"You have to keep carrying the fire"

Back in October, I posted how excited I was to see the upcoming movie version of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-Prize masterpiece, The Road.

So, on Monday night, Sara and I got our tickets and sat in a quite empty theatre (thank god) and beheld the depressing tale. I actually warned Sara in advance, as she hadn't read the book - I told her it was pretty depressing, and if she wasn't interested, I'd understand. She was all for it.

The movie is (overall) very loyal to the book - I only spotted maybe one or two things out of place (tiny) , plus the expansion of the wife character while not in the book was actually pretty welcome. The juxtaposition of the wife, who would do anything to get away from the apocalypse, and the husband who would hear of nothing but trying to survive it, it helped really show both sides, and makes you contemplate - in that situation what would you do? Would you give up, or would you always have one thread of hope?
The loyalty to the book was tested in one haunting scene. The book describes, in morbid detail, the Man discovering a wealth of half-eaten bodies in the basement of a home. The thing is these "people" are still alive (gotta keep the meat alive and fresh), and they have parts that have been hacked off one at a time to be eaten by the home owners who have resorted to cannibalism. I was so afraid they wouldn't show the scene in the movie, or back off it some and not give the full impact of what he had found. They didn't. It was haunting, visceral, bloody, and awful...and it had to be there.

There was so much I loved, it's hard to digest it all - my "cry" moment was after the Man made the thief strip down and give him all his clothes - and he left him there, shivering. The brutality of the moment was awful, and yet I also understood his reasoning for doing it.

Viggo is great, Charlize is surpisingly great and the boy is killer.
(there's also a couple of great cameos I had fogotten about - people who were transformed so well that I could only recognize them by their VOICE)

If you loved the book, you won't be dissapointed, I promise.

"I told the boy when you dream about bad things happening, it means you're still fighting and you're still alive. It's when you start to dream about good things that you should start to worry" - the Man

How Effing Exciting is THIS?

I mean come on, how often is it that the show you're working on has those cool BANNERS put up on the lightposts by the city? Well, when you're doing your show at the DCA, I guess that can happen!!!!
Hooray! I guess the only thing cooler is if you're Mary Jo Bolduc or Erin Orr, who are IN the picture and now have their FACES on those lampposts!!!!!

Outside....looking in.....

THIS to me is what Hopper will be all about.

(image from Rear Window, 1954)

Leaving for points due east

Tomorrow morning, Sara and I are leaving to drive to Boston for Thanksgiving. I'll have my laptop with me, but I'm sure I won't post any blogs.
I always say I will and then I never do. I'm sure I'll be posting pics and travel updates to facebook and twitter, so if you follow me there then you'll be a-ok.

Looking forward to this vacation - I've only had small doses of Boston over the last year, and I'm needin' my fix!

We leave tomorrow with hopes to be on the road by 6am at the latest. The cool thing is as soon as we cross over into Indiana, we lose the hour, so we're ahead of the game! The first day, we'll drive till we get to Syracuse (about 12 hours) and spend the night there. Then we'll sleep in a little on Sunday, and drive first to Sturbridge to spend the night. An old Salem buddy of mine runs a country inn there and has comped us a room for Sunday night (working for hotels rocks some of the time!), and we have plans to try and hit some of the nice antique shops from that area! Then, on Monday we drive to our hotel right outside Boston, where we park it for the next 6 nights. Hangouts with family, friends and a couple of bottles of wine will take place over those 6 days (plus, throw in some gambling and we're all set!). Then on Sunday the 29th, we leave early in the AM and drive for 12 hours - this will get us to Cleveland, where we'll spend the night Sunday. Monday morning the 30th, we'll wake up and drive back into the city, and then we're back to work on Dec 1st.

can't.
wait.

...and on a COMPLETELY seperate note.....

This poster excites the SHIT outta me....

The rumor is that the premiere will be 1/20....
I have a huge TV.....
Who's coming over????????

Speakin' my language

Don's post today is all about my FAVORITE THING.

Swear words.

Don says: "Favorites include "douchebag," "asshat," "shit stain," and, of course, any variation on the word "fuck." The Irish can use these words like Yo Yo Ma can play an arpeggio and I consider myself a near virtuoso."

A-fucking-men.

I have often told Don that his speech just goes over my head, much like the TV show 'Deadwood'. Back when it was on, I would talk to people that would say "Oh that Deadwood - I just can't get past the language, it's so coarse and vulgar!" And honostly - I don't hear it. I spent my life listening to a group of intelligent Irish souls (my family) weave obscenity into conversation like an oriental rug maker. Swears were just a part of my vernacular. I never actually realized how much I swear until I moved to Chicago. Not that it has changed anything - I still swear like I never moved.

Next week, I return to the mother ship for the holidays - and I promise that when I return to Chicago not only will I probably be swearing more, but my speech will lose all of it's "r"s. But that's a post for anothah day.

Reminiscing on a poster

Today, I was emailing back and forth with my pal Dennis, and I referenced a poster that Jenn Adams used to keep on her wall back in our college days. We used to discuss it often back then. The poster was called "How to Be an Artist" and it had a bunch of cool things on it like "swing high on the swingset" and "hug trees". Totally hippie, right? We would laugh at some, and fiercely embrace the others. The one that we would quote back and forth to each other all the time was the one "Do it now. The Money will follow".
I was only referencing it in the first place because Dennis was laid off recently, and I was trying to let him know that sometimes as long as you're passionate about what you're doing, the rest is just gravy. And then it reminded me of the poster, and of some of the fun times we would have sitting around and reading off the "How to's".

Now, in me and Jenn's case we would use the phrase all the time on each other as a basis for choosing one thing over the other.  Should I call in at work? Should I buy this sweater? Should I forgo paying this bill so I can do something more fun?
Sometimes stupid, and sometimes inspiring, we would still quote that line to each other even years later, after college, after we'd moved from Massachusetts out to Chicago together.

I know that Jenn is married and has 2 kids and has to be uber-responsible now and all, but a small part of me hopes that she still approaches some small parts of her life in the "Do it Now. The Money will Follow" kind of way.

Now pardon me, I'm off to build a fort with blankets.

"Nothin' worth having comes without some kind of fight..."

I'm so Angry I could punch someone. For reals. I even capitalized Angry.

You were SOOO close Maine. You and Iowa were set to duke it out as which state was the most surprisingly forward thinking. I've visisted you a kajillion times. I've enjoyed your beaches, your quaint cabins, your seafood restaurants, your beautiful forests, and your salt-of-the-earth people.

Now, it's over. You blew it. I will never again spend another dime of my heard earned money in your state (which will be difficult, as my own mother lives there). LL Bean outlet store? suck it. Shops in Kittery? suck it some more. Every mom and pop outlet leading from the highway to my mom's house? suck it, suck it, suck it some more.

How can you look at me and the love of my life and say no?
How can you honostly say that my happiness 1,000 miles away from you in Chicago has ANYTHING to do with the "sanctity" of your marriage?
Nearly 53% of you think that somehow protecting your marriage is more important than MY RIGHTS.

look at this picture, Maine

Does this picture of Love and Devotion spell out hellfire and damnation for you?
and if so, why?
How can you see anything but true love here? and how is that wrong by anyone's account?

I've tried over the years to understand where YOU are coming from, but now I'm done doing that, I'm done trying to be NICE during what constitutes a removal of my RIGHTS.


In fact, you know what Maine? FUCK YOU.



1:58pm 11/4 EDITED TO ADD:
Peter Sagal posted a link to an editorial piece by Andrew Sullivan that helped soothe the beast inside me. Let me be clear...it soothed, but did not heal.
It's a good read: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/the-pain-in-maine-ii.html

Closing Weekend for 12 Ophelias!!!!

only 2 more chances people..... get with the program!

An "extraordinary paradigm shift that should not be missed!"

-Venus Zarris, Chicago Stage Review

"fiercely sexual and expressionistic" --"Far more surreal and twisted than Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"
-Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

"A visual and sonic feast!" --"12 Ophelias provides moment after unique moment of unique observation and delight"

-Brian Krist, Chicago Free Press

"Verbally kaledidoscopic"
-Catey Sullivan, Chicago Magazine

"an erotic dreamscape"

-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

The answer

“The whole answer is there on the canvas.”
- Edward Hopper

A gentleman and a scholar

So I'm doing this show, it kind of kicks ass (plug, plug: http://www.trapdoortheatre.com/). We've been getting great reviews, great turnout and GREAT audience response.

Last night, after opening the house for patrons to sit, I noticed a guy come in to pick up his tickets.

HOLY -- EFFING -- SHIT

It was Tracy Letts. If you don't know who he is...seriously, google the dude for crying out loud. The man has pretty much taken Chicago by storm, then packed it up, brought it to Broadway, took NY by storm, won a pulitzer... you know....slow couple of years for him.

Now, please understand.... I wasn't freaked out to meet him, I was freaked out that I would call the show terribly. It's kind of the same feeling back when Brian Dennehy & Eric Bogosian came to see their pal Stacy Keach in King Lear at The Goodman. Sure, I wasn't SM back then, but I was positive something awful was going to happen that day. It didn't, thank god....

So back to last night. I was freaked the whole show - I don't think I've ever been as in tune to listening for cue lines, etc. Holy crap. Well - it went smooth, the show went VERY well - great night for the performers! When the show was over, Tracy went around to all the performers, introduced himself and told each person how much he enjoed the show. What a guy. I got to shake his hand as well.

I was thinking about it today, and it reminded me that he posted a hilarious blog post on the Steppenwolf blog awhile back all about "audience ettiquette' The shit is funny...and sadly, very true.
Take a read if you've never had the chance:  http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/04/30/1-of-you/

Can't tell which picture is better

"You gotta have a goal, have ya gotta goal?"

New weight loss goal explained herein.

Usually when I have figured little weight loss goals so far, I take the avergae weight loss I have had so far per week, and multiply that by either the DATE I want to shoot for or the weight I want to shoot for.

Now, my next goal is 2/6/10, which is my 35th birthday.
It would be freaking AWESOME if I was under 200 lbs by then. However, if I do the math: 15 weeks till my birthday multiplied by 1.5 pounds per week average = 22.5 pounds.... and that only gets me to 211.3. In order to hit the "under 200" goal in 15 weeks I'd have to average 2.26 pounds per week, and that amount just isn't healthy.

So, my goal is at minimum to hit that 211.3 by 2/6/10. If I can over reach that goal just a little, and maybe stretch to 209 or 205, that'd be awesome. I don't discount the aggressive goal of 199, though...I just don't honostly think I can make it there and still stay healthy (I'll hit that goal week halfway through the run of Hopper - I'm sure there's bound to be some missteps during tech, not to mention the ubiquitous opening night beer and wine, etc.).

So we're shooting for the middle. Literally.

Busy day

....but just wanted to be clear how much I love this picture! :-)

Daniel Driscoll & Jennifer Jacobs (Driscoll)
October 2, 2009

"To Respect the Code"....

"What's the code?"
"Unit, Corp, God, Country"
"Excuse me?"
"Unit....Corp....God....Country.....Sir..."


So there was a "Storefront Theatre" summit held about a week ago. I wasn't there, but a few bloggers were, and so far the info I've heard has been a little mixed (at best). I withold judgement on the actual substance of the meeting, as I was not present.
However, during the meeting, they broke up into smaller brainstorming groups, and one of the topics that was floated in a group was the idea of a "Code of Ethics". At first, I couldn't explain why, but my back bristled up at the mere thought of a code. It has taken me a few days to formulate a "why" for the back bristling, but here is what I posted in the comments of RebbecaZ's blog:

"Here's how I feel about the code...

In the same time period that we are challenging each other to do more "dangerous" theatre, to take risks and do things outside the box, we're also considering putting together a list of rules and regulations as well?
It all seems counter-productive to creating great art.
Let me be clear, though. I'm not suggesting that creating dangerous theatre includes un-ethical things (actors being late or dropping out, designers not completing work, etc etc), I'm saying that the whole NOTION of a code of any kind, no matter how harmless it may seem in the germination stage, will feel like a stranglehold on the art, IMHO.
I think if a certain idea comes out of the summit, for example 3 theatres teaming up for a festival, and those theatres want to put to paper some regulations for each other for that PROJECT, then have at it.
One of the things I love about Chicago theatre is that we don't fall into a pigeon-holed category. There is a little bit of sum'thin for everyone. I think the idea of all of us agreeing to a set of rules threatens to homogenize us.
I'm now going to go off and find more ways to create thoughts that include "germination" and "homogenize" in the same paragraph. Perhaps a haiku."

Here, however, is the promised haiku.
The first one I've probably written since I learned about haiku in the 4th grade.
Enjoy.

Seed germination

A code of ethics. That sucks.
We homogenize

Spelling errors

At work, we post the daily cafeteria menu on our "intranet", so you can be either excited or forewarned about the chosen cuisine of the day. Much like high school days, fries and pizza gather the crowds, and chop suey day usually has people running across the street to Potbelly for a different option.

This week, the hotel is celebrating it's 20th anniversary (yay!), and as a special treat, we've had free breakfast provided all week, and we've also had special lunches all week as well (salmon, sliced turkey, yesterday was a great risotto).

At the top of today's menu is our special celebratory entree: Roasted Pork Lion

Dude, talk about the new white meat.

Tony has a great post today dicussing the GOOD that can happen in saying NO to a project. This is defintely a topic that should be taught to young artists (actors & techies alike). Don't like the play? Don't like the part you were offered? Too much on your plate?
Release yourself from the stress and simply say "no".

Haven't we ALL taken a project, that either gave us red flags, or we felt uncomfortable about in some way, and it all just bit uss in the ass? Next thing you know, you're staring aty yourself in the mirror, counting your worry lines on your face and saying, "I should have said no". I know I've had those moments.

Lately, I have been able to be much more selective - it's a little easier since I have a well-paying full time day job, and I'm no longer affiliated with any theatre companies. Easier to pick a project when there aren't any on the horizon. :-) I'm enjoying the "work from show-to-show" pace I have going.
(I should scan a page from my planner from back when I was working full time, helping Speaking Ring produce, working part time at Blue Man AND trying to do outside projects. I must have been crazy - and I know my schedule wasn't even NEARLY as bad as it can be for plenty of others)
Right now, stage managing for Trap Door....Next up? Stage Managing "Hopper" for WNEP. Days off in between gigs? 10.  Thats like a year back in the old days... now it seems really short. We'll only be rehearsing 3 days a week, which rocks my world --- and the DCA theatre is pretty darn convenient for me, since it's a 10 minute walk from my job, and when shows are over it's walking distance to the red line.

wait... I got off on a little tangent here... sorry....

Anyway, being selective has really paid off - the last few projects I've worked on have been so rewarding. Metaluna, The Lost Shakespeare Play, 12 Ophelias... There's just nothing LIKE these projects out there, so I'm psyched that I've been a (small) part of some really wonderful art, something that was sometimes missing from those crazy days a few years ago. (Although as a side note, I love how I actually kind of just STATED that I would be stage managing "Hopper" to Don. I never really asked...I just TOLD him I'd be doing it. To which Don didn't bat an eyelash and simply said "Rock 'n Roll")

I completely agree with Tony, though. If someone doesn't take you aside and tell you it's ok to say no, this is something that can take years to be comfortable with. I know it took me a long time to do it.

"The Road"

I can't even tell you how much I'm looking forward to this movie. Yes, it's going to be ridiculously bleak and depressing....bring it on!

There's more info at their IMDB page. It's released on 11/25.

Who's comin' with me?

24 pounds and counting.....

I'm feeling PRETTY good about how I looked at my brother's wedding this past weekend.

(Hello clavicle! I've missed you! I can't REMEMBER the last time I saw you!)

I've got a feeling....

...that THIS argument's gonna go on all day.....

http://donhall.blogspot.com/2009/10/99-feces-or-response-to-latest-theater.html

http://robkozlowski.blogspot.com/2009/10/flummoxed-caucasian-on-north-side.html