Who are these gigsmacked guys anyway and do they really know what they’re talking about? Here’s your chance to find out!  I’m performing in Los Angeles at the Comedy Sportz Theatre as a part of the inaugural Hollywood Fringe Festival June 23-27.  Click here for info.

If you don’t live in LA send someone on your behalf.  If the show sucks I’ll buy you a drink.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

Whenever I am preparing for a run of Basic Training I have to find new ways to motivate myself to rehearse – which for me includes 5am runs and consistent physical conditioning.

A few years back I had dinner with Little Richard.  I won’t tell you how I know him because although it’s a hilarious story, it’s another post for another time.

He lives in a hotel in Hollywood and he’s just as dynamic in person as he is on stage.

As I sat there with one of the few true legends of the music industry (there would be no Coldplay, Madonna or Lady Gaga if it wasn’t for Little Richard) his stories inspired me to get off my ass and do more with my talent.

‘In those days all we did was rehearse because that’s all we could do’, he said.  ’You could get hanged or shot in the head just for looking at a white woman and we damn sure couldn’t go to the mall and hang out because folks of our color didn’t have malls.  So we found solace in our talent.  Even then it wasn’t a fair playing ground but we didn’t have time to worry about fair.  Performing was the only way out of our situation.  If you thought that your talent was the only thing that could rescue you from, you know, bein poor or the police messin with you- you would rehearse until you were dead.  Just for a chance to get on stage and wow folks. To prove yourself.  And honey, prove myself I did.’

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So many years later his words still ring true.  He had every right to make excuses and he didn’t.  I need to rehearse as if this talent was the only thing I have left, my only way out.  If Little Richard can find the time to rehearse and stay on top of his game, so can I.   How about you?

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If that don’t light your fire, you got wet wood.

-Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

There is a very good reason things have slowed down on the blog lately:  I auditioned for Cirque du Soleil. And got through!

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It was absolutely grueling, I won’t tell you what we did because it’s a secret and they said if I tell anybody they will cancel my birthday and kidnap my pets.

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I auditioned for them back in 2002 and it was an unforgettable and very educational experience.  I made it to the final three and that was the end of the audition.  Not sure what happened after that, apparently they didn’t have a show that I fit into.  If you haven’t seen a Cirque du Soleil show you’re missing out – talk about a display of amazing talent.  Acrobats, clowns, drag queens – it puts the Halloween parade in the East Village to shame.

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Today’s audition began at 9am and ended at 6pm and it was non-stop!  I have done some very physical things in my life but nothing quite as challenging as a Cirque du Soleil audition.  There were about 30-35 supremely talented actors when we started and when we finished there were 7.  And I was one of them.  Needless to say I’m sore from head to toe but if it’s worth having it’s worth working for right?

Now I wait.  And celebrate!

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

Instead of telling you about all the things I did right on my journey to Broadway I thought I’d dive a bit deeper and share some of my mistakes and regrets.

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You’ve probably guessed by now that the premise of this blog is ’stop waiting for someone to give you a career and go make it happen’.

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At GigSmacked.com we honestly believe that success in your career lies within your ability to take control and play to your strengths instead of waiting for some agent or producer to notice you.

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I feel pretty strongly about this because I lived it.  Audition after audition.  Meeting after meeting.  Sending headshots with no response.  Taking class after class feeling empty but obliged.  The decision to write my own show and take it to Broadway was a result of these frustrations.

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These are some of the missteps (limited room here) I made during the five years it took me to get my show from unknown commodity to Off Broadway success story:

• No Famous Man (or Woman) Is An Island:  Barry Josephson (Enchanted, Bones) was one of the biggest supporters of my talent and career and I’m eternally thankful for that.  But our strategy of putting it on his shoulders; thinking Barry could single-handedly take my show to Broadway on his own, was silly.  It’s just not humanly possible.  Recovery:  I took the show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007 and it sold out.  As a result I found more producers to get the show to New York alongside Barry.  Lesson:  A star player can win any game.  A team can win every game.
• Don’t talk about it. Just do it!  It was May of 2004 that I got the first offer to take my show to Broadway.  As I toured Canada that year to critical acclaim I told every journalist who interviewed me about those plans and how imminent they were.  Had I known it would take until 2008 I would’ve never uttered a word.  Recovery:  There is no recovery.  I just looked like a boob for four years.  Lesson:  Shut up and work.
• Okay For Now.  There are several images and videos on the Internet that do not represent the quality or integrity that myself or my brand are known for.  I was presented these products at a time when I didn’t have the money to do anything better so I caved in and allowed them to be distributed for the Broadway run.  Bad idea.  The Internet is forever.  A whole lot of nothing is better than a handful of mediocrity.  Recovery:  I got a professional photo shoot done and I am replacing the mediocre with the awesome.  Lesson:  When it comes to quality there is no gray area.  Insist on the best because you hit what you aim at.

For a more in depth view of how a Broadway show is built and the risks involved I highly recommend renting ‘Show Business’ (excerpt above).  It’s a great fly-on-the-wall documentary for those of you who want to do full scale theatre whether it’s onstage or backstage.

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