What the...?

Play Time

With much encouragement from my Profs at Metro, I have decided to write a play. They swear I am a great writer. They say that I have a wealth of experience to draw from and a real sense of wit and timing.

I realize that this it true on an intellectual level, but I feel so trapped by everything that goes on inside my crazy head. It’s almost like there is too much to say. I need to sort it out. So I have been writing down the major ups and downs of my life in the 3rd person, using an alias (right now her name is Crystal) as the central figure.

I’m not sure what I want to say in this play. I do know that I want to fuck with the audience as much as possible, pulling them in and pushing them away. I want to write about the Shen Te/Shui Ta that lives in all of us, but in a Sam Shepard sort of way. But even more repulsive and attractive at the same time. I want the audience to feel real fear. Like the characters are going to come down off the stage and kick their asses. Or perhaps give them a hug. Such is life isn’t it?

Wednesday

I keep dreaming about surfing. It's the worst part of not being in CA for me. Last night I dreamed about San Onofre. I had easily my best day ever out there on my 39th birthday. I wasn't great or anything, but the day was.

The definition of Empusa

“Empusa is the daughter of the goddess Hecate. She goes in for fleshly delights, especially as a culinary treat. Although always willing and able any night, men should avoid having sex with her, as she can't resist sucking a certain amount of blood. Every last drop, in fact. If you find her climbing through your bedroom window, the best thing to do is insult her. By the slightest insult, she flees. “

That doesn't sound familiar to me at all...

What?

Tuesday

Last night Mary and I went and performed staged readings at Metro State for the winners of the screenwriting contest. I'm finding more and more that I really like performing.

In the past I've always been pretty content to work behind the camera, backstage, or what-have-you. I'm feeling like I need more training in stagecraft but that eventually I could be at least craftsman like in this pursuit.

Mary is really good. I mean like scary good onstage. It's really her natural element. She's also had years of training. Perhaps more significantly the desire to do it.

So now I’m trying to find a new gig to fill my summer. I suppose I could audition for the Fringe Festival -but that doesn’t seem right for me?

It’ll come to me. It always does.

Monday

I'm having one of those days where the "creative art thing" just isn't flowing. I'll accept the fact that I'm not in CA any more. That my main source of relaxation and mediation i.e. surfing is no longer available to me. But it's gets depressing sometimes.

I'm not sure what it is exactly about the ocean that reenergizes me but it's there?

Maybe I should just accept the fact that working in a corporate environment, no matter how financially rewarding or seemingly creative, just doesn’t change the fact that I’m a shill.

Does that seem harsh or negative? I don’t mean to be. I’m just thinking about where I want to be as opposed to where I am. It’s all good.

I am missing the ocean a lot though.

FYI -I’ve heard from a few people that Mary’s "blue photo" confused a few people (or at least that’s how it was put to me -confused...). You really have to click the link to get the gist of her entry (no pun intended).

New Superman

A new Superman

Via David

Belle's Belated Birthday

Okay, Mary Belle turned 21 last Friday, which makes her legal in Blue States now as well. Mary and I were doing our show last week so I didn't get a blog entry in on her birthday. Sorry sweetie -Daddy is far too self involved and egotistical to give much of a damn about anyone but himself when he's onstage.

I happen to know for a fact that she had a good time despite my pathetic narcissism. Happy Belated Birthday!!
Love,
Dad

I Love My Vagina

Hats off to Carrie Rethlefsen and Emily Nixon! These two young women love their vaginas! And why shouldn’t they? They’re 18 years old for Christ’s sake. The relationship is still new and exciting.

I love my vagina as well, but in a more mature way. We’ve been together a long time, through thick and thin. We’ve had our share of ups and downs. So much pleasure. So much pain. No, I don’t feel the need to shout it from the rooftops, or wear a pin declaring my love. But sometimes, late at night, when we are alone, I still whisper sweet nothings to her…

Bloggerlicious

Well, after a vow of secrecy and some white smoke, I have decided to write in the blog again. It’s been years, I know. Maybe I just needed some ME time, alright? Or maybe I have been too disgusted and depressed with all the bullshit in the world, and I just didn’t want to add to it.

But lately I have been feeling the need to vent. Too much internal bullshit isn’t good for a girl.

So look for future ranting and ravings from yours truly. Right now though, I’m feeling a little too introverted to share…

...and, scene.

So our show closed Saturday night. We went out on high note. Great energy, great responsive audience, and a packed house.

Farce was such a departure from what I normally get to do. Very fun, but hard to do without an audience. We were just hitting our stride with where the audience laughs and bringing in the show very tight.

The matinee on the other hand was a unique experience for me. I completely blanked out in the middle of my second line. Nothing, nada, zip. Neuron didn't fire. Luckily my fellow actors covered for me. I didn't drop out of the scene or even looked confused. Once I had the cue for my next bit I was fine and the people I knew in the audience didn't even notice.

Apparently this happens to everybody at some point. It's never happened to me before. It happens in slow motion. It feels like forever. The thing is to keep going. Make something up if you have to, but don't drop out of the scene.

It becomes bad for the audience if the show is suddenly about, "oh, that poor actor." instead of about the narrative.

All in all the show was great fun. I learned a lot. I'll have pictures later in the week.

It's a Farce...

Dress rehearsal went well for Mary and I last night. A couple of hitches; I'm dressing one of the other actors in a last minute we-all-run-onto-the-stage bit of theater at the end. I realized as we lined up to go -that his costume was still in the dressing room. So that was a problem. We figured it out though. Mary realized she couldn't get her damn wig off very quickly so now I'm dressing for her as well. That's okay, it keeps me from falling asleep during the third act.

Mary's costume is beautiful (as is she). She looks like she was born to wear it.

This has been a unique experience for me. I came in late. Got up to speed very quickly and I'm now having a blast doing it. I've learned a lot from Michael Robertson during this show. He was, after all, the man that first really sparked my interest in theater way back in the 80's. Introduced me to Edward Albee as well.

The play opens April 13th, 2005 at 7:00 pm and runs through the 16th. The Whitney Fine Arts Theater 1424 Yale Place on Loring Park. There is a matinee on Saturday at 1:00 pm too.

Caramelized Onions

Mary, and a few other members in our cast have had a nasty viral infection the last few weeks. It's mostly a coughing, sore throat, going deaf in one ear kind of deal. The biggest problem being that her voice is shot. She sounds like Lucille Ball towards the end. Oddly enough one of the Metro State instructors said that a good homeopathic cure is caramelized onions. We tried that over the weekend and I'll be damned if it didn't work. Her voice isn't 100% as of this morning but it's a whole lot better than it was.

Buirge informs us that this is an old theater solution. Who knew?

Carolyn's Birthday

Carolyn (now known as Carrie) turned 12 years old today. We got her a karaoke machine and (and no I didn't get her CDG full of Neil Diamond as much as as I wanted to). She seemed very pleased. Although at 12 it's hard to call from my perspective.

Happy day Carrie!

More on acting

Well last night at rehearsal I didn't get any notes. The director says that means I'm doing well and he is pleased. Unfortunately Mary is really sick. It's kind of silly that the actors doing The Imaginary Invalid are all getting sick. All of them except the lead. The one who is supposedly sick? Such is farce I suppose.

It's always hard to come in late and replace another actor. I missed the read through, the initial blocking, all of it really. I got off book in a week (albeit my part is relatively small) so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Farce is just a whole new thing for me. My humor leans more towards the dry side. Although acting on the whole comes from a real place no matter what you are doing. As long as my intention is there -it plays.

I think it will be really interesting to see how the audience reacts. It's been my experience that just because the actors think something is funny it doesn’t always come across to an audience. Or the audience will think something is funny that we didn't see.

Redeem for valuable prizes

On Thursday I was nervous onstage. That's never happened to me before. Not really. Actually it did happen to me before -in 1988. The last time I performed a monologue in front of my Prof., that is incidentally the director of this play.

Mary said it was a very weird thing to see me floundering and rushing lines. Okay it was the only the third time I'd rehearsed with the other actors. I also didn't have a clue as to my blocking and cues. I'd never experienced stage fright before. It was a unique experience.

Mary passed on this sage bit of wisdom. Don't swim in my shit. Use an opportunity like this to redeem myself next time. Good advice. We ran it, blocked it, and she slapped me with the minutia of it for several hours last night. We'll see if it helped today.

That’s the thing about acting. It’s a lot harder than it looks. Especially stage acting. It’s a completely different animal than voice over or camera work.

There’s so much to remember, so much depends on you and the other actors -on everybody working in tandem. It’s living art when it’s performed well and annoying graffiti when it’s not.

The key to it is a lot like any other kind of art. you have to make it look effortless. Whether it is or not .