The Reading Dilemma

I’m a reader. I wouldn’t stick “voracious” or “rabid” to that title, but I enjoy reading and do a fair amount of it. I peruse quite a few book blogs and follow some great lit folks on Twitter. Their recommendations send me to authors and titles I would never known otherwise. This is all great, great, great, great!

I have aspirations of attending a Books and Bars gathering sometime. Heck, I’d like to host my own Books & Bars type club one of these days (that’s a hobby/pipedream of mine). I dream of being really down with the kids on current literature by hip authors who write excellent stuff and then discussing it with folks in Rochester or somewhere. I don’t know (oooh, Sioux Falls would be due for one)

But now that I’m working on the grad school thing (which is happening, in case you missed the announcement), I have a dilemma that’s facing me in an immediate way:

WHAT DO I BRING TO READ FOR THE IBSEN TOUR?

I’m about to embark on a two-week tour through Minnesota (performing Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People), and a large concern of mine is what books I’m going to bring (and read, that’s the idea).

I have a “Monster Reading List” for grad school (you must know that is what the document is actually titled; I’m not giving it some pithy blogging name). I’ve started work on it. I’ve been racing through some Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, and Ibsen (haha) plays this past weekend. Okay, I’ve read one of each so far, but there’s a lot more.

Here's a small, tiny, tiny taste of the stuff that I'm working on for THE MONSTER READING LIST

So I’ve got homework. I’m accountable for 67 titles before orientation begins on August 15. This gives me less than five months to dive in. I think I’m on track with 3 books a week? I've read some of the titles before and feel comfortable talking about them, if there's time I'll re-read those. 

I’m not sure if this is entirely possible. Well, yes, it’s possible. But I haven’t done this kind of thing in a long time.

Let it be known I’m NOT complaining here. I’m just trying to get a greater sense of the reality of the situation.

And the reality of this “what do I bring to read” although it sounds petty, is one that grad school actually starts NOW. In turn, this may mean that I may have to eschew all semblance of a life NOW. This means reading for fun is done (among other things).

Must I come to terms with this now? Wasn’t there some kind of period of “LET’S LIVE IT UP!” that happens before I move to Texas?

Can I risk reading a hyped mystery like In the Woods whilst on tour (while simultaneously risking “you could be reading that O’Neill play, it’s another check off your reading list…”).

Mind you, I’ve been enjoying the grad school reading so far (and I’ve a good handful of them already and enjoyed them too), and I think I’ll continue to enjoy the reading. I’ve been obsessing over grad school for a couple years. Whelp…here it is.

Must I say "goodbye until 2013" to these guys?

I think I’ll end up bringing mostly grad school reading with one or two other titles. It all depends on how much I room I have in my suitcase and backpack (and time--keep in mind, I also have actual work for the theatre to do…so I may be overestimating the amount of time I truly have).

The Odyssey's just begun

I'm working on an official website. I screwed up with my domain, and I don't have the energy to deal with it/fix it right now. In any case, I've opened The Odyssey.

You can read a preview/feature about adapting the hundreds of pages of the epic poem in to a 2-hour production here.

Here's a photo of the Cyclops that I help maneuver. I'm in the right of the picture, holding the left arm and keeping Odysseus at bay. This was a photo from one of our dress rehearsals. The Cyclops' eye doesn't just have a big X in the middle of it. It actually looks like an eye now. But I think it gives a good indication.

People really seem to enjoy the show.

We're doing an 8-show week starting Tuesday:

Tuesday - Student Matinee
Wednesday - Student Matinee
Thursday - Student Matinee, Evening Show
Friday - Student Matinee, Evening Show
Saturday - Evening Show
Sunday - Matinee

I'm getting a bit tired just thinking about that. But that's how the biz goes and I'm just fortunate that the cast is a blast to work with (and hang out with afterwards).

I'm not sure about reviews. I don't think any have been published. I haven't really had a stakes in a big-time press review before, and this could be the first chance that I would (IF they mention the ensemble work in the show, which is likely because this show is all about ensemble and collaboration).

In other news, I'm starting to really get things together for grad school auditions. There's not a whole bunch left for me to work on other than reviewing my pieces and printing off my resume, getting copies of my transcripts, etc.

I also have a TON of office work to do. I'm telecommuting the whole time while I'm up in St. Paul. This means that I'm essentially working from home via the Web, and it's proved to be a daunting task. I find I'm able to get more work done in coffee shops, but that can be expensive (all those little dollars sure do add up).

Even though things are on the stressful side, I'm more than content with the projects and company I've got, and that's a wonderful thing.

Monologues, Monologues

I just read MOONCHILDREN by Michael Weller. It's all about college students in the mid-60s. There's a possible monologue in there that would involve three characters in the room. Well, it starts with just two (Bob and Kathy) and then another enters early on, which totally switches the initial situation.

I think it's extremely active and has a lot of tonal colors to it (it's kind of funny and tragic). The stakes are extremely high, and it has a clear beginning, middle, and end. I would just have to place each character in very specific places on stage and keep them there (although Kathy does exit at the very end. I suppose I'd have to follow her exit with my eyes and head a bit...it depends if I want to add the "punchline" at the end).

By now I should just write it out for you guys.

Has anyone done a monologue where the actor is responding to two other characters?

The more I think about this, the more I like it as a possibility for grad school audition. I think I'll put it near the top of my list. I've acquired a nice working list of possibilities so far. Up to this point they've almost all been contemporary plays. I have to start thinking strategically about pairing them with Shakespeare (THAT reading is behind schedule, but I don't feel "guilty" about it by any means. I have started reading Titus Andronicus).

---------------------------

I think another good step is to order a bunch of headshots NOW. There is absolutely NO use in waiting until the last minute. I CAN control a lot of anxiety over these little details if I nip them in the bud now.

My resume is essentially up-to-date. I am waiting to hear a couple casting details for next year's season.

--------------------------

Other than that, I'll probably need to start getting some monologues on their feet and test them out with colleagues (which does involve a lot of work and is much easier said than done, I realize).