Inside Acting!

In the first of a series of interivews, The King of DC Media welcomes director and playwright Ebony Custis, who has written and is directing the inspirational play, BOXES, which opens at Bowie Performing Arts Center, January 8, 2015.

Your Host from the Coast, William Powell, has the honor of being a BOXES cast member! Tune in next week, when I interview the cast.

"BOXES centers on the lives of ordinary people who have allowed their ordinary problems to ruin their lives in extraordinary ways." - http://boxestheplay.com/

Read more about the play here: Local play thinks outside the "Boxes"

The King of DC Media, William Powell, welcomes City of Lost Souls director Jason Baustin, Altorro Prince Black and Bobby J. Brown to the Inside Acting radio show to talk about their tense crime drama.

Read my article about the show here: City of Lost Souls premieres at AFI Silver Theatre

CITY OF LOST SOULS is a tense, compelling crime drama that pulls the audience into an unforgettably, murky world. You can see the awards it's going to win.

The short film (some call it a TV pilot) premiered at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD, Monday, November 10th. CITY OF LOST SOULS is the product of director Jason Baustin's Traveste Films. The film follows the life challenges of ex-con Mickey Wallace (Bobby J. Brown of THE WIRE fame) and his antagonist Assistant State's Attorney Roger Kenfield (the always excellent Altorro Prince Black).

The consensus of the audience at the premier was they wanted exploration and payoffs of the multiple, compelling storylines, which covered everything from legal horse-trading to political payoffs. The film felt like the pilot to a great TV series in the vein of BREAKING BAD or the SOPRANOS.

Yours truly, The King of DC Media, highly recommends it!

The King of DC Media, William Powell, welcomes playwright Rob Urbinati, who wrote the farcical British play Death By Design, which pays homage to both Noel Coward and Agatha Christie. William, who is producing the play at Greenbelt Arts Center, also welcomes various cast and crew members from the show, which runs until November 23rd. (Find out more at Greenbelt Arts Center. Read a review here.)

Read more about Rob here (from http://queenstheatre.org/rob-urbinati):

Rob is a freelance director and playwright based in New York City, and Director of New Play Development at Queens Theatre, where he curates the Immigrant Voices Project. He has directed at the Public Theatre, Culture Project, Abingdon Theatre, Classic Stage Company, Pearl Theatre, Queens Theatre, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, NYCFringe, New York Music Theatre Festival, New York University and theatres and universities across the country.

Rob’s first play as a writer, Hazelwood Jr. High, was directed by Scott Elliott for the New Group. The play is published by Samuel French.  Miss Julie in Hollywood, his adaptation of the Strindberg play, was presented at the 78th Street Theatre Lab. His new play, Death by Design, opened in Houston in September 2011. His adaptation of Cole Porter’s Nymph Errant opens in New York City in July 2012.

Rob has developed various projects for Disney Creative Entertainment, served on the Lark Theatre Playwrights Week Selection Committee, and contributed material for “Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum,” the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery at the United Nations. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

The King of DC Media welcomes back old pal, director Michael Merino to talk about his latest project, the film-turned-mini-series Drakul. Merino's company, MCM Films will hold a night of "games, gambling and networking" in support of the series in Baltimore, MD, November 15th at Little Havana (1325 Key Highway).

Horror movies are Merino's specialty: he's directed films like the horror comedy The Haunting of Pearson Place, 502 and Time's Up.

Listen to a past Inside Acting radio with Merino here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inside-acting/2012/01/27/interview-with-comedy-horror-director-michael-merino

The Kind of DC Media welcomes former soap opera star and acting coach Steve Blackwood, who will talk about his new acting company and book.

Find out more about Steve at www.steveblackwood.com

Bio:

After ten years playing the bumbling Bart Biederbicke in the long-running NBC soap opera Days Of Our Lives, Steve Blackwood resided in Michigan for six years. Now he lives in Newburyport, MA — teaching acting classes, performing in concerts and creating a new acting company called the MASTERCLASS COMPANY. He has appeared in many other television shows and films including Judging Amy, Ed Gein, the Michigan-based Cedar Rapids, Machine Gun Preacher and Mooz-lum. Onstage, Mr. Blackwood appeared in the Meadow Brook Theatre hit Boeing Boeing while living in Michigan. He also appeared in the sequel Ding Dong, which opened at Meadow Brook in March of 2011 and was nominated for two Wilde Awards, in the categories of Best Ensemble and Best Comedy. An accomplished jazz singer with two national releases out, Steve has sung in nightclubs across the country, on network television, and has even performed the National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085995/

The King of DC Media, William Powell chats with Seaton Smith, one of the stars of the new FOX TV show Mulaney.

About the Show (from FOX TV):

From Emmy Award-winning writer and comedian John Mulaney (“Saturday Night Live”) comes MULANEY, a multi-camera ensemble comedy series about a rising stand-up comic trying to take his career to the next level and the friends and mentors who lift him up, hold him back and push him around.

   

JOHN MULANEY is a 29-year-old comedian working the stand-up circuit and looking for his big break. But life drastically changes when self-centered comedy legend and game show host LOU CANNON (Emmy Award winner Martin Short, “SCTV,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Father of the Bride,” “Primetime Glick”) hires Mulaney as a writer.

Comedian Seaton Smith Joins the Cast of NBC's [FOX] 'The John Mulaney Show'

by Bradford Evans | April 9th, 2013

The John Mulaney Show, one of the fall's most promising comedy pilots, has finished casting. Deadline reports that Washington, D.C.-based stand-up Seaton Smith has joined the cast in the final regular role on the pilot. Created by and starring SNL writer/stand-up John Mulaney, the pilot is an ensemble multi-cam sitcom that follows a young comedian (Mulaney) who writes for a game show. Seaton Smith is playing a comedian named Motif whom the central character often comes to for advice. Mulaney has lined up an impressive, eclectic group of actors to fill out the cast, with Martin Short, Elliott Gould, SNL's Nasim Pedrad, and stand-up Griffin Newman making up the rest of the ensemble.

The King of DC Media welcomes back one of the hottest actors in the business, Nyell Segura, who recently co-starred in the Season 6 premiere of The Vampire Diaries.

Listen to my previous interview with Nyell here: Catching up with up-and-coming actor Nyell Segura

Nyell's bio:

Born into a diverse family of musicians, artists, filmmakers, and scientists, Nyell Segura grew up on the outskirts of New York City. Most recently, Nyell co-starred in The CW Network's hit television series, The Vampire Diaries season six premiere. 

Nyell also booked the lead role of "Bob Ford" in the new feature film My Many Sons (Dir. Ralph E. Portillo). It is based on the inspiring true story of college basketball coach Don Meyer's tragedy, team, and legacy. Nyell is also the lead actor in the incredibly dynamic role of “Zayvian” in the exciting feature film 59 Seconds (Dir. Benedict Dorsey). Here, he stars opposite Pruitt Taylor Vince, Octavius J. Johnson, and Donzaleigh Abernathy. His theatre experience includes such roles as “Paul” in the New York theatre production of The Den of Thieves (Dir. of Theatre Susan Pilar) and as “Al” in Tea and Sympathy (Chatham Theatre Group).

The King of DC Media welcomes John Broughton Excutive Producer of the Star Trek-inspired film, The Crossing, which will begin principal photography in November, and actor\writer Paul Seiber, who wrote the screenplay and plays Security Officer Prescott.

Read more about John at DC Actors Examiner.

From the Kickstarter Page:

The Starship Farragut production is a small, independent operation where every dollar received is plowed into the quality of the production. Given the growth and evolution of this project during the course of the last 10 years, particularly the expenses associated with the Farragut Films Studio (a 10,000 SQ FT facility of free-standing Star Trek sets), the costs to also put forth the films are quite substantial. Starship Farragut's "The Crossing" is a special film that requires financing that can no longer be contemplated without the support of backers’ support.

The funds from this crowdfunding effort will be used for expenses associated with filming and post-production work with NEO f/x, who has worked with us since inception in providing CGI ship exteriors and other special effects.

The King of DC Media, William Powell, welcomes producer and actor Adiyb Muhammad, writer\producer Ray Quick and the cast of the stage play He's Not Mine * She's Not Mine. The play will will be staged Saturday, October 11, 2014 @ 6:00 PM at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 as part of a Cocktail Fundraiser Benefiting The Washington Regional Transplant Community In its efforts to support organ, eye and tissue donation

 

Check out the RQ Productions website here: http://www.rqproductions.net/

Writer & Producer Ray Quick Bio: Ray Quick is the son of Clarence Quick; founder and original member of the legendary 1950's Doo wop group the Del-Vikings. Quick's father is responsible for writing two of the greatest hits in rock and roll music history; "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells". The Del-Vikings broke the racial barrier becoming one of the first integrated rock and roll groups to ever achieve world wide success. Their music and style was a major influence in the start of the legendary "Beatles".

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Ray Quick attended college at Cheyney University in PA. It was there where his love for writing screenplays, theater, books and music developed.

Ray Quick now resides in the MD, DC and VA metro area. You can certainly look forward to seeing his stage play touring nationally as well as the release of his first book due out late 2014 entitled "A Broken Mirror", a fictional love story truly testing the meaning of unconditional love.

Recently featured in DC Actors Examiner, Chris Lythgoe is an actor on the move, with features such as the Rapture-themed The Basement, Vampires in Virginia, and the upcoming Trainers. He also plays Detective Sal in the Cox cable TV show Precinct 757.

Your host, William Powell, The King of DC Media, also makes several audition announcements and gives you the hot scoop on all the acting-related goings-ons in the DMV!