A directional shift.

Hello everyone!

After last week's epic post, I decided to just say hey and let you know about a few developments in my life.

Career-wise, I think I may be looking away from Broadway for now. From the look of things here, not a whole lot is happening in the way of unknown talent making much headway in the business. Furthermore, after the reactions from the reading series, I've decided to look more into film/TV. As such, I've been put in contact with some very good resources to get on the right lists to start getting this party started. Who knows? Maybe by the end of this network season you'll be seeing me on your favorite show? So far I've been submitted to the casting directors of 30 Rock and Rescue Me!

In other news, my parents may be coming to visit!!! They informed me that the topic has been discussed in the house and a road trip may be in the works for sometime in the next few weeks. Besides the obvious thrill of having my parents come see where I live/work, they will also be bringing some necessities I've been going without for the last six months: my TV and vacuum cleaner.

Less than a few weeks to go in this year's Oscar Race and things are really starting to heat up: The Hurt Locker has been gaining some much needed momentum in this home stretch and it is kind of poised to be the film to beat some March 7. Avatar is still a favorite with the populous crowd, but the artsy folks are gunning for James Cameron to sink like the real Titanic. I just hope that ten years from now people aren't saying they hate Avatar and deny seeing it in theatres, much like some are these days with Titanic--you saw it and you LOVED it! Sadly, I am one of the four people on the planet that have not seen Avatar yet, but I plan to remedy that fairly soon. However, I did catch Colin Firth in A Single Man--highly recommended. It's not a huge film, by any means, and it is incredibly subtle in its drama, as is Firth's performance. Additionally, I finally saw Nine. Nothing to run home about, but fairly enjoyable. Marion Cotillard, I love you.

Be sure to vote in the poll. Just FYI, if Fergalicious (Nickalicious) wins, there better be some good suggestions coming my way for new lyrics...

Happy Adventures!

Six months, and so much to talk about...

Hello everyone!

It's been two weeks since I've last been on here, and to be honest, you may need to take a break in the middle of this one. (Sorry, Charlie.)

My last post was titled FRIENDS because I had lots of stories surrounding friends visiting, or just great nights of hanging out with new friends. When something needs to be said, it needs to be said: I have the greatest friends in the world! The city was graced with the presence of my pint-sized friend Drew last week. He was in town with his law school's Mock Trial team and was kind enough to pencil me in for an evening of catching up over drinks and dinner, followed by breakfast at Brooklyn Diner. (Just to clear the air, it wasn't that kind of visit...minds out of the gutter.) Anyway, it was really nice to see Drew, especially he was one of the last people I saw in Ohio before moving. Drew, come back anytime.

In the continuing saga of Nick's Reading Series, I bring you the final episode:

On the evening of January 28, I participated in the reading of a new screenplay titled Breaking Fences by William Morton. The story surrounds a young man falling in love with a girl (played by my good friend Emily) that crashes into the fence of his apartment late one night. My characters included the main character's supervisor at work (whom serves as a father-figure to him), a Fussy Man, a Serious Man, a Young Man, and Tommy a 6-year-old boy that has just found out his dog has died. Yes, it's a comedy. Our reading was very well-received and I think the writer is definitely got something great right there. Kudos to Emily for turning in an incredibly well-read and nuanced performance of the leading lady! So proud of YOU!

January 29 brought what can only be called as my TOUR DE FORCE performance of the screenplay Coming Attraction by Josh Berman in which I played (count them) 15 characters: Jason (a club doorman), Cinnabon (an Lebanese body guard), Dr. Marcello Salvadori (an Italian Sex Therapist), a dorky Bookstore Attendant, 3 friends of the main character on Answering Machines (Jon, Marcus, and Steve), a flamingly gay Clothing Guy, Hick #1, the Guy Who Works There ("There" being the rodeo), the Rodeo Announcer, Alan (a man who has recently returned to American from working with elephants in Sierra Leon), Adam (the main character's older brother--think Old School Vince Vaughn), and Fred (a 19-year-old prick), and the actual Answering Machine itself. This was quite possibly the most fun I've ever had in performance, for obvious reasons. And yes, I had accessories to help distinguish between the different characters.

January 30 was a double feature of A House Divided by Minette Greenberg about a Jewish family and an African-American family dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident in Queens in the early 90's. Among my roles in this script was Schlomo Pinsky, a "husky" man that has an eye for the main character. Definitely the high drama of my weekend, but such a satisfying experience. To be honest, I enjoyed listening to the rest of the incredibly talented cast reading the script more than my own scenes--which I enjoyed immensely, of course. Immediatley following I read the roles of Fr. Flanaghan and a Pinkerton Guard for Frankie & the World's Fair Pear by Debbie Klaar. This is a family film taking place during the 1964/65 World's Fair that set up shop in Queens, where I live. Watching the main characters played by child actor's of appropriate ages doing such a fantastic job was just a treat. I can't wait to see what happens for these kids, honestly.

Sunday, January 31 brought about my fifth and final script entitled Another Goode Life by Nadia Tabbara. The best way to describe this script is to say it's Eternal Sunshine but reversed: the main character actually has his memory erased so he must put the pieces together himself. Truly beautiful writing and such an insightful process of working through this script. I was the narrator, as well as a Guitar Player, the voice of the Subway, a boxing ring Announcer, and a Construction Worker.

If you were keeping track, that's about 30 characters in 4 days within 5 scripts! To be honest, I didn't know who I was the end of it all, but WHAT A WEEKEND!

To celebrate the work and success of the series, we had a wrap party at the Playwright's Tavern on 49th where we all gathered to have a few drinks, laugh at goof-ups, and wish each other the best on our next endeavors. For me, this was the best networking I've ever done. From all the people I met because of this series, I have invites to join an improv group, an offer to take a part in a play that is hopefully going to be produced off one of the scripts from the series, help in tackling the industry, lots of advice and where to go and what to do, and a FREE SCREENWRITING CLASS! To say nothing of the phenomenal new friends I've made, this was quite possibly the best weekend of my life and the greatest thing I could have ever done for my career.

It's the next step that scares me, to be completely honest. After this series, I got some of the best reviews of my life and all the hope for a fruitful career. But it's not the people in this series that will be casting anything I'll be auditioning for anytime soon. My only hope is that the reactions I receive out in the audition rooms will be as enthusiastic and encouraging as those from this series.

In other news, there is a new poll on the right-hand side of the blog. Check it out, take your pick, and wait to hear which song I'll see at the Lebanon Show Choir Classic on March 20!

So, how are YOU all?

Happy Adventures!

Friends!

Hey gang!

My life has come to this: dipping delicious italian bread in a jar of peanut butter. How did this happen? I don't know, but it's actually pretty delicious. Some may say, "Choosey Moms, Choose JIF", but I'm getting dippy with some Skippy and I must say: me likey!

I've just returned home after another night in a darken theatre. This evening, however, was spent in Broadway's newest house: Henry Miller's Theatre. Currently, the first-ever revival of Bye, Bye Birdie is taking up residence here, but only until this Sunday. Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, it features a pretty impressive ensemble of celebrities headed by none other than John "Uncle Jesse" Stamos and Gina "Showgirls" Gershon. I'm sure Ms. Gershon wouldn't appreciate that reference, but I wasn't sure how many of you would be able to pin point her if I said "Face/Off" instead... Anyway, both actors were pretty decent and had their very own shining moments. But I must admit that this show belongs to Bill Irwin as the father of a small-town girl chosen to receive a kiss from Conrad Birdie (an Elvis-wannabe). Mr. Irwin not only steals the show with his perfect mix of neurosis and slap-stick, but he's one hell of a nice guy to meet at the stage door. Yes, theatre dorks, I met BILL IRWIN! And he's awesome! And yes, non-theatre dorks, I met John Stamos! He is equally as kind but was on his way out the door to meet a huge crowd of adoring fans (mostly middle-aged women...). Before I close off this paragraph, I do need to mention the kids in this production. They really do command the stage and make the most of every second on time. Since they took up residency at the theatre, I've been privileged to get to meet a lot of them and admire them. This is probably mostly due to the fact that they have my life, but I won't hold that against them. Great job to all involved!

On subject of shows, I forgot to mention the most incredibly emotional theatrical experience of the year: HAIR!!! As I mentioned in an early post, my friends Sean and Amanda bought me an incredible ticket to see HAIR for Christmas/my birthday. As expected, I cried during "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In". A few years ago, I saw a production of HAIR at Miami, but I believe there were substantial cuts for that production, I'm not sure. However, the entire show is pretty random in its structure, but is powerful in so many ways. The music and story are wonderfully interwoven, but it's the complete dedication of the cast to each and every word that makes this show such an phenomenal treasure for an audience. Most importantly, after the ensemble moves the audience to tears singing "Let the Sunshine In" at the end, they come back on stage, the band starts it up again, and the cast invites audience members to join them onstage for a dance party. I know what you're thinking: Nick wouldn't go up there, he's too shy. BULLSHIT! You KNOW I did! I looked out into the audience of the Al Hirshfeld Theatre and knew that was exactly what I wanted to see for the rest of my life. But the evening didn't end there, I proceeded out of the theatre and over to the same stage door where I met David Hyde Pierce after Curtains a few years ago. But tonight, belonged to the tribe of HAIR. Each and every single person came out and signed each Playbill or poster or whatever people wanted signed. More importantly, they listened to each person's reaction to the show and looked each person in the eye and said, "Thank you" in a beautifully genuine tone. They've had this very same reaction for almost a year now--some of them for longer since they've been with this production since it premiere at the Public Theatre during the summer of 2008--and yet, they seem to never tire of the power their performances have. I really admire them all for their candor and for their "leave-it-all-out-there" performances. Peace, Love, and HAIR!

This past weekend saw the return of someone to my life it had definitely been missing: the Morgmaster! My good friend from college Morgan was in town visiting with a friend and she was kind enough to pencil me in for some time. We got to hang out at my place, then we had dinner at my restaurant, then we--wait for it--went to a show! As Morgan was a psychology major in school, we decided on Next to Normal as an appropriate show. As you may remember, I saw N2N back in November with KTD and Emily. However, seeing a show a second time has never been so wonderful! More than anything it was great to spend the evening with a good friend I haven't seen for quite a long time. Morgmaster, let's please not spend so much time apart?

UPDATE: So last week I told you all that I got my first role in a reading called A House Divided. Well, unless you stalk me on facebook, you may know that I've also been cast in readings of FOUR OTHER SCREENPLAYS! It's incredibly exciting, brilliantly humbling, and fanastically schedule bulking. Fo rizzle: I have so little free time between now and the end of the month since I'll be reading up on 5 scripts. Thankfully, one isn't all that involved and I don't have that much to learn. The down side is that I've only seen two of the scripts, so I have no clue as to how involved the rest of my work will be. More to come...

In other news, I recently rejoined the human race in Netflix. More importantly, I've joined race of laughing humans by watching 30 Rock. In about three sittings, I watched the ENTIRE first season. Holy crap! It's so good, it's making me like Tracy Morgan, which if you know me at all know that I do NOT find Tracy Morgan funny--so that's saying something. Furthermore, I have received the first two discs of season 2 of Mad Men. I've already given the first season a try and wasn't all that impressed because it didn't feel like anything really happened, but I'm willing to give it another shot to win me over.

And just as an added bonus for making it this far, I present to you my good "friend" Susan Blackwell in her own Broadway.com series entitled "Side By Side By Susan Blackwell". Basically, the handsome lady hangs out with her fantastic act-y friends and asks them random questions that are HI-larious! (My new life goal is to lick or be licked by Susan Blackwell) Enjoy!

http://www.broadway.com/videos/all/side-by-side-by-susan-blackwell-episode-two-gavin-creel-beth-leavel-kelli-ohara/

Happy Adventures!

My first role!

Happy (Not-so) Monday everyone!

YES! As the title reads, I have been cast in my first role! Don't jump up and down just yet, it's a part in a screenplay reading for a master class. But Nick, what does that mean? I'll tell you! It means that a bunch of writers are taking a master class from an established writer that has chosen to enlighten the world of these young writers with his knowledge of writing. What this means for me is that they need actors to play out these scripts. I was chosen for a script entitled A House Divided. I have no idea what the story is about, nor do I know anything about my character. Right now, the only information I know is what has already been mentioned and the date of the reading: Saturday, January 30 at 1 PM in the Bridge Theatre (I don't even know where that is...) I'LL GOOGLE IT! [Please wait while Nick googles "Bridge Theatre NYC"...]

[Thank you for your patience. We now return you to your "regularly scheduled" blog.]

The Bridge Theatre is part of the Shelter Studios home on 54th St. in Manhattan. It's not big, but will be the first "professional" acting I'll do in NYC! Can you say "excited"?!?!

In other news, I don't even know if I mentioned this before, but I got an iPhone just before flying back to NYC. I like the phone, I'm not happy with AT&T's service. Hence, I dumped AT&T and have gone back to Verizon where they have given me a great deal on the new Droid phone. I'll let you know how this goes.

In other other news, I've already bought my ticket for my next trip back to Ohio which will be March 16-23. Look out Ohio, I'm comin' for ya!

Not a whole lot else going on recently. I haven't been to the gym in two weeks and it's starting to annoy me, so I'm definitely going after work tomorrow--NO QUESTIONS ASKED! Hey Nick, you wanna go to a movie after work tomorrow? No, kid, I gotta go to the gym!

Happy Adventures!

A new year and I'm already slacking...

Happy New Years everyone!

2010. Honestly, where are the hover-boards and such that were predicted to be around in the Back to the Future movies? Those would have come in good use once I got back to NYC last week: there were a few extra million people in the city for New Year's Eve and I have never seen so little of the pavement as I walked from the train to my restaurant. It was unbelievable, at the very least. I've never been impatient around tourists, but I seriously just wanted to maul them all down so they'd get out of my way. Definitely a new feeling to me. Life was thrown into hyperdrive as soon as I hit the pavement upon getting back and it didn't let up until I got home around 9 pm on Saturday after my third straight double. (This included one 16-hour day on New Year's Eve. In Times Square. Life. Sucks.)

There was a bright, shining few moments between all the madness:

1) After work on Wednesday, I met up with Skittles and his family for dinner. I hadn't seen him since the weekend before I moved in August and let me tell you, I think I missed this guy more than anyone. Have you ever had a friend that never really had to get to know, you just knew the minute you met that this was one person you wanted to be around for the rest of your life? (I just read that and I realize it sounds very I-like-it-so-I-should-put-a-ring-on-it.) That's exactly how it was when I met him over three years ago when he arrived at the New Guy party for Club. It seemed like he was just happy to be wherever he was. I told him while we were sitting at dinner that it was the moment I first met him outside Western Lodge that I decided I wanted him to be my Little. Quite possibly in my Top 5 Best Decisions. Which, of course, has made the last two years being away from Miami even more difficult. In that time Skittles has become Vice President of Club (a position I held four years ago), a Student Conductor, and Musical Director of Cheezies, not to mention some kind of icon around campus. (Don't deny it, dude: YOU ARE!) Seriously, everyone knows him. Anyway, dinner was great with him and, it seemed, his entire family tree. After dinner they went off to see Finian's Rainbow, which I have already seen so I opted out of it. However, we did get to meet for breakfast the next morning and got to have more time to catch up, which just made me miss having that time all the time even MORE. Oh, well. I'll see you in March, bud...

2) While Skittles and his family went to Finian's Rainbow, I made my way up to 52nd St. to see the current revival of Ragtime which has recently announced a premature closing date. The first time I saw Ragtime, I drove down to Lynchburg, VA, with my friends Charles, Charlie, and Amy to surprise Brad (all high school friends). Even at this small school with immense talent and little budget to spend on their productions, I knew this was a very special show. Cut to me losing count of how many times I was moved to tears during the nearly 3 hours I sat in the Neil Simon Theatre experiencing one of the most incredible theatrical productions I have EVER seen. Everything was great. Everyone was great. It was great. I only wish there was a word that could accurately describe how sublime this show is. The energy in the theatre was tangible just waiting for the show to start. As soon as the lights started to dim the audience erupted with cheers and applause. Each number got bigger applause than the previous one which constantly built until the end of the show. As soon as the lights blacked out for the end of the show, everyone in the theatre jumped to their feet. The cacophony of sound rose with each bow until it culminated with a sound that could only signal the entrance of a stage legend. However, instead it was a young man named Quentin Earl Darrington making his Broadway debut in the lead role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. This is a moment I will never forget for as long as I live. Mr. Darrington gives nothing short of a career-making performance and should most definitely be practicing his acceptance speeches which he is sure to make come awards seasons. This man became a star right before our eyes on the stage and even from the second-to-last row of the audience I could see the tears streaming down his face as he came up from his bow. This is what I hope to achieve: move people to the point that their reaction moves me to tears.

3) The money was good.

But now, the tourists are gone and things have already begun to normalize in life: my sleep schedule actually exists and there is no more money to be made at the restaurant, which sucks. I may be looking for more gainful employment for the next few months.

I remember thinking this week that there was so much I needed to write about in this blog, but I guess not as much as I thought. However, I would like to give a shout out to my buddy Brenton that informed me that he is an avid reader of this blog and, dude, I am so happy you do.

Happy Adventures!

25

Merry Christmas to all!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas with your families. I know I have.

Tuesday was the big day to fly home and it started early (7 am) in NYC and ended late (2 am) in Columbus. The day in between wasn't all that eventual since I spent most that day waiting on the standby list for any open spot on a fly into Columbus that day before I booked flight (6:30 pm). However, the time actually went by fairly quickly and I got to work on my big present for my mom. It's been a tough couple of months with me moving and my dad being out on the road with his new (now old) job. A few years back I started a tradition of buying a Nicholas Sparks book for her birthday and Christmas. So, as our current living situations have been an uneasy transitional period, I decided to read the last Nicholas Sparks book and write in it as I read it. This was anytime she read it she could feel like I was right there with her, instead of 10 hours away. Naturally, she cried and it was exactly what I was going for.

This Christmas has been pretty surreal for me. Coming home felt easier than I thought. Even as my brother drove me to our parents' house, it hadn't felt like I had been gone all that long--it actually felt like I had just made this drive within the last few days. Maybe home just never seems that far away for me? I can't deny that I have had the thought that I would like to move back, but then I remember that doing that would just be cheating myself out of what I want to do. But it is nice to know that coming home is as good as ever.

Over the last few months I've been talking about how I've working out and losing weight, but I hadn't weighed myself...only Wednesday morning. The official count of lbs. lost is a whopping 30! It was pretty nice to go through some old clothes--some I have never worn--put them on and realize they fit better than when I first bought them. So YEAH ME!

In other news, today is my birthday! That's right. The number in the title, that's my age. It doesn't feel all that bad, but then again age is just a number. Maybe 25 will be my lucky number... Stayed tuned to find out if that comes true.

Happy Adventures and Holidays!

I’ll be home for Christmas!

It’s so close I can almost taste it: the smell of the trees up in the living room, family room, and back porch; cookies and other goodies in the oven; my mom’s roast beef, meatballs, mashed potatoes (God, let there be mashed potatoes), and hor d’oeuvres of shrimp, cheese, and other delectable things.

Tomorrow is the day I board a jet plane and make my way back home for the holidays and the anticipation is killing me! Everywhere I go I am reminded of my family and of all the great things the holidays bring. The other day at work, a guest simply said “Merry Christmas” and I about burst out in tears because it made me so happy to hear those two words. Of course, part of it is the presents. Let’s face it, it’s the only time of the year I get presents, so I get just a tad bit more excited than most people for Christmas. However, more than anything, I am anxious to see my family, some that I only get to see during the holidays, and share in the traditions that we have come to enjoy for as long as we can all remember. There’s always something to look forward to because my family is so unpredictable. I have an uncle that has been known to spout out a few great one-liners over the years and they have made the holidays full of laughter. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this year…

Sitting here in the kitchen, I’m contemplating how different it’s going to be back in Ohio: what’s actually different, how I’m different, etc. My whole definition of home is semi-in-limbo. Obviously, Ohio is where my family is and some say “Home is where they love you.” However, over the last four and a half months, I’ve felt very loved by the people I’m surrounded by. Still, others say “Home is where the heart is.” Without any doubt, this makes defining home even more difficult because I love New York and am so happy to be living here, but a part of me is still tightly tied to the comforts and ease of the Midwest. I’m actually scared to find out how I feel being home and not in the city. I’m scared I going to think I should move back to Ohio, but I know I can’t do that to myself just yet because I haven’t given an honest try at this whole big city life. It was difficult enough to leave my family and friends once, will it be just as difficult—or even more difficult—the second time around? All I know is that right now I want to see my family and friends, play with the dog, sit by the fire, admire the Winter Wonderland mantle my mom decorates every year, and listen to Christmas music while staring at the tree. Maybe home is a drug that I just need a little hit of to get over this bump in the road of withdrawal? We’ll see how I feel a week from now.

On the topic of home, I saw a very interesting movie last night: Up in the Air. The whole movie is basically about a guy that for better or worse doesn’t have a real home. He travels 300+ days out of the year and considers airports and airplanes his home. The days he isn’t traveling are miserable to him. His job is to fire people when their bosses don’t have the balls to do it themselves. He does motivational speaking engagements, as well, and doesn’t seem to have much communication with his family or even have any friends. It sounds depressing, but it’s actually pretty funny. George Clooney plays this guy without a home and he’s pretty freakin’ good in this movie. I never thought I would actually be a fan of the Clooney, but he’s grown on me over the years. His supporting cast consist of two ladies: a lover (Vera Farmiga of The Departed) and a new member of the company (Anna Kendrick of The Twilight Saga). Additionally, Jason Bateman appears as his boss. I haven’t really had the time to think about what I really feel about the movie, but my initial response has been very positive, as opposed to falling asleep during Invictus, in spite of my man-crush on Matt Damon. Either way, check out Up in the Air. I have a good feeling about this movie.

(Side note: it’s Awards Season, so expect A LOT more movie commentary to come.)

Happy Adventures and Merry Christmas!