Die: Roll to Proceed

Hello, dear reader. So, I wrote this play

It was called Die. It's a "roll your own adventure" story where, at certain times during the play, an audience member comes onstage and decides which direction the play is going to take by rolling a six-sided die. We put it up two years ago at the La Mama ETC for two performances. Everybody really liked it and we were all a little disappointed that it ended so quickly.

Fast forward to now. I revised and expanded the script, changed the name to Die: Roll to Proceed and also wrote a novel version of the thing.

We're going to be performing the show every Friday night from April 6th-October 19th at The Red Room and then moving it back to the La Mama for 2 weeks after that. The show can be seen 72 different ways, so feel free to try to see them all!

Wanna see it?

Wanna get the book?

YOU CAN!

Die: Roll to Proceed

Improv

And we're back, dear reader. 2 posts in a single day, you say? How is that even possible? Well, it is, and you will just have to learn to live with that.

So, I'm teaching some improv these-a-days. It is super fun and some of the cheapest improv training that you're likely to find in the city of New York.

The deets are here and you should really think about taking my class.

Also, in that one should always be a student, I am also taking classes at The Magnet Theater and am currently being taught by Mark Grenier. He's a great teacher and the class is going very well so far.

That's it, dear reader. Be well.

Vampure

Hello again, dear reader, and welcome to another blog. 

I suppose we can get right down to it.

I'm in a show called Vampure

Fun picture, huh?

And here's a fun video!

Fun video, huh?

Wanna see my show? You can!!

Get tickets here!

It runs every Saturday night at 10:45pm from October 8th-December 17th

at

The Richmond Shepard Theater

That's it dear reader, til next time.

What Happened to Peter

Hello, dear reader. 

Here's a film I did a while back called What Happened to Peter, written and directed by Ace Bouchard. It looks great! Here, take a look:

What Happened to Peter from Ace Bouchard on Vimeo.

YAY!

Hope everything you're doing is going swimmingly dear reader. Until next time!

The Strawberry One-Act Festival

Hello again, dear blog reader. So, I'm in a play called Crossing Verrezano by Anthony Fusco that's going to be produced as part of the Strawberry One-Act Festival.

It will be a part of Series D which happens on July 29th at 9pm at 

The Hudson Guild Theatre

441 W 26th St (between 9th & 10th Aves)

New York, NY

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

Also in the show are: Christopher J. Anderson, Bradley LeBoeuf, R.J. Lucci, Matthew Michael Raynor & Nick Spain

This is one of those things where the audience votes and plays move on to the next level of the competition and what not, so if you're not busy, come on down!

And we're wedded and back to the acting.

Hello again, dear reader, and welcome to my first post-marriaged update. The wedding was great, and the honeymoon was great too. There, you're caught up.

So, a short film I did a while ago is now up on Youtube, so check it out!

That was done as a film project for Perla Cruz, who is a student at the New York Film Academy. 

Hope all is well with you, dear reader. Until next blog, blog you later.

My new website and other things

So, I created a website for fun, but also to work on both my writing and improv skills. It's called 

www.ifihadaband.com

and anybody can submit a picture of a headline, webpage, picture, whatever that they think would be a band name for the ages. I then write a brief bio of said band and try to make it witty and amusing. Should be fun!

In other news, just finished the second run of "Story Time with Mr. Buttermen" with Mind the Art Entertainment

We did this run at Center Stage in Chelsea. It went great!! Also, we have a book with all the stories in it, including mine "The Emperor's New...Weapon of Mass Destruction". I suppose that means I'm a published playwright...?

I just did some ADR for "What Happened to Peter"

and what I've seen looks pretty good. Will put the film up when I have it.

I also just finished filming a short called "Eden" where I play a painter. I actually got to paint a little bit during the project and found it pretty exhilarating. I haven't painted since god knows when, and it was really fun. Once again, will post the film when I have it.

I believe that's it for the moment dear reader. So, please submit things to www.ifihadaband.com and send good thoughts my way. I shall certainly do the same for you.

Somnia

Hello dear blog-reading person. This blog (very surprisingly) falls really close to my last blog post. Maybe I'm getting better at this blog thing? Maybe I should give up everything else and become a social media guru? Maybe I just have more going on these days? Who knows?

The reason for this particular blog post is to tell you all about a short film I did a while back (back in the time of goatee and long hair). It just recently got finished and looks great. It's called "Somnia" and it was directed by Joe Spit and stars myself along with Rob Holiday, Henrik Korman, Amy Young and Heir Director Joe Spit.

Here it is!

Somnia from Joe Spit on Vimeo.
Wasn't that great?!

The film is going to a couple of festivals, which is cool. That's it for now dear reader. Remember to look at my previous blog post and follow the instructions of seeing me in a show this weekend. Ta!

Mind the Art Anthology Vol II

And we're back. After a holiday break of not doing so many things (except for writing when I get the chance), I'm back doing a show with Mind the Art Entertainment. It is one half of a series called A Mind the Art Anthology Vol II. Why Vol II? 

Well, because we did Vol I last year in the spring. That was the Vol that featured my full-length piece Die.

Both of these wonderful Vols were and are to be held at the La Mama E.T.C. which is a great theatre down on E 4th Between 2 & 3. 

I am in the piece called Story Time with Mr. Butterman (that disturbed man that lives in your park) Fables for Adults Living in a Modern World which is certainly the longest titled play that I've ever been in so far.

The show is a compilation of poetry, music and theatre, all written on the theme of adult fairy tales or fables that have some bearing on life as we know it. I wrote one of the pieces called The Emperor's New...Weapon of Mass Destruction. The show runs Jan 28, 29 & 30 (Friday & Saturday at 10pm, Sunday at 5:30pm).

The other piece that is part of this Vol is called A Woman in Progress

and is written and performed by my lovely soon-to-be-wife Keelie Sheridan. This show runs Jan 21 & 22 (both performances at 10pm).

Tickets for both of these shows can be purchased at the La Mama

74A East 4th Street
(btw Bowery & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
212.475.7710

Office: M–F 11a–6p
Box Office: M–Su 12–5p

or online at the La Mama website.

You should probably come see them both, just for fun.

Ever wondered what I look like with just a mustache?

Hello again, dear blog readers. Just wanted to post a link to a short I did a few months ago called

THE FIRST GUEST

As part of a The Oeuvre Show which is an ongoing comedy fun times website by writer/director Clinton Orman. Also in the film are Julia Weldon and Amanda Sayle.

Do you know what a merkin is, dear reader? Well, you're about to find out.

I have a friggin website!

Check it out!

www.ztrukeoj.com

Blog Post 2: The Reckoning

Hello again, dear readers (all 5 of you), and welcome, once again, to another blog. God, there were a lot of commas in that last sentence, huh? Anyhoo, this is where I tell you what's been going on.

So, this is a still image from a film I just finished filming and is now, as far as I know, in post-production. It was a horror short by Ace Bouchard called What Happened to Peter about my character and how I kill people. Also, the fiancée was in this one.

Isn't she pretty? I kill her in the film. SPOILER! I also just finished doing some ADR work for Joe Spit's Somnia and Clinton Norman's The First Guest, two other films I did a few months ago. I am now in rehearsal for a series of short scenes put together for an evening of fabulous theater.

Performing on October 14, 15 & 16th at 9pm

Manhattan Repertory Theatre. 303 west 42nd street at 8th avenue (3rd floor). 

Call 646 329 6588 to reserve you tickets! Tickets $20.

Hey, you should come see this!

In other news, I've just signed up for THIS CLASS! at The Pit. The 

fiancée,

man she's pretty, and I are taking this one together. I really enjoy sketch comedy and haven't done anything with The Pit, but I've heard good things. I'll let you know, gentle reader, how it goes.

I've also picked up Die again and started writing new things for it. It needs to be longer and Mind the Art Entertainment is planning on putting it up in the near future. I also need to do some revisions on the stuff that's already been written. DaVinci said "art is never finished, only abandoned". But I'm not yet ready to abandon.

On a personal level, we're planning like gangbusters for the wedding. She has her dresses (yep, plural) and the venue's booked. The invitations are on their way and the honeymoon is also booked.

Until next time, dear reader, adieu.

...The Story So Far

Okay, so blogging... I've never done it before. I've never kept a journal, diary or yellow pad that has doodles and stuff on it. We're venturing into unknown territory here is all I'm really saying. There does seem to be a need for this type of thing nowadays though. Especially for us artist types. People want to know what you've been up to and this seems the best and most logical solution in this case. So, here we are and you don't know anything about me, so I should enlighten.

The full name is Joseph Johan Kurtz although I'm going by Joe Kurtz to pretty much everybody. I was born in Ohio, moved to Indiana and am now living in New York City (big shocker there for an actor). While I was in Indiana, I took the time to venture to Chicago and complete the year-long improv training at iO (formerly Improv Olympic). Now I'm in New York. I came here for school (The American Academy of Dramatic Arts) in 2004 and graduated. Since then I've done lots of Indy theatre (theater-I feel like I run the risk of sounding pompous either way), short films, and background work (yay unions!). I am also a founding board member of Mind the Art Entertainment and the head of their Acting Division.

In the recent past, Mind the Art produced my first play, Die, in the spring at the La Mama E.T.C. as part of a three-show Anthology we had worked out with them. I thought it went swimmingly and there's a review out there somewhere (like here). Who knows what's to come of it. Hopefully something grand and awesome, but we shall see. I'd settle for small and awesome. After that I worked on a couple of short film projects. In one I was an insomniac, the other I was obsessed with merkins (please, if you don't know what that is, look it up). Haven't gotten the footage from either of these yet, but I assume it's to come soon. I'll let you know THROUGH BLOG! I am now in rehearsal for the first musical I've done since high school called Spellbound. It was written by Christian DeGre, a friend of mine who just so happens to be the president of Mind the Art. He's been writing it for the past seven years or so, and I'm pretty sure it's almost killed him three times. Anyhoo, it's finally going up as part of the NYC Fringe Festival, and yours truly is in it. With a solo and everything!

I think that pretty much brings you up to speed on me. Presumably I'll be continuing to write this thing for a while, so I'll keep you updated on stuff that's happening. Til then, you know, have fun and stuff.