So Rises A General . . .
While granting a disclaimer stating that I believe myself to have agency within my circumstances, it nonetheless seems that those circumstances conspire sometimes to leave me without blogging time. So this will have to be quick.
All of the projects named and described in previous posts continue; I'll get to those towards the end. The big NEW news is that I will be playing the role of Titus in Titus Andronicus, which is being produced by Balagan Theatre at CHAC. We start rehearsing on December 5th; we'll have a generous holiday break, followed by a big push in January. The show opens January 18th. If you live in Seattle, or have any chance of getting to Seattle during the three weekends of the run, I'd really like to see you there. I'm terrified, of course--Shakespearean tragic leads are a new thing for me, and I haven't had to play a character some 20 years my senior since I was in school--but very excited. Titus is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays in performance, even if its primitive, end-stopped pentameter makes it one of the shakiest on paper.
I was actually given an opportunity to understudy for a show at one of the big houses, with a paid contract and the works. Unfortunately, it would have interfered with both my vacation plans for Thanksgiving (wherein 'Stine and I visited The Krause House) and, potentially, with the classes I'm teaching. The sacrifices were too great, the rewards too intangible (the understudy gig would have represented a good professional leg-up, but as you should all know by now, my exuberance for the ART of acting is more than matched by my profound ambivalence regarding the current state of theatre and the acting PROFESSION). And it seems to me to be a not inconsiderable karmic/cosmic coincedence that I declined the understudy position on the very day of the callback for Titus. Serendipity plays a strange game.
Other than that . . . my kids are doing great work. I got back from vacation to see that a couple of my most devoted students have really taken some initiative, and shown some leadership, in concocting some remarkably well-formed vignettes around the idea of wordless, symbolic combat-dancing; they've even found some creative ways of applying combat principles in completely non-combative context. If I ever create an adult class out of this, I may invite some of my older students from this leg to be my assistants, because they're doing fine, fine work. I'm tearing up a little just thinking about it. Frankly, they're so good that I have to assume it's really nothing to do with me; I was simply the vessel by which they discovered the principles they needed to unlock their own potential.
Still waiting on publication of my articles (the issue comes out in a couple of weeks), but the review editor emailed me the new list for the March issue, so I guess they were willing to have me back. And there are some sweeeeeeeeeeeet offerings in this batch; I can't wait to start my new stroll through the dubby, proggy, trippy, dark, and atmospheric. A celebration of my first publication, meanwhile, should be fortcoming, pending the arrival of December's issue on newstands. Locals, stay tuned.
Let's see . . . the new James Bond movie is awesome; Daniel Craig is both the strongest actor and sexiest presence ever to play 007. Vacation in Albuquerque was lovely; Amanda's kids are darling, and of lovely disposition, and I love playing the crazy, funny uncle from Seattle.
OK, that's it, news, frivolities, and all. Be well.
All of the projects named and described in previous posts continue; I'll get to those towards the end. The big NEW news is that I will be playing the role of Titus in Titus Andronicus, which is being produced by Balagan Theatre at CHAC. We start rehearsing on December 5th; we'll have a generous holiday break, followed by a big push in January. The show opens January 18th. If you live in Seattle, or have any chance of getting to Seattle during the three weekends of the run, I'd really like to see you there. I'm terrified, of course--Shakespearean tragic leads are a new thing for me, and I haven't had to play a character some 20 years my senior since I was in school--but very excited. Titus is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays in performance, even if its primitive, end-stopped pentameter makes it one of the shakiest on paper.
I was actually given an opportunity to understudy for a show at one of the big houses, with a paid contract and the works. Unfortunately, it would have interfered with both my vacation plans for Thanksgiving (wherein 'Stine and I visited The Krause House) and, potentially, with the classes I'm teaching. The sacrifices were too great, the rewards too intangible (the understudy gig would have represented a good professional leg-up, but as you should all know by now, my exuberance for the ART of acting is more than matched by my profound ambivalence regarding the current state of theatre and the acting PROFESSION). And it seems to me to be a not inconsiderable karmic/cosmic coincedence that I declined the understudy position on the very day of the callback for Titus. Serendipity plays a strange game.
Other than that . . . my kids are doing great work. I got back from vacation to see that a couple of my most devoted students have really taken some initiative, and shown some leadership, in concocting some remarkably well-formed vignettes around the idea of wordless, symbolic combat-dancing; they've even found some creative ways of applying combat principles in completely non-combative context. If I ever create an adult class out of this, I may invite some of my older students from this leg to be my assistants, because they're doing fine, fine work. I'm tearing up a little just thinking about it. Frankly, they're so good that I have to assume it's really nothing to do with me; I was simply the vessel by which they discovered the principles they needed to unlock their own potential.
Still waiting on publication of my articles (the issue comes out in a couple of weeks), but the review editor emailed me the new list for the March issue, so I guess they were willing to have me back. And there are some sweeeeeeeeeeeet offerings in this batch; I can't wait to start my new stroll through the dubby, proggy, trippy, dark, and atmospheric. A celebration of my first publication, meanwhile, should be fortcoming, pending the arrival of December's issue on newstands. Locals, stay tuned.
Let's see . . . the new James Bond movie is awesome; Daniel Craig is both the strongest actor and sexiest presence ever to play 007. Vacation in Albuquerque was lovely; Amanda's kids are darling, and of lovely disposition, and I love playing the crazy, funny uncle from Seattle.
OK, that's it, news, frivolities, and all. Be well.
Labels: performance, teaching
posted by thelyamhound at 12:50 PM
2 Comments:
Isn't that Zacky-roo a riot? He's reminded me a bit of you and vice versa on more than one occasion.
So glad to hear how well everything is going.
The crazy funny uncle from Seattle? Been taking notes from Rob? Does that mean that you're now, Ung Ly? :)
Also glad to read all is well.
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