Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Follow, Follow...

Happy Holidays, dear friends! Hope they have been, and are continuing to be, safe and full of good food and company.

Thankfully, I'm hitting 2010 running--I auditioned for an original musical of "The Wizard of Oz" and landed the dual roles of the Wicked Witch of the West and the actual Wizard of Oz! You know this game, by now. Here are pictures of me as per mad MS Paint (TM) skills.






More fun stuffs to come. Happy New Year to you all!

Monday, December 14, 2009

No Longer Undead

:(

"13 Fat Girls" was ridiculously fun, and so many dear friends came out! Amazingly, we were all so excited and giddy that not a SOUL took a picture of themselves as zombies. What?! I even prepared and had my best friend bring her camera to take shots. *sigh*

That said, here is a depiction of me as a zombie, using MS Paint.



Thanks to those of you who came out! Blood was spilled, spleens were eaten, and a good time was had by all!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

What? You're Free Next Weekend? Excellent.



Yay You! Come on out next FRIDAY or SATURDAY at 10pm to The Producers Club, just a skip away from Times Square.

Um, it's $6. SIX. DOLLARS. For a riotously funny play that is written and performed by a ridiculously talented set of ladies (and 2 gentlemen).

And I'm covered in blood and eating organs.

Have I mentioned I get to be a zombie?

13 FAT GIRLS AND A DEAD CAT.
See you there. :D

Sunday, November 29, 2009

"Bambi" Romps through Budd Lake

Hi folks! I hope Thanksgiving treated everyone well, particularly to leftovers.

"Bambi" opened on Black Friday to a sold-out house filled with surprisingly quiet and attentive small children. I was surprised by several loved ones at Saturday's show, too--if you want tickets for yourself, go here: Pax Amicus Castle Theater

Enjoy pictures of me as a member of the deer species!




Separately, "13 Fat Girls and a Dead Cat" opens on December 11th, and I am psyyyyched! I am extremely delighted to report that the show is only $6--superb poor-actor-friendly prices, there. If you are on teh Facebooks (why aren't you?), here's the event site: 13 FAT GIRLS AND A DEAD CAT!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

What A RUSH!

Boy, how I love rush calls! Nothing does a better job of spiking my adrenaline than getting a call (sometimes still in jammies) from an agent or CD: "Are you free to get here as soon as humanly possible?!"

HECK YES I AM.

You may as well bottle the stuff that goes through my veins as I rocket through the house, getting wardrobe, doing my make-up and grabbing my keys.

Today, I recived a call from Barbizon, and I was immediately booked for a gig on Maury. Yes, with Maury Povich, who I've promised myself that I will marry. I'm not a volunteer guest--those don't necessarily hire actors--but rather to impersonate a previous guest, who apparently looks like me.

So now I'm at MoPo Studios, watching Ellen (et tu, Brute?).

Afterwards, hopping to the city for first zombie rehearsal!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

My Every Zombie Dream Has Come True

(Minus living the plot of 'Fido.')

This December, I am honored to work with my very favorite playwright, Lena Cigleris, who is making a brilliant career out of writing the darkest-of-the-dark black, horror comedies.

Two reasons I love this:
1. Her humor is amazing, and
2. She loves to write about serial killers/monsters/zombies/etc.

If you must know one thing about me, know this: I adore this genre. I live on Stephen King, John Carpenter and David Cronenberg.

So what's the play? It's called "13 Fat Girls and a Dead Cat," and in it I play Candy, the zombie mistress of a serial killer with a serious penchant for slaying big girls.

Curtain's up just in time for Hanukkah, running at 10pm on 12/11 and 12/12 at the Producer's Club. :)

Stay tuned, as always, for news and pictures! And after lighting the candles, come watch me gnaw on brains.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Random Gigs

One of my favorite parts of being an actor is doing the countless gigs that aren't necessarily acting...but aren't quite normal work, either. (This is how we survive when we're not doing a show, if we're lucky.) Thankfully, I've done boatloads of these, and I've got a packed week of them coming up!

What might these include, you may ask?

-Party princesses
-Promotional foot teams (Yup, those obnoxious folk with flyers who flag you down)
-Promo people who give you free juice or products
-Friendly people who lead fun events at grand openings
-Giant mascot-headed Blues, Mickeys and Spongebobs
-Singing telegrams (they still exist!)
-Standardized Patients in medical facilities
-Fun, energetic people to lead corporate teambuilding events or exercises
-Actors in corporate-held murder mysteries

...and countless more!

Last week I helped a team of suits make bridges out of chocolate. This week I'll be a patient, a leader in a corporate event scavenger hunt, and a leader in a corporate event to put bicycles together for charity.

I may have to expand my special skills section.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

New Videos/Songs Up!

In the past 24 hours, I have greatly expanded my comfort zone regarding internet media, and I am psyyyyched!

In order to get some good media up on these here intarwebz, I've uploaded some good files from my voice recorder and video vaults. They've gone through a little editing (my version of editing photos is using MS Paint, so I'm not a genie, here) and are now snug as bugs on this file-sharing site (4shared.com):

Click here to listen/watch for free!

Up there right now are:

-A rehearsal 'sneak-peek' recording from "Bambi," "In the Heart of the Forest"! (Music: Matthew Gandolfo/Stanley Barber; Vocals: Jen Ponton, Justin Reamy)
-A video of "Pirate Jenny" ("The Two Faces of Kurt Weill")
-A video of "It's Never Too Late to Mendelssohn" ("The Two Faces of Kurt Weill")

These will soon also be available on the work-in-progress, OFFICIAL JenPonton.com. However, I wasn't up tweaking these files 'til 2am for nothing. I'm a fan of immediacy. :)

Enjoy, have fun, and keep eyes peeled for more!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Mother?....MOTHER?!....

These are words you will NOT hear when I do "Bambi" this winter with Pax Amicus Castle Rep. My third children's show with them, the Barber/Gandolfo original musical does not include dying mother deer, forest fires or trigger-happy hunters. I was just cast, um, yesterday, as Mother Doe. We start rehearsals on Sunday!

In other fun news, I got a very sweet thank-you email from the artistic director of the "Hairspray" audition. He said he hopes to cast by the beginning of November. I'm crossing everything I've got!

To Be Continued!

Monday, October 19, 2009

"The Update"

I send out an update once every month or two just to touch base with family, friends and various arts buddies, letting them know about shows, auditions, etc. I just sent one out the other day, please see below. :) Also, if anyone would like to be added to the recipient list, please e-mail me: JenPonton@gmail.com Franks, and enjoy!

*********
Hey folks!

After over a month of performances, Kate Smith is closing today! It's been an absolutely wonderful run, reflected in ticket sales--we sold out of tickets by the end of the first week. :)

For those of you unable to attend, yes, I *did* sing "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain." For those of you who were able to make it out, THANK YOU! This has been such a fun show! :)

In other news...

While doing the show, I've been going on quite a number of auditions for theatre, film and TV. Recently, I had an audition and callback for the feature film "Blissestrasse," as well as a pilot for the Showtime network! I was also recently asked to do an infomercial. The next Billy Mays? :)

I've also auditioned for many reputable theatre companies: Two River Theatre Co. (Red Bank, NJ), Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre (West Orange, NJ), and--the most exciting of all!--I had a tremendous callback last week for "Hairspray" at the Derby Dinner Playhouse in Louisville, KY! We shall see...

Stay tuned for updates! 'Til then, be well!

Fondly,
Jen Ponton

--
Raves for JEN PONTON as Berdine in "Psycho Beach Party"!

"Berdine [is] portrayed with zest by the pig-tailed Jen Ponton. Her sincere readings of Sartre and Schopenhauer provide...comic relief." -Peter Filichia, The Star-Ledger

"Jen Ponton’s frantic, Chicklet-loving Berdine...[is] energetic and likeable."
-Bob Rendell, Talkin' Broadway

"Ms. Ponton is a hoot."
-Susan Myrill Dougherty, The Westfield Leader

www.JenPonton.com
http://www.auditionconnection.com/JenPonton
www.facebook.com/JenPonton
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Welcome to Blogsville!

Hey Folks!

Welcome to the new JenPonton.com! It'll soon be something even spiffier, but for the time being, it's my new bloggy-blog.

As of tomorrow, I close my 2-month run of "Mrs. Gould Welcomes Kate Smith," the biological musical in which I've been playing the legendary Kate! The show is with St. George Productions, a company which specializes in original shows chronicling the lives of celebrities of ages past.

Kate reveals rarely-heard secrets of her life, including the pain and heartache that came from her body image in the theater, as well as her family's initial disapproval of her career. Even through her trials, she glows and exudes the spirit and strength of a star!



I'll miss being Kate. Here's to a wonderful closing show!