One Wild December: The Wiz Kidz

It's December 29, 2007, about 1:30 in the morning, and I am here in Oakland, California, in the house where I lived for 18 years, where I'm finally able to catch my breath after the busiest six weeks of my life. And what could keep me so busy? Three simultaneous acting projects. Nuts.

I should have been blogging about these projects during their runs, but I guess late is better than never, and maybe it will help now that I have a little perspective on things. Each project was very special, and take a tremendous amount of pride in each of them. Having endured through all the rehearsals, shooting schedules, and performances, I can say that my confidence as an actor is at an all-time high, and I have no doubts whatsoever about my talent or ability. I only have to wait for the opportunity... but I digress.

Each day, I will dedicate one entry each day to each project. Today: The Wiz Kidz.

Project Title: The Wiz Kidz
Children's TV Show (Pilot)

Top: Holly Fletcher. Middle Row: Maxwell Glick, Zorana Edun, Tina Ferraro, Jacob Nixon, Rob Westin, Randy Bautista. Bottom Row: Robert Acinapura, Nikki Blackwell, Selyna Arciaga, Auti Angel, Egypt Reale, Rae Toledo

I'll admit it; I did not envision a children's TV show to be a stop on my road to superstardom. But then I remember speaking with Pamela, the writer and producer, right after I had left callbacks, and sometimes you just get this feeling in your gut that tells you that you have to be part of this. Before the callback had began, Pamela talked about how she envisioned The Wiz Kidz as a group with diverse backgrounds, and teaching kids from all walks of life how they could be successful so long as they believed in themselves and took action. The callback in and of itself was unique in that the production team encouraged this idea of teamwork between the actors as opposed to competition. So when Pamela called me back a few days later saying I was cast, among all things, a dancer, how could I say no?

After three weeks of rehearsals and about five weeks of jazz dance classes, the shoot date had finally come. I was only in one scene: Divine's Dance Ball. The Wiz Kidz had just completed their adventure, and now was their chance to celebrate. As you could see above, we were an eclectic bunch! We had a ballerina, a fairy whose wings always seemed to tilt to one side, a martial artist who bore a striking resemblance to Ralph Macchio, and a spirited paraplegic dancer who sported dollar- and penny-sign spinners on her wheelchair. Awesome!

This was my very first experience shooting on a sound stage, and it was quite the experience. First of all, the floor consisted of turf and concrete, the kind of stuff that will ruin your joints should you decide to dance on them. Secondly, to set up the camera and the lighting for each shot takes about 20-40 minutes. Lastly, you want to give the post-production team a large variety of shots to choose from when they do editing, so you are getting about 5 to 6 takes for every shot. Which means lots of repetition. And more repetition. And then some more repetition. The grind started to wear on me. I started to internally whine and complain, until I realized that this is what you WANTED, and that opportunities are going to spring from this, so I told myself shut up and do it again.

Fortunately, the cast and the production team were really upbeat and professional, and before I knew it, it was 7:30 PM, 12 hours after I had arrived on set, and it was all over. I owe tremendous gratitude to Pamela, Maria, Loren, and all the cast and crew for just making this an amazing and gratifying experience! Of course, after The Wiz Kidz wrapped, there wasn't any time to rest on my laurels...