As a prologue to this entry -- I'm just going to say I know it's been well over a year since I last wrote. I don't have an excuse (or I have several and none of them are really all that good). I've given up making promises and resolutions about continuing to write. If it happens it happens. There are people to see, shows to be called and adventures to have and sometimes I get so wrapped up in all of that stuff that I forget to write.
Now that that is out of the way...here is the real inspiration for writing today.
I'm standing in a booth today, in the middle of a tech run and all of sudden two feelings wash over me. One -- How did I get to this point? and Two -- Do I really know what I'm doing? And then to add insult to injury all sorts of jittery, butterfly in your stomach nerves set in. It's been a while since that's happened. I lost count of shows when I passed the 50 mark at some point last year. I've worked countless tech rehearsals, ran manual and programmable light boards, run sound off of a mac, an Iphone, an iPad, a CD and if we're going really old school a mini disk, so the fact that my stomach tied itself in knots and decided today was a good day to question everything I've learned and done over the past 7 years perplexed me a bit. I shouldn't be nervous, I've done this thousands of times. Not for this particular show, but the motions, I've done these motions thousands of times. Why is this one different?
I still don't know the answer to that question. I have another tech for yet another show tomorrow and I'm curious to see what happens. Maybe it's the fact that I currently have 3 shows all in tech for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Maybe it's my brain telling me I've got too many things. 3 shows -- I wasn't supposed to have even one. That was the promise I made to myself last year after having just 2. And yet somehow here I am 3 days from the start of previews for the Festival and I have not one, not two, but three wonderful, amazing, unique shows to run. Before you start commenting that I need to learn to say no to things -- I am very much aware of that -- it's my downfall, I like to be helpful. Also as a side note -- be proud of me -- I did say no to 2 other shows just yesterday. Baby steps -- I'm working on it.
I was asked by the managing director of Theatre Unleashed Greg Crafts, (who happens to be one of my best friends) to give him lists from two of the shows for info graphics. Things like how many actors, odd props, fun interesting facts. I laughed driving home thinking about an info graphic for my Fringe this year. My list looks something like this:
1 Stage Manager
3 shows
27 Scripts (confusing -- I know but one of the shows has 25 scripts in it)
1 notebook
4 tech rehearsals
19 actors
3 directors
1 keyboard
1 table
6 chairs
1 roll of spike tape
2 computers
1 cd
2 sound programs
2 light programs
2 pairs of sparkly sneakers ( I can't Stage Manager without my sparkly shoes)
23 performances
26 days
5 day with more than one show
1 month
1 feeling that I wouldn't trade what I do for anything on the planet!
So that's my list -- my info graphic for the Hollywood Fringe 2013. That doesn't include the 31 other shows that I have in my calendar that I'm planning on actually sitting in the seats and watching.
I'm excited for this to start. The nerves will hopefully be gone when I climb back into a booth tomorrow night for tech 3 of 4. Please don't let the directors know a case of nerves set in! -- I'm supposed to be unshakeable, calm, cool, collected.
Nerves or not -- There is nothing I would rather be doing this week or this month than running these shows and experiencing Hollywood Fringe 2013. Absolutely nothing!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sunday, January 22, 2012
PSA -- Tales of Auditioners
Thoughts from spending time on LA Casting and running auditions this week:
So there you have it. My top twelve things I wish auditioning actors wouldn't do. And here's the thing, I wish they wouldn't do them not for my sake, quite frankly the twelve things listed above keep me entertained, I wish they do them to make themselves better representatives of their own careers and the acting community as a whole.
I posted a few of these on Facebook about a week ago and was asked to turn it into a top ten list. I think it ended up being about 12 items. I should preface your reading of this list by saying that I am quite fortunate that the majority of my actor friends are not guilty of the crimes listed below. Sadly I have come to believe that my friends are the minority in this town. This list is not meant to offend anyone it is simply the observations of one production manager in a sea of many in Los Angeles. I’m sure each of us has our preferences for what we like and what we don’t like, the following just happens to my list.
#1 If you are going to waste my time by submitting yourself for a musical and then in the notes section say "I can't sing, but I submitted myself 'cause I'm just that good." I can guarantee a few things, first I won't call you back for this or any other project because you just annoyed the hell out of me, two I don't believe you really are "that good" and three, if by some miracle you are actually "that good" I don't think I ever want to work with you because you'll most likely be a pretentious ass. Lesson = watch what you write in the notes section - it does actually get read.
#2. If you are submitting for live theater please post your resume. I don't really care that you are size 2 and have a chest size of 34B and that you have a few photos of you posing in underwear or swimwear. I'd like to know that you can actually walk, talk and even act all at the same time. If you aren't going to take the time to fill in your acting and/or training credits I'm not going to waste my time and call you in.
#3 Your head shot photo should not make me do any of the following: shudder in horror, enlarge it because I'm thinking you accidentally posted your mugshot instead of your head shot or make me believe you may be a danger to those around you. (If I was specifically looking for serial killers I would be okay with any of the above things, but I'm not.)
#4 Pay attention to the photo you select as the photo I see...there are so many times someone has picked the absolute wrong photo and then when I look at the resume I see the thumbnails of their photos and go -- oh that's why you think you can play this role. Don't show me your "I'm the slutty school girl photo" when the breakdown says maternal instincts. And guys...I don't ever want to see your speedo modeling photos...not ever.
#5 Use a last name! I know it worked for Cher and Madonna and I suppose some could even argue Brittany, but it just makes me laugh and quite honestly it makes others laugh as well. It makes it very hard for us to take you seriously when all we see is your first name. And if you have decided that one name is the way you are going to go, at least make it a good name, something we can pronounce and something that is an actual name. Also, if you feel the need to invent a more creative name because you feel the name your parents gave you will not suffice, please choose names that are good, normal names. Don't pick something because you think it will make you stand out and be remembered. It will be remembered but most likely as I'm sitting at the bar telling my friends of the most recent LA Casting Actor Exploits. I almost hated to write this one as it does provide a great deal of amusement for me while I go through submissions.
#6 Please, please, please use spell check. Remember you are trying to make a good impression. Sometimes I have literally hundreds of submissions to choose from, given two equal resumes (roughly the same credits) I will 100% choose the actor who has spelled things correctly and has obviously proofread and/or looked at how it appears online.
For future reference, here is the correct spelling of the following words:
Ensemble -- contrary to the beliefs of many it does not contain the letter "a"
Finale -- meaning the end of something, does not under any circumstances have a "y" (and if you were trying to spell finally, that has two "l's" and no "e"
Lead -- as in you were the star of the production, does indeed have an "a" in it. Led, is past tense as in "I led the parade." I sincerely doubt you were the "led" in the show.
#7 Be nice to the person who greets you at auditions. Don't act like it was a pain in the ass for you to come audition. You had a choice to audition, so act civil. Remember you never know the influence that individual has on casting. In our company I am usually in the lobby and at the end of the session I always get asked "how were they in the lobby?" My thoughts and impressions of you have definitely swayed casting, I can guarantee if you are rude, mean, condescending or generally creepy I will let them know. It's very simple, smile and be nice to me and I will return the favor both in the lobby and later when I talk with the director.
#8 Don't throw me under the bus if you didn't bring a head shot or resume to the session. Yes, I understand that you emailed it to me 15 minutes before your audition, but guess what, I don't have a printer and the people in the casting room don't have time check their email before you walk in. Bring it with you or just admit you don't have one with you, but don't blame me for your inability to plan ahead and get a copy made of it.
#9 And while we are on the topic of head shots -- if you are going to reprint them at home please make sure your name is on it. Don't just paperclip it to your resume and hope that it stays together through the entire process, actually put your name in a text box and super impose it on your photo. It will take you less than 2 minutes to do, make you look a bit more professional and make me like you just a little bit more.
#10 Show up! This seems easy enough to me. If you confirm an audition I expect you to show up. After all I took the time to be there, the directors took the time to be there, you should too. In the 6 years I've been doing this I've come to understand why employers don't like to hire actors and why actors have a reputation for being unreliable. This is the only industry I know of where it is perfectly acceptable to set up an interview time (I call them interviews because that's what they are, just like a desk job interview we want to see your skill set, meet you and decide if you will be a good match -- it's honestly no different than interviewing to be a teacher, a secretary or any other job) so this is the only industry where you can set up an interview time, confirm that time, sometimes even have an email exchange with me and then not show up at all and not really think anything of it. It's quite aggravating really. I actually schedule people 3-5 per 15 minute time slot because I know that statistically maybe 1 will show up. Speaking of stats, from our last round of auditions: On a Tuesday Night, between 7:30 and 10pm I had 60 people ask for an audition of those 60, 27 confirmed they would be coming (the other 33 didn't respond at all, is it really that hard to hit the decline button on the website?) of the 27 that confirmed 14 showed up. Of the 14 that didn't show up I heard from 4 of them over email. If you don’t want to audition simply hit decline or send a quick email. It will take you around 2 minutes and make you look responsible.
#10B -- This is a tangent of #10 -- Thank you to the few of you that do send notes canceling your audition. But please be honest, or simply say you can't make it. Of the 4 people that cancelled on the Tuesday night above 3 of them used the good old "I have a family emergency" excuse. It's funny how on audition nights there seem to be a disproportionate amount of family emergencies among actors in LA. Tragic really, perhaps for the good of all these actor families we really shouldn't have auditions. It's simple, be honest, tell me you changed your mind, tell me a better offer came along, tell me that traffic sucks and you want to stay home but please leave your family out of it.
#11 Read the casting announcement before you submit. Now read it again – all of it this time. Know what you are getting into, look at the details…including audition dates. Don’t email me and ask for a different day, if we were seeing people other days I would list them in the notice. If it says Monday and Tuesday, guess what - that’s it. Pay attention to the times, if it says 7:30-10:30pm, don’t ask if you can come in at 2pm. I understand you really want to audition, but I can’t change the schedule to accommodate you, I’m sorry. Do some research on the play, please don’t ask me to explain the plot of Midsummer to you. I don’t want tell you all about Viola, that’s not why I’m sitting there. I don’t expect you to read every single play you audition for, but at least Google it, read Wikipedia, look at cliff notes, make just a bit of effort. I will gladly tell you whether they are looking for an angry Orsino or a cocky Orsino, but you have to show me you know who Orsino is first.
#12 If you are going to submit a video reel please for the love of all that is good make it something worth seeing...I didn't want to see a self recording from a computer placed at your feet of you doing the Marc Antony "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" monologue. If you feel you must do this, I ask first please reconsider this idea -- it's a bad one, second, don't act with your hands, third please make sure you can actually do Shakespeare. There are few things worse than badly filmed, badly hand acted, and badly spoken Julius Caesar.
So there you have it. My top twelve things I wish auditioning actors wouldn't do. And here's the thing, I wish they wouldn't do them not for my sake, quite frankly the twelve things listed above keep me entertained, I wish they do them to make themselves better representatives of their own careers and the acting community as a whole.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The Actor Pack
I will freely admit that I am fascinated with actors. I love them and I am 100% fascinated with them. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a group of people that are in some ways a completely different species, specifically as they are preparing to perform.
Most of the time I don't get a chance to spend too much time with them in the few minutes right before they go on stage. Usually by that time I have called places and retreated to the safety of my booth for the duration of the first act. This time around, I directed and am now stage managing a show that by my design does not require me to be in the booth at all -- that's right a show with no lighting changes and live sound effects! It also happens that I have the majority of my 18 person cast entering from the lobby of the theater, so in those precious few minutes between the call for places and the start of their staggered entrances, I get a rare glimpse into the behavior of actors in the moments before they enter the stage.
As I sit on the lobby couch and watch I begin to understand what the National Geographic documentary makers must feel like while observing animals in their native habitats. You don't want to move for fear you might disturb them. You don't really want to make eye contact because you don't want to break their concentration. So you sit very still and quiet and observe.
Here is the commentary the runs through my head (I will admit to altering it slightly so it conforms to National Geographic documentary style!)
From our spot on the couch we can see the pack of actors arrive together. As they approach the entrance to the building they grow quieter. The pack is a chivalrous bunch, the males opening the door and allowing the three female members to enter first. Once inside the space the group communicates mainly through short whispered sentences, big hand gestures and eye communication. For a few moments each one seems to be alone, in their own little world, not really noticing the others except to move around them. Many of them seem restless, probably a side effect of the pent up energy waiting to come out once they enter the stage. The pack begins to do an unchoreographed pacing dance. It starts with one of them taking a few steps forward, stopping, turning around, then a few steps backwards. Then another one joins the pacing, they pass each other in the middle without really acknowledging each other. Then a few more join in, this time taking a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right. The pacing lasts a minute or so and then stops, somewhat simultaneously, but without communication from anyone, as if on some level their brains are already working in sync with each other. At the back of the pack, one of the taller members begins to jump up and down, another one toward the front rolls his shoulders and neck muscles, yet another one wildly shakes his hands. In an interesting twist the females branch off from the pack, one sitting down, the others approaching the mirror for a final hair and make up check. Then as the moment of their entrances approaches the pack collectively stirs, everyone is up, the jumping male in the back jumps a bit more, they move into a line by the entrance. The few who walk in with someone else take a moment to exchange excited looks. The door opens and the first pair enter, the line advances towards the door, each waiting for their turn. As some leave the pack to enter the theater others from the stage come out and join the pack. From our spot on the couch we can see that those who have already been on stage are slightly more relaxed, once out of site from the audience they sit down on the chairs, play with the rock display on the coffee table and wait to re-enter. Soon they are all back inside the theater and the pack is off and running for the night!
National Geographic commentary aside, I truly am fascinated and honored to be able to watch what happens in those final moments before these talented actor enter the stage.
Most of the time I don't get a chance to spend too much time with them in the few minutes right before they go on stage. Usually by that time I have called places and retreated to the safety of my booth for the duration of the first act. This time around, I directed and am now stage managing a show that by my design does not require me to be in the booth at all -- that's right a show with no lighting changes and live sound effects! It also happens that I have the majority of my 18 person cast entering from the lobby of the theater, so in those precious few minutes between the call for places and the start of their staggered entrances, I get a rare glimpse into the behavior of actors in the moments before they enter the stage.
As I sit on the lobby couch and watch I begin to understand what the National Geographic documentary makers must feel like while observing animals in their native habitats. You don't want to move for fear you might disturb them. You don't really want to make eye contact because you don't want to break their concentration. So you sit very still and quiet and observe.
Here is the commentary the runs through my head (I will admit to altering it slightly so it conforms to National Geographic documentary style!)
From our spot on the couch we can see the pack of actors arrive together. As they approach the entrance to the building they grow quieter. The pack is a chivalrous bunch, the males opening the door and allowing the three female members to enter first. Once inside the space the group communicates mainly through short whispered sentences, big hand gestures and eye communication. For a few moments each one seems to be alone, in their own little world, not really noticing the others except to move around them. Many of them seem restless, probably a side effect of the pent up energy waiting to come out once they enter the stage. The pack begins to do an unchoreographed pacing dance. It starts with one of them taking a few steps forward, stopping, turning around, then a few steps backwards. Then another one joins the pacing, they pass each other in the middle without really acknowledging each other. Then a few more join in, this time taking a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right. The pacing lasts a minute or so and then stops, somewhat simultaneously, but without communication from anyone, as if on some level their brains are already working in sync with each other. At the back of the pack, one of the taller members begins to jump up and down, another one toward the front rolls his shoulders and neck muscles, yet another one wildly shakes his hands. In an interesting twist the females branch off from the pack, one sitting down, the others approaching the mirror for a final hair and make up check. Then as the moment of their entrances approaches the pack collectively stirs, everyone is up, the jumping male in the back jumps a bit more, they move into a line by the entrance. The few who walk in with someone else take a moment to exchange excited looks. The door opens and the first pair enter, the line advances towards the door, each waiting for their turn. As some leave the pack to enter the theater others from the stage come out and join the pack. From our spot on the couch we can see that those who have already been on stage are slightly more relaxed, once out of site from the audience they sit down on the chairs, play with the rock display on the coffee table and wait to re-enter. Soon they are all back inside the theater and the pack is off and running for the night!
National Geographic commentary aside, I truly am fascinated and honored to be able to watch what happens in those final moments before these talented actor enter the stage.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Falling off the Blog Wagon...
So it's been a while...I apologize! I had really good intentions of writing all through the summer and the fall and then life happened and the desire to blog wasn't really there. So to sum up what has happened since May:
Super Sidekick went to Hollywood Fringe, Theatre Unleashed open and closed Caesar, Fiction and The Woodsman. I started a new job and two weeks ago walked 60 miles for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
It's now December, It's A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play has opened. I directed again this year and had a fantastic time putting it together. Last night was the perfect night, the cast was having a great time on stage and the audience was having a great time in the seats...it was everything that live theater should be.
Wonderful Life managed to jumpstart me a bit. I was still in a bit of a creative fog. Perhaps going through the motions of productions but not really loving them. Don't get me wrong, I am exceptionally proud of the season we are about to end. It was our strongest and highest quality season of production yet. But my heart wasn't completely in it. Working with this script, adapted by my good friend Jim, and working with this group of 19 actors (yes, 19 actors!) has been an incredible adventure. One that I am going to miss, but also one that has finally pushed me out this fog and into a place of anticipation and excitement for next season.
We will announce our fifth season in about month. Five years - I'm not sure any of us thought we'd last this long. It has been an interesting adventure. All of us have learned a lot about each other, about producing theater and about creating art. I wouldn't trade one single moment of the past four seasons and I can't wait to share Season 5 with you!
I'm recommitting to blogging and promise not to wait another 6 months before posting again!
Super Sidekick went to Hollywood Fringe, Theatre Unleashed open and closed Caesar, Fiction and The Woodsman. I started a new job and two weeks ago walked 60 miles for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
It's now December, It's A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play has opened. I directed again this year and had a fantastic time putting it together. Last night was the perfect night, the cast was having a great time on stage and the audience was having a great time in the seats...it was everything that live theater should be.
Wonderful Life managed to jumpstart me a bit. I was still in a bit of a creative fog. Perhaps going through the motions of productions but not really loving them. Don't get me wrong, I am exceptionally proud of the season we are about to end. It was our strongest and highest quality season of production yet. But my heart wasn't completely in it. Working with this script, adapted by my good friend Jim, and working with this group of 19 actors (yes, 19 actors!) has been an incredible adventure. One that I am going to miss, but also one that has finally pushed me out this fog and into a place of anticipation and excitement for next season.
We will announce our fifth season in about month. Five years - I'm not sure any of us thought we'd last this long. It has been an interesting adventure. All of us have learned a lot about each other, about producing theater and about creating art. I wouldn't trade one single moment of the past four seasons and I can't wait to share Season 5 with you!
I'm recommitting to blogging and promise not to wait another 6 months before posting again!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Falling Down and Getting Up
It took three and a half years and over 30 productions for me to reach the burn out stage. Everyone said it would happen eventually. I didn't believe them. I love stage managing, I love being a production manager. When you love something it's impossible to get burnt out right? Wrong! When it happened it came very quickly. I felt like I had been pushed to the ground. After Birthday Boys closed I had intended to jump right into rehearsals for our current production of Julius Caesar. I dragged myself to the first two rehearsals, I suppose that should have been a warning sign, but I ignored it. Then I went on vacation for a week, I figured I just needs a bit of time to transition from one show to the next and a week would be sufficient. I came back even less motivated to go to rehearsals than I was before I left. I absolutely did not want to sit through 6 more weeks of rehearsals. Burnout status was officially confirmed as was the fact that I possibly needed a bit more time off. At that exact moment I was having a hard time remembing what I liked about stage managing.
I'm luck to have such an amazing and supportive leadership team at Theatre Unleashed. I quickly sent an email out to my fellow executive team members asking for help covering rehearsals. Without the help of each of them, particularly Greg Crafts, our Managing Director, I would not have been able to back away and take the time I needed.
Two weeks ago I rejoined the production of Julius Caesar. I admit, the transition back was a rough one. I still had a hard time figuring out why I ever thought this was fun. Tech week went fine, but I was still dragging myself to the theater. And then at some point during the final dress rehearsal everything changed again. Do you remember that moment in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, where he is standing on the mountain after stealing all the presents and he hears the singing from the village and his heart grows ten sizes? Standing in the booth, looking down on the stage watching this magical world come together, seeing this incredible cast and being completely spellbound by the costumes, lights and sound, it all came back to me. Why I love what I do, why I choose to do this...and as quickly as it arrived, the burnout was gone and I was excited and happy to be up in the booth again.
It's a good feeling being back where you belong and an even better feeling wanting to be back where you belong. This week I've found myself missing the booth and am completely excited that tomorrow is Friday and I get to return to the booth for a few hours.
I'm luck to have such an amazing and supportive leadership team at Theatre Unleashed. I quickly sent an email out to my fellow executive team members asking for help covering rehearsals. Without the help of each of them, particularly Greg Crafts, our Managing Director, I would not have been able to back away and take the time I needed.
Two weeks ago I rejoined the production of Julius Caesar. I admit, the transition back was a rough one. I still had a hard time figuring out why I ever thought this was fun. Tech week went fine, but I was still dragging myself to the theater. And then at some point during the final dress rehearsal everything changed again. Do you remember that moment in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, where he is standing on the mountain after stealing all the presents and he hears the singing from the village and his heart grows ten sizes? Standing in the booth, looking down on the stage watching this magical world come together, seeing this incredible cast and being completely spellbound by the costumes, lights and sound, it all came back to me. Why I love what I do, why I choose to do this...and as quickly as it arrived, the burnout was gone and I was excited and happy to be up in the booth again.
It's a good feeling being back where you belong and an even better feeling wanting to be back where you belong. This week I've found myself missing the booth and am completely excited that tomorrow is Friday and I get to return to the booth for a few hours.
Theatre and Life Colliding for a Cause
A copy of a blog entry I recently wrote for Theatre Unleashed:
This journey began when I answered a phone call from my mom in October of 2003. Eight years later the conversation is a blur but I do remember the words, "Breast Cancer," It's malignant" and "have to have surgery" being mentioned. I cried, she cried, I told her I loved her and as I hung up the phone I knew things were different. My mom was supposed to be invincible. She is my mom, she holds the answers to all questions, she is my biggest cheerleader and she is supposed to be here forever.
There were many more phone calls after that one. Surgery was scheduled, airplane tickets purchased, trips to Kansas City planned. She was, according to her oncologist, one of the "lucky ones," her cancer was treatable and as we found out after the surgery it hadn't spread to hey lymph nodes. I was there for the surgery and the recovery. I was there on Christmas Eve when her hair began to fall out from the chemotherapy. I was there to hold her and tell it would come back, I went with her to purchase bandannas and hats the day after Christmas.
I remember Christmas shopping that year. As I wandered through the mall looking for her present, the only thing I could think was that it had to be the perfect gift just in case this was the last present I ever got to give her. I quickly discovered that shopping for the perfect present is a very hard task to accomplish. It took me three tries to buy a Mother's Day card, the first two tries I had to leave the store because I couldn't stop the tears. How do you pick out a card when it might be the last card you get to buy.
Her surgeon was right, she was one of the "lucky ones." (Although I'm still not sure you can really call anyone living with cancer lucky.) My mom did survive. She has been in remission for just over seven years. I couldn't be prouder of my invincible mom, braving surgery and chemotherapy, taking drugs that kill the cancer but also make you feel horrible, she is a survivor.
This past December she sent me a pair of galoshes. These particular galoshes are covered in pink ribbons. One day in January I was sitting in my room and the pink ribbons caught my eye. I soon found myself googling the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk. The more I read, the more I wanted to sign up. I called my mom and told her I wanted to walk with her, 60 miles in three days. I wanted to walk to honor her. I wanted to walk in honor of the daughters who have already picked out their last Christmas present and I wanted to walk so no other child will ever have to stand in the card aisle searching for that perfect last card. She agreed to walk with me and so the planning began, we chose the San Diego walk happening this coming November.
Within a few hours of announcing to the world that I had registered, my college roommate, best friend for 12 years and Theatre Unleashed member, Jenn asked if she could join us. Our little team of three had formed and I couldn't be happier. Sadly due to health reasons (complications from taking the medicine that is supposed to keep her cancer free), my mom has decided to be a supporter rather than a walker. With that decision, my choice to walk becomes even more important to me. I now walk for both of us.
When Greg Crafts, Theatre Unleashed's Managing Director approached me with the idea of donating one dollar from each ticket sole to the Susan G. Komen Foundation I was thrilled. Statistically one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. That means that between the cast and crew of Julius Caesar, at least two of us may be affected. Through Jenn and me and the ticket sales of our patrons, Theatre Unleashed can make a contribution that will help continue the research for better medicines, stronger treatment programs and possibly a cure for a disease that is one of the leading causes of death in women. For a production comprised of mostly women, this seemed like the perfect charity for this production.
As a founding member of Theatre Unleashed and the daughter of a breast cancer survivor I look forward to seeing you at Julius Caesar and thank you for your donation.
This journey began when I answered a phone call from my mom in October of 2003. Eight years later the conversation is a blur but I do remember the words, "Breast Cancer," It's malignant" and "have to have surgery" being mentioned. I cried, she cried, I told her I loved her and as I hung up the phone I knew things were different. My mom was supposed to be invincible. She is my mom, she holds the answers to all questions, she is my biggest cheerleader and she is supposed to be here forever.
There were many more phone calls after that one. Surgery was scheduled, airplane tickets purchased, trips to Kansas City planned. She was, according to her oncologist, one of the "lucky ones," her cancer was treatable and as we found out after the surgery it hadn't spread to hey lymph nodes. I was there for the surgery and the recovery. I was there on Christmas Eve when her hair began to fall out from the chemotherapy. I was there to hold her and tell it would come back, I went with her to purchase bandannas and hats the day after Christmas.
I remember Christmas shopping that year. As I wandered through the mall looking for her present, the only thing I could think was that it had to be the perfect gift just in case this was the last present I ever got to give her. I quickly discovered that shopping for the perfect present is a very hard task to accomplish. It took me three tries to buy a Mother's Day card, the first two tries I had to leave the store because I couldn't stop the tears. How do you pick out a card when it might be the last card you get to buy.
Her surgeon was right, she was one of the "lucky ones." (Although I'm still not sure you can really call anyone living with cancer lucky.) My mom did survive. She has been in remission for just over seven years. I couldn't be prouder of my invincible mom, braving surgery and chemotherapy, taking drugs that kill the cancer but also make you feel horrible, she is a survivor.
This past December she sent me a pair of galoshes. These particular galoshes are covered in pink ribbons. One day in January I was sitting in my room and the pink ribbons caught my eye. I soon found myself googling the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk. The more I read, the more I wanted to sign up. I called my mom and told her I wanted to walk with her, 60 miles in three days. I wanted to walk to honor her. I wanted to walk in honor of the daughters who have already picked out their last Christmas present and I wanted to walk so no other child will ever have to stand in the card aisle searching for that perfect last card. She agreed to walk with me and so the planning began, we chose the San Diego walk happening this coming November.
Within a few hours of announcing to the world that I had registered, my college roommate, best friend for 12 years and Theatre Unleashed member, Jenn asked if she could join us. Our little team of three had formed and I couldn't be happier. Sadly due to health reasons (complications from taking the medicine that is supposed to keep her cancer free), my mom has decided to be a supporter rather than a walker. With that decision, my choice to walk becomes even more important to me. I now walk for both of us.
When Greg Crafts, Theatre Unleashed's Managing Director approached me with the idea of donating one dollar from each ticket sole to the Susan G. Komen Foundation I was thrilled. Statistically one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. That means that between the cast and crew of Julius Caesar, at least two of us may be affected. Through Jenn and me and the ticket sales of our patrons, Theatre Unleashed can make a contribution that will help continue the research for better medicines, stronger treatment programs and possibly a cure for a disease that is one of the leading causes of death in women. For a production comprised of mostly women, this seemed like the perfect charity for this production.
As a founding member of Theatre Unleashed and the daughter of a breast cancer survivor I look forward to seeing you at Julius Caesar and thank you for your donation.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Incapable of Making a Mess
You may remember that nearly four months ago my roommate gave me a book titled Wreck My Journal, you also may remember that way back in January I was having a hard time completing one of the assignments, "Make a mess and then clean it up." I haven't moved forward in the book because I couldn't figure out what kind of mess to make, how to make it, when to make it and then when I did get an idea it would seem overly messy and I wouldn't do it.
So yesterday while preparing to celebrate Theatre Unleashed's third birthday I made 72 cupcakes, that seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a mess. I have no decided I am incapable of making a mess. I tried, I really did try to make a mess. This was as much of a mess as I could let myself make...pathetic I know.
It's not even really that big of a mess, but I'm going to have say that my task is complete. I have made my mess, or at least as much of one as I can actually make. So having crossed that off the list, I will now nervously open to another page.
My next instruction is to climb up high and drop the book. That seems easy enough. I have an odd desire to climb exceptionally high and drop it, but then I worry I might hit someone or never find it again. There are other factors to consider, I don't want to hurt it and I don't want to drop it in dirt or mud. I don't like dirt or mud and I don't think the book will wash well. After all when it took its' shower it was double wrapped in plastic. So now the question becomes where do I drop it from? I could take it with me to the theater, climb a ladder and drop it from the top of the ladder to the stage, I could drop it off a balcony of an apartment, I could go to Griffith Park and drop it off a cliff (odds of recovering it are low on this one), I'm afraid I won't find a place that is both high enough for a good drop but safe enough to not hurt the book.
This book is tricky. It's instructions seem simple but when you go to do them they require thought and planning. Or maybe that's part of my problem, too much thought and planning. Perhaps that's the point of the book, forget plans, go with instincts, just go for it, just drop the book off of a high place and see what happens. Thinking or not thinking, I promise I will drop this book off of something this week!
So yesterday while preparing to celebrate Theatre Unleashed's third birthday I made 72 cupcakes, that seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a mess. I have no decided I am incapable of making a mess. I tried, I really did try to make a mess. This was as much of a mess as I could let myself make...pathetic I know.
It's not even really that big of a mess, but I'm going to have say that my task is complete. I have made my mess, or at least as much of one as I can actually make. So having crossed that off the list, I will now nervously open to another page.
My next instruction is to climb up high and drop the book. That seems easy enough. I have an odd desire to climb exceptionally high and drop it, but then I worry I might hit someone or never find it again. There are other factors to consider, I don't want to hurt it and I don't want to drop it in dirt or mud. I don't like dirt or mud and I don't think the book will wash well. After all when it took its' shower it was double wrapped in plastic. So now the question becomes where do I drop it from? I could take it with me to the theater, climb a ladder and drop it from the top of the ladder to the stage, I could drop it off a balcony of an apartment, I could go to Griffith Park and drop it off a cliff (odds of recovering it are low on this one), I'm afraid I won't find a place that is both high enough for a good drop but safe enough to not hurt the book.
This book is tricky. It's instructions seem simple but when you go to do them they require thought and planning. Or maybe that's part of my problem, too much thought and planning. Perhaps that's the point of the book, forget plans, go with instincts, just go for it, just drop the book off of a high place and see what happens. Thinking or not thinking, I promise I will drop this book off of something this week!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Reflections on Being Three
I don't remember my actual third birthday. I'm sure my mom could tell me about it. I'm guessing there was some sort of celebration, especially since I'm an only child, the only grandchild on one side and the youngest and only girl grandchild on the other side, knowing that I'm guessing that my own third birthday passed with some sort of recognition. Today, I have the honor of celebrating a third birthday all over again.
In just a few hours, Theatre Unleashed will celebrate our third year of existence. We have made it three years. Three incredible years. We have sweated a lot, worked a lot, been accused of having too much gregarious fun at times, probably actually had too much fun at times, consumed many libations, both alcohol filled and non alcohol filled, and put many productions up on stages in Los Angeles.
Our actual day of birth occurred in a Denny's in Hollywood. Birthday one we celebrated the fact that we actually made it, that we we survived a year and managed to produce three plays. Birthday two was a celebration of continuing on, producing more, and introducing our late night series. After our year two celebration titled "Acting Our Age: The Terrible Twos" we did perhaps move into a slightly terrible two phase, I think all toddlers go through it. It's that time of discovery, time to figure out what to do with yourself now that you can walk and you are tall enough to reach more than the sofa cushions. It's a time to try new things figure out what you like, what you don't like. People start treating you like a mini person, babies get smiled at, patted on the head, told they are cute, toddlers get asked questions, they also throw temper tantrums, it's all part of toddler life.
And then year three hits. I think by this point you are starting to really understand the toddler thing...you know where you fall in the world, you know who you trust, who makes sad and you begin to realize there is a much bigger world out there waiting for you.
That's the exciting thing about being three, that understanding that there is so much more out there for you to explore, to learn and to do. That is where we are now, like most toddlers we are ready for preschool, we are ready to play with other companies at Fringe Festivals, we are ready to learn from the "big kids" at theater gatherings and most importantly like all confident toddlers we are ready to explore that big world that is waiting for us.
Happy Third Birthday Theatre Unleashed!
In just a few hours, Theatre Unleashed will celebrate our third year of existence. We have made it three years. Three incredible years. We have sweated a lot, worked a lot, been accused of having too much gregarious fun at times, probably actually had too much fun at times, consumed many libations, both alcohol filled and non alcohol filled, and put many productions up on stages in Los Angeles.
Our actual day of birth occurred in a Denny's in Hollywood. Birthday one we celebrated the fact that we actually made it, that we we survived a year and managed to produce three plays. Birthday two was a celebration of continuing on, producing more, and introducing our late night series. After our year two celebration titled "Acting Our Age: The Terrible Twos" we did perhaps move into a slightly terrible two phase, I think all toddlers go through it. It's that time of discovery, time to figure out what to do with yourself now that you can walk and you are tall enough to reach more than the sofa cushions. It's a time to try new things figure out what you like, what you don't like. People start treating you like a mini person, babies get smiled at, patted on the head, told they are cute, toddlers get asked questions, they also throw temper tantrums, it's all part of toddler life.
And then year three hits. I think by this point you are starting to really understand the toddler thing...you know where you fall in the world, you know who you trust, who makes sad and you begin to realize there is a much bigger world out there waiting for you.
That's the exciting thing about being three, that understanding that there is so much more out there for you to explore, to learn and to do. That is where we are now, like most toddlers we are ready for preschool, we are ready to play with other companies at Fringe Festivals, we are ready to learn from the "big kids" at theater gatherings and most importantly like all confident toddlers we are ready to explore that big world that is waiting for us.
Happy Third Birthday Theatre Unleashed!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tying Up The Boys
It's Friday night. In just a couple hours I will be getting out my zip ties and duct tape and begin the process of tying up three of the actors in The Birthday Boys. I've become quite quick at it. I can proudly say that I can tie them all up in six minutes, it used to take fifteen but over the past six weeks I've managed to shave off nine minutes, pretty impressive right?
Now at the beginning of this whole process the three of them would willingly lay down on the floor and tell me they were ready. As we approached the end of the rehearsal process that willingness started to disappear a bit, but they didn't really fight it. It was more of a "tie someone else first" attitude. This philosophy may also be partly survival as inevitably the first one tied would have to endure odd guy pranks things like throwing a ball of tape towards their crotch or attempts to sit on their faces and if the tied one was really lucky one of the other two would shall we say add a different scent to the environment near the bound one's head. Boys will inevitably be boys!
So to counter all of this and actually get one of them to let me tie them up first I instilled the "first one in is the first one out rule." Now I don't think that actually lessened the pranks pulled on the first one restrained. All it really did was give that guy the entire show to think about what he would do in the precious 2-4 minutes he had of freedom while the other two were still restrained. Hence we end each night as we begin with the throwing of tape balls to the crotch area!
Now that we've moved into performance it's becoming even harder to get them to lie down. I find myself walking around with duct tape, zip ties and scissors begging them to let me tie them up. I find myself saying sentences like "Greg, I need to do you now!" I get the feeling I'm possibly turning into part dominatrix, but with a nice side because I always ask if things are too tight.
We've established a routine and they are very particular about the way they are restrained. I've come to the conclusion that none of them would do well if captured by real kidnappers. We usually tie Jim up first. He lays down backstage, head towards the bathroom, feet towards the dressing room. Jim puts his blindfold on while standing and then freaks out anytime someone moves around him. He also then has to find his way to a seated position on the floor so we can finish the binding. I often wonder why he doesn't sit first and then blindfold himself, but as I've come to realize actors are creatures of habit and so I let him do it his way. We always do feet first. That involves lots of duct tape wrapping. Then the hands. For him we do right hand first zip ties angling away from him, then the left, then we link them together. We tend to tighten all of his zip ties after they are all fastened. I cut the extra tips off of the ties. Finally we go to work on the hands. Jim has a bit of thumb claustrophobia and so we wrap his clasped hands together, going around the base, but leaving one thumb free to poke out and move. Once he's secured I'm off to find Greg.
Greg lays down unblindfolded just off stage. Because the space is so narrow, I lay the scissors and zip ties on his chest while I wrap yards of duct tape around his calves. Then we bind his arms. Greg requires six zip ties where the other two only need three. Every binding for him his doubled because he's able to break through on just a single tie. He likes his zip ties angled the opposite way as Jim. We tend to tighten his ties as we go rather than all at once at the end. I cut the ends of his zip ties and leave him for the moment. I'll be back to tape his hands, he sweats too much during the show and his tape tends to lose adhesive to we try to wait to the last possible moment to give it the best shot at sticking for longer. When I do come back to him he also prefers the clasped hand method. We wrap the tape around and around his hands and finish with just a couple strips over the top. The other two guys like to really be wrapped in with the top, but Greg likes the top a bit more open.
Then it's time to find Sean. Sean and I have the luxury of the stage when I tie him. He is the first one on and needs to be closest to the door, so we use the stage. He is the only one who doesn't giggle bit when I straddle him to restrain his arms. I'm not sure if that's maturity or if he honestly doesn't know I'm straddling him. We do the feet first. After the first duck tape wrapping I back up and he wriggles and writhes about the stage attempting to loosen it. Then we wrap another layer around his ankles. Sean like Jim likes his zip ties angling away from him. As I put his wrists in the ties, he grabs them and pulls them tighter then I ever would, (which probably explains why he typically has more red marks then the other two guys). Once he's tied in we add the duct tape to the hands. Sean prefers the praying hands rather then the clasped hands. He seems to prefer that I wrap him almost tight enough to cut off his circulation and so we wrap and wrap and wrap. When we're done. I'll pick up my stuff and call for another cast member to come help him hop off stage.
All of this takes place in less then 10 minutes, assuming I can get them to lie down on time!
Now at the beginning of this whole process the three of them would willingly lay down on the floor and tell me they were ready. As we approached the end of the rehearsal process that willingness started to disappear a bit, but they didn't really fight it. It was more of a "tie someone else first" attitude. This philosophy may also be partly survival as inevitably the first one tied would have to endure odd guy pranks things like throwing a ball of tape towards their crotch or attempts to sit on their faces and if the tied one was really lucky one of the other two would shall we say add a different scent to the environment near the bound one's head. Boys will inevitably be boys!
So to counter all of this and actually get one of them to let me tie them up first I instilled the "first one in is the first one out rule." Now I don't think that actually lessened the pranks pulled on the first one restrained. All it really did was give that guy the entire show to think about what he would do in the precious 2-4 minutes he had of freedom while the other two were still restrained. Hence we end each night as we begin with the throwing of tape balls to the crotch area!
Now that we've moved into performance it's becoming even harder to get them to lie down. I find myself walking around with duct tape, zip ties and scissors begging them to let me tie them up. I find myself saying sentences like "Greg, I need to do you now!" I get the feeling I'm possibly turning into part dominatrix, but with a nice side because I always ask if things are too tight.
We've established a routine and they are very particular about the way they are restrained. I've come to the conclusion that none of them would do well if captured by real kidnappers. We usually tie Jim up first. He lays down backstage, head towards the bathroom, feet towards the dressing room. Jim puts his blindfold on while standing and then freaks out anytime someone moves around him. He also then has to find his way to a seated position on the floor so we can finish the binding. I often wonder why he doesn't sit first and then blindfold himself, but as I've come to realize actors are creatures of habit and so I let him do it his way. We always do feet first. That involves lots of duct tape wrapping. Then the hands. For him we do right hand first zip ties angling away from him, then the left, then we link them together. We tend to tighten all of his zip ties after they are all fastened. I cut the extra tips off of the ties. Finally we go to work on the hands. Jim has a bit of thumb claustrophobia and so we wrap his clasped hands together, going around the base, but leaving one thumb free to poke out and move. Once he's secured I'm off to find Greg.
Greg lays down unblindfolded just off stage. Because the space is so narrow, I lay the scissors and zip ties on his chest while I wrap yards of duct tape around his calves. Then we bind his arms. Greg requires six zip ties where the other two only need three. Every binding for him his doubled because he's able to break through on just a single tie. He likes his zip ties angled the opposite way as Jim. We tend to tighten his ties as we go rather than all at once at the end. I cut the ends of his zip ties and leave him for the moment. I'll be back to tape his hands, he sweats too much during the show and his tape tends to lose adhesive to we try to wait to the last possible moment to give it the best shot at sticking for longer. When I do come back to him he also prefers the clasped hand method. We wrap the tape around and around his hands and finish with just a couple strips over the top. The other two guys like to really be wrapped in with the top, but Greg likes the top a bit more open.
Then it's time to find Sean. Sean and I have the luxury of the stage when I tie him. He is the first one on and needs to be closest to the door, so we use the stage. He is the only one who doesn't giggle bit when I straddle him to restrain his arms. I'm not sure if that's maturity or if he honestly doesn't know I'm straddling him. We do the feet first. After the first duck tape wrapping I back up and he wriggles and writhes about the stage attempting to loosen it. Then we wrap another layer around his ankles. Sean like Jim likes his zip ties angling away from him. As I put his wrists in the ties, he grabs them and pulls them tighter then I ever would, (which probably explains why he typically has more red marks then the other two guys). Once he's tied in we add the duct tape to the hands. Sean prefers the praying hands rather then the clasped hands. He seems to prefer that I wrap him almost tight enough to cut off his circulation and so we wrap and wrap and wrap. When we're done. I'll pick up my stuff and call for another cast member to come help him hop off stage.
All of this takes place in less then 10 minutes, assuming I can get them to lie down on time!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Just As Sweet the Second Time Around
In September of 2009 Theatre Unleashed received it's first "Go!" from La Weekly. It was for Friends Like These, a play that eventually went on to the New York Fringe Festival and is now gaining a life of its own outside of Theatre Unleashed. I wrote then how excited I was for that team, the cast, the directors, the writer, they all truly deserved the accolades. I believe I also wrote that I knew there would be other "Go!" headlines in the coming years and while they would each be special the first one would always mean the most.
I was wrong. I don't say that too often, but I was wrong. Yesterday Theatre Unleashed's current show, The Birthday Boys, written by Aaron Kozak, received a "Go!" The script's first go, Theatre Unleashed's second one. To my surprise this one is just as sweet and just as special as the first one.
I've said from the beginning that this show was a special one. There are certain productions where you can feel it way before tech or preview or opening night and certainly way before the critics barge in to throw down their opinion. With this one we knew were creating something extraordinary from the start. I try not to place too much stock in reviews, good or bad they are just the opinion of one person on one night. It does feel good though, hearing from the theater community, not just LA Weekly but others as well that this show has a purpose and place in the Los Angeles Theater Community.
I was wrong. I don't say that too often, but I was wrong. Yesterday Theatre Unleashed's current show, The Birthday Boys, written by Aaron Kozak, received a "Go!" The script's first go, Theatre Unleashed's second one. To my surprise this one is just as sweet and just as special as the first one.
I've said from the beginning that this show was a special one. There are certain productions where you can feel it way before tech or preview or opening night and certainly way before the critics barge in to throw down their opinion. With this one we knew were creating something extraordinary from the start. I try not to place too much stock in reviews, good or bad they are just the opinion of one person on one night. It does feel good though, hearing from the theater community, not just LA Weekly but others as well that this show has a purpose and place in the Los Angeles Theater Community.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Am I Being Unreasonable?
A couple things happened this week that made me wonder if my expectations are a bit too high. After thinking about it for a bit, I've decided that I don't think I'm being unreasonable, but I thought I'd put my thoughts out here and let others help me out.
I was told this week by a theater owner that main stage, Fri/Sat/Sun shows at his theater may not hang lights. They are expected to use the same wash he has up. Now I understand wanting to make sure that a general wash is always in place, that's expected. But in my experience as long as a lighting designer does give the space a general wash in addition to the show plot re-hanging and moving lights around is common practice and perfectly acceptable. Apparently not in this theater because as I was told "any moron who has been producing theater longer than 2 months knows you can't re-hang lights." So my question is for all of us "morons" who have been producing theater for longer than two months has anyone else run into a situation where as the main stage show your lighting designer was not allowed to move lights around to create the desired look? It seemed odd to me. Granted I may be a bit bias now because I wasn't really thrilled with the label of moron or the screaming occurring on the other end of the phone line. So please enlighten me? Have I just been exceptionally lucky in my nearly six years of theater in Los Angeles?
I'm also in the process of scheduling auditions for an upcoming production. I put up a general casting announcement on LA Casting, started getting some actor submissions and began scheduling auditions. I feel like I'm pretty reasonable when it comes to auditions. The way this service is set up you must assign actors an audition time slot, when I do that I always send an email explaining they may simply email me and request a different time slot. I'm pretty accommodating when it comes to auditions.
There are two things that bother me about what I perceive to be many of actors on this service and other similar services. The first thing is that it seems to me that the bulk of them don't bother to look at the project itself. They get a notification that they "fit" the description, in this case male/female ages 21-55 and hit submit. They don't seem to bother to read what it is or really even think about if it is something they are interested in doing. I call these people the perpetual submitters. I have a list of them in my head. I used to schedule them and remind them about the audition and then they no-show constantly. You'd be surprised how many names are on the list. I don't call them anymore, it's a waste of my time. So question number one, and I ask because I'm not an actor so I honestly can't figure out the answer to this, why would you submit to things that either you have no interest in, aren't available for the audition or are already cast in a production that runs during the same time period. When these perpetual submitters do bother to email me back or decline the audition it's with reasons such as, "sorry, have class on Tuesday nights, can't make the audition," or "sorry, cast in Twelfth Night which overlaps this production by five weeks." My confusion lies in the fact that both the audition date and the run dates are clearly stated in the audition notice, so if you know you have class on Tuesdays and don't want to miss it for an audition then you probably shouldn't submit yourself or if you know that you are Juliet in a production that overlaps this one you probably shouldn't send me your information. So my question then is, if the information regarding dates is clearly in the announcement and the actor already knows they have conflict why would they submit? All it does is make me annoyed with that person and if they do it more than once they go on my do not invite list.
The second thing that bothers me are emails like the one I received this morning:
"Please remind me of this project and location details...I do not remember the initial audition request"
See here's my issue. I did my part, I took 30 minutes, filled in all the necessary information, character breakdowns, project description, venue location, audition date, show dates. It's all there, it's all on the site. Why does this person think that it is my responsibility to send her all of that information again? It's not my job. She submitted herself for this project. All an email like that does is tell me she probably didn't read the announcement in the first, and is now too lazy to do a bit of investigation work to figure it out on her own. (I should mention that in every email our company's website is stated as well as the name of the project.) I don't mind questions that are specific. Those show me the actor knows what the project is and wants some clarification. That's fine, but this "I do not remember..." doesn't instill much confidence. So my instinct is to not reply, I'm certainly not going to send her a personal email with all the details she can find online. I'm left to ask am I being unreasonable? Is it too much to expect actors to know what they submitted for and to be a bit pro-active by doing their homework?
So between the lights and the actors I'm left to wonder if my overall expectations are too high?
I was told this week by a theater owner that main stage, Fri/Sat/Sun shows at his theater may not hang lights. They are expected to use the same wash he has up. Now I understand wanting to make sure that a general wash is always in place, that's expected. But in my experience as long as a lighting designer does give the space a general wash in addition to the show plot re-hanging and moving lights around is common practice and perfectly acceptable. Apparently not in this theater because as I was told "any moron who has been producing theater longer than 2 months knows you can't re-hang lights." So my question is for all of us "morons" who have been producing theater for longer than two months has anyone else run into a situation where as the main stage show your lighting designer was not allowed to move lights around to create the desired look? It seemed odd to me. Granted I may be a bit bias now because I wasn't really thrilled with the label of moron or the screaming occurring on the other end of the phone line. So please enlighten me? Have I just been exceptionally lucky in my nearly six years of theater in Los Angeles?
I'm also in the process of scheduling auditions for an upcoming production. I put up a general casting announcement on LA Casting, started getting some actor submissions and began scheduling auditions. I feel like I'm pretty reasonable when it comes to auditions. The way this service is set up you must assign actors an audition time slot, when I do that I always send an email explaining they may simply email me and request a different time slot. I'm pretty accommodating when it comes to auditions.
There are two things that bother me about what I perceive to be many of actors on this service and other similar services. The first thing is that it seems to me that the bulk of them don't bother to look at the project itself. They get a notification that they "fit" the description, in this case male/female ages 21-55 and hit submit. They don't seem to bother to read what it is or really even think about if it is something they are interested in doing. I call these people the perpetual submitters. I have a list of them in my head. I used to schedule them and remind them about the audition and then they no-show constantly. You'd be surprised how many names are on the list. I don't call them anymore, it's a waste of my time. So question number one, and I ask because I'm not an actor so I honestly can't figure out the answer to this, why would you submit to things that either you have no interest in, aren't available for the audition or are already cast in a production that runs during the same time period. When these perpetual submitters do bother to email me back or decline the audition it's with reasons such as, "sorry, have class on Tuesday nights, can't make the audition," or "sorry, cast in Twelfth Night which overlaps this production by five weeks." My confusion lies in the fact that both the audition date and the run dates are clearly stated in the audition notice, so if you know you have class on Tuesdays and don't want to miss it for an audition then you probably shouldn't submit yourself or if you know that you are Juliet in a production that overlaps this one you probably shouldn't send me your information. So my question then is, if the information regarding dates is clearly in the announcement and the actor already knows they have conflict why would they submit? All it does is make me annoyed with that person and if they do it more than once they go on my do not invite list.
The second thing that bothers me are emails like the one I received this morning:
"Please remind me of this project and location details...I do not remember the initial audition request"
See here's my issue. I did my part, I took 30 minutes, filled in all the necessary information, character breakdowns, project description, venue location, audition date, show dates. It's all there, it's all on the site. Why does this person think that it is my responsibility to send her all of that information again? It's not my job. She submitted herself for this project. All an email like that does is tell me she probably didn't read the announcement in the first, and is now too lazy to do a bit of investigation work to figure it out on her own. (I should mention that in every email our company's website is stated as well as the name of the project.) I don't mind questions that are specific. Those show me the actor knows what the project is and wants some clarification. That's fine, but this "I do not remember..." doesn't instill much confidence. So my instinct is to not reply, I'm certainly not going to send her a personal email with all the details she can find online. I'm left to ask am I being unreasonable? Is it too much to expect actors to know what they submitted for and to be a bit pro-active by doing their homework?
So between the lights and the actors I'm left to wonder if my overall expectations are too high?
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The View from My Booth!
So it occurred to me that I have never actually shared a photo of the view from the booth. This is what my booth currently looks like:
For any of you who were holding on to the myth that Stage Managers live a glamorous life, this should help quell those suspicions! In fact this picture was taken a few days ago, before the rain and the leaky roof set in. Now add three trashcans doubling as water containers and plastic bags over the equipment to the photo and you'll have the view I currently have. You know what the funny part is? I wouldn't trade it for the world, trash bags, water buckets and leaky roof included. I truly do have the best job in the world!
For any of you who were holding on to the myth that Stage Managers live a glamorous life, this should help quell those suspicions! In fact this picture was taken a few days ago, before the rain and the leaky roof set in. Now add three trashcans doubling as water containers and plastic bags over the equipment to the photo and you'll have the view I currently have. You know what the funny part is? I wouldn't trade it for the world, trash bags, water buckets and leaky roof included. I truly do have the best job in the world!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Erin Versus The Theatre Gods
This past weekend I produced one of Theatre Unleashed's famous 24 hour festivals, this one titled Can't Buy Me Love. All of the scripts were based off of famous Beatles's tunes. The way these 24 hour festival works is that on Friday night at 7pm the writers get their topics along with the number of men and women in their casts. They have to send the scripts to me by 9am on Saturday morning. At 10ish we meet in a park where the directors randomly select scripts and then casts. We have the day to rehearse and the show goes up at 8pm the same night. Insane? Perhaps. But what we've learned is that it truly is a way to get our creative juices flowing and show Los Angeles just what we can do in 24 hours. This time as an added bonus I added stand-up comedians into the mix, interspersing plays and stand-up through out the show.
Now I have to admit the events that led to the anger and panic may very well be my fault. You see on Wednesday of last week, I found myself thinking, "wow, the planning has gone remarkably well, I have more actors than I normally have, the stand-up comics are confirmed, the publicity is out, the venue confirmed..." and then I actually said "This has really been way too easy." See I did it to myself, I taunted the theater gods and they weren't too happy with my flaunting how simple this was to put together.
Of course the theater gods like to keep you on your toes, they certainly won't give you too much warning. So like any respectable higher power they waited until two hours after the writers received their topics. Two hours after they were planning characters and writing outlines and that's when the gods delivered their first punch. An actor sent me an email excusing herself from the show on Saturday due to work conflicts. A few moments of panic, well more than a few, a good thirty minutes of panic and a few threats to cancel the entire show followed. Fortunately my best friend of over a decade (who is also the Director of Education for TU) let me rant for a while and then offered me the solution. Her husband, another of my best friends, was writing that night and had just started his outline. She suggested I call him and ask if I could knock an actor out of his script. He said that was fine. Erin: 1 Theatre Gods: 0.
I went to bed on Friday night thinking everything was fine. I had successfully won that round. Now I'm only left to assume considering the events of Saturday that the Theatre Gods really don't like to lose. Saturday morning, the actors and directors assembled, they chose scripts and chose actors and everyone went off to rehearse. And then I get a phone call, one of them has become severely ill and must be taken to the hospital by his roommate, who happens to be in one of the other plays of the day. So at 1pm I find myself down two actors. Erin: 1 Theatre Gods:2
The panic sets in. I heard from one of the playwrights who tells me it's fine to cut his script if we don't have enough actors. His message instilled a sense of resolve in me, not to be cliche but "The Show Must Go On" all scripts must be performed, I would not be defeated by the gods of the theater. That was simply not an option.
Enter my two show-saving actors. My best friend, the same one who saved the show the night before, stepped up and memorized two shows. Our artistic director also volunteered to perform in two shows that night. By then it was nearly 3pm. They had less than 5 hours to memorize two different shows with two different casts and two different directors. I never doubted they could do it. I never asked if they doubted they could do it. They just jumped in and did it. I should add the word flawlessly, they did it flawlessly.
A testament to the strength and talent inside our company, these two along with 9 other actors, four comedians, five directors, and five writers pulled off one of the best 24 hour festivals in our company's history. Watching the show from the booth, I could not have been happier. If we hadn't told the audience, no one would have known about the last minute switches. The entire evening was a complete success. So in the end while I hate to post the final score, I do believe that with much help from a talented pool of people I can declare victory over the theater gods on this one. I'll enjoy it while it lasts. I go into tech for our next show in two weeks and I'm sure they'll be waiting to duel again!
Now I have to admit the events that led to the anger and panic may very well be my fault. You see on Wednesday of last week, I found myself thinking, "wow, the planning has gone remarkably well, I have more actors than I normally have, the stand-up comics are confirmed, the publicity is out, the venue confirmed..." and then I actually said "This has really been way too easy." See I did it to myself, I taunted the theater gods and they weren't too happy with my flaunting how simple this was to put together.
Of course the theater gods like to keep you on your toes, they certainly won't give you too much warning. So like any respectable higher power they waited until two hours after the writers received their topics. Two hours after they were planning characters and writing outlines and that's when the gods delivered their first punch. An actor sent me an email excusing herself from the show on Saturday due to work conflicts. A few moments of panic, well more than a few, a good thirty minutes of panic and a few threats to cancel the entire show followed. Fortunately my best friend of over a decade (who is also the Director of Education for TU) let me rant for a while and then offered me the solution. Her husband, another of my best friends, was writing that night and had just started his outline. She suggested I call him and ask if I could knock an actor out of his script. He said that was fine. Erin: 1 Theatre Gods: 0.
I went to bed on Friday night thinking everything was fine. I had successfully won that round. Now I'm only left to assume considering the events of Saturday that the Theatre Gods really don't like to lose. Saturday morning, the actors and directors assembled, they chose scripts and chose actors and everyone went off to rehearse. And then I get a phone call, one of them has become severely ill and must be taken to the hospital by his roommate, who happens to be in one of the other plays of the day. So at 1pm I find myself down two actors. Erin: 1 Theatre Gods:2
The panic sets in. I heard from one of the playwrights who tells me it's fine to cut his script if we don't have enough actors. His message instilled a sense of resolve in me, not to be cliche but "The Show Must Go On" all scripts must be performed, I would not be defeated by the gods of the theater. That was simply not an option.
Enter my two show-saving actors. My best friend, the same one who saved the show the night before, stepped up and memorized two shows. Our artistic director also volunteered to perform in two shows that night. By then it was nearly 3pm. They had less than 5 hours to memorize two different shows with two different casts and two different directors. I never doubted they could do it. I never asked if they doubted they could do it. They just jumped in and did it. I should add the word flawlessly, they did it flawlessly.
A testament to the strength and talent inside our company, these two along with 9 other actors, four comedians, five directors, and five writers pulled off one of the best 24 hour festivals in our company's history. Watching the show from the booth, I could not have been happier. If we hadn't told the audience, no one would have known about the last minute switches. The entire evening was a complete success. So in the end while I hate to post the final score, I do believe that with much help from a talented pool of people I can declare victory over the theater gods on this one. I'll enjoy it while it lasts. I go into tech for our next show in two weeks and I'm sure they'll be waiting to duel again!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Rolling with the Boys
Rehearsals have begun again and this time I do indeed find myself rolling with the boys. I am the sole girl hanging with a cast of 8 men and a male director and I have to admit I'm honored to be "one of the boys."
If you know me, you know that I am by stereotypical definition a girl. I don't like bugs, I don't like dirt. I wear make-up and jewelery, my hair is usually at least somewhat presentable, I like skirts and dresses, I am 100% girl. At the same time I'm a production manager and I think any female production manager has a bit of "guy" in her. I'm not afraid to climb a ladder and change a light or smack a fuse box. I'll absolutely try to move heavy set pieces and I will dig in and help with builds and strikes.
Last night as I handed the leads their costumes and watched them hop around in boxers while changing it began to sink in that I am one of them. Throughout rehearsal the sex jokes fly around the room. At times I find myself a bit confused but mostly I'm amused by their banter and occasionally I find myself joining in. Perhaps I was accepted as one of them more quickly because I know all of them already or perhaps it's because I have to tie them up every night and so after the boxer hopping each of them takes a turn placing their legs on my knee while I duct tape their ankles together. Whatever the reason I like being the sole girl on this project.
Guys in groups are fascinating, watching the three leads work last night was an incredible look into their camaraderie and trust for one another. This play finds these three guys bound at the wrists and ankles and blindfolded for the entire 90 minute production. To watch them adjust to these restraints, have complete faith in each other and in the director is amazing. I love watching them go in and out of their characters. One minute all so serious, so into the world they are acting in and then the next minute sharing one liners that I won't even begin to repeat here.
With every play you get a feeling. You know when you have something truly special in front of you and last night watching rehearsal that feeling set in. This one, this play, this cast, this is going to be one of those incredible productions that stays in your head for a while. For me, I plan on continuing to roll with the boys and savor every moment of it.
If you know me, you know that I am by stereotypical definition a girl. I don't like bugs, I don't like dirt. I wear make-up and jewelery, my hair is usually at least somewhat presentable, I like skirts and dresses, I am 100% girl. At the same time I'm a production manager and I think any female production manager has a bit of "guy" in her. I'm not afraid to climb a ladder and change a light or smack a fuse box. I'll absolutely try to move heavy set pieces and I will dig in and help with builds and strikes.
Last night as I handed the leads their costumes and watched them hop around in boxers while changing it began to sink in that I am one of them. Throughout rehearsal the sex jokes fly around the room. At times I find myself a bit confused but mostly I'm amused by their banter and occasionally I find myself joining in. Perhaps I was accepted as one of them more quickly because I know all of them already or perhaps it's because I have to tie them up every night and so after the boxer hopping each of them takes a turn placing their legs on my knee while I duct tape their ankles together. Whatever the reason I like being the sole girl on this project.
Guys in groups are fascinating, watching the three leads work last night was an incredible look into their camaraderie and trust for one another. This play finds these three guys bound at the wrists and ankles and blindfolded for the entire 90 minute production. To watch them adjust to these restraints, have complete faith in each other and in the director is amazing. I love watching them go in and out of their characters. One minute all so serious, so into the world they are acting in and then the next minute sharing one liners that I won't even begin to repeat here.
With every play you get a feeling. You know when you have something truly special in front of you and last night watching rehearsal that feeling set in. This one, this play, this cast, this is going to be one of those incredible productions that stays in your head for a while. For me, I plan on continuing to roll with the boys and savor every moment of it.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Deciding to Walk, Placing Blame and Saying Thanks
So I want to say upfront that I blame among many things my new galoshes, the book my roommate gave me, Wreck This Journal, an incredible friend, the city of Los Angeles and my best friend for over 11 years for a few sudden but stubborn thoughts in my head. Why do I blame all these things...let's go over the evidence shall we?
Item 1: This incredible friend signed up to do some crazy prove to the world you can run uphill and through obstacles race, now while I don't want to run uphill or prove I'm a Spartan Warrior, it made me want to do something, so I signed up to do The Warrior Dash in April. Yes, I will be one of the crazy people jumping through tires, climbing through a junk yard, wading through mud (and several of you know that I don't like mud). So I blame this friend for making my brain want to do this.
Item 2: In talking with the same friend, I mentioned I was thinking about starting the Couch to 5k running program, he not only encouraged me to do it, but offered to do it with me. So I blame him for what I think has become the start of my actually liking to run. I'm on week 4 and actually really love it. I blame him entirely for this.
Item 3: The City of Los Angeles, okay well maybe not the city itself, perhaps more accurately the weather in the city. How can I not want to go outside and run when it's a beautiful 75 and sunny. So I also blame the weather in the city of LA for forcing me to continue this new running habit.
Item 4: This book, Wreck This Journal, may very well be the bane of my existence at the moment. It's staring at me, mocking me almost, daring me to open it and do one of the instructions on the pages, things like shower with it and place sticky things inside it (I do not like sticky things as a general rule.) the current page told me to make a mess and then clean it up -- I can't decide what kind of mess to make, mainly because I'm afraid it will be too messy (we'll discuss this in another blog entry). So I blame my roommate for giving me this book which is making me do many things I wouldn't normally do and have fun while I'm doing them. I also blame the book and by default my roommate for forcing me look outside of my little box and go on new adventures.
Item 5: My new galoshes, I love my new galoshes, even though I've only been able to wear them once this season since they arrived. I love them for two reasons, the first being obvious, they keep my feet dry in the rain. Second, they are covered in pink ribbons. The pink ribbons, I think I'm blame them too! These galoshes sit in my room, I see them everyday, so in turn I see the pink ribbons everyday. So one night while staring at the ribbons I found myself googling the Susan G. Komen 3 day for a Cure event. I found it, began watching all the videos, reading their information and fast forward 10 days I actually registered for the San Diego Race in November. So I blame my galoshes for the initial idea to google the event and then eventually register for it.
Item 6: Finally I blame my best friend for the past 10 years for asking to join my 3 day team and train with me. I blame her because in doing this she too is helping push me out of my box and into a new journey. The best part is I get to share this adventure with her, but I still blame her a bit!
So there you have it, I believe I have presented significant evidence to prove that my desire to step out of my comfort zone and do things like run, wade through mud, shower with a book and walk 60 miles can be blamed on my new galoshes, the book my roommate gave me, an incredible friend, the city of Los Angeles and my best friend for over 11 years.
Perhaps blame isn't exactly the right word perhaps I should be saying thank you. Thank you for helping me experience so many new things and embark on several amazing journeys in 2011.
Item 1: This incredible friend signed up to do some crazy prove to the world you can run uphill and through obstacles race, now while I don't want to run uphill or prove I'm a Spartan Warrior, it made me want to do something, so I signed up to do The Warrior Dash in April. Yes, I will be one of the crazy people jumping through tires, climbing through a junk yard, wading through mud (and several of you know that I don't like mud). So I blame this friend for making my brain want to do this.
Item 2: In talking with the same friend, I mentioned I was thinking about starting the Couch to 5k running program, he not only encouraged me to do it, but offered to do it with me. So I blame him for what I think has become the start of my actually liking to run. I'm on week 4 and actually really love it. I blame him entirely for this.
Item 3: The City of Los Angeles, okay well maybe not the city itself, perhaps more accurately the weather in the city. How can I not want to go outside and run when it's a beautiful 75 and sunny. So I also blame the weather in the city of LA for forcing me to continue this new running habit.
Item 4: This book, Wreck This Journal, may very well be the bane of my existence at the moment. It's staring at me, mocking me almost, daring me to open it and do one of the instructions on the pages, things like shower with it and place sticky things inside it (I do not like sticky things as a general rule.) the current page told me to make a mess and then clean it up -- I can't decide what kind of mess to make, mainly because I'm afraid it will be too messy (we'll discuss this in another blog entry). So I blame my roommate for giving me this book which is making me do many things I wouldn't normally do and have fun while I'm doing them. I also blame the book and by default my roommate for forcing me look outside of my little box and go on new adventures.
Item 5: My new galoshes, I love my new galoshes, even though I've only been able to wear them once this season since they arrived. I love them for two reasons, the first being obvious, they keep my feet dry in the rain. Second, they are covered in pink ribbons. The pink ribbons, I think I'm blame them too! These galoshes sit in my room, I see them everyday, so in turn I see the pink ribbons everyday. So one night while staring at the ribbons I found myself googling the Susan G. Komen 3 day for a Cure event. I found it, began watching all the videos, reading their information and fast forward 10 days I actually registered for the San Diego Race in November. So I blame my galoshes for the initial idea to google the event and then eventually register for it.
Item 6: Finally I blame my best friend for the past 10 years for asking to join my 3 day team and train with me. I blame her because in doing this she too is helping push me out of my box and into a new journey. The best part is I get to share this adventure with her, but I still blame her a bit!
So there you have it, I believe I have presented significant evidence to prove that my desire to step out of my comfort zone and do things like run, wade through mud, shower with a book and walk 60 miles can be blamed on my new galoshes, the book my roommate gave me, an incredible friend, the city of Los Angeles and my best friend for over 11 years.
Perhaps blame isn't exactly the right word perhaps I should be saying thank you. Thank you for helping me experience so many new things and embark on several amazing journeys in 2011.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Make a Mess, Clean it Up
Those six words, "Make a Mess, Clean it Up" have been bothering me for the past 5 days. They are the next set of instructions in my "Wreck This Journal" project. I did shower with the book. Here are the photos to prove it!
So perhaps I cheated a bit, you'll notice the book is wrapped in two ziplock bags and it was carefully placed in the corner of the shower where very little water lands. Barely following the instructions, perhaps, but that book did take a shower with me so I'm marking that page as complete.
After our shower I was feeling pretty confident about the whole thing so I boldly opened the book to another page and saw the words, "Make a Mess, Clean It Up." Seriously I've been trying to figure this out for the past three days. I really try hard to not purposely make messes. I tried to convince myself a few days ago that making a mess by taking down the Christmas decorations counted but I don't think it does, first I didn't really make a mess when I took them down and second I didn't intentionally make a mess just for the purpose of cleaning it up.
So now I'm left with this instruction to make a mess. I don't know what kind of mess to make, I don't even know where to start. A food mess, a paper mess, a paint mess, a soap mess -- can you make a soap mess? And then once I decide on the type of mess to make I have to actually force myself to make the mess. I may need some assistance with this one. Here's a question if I know I'm going to make a mess can I be proactive about the cleaning up while making the mess? For instance if I wanted to have say a flour fight, would it be alright to cover the floor and counters in wax paper first, to make it easier to clean up later or is that cheating?
So I do need help, please suggestions for making a mess, I'm willing to consider them all and I promise to take photos of the winning mess!
So perhaps I cheated a bit, you'll notice the book is wrapped in two ziplock bags and it was carefully placed in the corner of the shower where very little water lands. Barely following the instructions, perhaps, but that book did take a shower with me so I'm marking that page as complete.
After our shower I was feeling pretty confident about the whole thing so I boldly opened the book to another page and saw the words, "Make a Mess, Clean It Up." Seriously I've been trying to figure this out for the past three days. I really try hard to not purposely make messes. I tried to convince myself a few days ago that making a mess by taking down the Christmas decorations counted but I don't think it does, first I didn't really make a mess when I took them down and second I didn't intentionally make a mess just for the purpose of cleaning it up.
So now I'm left with this instruction to make a mess. I don't know what kind of mess to make, I don't even know where to start. A food mess, a paper mess, a paint mess, a soap mess -- can you make a soap mess? And then once I decide on the type of mess to make I have to actually force myself to make the mess. I may need some assistance with this one. Here's a question if I know I'm going to make a mess can I be proactive about the cleaning up while making the mess? For instance if I wanted to have say a flour fight, would it be alright to cover the floor and counters in wax paper first, to make it easier to clean up later or is that cheating?
So I do need help, please suggestions for making a mess, I'm willing to consider them all and I promise to take photos of the winning mess!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Monster At The End of the Book
When I was little my mom used to read me a
I did complete the first page, I'm not sure that my name is written illegibly enough. For the backwards instruction I decided on writing it backwards by beginning with the "n" and ending with the "e." I still find myself hoping that was alright. Seriously I have major perfectionist issues don't I? -- You don't really need to answer that I, I think I know the answer. Being completely honest, I'm a bit afraid to open the book again. I suppose the only way to get past that is to do it so I will right now...the second page is a list of instructions 1. Follow the instructions on every page. 2. Order is not important 3.Instructions are open to interpretation. 4. Experiment (work against your better judgment).
Okay so "follow the instructions on every page" I like that, guidelines, things that tell me exactly what to do...except that I get the feeling these instructions are going to tell me to do things I don't want to do.
"Order is not important" even that kind of bothers me. You have to understand that I do many things in order. I even eat in order, yes, I know, I should probably not be admitting this, but I eat one thing at time. On a plate with a few things, say meat, rice and vegetables. I eat the vegetables, then the meat and then the rice and then drink my beverage. Odd I know, but that's what I do. Order is very important...but I can follow this direction.
"Instructions are open to interpretation" now this is where I really start to have issues, if you're going to give me instructions, I'm going to follow them, interpreting them will only make me wonder if I've over analyzed them, not followed them enough or completely re-written them. It makes me nervous.
"Experiment" I didn't do well in Chemistry...
Okay, since order is not important I will open the book once more tonight and find a page..."Take this book in the shower with you" Really, really? Sigh...okay...I'll do it, but I don't think I'm going to like it and I don't think the book is going to like it either...
If there is a monster at the end of the book shouldn't I just stop now...I suppose that would mean I missed the point entirely -- of both the Wreck This Journal project and The Monster at the End of the Book. After all the monster at the end of Grover's book was himself, so does that mean that in a way I am my own monster, holding myself back from doing the odd things the book asks me to do -- I think it does. So first thing tomorrow morning this book and I will taking a shower!
The end 2010
So here it is the end of this fantastically amazing year. I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to 2010. It was a good year for me and for many people I know. I'm sure that 2011 will be good, but sometimes it's hard to jump into something when what you are leaving has been so good. But in less than 28 hours we will be doing just that whether I'm ready to or not. Someone once told me that they way you spend midnight on the turn of a new year is a sign for how the rest of your year will be...I'm not sure if I believe that or not but if it is true it means that the rest of 2011 will find me in large crowds surrounding by many drunk people, but with two of my best friends on the planet. So I guess buying into what I was told that can't be too bad of a way to spend the year. (For those of you wondering where the large crowds of drunken people will be, I'll be spending tomorrow night on the Las Vegas strip.)
Looking ahead there is a lot of good things headed my way in the next year. Theatre Unleashed has some amazing shows on the horizon, I'll be going with one, possibly two shows to the Hollywood Fringe Festival, that yet to be discussed project I keep hinting about will be getting underway and I'm sure there will be things I don't even know about pushing their way into my sights. On a personal note I will also be starting the "Couch to 5K" program with a friend of mine. For some reason at the age of 3cough cough cough I've decided that perhaps challenging myself to do something like run a 5k and perhaps more seems sort of like a fun plan. Ask me if I still feel that way in a couple weeks!
And so I hope whatever holiday you may celebrate this time of year has left you feeling happy, content, relaxed and ready to start another fantastic year.
Have a Happy and Safe New Years!
Looking ahead there is a lot of good things headed my way in the next year. Theatre Unleashed has some amazing shows on the horizon, I'll be going with one, possibly two shows to the Hollywood Fringe Festival, that yet to be discussed project I keep hinting about will be getting underway and I'm sure there will be things I don't even know about pushing their way into my sights. On a personal note I will also be starting the "Couch to 5K" program with a friend of mine. For some reason at the age of 3cough cough cough I've decided that perhaps challenging myself to do something like run a 5k and perhaps more seems sort of like a fun plan. Ask me if I still feel that way in a couple weeks!
And so I hope whatever holiday you may celebrate this time of year has left you feeling happy, content, relaxed and ready to start another fantastic year.
Have a Happy and Safe New Years!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Art of Imperfection
So yesterday one of my roommates gave me a book titled Wreck This Journal written by Keri Smith. The entire purpose as stated on the cover is to wreck the book. The second page has a warning that says "During the process of this book you will get dirty. You may find yourself covered in paint, or any other number of foreign substances. You will get wet. You may be asked to do things you question. You may grieve for the perfect state that you found the book in. You may begin to see creative destruction everywhere. You may begin to live more recklessly."
That entire statement scares me. I am a stage manager. By nature we like things organized, completed, tied up in little packages, fixed, in a word perfect or as close to perfect as we can. I am also an only child, now I know that some only children will absolutely disagree with me, but generally an only child also likes things as close to perfect as they can be. I'll admit it I am a bit of a perfectionist. Growing up my toys were never broken, my games and puzzles were never missing pieces, everything had it's place, everything was neat and tidy. So seeing an opening statement like the one above terrifies me. Books are not supposed to be destroyed.
So I took a deep breathe and turned the page only to stumped by the first set of instructions. They seem simple enough, but I soon found myself worrying that I would do them incorrectly. It's my book, can't I complete them anyway I want? Apparently my brain doesn't think so...#1 write your name in white -- first thought, how am I going to write in white and have it be seen? second thought, I could use white out, I don't have white out, I'll have to take it to work tomorrow. Third thought, am I over thinking this, no it says write my name in white. Okay #2 Write your name illegibly... I don't know how to do that. What if I write it and you can read it, then I've failed and it's only step 2 of the first page. Alright so I'll skip that for now and continue to think about how to write my name illegibly. #3 Write your name in tiny letters -- okay now that I can do, but do I write it normally with a capital E and a capital S or all caps or all lower case, dilemma, I went with all caps, but still found myself wondering if that would be alright. #4 Write your name backward -- this is where I stopped, write it backward -- do they mean actually write it backward as in nire or am I suppose to write it normally but start from the right side of the page and work my backward so that it will still spell my name but was written right to left instead of left to write.
At this point I've begun to doubt my success rate for following the directions in this book. I want to complete it I really do, but there is this over powering voice inside my brain telling me to make sure I do it correctly. I think my over achieving, perfection wanting brain is missing the point of the book. I will try again tomorrow, once I figure out the meaning of the writing your name backwards. I'm a bit scared to turn the page. If this page was this difficult the next page probably won't be much easier. It'll be good for me right, destroying the book. I'll let you know how it goes :)
That entire statement scares me. I am a stage manager. By nature we like things organized, completed, tied up in little packages, fixed, in a word perfect or as close to perfect as we can. I am also an only child, now I know that some only children will absolutely disagree with me, but generally an only child also likes things as close to perfect as they can be. I'll admit it I am a bit of a perfectionist. Growing up my toys were never broken, my games and puzzles were never missing pieces, everything had it's place, everything was neat and tidy. So seeing an opening statement like the one above terrifies me. Books are not supposed to be destroyed.
So I took a deep breathe and turned the page only to stumped by the first set of instructions. They seem simple enough, but I soon found myself worrying that I would do them incorrectly. It's my book, can't I complete them anyway I want? Apparently my brain doesn't think so...#1 write your name in white -- first thought, how am I going to write in white and have it be seen? second thought, I could use white out, I don't have white out, I'll have to take it to work tomorrow. Third thought, am I over thinking this, no it says write my name in white. Okay #2 Write your name illegibly... I don't know how to do that. What if I write it and you can read it, then I've failed and it's only step 2 of the first page. Alright so I'll skip that for now and continue to think about how to write my name illegibly. #3 Write your name in tiny letters -- okay now that I can do, but do I write it normally with a capital E and a capital S or all caps or all lower case, dilemma, I went with all caps, but still found myself wondering if that would be alright. #4 Write your name backward -- this is where I stopped, write it backward -- do they mean actually write it backward as in nire or am I suppose to write it normally but start from the right side of the page and work my backward so that it will still spell my name but was written right to left instead of left to write.
At this point I've begun to doubt my success rate for following the directions in this book. I want to complete it I really do, but there is this over powering voice inside my brain telling me to make sure I do it correctly. I think my over achieving, perfection wanting brain is missing the point of the book. I will try again tomorrow, once I figure out the meaning of the writing your name backwards. I'm a bit scared to turn the page. If this page was this difficult the next page probably won't be much easier. It'll be good for me right, destroying the book. I'll let you know how it goes :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Not Alone
I've talked a lot about my experiences at both the Hollywood and New York Fringe Festivals this past summer. If you've read with any regularity you already know that both festivals were absolutely incredible experiences for me on a personal level. I left them wanting to go back, wanting to do more, wanting to find the next project that would give me that level of motivation and excitement and give me that artistic and creative high. Like I said if you have read my blog you already know all that.
What hit me last night was the lasting impact of these festivals, particularly the Hollywood Fringe Festival (most likely because I live here) had over the entire small theater community. I think many people left Hollywood Fringe feeling the same way I felt, wanting more, wanting to do it again. In many ways it reminded me of summer camp long ago, when after two or three weeks you had made many new friends and when it came time to say goodbye there were promises to write, to keep in touch, to maybe visit each other during school breaks. Rarely did those things ever happen. Sure we saw each other the next summer and picked up where we left off 12 months ago, but the friendships never went farther than summer camp. And so at the end of Hollywood Fringe I found myself wondering what the outcome would be, would people make that effort to stay in touch, to support each other's creative products or would we get lost in our own busy creative worlds, forgetting about the actors, writers, producers we met over the summer, would we be able to go farther than just Fringe?
It's been nearly six months since Hollywood Fringe and what hit me last night (while at a show produced by Coeurage Theater, a company we met at Fringe) was how unlike the summer camp experience Fringe turned out to be. For those who made the effort Hollywood Fringe was the turning point or the connection that many smaller theaters have been looking to find in Los Angeles. It was the moment that many of us realized we are not alone and not only are we not alone, we are not competing with each other, we are allowed to and should be supporting each other. I think many of us realized this is a team effort, we may come from several companies, from all parts of the city, but in order for small theatre in Los Angeles to survive, we need each other.
The organizers of Hollywood Fringe did an amazing job of organizing a festival that brought the Los Angeles theater community together for a little over two weeks last June. It is an incredible testament to them that not only was Hollywood Fringe a successful two week festival, but it succeeded in gathering the small companies in Los Angeles and getting us to talk with each other, to realize we have the same frustrations, the same desires and the same goals and most importantly none of us are alone.
Unlike summer camp those smaller companies have made the effort to stay connected and because of that the Los Angeles small theater scene is becoming stronger. If after only six months scripts are being shared, cross-promotions are being explored and bi-monthly producers meet-ups and breakfasts are planned, I can't wait to see what this community of artists does after a year, two years and then five years of working together.
What hit me last night was the lasting impact of these festivals, particularly the Hollywood Fringe Festival (most likely because I live here) had over the entire small theater community. I think many people left Hollywood Fringe feeling the same way I felt, wanting more, wanting to do it again. In many ways it reminded me of summer camp long ago, when after two or three weeks you had made many new friends and when it came time to say goodbye there were promises to write, to keep in touch, to maybe visit each other during school breaks. Rarely did those things ever happen. Sure we saw each other the next summer and picked up where we left off 12 months ago, but the friendships never went farther than summer camp. And so at the end of Hollywood Fringe I found myself wondering what the outcome would be, would people make that effort to stay in touch, to support each other's creative products or would we get lost in our own busy creative worlds, forgetting about the actors, writers, producers we met over the summer, would we be able to go farther than just Fringe?
It's been nearly six months since Hollywood Fringe and what hit me last night (while at a show produced by Coeurage Theater, a company we met at Fringe) was how unlike the summer camp experience Fringe turned out to be. For those who made the effort Hollywood Fringe was the turning point or the connection that many smaller theaters have been looking to find in Los Angeles. It was the moment that many of us realized we are not alone and not only are we not alone, we are not competing with each other, we are allowed to and should be supporting each other. I think many of us realized this is a team effort, we may come from several companies, from all parts of the city, but in order for small theatre in Los Angeles to survive, we need each other.
The organizers of Hollywood Fringe did an amazing job of organizing a festival that brought the Los Angeles theater community together for a little over two weeks last June. It is an incredible testament to them that not only was Hollywood Fringe a successful two week festival, but it succeeded in gathering the small companies in Los Angeles and getting us to talk with each other, to realize we have the same frustrations, the same desires and the same goals and most importantly none of us are alone.
Unlike summer camp those smaller companies have made the effort to stay connected and because of that the Los Angeles small theater scene is becoming stronger. If after only six months scripts are being shared, cross-promotions are being explored and bi-monthly producers meet-ups and breakfasts are planned, I can't wait to see what this community of artists does after a year, two years and then five years of working together.
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