I know these posts are far and few between, sorry! I'm always so damn busy these days, which is a good thing... most of the time.
O, hang on sadness and lamentations of a busy life! Now come the juicy, recent-life highlights!
I've been having the time of my life this year in the BFA. The quarter seemed a little weird at first, but I think it was just the combination of finally being a Junior and having no free weekends thanks to the remounting of McBeth. I love doing that show, but the remount nearly killed me.
I had a great time working on Richard III in class, and an even better time working on Dromio from Comedy of Errors, both in class.
I got cast in True Love, by Charles Mee, as a transvestite named Red Dicks. It was one of the most rewarding and fun experiences I've ever had working on a show. That character taught me so much about how to view the world, and made me realize that even though I thought I lived life fuller than most, there was still a lot I wasn't noticing. And furthermore, if I was only seeing part of the beauty in life, how much were other people missing? And that became such a huge part of her- that character. I had so much motive every night to inject the audience with a sense of vitality. And at the end of the last run, I experience such an amazing theater-moment. I won't go into details, but the audience was on-their-feet freaking out with energy. And it was so perfect for the mood of the show! As an actor, you live for those moments of kinetic audience/performer electricity.
And now, I'll be playing Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer! It's a mainstage in the Hatlen, our biggest house, and a role that such amazing actors as Antony Sher and Nathan Lane have played over the years. Just thinking about everything that will come along with a mainstage... costume fittings, production photos, what's sure to be a fucking EPIC set!!! This is literally such an amazing role. I've never played a character like this. He's my age, he's a cad, cunning trickster, he's got a devilish energy... He and I have so many similarities and differences, and I know it's going to be an incredible journey of discovery that will hopefully lead to a fantastic six performances. I still can't believe I'm adding Tony Lumpkin to my character journal.
And so, I guess that just about sums up this post. I'm looking forward to a nice meal tomorrow, a brisk, busy ending week to the fall quarter (I really should get on that paper...), a few days of "studying" in prep for my only written final, and then it's home for the holidays, and some good, early work on Stoopage. Not sure when another blog will pop up, but I'm sure Stoops will yield plenty of great stories.
Happy Thanksgiving.
