Meet FREEWAY Star Raye Levine

Raye Levine

Name: Raye Levine

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Tell us (2-3 sentences) about your role in Freeway.

Rachel!! She is a strong female force. She is open and allows herself to be swept up in the emotional rush of things, and at the same time, she is practical, driven and resolute.

How did you decide to become an actress?

Acting has always been the thing that’s helped me grow the most - discover the most - as a person. I don’t think it’s a choice. I think that you play and act because you can’t not, and then you figure out how to make a living supporting it.

What inspires you?

I get inspired easily and often. I get really focused when I am presented with a good challenge when I see how inventive or creative others can be. When I see very specific original behavior in characters/people, and the chemistry (palpable, volatile) between people. I'm inspired by humility and curiosity and by diversity and different ways of life.

What do you wish you’d known before you became an actor?

I would have told my younger self: you can’t really control anything, so no sense in trying, just jump!!!  

Three words to describe your experience in Freeway.

Fun. Thrilling. Special.

What’s next?

I’m combining my Architecture and Acting experience and designing the set for a darkly comedic play called Extinction at Guild Hall, East Hampton!! I also have an acting role in this piece. We open April fools day.

For more info on Raye, visit www.rayelevine.com, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and IMDb

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room. Visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com for more info and follow her @RudinJen.

Meet FREEWAY Writer Jennifer Rudin

Jennifer Rudin

Name: Jennifer Rudin

Hometown: New York City

Tell us (2-3 sentences) about your role in Freeway.

I am the playwright and the casting director too!

How did you decide to become a writer?

I’ve been keeping diaries since I was six years old and wrote lots of plays and short stories as a child. I’ve been surrounded by scripts my whole life, first as a professional child actor and then for many years as a casting director. I dabbled in playwriting in my late 20s, then put it all aside to focus on my career as casting director. When I turned 40, I came back to writing when HarperCollins published my book Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room. In 2012, I started taking TV writing classes with Alan Kingsberg, who encouraged me to apply to NYU's Dramatic Writing program. I’m in my final semester now at and will graduate in May 2017!

What inspires you?

Daily love and laughter with my husband, reading a book on the beach, a glass of white wine and sushi, cycling. And watching great actors.

What do you wish you’d known before you became a writer?

You’ve got to go deep. That's what all my NYU professors have been saying to me. Go deep. If you’re not broken, you can’t be a writer so dig down and find that rage and pain. You have to turn off the phone and all distractions and sit down in the chair and write. There's no other way.

Three words to describe your experience in Freeway.

Cathartic, fun, inspiring!

What’s next?

I just launched my new company Purple Glasses. My 1/2 hour pilot Lucy in the Sky, a 2016 Sloan Writing award recipient is a finalist in the 2017 Fusion Film Festival. And I'm signing books on February 20 at 5 PM at The Drama Bookshop! Come out and say hello!

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room. Visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com for more info and follow her @RudinJen.

Meet FREEWAY star Sarah Baskin

Sarah Baskin

Name: Sarah Baskin
Hometown: Montreal

Tell us (2-3 sentences) about your role in Freeway.

I play Rachel’s Inner Voice. The inner voice to me represents that instinctive, quiet (sometimes not-so-quiet) voice of truth that gnaws away at you until you decide to listen to it.

How did you decide to become an actress?

To be honest - I’m not sure that was a decision I made exactly. I just followed my love of theater and kept studying acting and being in plays and then realized I was an actor. There was no “moment”. I just really enjoy the art of exploring humanity through storytelling.

What inspires you?

So many things. Here are a few. Really authentic self-expression in art (all the mediums). Dance - all sorts of dance - in particular: contemporary and flamenco. People who are unabashedly themselves - and not at the expense of others. Kindness. Motherhood in NYC. Cheryl Strayed. Vedic philosophy. My talented friends & family.

What do you wish you’d known before you became an actor?

“Perfection” is not only unattainable but also not that interesting.

Three words to describe your experience in Freeway.

Fun. Collaborative. Witty.

What’s next?

Your guess is as good as mine!

Learn more about Sarah Baskin at Twitter, Instagram, IMDb and Sarah's website.

3 more chances to see FREEWAY! Grab your tickets Eclectics Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs. See you at the show!

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land ay Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room and visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com and @RudinJen.

Meet FREEWAY star Peter Douglas

Peter Douglas

Name: Peter Douglas

Hometown: Potomac, Maryland

Tell us (2-3 sentences) about your role in Freeway.

I play Will’s (played by Sawyer Spielberg) Inner Voice. At times, I express what Will is actively thinking, but not saying. At other times, I make suggestions, supporting or questioning him depending on the situation. It’s like being both ego and id, and it’s a bit schizophrenic.

How did you decide to become an actor?

So many influences, but mainly I think acting stemmed from being bullied, finding joy and solace in my own imagination and then discovering a community of theater misfits who embraced me for all those things that made me a target for bullies. The theater is home.

What inspires you?

Everything. Art, music, people, especially. I love people watching. A brilliant acting teacher once told me to observe and consume everything. I suppose I’m most inspired when I see people in moments of great honesty and integrity.

What do you wish you’d known before you became an actor?

I wish I’d known in my gut what I knew in my mind: that I am always enough. It took years to trust that, and the process is ongoing.

Three words to describe your experience in Freeway.

Joyful. Inspiring. Affirming.

What’s next?

I’m appearing on the new season of Bosch, raising money for a feature - The Monarch of Crystal Falls - and looking for a play to do. If I could, I’d live in a theater.

Learn more about Peter at IMDb and on Instagram

Only 4 more chances to see Freeway. Visit Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs and grab your ticket for the BOXERS shows. We'd love to see you there!

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room and visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com and @RudinJen.

Meet FREEWAY star Sawyer Spielberg

FREEWAY star Sawyer Spielberg with Raye Levine
Photo credit: Terry Milner

Meet FREEWAY Star Sawyer Spielberg! 

Name:  Sawyer Spielberg 

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA 

Tell us about your role in Freeway. 

I play an uptight traditional republican who has a need to control and manage. Although he is a very successful contractor because of those traits, he struggles to maintain a healthy relationship. 

How did you decide to become an actor?

I started acting because I loved the rush of connecting with a live audience.

What inspires you? 

Kind and driven people who won't bullshit you. 

What do you wish you’d known before you became an actor? 

It's never easy to have a career as an artist but worth it in the long run!! 

Three words to describe your experience in Freeway. 

FUN, adventurous and challenging. 

What’s next? 

I'm acting in a staged reading of a play called Vatican Falls at Theater for the New City on February 20th and 21st. 

Learn more about Sawyer by visiting him on Instagram 

ONLY 4 more chances to see Freeway. Visit Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs and reserve a ticket for the BOXERS slot. We'd love to see you at the show! 

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room and visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com and @RudinJen.

Meet FREEWAY Director Terry Milner!

Terry Milner
Photo credit: Natasha Mynhier
 

Name: Terry Milner
Hometown: Jackson, Mississippi

Tell us (2-3 sentences) about your role in Freeway.

I am the director of Freeway.

How did you decide to become a director and writer?

I spent several years as an actor; I can’t think of any better preparation for writing and directing. I spent a long time working in an unrelated field and only returned to the theater - primarily as a playwright - when I finally felt I had something to say. After my first play (The Jesus Fund) was produced, I was accepted to the MFA in Dramatic Writing program at NYU/Tisch, which I completed in 2015. Along the way, I also had the chance to assist other directors (Rebecca Holderness, Eve Roberts), then I met you through Tisch when I returned as a director for Gary Garrison’s  Drama Lab. You were nice enough to ask me to direct Freeway, and here we are!

What inspires you?

Literally everything. One thing you learn as a theater artist is an importance of observing everything around you. The entire human experience is your palette and you cannot afford to waste a single idea or impression or opportunity to learn why and how people do what they do.

What do you wish you’d known before you became a director and writer?

I wish I had believed myself capable of both earlier in my life. There was a recent opinion piece in The Guardian about how a lack of confidence and risk-taking explains the achievement gap for some who grew up children of working class parents. It resonated with me, as someone who grew up in the South, of parents who themselves grew up very poor. I mean it’s all relative - I was a lawyer for six years and that took some sense of confidence - I just wish I had felt it as an artist, and felt it earlier in life.

Three words to describe your experience in Freeway.

Lucky. Happy. Proud.

What’s next?

My focus is on my writing right now. I’ve got several scripts circulating - plays and screenplays - and am hoping some will catch on soon. But writing is a solitary pursuit, so I am thrilled to be in the rehearsal room directing terrific actors and collaborating with a gifted writer, all working together as a team to make something really special happen. I want more of that, please.

Learn more about Terry by visiting his website, on Facebook, @RTMilner and IMDb.

For more info on the festival, visit Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs and reserve a ticket for the BOXERS slot. We'd love to see you all at the show. 

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room and visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com and @RudinJen.

Opening Night Started Strong!

L to R: Sarah Baskin and Raye Levine, who play Rachel's Inner Voice and Rachel in Jennifer Rudin's Freeway

We opened last night to a packed house and a strong first performance of Freeway.

I sat next to my fellow NYU classmate and writer Matt Flynn who'd heard an earlier version of the play at NYU in the spring of 2016. Once the play started, my heart started beating and the adrenaline kicked in: a mix of tears and laughter crept through my body. The audience laughed at lines I'd never expected to be funny and gasped when the play ended.

The best part is that we have seven more performances! 

In my next series of blogs, we'll meet Freeway actors: Sarah Baskin, Peter Douglas, Raye Levine and Sawyer Spielberg and director Terry Milner. 

For more info on the festival, visit Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs and reserve a ticket for the BOXERS slots. I'd love to see you all at the show! 

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of  Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room. Visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com andfollow @RudinJen.

Less Than 12 Hours Until FREEWAY opens!

Sawyer Spielberg and Raye Levine in Freeway.

Last night I dreamed that I missed tonight's opening! I was attending a performance of Mary Poppins instead and by the time I realized I was not in the right place, I'd missed the opening night performance of Freeway. 

I'm a vivid dreamer and a very deep sleeper so this actor's nightmare comes as no surprise. 

In my twenties, I had recurring dreams about hiding from the Nazis in toilet stalls and passing as a Catholic girl. In my thirties, I watched too many Law and Order episodes right before going to sleep, resulting in nightmares about being robbed; the thieves poking a knife through my window, taking bicycle and computer. 

Now in my forties, the dreams typically involve running through airports trying to catch a flight or a combo of words and characters talking to me from the scripts I am penning while in my final year of the MFA Dramatic Writing program at NYU. Last semester I was writing an animated pilot about a pampered Persian cat and her dimwitted black lab brother and one night the Persian cat clawed me in my dream, gently urging me to make her the star of the show. I woke up and changed my script to make her the STAR.

 

Freeway opens TONIGHT at 7 PM. And I will make sure not to miss it! 

For more info on the festival, visit Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs and reserve a ticket for the BOXERS slots. I'd love to see you all at the show! 

Jen Rudin is an award-winning writer, casting director and author of  Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room. Visit www.jenrudin.com and www.purpleglassesproductions.com andfollow @RudinJen.

 

FREEWAY - Two Days Until Opening Night!

My ten-minute play FREEWAY opens on Friday night as part of Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs

But first a little backstory: I'm a native New Yorker, recovered professional child actress, long time casting director on both coasts, author of Confessions of a Casting Director and now A WRITER. Oh, and I'm also in my final semester of the MFA Dramatic Writing program at NYU.

Freeway began as a writing exercise for a class at NYU called Forms of Drama. The assignment was to write a What If play.

What If? What if Hamlet and Ophelia had a child? What if I could eat sushi every night and not die of mercury poisoning? What if I could meet Anne Frank?

What if I could go back in time and my inner voice would caution me not to marry my first husband?  

On your mark, get set, drive on the freeway......

See what happens when the play opens Friday night.

For additional info, visit Eclectic Evening of Shorts X: Boxers & Briefs or visit Purple Glasses

xx Jen