I Wish I Could Go Back to College...

...but since I can't, random acting classes will be the solution.

Last night I took my first class since graduating college. Eric Woodall (from Tara Rubin casting) is teaching an audition class through Step it Up. It was so great to get back into the learning environment, relearn things I'd forgotten, get valuable information from a casting director, and just be reminded of why I'm doing what I'm doing. Eric is very kind and very intelligent. We have our second (and final) class next Monday. As of now, I highly recommend this class.

To make things better, I'm taking the class with Alyssa Malgeri (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKiG15xTeI). We met back in the summer of '03 at CAP 21s high school summer program. We went out after to see some friends from school and it was really great to reconnect with people. I'd like to start seeing more of them (didn't socialize much in college either). Time to make a change and start enjoying life.

In short - last night was a great night. Take Eric Woodall's class - or if you don't want to wait for the next one, take ANY class. It's a great way to regroup and reset.

Best,

Evan

Epic Fail

Well, the title of this post is pretty fitting for a couple of reasons. One because of how quickly and horribly I failed at keeping this blog updated with any form of frequency. Two, and more importantly, because on December 5th I performed in a concert/cabaret at Comix called "Epic Fail: Broadway's Future Flops". I worked on a few pieces for the evening, one of which has video on youtube!

1. "Dungeons and Dragons and Me" from Dungeons and Dragons: the musical. Music by: David Mallamud. Lyrics by: Ashley Griffin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKEWuKUXGSQ

2. "Infatuated" from American Beauty: the musical. Music and Lyrics by: Seth Bisen-Hersh.

3. A Gilbert and Sullivan style song about teen pregnancy. Music and Lyrics by: Rachel Bloom (who can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1IxOS4VzKM)

The evening went really well and was a lot of fun. My good friend David John Madore served as our brilliant music director and accompanist. Also, he wrote a fantastic number from "Super Size Me: the musical".

So, what's the next thing? I'm not sure yet! Still working on the song cycle and I'm starting a band with Andy Mientus and Stephen Amato. More on that as it develops. Let's hope take 2 of this blog goes better than the first.

Best,

Evan

Monday's concert and more

Happy Saturday night!

So last Monday was my concert with NYTB at the D-Lounge and it went really well. Thanks to everyone who turned out. The whole evening was a lot of fun and very useful to help me figure out what works, what doesn't, and what I need to work on myself as this was the first time I've performed these songs AWAY from the piano. 5 of the 10 songs can be seen at this link: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B95EF3EB3206097E

I'll let you know when the rest are up. Now it's time to get ready for the NYMF show I'm performing in, "Shine! The Horatio Alger Musical" - We open Thursday night! Check out http://www.shinethemusical.com for full cast and performance info as well as ticket info. It's going to be a really great show - don't miss it!

That's all for now!

Best,
Evan

Launch Post

Hey all!

It's finally time for me to establish a web presence. I intend to update this frequently, but we'll see how long I can hack it.

In anticipation for my concert tonight (NYTB at the D-Lounge), I'm trying to get the music player working on my 'Under Construction' page for the website. There's something wrong with the HTML code that I can't quite figure out. Hopefully I'll be able to get the demo up soon so those of you who missed the concert (also featuring the music of Elaine Pechacek and Katie Hammond) can listen to some of the songs. The demo was recorded back in March and features two songs I performed and 4 songs performed by the amazingly talented Lauren Ford (see: rising star).

As the videos from tonight get posted online, I'll be linking to them here and on my website - maybe I'll even embed them (see: sad attempt at a cliffhanger).

Anyway, lots to do before my 6:30 sound check! For anyone who somehow finds this blog in the next few hours, you should come out tonight!

NYTB at the D-Lounge

Featuring the music of Evan Jay Newman and Pechacek & Hammond

101 East 15th Street

$10 admission plus two drink minimum

7:00 doors with a 7:30 start

Hope to see you there! I'll be back tomorrow with an update on how everything went and info on other projects!

All the best,

Evan Jay Newman

As the videos get uploaded t