Scouts at the Fringe Launch Party!!!

A couple of the SCOUT'S HONOR! scouts made a splash at the Launch Party for the Fringe Festival last night at HOME in Chelsea.







Marty Schwartz (Robin Reed) and Becky Biedermeyer (Carrie Haugh) get their groove on and set off a full blown dance party!

Here, Becky and Marty get friendly with the Sheep from the show BAAAHHH!!!

And Becky chats with Diane Allison and her puppet from the show Miriam, while the Unicorn (Michael Hirstreet) from the show Animals and Marty look on.










Marty sifts through so many postcards advertising the great shows coming up at the Fringe-- just how does one choose!??!

Wow.

My high school prom date had a baby. This baby, here, to the left-- the little one there in the Pink Red Sox hat (yeah, it's a Boston thing-- not my Boston thing, but a Boston thing).

I feel old. Eeesh.

SCOUT'S HONOR! on the nytheatrecast!

Last night, Carrie, Ed and I recorded a little sneak peek preview with Trav S.D. at nytheatre.com. We're third in the lineup of eight. First, Ed talks with Trav about the show and his own scouting experiences, then Carrie and I do a scene from Becky's Beaver.

Trav really sets Mr. Valentine up beautifully for some funny bits, and we had a great time listening to the other previews.

Listen to it here.

I'm Gonna Be a Cartoon!

I got a call from a dear old friend the other night who has been working for this animation company up in Boston. He and I have known each other since high school (we actually ran the student-run theater company at that hight school!), and have been trying to work together for years and years.

Finally, there's a part for me-- in his PBS Kids' Show, Word Girl! Word Girl is the super-hero alter-ego of Becky Botsford, a linguistically gifted 5th Grader. I'll be playing Ms. Libri, the bookstore owner. Word Girl is Ms. Libri's best customer.

I record tomorrow.

I am thrilled, because really, all I've ever wanted was to be a real live cartoon voice.

I HEART Chance Muehleck and Joel Derfner

Aren't they fantastic? In a Faye Dunaway / Diana Scarwid kinda way?
(if this doesn't sell tickets, I don't know what will...)

Buy Tickets TONIGHT for SCOUT'S HONOR!

Tickets go on sale online TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT for SCOUT'S HONOR! (and 187 other shows) at FringeNYC. Get yours early! At fringenyc.org.


Oh, and an update on the postcard voting -- the ladies won, 5-3, yet we're still in negotiation and may have two different postcards. Hey, it's better than having zero good photos!

Postcards: a Bump in the Road

Ed and I have come to a cheery disagreement about the photo for the postcard-- we like both of the pictures so much that we're having trouble deciding!

We've opened the question up for a vote to the director and cast. I'll keep you posted. For now, the choices:

SCOUT: the Photos

Here is a first glimpse at what's to come in August!

We took some photos yesterday in Tompkins Square Park (but doesn't it look like a campground?!). Again, Will served as our trusty photographer and was able to catch some gems. A special thanks to our phenomenal (and great-in-a-time-crunch) costume designer, Adrianna Desier, who managed not only to pull some girl costumes together (Ed still had a bunch of boy-stuff from a previous Snipe Hunt production), but did genius work with a random bag of make-up on a park bench.

We're currently sifting through hundreds of shots, but these are a couple of the current favorites.

I Was Hoping for Eyebrows, but...

And there wasn't an option for pigtails, so it was this or a bouffant...

As my friend Kori said a few weeks ago, the make-yourself-a-Simpson is perhaps the most addictive thing ever. (Well, I said since Boomshine, but whatever...)

Does This Scare You?

Scary, huh?








How about this guy?









And her?








What about her?









Boo!










And this dude could be the scariest of all! (Um, kidding. It's me!)








This guy is definitely scared...









...but not nearly as much as this joker!


This is the very long and picturesque way of saying Macbeth Without Words has been extended for six more shows at the Brick and you should come see it!!

And just as an added bonus, if you come see it tonight or (scary!) this Friday, July 13th and use the code SILENCE123, you'll get two tickets for the price of one! What a deal!

For more information, click here, and to buy tickets (you can use the 2-for-1 code online, too!) click here.

Macbeth Without Words Open (Yee-Haw!!)

We opened Macbeth on Wednesday to a nearly full house and some nice reviews (nytheatre.com and Backstage).

Review time is always strange.

A few months back, there was a big to-do about a certain New York Times review that was unfavorably received by the show's director. She wrote a pleading letter to her mailing list, basically asking that they disregard the review and still come out to see the show. An essay on Culturebot dissected the issue, which shone the first big spotlight on the role of theater bloggers beyond the indie theater scene. (Martin Denton, in my opinion a "theater blogger" before the term came into the vernacular, discussed it on his blog here.)

I found this whole situation fascinating, with everyone buzzing about the artist/critic food chain. I have written theater reviews (for nytheatre.com and the L Magazine) since around 2000, and being an actor as well puts me in an interesting position. When I write reviews, I write my opinion. Just my one opinion. Is my opinion more important because it ends up in print?

Maybe.

But then I am (like many at nytheatre.com) also on the other side of the pen-and-paper, actually being reviewed.

Our first review for MWW was very positive. The guy got what we were going for and liked it. That feels good. The other guy's review looks like he didn't like it as much as the first guy: the initial reaction is to say that he didn't get it.

But perhaps he just didn't like it. And that's ok. (Christ, I'm giving myself therapy over two reviews where I'm mentioned as ensemble-- get a grip!)

The bottom line is that I feel really good about this show. We've worked our asses off for months, the ensemble is tight and I like what we're doing.

I'll be interested to see if I can take these grains of salt with me when reviews start coming in for SCOUT'S HONOR!, where I actually have money going into it... (not that money matters... we're all in this for the art, of course!)

First Read Through

We had our first read-through for SCOUT'S HONOR! last night, and the ball is officially rolling!

These plays are really really funny and the cast is rock-solid (if I do say so myself).

Now once we figure out a rehearsal schedule (the downside of having an awesome cast is that we've all got super-busy schedules!) and get confirmation from a costume designer, we can really get down to business. This is going to be a super fun show to work on and an even super funner show to see!

Announcing SCOUT'S HONOR! Cast

After going back and forth what seemed like years, we finally decided on a cast. A super-groovey, uber-talented cast!




Scout's Honor! (Snipe Hunt and Becky's Beaver)
Written by Ed Valentine

Directed by Melanie S. Armer**

Featuring Chris Caron, Joel Derfner, Carrie Haugh, Chance Muehleck*, Renee Rakel and Robin Reed

a Cardium Mechanicum production

at the
New York International Fringe Festival!
(exact dates and location TBA)




* Member AEA
** Member SSDC

Oh, and I'm Doing Macbeth, too...

Before I get too wrapped up in the Fringe show, I should remind everyone that we're about a week away from opening Macbeth Without Words as part of the Pretentious Festival at the Brick.

I feel like I am constantly in rehearsal, but it's so worth it-- the show is really looking good. Below is a photo from a shoot today with Fred Backus as Macbeth and me, Katie Brack and Iracel Rivero as the Witches in the beginning stages of costumes by Julianne Kroboth. (Will Schenk took the photos-- Will is our hero.)

A View from the Other Side of the Table

We held auditions last night for SCOUT'S HONOR! and, wow.

Since I am primarily an actor, I've almost always only seen auditions from the actor's point of view: signing in, waiting in the hall with the "competition", going over lines and character choices to myself and fending off those nagging butterflies that set up camp in my belly. Luckily, I've had a lot of practice on the waiting part over the last few years doing voiceover auditions regularly, but the tension is rarely not present.

Last night, I sat (as actor and producer) in the audition room with Ed (playwright/producer) and Melanie (director) and served as the scene partner for each of the fifteen actors who auditioned.

In short, eye-opening.

Melanie, Ed and I each invited actors we know and love to audition. We have each worked with a number of different actors over the years and were excited to have each other see "our people".

I was absolutely floored by everyone who walked in the room. Friends, strangers... some whose work I had seen but had never met, others I knew personally but hadn't seen on stage. Everyone was unique and incredibly talented, and many presented takes on the roles that none of us had ever thought of before!

And that was the problem: fifteen actors reading for five parts. There are a number of different ways this thing can go.

It was one of the most fun yet most difficult evenings I've had. The official decisions have still not been made, but should be decided sooner than later.

I will post the cast list here as soon as I know.

Moving Right Along

It's starting to look even more official!










This is now our logo on the Fringe Site, and a black and white version will be in the program guide. I'm having fun with Photoshop.








Will and I have been out at his parent's house for the past couple of days. There are no less than three summer camps in the area, so I managed to snap a few pictures. Here is a photo of a sign pointing to Camp Wayne-- boys on one side of the lake, girls on the other! Ed's play is just littered with verisimilitude!







I would love to do a photo shoot with the soon-to-be-named cast, but don't know if time will allow for a roadtrip. Failing that, we may be able to get some fun outdoorsy shots in Prospect Park or Central Park and then just merge them in (like I said, Photoshop fun!)

The Ball is Rolling

Publicity Logo: check. Well, double-checking, but most likely, check. (See above. Any thoughts? Tell me in the comments, please!)

Designers: check, check, check and super check. We're in the process of getting for-sure yeses on a costume designer and sound designer, but all is looking Good.

Audition Time/Location: check. We're holding auditions next weekend. I'm really jonesing to cast this puppy-- I feel like we should already have publicity photos, but this is difficult with only one out of six actors (me) cast. Another reason I wish we had done auditions earlier: there are two actor-friends that I was really hoping to work with on this project, but they're both doing other Fringe shows. We're going to have such a rehearsal time-crunch that we really need people with super-availability, so we can't really accommodate the sharing of actors. Bummer. But, I think we'll be just fine.

(a little note about the show, since I don't think I've said here what we're doing. SCOUT'S HONOR! is made up of two short plays (Snipe Hunt and Becky's Beaver) by Ed Valentine. As written, the plays have eleven characters. But we're going to do it with six, 3 men and 3 women, so men and women will both play boys and girls. Whee!)

Fringe Friends: check! Apparently, MySpace has become a huge tool in Fringe networking-- the friends on Cardium Mechanicum's MySpace page have nearly doubled since everyone has put their webpage links on the Fringe site. I think it's actually a neat way to "meet" others with shows in the Fringe, especially the out-of-towners.

Also, we've hooked up with some old acquaintances, back from the Theatorium Days.

I'm feeling good about this. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but it already feels fun.

I Think I May Succumb...

... and blog about my process of producing (and acting in) our Fringe show, SCOUT'S HONOR!

Why? Why do it like everyone else and become a theater blogger? Was it a burst of inspiration from the Pretentious Festival's Blogging Event?

No, no. I don't consider myself a theater blogger. I occasionally write reviews and that's enough "other people's theater" to write about for me. I don't want to talk about The Scene or What's Going On-- there are a bunch of people already doing that very well (like him and him and him and her).

But.


After posting the interview of me on his blog, Michael Criscuolo listed me in his blog rolls-- I've noticed that people are finding this site from a link on his. Obviously, these people are theater related in some way, so I wonder if they're just totally befuddled when they get here and find a travelogue from our Adventures in Italy with nary a mention of theater anywhere.

So I figured I'd do what a handful of friends and colleagues (like this guy and this guy) are doing/have done, and actually chart our process here.

Buckle up kids. We're going on a bumpy ride to the inner workings of indie theater madness!!

Not Sure How I Feel About This

I just took this quiz in Time Out New York.

It's late, so I can't conjure up a feeling about it now, but perhaps if my drinky (according to the mag) brain can remember, I'll write more on it tomorrow.

If you're dying to know my scores on the other tests, check back. Maybe if I wake up in my thirties tomorrow, I'll finish...

My New York age is 26

This New York age puts you-generally speaking-into the young category. That's what you were hoping for, right? Run and tell your friends. Then get drunk (as usual). Then sleep it off. Then pop an Adderall. Then come back and consider experimenting with a more mature type of New York life (just once in a while). Have you ever been to the Village Vanguard or the Living Theatre? Eaten at Elaine's? Taken a date to Michael Feinstein? Before you laugh, check 'em out and see what old-school NYC experiences you can add to the new.

Does your age reflect how you're living? Let us know.

What's your New York age? Take the Time Out New York quiz and find out!

Mother Is Looking So Well Today, a Grand Opera in 1 Page

We are about 10 days away from Cardium Mechanicum's very first production!

Rehearsal is set for Wednesday, we've cast 2 out of the 3 leads as well as over 20 awesome actors (including Will's fierce 8-year old cousin, Francesca) for the chorus.

The Brick has just posted a little blurb about our show on their blog.

If you're going to be in the city next weekend, I do hope you'll come check us out. Mother plays as part of Brick-a-Brac, a delightful variety hour including this show and others, Sunday June 3 at 7pm. Get your tickets here. I would recommend getting them in advance, as there are just 50 seats in the house, and over 30 people in our show alone!

Interview

I was interviewed this weekend by friend and colleague Michael Criscuolo, who keeps a blog as part of his job at nytheatre.com.

He is working on a series called "A Day in the Life". You can read about me here.

Deception

I grabbed the Time Out New York from my mailbox to read on the train on my way to work this morning. After picking up a coffee and finally making it past some really slow walkers to the M train, I sat down and started thumbing through the magazine.

On page 150, a bolt of lightning hit me when I found what I thought might be a most amazing birthday gift for Will's upcoming age-increase: tickets to see the ultimate emote-a-band, Journey.

My heart raced as I tried to remind myself to go buy tickets online the second I got to work. When I finally sat down I told my friend Jose what was making me so giddy. I got the sense he saw the genius in my plan.

But, yes, the excitement I've built up here is all about to burst.

When I went to the calendar page on the website for Canal Room, the venue that was to host my most perfect gift, all hopes were instantly dashed. To my horror, this is what I found:



This is not what it said in the print ad, and I have never been sadder to see those two sorry words: Tribute. Band. I don't care how great they are, there is only one Steve Perry.

Sorry, Will. But. Don't Stop Believin'. I Faithfully promise, with Open Arms, that we'll figure out a great birthday for you, Any Way You Want It. (sorry, folks. I don't normally get all punny, but when it comes to something as rockin' as Journey, this Girl Can't Help It!)

Calendar Explosion!

Been busy. The general schedule lately may include, but is not limited to:

• working as a simulated patient at UMDNJ out in Newark, NJ (yes, I'm doing the reverse commute!)


• working at a phone bank, similar to the simulated patient work, but for a boutique HR firm that has been contracted by a gigantic bank (does that count as "working for the man"?)


• helping out my friend with her floral design company (we did the James Beard Awards last night, and I realized that I am so grateful to no longer be working in the restaurant industry!)


• rehearsing for the reading of Ed's Thesis Play (which went down quite successfully last week)


• rehearsing for Macbeth Without Words, another in the Bizarre Science Fantasy Series


• casting and getting ready to rehearse Mother..., Cardium Mechanicum's first production and entry into the Brick Theater's Pretentious Festival, as well as putting in motion our next project, a radio play, and beginning work on our new-found acceptance into the Fringe Festival (details TBA!)


• and I've gotten into a pretty healthy pattern of theater reviewing-- I've been doing a show a week for the last few months! (you can read the most recent here, but family, beware. This one was pretty racy!)

and so on.

I also booked a voiceover job for HGTV that I will record tomorrow. Not sure what it's for yet, but I'll let you know so that you can tune in to hear me tell you what's up next on HGTV. (I still can't believe I get paid to talk... it's truly a dream come true... some girls dream of men on white horses, but apparently my dreams are filled with the sound of my own voice... sorry Will...)

In other news, Will and I did manage to get out of the city this weekend. We took a drive up to the Catskills and stayed at this groovy little place outside of Woodstock. It's always nice to see a sky full of stars in the middle of a hectic calendar. Hopefully the summer will be littered with more of these little jaunts, although the next few trips we'll take all involve weddings! Four between now and the end of the summer: 2 in Massachusetts, 1 in Pennsylvania and 1 in Utah. Because nobody can see fit to get hitched in New York...

Perhaps the Bush Girls Will Be Next?

Get a load of this.

Art=Oil, Religion=Water

This is jaw-droppingly... I don't know what... the reason the religious kooks in this country are so... so... kooky! Serously. And in Boston no less!

A Media Gadfly

This irks me to the core.


I don't like to discuss politics in public. As I've said before, if my many long nights of bartending taught me anything, it's that talking about religion or politics just fucks things up.

That being said, in response to the recent shootings in Virginia, I have an overwhelming bad taste in my mouth about the (and forgive the buzzwordiness of this next one) sensationalism of the situation in the media. And now some jackwad wants to have his fifteen YouTube minutes by making short films out of the shooters scripts?

This country is in some serious trouble. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.

Best. Sign. Ever. (Part 2)

Back when we were in Trieste, I saw this sign and was convinced it was the best in the world.

Today, I found stiff competition on this great actor's blog.

How does one decide? Which is really the world's greatest sign?

In other news, check out these two ways to manage credit card debt:

SNL via consumerist.com (video)


Fresh Air with Terri Gross (audio podcast)

If you haven't already, now is as good a time as any to chop up those credit cards!

Back in Iceland-- Bjork, nowhere to be found...

We are back in Reykjavik, waiting to board our flight back to NYC. (Keflavik Airport is the only one I've been to where internet access flows freely)

The wedding was great, our rented flat was gorgeous and I'm exhausted.

This is a slightly blurry version of what people getting married in London look like.


And these are professional wedding guests.

So I'm sitting here nervously hoping our luggage fiasco was one-way only, and that our poor manhandled bags are currently being loaded onto the plane we board in an hour.

In other news, plans are in the works for Cardium Mechanicum's first full production, and the Crush Project is still plugging away.

I have a busy schedule coming up, involving the Cardium show, my partner Ed's thesis reading at NYU (this will most likely be something we produce fully in the near future-- it's great!) and rehearsals for Macbeth. Good thing we got all this traveling in now, because it looks like I'm not getting off the island (well, save for Brooklyn) for a few months.

Bella Italia

It's been days since our bag was returned to us, tattered and torn as if having come straight from a bender ending in a bad one-night stand, but with all contents in place. And yes, for those of you following closely, the piece of the wedding dress I was carrying was in there and it was returned intact. (I didn't mention this on either of the previous panic posts, since I was, well... panicking my pants off that I was going to have to tell a nervous bride that Bjork was wearing her dream dress!)

Anyway, a few days in Italy can really make you forget that anything was ever wrong. In the entirety of your life. We have been well fed and well rested, perhaps more of the former than the latter, but we're relaxed.

We spent Easter (Pasqua) in Florence with Will's aunt Deanna and her husband Roberto's family. My Italian is not as bad as I had feared-- I still remember some. That was Feast number 1.

Yesterday, we were invited to Donatella and Pasquale's house for lunch. This is the stuff that they make those romantic mid-life crisis movies about, where the overworked American just takes off for the rolling hills of Italy to learn to make pasta. Donatella and Pasquale are Will's folks' neighbors down the hill, and their generosity, hospitality and good-neighborliness is unparalleled. Donatella could kick Mario Batali's ass without breaking a sweat. Feast number 2. (oh, and did I mention that the day we arrived, Pasquale stopped by to bring some fresh ricotta that they had just made? That has been an ongoing feast.)

So today, Will and I went on a nice long walk over to Montone, the town across the valley. It was probably about 5K all told, and we probably barely nicked away at the impact the homemade pasta made on us, but it was lovely just the same.

We leave tomorrow for Rome, then Thursday for London where I make the final hand-off of the dress. *PHEW!*

And in other news, there are no single people in the Midwest, and all my single girlfriends should move to California. Check this out.

A Public Apology to BjÖrk BjÄrney

Word on the street is that Bjork has released her evil grip on our bag and sent it off to the Queen. The poor bag should have arrived in Berlin bright and early this morning, by way of Reykjavik, London and Munich.

The bag has had more of a vacation than us!

Will keep you posted, as am sure you are glued to your moniter following the latest news on this topic.

In other news, Will and I got haircuts today.

The excitement never ends!

Icelandic Pop Princess, My Ass!

Isn't Bjork great?

Let me answer that for you. No! Bjork eats luggage. I repeat: ICENLAND'S ONLY DIVA STEALS THE BAGS OF INNOCENT TRAVELERS!!

I've been in the same socks since Sunday. That's right, we are having the worst airline karma of all time.

We left JFK more than 2 hours late on Sunday and arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland about 45 minutes after our connecting flight left for London. After being told that the next flight to London would not get us there in time to switch airports and make our flight on another airline to Berlin, we accepted a transfer to a flight to Oslo, Norway that would get us to London two hours before our EasyJet to Germany. Confused? Yeah, try it with jetlag and remnants of a hangover!

So we got to London around 5. Our bag did not make it. We reported it to the baggage control folks and resigned ourselves to the fact that there was little to no way in hell that we could get across London at rush hour to make our flight.

We ended up spending the night near Luton Airport at the world's most generic hotel chain, the Holiday Inn, where we feasted on over-priced microwaved meat and crap wine imported from California (go, Globalization!). Waking up at the crack of dawn, we trekked over to the airport and after a hellish battle with the line that would never move, we checked in and got on our flight. (London's Luton Airport was experiencing a conveyor belt meltdown-- they couldn't get the luggage out of the check-in area. Luckily, our bags werer already lost.

We arrived in Berlin to find that the dumb girl Will spoke to at our hotel had only booked us for one night. Luckily they had a room for us last night, but we had to find another hotel for tonight and tomorrow. Then this morning, when we checked out, she said that she had to charge us for Monday night because we didn't cancel.

So I'm billing Bjork.

The Holiday Inn bill, the night in Berlin we didn't use, the EasyJet ticket-change charge (Will bought travel insurance, but we had to pay a fee upfront and supposedly the insurance company will refund us-- that should be fun and unspeedy!) and seventeen new pairs of socks. It's about 400 pounds. That's like double-dollars, mind you. And the Holiday Inn had this neat little trick where they made their own exchange rate when you used an out-of-country credit card, the Bastards! They had a pound running at about $2.04 when my exchange calculator puts it at about $1.97-- granted, it's only seven cents, but they microwave meat. Need I say more?

So unless Bjork decides to let go of her vicegrip on our clean clothes, I'm taking a cut of her next album, since it will most likely feature songs about the contents of our suitcase. Damn you, Nordic Elves!

I See London, I See... Berlin? Rome?

You know how hard Will and I have been working lately, slaves to the grind, nary a moment's rest. Well, we've decided to treat ourselves right and finally take a much-needed vacation.

Kidding. We know we're really lucky to be able to do all this travling. I jokingly say that it's merely because none of our friends can see fit to get married in the US. But it's really fun to have a reason to fly here and there. Will was just doing some reading up on people who have their own personal jet.

It seemed like he was really envious, so I asked him do you want a jet?

His reply?

Well yeah, but I'd probably need to get a job to get one, so no.

Jobs can really clutter up a schedule, you know?

Today we leave for London, arrive in London tomorrow morning and leave for Berlin tomorrow night. We're there for a few days, then we head down to Italy to visit with Will's dad and sister for a week or so before we head back to London to watch my friends Bill and Julia get hitched.

Last night we went to the New York version of Sang and Lisa's wedding. We have to leave for the airport in a couple of hours, but we're moving sort of slow today-- I think we rolled in sometime around 3am. It really takes me back to the days of my early 20s (all eight years ago) where closing a bar was a 3-4 night a week affair (often solely because I was working behind said bar... I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea...). But now, staying out so late keeps me feeling young.

But that could just be that last glass of wine talking...

Anyway, I must remember to pack one very important thing (besides the sleep mask). I'm carrying a piece of Julia's wedding dress. She asked me to pick it up, since the dress shop is on my street. I keep having mini panic attacks, thinking we'll be in the air somewhere over the Atlantic and I'll suddenly realize that it's on my bed in the East Village. But no. That is not going to happen. Especially since I've just gone into all this super-fascinating detail about it here.

I'm going to sign off and put the dress piece in my GD suitcase already.

(p.s. In other news, the Crush Project is back on after a travel-related hiatus. We're looking to post one podcast per day, Monday through Friday. Check it out here-- we've recruited some new voices! And I think I may have finally come up with an idea for the next step-- details TBA).

Oh, We're Not Stuck in Korea, by the way...

I just realized that I haven't put anything up here since Korea. We are indeed back, we were not kidnapped and interned in a Northern Korean work camp or anything. But the jetlag was a bitch!

I've been busy with work (again, a slew of random gigs, including some voiceover stuff), I'm about to start rehearsals for my next show, and Ed and I have been working on submitting a bunch of his plays to festivals around the city for the summer.

It's strange-- it's been almost a year since I've been on stage, and by the time the next show opens, it will have been over a year! Wow. No comment, really, but just... wow.

The show will open in June as part of The Pretentious Festival at the Brick. I'll post dates once I know, because I'm sure you'll want to see this Pretentious-ized version of Macbeth. That's right. The Bizarre Science Fantasy crew (that brought you favorites like Hell's Belles and The Perfect Girl) are back and battling Shakespeare, silent-style. I'll keep you posted.

I've also just finished up another podcast for nytheatre.com. This one was for a show I actually did myself in college and find to be one of my favorite plays in modern American theater. You can listen to it here.

We're leaving for London on Sunday (I know, I know... we totally don't go on vacation enough). My dear friend Julia is getting married on April 14, so we thought we'd go a little early, spend a few days in Berlin, then head down to Italy to hang out with Will's dad and sister. We'll be there over Easter, which apparently is the holiday to end all holidays in Italy. That's right, we'll be hunting for eggs in the vineyard, left there by the Easter Coniglio.

Seoul

We're in Seoul and after five days might have finally gotten over the jet lag!




We've seen some cool stuff...


















and some crazy stuff...














But by far, the coolest thing we've seen by far was Sang and Lisa's wedding.


The ceremony took place yesterday afternoon. Lisa wore a white gown like you would see in the states and Sang wore a tuxedo and they got hitched in front of about 500 friends, family and colleagues. After the ceremony, while we ate dinner, they changed into traditional Korean garb. After dinner, they did more traditional stuff, including a ceremony where they both bowed and bowed and bowed to their families. Their whole families. Sang's dad alone has five siblings, so I'm sure their legs and backs were tired. (In the photo above, Sang is giving Lisa the traditional Korean Wedding Piggyback Ride-- I didn't ask where the tradition came from...)


Sang's family have been absolutely lovely hosts. There has always been an English-speaking cousin sitting with us to translate and/or explain what's going on. They also invited us into the family room to see the ceremony first hand. (In the photo above, you can see us with Sang and Lisa, his brother Tony and his wife Hanna as well as Sang's parents seated in front)

Tomorrow we're off to explore South Korea outside of Seoul. I'm sure it's beautiful, but I doubt it can beat the wedding. Did I mention that a little girl sang ABBA's Dancing Queen as a good luck wish during the engagement dinner?

This is stuff you just can't get from a guide book!

Commission a Play, Help a Friend

I just got an email from my colleague, often director and friend Jeffrey A. Lewonczyk. It touched me a little close to home.

Back in my bartending/table-waiting days, when restaurants closed/redesigned/went-under, I collected unemployment, anywhere from a whopping $300-405 per week. These are monies that we all pay into, and the payout is reserved strictly for times of need.

Click here to see how my pal Jeff is sort of getting screwed by his collection of unemployment, and the steps he's taking to make it right. I don't have all the details-- I expect I'll have to spring for a can of PBR (or a one-page play) to get him to spill it-- but I say, if you have the means, why not throw it his way? (although, don't forget that Ed and I, under the auspices of our theater company Cardium Mechanicum, will probably be hitting you up for something resembling a tax-deductible donation within the next year or so, so give what you can, but reserve a slice for us!!)

Will Calls Me "Clown", Giggles.

I don't know if it's the fact that there are stripes on each item I'm wearing or if it's the fact that I've got on bright pink styrofoam shoes, but Will got quite a chuckle out of my outfit today.

Cut me some slack, man.

I was running around all morning doing last minute errands before our trip to Korea (we leave Thursday), including picking up some unmentionables for my friend who lives there-- apparently there's no Gap Body in Busan, South Korea.

I also had to find something to wear to Sang and Lisa's wedding. Having never before been to a traditional Korean wedding, I asked Will to ask Sang what I should wear. Sang's reply? According to Will, he said "whatever".

Now take a look at the photo above. When given poetic license with my dress, I will outfit myself like Rainbow Brite, especially if there's a party.

Perhaps Will realized this. He told me I should ask Lisa, the bride. Her response? "Conservative." Remember, I think what I'm wearing in that photo could be considered "business casual". She said that she had seen a video from a wedding that looked like a business dinner.

I'm having my briefcase polished as we speak.

You'll Never Believe This One

I found out yesterday that I booked a voiceover job.

I'm going to be the voice of a talking remote control. Like an actual device. With buttons.

It's working title is the "Control-a-Man" and my guess is that it will be sold at novelty shops in malls around the country. Buttons pushed will say things like "Kiss Me, You Fool!" and "What About My Needs?".

I'm starting to amass a peculiar resume... but I'm getting paid to talk. What could be better?!

Busy. Wait, no. Swamped.

It's been a maddening couple of weeks. Sorry I've been out of touch.

So I'm working on that show at the Museum of Natural History. It's fun, but I've still got a bit of work ahead of me-- kids are coming to the dress rehearsal tomorrow, so technically, I've got a show in about 24 hours.

After working for a few years on the movement-based and word-free Bizarre Science Fantasy shows, learning lines has become quite a task! I've watched myself in rehearsal and my instinct is to keep moving, especially when I can't remember what to say! I know that I will pull it off, but right now I should really have my nose in a script.


But no, instead I'm choosing to procrastinate. I just broke out the iSight camera and started goofing off. Technology is neat! (Don't worry, I'm saying my lines while I'm doing this...)

Will is currently in Berlin checking out apartments. I was originally going to go with him, but then I got this show, so I'm here in New York dodging the hailstorm. The initial report back according to Will is that Brokers are the same even all the way across the globe-- he says X is how much I want to spend, so they show him apartments that cost X + XYZ thousand.

Then in two weeks, we're off to Korea for Will's friend's wedding. My friend Jennifer O'Donnell is there, too, teaching English, so we'll get to pay her a visit as well. I've never been to Asia (unless you count Russia, which I really don't), and I'm really excited.

We're home for two weeks after that, then off to London for my friend Julia's wedding.

Doesn't anyone get married locally in the states anymore? We've got Will's cousin's wedding in Pennsylvania in May, a college friend of mine in Massachusetts also in May then my friend Katie Brack in August in Utah.

Anyone ever heard of New York City Hall???

In other news, I finally sucked it up and got a haircut last week. When we got back from Italy, I learned that my hairdreser of more than four years had left the salon where I last saw her. I tried calling, I put a lost and found ad on Craigslist, I asked everyone I knew but nobody knew where she went. So I found a little shop in my neighborhood run by a sweet little Japanese couple. It was great. Chi washed my hair for like 20 minutes-- so long that I actually fell asleep!

I also got a new cell phone. My old phone literally broke in half, so there was really no option. Not exactly sure how I feel about it yet. Part of me is excited that it's so new and small and cool, but another part wonders why a phone can't just be a phone-- does is also need to be a camera, video camera, modem and video arcade? I figured out how to play video pool before I learned how to check my voicemail. Eeesh.

I guess this month is about me learning that change can be good...

More More More!

We are officially available for download as a podcast on iTunes. You can subcribe by clicking here. Then you can carry us around in your iPod or mp3 player and have us with you wherever you go. Boy, you're lucky!

Will Has a Go at Acting

We're still plugging away at the Crush Project. Will has officially become a part of it, and not just on the technical side! Check it out here-- he's pretty good!

In Other News...

I got a job. Well, I've had jobs-- a bunch of them, actually. And they've even been acting jobs, in a way... But this one I'm very excited about. I'm going to be "working" in the Science Musuem here in the city doing a show for kids about Evolution! (after having just watched Jesus Camp this week, though, I'm wondering how often Fundamentalists roll into the Evolution exhibit and if there will be any altercations... I'll keep you posted.)

It's actually technically my first one-woman show and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. They are just finishing up the exhibit that is centered around three skeletons: one of a chimp, another of a hominid and then a human skeleton. I go into rehearsal next week and the first show is open to the public on the 18th of February.

It's not Tony-nomination material, but I think it's gonna be fun just the same!

I also had a couple of meetings with Ed, my theater company partner, this week. We're finalizing plans for submitting his plays to festivals this summer and talking about a whole bunch of other stuff. He and I are turning out to be a great match: the stuff that he's good at is not necessarily my strong point and vice versa. It already feels like we inspire and encourage each other. I'm really excited to get into an actual production with our new company.

Also, there has been a hair of interest sparked over our Crush Project. I met a guy who does promotions and press stuff and he thinks the project is really unique and interesting. We're going to sit down with him within a week or so and see how we can work together. Until then, Will and I are working on making the actual site more streamlined and the actors and I are building more content, which is totally fun. I think we might even be on iTunes as a podcast... last I heard we were awaiting approval.

I still don't fully know the shape this whole thing is going to take, but I'm happy that people are finding it intriguing... it's a fun ride!

How's it goin', friends in Boston?

Not quite sure how I feel about the recent, um... Terrorism Scare (?) in Boston.

If you have not yet heard, you can read about it here, here and here (yeah, that last one is from the Times India-- Boston news journals surprisingly are not top on the search engines... but India is on it!) You can also see videos here, and my favorite is here.

Now here's the thing. I know it's fun to say "oh look at the politicians/cops/firemen/news jerks who didn't even know that these were Lite-Brites and not bombs" and "who doesn't know about the Aqua Teen Hunger Force?!". It's acutally pretty funny, like when the three-year-old is the only one in the house who knows how to program the VCR.

I don't think it's funny, per se, that cops and firemen and whoever else had to run out and "dismantle" the suspected terror. What I don't understand, though, is that these light boxes cum guerrilla marketing campaigns were just sitting around under bridges, etc. for two weeks and it wasn't until a phone call came in from an average citizen that the alarms were sounded.

If we Americans have learned anything from our strict diet of fear infusions over the past six years, it's that ... well ... um. Any ideas?

Sharing Space

So I'm currently sitting in my favorite coffee shop, the Lotus Club on the Lower East Side.

It's nothing fancy, but I love it because it is one of the first places I frequented in my neighborhood, and unfortunately places of this kind are becoming extinct (thanks largely to high rents that apparently only Starbucks can afford).

It's an easy-going sort of place. The coffee is not great, but it's cheap and mellow. During the day, it's a laptop-o-rama since they have free wireless. And at night it turns into a sort of dive bar with cheap drinks, the way a lot of places in this neighborhood used to be.

The problem, though, with a place like this can attract some really annoying people. Take the couple next to me. (and by "next to me" I mean at my table) Now granted, I'm at a table for four, but that's ok during the day since it's not busy and there are lots of empty tables around. And this table is near a plug for the trusty ol' computer. The guy was meandering around, and I thought he was looking for a plug-- you sort of start to recognize that wanting glare people get when they're looking for juice.

In a small fit of neighborly goodness, I offered him a seat at my table.

Big Mistake. Give someone an inch and they take a mile.

Not only did he not have a computer, he has a friend who has since joined him (she's here now rustling her newspaper every three seconds or so) and a penchant for singing along to the radio.

You know, buddy, I like Cat Stevens just as much as the next guy, but you're not in your shower. You're in public. And if you don't know all the words to Whiter Shade of Pale, it is NOT ok to just hum along. I have headphones in my ears and I can hear you still.

Ew. Now he's biting his nails. Fleetwood Mac just came on, apparently he likes this one too. Oh, there goes a finger in the nose. I have to go home.

Superhero Photo Series

Photographer Dulce Pincon has put together a series of photographs of immigrant workers dressed up as superheroes while doing their jobs. He lists where they are originally from and how much money they send home. It's either a really interesting view of pop-culture-meets-harsh-reality or as sad and strange as seeing a grown man dressed up as a hot dog to hand out coupons on the street for the hot dog shop.

See the whole series here.

Maybe if we just split the country into TWO countries...

Is it too late to have a do-over on the civil war? It's not just the North vs. the South these days, though. It's people like this guy vs. people like me. It's Religious America vs. Non-Religious America. It's Educated America vs. Non-Educated America. It's Puritanical Control Freak Zealots vs. people who are trying to live a life, maybe not a perfect one, but a life nonetheless. Evolution vs. Creationism.

I don't like to discuss politics here, but I found the following article terrifying solely on the fact that someone this "conservative" not only exists, but has enough political backing to run for president. But I take solace in the fact that, well... he's not gonna come close to winning.

He's not, right?

Kansas Senator Announces Bid for Presidency
By RACHEL L. SWARNS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 — Declaring himself a proud conservative before a crowd of cheering supporters waving American flags, Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, on Saturday announced his candidacy for president.

Mr. Brownback, an evangelical Protestant turned Roman Catholic and a former Kansas agriculture secretary, said he would focus on reviving faith and families in America; combating abortion, poverty and wasteful government spending; opposing same-sex marriage; and revamping Social Security and the federal tax system.

“The last thing we need in America is to take God out of our public lives and institutions,” Mr. Brownback said during his speech in Topeka, Kan. “We need to embrace our nation’s motto, ‘In God we trust,’ and not be ashamed of it.

“To walk away from the Almighty is to embrace decline for a nation,” he said. “To embrace him leads to renewal, for individuals and for nations.”

Mr. Brownback acknowledged that he would be one of the lesser-known candidates in what is expected to be a crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls, including Senator John McCain of Arizona and Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York.

With his opposition to abortion, embryonic stem-cell research and same-sex marriage, Mr. Brownback hopes to establish himself as the dominant conservative in the race. The American Conservative Union, which hails him as one of “the best of the best” in the Senate, gave him a 100 percent conservative rating in its most recent survey of Congress.

(the full article appears here in the New York Times)

One Hundred Percent Conservative. Think he has any meth-buying or gay-prostitute-soliciting in his past like another proud conservative we know?

Just One More Reason the Japanese are Better Than Everyone

This is amazing, and perhaps inspired by this guy.

If you've never seen this before and have some time to kill (love you, YouTube!), search on YouTube for "David Elsewhere". The man is made of pure jello.

New Ground

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been working on a podcast for nytheatre.com, the website I've been writing reviews for since I think sometime around 2001 or so.

The podcast is finished and you can listen to it here.

I think my voice sounds a little too formal and it's clear that I was reading straight from the page, but I'm cutting myself a little slack since it was my first try. Let me know what you think!

This Crazy City

Yesterday I saw a dog that was wearing nicer shoes than me.

Yes. A dog. Me in sneakers, the dog in leather boots. Dog. Leather Boots.

Seriously, are you kidding me?

And it wasn't even one of those small yappy dogs. I can almost understand when you're dropping like $400/pound on a yappy, then you're gonna want to protect the precious pads.

But no.

This was a big dog, a dog that looks like he could kick some serious ass at the dog run. If, that is, he is allowed to get his shoes dirty. The boots made this respectable dog look like a sissy. And the niceness of his shoes made me feel like a class-A slouch.

I bet the dog has a nicer apartment than me, too. And clearly he has a steady job that covers his costs, but then again how much can it really cost to keep a pooch in kibble and... well, I bet those boots might set you back a bit...

A dog. In boots. Christ.

One More Vote for 100% Cotton

Wow. Just came across this crazy story. No more polyester pants for this lady. And the cell phone stays in my purse!

Kind of makes me pine for a landline...

2007, Two Weeks In

Hey, so sorry I have been on an unexpected hiatus from this sweet little blog. I've actually been really busy getting things rolling, and it's been largely focused on the internet.

As I mentioned before, my friend Ed and I have started work on this new theater company, Cardium Mechanicum. I hosted a reading of four of Ed's plays last week at my apartment. Yep, that's right, we squeezed 15 people in this joint, fed 'em up on soup, boozed 'em up on wine, and had a pretty good time hearing Ed's great work aloud. We're not quite sure of the next step, but we're moving forward... in some direction or another...

We've also been working on ways to get work out that isn't necessarily theater. You can see a little bit of what's begun if you go to the cardium site and click on the crush project. Again, w're not quite sure what shape that's going to take just yet, but with Will's help, I'm slowly learning some basic web design and collaborating with a bunch of actors on the recordings that will soon be posted.

What else? Well, last weekend, I went out to Long Island City and sat in on a rehearsal of Force, a trilogy of plays written and directed by a friend of mine from college. I was covering her show for a podcast that I recorded and edited (largely all by myself-- I'm turning into a little bit of a tech geek!) for nytheatre.com, the website for which I write reviews. The podcast should be up on the site by the end of the week. It's only 15 minutes or so long, but if it didn't take me all GD day to edit it! It's the first one I've really done, so my guess is that it will get easier somewhere on down the line... I hope!

I've also started a new acting class, which I haven't done in a while, I've reviewed a couple of plays, I've been sent out on a few auditions and have booked a couple of voiceover gigs.

We're only a couple of weeks into the year and I think I need a vacation!