Baltimore21201.Com - The Blog

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr (1929-1968) — I celebrate the man and his life with music.

 

 

 

 

 

You were grace on earth, Dr King, and I will continue to thank you for all of your work for of my days. 

After 20 years, 'Polyester' at the Charles.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote:
Ordinarily, Mr. Waters is not everyone's cup of tea
- but Polyester, which opens today at the National
and other theaters, is not Mr.Waters' ordinary
movie. It's a very funny one, with a hip, stylized
humor that extends beyond the usual limitations of
his outlook. This time, the comic vision is so controlled
and steady that Mr. Waters need not rely so heavily on
the grotesque touches that make his other films such
perennial favorites on the weekend Midnight Movie
circuit. Here's one that can just as well be shown in
the daytime.


John Waters'
POLYESTER

The first Charles Theatre screening of Polyester in more than 20 years! John Waters’ larger-budget “women’s picture” satire stars Divine as tormented housewife Francine Fishpaw. Featuring Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, Mink Stole and many of your friends and neighbors. 

Saturday, January 19 11:30 AM; Monday, January 21 7 PM; Thursday, January 24 9 PM.

1981 Dir. John Waters 1.85. 86 Min. Color.
TRAILER

WINTER REPERTORY FILM CALENDAR

The Players:
Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, David Samson, Mary Garlington, Ken King, Mink Stole, Joni Ruth White, Hans Kramm 

and a credited cast of dozens

Stiv Bators, Cookie Mueller, Mary Vivian Pearce, Jean Hill, George Udell,Joan Erbe, Steve Yeager, George Figgs, Garey Lambert, Tom Diventi, Susan Lowe, Chuck Yeaton, Brook Yeaton, Stuart Rome, Paula Rome, Jay Leno, Rick Breitenfeld, Jim Hill, John Brothers, Derek Neal, Michael Watson, Sharon Niesp, Marina Melin, George Hulse, Tony Parkham, Paul Holland, Alberto Panella, Frank Tamburo, Nancy Morgan, Keats Smith, Gordon Kamka, David Klein, George Stover, Marv Egoff, John De La Vega, Mrs. Horner, Katie Casey, Gail Kondylas, Judith Klein, Alan Hauser, Lynda Lambert, Dorothy Braudy, Leo Braudy, Pat Figgs, Joan Insley, Sam Insley, Kitty Samson, Steve Waters, Treva Barnes, Sharon Waters, Anne Mallory, John Allen, Jay Allen, Tommy Allen, Hilary Aidus, Jay Bennett, Rocky Collins, Denny Dormody, Bernard Jay, Karl Otter, Charles Roggero.

The Charles Theatre
1711 N Charles Steet
Baltimore (of course) 21201

Awards Season - 'LES MISÉRABLES' comes to me; I go to New York City for 'LINCOLN'

Every year Jacob and I plan far ahead to keep January weekends free to screen award-nominated movies. We look forward to the envelopes and packages stamped with the iconic message: For Your Consideration. As an active and voting member of Screen Actors Guild—celebrating 40 years—and a retired member of Directors Guild of America, the DVDs and screening invitations begin arriving each year just after the New Year.

My 'Les Miserables' package from Universal Pictures

Some studios send a DVD, some studios send top-shelf print material as a teaser and then the DVD, some studios provide eMoviePasses so you can screen their nominated movies with a typical audience, and others offer intimate screenings with industry peers.

This year Disney and DreamWorks Pictures sent me a handsome invitation to screen Lincoln at the Directors Guild Theatre in New York. (One of the great benefits of living in Baltimore is proximity.)

'Lincoln' - final shooting script

And, in their package, they included, at 127 pages, the final shooting script and additional digital teasers. I returned my eRSVP this afternoon.

DGA RSVP

The DGA Theatre is a small, jewel-box of a place on West 57th Street, a few steps from the Russian Tea Room and Carnegie Hall. As screening theatres go, it's intimate, yet outfitted with envy-inducing, state-of-the-art audio and projection equipment:

DGA Theatre, 110 W 57th Street, NYC

Specifications from Directors Guild:
 

Digital Projection

• Barco DP-3000 D-Cinema DLP "2K" Projector
• Dolby DSS-200 D-Cinema screen server
• Dolby 3D and Real D 3D capabilities
• Multi-standard video decks (Digital Betacam, Betacam SP, Blu-Ray and DVD)
• DVI-D and SVGA Computer Graphics Capabilities (Powerpoint) from stage position   

Sound

• JBL three-way speaker system
• Dolby CP-650 Digital Cinema Sound Processors
• Dolby DMA8 Plus Digital Media Adaptor
• Dolby Digital 7.1 discreet audio
• Dolby SR-D, Dolby SR, Dolby E audio formats
• QSC Basis Network Audio System, QSC Digital Power Amplifier System

Film

• Dual Simplex XL 35mm Reel to Reel Capabilities

Control

• Theatrical Stage Lighting
•  Mackie 16 Channel Audio Mixing Console
• Shure Microphones

This private screening facility is designed to provide the ideal environment for industry professionals to screen their films, hold their special events, or their film premieres.

It is ideal for conferences, lectures and corporate presentations. The upper and lower lobby areas are ideal for pre and post-event receptions.

The DGA New York Theater Complex is recognized throughout the entertainment industry as one of the preeminent screening, private reception, and film premiere facilities in the city.

Simplicity in a print invitation: 'Lincoln'

You'll find Jacob and me at the Park Central Hotel, January 24 - 26. And, there's a pretty good chance that you'll find us at the Russian Tea Room, also.

After all of the travel arraingments to NYC to screen LINCOLN were made i looked out the window—we are living in an unusual, for winter, Baltimore cloud of fog today—and I saw this on top of the BGE building on Fayette and Liberity Streets. It seems appropriate.

Photo from the homestead, 218 N Charles Street, Baltimore
 

Now then. I'm off to bed. On Friday, at work, I was foolishly chatting everyone up about my having had a flu shot early and not having anything other that a mild cold this winter...

Flu 2013 - I have a head-splitting headache, every fiber of my body hurts, food is out of the question.

Post written by Stephen Brockelman

SAG - AFTRA members. Hurricane Help.

I wrote about the SAG Foundation's response to Hurricane Sandy and our members in need a few days ago. SAG and AFTRA have increased their effort and want to make all members of One Union know that help is available. Here's member, Ron Pearlman to explain. Please share this with your fellow union members.

 
Superstorm Sandy Emergency Assistance Fund

From SAG-AFTRA, ONE UNION:

Hellboy Ron Perlman films a PSA for the Superstorm Sandy Emergency Assistance Fund.

We are honored to share this video with you. As an actor whose family and friends have been touched by the devastation of Sandy, Ron jumped at the idea of recording this video.

As many of you are aware, SAG Foundation, SAG Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund and the AFTRA Foundation have come together to provide immediate financial support to active SAG-AFTRA members affected by this tragedy. We have made a significant contribution to this fund but of course, with additional donations we can have a much greater impact and reach many more people.

If you need help, ask. If you can help, give. We're all in this together.

Please pass this video along.

www.sagfoundation.org

And to my fellow union members, Remember Rule One.

Sandy. She's a big girl, NASA reveals.

Hurricane Sandy, photo courtesy NASA

Hurricane Sandy soon to arrive, MTA hasn't updated site since Friday

MTA website, Sunday 10.28.2012, 1PM

The Maryland Transit Administration can't update it's online escalator / elevator outage information on a daily basis. I don't know why I should be surprised by their lack of public transportation information about a storm that will affect thousands tomorrow. Good luck, Baltimore riders.

Baltimore has 'em. Inexcusable Fantasies.

Strand Theater Company welcomes Baltimore playwright, performer and theater professor Susan McCully with her three-woman show Inexcusable Fantasies, exploring, often comically, her secret and not-so-secret obsessions with Martha Stewart, Harley Davidson, and Grandma’s Oil of Olay. The production is a Baltimore premiere and the second offering of the Strand 2012-13 Season, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rain Pryor. It runs November 1-17. 

Sarah Mcully, UMBC

McCully, a scholar of feminist theater at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, wrote, produced, and stars in this autobiographical show about sexual politics, lust “over forty,” cloning, eye surgery, vision, revision and the unmistakably erotic powers of Martha Stewart’s marzipan. The play is directed by fellow UMBC professor Eve Muson, whose work has been seen recently at Rep Stage (Las Meninas, Speech and Debate) and with UMBC at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (Las Meninas). The acting trio is rounded out by Wendy Salkind and Sarah Ford Gorman. 

Rain Prior, Strand Artisitc Director — photo courtesy Astrid Riecken, Washington Post

Strand Artistic Director Rain Pryor is thrilled with the new partnership at the Strand. “Eve Muson and Susan McCully are true Baltimore homegrown artists”, says Pryor. “It is a privilege for the Strand to bring these two brilliant women to the community, and to show off what diverse talents we have in our city.” 

Inexcusable Fantasies begins with a Preview on Thursday, November 1, followed by the Opening Night on Saturday, November 3. Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through November 17. All shows begin at 8 pm. General Admission is $20, seniors are $15, and students are $10 (with valid ID). Tickets to the preview performance are $5 and Opening Night tickets are $25.

About the Show and the Playwright

Inexcusable Fantasies was first penned a few years ago, opening the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival in 2004. New revisions and the support of the Strand allow McCully and her team to bring the show to Baltimore audiences. “This is a thrilling time to be a theatre artist in Baltimore,” says McCully “Dynamic new leadership and spaces, along with the rise of young ensemble companies fill the city with unmistakable energy toward new play development, and our show is a microcosm of all that excitement.” 

About Grrl Parts

While Inexcusable Fantasies will make its Baltimore premiere this November, McCully is not unfamiliar to presenting new plays with strong female roles to Baltimore audiences. Over the past seven years, she has steered efforts to cultivate UMBC’s Grrl Parts, a collection of new, short plays by major contemporary playwrights—including Lee Blessing, Phyllis Nagy, Caridad Svich, and Naomi Wallace—where women play both protagonist and antagonist, driving the action forward. To date, the Grrl Parts project has produced nearly 30 new works. 

Grrl Parts has been twice invited to CENTERSTAGE to perform plays produced through Grrl Parts. Most recently, in March of 2012, UMBC and CENTERSTAGE partnered to create a unique performance of the most recent batch of Grrl Parts commissioned works. The evening ended with a panel discussion addressing the role of women in American theater, moderated by Susan Jonas featuring notable female playwrights Julia Jordan, Kate Moira Ryan, Tanya Saracho, and Lucy Thurber. 

This season, as the UMBC Theatre Department moves into a new era with a brand new Performing Arts and Humanities building and beautiful new theatrical spaces, the Grrl Parts project will expand its activities as well. McCully and her colleagues are excited to focus their efforts on moving Inexcusable Fantasies from Baltimore to festivals around the globe, under the producing company name “Grrl Parts Productions”, carrying on the ideals the project set in motion seven years ago. “Grrl Parts is really growing up this year!” says Eve Muson “We started Grrl Parts with the simple objective of creating more roles for our young actresses at school. Now, with the support of the university and the Baltimore community, we’re mounting our first professional production, building a partnership with CENTERSTAGE, and commissioning full-length works, too.” 

Performance Schedule

Thursday, November 1st, 8pm - Preview ($5)
Saturday, November 3rd, 8pm Opening Night (Pre-show reception, post-show Q&A)
Thursday, November 8th, 8pm
Friday, November 9th, 8pm
Saturday, November 10th, 8pm
Thursday, November 15th, 8pm
Friday, November 16th, 8pm
Saturday, November 17th, 8pm 

Ticket Prices

Adult: $20, Senior: $15 Student: $10, Opening Night: $25
Other discounts may be available; like the Strand on Facebook or follow the Strand on Twitter to learn more. 

About the Strand

The Strand Theater Company champions challenging and provocative theater that especially celebrates women’s diverse voices and perspectives while bringing together the creative talents of both women and men as artists, technicians, and administrators. We invite patrons to experience some of the region’s best contemporary and reinterpreted works for the stage in our intimate midtown theater. 

Since launching in 2008, the Strand has presented 17 full-length plays, including eight World Premieres; offered 75% of the artistic positions on its productions—as playwrights, directors, designers, stage managers, and actors—to women; provided affordable theater space to many organizations and independent artists; and played an integral role in the revitalization of the Station North Arts & Entertainment District.

Arts-based employment and opportunities in and around 21201. October 9th 2012.

HANDEL CHOIR OF BALTIMORE seeks Artistic Director and Conductor
Handel Choir of Baltimore is a highly respected 52-member auditioned community-based oratorio ensemble that presents baroque, classical and early romantic works with period instrument orchestras as well as modern repertoire and newly commissioned works.

UMBC seeks Design Professionals
The successful candidate must be committed to excellence in teaching, research and service. 

THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM seeks Online Content Specialist
The Walters Art Museum has an immidiate need to fill this part-time position.

THE TEACHING ARTIST INSTITUTE promotes Workshops
The Teaching Artist Institute’s (TAI) Quarterly Workshop dates have been set for 2012-2013!

Howard County Arts Council, website 

HOWARD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL seeks Figure Models
Models needed for Tuesday evening sessions.

MERRITT GALLERY seeks Sales Consultants
Merritt Gallery is seeking a success driven sales professional for our Chevy Chase gallery.

AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS opens registration for The 2013 Local Arts Classroom
Today, Americans for the Arts officially launches and opens registration for the 2013 Local Arts Classroom, back by popular demand!

CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY seeks Development Assistant for Institutional Giving
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is looking for someone with experience performing administrative tasks in an office environment. 

ART EXPOSURE seeks Artists
Artists: Do you want to exhibit your work in alternative venues, such as law firms and medical offices?

MARYLAND STATEWIDE ARTS EDUCATION ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION seeks Executive Director
Please view the attached PDF on our JobsPlus site to learn more about this opportunity. 

Baltimore-Washington DC: SAG, AFTRA, News from One Union

We are entering an active season for One Union members. Here's a taste, there's more to come:

SAG Foundation presents…
LIVE STREAMED Panel Discussion
Corner Your Market: Fostering Your Marketing Savvy

When: 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012

Anne Globe, DreamWorks - Panelist 

To watch the panel, visit http://www.sagfoundation.org/videogallery/livestream
Email questions to LiveStream@sagfoundation.org or tweet to #SAGF.

Savvy marketing is like Kryptonite for a submission-filled inbox that's bursting at the seams. Marketing informs others how to think about you, and thinking like a marketer significantly ups the chances of you get noticed.

Effective marketing is so much more than mass mailings; it is an ongoing, ever-evolving, multi-layered effort. This panel of seasoned industry experts will share how actors can conceive, implement, and assess their marketing strategy. 

Topics to be explored are:

-How to create marketing materials that reflect your unique brand
-How to target casting directors who are searching for your brand
-Best practices for creating and distributing promotional Items
-The importance of identifying, building, and sustaining relationships
-How to measure the efficacy of your marketing strategy

Panelists:
Anne Globe - Chief Marketing Officer, DreamWorks Animation
Blair Hickey - Actor; Co-Founder, CastingAbout
Brian Wold - Internet/Marketing Specialist; Co-Founder, Casting-About
Paul Weber - Casting Director
Moderator – Jeff B. Cohen, Esq, Actor (Goonies); Cohen Gardner LLP

And, another thing.

SAG-AFTRA members —

Join Us for Our First SAG-AFTRA Membership Meeting
When: 7-9 p.m., Monday, Nov. 5, 2012
Where: The Hilton Hotel in Rockville
1750 Rockville Pike
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(Adjacent to the Twin Brook Metro Station on the Red Line.)

Come to our very first membership meeting as a merged union! There will be a possible vote on amendments to the Local Constitution as well as on the Local name change.

This meeting is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. No RSVP necessary. SAG-AFTRA MEMBERS, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD FOR ADMITTANCE.

That's it for this round of event information. Stay tuned, there's more to come. And to my fellow union members: Remeber Rule One. 

Casting Frontiers on One Union: All work counts toward SAG-AFTRA health plan.

SAG-AFTRA MERGER IMPROVES ACTOR'S
WORKING CONIDITIONS, SHIFTS HOLLYWOOD
POWER STRUCTURE

More than 150,000 actors will benefit from the recent merger of SAG and Aftra ‒ and not only because bases dues for dual cardholders will decrease from $243 to $198 per year.

In the big picture, no longer will producers be able to leverage one union against the other during negotiations.

SAG President, Ken Howard

"That was the big problem ‒ the two unions being pitted against each other," says Jennifer Bailey, a SAG member since 1993 currently appreaing in the "Thanking our Teachers" Exxon mobile campaign. "And the kicker was a few years ago when Afra negotiated separately and undercut SAG on most of the TV shows."

With the merger, SAG has addressed its key deficiency: Its perceived powerlessness.

 

The merger means that members of Aftra are now SAG members ‒ one reason why many SAG members were apprehensive about the merger. "You have to do work to get into SAG", says Kim Kopf, an SAG member for 27 years. "But anyone can join Aftra, and then when the merger happened, they would automatically be an SAG member, so there was a little bit of hesitation about that. But as long as the union is stronger, and joining with Aftra makes it stronger moving forward, I'm all for it."

"I feel very good about the merger," says Sherry Locher, an Aftra member since 2007 who recently appeared in the indie film 8:46. "It's one union now, so there are no longer two different rates, and I think that'll make a huge difference during contract negotiations."

Although the health benefit plans have yet to be worked out, most actors we spoke with were optimistic there would be efficiencies found in greater numbers. "It's up to the trustees as to what is the best course of action," says Jennifer Bailey. "Not everything is 100-percent laid out as to what's going to happen, but as far as I'm concerned, as it is now, it's going from bad to worse, so we do need some kind of a change. But it's like when you have a company that has 10 people as opposed to a company that has 1,000 people ‒ the rates for health insurance should be better, and people will now only have to qualify in one plan."

Indeed, it should be easier for actors to get medical and dental coverage. Prior to the merger, actors might do four or five Aftra jobs, and four or five SAG jobs and fail to qualify for either health plan. Now, as they're combined, all work will count toward on health plan.

The first test of SAG-Aftra's post-merger power will be staged this fall, when commercial contracts will be renegotiated, during which, according to the Union, "management will be pushing us to implement a completely new system for payng principal performers in national commercials."

One casting director we spoke with believes the merger will have little bearing on the reality of what's going on right now in commercial work in L.A.

"It feels like sixty percent of commercial work is non-union," says Cathy Reinking, who has cast for Frazier and The Office, as well as for commercials. "So you don't have as many of those lucrative national commercials that everbody used to dream about. And I don't think the [SAG-Aftra] union will reduce that number. I think that producers more and more want to cut costs, and I think they're finding enough good people who aren't union ‒ although I'm skeptical of that, but they must be getting enough. The more I talk to commercial agents the more sense I get that non-union is dominating right now."

Still, the tenor among actors is one of optimism. "I wasn't thrilled witht he idea of joining Aftra to get work," says Bailey. "They seemed a bit disorganized. So I'm really glad they merged, because I think the accounting of the membership dues, pension credits, and health plans will be accurately accounted for. I know AFTRA had something of an honor system, and I just don't know how that can work."

 
This is how it will work.

Congrats to all of my fellow union members for helping to make One Union happen. Many of us have been working to make One Union a reality since 1975. That said, remember Rule No. One.

Baltimore AFTRA Casting Notice: "America's Most Wanted"

Just in from Betsy Royall Casting:

We are casting for episodes of America's Most Wanted. It's a Local AFTRA Cable production on the Lifetime network. The roles are for actors who resemble the victims and fugitives.

America's Most Wanted casting in Baltimore

The cases are Desi Woods and Karen King.

Please go to the casting Dropbox shared files to see the images and scripts (in development):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/acwew3wi98cmlzv/D__q-sgHl3

America's Most Wanted, working script

The casting sessions will be held Monday, September 24 at 6247 Falls Road, Bldg E, Baltimore, MD 21209 from 8:30am-2:30pm with the director for the Desi Woods episode and 2:30pm-6:00pm with the director for the Karen King episode.

Shoot Dates are 9/27, 9/28 and 9/29. You must be available for all dates to audition.

Contact betsy@betsycasting.com for a potential audition time. Put "AMW Role" in the subject line of your email.

Good luck, all. And to my fellow union members, remember Rule One.

Coming Soon to the Jewish Museum of Maryland — in Baltimore — GefilteFest!

GefilteFest, the poster

The news of this event made smile; I hope it does the same for you.

Something fishy is going on at the Jewish Museum of Maryland!

We’re expanding the Museum’s hours and adding new tours and programs!

Beginning October 21, the Museum will be open from 10am to 5pm, Sunday through Thursday. Tours of the historic Lloyd Street Synagogue, third oldest synagogue building in the US, will now be available five times daily.

To hook you on JMM’s new hours, the Museum is proud to present GefilteFest on October 21, 2012.

Join us for a day of cooking, eating and storytelling for the whole family. Don’t miss the gefilte fish “throw-down,” as teams vie for the honor of being crowned champion of this classic Jewish delicacy. Meet the owners of Gefilteria, a Brooklyn-based startup, making waves in the food world with their boutique gefilte and  other old world Jewish foods.

We’ll be sharing fish tales throughout the day, with recipe swaps, cookbook readings, music and more.

Get in the swim at the JMM (but please note: no crabs allowed).

The Jewish Museum of Maryland
at the Herbert Bearman Campus
15 Lloyd Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

410-732-6400
info@jewishmuseummd.org 

Baltimore-Washington Actors: Tweet Loud and Often for Labor and SAG-AFTRA

Join Our Labor Day Twitter Activities: Union
Members Tweet in Support of Labor and SAG-AFTRA

What: This Labor Day, we can all do our part to help send a positive message about the value of unions – and we’re encouraging SAG-AFTRA members to do so through Twitter! There are two ways you can show your support for unions.

The first, "Work Connects Us All" is an awareness campaign of the AFL-CIO.  The campaign is launching Aug. 28, and as a supportive partner, we will be posting and Tweeting special messages and information on how we are all connected by the work we do.  Feel free to visit the “Work Connects Us All” site at workconnectsusall.org for more information.

The second way you can participate is in the third annual American Rights at Works' Labor Day Tweet-a-Thon. We encourage you to Tweet your solidarity and support for SAG-AFTRA and unions over the Labor Day weekend.

Simply send a Tweet over Labor Day weekend with the hash tags #unionmember to showcase the strength, solidarity and diversity of our unions. Use #workUdo to show your support for SAG-AFTRA, also include the hash tag #SAGAFTRAmember and #sagaftra.

Why: Labor Day is a celebration of the American worker and a day to honor our country’s rich history in the union movement. It's a day Americans can reflect on the work conditions that were hard-fought by unions over the decades: minimum wage, sick pay, child labor laws, paid vacations, the weekend, health and retirement benefits and much more.

And it’s a great time to remind the public that unions still play an important role in the work force today. And it’s an easy way to show you’re a proud union member. Your followers and supporters, and our allies in the entertainment industry, professional sports unions, and workers’ rights and union movement, and more will be re-Tweeting to maximize visibility of the effort.

When: Tweets can be sent today, Aug. 30 through the end of the Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3.

Who: “Work Connects Us All” has been organized by the AFL-CIO to recognize the importance to union work. This campaign demonstrates how unions are a collective of professionals of every area of work in this country, and how unions put values into motion, partner with communities, innovate, stand for public good, uphold ethical standards, help workers advance and collaborate to solve problems.

The Tweet-A-Thon is an event established by American Rights at Work. SAG-AFTRA members will also be joined by our colleagues at WGAE and AEA, as well as members of the Major League Baseball Players Association and National Football League Players Association in tweeting positive union messages. Feel free to send multiple tweets honoring all of your unions.

VEEP, shooting in Baltimore

How: We’ve made this easy. Here are sample suggested tweets to send through your Twitter account on Labor Day. All are under 140 characters. Of course personalize as you see fit.

Sample Tweets for American Rights at Work Tweet-a-Thon:

Please use #unionmember in each tweet so we know you’re participating! If you have room, feel free to include the short URL of the tweet-a-thon’s website, which is http://umem.us.

1.  Want to make it big? Become a #unionmember #sagaftra
2.  Best career advice: Become a #unionmember #sagaftramember
3.  I’m a #sagaftramember #unionmember. Happy Labor Day http://umem.us
4.  I am a #sagaftramember #unionmember Part of the American dream.
5.  Happy Labor Day from a proud #sagaftramember #unionmember
6.  Become a #unionmember like me. http://umem.us #sagaftramember
7.  Oscar, Emmy, Peabody, Grammy, SAG Award Winners? #unionmember #sagaftramember
8.  #sagaftramember  #unionmember  Stronger together. Happy Labor Day
9.  Happy #LaborDay! #sagaftramember #unionmember for life. http://umem.us
10. Proud #sagaftramember #unionmember! Happy Labor Day http://umem.us/
11. #sagaftramember Happy Labor Day, paid for by the labor movement. #unionmember
12. I’m a #unionmember because together we are more powerful than we are alone.
13. One for All and All for One: I’m a #unionmember and #sagaftramember
14. #LaborDay is a great day to support worker’s rights and being a #unionmember
15. Fun fact: I'm a #unionmember! Happy #LaborDay!
16. Being a #unionmember gets you a shot at the American Dream
17. Happy to be a #unionmember this Labor Day? Tweet about it!
18. One for All and All for One: I’m a #unionmember and #sagaftramember
19. Proud to be a #unionmember and #sagaftramember this #LaborDay!

Participating in a Labor Day event? Tweet your photos! There are numerous tools you can use to tweet about your Labor Day event and include photos in your tweets! iPhone users can use the official Twitter iPhone app from the App Store, as well as other platforms such as Instagram.

For Blackberry users, we suggest UberTwitter, download at http://www.ubertwitter.com. Android users should use the official Twitter Android App via the Android Market.

Thank you in advance for participating and have a happy and safe Labor Day

Tweets for “Work Connects Us All:”

Please use #workUdo in each tweet so we know you’re participating! Watch for Tweets from @SAGAFTRA and @SAGAFTRANews to re-Tweet as you see fit.

And, to all of my SAG-AFTRA members — Remember Rule One. At all times.

Baltimore-Washington SAG-AFTRA Members: Commercials Contract Meeting

SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract Webinar Meeting to be Held in Advance of the Start of Commercials Negotiations Preparation, September 5

This meeting will provide the members the opportunity to hear a report titled Commercial Trends Every Performer Needs to Know About, and you will also receive an update on the Gross Ratings Points (GRP) Study and other important topics related to the Commercials Contract. A group discussion will follow the presentation, affording staff the opportunity to hear membership’s response to these findings. We look forward to your participation as your input is vital to our negotiation preparation.

Please note that this webinar meeting is being held in preparation and advance of our Wages & Working Conditions process and will in no way replace the process by which we develop proposals. The W&W meetings will occur in September/October after members have had a chance to learn about these important topics.

"Little Mikey" - Life Cereal Commercial 1972

When: Wednesday, September 5
4-6 p.m. ET or 7-9 p.m. ET

Where: SAG-AFTRA Office, 7735 Old Georgetown Road #950, Bethesda, MD 20814

RSVP: Anne Rosenblatt at anne.rosenblatt@sagaftra.org. Please specify which time you will be attending. Space is very limited.

Parking: Onsite parking is available Monday-Friday in the parking garage beside the building. We do not validate parking. Metered parking is also available on Fairmont Avenue and surrounding streets. There are also municipal metered garages located on Cordell Avenue, Old Georgetown Road, Woodmont Avenue, and Del Ray Avenue, which are all within walking distance of our building.

If you need ADA accommodations, please let us know by contacting us at diversity@sagaftra.org or (323) 549-6644.

All paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing are urged to attend this important membership webinar meeting. This meeting is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing, no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members please bring your membership card for admittance.

Station North: "First 10 Years! Celebrate!"

There's a party in the planning. Save the date!

Baltimore's Station North Arts and Entertainment District will be officially celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Friday, September 28, 5 - 9PM.

Here's the teaser:

On the rooftop at the Charles Street Parking Garage, 1714 N Charles Street, join Governor Martin O'Malley for a party with a MICA invited exhibition, music, drinks, and a whole lot more. The evening will include tours of the Station North District.

Check back often for complete details on what promises to be an entertaining — and artful — evening.

Baltimore SAG-AFTRA Members: Speak Up.

THE WAGES & WORKING CONDITIONS PROCESS IN PREPARATION FOR THE COMMERCIALS CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS 

SAG-AFTRA is pleased to announce the beginning of the Wages & Working Conditions (W&W) process in preparation for negotiation of the Commercials Contracts that expires March 31, 2013. It is only through the involvement of members that proposals for this vital negotiation are developed.

There are four ways to make your voice heard:

Commercials Contracts Caucuses - Join your fellow members to discuss what really matters! Open to all paid-up SAG-AFTRA members, the caucuses are free-form sessions where you can express any issue you feel should be addressed in the upcoming negotiations. Input from the caucuses directly effects the proposals formed by the Wages & Working Conditions Committees. 

Wages & Working Conditions Committee Meetings - These formal meetings use the information and ideas gathered from the caucuses to create proposals for the 2013 contract negotiations. 

• (Note: Upcoming dates for Caucuses and W&W meetings in Hollywood and New York will be emailed soon. Local members should contact your Local staff and visit your SAG-AFTRA Local pages on SAGAFTRA.org for dates and times.) 

Email Suggestions - Can’t make it to a caucus or committee meeting? You can still play an active part by emailing your ideas to commercialswandw@sagaftra.org. All proposal recommendations will be reviewed by the Wages & Working Conditions Committee.

On-Site Suggestion Box - Boxes will be placed in the SAG-AFTRA 7th floor reception desk at 5757 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles, the SAG-AFTRA 12th floor reception area at 360 Madison Ave. in New York and the SAG-AFTRA 7th floor reception area at 260 Madison Ave. in New York. Feel free to drop-in your contract-related thoughts and concerns. Please note that the last day for suggestions is Friday October 19, 2012.

Opening this Week at Baltimore's Theatre Project: 'The Booth Project'

John Wilkes Booth, photo via Creative Commons

Killing a President. Fracturing a nation. Satiating an ego. Destroying a brother. Listening to voices. Following a cause.

For 147 years, John Wilkes Booth left unanswered questions that Quarry Theatre will mine in this Theatre Project production of The Booth Project.

The Booth Project, graphic courtesy Theatre Project

This production is set in Greenmount Cemetery, and as a member of the audience you will be taken on an abstract ride into the mind of a killer.

Showtimes:
Thursday - Saturday @ 8PM
Sunday @ 2PM

Ticket prices:
$15 General Admission
$10 Students with ID

Photo courtesy, Theatre Project, Baltimore

This is the link to purchase tickets.

The Theatre Project
45 W Preston Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-752-8558

Yes, Even Caption Writers Need an Editor

Frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't seen this copy error more often in early documents.

To learn more from the authoritative source, The Johns Hopkins Gazette, click here.

William Donald Schaefer — The Musical!

Does this look like the kind of a character that a theatrical musical is made of? Oh yes. Yes it does.

Photo courtesy Frederick News Post, Sam Yu

I believe—as more than a few other theatre lovers do—that William Donald Schaefer is the perfect subject, central character, for a musical. If Mayor Schaefer wasn't a colorful, political personality in a storied city then I don't know anyone who was.

Here's the news from Baltimore's Theatre Project:

Do it Now!
A Staged Reading of a New Musical

Four-term Mayor William Donald Schaefer was an iconic Baltimorean - boisterous cheerleader, semi-lunatic showman, vexing paranoiac and unimpeachable savior.

Join us for a reading of Do it Now!, a new musical in development about "Mayor Annoyed"'s quest to make Baltimore a great city.

The music and lyrics are by BSO multi-instrumentalist and composer, Jonathan Jensen; award-winning playwright Rich Espey has written the book.

There will be a talkback after the reading to help the creators further develop the work.

Not convinced that Baltimore's very own comic, clown, and Mayor had the chops?

Photo courtesy, Baltimore Sun

Now then, buy a couple of tickets and let's help this project grow. It's our chance to make some Charm City theatre history. Let's get that libretto written and polished; let's get the tunes scored and fine tuned.

7:30 pm, Sunday July 15 only!
Suggested donation: $10

Baltimore Theatre Project
45 West Preston Street
Baltimore 21201

Click for Tix

Still not convinced that the story of a city's mayor is the stuff of which theatre is made? Think Broadway. 1959 - 1961. On November 23rd 1959 Fiorello! opened on the Great White Way.

Broadway poster, Fiorello!, 1959

Fiorello! is a musical featuring the story of New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott—based on the 1955 tome Life With Fiorello by Ernest Cuneo—with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. Fiorello! is one of only eight musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Playbill, Fiorello! at the Broadhurst Theater, NYC

Now you know. Buy a couple of tickerts to the staged reading, give feedback, and let's show the theatre world that William Donald Schaefer was, indeed, the most colorful mayor in America—a mayor well worth a musical. 

Coming to DC's Gibson Guitar Showroom: The 9 Songwriter Series, 2012

The 9 - Poster

The 2012 9 Songwriter Series will present a show in the Washington, DC Gibson Guitar Showroom on Wednesday, July 25th. This special show will feature nine singer-songwriters considered among the most elite and talented in the DC area. The show is the second of a monthly residency at the renowned showroom.

Port City Brewing Company and Tito's Vodka—the show sponsors—will be supplying drinks for attendees.

 

9 Series creator Justin Trawick is pleased to bring his show to the Gibson showroom, a special venue not often open for public shows. “It’s an amazing place, and after growing this series into a national thing, it feels good to do this show. It will be a venue and a night that music fans won’t forget.” Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos.

The show will also feature Luke Mitchem performing three songs from his unreleased LP—due to drop October 23, 2012. Winter Kissing on Spring is the album title; the work will be the fourth LP in as many years for the prolific singer-songwriter. Mitchem, along with several accomplished musicians, recorded the album at The Great North Sound Society in rural Maine. Luke is also putting the finishing touches on his first novel, titled Tragedy’s Triumph.

Luke Mitchem

Mitchem's soulful, introspective music is a window into this intellectual and talented man. Life’s passions, heartaches dreams and visions vividly come to life through his works—both musical and written. Luke also continues on his solo quest to raise funds for rebuilding Joplin, MO music programs. More information can be found at www.lukemitchem.com.

About The 9 Songwriter Series:

Founded in 2008 by singer/songwriter Justin Trawick, The 9 Songwriter Series is a nationally touring live music showcase. Each installment features nine solo singer-songwriters performing in rotation, providing audiences with a rich, intimate, varied listening experience. To date, over 60 different artists have participated in The 9, at events in DC, Arlington, Bethesda, Baltimore, Annapolis, New York City, Richmond, Charlottesville, Charlotte, and Philadelphia. For information on The 9 Songwriter Series contact Justin Trawick via email: justintrawick@gmail.com

Tickets on sale:
Monday, July 9th at Noon. See www.wearethe9.com for details!