Wow. I can't believe a week has gone by and here I am, getting ready to open this show. It's been a good experience in a number of ways, but I can't shake this nagging feeling that I shouldn't have left New York right now. Alas, what's a man to do? I promised I'd do it, so I'm doing it. It's just the kinda guy I am.
Well, that's not entirely true, since I've promised to do things before and pulled out of them - witness the whole Seagull/Pavilion thing in the middle of last year. I think what's more likely is that I really liked the idea of working with the folks at CMU, since they're so damn connected. One never knows whose path one's going to cross in doing these little projects. What my seem like a freebie now may end up being good for me in the long run.
There's another element of this that I've been considering. The fact that folks who teach at CMU pursued me to get me to work with them is extraordinarily flattering. Being a local actor from Pittsburgh, I've always lived in the shadow of the juggernaut that is the acting program at CMU. It was the ultimate "townie" situation. There were all those kids going to school who - just by virtue of having the school on their resume and the access to the school's vast and powerful alumni network that implies - had so much more of a chance at success than it seemed I had. At least to me. I struggled with that envy for years. And it didn't even help to learn later in life that the actors produced by that program are no different than the mass of actors in the world at large: Some are good and some aren't. So here I am all these years later, and a teacher at CMU has sought me out to be in production of his play. Much as I'd like to say that I'm a grown-up, I still have to admit there's a bit of a thrill in that.
A thrill for which I'm gonna pay when it comes time to pay the rent again, but a thrill nonetheless.
It's been a crazy day, today. I didn't sleep very well last night, and ran around doing errands all day. Walked the hill to Patti's house twice, and it nearly killed me! Don't ever let me tell you again that all this walking and biking and blading all around New York & Philadelphia got me into shape. I may have sweated off a little fat, but it definitely didn't get me into shape! I thought I was gonna die!
The good news is that I got a paycheck from The Laury Group and I got my travel reimbursement from The Arden, so I could put a little money into my credit union account, to get me through the remainder of my poverty-stricken stay in Pittsburgh.
One thing I've been doing is snapping pictures of the whole Father Figures experience when I can. They haven't always been great photos, since I'm working in a dark theater without a flash, but what the eff, right? Maybe I'll have a chance to post a few of them.
Here's a couple that I can post: Some that I took around the CMU campus while we were still rehearsing during the first week. I don't know why, but I really like that first one on the left. I took it the day after a big-ass snow storm, but before the sun could warm everything up enough to drop all the heavy snow off the branches of the trees. I think it's really pretty.
Next up is a sorta repeat of a shot I took in Washington Square Park in Philadelphia - but the original was taken in early April, I think, when the trees were in their early full bloom. I sat on a bench and aimed the camera directly up into the branches while the sun was shining directly down through them. In this shot, the sky is too cloudy to let the sun shine through, and rather than be thick with greenery, the branches are laden with snow. I guess the contrast appealed to me. As if I'm a good enough photographer to talk about this shit! Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos.
Well, that's not entirely true, since I've promised to do things before and pulled out of them - witness the whole Seagull/Pavilion thing in the middle of last year. I think what's more likely is that I really liked the idea of working with the folks at CMU, since they're so damn connected. One never knows whose path one's going to cross in doing these little projects. What my seem like a freebie now may end up being good for me in the long run.
There's another element of this that I've been considering. The fact that folks who teach at CMU pursued me to get me to work with them is extraordinarily flattering. Being a local actor from Pittsburgh, I've always lived in the shadow of the juggernaut that is the acting program at CMU. It was the ultimate "townie" situation. There were all those kids going to school who - just by virtue of having the school on their resume and the access to the school's vast and powerful alumni network that implies - had so much more of a chance at success than it seemed I had. At least to me. I struggled with that envy for years. And it didn't even help to learn later in life that the actors produced by that program are no different than the mass of actors in the world at large: Some are good and some aren't. So here I am all these years later, and a teacher at CMU has sought me out to be in production of his play. Much as I'd like to say that I'm a grown-up, I still have to admit there's a bit of a thrill in that.
A thrill for which I'm gonna pay when it comes time to pay the rent again, but a thrill nonetheless.
It's been a crazy day, today. I didn't sleep very well last night, and ran around doing errands all day. Walked the hill to Patti's house twice, and it nearly killed me! Don't ever let me tell you again that all this walking and biking and blading all around New York & Philadelphia got me into shape. I may have sweated off a little fat, but it definitely didn't get me into shape! I thought I was gonna die!
The good news is that I got a paycheck from The Laury Group and I got my travel reimbursement from The Arden, so I could put a little money into my credit union account, to get me through the remainder of my poverty-stricken stay in Pittsburgh.
One thing I've been doing is snapping pictures of the whole Father Figures experience when I can. They haven't always been great photos, since I'm working in a dark theater without a flash, but what the eff, right? Maybe I'll have a chance to post a few of them.
Here's a couple that I can post: Some that I took around the CMU campus while we were still rehearsing during the first week. I don't know why, but I really like that first one on the left. I took it the day after a big-ass snow storm, but before the sun could warm everything up enough to drop all the heavy snow off the branches of the trees. I think it's really pretty. Next up is a sorta repeat of a shot I took in Washington Square Park in Philadelphia - but the original was taken in early April, I think, when the trees were in their early full bloom. I sat on a bench and aimed the camera directly up into the branches while the sun was shining directly down through them. In this shot, the sky is too cloudy to let the sun shine through, and rather than be thick with greenery, the branches are laden with snow. I guess the contrast appealed to me. As if I'm a good enough photographer to talk about this shit! Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos.
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