Pat McCall's Blog (8)

An actor can find many resources to improve skills - locally and worldwide. Locally, there are many talented acting coaches in the Sarasota area. And, beyond that,the internet and instant communications can allow you to tap into renowned legends. My own remote sources include dialect and cartoon great - Pat Fraley, cartoon legend - Bob Bergen and voiceover actor phenoms Harlan Hogan and Elaine Clark. On the business end of acting, Bob Foster offers great advice on getting work - along with Lori… Continue

One of the great things about taking an acting class is the opportunity to do a role you'll never realistically get casted for. I know that sounds odd, but it makes you create somebody who is very different from who you are. Ron Myroup, who is teaching the Raw Intent group, is having me play a young man in his 20s with the mind of a 12 year old, who is a sociopathic killer of children. The character is Michal from the astoundingly intense play THE PILLOWMAN. It is creepy simply to read the dialo… Continue

Many of you know that 90% of success in life comes from just showing up. After auditioning for an indie film role last week, I got a call this weekend from the writer/director asking me to take the lead role of Nick in the film SUBPRIME. It is certainly timely, as I play a burned-out supersalesman who manages a predatory mortgage house. SUBPRIME chronicles the ugly deceptions and moral ambivalence that the housing bubble and government sponsored greed perpetuated. Principle shooting begins next… Continue

I don't know about you, but I tend to "mini-script" my day on an ongoing basis. That's why the Improv Class I am taking with Chris Friday on Monday nights is such a good stretch for me. Improv sounds easy as an acting genre - no lines to remember, unknown structure. But, in reality, it is a real discipline in focussing on what is going on and reacting in a plausible way. It is the classic "In The Moment" idea of acting. And, it embellishes the regular acting that you do. Improv is a real mental… Continue

Friday, I was called in at the last minute to do a bit for the upcoming Florida ADDY Awards Show. I rushed over to Orlando to the palatial offices of Engauge Advertising and was met by the director and crew of frogtreecinegrafix in the Board Room. It turns out I was to portray Hamlet doing an ad campaign pitch to a fictitious client called Fizz Cola. It's going to be used to fill in those moments between prizes being awarded. The team had an appropriate costume for me - along with a heavy sword… Continue

Yeah, Steve is the preferred way that Stephen J. Cannell likes to be addressed. The prolific giant of TV series looks just as he did on the closing credits of his many series - down to the turtleneck shirt. He suffered and suffers with dyslexia. It could be said that it provided the motivation for him to succeed. After suffering much embarrassment in school, he finally found a professor/mentor who convinced him that he had writing talent. After squeaking by to graduate from college, he spent six… Continue

Yes, THAT Stephen J. Cannell - producer/writer of many iconic TV series will be in Sarasota Thurs. evening and I am having dinner with him! He's on a booksigning tour for his latest tome - ON THE GRIND. It'll be a great opportunity to learn about his experiences in La La Land. I am really looking forward to this! Best, Pat McCall Continue

Last weekend I did another Murder Mystery Dinner. This time at a country club across the state. They even put us up in motel rooms after the show - which was a real blessing. I don't think I could have roared back to Osprey after putting so much energy out there. I had a dual role of playing the Security Guy, DB DuMoss, and his twin, a bit slow, brother LB DuMoss. All it took was a change in costume after DB was "killed." Interacting with the party-goers, in character, was challenging and fun. P… Continue