Exhilarated!!

I got cast in Gerry Hansen's "McBeth" and I couldn't be happier! For those of you who don't know, it is a Commedia del Arte version of the Shakespearean tragedy. Look up Commedia... it will blow your mind. Just got back from our first rehearsal which included a read-through, character work, and lots of exploration. I'm sworn to secrecy on all aspects of the production, but the end product is certain to be something I will be so proud of! The rest of my troupe are fantastic, every one of them. Such a physical form of theater is an exhausting challenge, but the results are truly magical. It's sweaty work... not even. It's sweaty play that will soon turn into art. Hell, it is art right now. You all need to come and see it!

Our show is an hour long, and we have three weeks from Saturday... The other three One Acts are all about 15-20 minutes long and they are the first bill (we perform after intermission). Apparently, even though their shows are a quarter as long as ours, and the largest show has half the amount of characters as we do (multiply our 10 characters times about 3 or 4 as far as costumes go), they feel that they have a tight schedule, and so our original opening night is an "invited dress". Nice, y'all. We'll be ready... they apparently won't be. It's a bit embarrassing, really. So our initial Friday night performance is an invited dress. How quaint.
Performances are in the Studio Theater on April 24-25 at 2PM, and April 24 at 8PM. We will also have Shakespeare in the Park performances April 30-May 1 at 7PM in Anis'oyo Park in Isla Vista.
Make sure to check us out!

In other news, we are working on Chekov this quarter in acting. I'm working on a scene from The Cherry Orchard as Trofimov with Garrett Ward, and it's going to be very fun and challenging. Irwin is teaching us for these first 5 weeks and it's been very interesting and honestly very helpful so far.
In voice, we are working on Shakespeare. We will perfect the way we speak his words, sonnets and all. We even get to write our own sonnets and do Poetry Jam Circles in class!

Movement is Acro Yoga... so challenging but AMAZING. Yesterday... I flew. I fucking flew. And I became a whale for a short amount of time. Life is Magical in Jeff Mills's class.
I'm having a ball this quarter, even though it is exhausting. The exhaustion is exhilarating.


-Big D.

So many things have happened...

... since my last blog. I hated not having a computer this quarter... last quarter. WINTER 2010 IS OVER!!!! It's been a great one. Highlights:

Ball Pieces:
Our ball pieces were so amazing. I didn't realize how intuitively creative my class was until this project. I did mine to "Dig a Little Deeper" from Princess and the Frog, and got raves across the board. In fact, it elicited tears from some faculty members... and BOTH of the cameras filming it failed. Oh well, it will always live on in memory.

In-class Scenes: It was wonderful to work with Allie this quarter on Picnic, which was super challenging but also lots of fun. Love you, Allie! Working with Erica on Loose Ends was quite an experience. The subject matter was very difficult to relate to, but we leaned on each other so much in our rehearsal process. I love her so much!

Angels in America Scenes: I got cast in two! Both as Prior, which I was ecstatic about. I worked with the very talented Emily Mckeown, Sigmond Varga, and Alyssa Williams. It was a pleasure to work on one of my FAVORITE plays as one of my FAVORITE characters.

Crucible Scenes: This scene was fun as well, though it was no Angels. I did make some great new friends outside of the BFA.

Dr. Daphne: I wasn't truly a part of Dr. Daphne until the final three weeks, but when I finally got into the thick of it (excluding the many private meetings for music rehearsals and table work) it was a blast. I'm very excited to see the final product on TV soon! I'll let you know when it happens. I made so many great friends!

There was a really huge scheduling conflict with Daphne and Super Saturday this quarter that freaked the fuck out of me. Just not a good deal, and I'll forgo the details here. Everything ended up fine, I just felt really bad, and in the end, indebted to the faculty for their support.

So, now I'm home for a few more days, and then Spring quarter starts. I'm one of the 16 lucky artists who get to continue in the BFA for one more quarter. I can't take for granted that there are no more chances after this. This could be it, and I plan to not waste a second of my time. I will continue to work my hardest, dedicate myself to the art we create, but most importantly to have fun. I love every single person in this department, and I can't wait to spend time with them again. I hope this quarter is the most fun/creative yet. I plan to have a blast.

Also, I'm on a gym kick, thanks to Melani Carroll and Brian Bock, two fantastic actors who invited me to take part in their exercise plan. So yeah... it's actually lots of fun, especially with them, and we hope to expand our group! The elliptical is very addicting, y'all.

So yeah, running every day down here like over Winter break, trying to stay on top of stuff.

My ipod got stolen... sadness. But I have my wonderful Droid!!!

I really need a computer soon. Might explore Wal-Mart or Best Buy soon.

Well, I hope you are sufficiently filled in. Last quarter was so busy, but lots of fun... but really really busy. I haven't been cast yet for next quarter, but we still have Grad Directed One Acts, Commedia Macbeth... er, I mean, "McBeth", and then there's AIDA across campus... not very interested. If scheduling conflicts happen again, life will suck big ones. Also, hopefully the film I'm working on, "Harry Balls and the Spontaneous Erection" will resume filming! Our one day was super fun.

Until later, y'all...
-Big D.

Discoveries!

The redhead juggles.

I am tired.

I feel 96% overwhelmed.

I have to keep going.


It's visceral.

-Big D.

Have You Seen Sweetie? Mmm... That girl got some girth on her!

Arrrright! Computer working once more, and I couldn't be happier. No. I couldn't be happier. Oh god, Wicked, go away. So, now I get to fill you in on everything that's been happening these past few weeks, there's a lot to get through, I'll try to simplify.

Week One was filled to the brim with tons and tons of shit to do. I rehearsed with my director for MonoFest about five times in all before our tech/cue to cue runs on the weekend. It was going well, but got a lot better when I found an audience. It ended up being a great piece, everyone enjoyed it, and I was proud. I definitely was not the star of the show, that prize goes to Trevor Shor as Delicious. He inspired me to be a drag queen every night. And it was bottom-line inspiring to watch him transform into that character so seamlessly, using bits of himself and his sense memory (we'll get to that) in order to create Delicious, which he did in a most sensitive, careful way. I believed him. Video link at the end.

Jak Watson and Emily Mckeown performed my monologues, Disney Princesses and Blood, both of which were huge hits! The crowd was totally responsive and those two talented actors really gave my pieces life. Their directors deserve a lot of thanks and gratitude from me.

Tuesday Week One was One Act auditions, I used Cuckoo's Nest, perf'd for Shaun, Colin (the directors) and Tom, my acting teacher, who was the faculty advisor. Tom gave me a laugh at the end, I felt good, and both directors shot me callbacks. Success! Callbacks were the next night, I read the plays, "prepared" my sides, and went in confidently. Reading for Colin was so much fun because I was grouped with classmate/scene partner Jordan, hammy Ben Margolith, stunning Kelsey Foltz, and radiant Maggie Yeomans. We all had ridic British accents and Maggie couldn't have been more kind after, wanting so much to work with me. Shaun's callback was next, and I didn't feel too hot about a few of my scenes (I was called for two parts), but when I finally did one with Emily Mckeown and Robert Torres, we rocked it.

I left the callback and headed over to Dr. Daphne auditions at CCS. Sang my song, read a million sides, two of them Russian (thank you Eastern Promises and Mr. Mushnik's yiddish). Sat there forever in the green room with the other auditioners, some my close friends. Throughout the night, things got really weird. I kept hearing how desperate they were for men, that they needed seven males and only seven auditioned. I was getting nervous because I had planned to not take Daphne if I made it into the One Acts. There was even a clause in the Daphne paperwork that said you could not be in any other productions along with Daphne. So, at the end of the night, I was told I was cast, though not for which character. I freaked, and went back into the theater to touch base with the director and musical director. The theater was full of the writers and techies (all thirty of them) as it had been when I sang/read.

After explaining my situation, they kept saying things like, "Well, you have such a gorgeous voice, we really need you in our cast. Is there anyone in the BFA who can sing as beautifully as you can? You are just so perfectly what we're looking for." I explained that I would love to do Daphne, but would have to cede to Department shows if I got in. They understood eventually, and promised alternate rehearsals if needed. I finally surrendered and left. It was eleven.

I checked the cast list on my way back. Shit. I was in! Shaun had cast me in a small part with one line. I felt on top of the world! I was cast in my first One Act! And tons of my classmates had made it in, too! Shit, what would this mean for Daphne?

I then realized I left my bag in CCS, set off to get it, hoping it wasn't locked and deserted. Ran into the Music Director, told him I had a small part, would probably be able to do it. "We need you." Blablabla... I had to jig open a window and crawl into the locked green room. Thank you movement, jeff mills, and increased flexibility! Then, I talked for a while with some of the writers. Their enthusiasm for the project touched me. I suddenly felt I had to give their work a voice. This is a section of the email I sent to the director after that:

Original work is very important to me, and I think it is lamentable that the Theater Dept is not presenting the New Plays Festival this year. I chatted with some of your writers and composers last night and realized that giving a voice to their work is something I can't wait to do. In short, thank you for overseeing this, as opportunities like it are hard to come by. Thank you for your kindness and understanding, and for trusting me with your and your students' art.

I have a lot of conflicts with rehearsals and that made for a terrible week of emailing back and forth about what I could and couldn't do. I got really frustrated and very scared when they said they would talk to department heads on my behalf. Um... no. I'm a sophie in this program, I have no clout, I could be gone like that. I'd like to keep my rep clean, thanks.

You should know that Dr. Daphne is my highest priority behind departmental obligations. It very important to me, but there are some things I have to do. Being a sophomore in the BFA means I am on probation the entire year. I am afraid that trying tor reschedule with department heads could jeopardize my standing in the program. If dropped from the BFA, I don't know what I would do. I'm not saying Dr. Daphne is a hindrance, in fact it will look great on my resume. I'm simply saying I don't want to make waves when my situation is so unstable.

They relented and I felt better. The reading was Monday. I was shocked. It's not a complicated show at all. One act, about an hour long, and the kicker: My part is pretty small. I have some solos, but nothing to myself. I've got one big scene at the beginning and that's pretty much it until I die. From the way they were pressuring me, I thought I was the damn lead. I'm not disappointed though, I'm relieved! I'll be able to get a way more often to work on the One Act and run crew and other department shit.

I dropped Solo Performance. It conflicted with Daphne and I had too many units with the One Acts and crew. It's really sad because the first day was amazing, but I'll be okay. I have two more years.

So, the One Acts are in two weeks, so are midterms for Acting and Movement. Need to choreograph my ball piece. Need to meet with Allie to work our scene from Picnic, which became the musical Hot September! Thanks, [tos].

Daphne runs the last week of the quarter. I'll have to sneak away during Super Saturday to get into makeup for the TV shoot. Oh yeah, it's gonna be on nationwide TV. Directing midterm auditions are Wednesday, Crucible scenes. The Directing finals are scenes from Angels in America!!!! SO EXCITED FOR THOSE!

Simon's Shakespeare class rocks.

Roomie gone, partying it up with the window open.

Got very drunk last night.

Living in IV next year with Andrew, Brian (not from the BFA, Andrew's roommate) and my new roommate Hasmik! Hellz yeah. Trevor Shor would have been magical, but this fantastic bitch will so do. We were gushing with excitement last night.

Well, that's about all... I really tried to streamline things... sorta worked.

-Big D.

Jak Watson- Disney Princesses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFNz3oB9NbY

Trevor Shor- Delicious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2925bswem2k

Food For Thought:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArzjmxOGBjw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL4mwQoedQI

How cool is my kitty?

I'm having one of those times where I feel extremely bombarded by things I need to do, yet I don't do them because I can't really do them.

I'm memorizing Chez Pirate, which is good.

I need to decide on a monologue for Winter One Act auditions. Between one from Burn This, Cuckoo's Nest, or Pillowman. The auditions are Tuesday, so I really need to decide and start working. It's just so hard when you're working on something completely different. I'm guessing I'll end up doing Burn This just because it won't take as much work to make it interesting, but I'd need to learn it. I've done the other two previously, but I think they could be much better.

I need to decide on a song for Dr. Daphne auditions. It's through CCS, and I'm guessing I won't be able to do it anyway, but I'm auditioning for the experience. Well... I sorta hope I won't be able to do it because I'll get cast in something else. The sad thing is, I'll most likely be cast and have to tell them no.

I need to sign up for Run Crew and not fuck it up again like last quarter.

Those are the four big things on my mind right now. In reality, I have enough time to complete them before I got back on Sunday for sure, it's just daunting to think about.

These are my preferences for getting cast this quarter: One Acts, Dr. Daphne OR Shrunken Heads Aida/Producers/whatever the fuck they choose to do, Directing Midterms + Finals (I'll do these along with anything), and I'm still not sure of the specifics of my Solo Performance Cabaret class. Not sure if we'll all get to perform or just certain ppl who have good shows or what. Maybe it's just seniors. In any case, I'm pretty sure that I'll be the only sophomore in there. I know for sure that Madeline is taking it, so that will be fun as long as I don't annoy the shit out of her, haha.

Other than casting, I'm trying to sort out my summer options. I have an application for a counselor position at the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program, but if I did that, I wouldn't be able to do Naked Shakes. I know a lot of people from the Soph class will do it, and I've been really looking forward to it, but there is still one more chance to do it if I don't this time. Only thing is, it might be fun to work for a Summerstock or something my last summer.

Okay now, you may think I'm getting ahead of myself since there are still two more rounds of cuts to come, but I like to think of it as "keeping my options open." Don't think I'm overconfident. I'm still scared shitless of being cut. Regardless of cuts, I would still want to do Shakes, as well as the Ashlyn trip. So, here we go y'all. Options:

1.) Take Idyllwild job, make some money, go to Ashlyn OSF. Possibly not with the group since it's expensive to pay the University Fee without taking other classes.

2.) Do Naked Shakes, work during the day as a way of making money, and go to Ashlyn.

3.) If circumstances dictate my dismissal... fuck my life if that does happen... Either work in Brawley over the summer or Take a ton of summer classes to get ready for graduating with a different degree. Oh how it pained me to write that.

We'll see what happens. I'll apply to Idyllwild and see what happens, I just don't want to tell them no, since they probably won't hire me again after that.

Okay, time to get back to life. BTW, I've pretty much accepted the fact that I write these blogs for me.

-Big D.

Your potato salad butts. Mmmm. All slathered in mayonnaise.

That's a little spoiler from the monologue I'll be performing in the Monologue Festival in January. I'm so excited! I'm extremely grateful to have been cast, as well as to have two pieces I wrote be performed in the festival! I'm not going to release them on here, but I'd be happy to show them to you if you facebook, skype, or email me. They're quite funny. And they will be performed two absolutely fantastic Juniors, Jak Watson and Emily Mckeown. They will surely breathe life into my work.

Yesterday was a very hard day. We lost five fantastic actors from the the BFA, dwindling our class size down to 20. If the goal size is 12-14, there's still a long way to go. All the upperclassmen were so sweet. When we walked into the lounge where we waited to hear our fate, we found a box of donuts from the cast of Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, munchies from Tarah, and Amanda brought us home-baked cookies. I had just forced myself to eat lunch, so I wasn't hungry. I'm continuing in the program, but it is still sad to think of the fine people I won't have in classes next quarter. One of them left by choice, but it was still hard to say goodbye.

In my eval, the faculty stressed one thing: "Let your freak flag fly." I've been a bit reserved this quarter, internalizing a lot. With my monologue demanding me to play a crazed Somali pirate in constant search of food, who's deferred dream is to open a starchy food restaurant... I think they'll be pleased.

My liver hates me. Thursday night, I participated in Whiskey Night with a friend from English, in celebration that that ship has sailed (though not for me, since I need to turn in my paper still.). I was drunk off my ass and a bit stoned. Friday night I was clean because the next morning was Super Saturday, which went very well. That night, I got drunk at the Super Saturday/Tarah's Birthday party! Sunday night, first cut party. So many wonderful pictures that will never get to facebook. Monday night, blazed with some BFAers at Nico's, then went to the Five Women cast party and got drunk. I was high as balls. Erika was freaking out about how hilarious I was. I love bongs. I just never get the same high from a piece or blunt.

Now it's Tuesday, my paper is going to be a day late when I turn it in at 330 tomorrow, and I have to live with that. No substances tonight. Just plain work. It could very well become an all-nighter, but I'm hoping to hit the hay at about 3 AM.

It's so odd to have upperclassmen congratulating me on my Super Saturday scene, the cuts, or the monologue festival. I feel so honored to be working in this fantastic program! I mean, I'M GOING TO PERFORM IN THE STUDIO! I, Dylan Hale, got cast over how ever many people auditioned in those 5 hours on Sunday. Shit! This isn't gloating, this is dis-belief. Hot damn!

Well, I'm going to change into pants so that I can go out into the cold and eat with ET. Can't wait to see all you Brawley people over the break. I'll be home Sunday. Roomie leaves tomorrow, and I have three days with the room to myself! Hallelujah!

Love to you all, and thanks for believing in me.

-Big D.

if wishes and buts were clusters of nuts, we'd all have a bowl of i miss you (thank you alliemenz)

on days like this
when the sun glints a little too brightly
and the body is half numb from
the previous night's frolic

i remember the old summer days
of curly fries and cookie shakes
and laughter

lizzie maguire
sex and the city
far and away
and recently
weeds

how i wish those days joined with these days to add

true blood
and angels and
summer heights high
the brothers bloom
and the oc

but you're gone

taken away by a man on a horse
waking with him at first light
so i cannot drunk dial you at 2 in the morning

this man on a horse is a wonderful man
but am i not wondrous as well
we each live by mountains but ocean i see
and i have the cool seasons weather
not he

but we all need a man on a horse
and who can say that dreaming brings him no closer

but if your horse gets restless
and your man cannot jump
and they desecrate on your life before galloping past
i will help you clean away the horse shit

repay me in time