13 posts tagged “photography”

I checked out a rehearsal for WNEP's next DADA show, Blinde Essel Hopse (Blind Donkey Hopscotch), on Saturday. I've never seen a DADA show before, so I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting in to. I'm not going to "review" it because I was taking pictures and when I'm behind the camera I tend to tune everything else out. So while I can tell you that the show looks really cool, I don't think I could do it justice trying to tell you what it's about. Never the less, if the images are any indication, you need to get your kiester to the Cultural Center this Friday night.

I know you are all dying to know what happened next in my thrilling tale of adventures in Iowa. I promise I haven't forgotten. I've just been busy. Too busy to blog? Well, maybe not. But it's not something that's made it onto the "To Do" list lately.

What have I been up to? You ask. Well, let me tell you.

I've been rehearsing a show called Dream a Little Dream which opened Monday night at the Prop Thtr. It's produced by WNEP and is part of The Rhino Fest. We'll be performing on Monday nights at 9pm through September 24. So if you're sitting around, thinking nothing very fun happens on Mondays, come check out the show. It's only an hour long and I know you'll be entertained. Plus, admission is $15 or pay what you can. You can't beat that. Oh, and at one point I dress up as Princess Leia. That's worth $15 alone.

I've also been working on a television pilot with my friend Jason Headley. Jason and I went to college together and hosted our own radio show called Goodnight. It was in the midnight to 3am slot, which meant that we had about two listeners. I'll have to see if Jason has any of the shows as MP3 files and maybe I'll be able to post one on here for your amusement. It was a pretty damn good show. Most nights. At any rate, we decided to see if we could recapture the magic and write something with a little more substance and that led us to the pilot. We're shooting for that Northern Exposure/Ed feel and I think we're doing a pretty good job so far. We've written two episodes and we're talking about doing one more so that we have a nice little package to present the powers that be. I'll write more about it later. And I'm sure I'll be hitting some of you up for your opinion on it. So get your red pens ready.

Speaking of television pilots, I received an email from Dan O'Day yesterday saying that Ken Levine's Sitcom Room is gearing up for another run. I attended it in July, after much wailing and nashing of teeth, and it was well worth the price of admission. If you're thinking about getting into tv writing I highly recommend checking it out. There's nothing else out there like it and it's run by one of the true masters of the field. You can sign up to be on the "alert list" here and Ken will contact you with more information.

While I'm on the pimpin' wagon...

I'm still offerring headshot packages for cheap. Like $100. So if you or someone you know has been talking about getting some new shots, let me know and we'll get you taken care of.

Joe Janes is running a sketch writing workshop called RoboWriters, every Thursday night at 6:30 in the Uptown Writer's Space. It's only $5. Joe teaches at Second City and Columbia College and gives excellent feedback. The dude knows sketch. So, if you're working on a sketch show or just want to improve your skills, this is workshop is soooo worth your time. I've only managed to make it a couple of times, but I plan on getting there every chance I can.

Go see The Fugue. It's part of Theater Momentum's show at The Theater Building on Wednesday nights. It's an evening of improv, three thirty minute shows, that were created at the Work(shop) in Progress. It's improv, so there's as many misses as there are hits, but the forms are worth checking out. Don Hall directed The Fugue, which follows the form of a musical fugue, and I can honestly say I've never seen an improvised show like it before. It was a little slow going at first, but once all the balls were in the air it was very entertaining. I also really enjoy '97 Bulldogs.

All right. That's enough advertising for one day.  I'll try to finish my story about the fair soon. And by "soon" I mean before the end of the year.

 

 

Last night I dreamed that I was watching Steve Martin walk through a mall doing a bit about a lost purse. It was amusing stuff made all the funnier because no one else seemed to recognize him. I approached him and we began talking about movies and I noticed a three-ring binder that he was carrying that seemed to be made of wood with a bird of some sort carved into the front cover. It startled me, I tell him, because I had created a binder just like that one but had misplaced it years ago. He tells me that he doesn't remember where he found it, but it is now the binder in which he keeps all of his most sacred ideas. The next thing I know we're sitting in a restaurant, flipping through the binder and discussing a new idea that he's working on and I'm asked to help him. For some reason, I can't recall now, I got up and went outside as this amazing storm rolled across the sky. The clouds seemed to tumble over each other like an avalanche, everything getting darker and darker as the winds kicked up. Somewhere in my mind I remind myself that storms in dreams signify change. I went back inside, excited for the new changes that were headed my way that Steve and I were good chums and somehow managed to spill soda all over the table, which I tried to clean up while Steve wasn't looking...

And then I woke up.

I don't dream about celebrities a lot. In fact, I would say that other than Steve Martin, I have had very few dreams about celebrities. But for some reason, Steve pops up again and again. It's not surprising really. He something of a role model, I guess. But the dreams are almost always the same. Or rather, the plot of the dreams is always the same, since the settings are different each time. But in these dreams, I wind up seeing Steve somewhere, I introduce myself and begin chatting about writing or movies or what have you and before long we are laughing and carrying on like old friends. Then I wake up. At first I'm excited by the dream, but slowly a sense of sadness creeps into my heart as I realize that the excitement I felt wasn't real, but a dream and I am not best friends with Steve Martin.

Theater of the subconscience. But what do they mean? I suppose they mean whatever I want them to mean, but I wish there was some hard and fast rule on this. With my luck though, it would be something like, "Dreams don't mean anything. They are a series of electronic pulses in the brain designed to relieve stress while our bodies recharge for the next day." That would just take all the fun out of it. All the magic. That feeling that our dreams are trying to tell us something about ourselves. Maybe a glimpse into the future or a warning.

So the storm forbodes change. I did recently request that my hours be reduced at the law firm so that I could spend more time writing and taking photographs. And Steve Martin is someone I look up to. Someone I aspire to be like. So maybe he was me in the dream. A future me, if you will. And that's the reason I feel like I know him so well.

OR

Maybe I am destined to meet him and my subconscience is just trying to prepare me so I don't act like a total spaz when it finally happens.

OR

Maybe I shouldn't have drank a bunch of cider on an empty stomach and then chased it down with a couple of slices of cheddar cheese.

I'm going to go with the first scenario. But my fingers are crossed for number two.

 

P.S. If you're looking for a good flick to check out soon, go see Hot Fuzz. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright know how to make a damn funny, smart, entertaining movie.

 

I took the day off yesterday. From everything. Work. Showering. Walking. I just sat on my couch and flipped through the channels. It was divine.

The show opened on Tuesday night and went off without a hitch. We had a nice house that wasn't all made up designers and technicians, which I'm sure the actors appreciated. The majority of them stuck around afterwards for the free food and booze that was donated to us from places like RJ Grunts and Cru Wine Bar. Plus, Zoe, the Assistant Director, had taken some of the photos we took of Nathan with each girlfriend and created a couple of posters of what the photos might look like after the break up. It was fun stuff.

 

 

It was a pretty fun day, all in all. There were lots of well-wishing phone calls and emails and text messages. My friend Brendan even sent flowers to the theater. Of course, there was no message of any kind from the very vocal "Maureen". But I'm sure she'll have a good excuse. It did my ego good.

After the show, the cast presented me with a telescope so I could "see the stars in the city". It was a very sweet gift and as soon as the skies clear up here, I'll be testing it out. We made some toasts to everyone then we got down to the eating and the drinking.

 

 

 

After we'd gorged ourself on pasta salad and wine and cheese and chocolate covered everything, I broke open a box of cigars I had purchased for the occassion and a few of us stepped outside to light 'em up. I'm not a smoker. Never have been and most of the time I think cigars smell like a dead skunk's stink-star, but it just seemed like the thing to do.

 

 

 

It was great opening night. The kind every writer should get to experience at least once in their careers. Hopefully, it won't be the last one I attend as playwright. I'll keep you posted.

 

P.S. Many thanks to Amy and Emily who jumped in as guest photographers so I didn't have to spend the whole time behind a camera.

 

Just a little over 24 hours until the lights go up on opening night for The Past's Present. (Cue sphincter pucker.)

Over the weekend we had two preview nights, where people could pay five bucks and check out the show. These are basically glorified dress rehersals. We were still taking notes and still tinkering with sound cues. At least I hope there was a little tinkering with sound cues. Or a cue. Just one. You know who you are.

But everything looked good. I think the only thing we need now is a sold-out house full of buzzing energy for the cast to feed off of. Hopefully, we'll have that for tomorrow night. I mean, we're giving away food and booze after the show. What more of an incentive to people need?

I'll save all the mushy blubbering for after opening night. But I would like to express my deepest gratitude to The Cast and Crew of this show. All in all this has been a very painless procedure and it is all thanks to your hard work and dedication. Perhaps in the coming weeks I'll do a little one-on-one interviewing with all of them so you can get to know them better. They deserve all the recognition they can get.

Everyone has tonight off to get a little rest. Or to work at their other job. Me? I'll be trying not to obsess about tomorrow night too much. My new apartment still needs a little TLC, so perhaps I throw myself into some furniture re-arranging or shelf building. Or maybe I'll just head over to my local watering hole and distract myself with a nice, cold beverage or seven.

Here are some pics I snapped last night that we're hoping the local press will be using when they sing their praises of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really can't believe I dragged myself out of bed this morning to come to work. But then, I don't have internet access at home, so how else would I be able to post my blog? So here I am, trying to figure out how I can make a tent fort with my coat and some file boxes so I can curl up on the floor and get another couple of hours of sleep.

Last night went a bit long. Just a little after midnight. By tech week standards it really isn't that late. It's probably pretty average. But it would have been a whole lot easier to handle if I could have slept in until noon. Then again, I think that way about mornings when I go to bed at 10pm the night before.

Something magical happened last night though. Things got underway with the actors around 8 o'clock. It was supposed to be a full run-thru with tech, but they didn't get through all the light and sound cues from the night before, so we were starting with Act II and moving on from there. Right off the bat, this is not a good indicator of how things might go. I mean, if they could only get through one act in four hours, what hope did we have of getting though the second act and still get a full run-thru in? In costume. With all the tech going off without a hitch.

I'd had a bad day at work. The grey, overcast, freezing weather wasn't helping my mood either. So when I got to rehearsal and realized how the evening was going to pan out, I was pretty cranky.  So when we finally got through all the cues at around 10:15ish I suggested that maybe a full run-thru wasn't such a good idea. People were tired and getting sick and there's no need to make it worse five days before opening. My suggestion was to get them into costume and go through a few cues and shuffle everyone home. There was some discussion and some people really wanted to see the run-thru in costume.

As an actor, I would have wanted the run-thru myself. Just walk through the space, carrying props or moving furniture, with the lights and sound. Just to start mapping things out in my brain. But last night, I wasn't thinking like an actor. I was thinking like a cranky, tired playwright who was wondering why he'd bothered to show to up to start with.

We gave the cast the final vote. The options were a) Just the tops and bottoms of scenes, in costume, running some of the more involved sound cues. Or b) A speed-thru, skipping through some of the longer scenes, but slowing down through the sound cues. At first the vote was pretty even for both options. But then one of the actors said "Let's just do it" and it was so.

And I am so glad they did it. I'm sure everyone is feeling about as groggy and fuzzy around the edges as me this morning, but I left the theater last night truly excited to see this show. They raced through the whole thing, didn't drop a line, no majorly screwed up cues and got through the whole show in an hour. It was an awesome sight to behold. The costumes look pretty darn good. At least the ones we saw. And damn if the last scene with The Chorus doesn't make me tear up every time.

I can't wait to watch it again tonight. At regular speed.

And I can't wait for you, Gentle Reader, to see this show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One week from tomorrow is opening night. I wasn't nervous about it until I wrote that sentence. Nuts.

I watched a full run through on Saturday with the intention of taking lots of pictures to post on here. But I did more watching than snapping. I mean that as a compliment. Even though I know this show backwards and forwards (Magellan! Magellen of my soul!) the play was so engaging that I couldn't help but watch. There were even a couple of occassions where I found myself tearing up.

 

And as much as I'd like to take all the credit, all the praise should be showered on Mercedes and The Cast. They've done some really stellar work. I can't wait to see it when we start plugging in sound and lights. Not to mention costumes. Just thinking about Nikki in that pink prom dress with the suit coat over it makes me smile.

I'm really proud of this show and everyone involved with it. I think it's going to kick ass.

 

 

 

Here are a few of the pictures I did manage to take. Hopefully I'll get some more soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or bloated and drunk, whichever comes first.

(These ladies are neither drunk nor bloated.)

Last night we partied at T's to raise a little dough for the show. The place was packed, which was good to see. Of course, it helps that there are 13 people in the show, not counting crew or SRT Company Members. I think everyone had a pretty good time and some even won prizes to boot. If you were there and were upset you didn't win the journal made out of elephant poop you can get it here.

 As we prepared to announce the winners, our artistic director and Leader, Sean singled me out as the playwright and reason for the event. There was a nice round of applause and cheering. Good for the ol' ego. But I also realized that people now had a face to pin the blame on if this puppy goes all Hindenberg on us. No pressure.

 

So it's been another week and I haven't been to rehearsal. It's not for any lack of wanting to go, it's just a matter of too many tasks and not enough time in the day. I was in DC last weekend photographing a friend's wedding. Her April Fools Day wedding. Which started outdoors but ended up inside once the rains came. Everyone had a good time anyhow and I managed to snap over 2000 pictures. Let's just hope one or two of them are in focus.

But back to matter at hand. My play. Which opens in less than two weeks. (Gulp!)

I've been pretty reserved about this whole process, which is something I have a bad habit of doing with everything in my life. Playing everything close to the vest, as they say. But I'm so excited about seeing this show on a stage, in front of an audience, that sometimes I feel like I could do cartwheels across town. I wouldn't do that because a) traffic is crazy and I would probably get hit by a bus and b) I can only do about three in a row before I start to get a little dizzy.

As we get closer to opening night (April 17th for those of you keeping score at home) the marketing team continues to roll out little flares here and there to try and capture some attention and maybe some audience members. For those of you who enjoy a good blog, and who doesn't really, allow me to point you in the direction of Mr. Don Hall's blog. Don has been acting and directing in Chicago for over 15 years and has a wondeful no-nonsense way about him. He recently interviewed me on his blog and he didn't make me cry or anything. Well, maybe a little when we talked about Hugh Grant. He blogs about everything from politics to theater to being a substitute teacher in Chicago. And he's a damn good writer. It should be one of your daily pitstops along the information super-highway.

Also, there are podcast interviews of the cast up at the Speaking Ring website. There's one with Sandy and Maureen and one with Nathan and the Leader. Mercedes, The Director, and I did one too that will be posted later. There is also a YouTube (that's right we are everywhere!) video up that is the beginning of our "Dumpfest" promotion.  Check it out, send it to your friends. Let's see if we can't get a million hits before we open. Or maybe just 100. Okay, okay 50.

Well, that's all I have for the moment. Tonight we're having a "benefit" at T's Restaurant on Clark Street. Starts at 8pm. So if you've got nothing better to do and you're looking to hang out with a few friends and maybe have a drink or nine stop by. We get a percentage of the food/drink between 8 & 12. Mention my little blog here and I'll even buy you a drink.*

 

 

*"Drink" is defined as any liquid beverage, including water.

 

Whew! It's been a week since I was a rehearsal, thanks to the fact that I was packing my apartment up to move to a new one. I don't know why I wind up scheduling these things like thise. It makes me feel like I don't have time to breathe. But for the show, I think it was a good think. For seven days straight I didn't think about the show once. Well, maybe once, but there wasn't anything I could do about it because I was up to my eyeballs in packing tape and cardboard.

But boy, what a difference a week makes. Where as I was a crank-ass last week, this week I just want to give the world a big ol' hug. Starting with The Cast of this show. They rock. There was a full run-through on Tuesday night. I came prepared to take pictures, but wound up just sitting and watching almost the entire time. The second act has really come together nicely and by the time they got to the end I could have cried. But that seemed like it would be maybe just a touch too dramatic at this stage of the game. I'll wait until we're in the space, with lights and costumes before I start blubbering like a little kid with a skinned knee.

 

The Costume Designer showed up Wednesday night with treats for everyone. Some were more excited than others to see what came out of the garment bag, but I think everyone's going to look pretty f-ing good, if I do say so myself.

I'm headed out of town again this weekend, so I'll probably miss a couple more rehearsals. I can't wait to see how good they are when I get back. No pressure guys.

 

There are more pictures over under "Photos", duh. We tried to take a few with Nathan and the ladies. Trying to make them look semi-candid, as if he was at a party or something. I'm not sure what sort of party he's at with Terra, but I want to go next time.