Mr. Penn Returns Again in Episode 408 of Gotham on Thursday, November 9th!

Great news!  Mr. Penn returns to Gotham again tonight for a couple of scenes in Episode 408 of Fox’s hit drama Gotham.  And he has some news for Mr. Cobblepot (aka The Penguin).  I can’t reveal anything beforehand, of course, but I can promise it’s another episode filled with the show’s signature dark humor and deliciously shocking plot twists.

Tune in tonight and watch the plot unfold…!

Mr. Penn Returns to Gotham for Episode 406 on Thursday, 10/26 on Fox!

I’m delighted to announce I’m making my third appearance as Mr. Penn on Season 4 of Fox’s Gotham this Thursday evening, 10/26.  This time I’ll appear in a couple of scenes.

I’m also delighted the fabulous Gotham wiki has added a profile page for my character: http://gotham.wikia.com/wiki/Penn

Tune in and see what Mr. Penn gets up to this time.  And if you’re enjoying Mr. Penn, please let the Fox network know you want to see more!

Mr. Penn Reappears on Gotham Episode 405 Thursday October 19th!

I’m delighted to reveal that Mr. Penn resurfaces on Season 4 of GOTHAM this Thursday evening (October 19th) on the FOX network.  I pop up in a couple of scenes in the course of the episode.  I’m having such great fun working with this spectacular group on set and off–what an absolute treat every time!

Stay tuned for more news on Mr. Penn…!  And if you’re enjoying Mr. Penn, please do let the network know.

Thanks!

I Begin a Small Recurring Role on “Gotham” with the 9/21 Season Premiere on Fox Network!

I can’t say who I play or what happens, but at last I can reveal that over the summer months, I’ve been shooting with the fabulous cast, crew, directors, and producers of the hit Batman prequel, Gotham.  My first appearance will be in the Season 4 Premiere tonight (9/21) on the Fox Network.

I’ve never worked on a nicer set, or with a nicer bunch of people–despite the shocking things they sometimes do onscreen!  I’m simply having a blast.  I don’t know myself how long this will go, but I’m enjoying every moment.  The episodes are so cleverly written, and the characters are all so much fun–it’s compulsive watching!

If you enjoy seeing my character, and want him to stick around, by all means let the show know!  They take their fan base extremely seriously–your voice counts.

Thanks, and enjoy!  More after the first episode airs.

A.

I Have a New Recurring Role on a Hit Prime-Time TV Show This Fall!!

I can’t tell you the name of the show. Or of my character.  Or what my cool costumes are like. Or anything. Yet.

But I CAN tell you I’ve booked a fun little role in a hit prime-time TV series, and that the role has just become recurring!  Whether I’ll appear more than a couple of times, I don’t know yet. All I know is I love these people–the producers, directors, writers, and fabulous cast.  Not to mention the lovely folks on costumes, hair, makeup, props, and crew.  Seriously–what a sweet bunch of people. I was the first fitting of the season; we put on great music and simply had a wonderful time creating my character’s look. Everyone was so incredibly warm and welcoming right from the season premiere table read. I went to my second table read yesterday, and it was lovely being welcomed back by so many smiling faces.

I’m lucky, and I know it. They saw a lot of people for this role, both male and female. I’m so glad they chose me. I don’t know how long this particular little ride will last, but I intend to enjoy every minute of it.

I’ll share the name of the show on the date of the September season premiere–stay tuned!!

Premiere of Mike Reiss Play “It’s All in the Execution” at 2017 Writing the Rockies Conference

This July, I had the great pleasure of sharing the stage with Sam Robards (so great in The 39 Steps on Broadway, among other projects) for the finale of the fantastic 2017 Writing the Rockies conference at Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, CO. Such a smart, sweet, and funny man. And the pleasure was increased by the fact that the two of us were giving the premiere reading of my Harvard classmate (and Simpsons writer) Mike Reiss’s darkly funny new one act play about terrorism, It’s All in the Execution. His wife (and another Harvard classmate) Denise Reiss told me she hadn’t read this one beforehand as she was concerned it might be too dark. But Mike’s signature ability to find big laughs even in the bleakest scenarios was on full display, and the audience–including Denise–simply ate it up.

Pictured here with me (L to R): Sam, Mike, Denise, and our mutual Harvard classmate David Rothman, who runs the Graduate Creative Writing Program at WSCU, and who keeps Writing the Rockies spinning along vibrantly.

If you are a novelist, poet, or screenwriter, and you haven’t attended Writing the Rockies–you are missing out big time!  David and his team bring in terrific, working talent from L.A., New York, and elsewhere, across all disciplines, to give small classes and fascinating keynote talks. And there’s even an opera workshop thrown in for good measure. Plus, the program includes time to enjoy some of the stunning local mountain scenery and great food. If you’re serious about your writing, and about improving your craft, you owe it to yourself to attend the 2018 Writing the Rockies Conference.  I’ve attended two years in a row, and it’s simply terrific.

See you there next year!

 

Teaching Presentation Skills to Graduate Student Poets and Novelists

This was my second year as a member of the graduate creative writing faculty at Western State Colorado University, in Gunnison, Colorado.  I was first hired in 2016 by my Harvard classmate David Rothman, head of the program and of the poetry concentration, to teach a summer intensive on presentation skills to second-year grad student poets.  Once I got there and the genre novelists heard about the work I was doing, they asked me for some sessions, as well.  This year, we baked that into my teaching schedule.  So I had four hour-long morning sessions with five delightful and talented genre fiction writers, all of whom were seeking coaching for their final pre-graduation presentations.  And in the afternoons, I taught my 8-session summer intensive “Poetry in Performance,” coaching three extremely talented and dedicated poets.

This ph0to is of me with the 2017 graduating genre fiction novelists after their final presentations: from left, Kaleb Erickson, their wonderful writing instructor for this year, Candace Nadon, and Carla Mercado on my left.  In the back: Vincent Harper, Marissa Harwood, and Ketura Barchers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And in this picture, talented composer Justus (Jay) Perrotta (L) joins me in congratulating my three poets Ellen Metrick, Brian Calvert, and Brian Palmer, after their final 25-minute presentations.  Jay has interest in setting some of the poems he heard to music.  All three poets knocked it out of the park, and brought tears to many audience members’ eyes–including mine.

Well done, all!  You did me proud, and I look forward to seeing and hearing more of your work.

 

Watch for me in “The Good Fight” on CBS All Access March 12th!

Here I am with Sarah Golden as Nicholas and Courtney Haight on “The Good Fight” for CBS All Access.

Despite the sudden closure of the Cheers Live on Stage tour, I did land one nifty bit part before the end of 2016. I was cast as Nicholas Haight in the upcoming streaming drama, The Good Fight, which will premiere this Spring on the new CBS All Access channel.

My role was small; most of my lines were cut in the rewrites between the audition and the shoot date. That’s showbiz. But they did leave me something choice to say. No spoilers here; you’ll have to tune in to find out!

My two days working on the set with the fabulous Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo, Becky Ann Baker, Prema Cruz, and my onscreen “wife” Sarah Golden (pictured here on set with me), were start-to-finish wonderful. Director Alex Zakrzewski was both shrewd and funny; what a pleasure working with him.  He and Christine set the perfect tone for the set.  What a lovely, lovely bunch of people, including the terrific crew. We worked on a Friday and Saturday, and Christine surprised the entire company on Saturday with a fantastic holiday Polish buffet lunch.  A real holiday treat.

I’m only sorry that my “wife” and I aren’t like to recur given our plot line, because I had such a great time with these folks. But I’m thrilled to have been along for episode 4 of this hot new series. And who knows–maybe their clever writer Joey Hartstone will come up with a way to bring Nicholas back into the mix in a surprising new plot line.  😉

Watch for me in Episode 4 of The Good Fight, March 12th on CBS All Access.

What a great way to end one year and begin the next!