A blank page can be so intimidating...
It has been a while hasn't it... lets see.
Laramie Project
Closed, after 4 glorious performances. The last night we performed, we got a standing ovation, and as we all left the stage during our curtain call, a picture of Matt goes up on the back wall. I looked back out over the audience from off stage - and everyone was still standing... just looking at Matt. I was SO proud of what we'd done with this play. I was SO proud to be part of the ensemble, it was EXACTLY the type of show I've wanted to do ever since seeing "Columbinus".
Susan stopped the directing class and said, "This production has - consistantly throughout - the best acting I have ever seen in my term here."
Let that be a lesson to all of you who missed it, because most of you did. It was GREAT, and you missed it.
Tigers Dragons and Other Wise Tales
During Laramie, I was also finnishing up props for the show at Discovery Theatre. The biggest thing was, I had to design, and build 4 dragon puppets. In one of the stories there's 4 dragons, Yellow, Black, Long, and Pearl. They scoop up water in their mouths and spray it over the people of china, ending a great drout. The jade emperor is angered by this and traps them each under a seperate mountian, and they turn themselves into the 4 rivers of china. I decided Yellow would be the sun dragon, Black would be the storm and lightning dragon, Pearl would be the pink / girl dragon with pigtails, and Long would be the Grampa dragon with Spectacles, and a beard. I also built spray bottles into them so the performers could run out into the audience during one of the dances, and spray all the kids. They turned out GREAT, though I was terrified it wouldn't work for a while.
Court
In the midst of this all, I realized I also had a court date comming up, and I wasn't prepaired for it. Just that old, driving with a suspended license thingy. I went to get more info, and found out I could go to jail for a couple of days. After the last ordeal I went through, I wanted to die.
I made a motion to have it postponed so I could finnish exams, and they said it was really unlikely, since I missed the last one. All the while I was rehearsing R & J and trying to get it to stand on it's own for my Directing Final. I told them if I got sent to Jail to do it anyway, because it was really important to me. I REALLY love the piece, and I desperately wanted it to go up, with or without me.
The Day of Cort, I called them, and they had pretty much lost my motion twice. So the secretary, or who ever I spoke to, took pity on me, and talked to the Judge. He granted me my postponement. On the motion it said, "No more!" underlined. So I CAN'T fuck this up again. Thank GOD for small mercies, that in the long run, are HUGE!
Shakespeare's R & J
And SO, I got to finnish up final touches on my scene,
and get costumes right,
and lights right,
every thing right. Fingers Crossed.
Opening night came, the lights went down, and everything went perfectly. It was beautiful!
Last tuesday, Susan Hoffman (the Theatre Department chair-Directing professor) took us all out to lunch to give us final notes and final grades on our scenes,. She went around the table and gave everyone criticism. Lastly, she came to me, and said, "Mike... Here's all the notes I have for you." She turned her pad over. ... It was blank. "I Really, just enjoyed your scene, VERY much."
I've heard from numerous people around the Department, that if Professor Hoffman doesn't give you any notes, it's a BIG compliment. Maybe I have a directing career ahead of me after all.
The Formal Dance Informal
So the Dance Informal ended up havng a huge audience, and I was REALLY scared. Especially about being in tights infront of them, which is pretty much the same as being naked, for me.
I had a bunch of people tell me I "made the cutest little ballerina". One girl told me she "kept wanting to pinch my little butt" the whole time.
So I guess it went ok.
Dangerous Liasons
Yes. I'm doing it starting in July. All male production. Opening a new space for Actors Theatre of Washington. I can't really think of a better way to catch Michael Khan's eye.
Don't miss it this time.
Giving Nervous Blood
I gave blood again, but today, it felt like the world was sort of out of joint. Everyone seemed grogy and slow. Everywhere. And in a place full of needles, thats kinda scary. When the guy who's going to stick you mumbles, and has trouble reading the questions off the off the form.
"Have you, in the past 12 months, had sex, even once, with a person from Africa." It's really a question.
Luckily he didn't get to stick me... though the guy who did - didn't ask me if I was alergic to Iodine, missed the vein twice, and didn't clean my arm when he was done. Not to be anal about details, but...
"Um... excuse me... Do me a favor and don't get an air bubble in my veins or anything like that, please. It'll kinda... kill me. Thanks."
I wonder if the person who get's my blood will freak out for a couple days afterwards for no reason.
Fucking Roomates... fuckingfucking roomates.
Well, recently I decided to make a couple batches of pinapple tequila, and StoliDoli's which consists of soaking pinapple in vodka for a couple weeks, and it in-turn makes lovely, smooth, NICE lickher. I brought a case of vodka and tequila into the house, and put it in my room. 'E' & 'J' came up and said, "Mike, can we have some of your vodka for tonight?" I hesitated for a sec, "Yeah, sure..." I poured them a BIG glass of it. "Is that enough?" "Yeah, that's more than enough." I put it back in my room. I went to leave, and stopped... turned back, marked the level on the bottle, put them all back in my cabinet. The next day the bottle was missing probably another 10 shots.
And I don't care about the VODKA. I REALLY don't care about the vodka. What bothers me is that 'E' searched my room, found it and took it - when he knew I was saving it. Does that mean everything in my room is potentially up for grabs? Is he going to take my money next time?
I talked to him tonight, and he apologized, and looked ashamed. He told me he wouldn't ever go into my room again, and that helps.
SO! NOT COOL! Anyway, on with my life.
Next week I'm off to NewYork again. I LOVE NEWYORK! My sister is graduating, and I get to see Baraka again. Yay me! What a lovely reward for my last couple weeks of going nuts.
Laramie Project
Closed, after 4 glorious performances. The last night we performed, we got a standing ovation, and as we all left the stage during our curtain call, a picture of Matt goes up on the back wall. I looked back out over the audience from off stage - and everyone was still standing... just looking at Matt. I was SO proud of what we'd done with this play. I was SO proud to be part of the ensemble, it was EXACTLY the type of show I've wanted to do ever since seeing "Columbinus".
Susan stopped the directing class and said, "This production has - consistantly throughout - the best acting I have ever seen in my term here."
Let that be a lesson to all of you who missed it, because most of you did. It was GREAT, and you missed it.
Tigers Dragons and Other Wise Tales
During Laramie, I was also finnishing up props for the show at Discovery Theatre. The biggest thing was, I had to design, and build 4 dragon puppets. In one of the stories there's 4 dragons, Yellow, Black, Long, and Pearl. They scoop up water in their mouths and spray it over the people of china, ending a great drout. The jade emperor is angered by this and traps them each under a seperate mountian, and they turn themselves into the 4 rivers of china. I decided Yellow would be the sun dragon, Black would be the storm and lightning dragon, Pearl would be the pink / girl dragon with pigtails, and Long would be the Grampa dragon with Spectacles, and a beard. I also built spray bottles into them so the performers could run out into the audience during one of the dances, and spray all the kids. They turned out GREAT, though I was terrified it wouldn't work for a while.
Court
In the midst of this all, I realized I also had a court date comming up, and I wasn't prepaired for it. Just that old, driving with a suspended license thingy. I went to get more info, and found out I could go to jail for a couple of days. After the last ordeal I went through, I wanted to die.
I made a motion to have it postponed so I could finnish exams, and they said it was really unlikely, since I missed the last one. All the while I was rehearsing R & J and trying to get it to stand on it's own for my Directing Final. I told them if I got sent to Jail to do it anyway, because it was really important to me. I REALLY love the piece, and I desperately wanted it to go up, with or without me.
The Day of Cort, I called them, and they had pretty much lost my motion twice. So the secretary, or who ever I spoke to, took pity on me, and talked to the Judge. He granted me my postponement. On the motion it said, "No more!" underlined. So I CAN'T fuck this up again. Thank GOD for small mercies, that in the long run, are HUGE!
Shakespeare's R & J
And SO, I got to finnish up final touches on my scene,
and get costumes right,
and lights right,
every thing right. Fingers Crossed.
Opening night came, the lights went down, and everything went perfectly. It was beautiful!
Last tuesday, Susan Hoffman (the Theatre Department chair-Directing professor) took us all out to lunch to give us final notes and final grades on our scenes,. She went around the table and gave everyone criticism. Lastly, she came to me, and said, "Mike... Here's all the notes I have for you." She turned her pad over. ... It was blank. "I Really, just enjoyed your scene, VERY much."
I've heard from numerous people around the Department, that if Professor Hoffman doesn't give you any notes, it's a BIG compliment. Maybe I have a directing career ahead of me after all.
The Formal Dance Informal
So the Dance Informal ended up havng a huge audience, and I was REALLY scared. Especially about being in tights infront of them, which is pretty much the same as being naked, for me.
I had a bunch of people tell me I "made the cutest little ballerina". One girl told me she "kept wanting to pinch my little butt" the whole time.
So I guess it went ok.
Dangerous Liasons
Yes. I'm doing it starting in July. All male production. Opening a new space for Actors Theatre of Washington. I can't really think of a better way to catch Michael Khan's eye.
Don't miss it this time.
Giving Nervous Blood
I gave blood again, but today, it felt like the world was sort of out of joint. Everyone seemed grogy and slow. Everywhere. And in a place full of needles, thats kinda scary. When the guy who's going to stick you mumbles, and has trouble reading the questions off the off the form.
"Have you, in the past 12 months, had sex, even once, with a person from Africa." It's really a question.
Luckily he didn't get to stick me... though the guy who did - didn't ask me if I was alergic to Iodine, missed the vein twice, and didn't clean my arm when he was done. Not to be anal about details, but...
"Um... excuse me... Do me a favor and don't get an air bubble in my veins or anything like that, please. It'll kinda... kill me. Thanks."
I wonder if the person who get's my blood will freak out for a couple days afterwards for no reason.
Fucking Roomates... fuckingfucking roomates.
Well, recently I decided to make a couple batches of pinapple tequila, and StoliDoli's which consists of soaking pinapple in vodka for a couple weeks, and it in-turn makes lovely, smooth, NICE lickher. I brought a case of vodka and tequila into the house, and put it in my room. 'E' & 'J' came up and said, "Mike, can we have some of your vodka for tonight?" I hesitated for a sec, "Yeah, sure..." I poured them a BIG glass of it. "Is that enough?" "Yeah, that's more than enough." I put it back in my room. I went to leave, and stopped... turned back, marked the level on the bottle, put them all back in my cabinet. The next day the bottle was missing probably another 10 shots.
And I don't care about the VODKA. I REALLY don't care about the vodka. What bothers me is that 'E' searched my room, found it and took it - when he knew I was saving it. Does that mean everything in my room is potentially up for grabs? Is he going to take my money next time?
I talked to him tonight, and he apologized, and looked ashamed. He told me he wouldn't ever go into my room again, and that helps.
SO! NOT COOL! Anyway, on with my life.
Next week I'm off to NewYork again. I LOVE NEWYORK! My sister is graduating, and I get to see Baraka again. Yay me! What a lovely reward for my last couple weeks of going nuts.