Handful Productions

03/17/2023

After acting, singing and teaching diction and proper sound production to actors for over two decades, I have decided to branch out into voice acting. I love the work already, and would be honored if you would give my narrative (audiobook, educational, doc and animation) demo a listen. Link in bio!

02/10/2023

Many times private students of mine initially reach out because they have long been curious about acting and think maybe they would be good at it. They were not involved in theatre in school because they were in sports or didn’t like musicals, or their friends thought it wasn’t cool, or whatever their reason, but they always thought they would like to try that some day. Maybe they could do it professionally.

Invariably, after a month or so, they drop out of it because they realize it is so much harder than they thought it would be. The natural instincts of those drawn to it at a young age aren’t there, so you try to find ways to get them to stretch themselves, but they continue to play “one note.”

You suggest they spend time on their own memorizing their pieces because an actor really can’t connect to a character and share their truth with an audience when their face is buried in a script. They don’t do it, and progress is slow.

You find material that fits their single available note and hope a connection is made. After all, some actors make a great career out of playing themselves, as they are such a specific type that they really don’t have a choice (Danny Devito, Jennifer Coolidge, Bea Arthur, Betty White, Tony Danza, Wallace Shawn). Despite their narrow playable range, they are larger than life people who continue to fascinate us. Writers want to write for them. Audiences want more of them, and we are bereft when they leave us because we know their like shall never walk this earth again. They are rare jewels.

It takes patience, passion and work ethic to find your way as an actor. Thinking you will waltz into a private lesson or class and your coach or teacher will lose their minds and declare you the next big thing isn’t realistic. Being a good reader isn’t enough. Being attractive isn’t enough. Great actors have a special kind of alchemy on a stage or screen and watching them work is mesmerizing.

Regardless of natural aptitude, I will always employ my full arsenal of tools and instincts to attempt to open up for you a greater understanding of the world you live in and how artists hold the mirror up to nature, that we may see ourselves and our behaviors reflected back, that we may strive to improve that reflection in the future.

A month of acting coaching can make your life better, even if you never pick up a script again.

09/13/2022

Students in grades 7-12 are invited to enroll in this CT Dept. of Economic & Community Development-sponsored six week (12 sessions) improvisational acting workshop for FREE starting September 26th. Priority will be given to New Haven and West Haven Public School students, as per Artists Respond grant guidelines. Please contact instructor Lara Morton at 203-314-3394 or email [email protected] to reserve a spot. Happy fall, everyone!

08/21/2022

AUDITIONS EXTENDED THROUGH AUGUST 27. ALL ROLES ARE OPEN. ESPECIALLY SEEKING BIPOC SINGERS FROM THE GREATER NEW HAVEN AREA.
Jason Robert Brown’s beloved musical “Songs For A New World” is a vibrant, diverse collection of songs about love, loss and building a community under extraordinary circumstances that will be performed in the vibrant, diverse city of New Haven. Our goal is to accurately reflect that on stage at Bregamos Community Theater. All roles are open and all ethnicities, backgrounds and gender identities encouraged. The music ranges from pop to gospel to jazz and features such songs as “Stars And The Moon” and “King Of The World.” You can submit a video audition at FuseTheatreCT.org. We can also accommodate in-person auditions if you would prefer. Email [email protected] for more information or to sign up.

08/18/2022

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/527341/15-facts-about-kate-chopins-awakening

Now accepting actor submissions for a workshop series (virtual initially, then switching to in-person), culminating in a staged reading of my stage adaptation of this book. Please DM me for more info.

The literary classic received negative reviews when it was published in 1899.

08/08/2022

♥️ONJ♥️ you influenced us in innumerable ways. Thank you for the music, the strength you showed us while going through Cancer, and the luminous, radiant inner and outer beauty you possessed.

08/08/2022

This show has been heavily on my mind these past few weeks. The desire to do it again thirty years after the first time I directed it is strong. “The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reid’s struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier’s spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at the piano. Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take and impriss of abiding truth.”
This was how I felt when I first read the book, the entire time I was writing the stage adaptation, and How I am feeling once again. Looking for actors to do a staged reading soon. Please reach out.

08/08/2022

Words to live a life by.

08/07/2022

I have a number of brief clips from my stage adaptation of Kate Chopin’s ‘The Awakening’ on YouTube. This was the only production thus far, directed by me in 1993 at SUNY ONEONTA. More clips in the comments.