I've been silent quite a bit. Part of that is from working hard on the apprentice project. We've got our own blog, so I'll point you to that. I'm playing the role of Death, but I'm also in charge of marketing it. This means scheduling media appearances, sending out press releases, I designed the poster, I post the event on various websites. It's a lot of work.
http://ctcapprenticeproject.wordpress.com/
So if you'd like to hear more about that project, I suggest you pay a visit. You'll get some perspectives from the other members of the team. I think it's been pretty successful. Now I just hope people come to the show.
Last weekend I saw Macbeth at the Guthrie and then Eurydice at Prospero Theatre Company. It's a brand-new theatre that has been started by friends from college. They are a great crew of people and put on a lovely show with literally nothing. Last Saturday, I saw theatre that had some of the highest production values (like a $800 wig for Lady MacBeth) to none. Each had stunning moments.
I had a friend who was an essential in MacBeth (it's the Guthrie's way of saying "extra"). He showed me around backstage. It's mind-boggling. There are tunnels and hallways and rooms all over the place. It's hard to keep track of it all. That building is gigantic.
Today, I've got a much-needed day off. It's my first true one that has no obligations. I've caught up on Lost. I'm sipping on coffee. I'll probably do some reading today. We're off book next week for the show, so that means I'll need to dive in and get some monologues under my belt both today and tomorrow. This will require more work than I'm willing to admit. I don't have a method save for wandering around the house and speaking the text. It's archaic language. I'll probably write them out. We'll see what happens.
We did a run yesterday. There were some great moments and some shoddier ones. But I think we're on an excellent track. We open in three weeks.
And February is nearly over. It was almost a month ago that I was in Chicago. I've not really heard anything from schools, so it feels like a bust at the moment. I'll keep my eyes peeled in the next week, but I'm not holding my breath. And...well...I've got a commitment this year. So....I won't say anymore.
Instead, I think I'll start tackling some lines. I've got work to do NOW. I've got three shows lined up for this year--each role is vastly different than the other. I'm a working actor right now. I can't complain, ya know?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Getting a grip on Death
My brother wants me to update this. So I'm going to.
I've been busy lately (surprise, surprise). Actually, Tuesday was one of the first days where I felt like I was back in college, having way too much on my plate. I also felt the ground shake a bit (in a figurative sense). There have just been little hints that I'm poor poor poor with minute details that have pretty major consequences when you forget about them.
Exhibit A: I wait tables on occasion. I worked at a new restaurant last weekend. We can't process credit cards electronically at the moment. So I manually write them down. In my efforts to be on top of things, I failed to write down the last four digits of a patron's credit card (a ticket that was over 90 dollars). I'm not quite sure what's going to happen.
I'm out of that funk right now.
The office was ZANY today. I've got loads of projects to do. Marketing work is exhausting and ranges from very simple phone calls to more elaborate projects that require brainstorming, planning, executing, delegation, follow up. It's a zoo.
Not to mention, I've got long evening rehearsal blocks for one of the most challenging shows I've ever been a part of. This show has only three characters. We're done with blocking and now we're about to embark on heavy working sessions.
I'm a little anxious. I think it's going to be intense. At the end of rehearsal today, the director told me: "be prepared to smile a lot tomorrow. You're probably going to hear that more than you even want to." This is a perplexing note to me. For one, I've received a note like that for a lot of shows I've been in. I get all freaked out. It's weird. I won't dive into all of it. But this is an odd note that makes me more self-conscious than it should.
And now, this pertains to Death. I think about this character, smile, and feel...strange. Like the Joker or something. There's something menacing and intriguing about it all. A lingering unease pops up here and there.
It's a trip to play Death, ya know?
I've surprised myself at some of the ideas I've had about "scenes" and moments. Much more work has to be done (including memorization), but I think we've made some excellent progress in the past week. We did a slop-thru today, just to focus on blocking. It's pretty demanding. I imagine it will only become more epic
I've been busy lately (surprise, surprise). Actually, Tuesday was one of the first days where I felt like I was back in college, having way too much on my plate. I also felt the ground shake a bit (in a figurative sense). There have just been little hints that I'm poor poor poor with minute details that have pretty major consequences when you forget about them.
Exhibit A: I wait tables on occasion. I worked at a new restaurant last weekend. We can't process credit cards electronically at the moment. So I manually write them down. In my efforts to be on top of things, I failed to write down the last four digits of a patron's credit card (a ticket that was over 90 dollars). I'm not quite sure what's going to happen.
I'm out of that funk right now.
The office was ZANY today. I've got loads of projects to do. Marketing work is exhausting and ranges from very simple phone calls to more elaborate projects that require brainstorming, planning, executing, delegation, follow up. It's a zoo.
Not to mention, I've got long evening rehearsal blocks for one of the most challenging shows I've ever been a part of. This show has only three characters. We're done with blocking and now we're about to embark on heavy working sessions.
I'm a little anxious. I think it's going to be intense. At the end of rehearsal today, the director told me: "be prepared to smile a lot tomorrow. You're probably going to hear that more than you even want to." This is a perplexing note to me. For one, I've received a note like that for a lot of shows I've been in. I get all freaked out. It's weird. I won't dive into all of it. But this is an odd note that makes me more self-conscious than it should.
And now, this pertains to Death. I think about this character, smile, and feel...strange. Like the Joker or something. There's something menacing and intriguing about it all. A lingering unease pops up here and there.
It's a trip to play Death, ya know?
I've surprised myself at some of the ideas I've had about "scenes" and moments. Much more work has to be done (including memorization), but I think we've made some excellent progress in the past week. We did a slop-thru today, just to focus on blocking. It's pretty demanding. I imagine it will only become more epic
Friday, February 5, 2010
Debrief from Chicago
I'm back from Chicago.
I haven't unpacked yet.
I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow.
This trip was exhausting. I seriously underestimated the mental and physical drain it took. Perhaps that's my own fault; it's hard to tell.
I'm certainly glad I attended the U/RTA auditions. I made it to the final round, had a few private interviews/auditions. The final round didn't go so hot. So that was frustrating (I don't think it was terrible, but I know I've done better--I did like four times the previous day).
The day before final rounds, however, was a success. I met with some schools and the sessions with directors were fascinating. It was fun to explore acting and such with complete strangers. That was awesome. I felt like I was making breakthroughs. I didn't have time to think or sift through information, which is funny since deliberation is a strength of mine (according to STRENGTHSFINDER 2.0--dunno if it's the most helpful acting strength to have, but I'm aware of it at least).
I'll do some follow up next week and wait. Honestly, I'm not expecting much, and that's fine. I've got more to learn. I think I'm a good actor and I've got enough to go off from this weekend to affirm that. If I go back to these auditions (which many people do), I know exactly what to expect.
There's more to ponder about the rounds, the schools, and my acting from this point on. It's kind of daunting and mostly exciting.
I haven't unpacked yet.
I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow.
This trip was exhausting. I seriously underestimated the mental and physical drain it took. Perhaps that's my own fault; it's hard to tell.
I'm certainly glad I attended the U/RTA auditions. I made it to the final round, had a few private interviews/auditions. The final round didn't go so hot. So that was frustrating (I don't think it was terrible, but I know I've done better--I did like four times the previous day).
The day before final rounds, however, was a success. I met with some schools and the sessions with directors were fascinating. It was fun to explore acting and such with complete strangers. That was awesome. I felt like I was making breakthroughs. I didn't have time to think or sift through information, which is funny since deliberation is a strength of mine (according to STRENGTHSFINDER 2.0--dunno if it's the most helpful acting strength to have, but I'm aware of it at least).
I'll do some follow up next week and wait. Honestly, I'm not expecting much, and that's fine. I've got more to learn. I think I'm a good actor and I've got enough to go off from this weekend to affirm that. If I go back to these auditions (which many people do), I know exactly what to expect.
There's more to ponder about the rounds, the schools, and my acting from this point on. It's kind of daunting and mostly exciting.
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