Kickey! Chapter 5: The Pet Sitter! (V)

I needed a last minute pet sitter and Greg was LITERALLY the only person available. Hijinks ensue. 

Very special thanks Joe Waterman, making his fantastic NPP debut with a cowriting credit to boot. This guy's the best - and we're working on another one for Greg! Stay tuned!

Click the pic to watch the latest in my series featuring my little blue cat friend, Kickey!

Goodbye, AIDS LifeCycle! (V)

This weekend marks the end of the AIDS Ride, known more recently as the AIDS LifeCycle. I rode in 2007, then I did five formative years as a Roadie on Rest Stop 2, and it was amazing. It's an incredible event - if you participated, you know, and thank you. In 2011 and 2012 I made some films that give you a taste of life with the wonderful folks on RS2, please click on those links to watch. 

Kickey! Chapter 4: Rideshare! (V)

Some familiar faces reappear when our favorite blue cat takes on a new job! Introducing a rising star in the East Bay theater scene, David Mack! And of course very special thanks to Carody Irish, Non-Permanent princess, and Heather Mack, reigning queen. THANK YOU ALL! What a delight. CLICK HERE to watch!

Kickey! Chapter 3: The Fridge! (V)

Kickey just wants to look in the fridge! Again! Click HERE to watch the latest video featuring my little blue friend.

Kickey! Chapter 2: House Call! (V)

Today is the beautiful and talented Heather Mack's birthday! She is the queen of the Non-Permanent Parliament, always ready for another video, always ready to say yes, no matter how many takes it takes! Thank you my wonderful friend for all your love and support. Kickey thanks you too! 

Click the pic to watch the latest video:

 

Kickey! Chapter One: For Love! (V)

I never knew having a cat would be this weird. Click on the pic below to watch the first chapter of my Kickey series! And click here to watch the Shining-inspired trailer. Featuring the incredibly talented and seriously kickass Carody Irish. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARODY!

KICKEY! Teaser Trailer (V)

I finally gave in and adopted a cat, and it's definitely not what I thought it would be. Like, at all. His name's Kickey. CLICK HERE to watch a teaser for the new series coming in 2024, modeled on one of my favorite Best Month movies of all time. 

LET THE BEST MONTH BEGIN!

Morty's Biography, Chapter Five! (V)

All five chapters of this epic Morty saga are now streaming after a brief delay because I really do hate editing - click here to watch episode 5. Thank you again to the lovely and talented LJ Bailey - isn't she a delight? - and to TV's Rod Brogan for the writing assist. Start here if this is the first you've heard of this whole mess, or click here for all things Morty in general. What about a t-shirt, even?

Morty's Biography, Chapter Four! (V)

In the penultimate episode of this epic saga, Morty takes matters into his own hands when Miss Watson refuses to include a pivotal story. Click here to watch! Also watch parts one, two, and three!

Morty's Biography, Chapter Three! (V)

 Miss Watson, Morty's biographer, continues to fight the good fight in Chapter Three of this epic sage. Click here to watch! If you missed it, here's part one and part two!

Morty's Biography, Chapter Two! (V)

Click here for part two of this epic saga! Here's part one if you don't feel like scrolling allllll the way down.

Morty's Biography (V)

The lovely and very talented Laura Jane Bailey returns to the Non-Permanent Parliament for a FIVE-PART anniversary Morty saga! Believe it or not, Morty, my older Man of the Theater character, turns 15 today. He was the subject of my first-ever video when I started making them in 2007. WOW! Click here to view his latest, and scroll down past the pictures to read a little more about this Morty person. And whoever you are, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Enjoy!

Morty, as a character, has been in development since 2001. That year I played Hamlet, and after a show, one of the producers of the Laurence Olivier movie came backstage to tell me I "reminded him of a young Laurence Olivier," adding quickly after, "You have a ways to go." 

After years of riffing with various artistic geniuses on this ready-made character of a man and those two sentences, 2007 found me performing in Richard the Second in Virginia, and trying to figure out, having just left New York City for the last time, where I was going with my life, and if I wasn't going to be an actor, which I'd decided, what was I going to be? I was drifting towards the idea of living in San Francisco and figuring it all out there; I wrote my first Morty video and used it to apply to the SF Sketchfest.

The Sketchfest, unknown to me at the time, was and continues to be a big deal, so in retrospect I'm not surprised I didn't hear back on that particular application. But I discovered an artistic outlet I had been increasingly afraid I was going to go without. I made two more videos that year, S.O.F.A. (featuring the Queen of the NPP) and Hamlet in Rehearsal, and then I kept going!

Not only did I love writing, directing, acting in, and, to a lesser extent, editing (grr) these videos, I also found that they had the power to pull people I loved close to me for a bit, to share a unique experience with them, and I've been extremely lucky to work with so many truly excellent people. Check out all the people that came together at my mom's house to make Morty's Christmas Carol, including my incredible cousin, who passed away in 2020. Or my mom and stepdad, gamely jumping in for some zombie video action. And then again, with another wonderful cousin, in a Mermaid Chair movie review with outtakes that will make your whole year. Or Bobby Conté Thornton, currently on Broadway, graciously agreeing to appear as an only slightly fictionalized version of himself. Or my AIDS LifeCycle Rest Stop 2 family. Or my writer friend Erik and his bizarre creation, Morty Against Humanity. (Still one of my absolute favorites.)

Or go back to the beginning and get a taste of what would turn out to be one of the best afternoons I've ever spent, filming the first Morty with two of my oldest friends in the world. I watch this video probably more often that I should, but it does bring me great joy. Man, I've been so derned LUCKY!

I hope Morty, or any of my creations, has brought you even a little bit of happiness over the past fifteen years. We could definitely use it, just as humans beings in general. I don't plan to stop making art any time soon, so check back in for further adventures!

Blue 2 (V)

In 2021 I made a short video giving you a little taste of the experience of surfing with the family. We're back! The groms are charging, my brother is solidly awesome, and my dad still gets out there, on his board and, here, on an inflatable raft that was giving out some serious Jaws vibes. We all made it through - click the pic below to join the adventure!

Zombie 4!!!! (V)

It's been TEN YEARS since the last Zombie film - what?! True! But the wait is finally over: Zombie 4!!!! is out on YouTube, featuring Bruce and his family, who are now fully-formed adult-type people! Watching 3 and 4 back to back is a trip, let me tell you.

I was trying to publish this for Halloween, but some computer setbacks prevented me (which I sailed through with my usual calm and poise). But I think Thanksgiving might be just as fitting. Filming this video with one of my best friends and her incredibly smart, talented, and FUNNY family (assisted, of course, by the inestimable V. Bell, adventurer at large) was truly one of the best days I've had in a very long time. I think it shows. Click the pic below to watch the finished product! YAY!

Morty: Life in Quarantine (V)

Morty's back! After a five year break, Sir Mortimer returns - just in time to Shelter in Place!

For those of you just meeting Sir Huddlesworth, some background: twenty years ago, I got to play Hamlet in a small production in New York state. One of the actors knew a producer of the Laurence Olivier film, and when I met said producer after the show, he said to me, "You remind me of a young Laurence Olivier...you have a WAYS to go..." It was such a perfect thing to say, in so many ways, and as I told the story to various geniuses, we began to riff on that quote until it spun out into this old, grumpy character, a veteran of the theater with a variety of grudges, and fantastic experiences that may or may not be real, but who cares?

My first Morty video was made twelve years ago, as part of an application for the SF Sketchfest that year. I heard nothing back from the 'fest, but that experience of filming over the course of a long afternoon with two of my oldest friends became one of my most treasured memories, and it made me want to make more. This is Morty's 20th video! Woot.

This video is not meant, in any way, to diminish the experience of those struggling under the weight of Covid-19. As a frontline healthcare worker (an Emergency Department RN), I know firsthand the damage this disease has caused, the suffering both physical and mental. It is, however, important to find relief in joy, in shared experience. If this video brings a smile, my work here is done, and done with great pride.

Blue (V)

A few months ago, my family and I took a surf trip for my brother's birthday. I experimented with filming some stuff, and then I made this video for my dad, whose birthday is today. This is a very special film for me, in that I get to celebrate an incredible tradition in our family, one that's being handed down to the next generation, and one that I've been exceptionally blessed to be a part of. Please click on the picture below to get a taste of all the blue you can handle. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Harry My One True Love (V)

My first video! Starring Autumn Fuentes, Mason Stone, David Tenenbaum, Virginia Bell, Hilary Mackenzie, and Maret Orliss, all household names these days, of course. This was shot on a loooooong day just after my senior year of high school! What? True story. Click the image below to enjoy a tale of love, loss, and betrayal. DRAMA!

My Stand Up Routine, 2005 (V)

You've all been like, "How do we get more facial movement out of this dude?" And I'm like, "Stand up comedy, bruh." Possibly the most terrifying thing I've done. Click the photo below to watch me skate the edge of a tonic-clonic while I babble about the weather, taxi cabs, French bulldogs, and my (possible) boner. This was my final performance for a class I took in New York City, hosted at New York Comedy Club for an audience of friends and family. I was so nervous I'm surprised I was even intelligible. Enjoy?

Study Break (V)

The reigning queen of the NPP returns, pregnant with her third, in the latest from the Non-Permanent Parliament. This one's dedicated to my nursing school crew - oh my CRAP, it's good to be done with school! Click the picture to watch, and don't forget to like, comment, and share!!

2 New Morty Videos - Whaaaaaaat? True.

My incredibly talented friend Erik Champney took over writing duties for "Morty Against Humanity," Sir Mortimer's TWENTIETH video!! This one is truly wild and wonderful and I love it - definitely one of the best Christmas *cough* presents ever. Thank you, Erik, you brilliant fuck! CLICK HERE to soak in the weird. And please CLICK HERE to read more about Erik and his illustrious playwriting career!

In other Morty news, Sir Huddlesworth was challenged to The Ice Bucket Challenge, and responded as only Morty can. Click the picture below to watch: