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LATEST NEWS!!
February 28, 2009: So here we are. Seems it's been tougher to get back to "normal" than I had hoped.
It's amazing how heavy and slow grief can be. And how submarine like -- surfacing, diving, surfacing,
diving ... endlessly, it seems. I've only recently started back performing. Which has been interesting.
Having taken a significant break, I can really feel the difference. In my work, my perspective, my
willingness. It's instructive, if not unsettling. This month I am performing in the BOA 2009 playwright
festival (performance details on my home page), and then next month I start rehearsals for Crowded
Fire's WRECKAGE. I have long admired Crowded Fire's work, so I am excited about the opportunity.
Other than that ... well, honestly, unlike my usual Chatty-Cathy self, I don't have much more to share
this time. I'm still here. For now. And that's about it.
June 28, 2008: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
It's been a long time since a decent LJ Update. What can I say. It's been an ass-kicking year. And not
in a good way. If you're family/friend and you've been in contact lately, you know the score re my
beat-up arse, and you can just drop down to the second half of this post, "Fun Things." For the rest of
you, I guess we should start with the "Not-So-Fun Things."
Not-So-Fun Things:
My girls Porkchop and Applesauce went into acute renal failure from lily ingestion last December. Who
knew lilies -- such common house flowers -- are lethal to cats. Unfortunately -- not me. I lost
Porkchop on January 25, 2008. Applesauce, bless her heart, outlived all predictions by MONTHS, and
was with me until just recently, June 13, 2008. I really can't believe they are gone. I won't go into too
many of the details, suffice it to say it was a heartbreaking time. No one can tell you whether and to
what extent loss of renal function can be regained, so you do what you can, which was a lot, and hope
for the best. In our case, the girls did not regain any of their renal function and my care of them
ultimately came down to making them as comfortable as I could for as long as that made sense. I have
never had to euthanize a creature before and I have to say, in both instances it was the most painful
thing I have ever done. They were my husband, my child, my sister and my best friend all wrapped up
in two furry creatures. Having to decide when those lives should come to their end -- man, ass-kicking
numero uno.
If that wasn't enough, my Dad died unexpectedly in April. He had a routine scan done of a his lungs for
a check up, and they found, by accident, a few spots on his liver. The next week, they took a liver scan,
then two days later, a biopsy. That same day, he collapsed. I flew home just a few days later, and he
was already unresponsive. He passed a few days after that. I think the time frame for the whole thing
-- start to finish -- was 10 days. How crazy-fucked-up is that? Shit. Ass-kicking numero dos.
And if that wasn't enough, my Dad's sister, my Aunt Mary Louise, also my Godmother, died
unexpectedly in May. She had been hospitalized and diagnosed with a pulmonary disorder a couple
months earlier, and after a stint in physical rehab to rebuild her strength and work on her breathing,
she was doing very well, and was scheduled to go home in just a few days. She woke up in the middle
of the night coughing and in only a few minutes she was gone. Numero tres . . . .
Heartbreaking. Just heartbreaking. I miss them all. Terribly.
For those of you that might be interested, I created a little memorial slideshow of the girls. Eventually I
hope to post it on the website, but for now, it's on You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XvRJbK_eI8U. A copy of the obituary article the Chicago Tribune did on my Dad is posted on my
Yahoo Groups web-page under Files: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LauraJaneColesGroupList/
Not surprisingly, the last six months have been very quiet on the acting front. On every front other
than the death and dying front actually. But there have been a few fun developments. So without
further delay, let us segue . . . .
Fun Things:
In February, I was part of the 2008 Bay Area One Act Festival. I did a piece in both rotations:
Busybody and General Admissions. For those of you who didn't make it, BOA has asked us to do
General Admissions for the Theater Festival at Yerba Buena the end of July. If you haven't been to
Theater Fest, you really should go (regardless of whether you see my piece). It's a super fun day of
hundreds of performances on stages all throughout the complex. All sorts of folks turn out for it and
it's really a lot of fun. Did I mention it's FREE?! Yes, FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The details for our show are as follows: 2008 SF Theater Festival, Sunday, July 27, 2008, Yerba Buena
Gardens, Action Theater, 11:55 am to 12:55 pm (our piece runs the first 1/2 hour, from 11:55 a.m. to
12:25 p.m. -- yes, it's short -- so don't be late!!)
To entice you to come see our piece, here is a blurb from a review of General Admissions:
I did also squeeze in a staged reading of Blood Mirage, written by the extraordinary Jeffery Hartgraves,
directed by my favorite Mike Ward (who I worked with in Six Degrees) -- Mike did a nice blurb on it, so
I'll just paste that below -- easy. Sorry I didn't get the info on this out to folks so you could come. But
it was kinda a busy/tough time, right? It was also FREEZING at the O'Neil house that day, so as lovely
an experience as it was -- GREAT GROUP -- I may have been doing you a small favor.
On the film front, Rock Haven, a feature film which I have posted on quite a bit, can now be rented at
any major distributor. Netflix? Yes. Blockbuster? Yes. So next time you pick out a DVD, maybe you
wanna check out your old friend LJ. I must say, before I realized it was out, I was in Blockbuster
renting movies and there were couple copies of Rock Haven on the Recent Releases shelf -- just sittin'
there staring out at me. I called my sister right from the store!!
A short I did last year, Drifter, screened in many film festivals this year, including the Sacramento
International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Short. Shouts out to the director Dimitris
Tzetzas, who has a keen visual sense, and our lead actor Bruno Kanter, whose performance pulled the
whole film together.
Last weekend the feature film Hell House -- the second film I did with Mr. Bruno -- had its first
screening here in the City. I wasn't able to make it, but should get my DVD copy soon. It's a creepy
little number. I look forward to seeing how it all came together.
Canada (formerly In the Pines) which I made a couple years ago screened as part of the 2008 Asian
Film festival. Congrats to the filmmaker Anjali Sundaram. A talented filmmaker and a lovely person.
Okay, well, I think that brings you all up to speed. Ugh. It's been a rough 6 months. Hoping for
better times and the opportunity to get back on track acting-wise.
September 1, 2007: WHERE HAVE I BEEN?! I know, you've missed me. Well, I've missed you too.
But after Dying Gaul -- which the critics and fans LOVED -- I needed a much deserved break. So it's
been big-time hiatus-time for Ms. LJ and I've loved every minute of it. I cleaned out my kitchen
cabinets, my closets, got my old tired arse back into the gym, cuddled with the girls LOTS, and even fell
in love. Wow. Yes, it's been a nice few months. But, it's time to get back in the saddle again, as they
say. Next up is Lovers and Other Strangers, playing at the Shelton Theatre in October. See my home
page for show details. I play Cathy, a slightly desperate woman at the end of her adulterous rope. No,
no -- this one is FUNNY!! Really, it's a quirky little play that I think everyone will enjoy. Come check us
out.
On the film front, the feature film Rock Haven, where I play the role of Marty, recently screened as part
of Frameline31, the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Remember me talking about the
Christian Mom role -- where the son discovers he is gay? That's the one. Frameline31 is the second
largest film festival (in attendance) west of the Mississippi and one of the 10 largest in the United
States, so it was a privilege to be part of it. And what a crazy fun screening. Full VIP treatment for the
entire Rock Haven entourage -- and I do mean ENTOURAGE. Everyone should have that kind of movie
star-night at least once in their life. Rock Haven is also an official selection of the Outfest film festival in
Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian film festival, the North Carolina LGBT Festival, the Seattle
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, with more festivals added all the time. I am so proud of the filmmaker
David Lewis, he worked so tirelessly on this film and there is so much of his love in this project. His
success is well earned. Oh, and did I mention this film was picked up for distribution before it was even
finished?! Yawza. Check out the films' website for more info: www.rockhavenmovie.com.
In conjunction with the screening of Rock Haven, the filmmaker David Lewis and I were interviewed for
the SF 360 TV program covering the festival. You can see a segment of the interview on You Tube --
gotta love that You Tube!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rlrbjpfsY
Next up, another indie feature film, Silent Alarm, has completed its website and it looks great!! If you
go to the page for clips, you can see an itsy-bitsy clip of me dorking it up in a dominatrix outfit.
Insanity: www.silentalarmmovie.com.
Last but not least, a short film I recently shot -- Drifter, is nearing completion. I saw the rough cut and
it was TOUGH. Or maybe it was me who was TOUGH. Anyway, it looks good. Shot on film,
sooooooooooooooooooooooooo niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. Many kudos to my leading man on that
project Bruno Kanter, who got me the gig. You may remember Bruno from that tawdry scene I did in
Hell House. And I do mean taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawdry. We seem to do tawdry
together quite well, go figure.
On the training front, I have been studying with Richard Seyd, learning some painful truths about
myself. And others. Working with Richard is a great, if not at times extremely uncomfortable,
experience. Also taking a singing class at ACT. Now, stop LAUGHING!! I know I can't sing. You know
I can't sing. But does the whole rest of the world need to know I can't sing? I say NO!! So I am
hoping to eek out a few basic skills so my dirty little theatrical secret, stays just that. Keep your fingers
crossed.
Okay, well, I think that's all there is for this update. Yeah, sure, I probably missed all sorts of things.
But I can tell you about them later. It's good to be back.
December 09, 2006: Happy Holidays!! In true LJ fashion, I will be spending the bulk of my holiday
season in rehearsals for my next play, The Dying Gaul at The New Conservatory Theatre Center. It's a
great edgy story, and my role ridiculously juicy, so I am THRILLED!! See my home page for show
details, previews begin January 26, 2007. On the film front, in November I shot a couple short films,
Drifter and Existential Romance. In Drifter, I play a "pushy," "uptight," agenda-filled business woman.
In Existential Romance, I play a zany, upbeat, single gal content with her choice to go it alone. I know,
I know, with roles like these, who needs acting classes?! Speaking of which, on the training front, I've
recently started classes with Richard Seyd -- yes, THE Richard Seyd -- and I am already getting what all
the hoopla is about. Pretty insightful dude. It's been a really incredible year. Can't wait to see what's
in store for 2007!!
It's amazing how heavy and slow grief can be. And how submarine like -- surfacing, diving, surfacing,
diving ... endlessly, it seems. I've only recently started back performing. Which has been interesting.
Having taken a significant break, I can really feel the difference. In my work, my perspective, my
willingness. It's instructive, if not unsettling. This month I am performing in the BOA 2009 playwright
festival (performance details on my home page), and then next month I start rehearsals for Crowded
Fire's WRECKAGE. I have long admired Crowded Fire's work, so I am excited about the opportunity.
Other than that ... well, honestly, unlike my usual Chatty-Cathy self, I don't have much more to share
this time. I'm still here. For now. And that's about it.
June 28, 2008: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
It's been a long time since a decent LJ Update. What can I say. It's been an ass-kicking year. And not
in a good way. If you're family/friend and you've been in contact lately, you know the score re my
beat-up arse, and you can just drop down to the second half of this post, "Fun Things." For the rest of
you, I guess we should start with the "Not-So-Fun Things."
Not-So-Fun Things:
My girls Porkchop and Applesauce went into acute renal failure from lily ingestion last December. Who
knew lilies -- such common house flowers -- are lethal to cats. Unfortunately -- not me. I lost
Porkchop on January 25, 2008. Applesauce, bless her heart, outlived all predictions by MONTHS, and
was with me until just recently, June 13, 2008. I really can't believe they are gone. I won't go into too
many of the details, suffice it to say it was a heartbreaking time. No one can tell you whether and to
what extent loss of renal function can be regained, so you do what you can, which was a lot, and hope
for the best. In our case, the girls did not regain any of their renal function and my care of them
ultimately came down to making them as comfortable as I could for as long as that made sense. I have
never had to euthanize a creature before and I have to say, in both instances it was the most painful
thing I have ever done. They were my husband, my child, my sister and my best friend all wrapped up
in two furry creatures. Having to decide when those lives should come to their end -- man, ass-kicking
numero uno.
If that wasn't enough, my Dad died unexpectedly in April. He had a routine scan done of a his lungs for
a check up, and they found, by accident, a few spots on his liver. The next week, they took a liver scan,
then two days later, a biopsy. That same day, he collapsed. I flew home just a few days later, and he
was already unresponsive. He passed a few days after that. I think the time frame for the whole thing
-- start to finish -- was 10 days. How crazy-fucked-up is that? Shit. Ass-kicking numero dos.
And if that wasn't enough, my Dad's sister, my Aunt Mary Louise, also my Godmother, died
unexpectedly in May. She had been hospitalized and diagnosed with a pulmonary disorder a couple
months earlier, and after a stint in physical rehab to rebuild her strength and work on her breathing,
she was doing very well, and was scheduled to go home in just a few days. She woke up in the middle
of the night coughing and in only a few minutes she was gone. Numero tres . . . .
Heartbreaking. Just heartbreaking. I miss them all. Terribly.
For those of you that might be interested, I created a little memorial slideshow of the girls. Eventually I
hope to post it on the website, but for now, it's on You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XvRJbK_eI8U. A copy of the obituary article the Chicago Tribune did on my Dad is posted on my
Yahoo Groups web-page under Files: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LauraJaneColesGroupList/
Not surprisingly, the last six months have been very quiet on the acting front. On every front other
than the death and dying front actually. But there have been a few fun developments. So without
further delay, let us segue . . . .
Fun Things:
In February, I was part of the 2008 Bay Area One Act Festival. I did a piece in both rotations:
Busybody and General Admissions. For those of you who didn't make it, BOA has asked us to do
General Admissions for the Theater Festival at Yerba Buena the end of July. If you haven't been to
Theater Fest, you really should go (regardless of whether you see my piece). It's a super fun day of
hundreds of performances on stages all throughout the complex. All sorts of folks turn out for it and
it's really a lot of fun. Did I mention it's FREE?! Yes, FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The details for our show are as follows: 2008 SF Theater Festival, Sunday, July 27, 2008, Yerba Buena
Gardens, Action Theater, 11:55 am to 12:55 pm (our piece runs the first 1/2 hour, from 11:55 a.m. to
12:25 p.m. -- yes, it's short -- so don't be late!!)
To entice you to come see our piece, here is a blurb from a review of General Admissions:
- “General Admissions” [written] by Crish Barth [directed by Paul Cello] was produced by Climate Theatre. It took
place in a theater where Sheila, played by Laura Jane Coles (with expert comedic timing), is taken out for her
birthday by her husband, Dan, a rather uptight man in his late 30’s, played equally well by Mark Lariviere. Both
actors performed in tandem, both listening and responding to one another as they sat in the handicapped row of
the theatre. There was a wonderful response from the audience on their “laugh” lines.
I did also squeeze in a staged reading of Blood Mirage, written by the extraordinary Jeffery Hartgraves,
directed by my favorite Mike Ward (who I worked with in Six Degrees) -- Mike did a nice blurb on it, so
I'll just paste that below -- easy. Sorry I didn't get the info on this out to folks so you could come. But
it was kinda a busy/tough time, right? It was also FREEZING at the O'Neil house that day, so as lovely
an experience as it was -- GREAT GROUP -- I may have been doing you a small favor.
- Blood Mirage & Revelations
Sunday, May 4, 2008, 3:00 p.m.
Karen Grassle, Caroline Ingalls in TV's "Little House on the Prairie," will perform in both May 4 productions.
Blood Mirage
by San Francisco actor, director, producer & playwright Jeffrey Hartgraves
Three adult sisters are called together by their aging mother to attend the funeral of her sister, their aunt. After
decades of secrets and deception, the mother decides that certain truths must finally be revealed before it's too late.
The women find that their lives are altered--literally and emotionally-through a shift in nothing more or less potent
than perspective.
Revelations
A series of scenes from O'Neill plays in which family secrets tear through the fabric of a seemingly-okay domestic
life. The scenes resonate the themes found in Blood Mirage and are from Anna Christie, Mourning Becomes Electra
and Strange Interlude.
Both productions directed by Mike Ward+, artistic associate, Magic Theatre, San Francisco. Featuring Chloe Bronzan,
Laura Jane Coles, Jennifer Erdmann*, Karen Grassle* and Susan Jackson in both Blood Mirage and Revelations
portion of the program
On the film front, Rock Haven, a feature film which I have posted on quite a bit, can now be rented at
any major distributor. Netflix? Yes. Blockbuster? Yes. So next time you pick out a DVD, maybe you
wanna check out your old friend LJ. I must say, before I realized it was out, I was in Blockbuster
renting movies and there were couple copies of Rock Haven on the Recent Releases shelf -- just sittin'
there staring out at me. I called my sister right from the store!!
A short I did last year, Drifter, screened in many film festivals this year, including the Sacramento
International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Short. Shouts out to the director Dimitris
Tzetzas, who has a keen visual sense, and our lead actor Bruno Kanter, whose performance pulled the
whole film together.
Last weekend the feature film Hell House -- the second film I did with Mr. Bruno -- had its first
screening here in the City. I wasn't able to make it, but should get my DVD copy soon. It's a creepy
little number. I look forward to seeing how it all came together.
Canada (formerly In the Pines) which I made a couple years ago screened as part of the 2008 Asian
Film festival. Congrats to the filmmaker Anjali Sundaram. A talented filmmaker and a lovely person.
Okay, well, I think that brings you all up to speed. Ugh. It's been a rough 6 months. Hoping for
better times and the opportunity to get back on track acting-wise.
September 1, 2007: WHERE HAVE I BEEN?! I know, you've missed me. Well, I've missed you too.
But after Dying Gaul -- which the critics and fans LOVED -- I needed a much deserved break. So it's
been big-time hiatus-time for Ms. LJ and I've loved every minute of it. I cleaned out my kitchen
cabinets, my closets, got my old tired arse back into the gym, cuddled with the girls LOTS, and even fell
in love. Wow. Yes, it's been a nice few months. But, it's time to get back in the saddle again, as they
say. Next up is Lovers and Other Strangers, playing at the Shelton Theatre in October. See my home
page for show details. I play Cathy, a slightly desperate woman at the end of her adulterous rope. No,
no -- this one is FUNNY!! Really, it's a quirky little play that I think everyone will enjoy. Come check us
out.
On the film front, the feature film Rock Haven, where I play the role of Marty, recently screened as part
of Frameline31, the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Remember me talking about the
Christian Mom role -- where the son discovers he is gay? That's the one. Frameline31 is the second
largest film festival (in attendance) west of the Mississippi and one of the 10 largest in the United
States, so it was a privilege to be part of it. And what a crazy fun screening. Full VIP treatment for the
entire Rock Haven entourage -- and I do mean ENTOURAGE. Everyone should have that kind of movie
star-night at least once in their life. Rock Haven is also an official selection of the Outfest film festival in
Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian film festival, the North Carolina LGBT Festival, the Seattle
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, with more festivals added all the time. I am so proud of the filmmaker
David Lewis, he worked so tirelessly on this film and there is so much of his love in this project. His
success is well earned. Oh, and did I mention this film was picked up for distribution before it was even
finished?! Yawza. Check out the films' website for more info: www.rockhavenmovie.com.
In conjunction with the screening of Rock Haven, the filmmaker David Lewis and I were interviewed for
the SF 360 TV program covering the festival. You can see a segment of the interview on You Tube --
gotta love that You Tube!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rlrbjpfsY
Next up, another indie feature film, Silent Alarm, has completed its website and it looks great!! If you
go to the page for clips, you can see an itsy-bitsy clip of me dorking it up in a dominatrix outfit.
Insanity: www.silentalarmmovie.com.
Last but not least, a short film I recently shot -- Drifter, is nearing completion. I saw the rough cut and
it was TOUGH. Or maybe it was me who was TOUGH. Anyway, it looks good. Shot on film,
sooooooooooooooooooooooooo niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. Many kudos to my leading man on that
project Bruno Kanter, who got me the gig. You may remember Bruno from that tawdry scene I did in
Hell House. And I do mean taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawdry. We seem to do tawdry
together quite well, go figure.
On the training front, I have been studying with Richard Seyd, learning some painful truths about
myself. And others. Working with Richard is a great, if not at times extremely uncomfortable,
experience. Also taking a singing class at ACT. Now, stop LAUGHING!! I know I can't sing. You know
I can't sing. But does the whole rest of the world need to know I can't sing? I say NO!! So I am
hoping to eek out a few basic skills so my dirty little theatrical secret, stays just that. Keep your fingers
crossed.
Okay, well, I think that's all there is for this update. Yeah, sure, I probably missed all sorts of things.
But I can tell you about them later. It's good to be back.
December 09, 2006: Happy Holidays!! In true LJ fashion, I will be spending the bulk of my holiday
season in rehearsals for my next play, The Dying Gaul at The New Conservatory Theatre Center. It's a
great edgy story, and my role ridiculously juicy, so I am THRILLED!! See my home page for show
details, previews begin January 26, 2007. On the film front, in November I shot a couple short films,
Drifter and Existential Romance. In Drifter, I play a "pushy," "uptight," agenda-filled business woman.
In Existential Romance, I play a zany, upbeat, single gal content with her choice to go it alone. I know,
I know, with roles like these, who needs acting classes?! Speaking of which, on the training front, I've
recently started classes with Richard Seyd -- yes, THE Richard Seyd -- and I am already getting what all
the hoopla is about. Pretty insightful dude. It's been a really incredible year. Can't wait to see what's
in store for 2007!!
LAURA JANE COLES
Email: ljc@laurajanecoles.com
Phone: 415-517-3746 (cell)
Phone: 415-517-3746 (cell)