Am I feeling good! I just finished dinner after a four-mile walk to and from Meijer. It felt really nice to get out and be active. I am also excited about Drag being done. I dropped off part of the play to SaDonna (they didn't get the whole thing, for some reason.)I read it over again myself and I think it is pretty good! I told SaDonna I want Jeff C. to direct it because he does important plays and this is an important play. I was struck by the huge changes I had made between the Michigan draft and the script we have now. I think OyamO would be really happy with this version.
Okay, so what does all of this mean? When I was at Michigan, I wrote a little play about a young man who plays women's roles in an Elizabethan theater company and his sister who runs away to join him. The play's issues include questioning gender identity, sexuality,and the role of religion in artistic expression. It was a fun script to write and I took a play writing class to workshop it and present it. The class was made up of seven playwrights, seven directors, and a bunch of actors. Two professors ran the class, one supervising the direction and one supervising the writing who was a playwright himself. That person was OyamO (Charles Gordon.) He is amazing. He took me under his wing and we spent many hours talking about the play. I actually ended up playing Satan in a play he wrote, but that's another story.
So, the play. I revised it as we went along and made the mistake of being influenced by one of the actors' negative feelings. He was homophobic and was having trouble playing a gay character. I changed the ending to suit him, and that was a mistake. The play still won the Dennis McIntyre prize, a Hopwood award. I won $500! but that's beside the point. The point is, I came out of the class with a finished product that, while problematic, represented something I could be proud of.
Flash forward to a few years ago. I revisited the play and wrote yet another new ending, one I was more than happy with--it might be accurate to say I was delighted by it. I changed the name from "Drag" to "Drag: A Comedy of Attire." I let it sit.
Again, forward to recently. Riverwalk put out a call for original scripts to be performed as a series of staged readings in the Black Box. I submitted three plays: Drag, We Need a Fourth, and Bacchanal. The committee selected Drag! I was surprised and pleased. I met Eileen O'Leary, the committee chair, and she actually hugged me on meeting me. :)
She then asked me who I wanted to direct. I knew right away. Jeff Croff has always done groundbreaking work and I thought he would be perfect. I asked him and he said yes. The reading will take place November 7.
So that's it in a nutshell. We still have to meet to discuss the play and of course we need time to work with the actors. He wants to do it very simply and I'm all for that. The emphasis is on the written word, not on production values. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lansing theater community will have to say about this work.
One problem: Shot's production week starts the week of the 7th. I would not be able to be there for that Sunday rehearsal. And if I get in the show, I won't be able to come to any rehearsals Jeff may want to have. Unless he wants to do a Saturday rehearsal or something. We could just do that, I guess. We'll see.Of course, all of this depends on whether or not I get into Shot.
Now, Taming of the Shrew. I'm not doing it. It conflicts with going home for Labor Day--I didn't realize LD was coming up. I'm going to see a Tigers game on the 9th so I will just stay in Kzoo for that. It's okay, really--it would have been a lot of stress right before auditions for something I really want to do. Talked to Mike and he says they're having trouble with copyright issues. They aren't able to combine the two scripts like they wanted to. They may have to do the stage play as is. Mike doesn't want the action confined to one space as it is in the play. That's the difference between plays and films, though--films can do more location-wise.
So that's what's going on with me. Mom is coming for lunch tomorrow and I'm taking her to Altu's. She hasn't been there before. I will spend the rest of the evening cleaning and puttering around FB. So for now I'll say--
Hanging up now...
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thinking (way) ahead....
You're just a lazy good-for-nothing lump of blah
You look like something someone left out in the rain
You're so mean and ugly you should be against the law
You're a monster, you're just a pain!
Hairy, scary, floppy, sloppy
You're an awful shock
That old face of yours could stop a clock
Any sort of clock!
I wouldn't kiss that ugly mug of yours
No one would, if she could!
You make me--yecccchhh!--
Sick, sick sick sick sick!!
Agghh!
This is an awesome song from Jack and the Beanstalk. I had been going back and forth about auditioning for Hairspray when I started thinking about this song. I decided it was the perfect audition song for Mrs. Von Tussle. No one will know it, it is in the right range for the role, the sentiment is right, and it's funny. At least I think it's funny. I am now excited about auditioning, even though auditions are five months away.
The pinkeye is a little better. There were no crusties when I woke up this morning, but there were some when I got up 45 minutes later. My eyes don't burn or ooze or anything.I wore my glasses to work out. I hadn't lost or gained any weight or fat %. I think that's pretty good considering the Chicago-style sausage patty pizza and no strenuous workouts since Interval last week.
Remya and I had a good lesson today. We are playing catch-up and never seem to have enough time to cover everything. I made the mistake of asking her if she needed help on understanding her driver's ed manual and we went 15 minutes over. I won't do that again; I'm not going to charge for the extra time but I don't want to be giving out freebies either. My time is valuable.
I may be doing some Shakespeare. Mike wrote on my wall and told me Bach Dor Shakespeare still needs a Bianca and Biondello (a) for Taming of the Shrew. It goes up soon but I could see myself doing it. It would be fun. Biondella (Biondello in the script) is actually quite a big role, bigger than Bianca. I would like to take on something smaller. That's why I wrote back and told him I would do Bianca.
And then there's Shot in the Dark auditions. I still need to watch the movie. I wonder how they will adapt the script. They are branching out into doing some interesting things, such as Misery and Shot. I am hoping to get the third draft of Checking Out done in the next month or so. And then it goes off to the committee! I'm excited at the prospect of getting so much exposure. First Uncommon Good, then Sleeping Beauty, then possibly Taming of the Shrew, and then auditions for Shot, followed by the Drag staged reading. And then Checking Out potentially getting done.
Okay, I'm just staring at this post with nothing more to say. So I guess there's one more thing to say...
Hanging up now...
You look like something someone left out in the rain
You're so mean and ugly you should be against the law
You're a monster, you're just a pain!
Hairy, scary, floppy, sloppy
You're an awful shock
That old face of yours could stop a clock
Any sort of clock!
I wouldn't kiss that ugly mug of yours
No one would, if she could!
You make me--yecccchhh!--
Sick, sick sick sick sick!!
Agghh!
This is an awesome song from Jack and the Beanstalk. I had been going back and forth about auditioning for Hairspray when I started thinking about this song. I decided it was the perfect audition song for Mrs. Von Tussle. No one will know it, it is in the right range for the role, the sentiment is right, and it's funny. At least I think it's funny. I am now excited about auditioning, even though auditions are five months away.
The pinkeye is a little better. There were no crusties when I woke up this morning, but there were some when I got up 45 minutes later. My eyes don't burn or ooze or anything.I wore my glasses to work out. I hadn't lost or gained any weight or fat %. I think that's pretty good considering the Chicago-style sausage patty pizza and no strenuous workouts since Interval last week.
Remya and I had a good lesson today. We are playing catch-up and never seem to have enough time to cover everything. I made the mistake of asking her if she needed help on understanding her driver's ed manual and we went 15 minutes over. I won't do that again; I'm not going to charge for the extra time but I don't want to be giving out freebies either. My time is valuable.
I may be doing some Shakespeare. Mike wrote on my wall and told me Bach Dor Shakespeare still needs a Bianca and Biondello (a) for Taming of the Shrew. It goes up soon but I could see myself doing it. It would be fun. Biondella (Biondello in the script) is actually quite a big role, bigger than Bianca. I would like to take on something smaller. That's why I wrote back and told him I would do Bianca.
And then there's Shot in the Dark auditions. I still need to watch the movie. I wonder how they will adapt the script. They are branching out into doing some interesting things, such as Misery and Shot. I am hoping to get the third draft of Checking Out done in the next month or so. And then it goes off to the committee! I'm excited at the prospect of getting so much exposure. First Uncommon Good, then Sleeping Beauty, then possibly Taming of the Shrew, and then auditions for Shot, followed by the Drag staged reading. And then Checking Out potentially getting done.
Okay, I'm just staring at this post with nothing more to say. So I guess there's one more thing to say...
Hanging up now...
Monday, August 23, 2010
Blue eyes, pink eyes
Lots to cover. I'll start from today and work back. I have pinkeye! I woke up with a lot of crusty stuff on my eyes and they were uncomfortable and red. I went to Okemos' urgent care facility and they gave me a prescription for drops. They said I was contagious only if I touched people. They also said I would not be contagious any more after my eyes stopped being red.
I noticed it in Kalamazoo on one of our bus stops. I ended up taking the bus to Chicago because it was 1/2 as much as the train. The ride was okay, except for a few weirdos and some loud kids. It was mainly nice to have time to read and relax instead of concentrating on the road.
It was great to see Kevin! I got in Friday and we went straight to the concert. He and his friend had both brought yummy things to eat. The concert was lovely, but it didn't really feature Yo-Yo Ma enough. He was really only highlighted in one piece. He played with a group called Silk Road that played a lot of different interesting instruments, including a bagpipe-like instrument and one that produced music like a pipe organ.
Saturday was wonderful. We got to Bristol at about 11. There was so much to see and do! We didn't even try to see everything. We took in about five shows and listened to several musicians along the way. I got a rather interesting and hopeful reading. The woman said I would be dealing with some chaos in the next few months but it would all turn out all right. She also said there was romance coming and saw that she could see me being self-employed. I told her about the tutoring and she said that would go well for me, but there might also be a more traditional job that would require a move. Most interesting: She saw someone with brown hair and blue eyes that would be a drain on me. She told me to stay away from this person.
Saturday night we continued our fun. After we got back to his place, showered, and changed, we went to pick up a real Chicago-style pizza! Not only was it a wonderful deep-dish pizza, it also had a sausage "patty" that covered the entire pizza. Two pieces were plenty for me.
And one of the most fun things: Kevin had found a movie we watched in our childhood that I had thought lost. It has stood the test of time! It's a musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk that has a neat twist and was the first anime I'd ever seen. We ate our pizza and loved every minute of it.
So now I'm back to the pinkeye. Hopefully it will go away in the next day or so. I'm working with both Stephanie and Remya tomorrow, and I will have to stay away from them. I have to wear my glasses to work out--my eyes don't feel ready for contacts.
Wonder who that blue-eyed person is?
Hanging up now...
I noticed it in Kalamazoo on one of our bus stops. I ended up taking the bus to Chicago because it was 1/2 as much as the train. The ride was okay, except for a few weirdos and some loud kids. It was mainly nice to have time to read and relax instead of concentrating on the road.
It was great to see Kevin! I got in Friday and we went straight to the concert. He and his friend had both brought yummy things to eat. The concert was lovely, but it didn't really feature Yo-Yo Ma enough. He was really only highlighted in one piece. He played with a group called Silk Road that played a lot of different interesting instruments, including a bagpipe-like instrument and one that produced music like a pipe organ.
Saturday was wonderful. We got to Bristol at about 11. There was so much to see and do! We didn't even try to see everything. We took in about five shows and listened to several musicians along the way. I got a rather interesting and hopeful reading. The woman said I would be dealing with some chaos in the next few months but it would all turn out all right. She also said there was romance coming and saw that she could see me being self-employed. I told her about the tutoring and she said that would go well for me, but there might also be a more traditional job that would require a move. Most interesting: She saw someone with brown hair and blue eyes that would be a drain on me. She told me to stay away from this person.
Saturday night we continued our fun. After we got back to his place, showered, and changed, we went to pick up a real Chicago-style pizza! Not only was it a wonderful deep-dish pizza, it also had a sausage "patty" that covered the entire pizza. Two pieces were plenty for me.
And one of the most fun things: Kevin had found a movie we watched in our childhood that I had thought lost. It has stood the test of time! It's a musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk that has a neat twist and was the first anime I'd ever seen. We ate our pizza and loved every minute of it.
So now I'm back to the pinkeye. Hopefully it will go away in the next day or so. I'm working with both Stephanie and Remya tomorrow, and I will have to stay away from them. I have to wear my glasses to work out--my eyes don't feel ready for contacts.
Wonder who that blue-eyed person is?
Hanging up now...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Good day, new obsession
Woke up at 9:30 today but I went back to bed and slept til almost 1. I don't think I need any extra sleep tonight. I have been feeling good all day. No aches, hardly any sore throat, no congestion.
I have been thinking about Inception a lot, specifically Cillian Murphy. He plays Robert Fisher Jr., the man Seito (Ken Watanabe) wants to abandon his empire. He (Murphy) is SO hot! I thought he was hot in Batman Begins, but the main attraction there was Christian Bale, of course. Murphy was also in Breakfast on Pluto, which was another great movie. I've looked him up on ImDB and found out a few things. He was born in Ireland in 1976, speaks French and Gaelic (his father's Irish and his mother's French--great combination!), is married to Yvonne McGuiness (how much more Irish can you get?) and is just beautiful. Smart, too. He is my new obsession. I'd like to see more of his movies. He plays a terrorist in Red Eye, so I'll probably start with that.
Tomorrow I am working with Remya at 4:30. I plan to work out before then, probably lifting weights at the gym. At 7 I'm seeing a play at the Creole that is part of the Renegade theater festival in Old Town. I wanted to go to see the Lansing Derby Vixens but that will have to be another night. I can't be everywhere at once!
Hanging up now...
I have been thinking about Inception a lot, specifically Cillian Murphy. He plays Robert Fisher Jr., the man Seito (Ken Watanabe) wants to abandon his empire. He (Murphy) is SO hot! I thought he was hot in Batman Begins, but the main attraction there was Christian Bale, of course. Murphy was also in Breakfast on Pluto, which was another great movie. I've looked him up on ImDB and found out a few things. He was born in Ireland in 1976, speaks French and Gaelic (his father's Irish and his mother's French--great combination!), is married to Yvonne McGuiness (how much more Irish can you get?) and is just beautiful. Smart, too. He is my new obsession. I'd like to see more of his movies. He plays a terrorist in Red Eye, so I'll probably start with that.
Tomorrow I am working with Remya at 4:30. I plan to work out before then, probably lifting weights at the gym. At 7 I'm seeing a play at the Creole that is part of the Renegade theater festival in Old Town. I wanted to go to see the Lansing Derby Vixens but that will have to be another night. I can't be everywhere at once!
Hanging up now...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Continuing saga of the ick
Last night was the climax of my illness. I got very achy last night before bed with accompanying chills. I usually turn the air on at night but I didn't because I was so cold. Then I got in bed and was burning up, but I didn't feel like turning on the air because I had been so cold. I alternated between chills and extreme heat all night, dreaming about holding a huge block of ice to my face. My fever broke sometime early this morning, and I slept well until 10:30.
I was supposed to work out with Stephanie but I texted her and said I needed some more R & R. I slept until 2, got up and showered, ate something, and decided not to work with Remya today. We put our heads together very close as we look at the grammar book and I didn't want to expose her to anything. We are working together Thursday.
I feel a lot better now, just kind of out of it...probably because I slept so much today. I made my own dinner and took a walk afterwards, both of which were good for me. I cleaned a little and played on FB for a while, and I'm going to head to bed after I finish this.
I need to be better by the time I go to Chicago. I am still taking aspirin, drinking lots of tea and running my humidifier, and getting LOTS of sleep. I slept about 14 hours counting last night and today. I imagine I didn't sleep that whole time last night, seeing as the fever kept waking me up. I felt so much better after it broke!
It's hard at times like these to have no one to take care of me. I'm not complaining; it's more an issue of safety. Who would know if I had a problem? I suppose I would call an ambulance if need be. But what if I wasn't able to do that?
Well, I think the worst is over. I'm going to head to bed and take it easy tomorrow. I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can make my own hours and not conform to a set schedule. So I'm looking forward to a night of restful sleep on my clean sheets.
Hanging up now...
I was supposed to work out with Stephanie but I texted her and said I needed some more R & R. I slept until 2, got up and showered, ate something, and decided not to work with Remya today. We put our heads together very close as we look at the grammar book and I didn't want to expose her to anything. We are working together Thursday.
I feel a lot better now, just kind of out of it...probably because I slept so much today. I made my own dinner and took a walk afterwards, both of which were good for me. I cleaned a little and played on FB for a while, and I'm going to head to bed after I finish this.
I need to be better by the time I go to Chicago. I am still taking aspirin, drinking lots of tea and running my humidifier, and getting LOTS of sleep. I slept about 14 hours counting last night and today. I imagine I didn't sleep that whole time last night, seeing as the fever kept waking me up. I felt so much better after it broke!
It's hard at times like these to have no one to take care of me. I'm not complaining; it's more an issue of safety. Who would know if I had a problem? I suppose I would call an ambulance if need be. But what if I wasn't able to do that?
Well, I think the worst is over. I'm going to head to bed and take it easy tomorrow. I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can make my own hours and not conform to a set schedule. So I'm looking forward to a night of restful sleep on my clean sheets.
Hanging up now...
Monday, August 16, 2010
The icks
I'm starting to get sick. I will NOT let it get bad. I've just been achy and my throat's been sore. I took a three hour nap today and that seems to have helped. I also took an aspirin and have been drinking tea (Wild Sweet Orange by Tazo--great for a cold!)
Adam and I are going to see Inception tonight. I have tried to avoid any press about it. Several friends have posted about it on FB but I just don't look at it. We are seeing it in IMAX. We are going to (hopefully) go to Texas Roadhouse before then. We have had some trouble getting in before, but that has been on a weekend night.
Am working out the details of going to Bristol on Friday. I will leave EL by bus at 12:15. The bus will take me to Battle Creek by 1:30 and then the train to Chi-town leaves at 2:06. It gets into Chicago at 4:16. Then Kevin will pick me up and we will go to the concert! And then Bristol the next day. I need to find out how much tix are for both.
I am already getting excited about Shot in the Dark. Auditions are in mid-September. It's funny how I can move from one show to another without being sad that one is done. It's because of experience--some people who haven't done shows before or shows at Riverwalk have posted on FB how sad they are. I have done two shows already this year and hope to do another. Love this!
I have to get ready to see Inception so for now I'll say...
Hanging up now...
Adam and I are going to see Inception tonight. I have tried to avoid any press about it. Several friends have posted about it on FB but I just don't look at it. We are seeing it in IMAX. We are going to (hopefully) go to Texas Roadhouse before then. We have had some trouble getting in before, but that has been on a weekend night.
Am working out the details of going to Bristol on Friday. I will leave EL by bus at 12:15. The bus will take me to Battle Creek by 1:30 and then the train to Chi-town leaves at 2:06. It gets into Chicago at 4:16. Then Kevin will pick me up and we will go to the concert! And then Bristol the next day. I need to find out how much tix are for both.
I am already getting excited about Shot in the Dark. Auditions are in mid-September. It's funny how I can move from one show to another without being sad that one is done. It's because of experience--some people who haven't done shows before or shows at Riverwalk have posted on FB how sad they are. I have done two shows already this year and hope to do another. Love this!
I have to get ready to see Inception so for now I'll say...
Hanging up now...
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Putting Beauty to Bed
The run of Sleeping Beauty has come and gone. It was nothing short of amazing. We had huge, appreciative audiences. A total of 1000+ people came to see it. My folks came the first Friday and I had some friends come today: Stephanie, her new beau, and his kids. Tim also came with JJ. When I asked JJ was his favorite part was, he pointed to me! Aw. He's a cute kid.
So it's over. I'm not too sad. I've put so many shows to bed that it's just another closing. I made some new friends and deepened friendships I already had. I'm especially glad to say that Anna and I have become better friends. It was her first time acting at Riverwalk and I'm so happy she had such a positive experience.
I'm going to Bristol with Kevin next weekend! I am wearing my leather bodice. I tried it on and it fits really well. I'm taking the train up on Friday. We are also going to a concert Friday that has Yo-Yo Ma as the headliner. So that's going to be fun!
I would love to write more, but I'm trying to get to bed earlier. So for now I'll say...
Hanging up now...
So it's over. I'm not too sad. I've put so many shows to bed that it's just another closing. I made some new friends and deepened friendships I already had. I'm especially glad to say that Anna and I have become better friends. It was her first time acting at Riverwalk and I'm so happy she had such a positive experience.
I'm going to Bristol with Kevin next weekend! I am wearing my leather bodice. I tried it on and it fits really well. I'm taking the train up on Friday. We are also going to a concert Friday that has Yo-Yo Ma as the headliner. So that's going to be fun!
I would love to write more, but I'm trying to get to bed earlier. So for now I'll say...
Hanging up now...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The home stretch
We had first tech rehearsal today. I thought it went relatively smoothly. It took about 2 1/2 hours, a lot of stopping and starting, but no more than in other shows I've been in. The actors were able to keep focus. We also got a chance to work with the tree costumes again and they are getting very easy to maneuver in. As I told Mama Maier and Skip, I can run, walk, and climb in it with very little effort. I am used to walking in long skirts at the Renfaire and this isn't so different.
I got in a car accident a few days ago. I have decided not to listen to music or drink anything while driving, as well as staying off the highways for a while. I avoided another crash today which would have been the other driver's fault. My car has some damage that I will have to get fixed, such as the rear turn signal on the driver's side. But he's drivable.
Othello was pretty good. Mike was excellent. He has obviously done Shakespeare before and commanded the stage whenever he was on it. The first half of the show really belongs to Iago, but Othello eclipses him in the second half. Mike gave a very powerful performance. It was an interesting casting choice; Othello is typically black but the director decided to portray him as Middle Eastern. It was a very timely choice. She wanted to make him the outsider. Mike tanned for the role, and he was very swarthy!
Adam was excellent too. He had the difficult job of playing two characters that he had to make very different. He varied his physicality and his voice to make each of them distinct. He also made good acting choices all around. He hosted the cast party so I went along. I ate some, but not too much. I had about seven battered shrimp, three chicken wings, one small piece of cheese pizza, and half a piece of breaded perch. I also got a chance to talk to Heidi, who I haven't seen in a long time. We made plans to see Salt the 14th. The 14th is my sister's birthday! and then it's only two months til I turn 40. The women in the cast were astounded when I told them how old I was. They all thought I was in my late twenties-early thirties. I think I look about 30. So I look about ten years younger than I am. I'm actually looking forward to forty--I've learned a lot in forty years and I don't feel "old." I only wish I had someone to share my life with and a little bit more of a career. Well, maybe that will come in the next year or so.
I am going to Interval tomorrow, so I'll say...
Hanging up now...
I got in a car accident a few days ago. I have decided not to listen to music or drink anything while driving, as well as staying off the highways for a while. I avoided another crash today which would have been the other driver's fault. My car has some damage that I will have to get fixed, such as the rear turn signal on the driver's side. But he's drivable.
Othello was pretty good. Mike was excellent. He has obviously done Shakespeare before and commanded the stage whenever he was on it. The first half of the show really belongs to Iago, but Othello eclipses him in the second half. Mike gave a very powerful performance. It was an interesting casting choice; Othello is typically black but the director decided to portray him as Middle Eastern. It was a very timely choice. She wanted to make him the outsider. Mike tanned for the role, and he was very swarthy!
Adam was excellent too. He had the difficult job of playing two characters that he had to make very different. He varied his physicality and his voice to make each of them distinct. He also made good acting choices all around. He hosted the cast party so I went along. I ate some, but not too much. I had about seven battered shrimp, three chicken wings, one small piece of cheese pizza, and half a piece of breaded perch. I also got a chance to talk to Heidi, who I haven't seen in a long time. We made plans to see Salt the 14th. The 14th is my sister's birthday! and then it's only two months til I turn 40. The women in the cast were astounded when I told them how old I was. They all thought I was in my late twenties-early thirties. I think I look about 30. So I look about ten years younger than I am. I'm actually looking forward to forty--I've learned a lot in forty years and I don't feel "old." I only wish I had someone to share my life with and a little bit more of a career. Well, maybe that will come in the next year or so.
I am going to Interval tomorrow, so I'll say...
Hanging up now...
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