it takes to allow the collective imagination and ensemble work to take flight.
 Terry also loves to laugh. He told us at the first rehearsal to leave our egos outside and have fun. Working with him, especially on a role like this is good fun, he often looks around to see if you are enjoying the joke as much as he is. I usually am.  And it doesn’t hurt that he sounds like Santa Claus when he laughs.

 WBW: Last year you were in T. Schreiber’s award-winning Balm in Gilead — another large ensemble piece — how do the two productions compare? 
ELM: Oooh. Tough question to answer. Like really tough. The ensemble experience of Balm in Gilead changed my life–really. We all became so close I even attended a cast members wedding shortly after. And meeting and performing for the late Lanford Wilson, that whole experience will always have a special place in my heart, it makes it hard to compare it to anything else.
 Ok back to the question: both plays require ensemble storytelling and require the actors to depend heavily on each other. There are again no room for egos. The difference is, the courtroom format of Judas allows each character a legitimate moment to “shine,” but also they are required to keep on task and advance the story–set it up for the next person. There are no small parts, and everybody does the work, and is required to do so diligently under Terry’s guidance.

 WBW: What’s next for you? 
ELM: You mean, this isn’t a Broadway transfer? Damn it. I guess it’s back to the streets. (err…auditioning, of course.)

 WBW: What are the challenges facing women in American theater?
 ELM: Hmm. Well before I rant, put simply, I think: Not enough amazing parts like Saint Monica. (Thank you Stephen Adly Guirgus.) This is probably the first role I have ever played where I get to explore both sides of the way I actually talk (from the gangsta to the graduate). Most of the roles I see in the commercial theater arena these days bore me. But that means we’ve got to encourage writers, both male and female with the support and incentive to create that work. Then we’ve got to get more female producers and directors out there to actually get this work seen.

WBW: What gives you hope for women in American theater?
 ELM: Working with amazing actresses like the ones at T. Schreiber Studio. Seeing playwrights like Katori Hall, Lydia Diamond, and Lynn Nottage dominating Broadway. Seeing performers like Viola Davis transform in theater and on film. It gives me something to look forward to.

 The Last Days of Judas Iscariot runs February 22 through April 8, 2012, Wednesday through Friday at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm.  For more information and tickets, visit www.tschreiber.org.

http://tschreiber.org/read-our-blogs/theatre-news/11-questions-with-cast-members-from-the-last-days-of-judas-iscariot-by-doug-strassler/
11 Questions with Cast Members from The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
By Doug Strassler

What do you like most about T. Schreiber?
Steve Carrieri (Judas): Terry Schreiber is great because he gives you the chance to try different things in class and during rehearsals without ever feeling insecure about the choices you make as an actor. Also there’s always been an inherent sense of community throughout the whole studio.

Ben Prayz (Caiaphas the Elder): Two things: one is the full faculty spectrum – acting, body, voice, dialect, etc. This creates the ideology that your whole being is the instrument. You have the opportunity to work on, and the staff is all aware of, different components, besides only the emotional, to allow your gifts to unfold.  Second, the bar here is set high.

Alexandra Turshen (Jesus): I walk through the doors and I know I have a place amongst some of the most talented, hard-working, and generous actors in NYC.
Brennan Vickery (Simon the Zealot/Matthias): I really enjoy the maturity and the commitment of the students and the faculty. I’ve attended other acting schools and there was definitely a lack of devotion to acting as something serious. I was left many times is frustration. Rehearsal is not going over the lines twice sitting on your bed!
 
What do you like most about Off-Off-Broadway theater?
Benjamin Jones (Butch Honeywell): My favorite part is non-corporate productions – it allows the real creative art to flow through the hearts of those who pay attention.

Turshen: More risk! Less ego!

Vickery: Off-Off Broadway theater gives artists, actors, writers, directors, the freedom to explore new work and have it be seen. I enjoy the daring and innovative risks some artists take when approaching new work.
 
When did you decide to become an actor, and why?
Erica McLaughlin (Saint Monica): I did theater since I was a little girl, but I still never thought I’d make a profession out of it. I was getting ready to go off to college to study political science or computer engineering, you know, something “practical” that my parents would like, when I won a playwriting competition and was awarded $2000. I used it to pay my own tuition at a community college which had an equity theatre company attached, and began acting there, guided by some of the finest performers in the country. I haven’t been able to quit.

Prayz: Recently, actually. I went to the High School of Performing Arts from there went straight to the conservatory at Purchase, then a year with Hagen.  So, I’d been around acting in my teens and as a younger man, and worked some, but mostly plodding around. I didn’t do anything with that training until five years ago. I was looking for something else, (I worked in business for many years), thought I’d open a coffee shop, and had a genuine eureka moment, when I remembered that I had acted years ago. In 2007 I enrolled at TSS, and started auditioning for, and getting, things. In 2010 I made the switch in my head and heart to move forward on this path and follow whatever it was that the road ahead would lay before me.
 
What do you like most about The Last Days of Judas Iscariot?
Jones: the play provides and humorous look through one’s eyes that raise the real questions of the missing pieces. I, too, have similar outlooks on the whole “Bible” and religion thing. Is it true? Was it real? How much has been skewed as the stories were passed down?

McLaughlin: What don’t I like? This play is freaking epic. Like from comic to serious in a moment, from challenging the Bible to quoting hip hop, it captures the heart of what urban Americans experience in terms of religion in daily life. There is something in it for everyone, and Stephen is such an amazing writer that you also get to listen to the poetry in motion as it all goes along.

Prayz: this cast – WHEW! Absolutely knocks my socks off, out the window and into the street with their talent and love. Goosebumps.

Turshen: This play has everything: philosophy, spirituality, humanity, and such humor!

Vickery:  Judas is a very raw play. I like that it requires actors to explore characters who are street; probably not those kids alongside them in acting school. I’m a spoken word artist and there are many overlapping themes found in this play and spoken word: mostly the heartache cause by some life choice. Spoken word tends to tackle serious subjects like bullying, abortion, faith, homosexuality, death, so on and so on. Judas explores these through dialogue and a very diverse mix of characters. It seems there is no way anyone couldn’t find the play to hit some hidden or more obvious conviction.

Stephen Alan Wilson (Satan): The writing.  Stephen is truly gifted and it’s a pleasure to speak his words.  I grew up in the church and I find the story very intriguing and thought provoking.  To see all these people come to life and interact with others, both fictional and real, is a lot of fun.
 
Have you ever seen Judas before?


Prayz: Nope.

Vickery: I have never seen this play before.

McLaughlin: Nope! But I heard it is pirated on YouTube. I’d never watch it before playing a character in it though.

Wilson: I’ve never seen a production of this play. On a side note, I did play Judas in a passion play many many years ago.
 
What is the most challenging thing about your character?
Prayz: Not seeming like a “bad” guy.

Turshen: I’m Jesus. It’s the most simple and most complex character I’ve ever played.
 
What do you hope the audience gets out of this show?
Prayz: Forgiveness is the number one healing component we can give ourselves as human beings and it does not mean one has to be weak – as a matter of fact, it requires great strength.
 
Do you have any pre-show ritual?
McLaughlin: Only about a billion. The one I can share with you is that I will be listening to 2Pac as part of my prep.

Adyana de la Torre (Cunningham): I apply organic essentials oils that release confidence, courage, alertness, and magnetism. And a little caffeine! I need my brain to work!

Wilson: I definitely have my routine, although it does very slightly from show to show. No matter what, it always starts with a good physical and vocal warm-up. With this show, my first entrance is not until an hour into the show so I have to be ready to jump on a moving train when the time comes.  I look forward to sitting off-stage every night and listening to my fellow cast members working and enjoying the audience’s energy before I join the fun.
 
Who is the biggest prankster in the cast?
Omar Bustamante (Pontius Pilate): Tommy Buck, hands down!
Prayz: Buck.
Torre: Tommy Buck.
Turshen: Tommy Buck or Bud!
 
What is your favorite role of those you have ever played?
Jones: Hal Carter from Picnic and Otto from Borrowed Parts.

Prayz: Marco in A View from the Bridge. Miller’s dialogue is butter and Marco has a clear point of view, gold for me.

Torre: Estelle in No Exit. Similarly that play also takes place in purgatory. Hmmmm….
 
What role would you like to play the most?
Bustamante: I’d definitely like a crack at John Wilmot in The Libertine.

Wilson: Santa Claus in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. New York is a magical place during the holidays and I know it would be a blast!  Not to mention I have two nieces and a nephew and they’d love it.
 
Doug Strassler is a freelance writer covering film, theater, television, and pop culture. He is the managing editor at OffOffOnline and editor of the newsletter for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards. His work can also be seen on such sites as New York Press, Theatermania, Show Business magazine, Back Stage, Our Town Downtown, West Side Spirit, Tail Slate, and The Critical Condition. Additionally, Doug is a past member of theDrama Desk nominating committee.



 

It's 20 days out from the first performance of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at T. Schreiber Studio, and I wanted to share my deep thoughts on why you should come and see it. I'm too busy rehearsing and getting ready though, so I will have do this list style:

20 Reasons to buy your tickets right freaking now:
20. I'll be covered in gold sequins.
19. Between all the curse words in the play (most of them said by me), you might actually learn something about the Bible.
18. There may be beatboxing. I can neither confirm nor deny.
17. We have a super hot cast. Who knew religion could be so sexy?
16. Tickets are crazy cheap. Check out my email on ways to save.
15. The super talented playwright also wrote "The Motherf*cker with the Hat", on Broadway last season starring Chris Rock.
14. I've got a 10+ min monologue.
13. Mary Magdalene raps. Yes, that Mary Magdalene. 
12. The set looks fantastic!
11. The seating is around 3/4 of the stage, guaranteeing a great seat to the action.
10. There is an LGBT night and discount! 
9. Jesus is played by a woman.
8. There is a scene set in an S&M bar. Leather chaps.
7. There are at least three pairs of sexy high heels being worn.
6. There is an angel... and she's black. 
5. We use over 10 different dialects.
4. It is directed by the amazing Terry Schreiber, acting teacher of Edward Norton, Broadway director.
3. It will sell out quickly, remember when I did Balm in Gilead here?
2. You are gonna love it.
1. ITS GONNA ROCK!


T. Schreiber Studio presents
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Tony Award-nominated playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis follows a wild and exciting trial, set in a court room somewhere between Heaven and Hell.  Two attorneys and a parade of famous witnesses – Mother Teresa, Sigmund Freud and Pontius Pilate – argue over the fate of Judas Iscariot, known for his betrayal of Jesus. Equally pious and profane, the play transcends religion, offering a compelling, gritty and hilarious look at free will, destiny, faith, forgiveness and redemption.
Buy tickets!

This semester I returned to Maryland to guest lecture for the third year on self promotion and personal management for artists at the UMBC Department of Theater's senior capstone course. The class is made up of would-be graduates to be in acting, design, and stage management.

We worked on defining their brand, their personal goals in the industry, their presentation and putting together their digital portfolio through their website. They kind of rock and I was very moved by them, so I decided to share! Looking for an actor in Baltimore? A competent intern in DC? These guys are multi-talented and ready for action!


Aja Morris-Smiley         
Brad Widener                 
Charlotte Moran              
Corie Bruins                   
David Brasington           
Erin Hanratty                   
Pixi Thistlily                   
Jessica Baker
Katie Hileman
Lena Salins
Liz Richardson    
Mike Haddaway
Sam Van Sant                   
Samrawit Belai

This week: meeting some filmmaking friends, going to NY Actors TweetUp, wrapping up The Artist Office campaign, leading class at  UMBC Department of Theatre, guest blogging for The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, developing a new video project, doing a reading with The Harlem Camerata, and audition/callback preppin. Going to be freaking exhausted, but #winning...

A portfolio career? What da heck is that? I just work all little bit here and there, like all the time. It’s all related though!
 
It turns out they’ve got a name for that. Go figure! I was asked to speak about Portfolio Careers for Artists and my new business venture, The Artist Office at  ASU’s p.a.v.e. arts entrepreneurship class. Thanks to it’s fearless leader, the brilliant professor Linda Essig, I was able to discover a new label for my varied career path. I was asked to speak with her class about my portfolio career which includes: my professional career as an actress, working full time in arts management for a premiere Broadway non-profit, working as an independent consultant in marketing, my private coaching, my entrepreneurship as creator of a performing arts business, my work as a video producer…ok I’m totally exhausted thinking about all of these things and probably should be getting back to work!
 
The truth is that while I’ve always been active, my transition to working professional in New York is what prompted me to diversify my options. The challenges of working as a single, broke, relatively unknown, minority actress in New York City has really been great motivation to get creative with my career. So far it has worked, and I like to imagine my success is more fulfilling than if I had be led down a straight and narrow path. My life is more interesting, and I am proud and never bored by the life that I lead. That’s a rule. Never be bored by what you do. You are far too talented! So for my presentation I tried to put together knowledge gained from this experience in a not so boring way.
 
Here are my Ten Not Boring Tips for Managing a Successful Portfolio Career in the Performing Arts:

1. Remember: you’ve got skillz.
Anyone remember that terrible Shaq song? Anyway. Assuming you are all ready to work professionally as a performing artist, having completed the necessary training and practical experience has already prepared you to work in many fields other than your own. If you can find one that supports you financially in a related area of the performing arts, even better. Consider taking well paid work in a related area which can allow you more flexibility in options for payment for the job you really want. You will make valuable connections and show your dedication to the craft, which impresses those who want to hire you. You are by definition multi-talented, so put some of them to work! As an actress, my scene study classes taught me how to relate and establish connections quickly with strangers. I’ve now got ten years of customer service experience with jobs I’ve landed using these skills. 

2. Be a little self centered.
The advantage of working a number of jobs is choosing the ones that work best for you, provide the best hours for you, that fit your beliefs, practices, routines, rehearsal schedules etc. When you have a successful portfolio career going, you are your primary boss. If any one job conflicts with your dream life in the performing arts, you won’t go for broke while you look for another one. Allow yourself to take a stand for your personal goals, since the only job you are truly passionate about is the one you pursing in the performing arts. Make your career you-centric, with your needs and desires at the helm. Simply, do what you love.

3. Relax.
Part of the difference between managing a portfolio career and simply working like a slave is finding balance. You’ve got to approach your work with a more laid back, hippie-like, free approach and love whatever you do. Practice constantly “putting things into the universe”, and eventually they will make their way back to you. For example, your succesful lead generation doesn’t need to come from applying tremendous pressure to make something happen off a single interaction or networking event. Instead, embrace your job search as a disciplined, steady approach, where you are always exploring opportunities; then you will never feel trapped by depending on just one.

4. Embrace the slash.
Not that Slash.
Ok seriously. So wait, wait—you are truly an actor/director/puppeteer/screenwriter? A dancer/model/composer? Guess what? It’s okay. It doesn’t mean you are lost or lacking direction if you have truly got the credits to back it u.. You are again, multi-talented and hopefully you have found a healthy balance where the skills complement each other. If you are seriously working at all of these, be proud of it. What this does mean however, is 3 to 4 times more work and more marketing materials. Of course, be cautious that you aren’t simply parading your hobbies to make up for lack of credits elsewhere. Here’s the test: try creating a separate resume for each—if you’ve got significant experience in each “slash”, then have each resume fully prepared for when opportunities may arise. If not, consider waiting until you build additional experience before considering that another full career in your portfolio and instead highlight that experience to support your main resume so it stands out amongst the crowd.

5. Carry a deck of cards.
No, not the kind you play “go fish” with. You should have a variety of portable promotional materials that showcase what you do for that chance meeting with a potential employer, and your business card is at the center of this. Promotional materials are all about making you feel more comfortable when presenting yourself, so if you have a multi-faceted career, why not be prepared with cards that represent all that you do? Simply creating a business card for your second or third interest transcends your various passions and hobbies into a full career pursuit. You’ll make an impression and be considered a serious potential hire to those who you meet. My card deck is a literal deck, containing acting cards, cards for my full time job, consulting services, and mini ones just to make an impression. Also, they don’t have to be perfect: (ok, you can play go-fish here) Use your cards as incentive to get the cards of others. 

6. www.allthatyoudo.com
Your website is the key to controlling the flow of information out there in the wilderness of the interweb about you, and in managing your own PR. It is also a place where you can organize your various pursuits and write your own narrative reflecting a full, successful career journey. There are no restricting rules for your website about bio length, structure or resume formatting, so present examples of the work that you are targeting up front, and then make it easy for employers to navigate through your other talents if they happen to seek them. Collect all the wonderful reviews, articles, videos, and other representations of you performing your dream job and post them here. Tell your story the way you want it told. Duplicate your “narrative of success” on all your social media sites, and be sure to use the same phrasing to help with SEO. Pretty soon you will be able to google yourself and see that the story that you want to tell is there for your employers to find.

7. Always be awesome.
AKA— Never suck. Pause—not every opportunity is right for you. You don’t need to start a profile on every new social media network. You don’t have to be at that workshop, party, networking happy hour, class, whatever right now. Now, if you have the time for it and you feel awesome while doing it, then do it. Otherwise, save face and do the things you enjoy doing the most, and leave good impressions everywhere. While networking is super important to creating a portfolio career; false, creepy and insincere interactions with future employers can cut you off and permanently blacklist you from endless future opportunities. 

8. Blur your focus.
Everyone and anyone, especially well meaning friends and family, who has heard how hard it is to make it in the performing arts will give you lots of “expert” advice on what it takes. Among it is always “stay focused”. And what they usually mean is to not do anything else but audition, rehearse, design, etc. Even excellent training programs are continuing to churn out performers with no other skills than those used onstage, and often as a result, we get highly trained professionals with very little personality, few quirks, business savvy or street smarts. Since when did being a professional become a synonym for being bland? Don’t be so focused that you are plain boring. The wild, eclectic, artist that you are is what is attractive to your potential buyers. Cultivating your other talents only makes you more valuable, unique and marketable. And you can keep bland uber-professional in your back pocket in case the role calls for it.

9. It’s a line dance, it ain’t a wedding march.
With a portfolio career, you are not simply marching down the aisle happily towards your destiny, but rather side stepping, bumping into people, picking up new moves and dancing until the music runs out. Don’t be afraid to side step to learn new skills along the way—consider yourself making small concentric circles around your ultimate goal, getting closer and closer to it, and as a result becoming more well rounded. Every small job that you acquire while waiting for the “big” one will provide you with skills that will serve you when you reach your career goal. Just make sure all of these “side steps” are dancing to the same tune.

10. Now put aside the portfolio.
One thing every artist hates is another label. If you are constantly working in the performing arts, you’ve got a career, plain and simple. A performing arts career will ultimately take a number of twists and turns and we will follow it willingly and excitedly, as we are oft more inspired by our dreams and intuitions than by facts and industry trends. So part of that is acceptance that ourcareers—made up by nature of a stream of part time jobs—are perfectly normal to our industry. The key to any form of financial success in our business is securing multiple roles/gigs, and the nature of the beast is that the path to booking them is about who you know and who knows you. Therefore any job that you do within in the industry is a part of marketing for your main focus. Celebrate your success in finding constant work!

MariselaTOrta: build authentic relationships, become part of a community, be a connector, promote/support your peers.
MariselaTOrta: doing all that will help you develop network of artists that will want to know yourr work & help you find advocates or your work.
claireannrice: Produce your own work and help other's produce theirs. Don't hate rejections, think of them as the first hand shake. 

Happy Halloween! I would love it if you came and partied with me and supported my latest project! Discounted tickets are on sale now through October 16th!


Begin your weekend long celebration on Friday night at Bulls Head Tavern:
We are partying in costume and raising money to create a shared office space for performing artists!

A small donation gets you access to:
-An exclusive late night happy hour for 4 whole hours with drinks starting at just $3!
-A DJ to keep the party going all night long
-A costume contest and raffle with great prizes including Broadway show tickets, headshot sessions, one on one coaching and more!

The party benefits The Artists' Office, a shared office space where performing artists can work on the business of their art!  (More info on this at www.indiegogo.com/workofyourart)