SHOW IN NYC THIS WEDNESDAY!
Hey everybody!
I just got back from a month in L.A. filming the [redacted] movie. I did two live shows while I was there, and both of them had lackluster ticket sales.
There is definitely something “off" about 2025, so far. The world is a mess, the economy is tanking, and people are understandably cutting back on non-essentials. (Which sucks for me, because all of my projects are the very definition of “non-essential,” to everyone but me!)
I just read an interview with Steven Soderbergh, lamenting the disappointing box office of his recent film, Black Bag:
I’m weirdly comforted by the fact that even Soderbergh is struggling and scratching his head as to why people are not turning out for quality entertainment.
ANYWAY, THIS WEDNESDAY...
I've almost arrived at the one year anniversary of CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS, which made its debut in May of 2024. This Wednesday will be my 16th CRpTAC show (the first 13 can be viewed in their entirety on the CRpTAC YouTube channel), and I am hoping that there will be a decent turnout. The last two NYC UCB shows were so poorly attended that my cut of the box office split was $2.50 and $0.00.
I know there are a lot of people who have “heard good things" or enjoyed clips online of CRpTAC and fully intend to come out and see one of the shows, eventually, or to buy a livestream ticket. If you’re one of those people, I hope you will consider coming to this Wednesday's show rather than putting it off for some future month, down the road. I’m not sure how many more I’ll be allowed to do if I can no longer draw a crowd.
Livestream tickets also really help, even if the in-person turnout is light. If a dozen people here and there all buy livestream tickets, that can very quickly add up to a sustainable audience. (Or if someone out there is secretly wealthy and wants to buy hundreds of livestream tickets as a vote of approval for what I do, that would also be a welcome gesture.)
FYI: I’m co-hosting Chris Gethard's sold out 10pm show immediately after, so if you happen to already have a ticket to attend or livestream that show, why not make a full evening of it and watch CRpTAC first? I have a lot of experience being the warm-up entertainment preceding a Chris Gethard show, and I think it is gonna be a fun night!
MAY 10th in PHILLY...
Philadelphia! I’m coming to town on Saturday, May 10th, for a workshop and show at CSz Philly!
The improv workshop is from 2pm-5pm, with limited spots available. As always, my focus is going to be on helping people feel less nervous doing improv so that scenework can be more fun.
Then, CRpTAC will make its Philly premiere at 9pm. One of my goals for the next 2 years is to establish a bunch of spots that I can bring this show back to once or twice a year for the remainder of my professional life. The show is totally different every time I do it, and is always changing, and I’m excited to see what form the show takes in Philadelphia on May 10th.
OTHER STUFF I CANNOT TELL YOU ABOUT YET
As mentioned above, I just spent several weeks acting in a feature film in L.A.! I look forward to telling you all about it, eventually. It is significant supporting role in a movie that is not a Marvel or a Star Wars or a Batman.
I am also co-writing a comic book series with my friend (and Tiny Dinos collaborator) James III. I can't tell you what it is yet, but I also look forward to telling you all about it, eventually.
I can tell you about Étoile, the new TV series from Amy Sherman-Palladino & Dan Palladino! I am in the first episode for about a minute, a very fun role that I didn’t even have to audition for. I truly don’t know what they saw in my performance as “Chester” on The Marvelous Mrs Maisel that made them confident that I should play a childrens' dance instructor but I am very grateful that they cast me.
Ok, that's it from me for now! Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter!
connor!