Fringe preview: Xanadu on the podcast

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Download:
Xanadu_improv_cabaret.mov

I got the video of Xanadu onto the podcast.

Fringe Preview: Xanadu on Youtube

blog ** podcast ** xanadu ** Maupin ** website ** myspace

Fringe Preview: Xanadu photos from video

Last night Christian, the boys from Slothco and I did Xanadu for the almost-sold-out Fring Preview show at the Orlando Shakespeare Festival building. I have to say that this is the craziest thing I have ever done. I think the video speaks for itself.

Xanadu video ** Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

Another "Improv Cabaret"?

There's another show with the same title as mine. Here's the listing:

IMPROV CABARET: One night only. You mean they don't even write it down? What a joke. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $5. Sun Oct 5 at 8 pm.

There's no link to the venue so I don't know what the show is like. It looks like improvised standup or just straight up improv.

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Marketing Thoughts

So I was thinking today, "How could I generate more press for my show?" And I thought, "What else do I do that would be newsworthy?" I thought of two things: I ride my bike to work. Gas is expensive right now and orlando is certainly a car-centric town. Maybe they might want to do a story on someone who takes it upon himself to try something different. Also, I think the writer could find other bikers who bike to work, and possibly encourage non-bikers to try it. It's a hard sell, but it seemed like an interesting and topical article to write.

Another newsworthy thing I thought of is the fact that I tired to start a podcasting meetup group and no one "met up." Is podcasting not happening in orlando? If so, why not? I thought it might be interesting to se my struggle to conect with other podcasters.

Both of these stories are relevant and, depending on the writer, have the possibility for public interest. I have something to gain in offering these stories because, hoepfully, I could mention my show at least once. If not, then the article still is interesting and relevant.

Also on the marketing topic, I have been ruminating about how much I do not want to bother people at the Fringe by shoving poscards in peoples' faces and telling people about my show. I know Beth Marshall tells us all to do this, but I have heard that doing otherwise might be a better idea.

My original goal was to build up buzz about my show early so I wouldn't have to do this. And one way to build buzz is to perform in the Fringe Preview show, which is tomorrow night. I have an act, a three-minute act, that is strange and bizzare and not like my show. And this worries me. I do preface it with a prepared speech about this fact. But, it's still weird. I practice it in my living room thinking, "This is weird." However, I also am sometimes not the best judge on if I am doing something well. I am hard on myself most of the time. So, my piece could be good for all I know.

I finished themusic tonight and I love it. It's very strange and different. With the visual of the other performers, I think I will blend right in with Fringe. Not my goal, but it's hat I am doing.

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

You have a face for billboards

The Gaydays billboards will be up May 1 in front of the Parliament House and some church. Also, the magazine will be going to print this week. So excited. In case you are new to the blog, about a month ago a guy taking classes at SAK asked me if I would pose for some photos for the official magazine for Gay Days. I was like "Heck yeah!" Then later they told us the pics would be used on a billboard. I was like "I'll beleive it when I see it. Well, we're about to see it. And what better timing could this be than weeks before Fringe? Love it!

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Beyond angry

I am beyond angry. I prepared a recording of a run-through of the show I performed last week, getting it ready to export to put online. I recorded bumpers and added music to the bumpers. It took 30 minutes in garageband to export, and it did not work! Nothing happened. It just took 30 minutes and then nothing happened. I tried it again another way, it took 15 minutes, and again, nothing. Blood boiling from frustration. What am I doing wrong here? I hate wasting time. I have it when I am doing everything I know I am supposed to do, and whatever it is I am working on does not come out correct. I am now transfering all my files (ALL of my files on the computer, not just the ones I am working with right now) to an external hard drive and will restart my computer in hopes that that might work.

What I am trying to do is get these run-thrus onto the podcast, blog, and maybe onto cds for Monday nght. They're good and need to be heard. But at this rate, it doesn't look like any of this will happen.

(drawing stolen from them)

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Show update: I contact two local podcasts

I found two podcasts I thought might be good to make appearances on, so I contact them. One if the Radio Rickshaw podcast, and the other is a Gay Days podcast. the Rickshaw one already responded and is scheduling me in. The gay one has not gotten back with me yet. Listen:

reaching_out_to_podcasters.mp3

Tampa Bay Times mentions me!

On this Tampa Bay Times page, they mention me in their blurb about the Orlando Fringe Festival:

"Orlando Fringe Festival May 18-29: This celebration of the performing arts takes hold of the streets, theaters and converted industrial spaces of downtown Orlando. The event also encompasses an outdoor stage with nightly concerts and Kids Fringe, to keep the little ones happy. The focus is on diversity, as well as the all-important risk factor. For example this year Mark Baratelli is doing a solo show, Improv Cabaret, but he'll also be blogging, podcasting and updating his MySpace page before, during and after the show. The beauty is you can catch the work of amazing emerging artists, or cringe with the rest of the crowd at a group of struggling amateurs butchering a classic. Buttons cost $6 for entry and show prices range from free to $10. Get them at www.orlandofringe.org. Many shows are sold out well in advance, so it's smart to get them early."


On the AOL City Search site, they mention me on their page about the Orlando Fringe Festival:

"The Shows: As always, Fringe samplings will run the gamut from glam-rock musical 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch,' to powerful dramas like 'Flowers for Algernon' and Nicolle Avery's 'To Silence Me is to Silence.' Looking for a laugh? Try Mark Baratelli's Improv' Cabaret' or Doodie Doo Doo Production's 'Doodie Power 3: To the Turd Power.' Families will enjoy Orlando Youth Theatre's staging of 'Moby Dick: The Musical' as well as Mark Stone's mind-boggling ESP act."

I just found a photo from the Mayoral Roast I sang at with SAK. Here's the Mayor and me singing. I look like I am in my own little world and the Mayor is like "This guy is nuts." But I tell you, it was not like that. :)


Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

Show Update 4-15-06

I set up some rehearsals for the coming week with my accompanist. Also, he is going to put together the music for my fringe preview performance that is next Monday night. It's like I am awakening from a fringe coma: I've ignored the show for probably two months now. No matter the reasons or what went wrong or semi-right, let's look forward and get this dead dog back on it's feet.

The Orlando Improv Comedy Club is having a "musical comedy" night May 31...and I will be there! I asked Chase to play guitar for it. I just both found out today and sent him to the email. If he cannot do it, I am screwed.

The original idea I had for Fringe preview might still happen. There is one participant who has said "maybe." If I tell you who it is I will be giving away the surprise. We will find out Monday. Yes, a week from the show.

Right now I feel like such an amateur. Few to none rehearsals, ignoring emails, blah blah blah. Focus forward, focus forward...

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Beth marshall sends an email out

Beth Marshall, head of the Fringe festival, sent out the following email today to the entire Fringe producers list and to Push:

"Hi Fringers-

Please take a moment to check out the below write up from Betsey. She also, had this to say…

“Happy to oblige! And here's a note to all you other Fringe performers out there -- if you can be as creative as Mark is in selling your show, I'll plug your show as well. Just let me know what you're up to -- and well before the Fringe starts May 18.”

Artists- take her up on this!!!! Kudos To Mark Baratelli for opening this door of publicity for himself as an artist and to Fringe! Much Thanks! Fringefully Yours, Beth

Click here: Orlando Sentinel - Fringe performer goes public - by Elizabeth Maupin"

How cool is that? Thanks Beth!

Now my show better be good. Dang.

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

Orlando Lifestyle Magazine- April 28th

I emailed the editor of the magazine my article is appearing in to ask when the article would appear. I thought the magazine was "Orlando Leisure," so I used the title in my email. I also complimented him on the cover, as it was featured in the mayoral thing I performed in last night. I was wrong. His magazine is not called Orlando Leisure, but Orlando Lifestyles. Eek. How embarassing. I apologized and found out my article would be in the April 28th issues. There are 12 versions of the magazine, one for a different part of Orlando. He didn't know how many my article would appear in. I don't even know where to pick one up. I guess Barnes & Noble?

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

The plans have changed

The plans for Fringe preview have changed. Ixnay on the high school ancerdays. Dammit. No one was willing to help. So, I am going to plan b (which I made up ten minutes ago while on the phone with my producer). I'm asking my friends to wear masks and dance around me while I sing my song. Here's the email I sent to the SAK Gen S people:

Wanna be in the Fringe preview show April 24th at night?

I need dancers who can't dance well at all to be in my portion of the fringe Preview show. You'd be wearing masks and my show t-shirt (a t-shirt with the name of the show on it) and some kind of neutral pant and show (that you provide) running around the stage fake dancing waving sicks with long ribbons attached to them, throwing glitter on the audience and being insane while I sing my song. For once, I will be the normal one onstage. sort of.

I really really need your help and it would be a fun time on a Monday night. everyone from the Fringe population will be in the audience and in the show. Press will be there and all that exciting shizzle.

Email me if you want to do it, are available that night and willing to go crazy onstage for me.

Thanks!

I hope I can at least get ten people to do it. I don't want to be onstage alone singing this song I am singing. (It's a secret).

Also, I'm going to buy a cd of the kareoke track as a backup. I am still going to keep working on the midi file, but I doubt it's going to get better. I just haven't had time to work on it.

I want to hand out cds with my songs on it as flyers for Fringe preview. That's the goal anyways. We'll see what I end up with.

Bye!

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So not ready

How's that for a blog post tile on a blog about a show?

I am so not ready for so many events on so many levels. Let me count the ways...

1. Tomorrow night I am singing improvised songs with a guitar player, walking around a wine tasting. I have no idea how it will go or what we are going to do. Weee!!

2. I volunteered to perform at one of the three Fringe volunteer training sessions, but didn't write on my calendat which one I am performing at.

3. Fringe preview is 14 days away. a huge event for Fringe...not even CLOSE to being ready for that. Got a good start, but....not ready.

Last night I sang with four other performers at the "City Kidz" Mayoral roast benefit, a huge event with 600 audience members, all rich and pwerful. There was a silent auction, a real auction and a show. SAK opened the whole event and closed it with some well-written politically-jabbing songs that got very strong responses from the crowd.

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark


MP3 File

No rehearsals might make the show suck..or not

--No rehearsal scheduled until this Thursday. :( This of course worries me. I only have a month and a half to put this show together. So far I have had one rehearsal where I attempted to do scenes and monologues into songs. I did do 15 minutes of the show at Crane's comedy. I am worried my show will suck. I want some legit rehearsals scheduled soon cuz if i don't have them, my show might suck. Of course, my show might suck WITH the rehearsals. But, there's more of a chance it WON'T if I DO have them.

--I did the second portion of the photo shoot for the Gay Days magazine Saturday. It will come out mid May, perfect for Fringe. As payment I will receive an ad in the magazine. The photos of the five of us who were in the shoot will appear there, on a billboard and on the gaydays.com website.

--I need to get those ads to SAK soon so they can show them in the slide shows before/after the shows. I need to do a lot of things. Ugh.

--There's a new list of people to send press releases to. I asked my peeps to send them out. I don't know if they have. I haven't checked in with them in a few days. Will do shortly.

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Yay! We're in the Fringe Preview Show!

A big, BIG thanks to Angie because...IMPROV CABARET IS IN THE FRINGE PREVIEW SHOW! The deal was after 12am on April1, the first 30 shows to email Beth Marshall saying they wanted to be in the Fringe Preview Show, got in. If you emailed before 12am or too late, no dice. and Angie was the one on our team designated as official call person. So, big props to Angie for staying up till midnight and getting us into the show.

Why is getting into the show such a big deal? Exposure. You get 3 minutes to do whatever in front of the local Orlando press. They write about the event in their publications and use photos from it in unofficial Fringe "programs," listings they produce of each show and the showtimes.

Also, congrats to Slothco and their show "The McGrawsky Files" for getting into the show. They're friends of mine who perform with me at SAK with a good improv show I might be making the theme song for. And slothco is run by Franciso, my director.

So, I have four weeks to lose ten pounds and put a production for the show together. I have a fully-fleshed out idea that involves a lot of things, so if we get it all done, it will rock.

Below is the full list of performers:

ACT 1
1) Orlando Youth Theatre- Moby Dick The Musical
2) Mark Stone- MENTALMANIA
3) Clarion Refugees- WHO DUNNIT: The Murder At Ye Ole Eola Tavern
4) ACT REEL INC- Black Voices
5) Voci Dance- Paint Chips
6) Slotcho Productions-McGrawsky Files: The Case of The 3-Man Cop Show
7) Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble- SPORT
8) Living Room Players- Flowers For Algernon
9) Corruption Productions-DreamJob.Com –The Musical
10) Chris Lavigne- King of Farts
11) Lake Howell Theater Co. –TAPE
12) The Curious Traveller- Romance/Romance: The Little Comedy
13) Pot Pie Productions- Shuffling Strait
14) Mark Baratelli-Improv Cabaret
15) The SHREDD! Ensemble- The Extraordinary Fila Goes To Hell!

ACT 2

1) Taylor Martin/ Magic Taylor’d For You- The Glamorous Andrea Meryln Magic Show (DVD)-national
2) Poison Pixie Productions- 2112 (DVD)-national
3) naked orange theatre company- Hedwig And The Angry Inch
4) The Dying To Perform Players- Stale Magnolias
5) B Productions-“Misleading Perceptions”
6) Open House Productions- You’re Being Watched
7) Marc Ackerman/Lost Soles Productions- Classics Condensed: Two-in-One Stories
8) Amy Steinberg-Ever-Expanding
9) Jester Theater Company- (F) Ives -5 Actors Take On Ives
10) Air-O-Dynamic-Bathhouse: The Musical
11) Playwrights Round Table- Mercy On The Canvas
12) Quiet Desperation Productions-Orlando Vigilante
13) Tod Kimbro- Electra At The Weiner Stand
14) Doodie Poo Poo Productions-Doodie Humor 3: To The Turd Power
15) Wanzie Presents- The Lion Queen And The Naked Go-Go Cub

WAITLIST
1) Russell Scott
2) Excellent Adventure Productions
3) Matt Alden
4) Karin Amano/Lisa Sleeper

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace