Posts tagged: NYC
It’s amazing how busy I have become. I’ve gone from unemployment and slowly going crazy to A LOT of employment and quickly being driven mad.
I was talking with a friend today about how everyone in the world can find something to complain about. However, at the end of the day I have, health, shelter, food, friends, family…. I’m living the dream. Perspective is important.
A week from today we have our first preview. Today was our sitzprobe, the first time the cast sings with the orchestra. It’s always a beautiful moment when it all comes together. It’s very exciting.
I’m also excited about being in a musical again. My usual bag is classical plays or classic American plays…. what a treat to be doing something very different- and my first NYC musical at that. My undergraduate musical theater nerd would have never imagined that I would be doing the first revival of a musical in NYC. It’s a strangely proud moment I’m having….
…. it’s also a really cheesy musical. But I’m embracing it and having fun. That’s what it’s about I think…. otherwise there really is NO POINT. Ha!
Hello.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a chat. How have you been? How are your pets? Grandchildren? I know, they don’t call enough do they? How is your new cable TV? Have you tried that crazy Netflix that the kids are using these days? “Brave new world..” as Shakespeare would say, huh?
I’m asking about the TV because I know you’re enjoying home entertainment. I know this because I think you sometimes forget, when you’re… I don’t know, out in public and maybe, let’s say, at the theater, that you are not in the privacy of your own home and that everyone around you can hear what you are saying.
I know. Crazy, huh?
We can hear you explaining the plot to your husband who is falling asleep anyway and we can hear you commenting to your buddy how “Interesting” something is in order to undercut the emotional effect it’s having on you. The actors can hear you too. Trust me. We can. WE can hear you YAWN and COUGH and SIGH in the middle of a silence we have worked very hard to earn and fill, only to be undercut by your newly formed ADD that has been brought on by new media. You like to talk about how “young people” are being affected by technology… have any of you stopped to ask yourself how much YOU have been affected? Because if you have always acted like this then there is NOTHING that young people are doing that is different. I truly feel at one time you knew how to go to the theater. You understood that just because you are uncomfortable with a moment or the fact that an actor has pulled out a cigarette onstage, let alone started to light it, that you shouldn’t go in to a consumption coughing fit that makes me as an actor or an audience member want to hunt you down and suffocate you with my jacket. IF YOU’RE THAT ILL, THEN STAY THE FUCK HOME.
Wait, I’m sorry, that was a bit caustic.
I guess what I’m saying is that LISTENING is a skill. It’s a skill that can be lost after it has been acquired in the first place. This is not an issue of technology or age. It’s an issue of laziness and it’s a lack of awareness to your surroundings. I don’t care how often you go to the theater or if you’re a subscriber, rude is rude and lack of consideration is inexcusable.
So, if you could keep your epiphanies,about the plot or characters, that seem to happen three hours after the rest of us have had them and at a quiet moment in the scene, to yourself… that would be appreciated. Thanks.
Maybe you could practice this while watching that same episode of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND for the third or fourth time?
All the best,
ME
PS- your Cell Phone DOES turn off. Ask a helpful younger person to show you how to do it. SILENCE or AIRPLANE MODE is not OFF.
PPS- Yes, it is hard to remember all those lines. It’s even harder to remember them when you are mumbling, coughing, rustling, texting and commenting through the entire performance.
It was a very busy few weeks surrounding Christmas. I visited friends and family in two different cities. Coming back to NYC was unlike any other time before. Every time I leave and come back again, if feels more and more like home. I do HEART NYC.
Going home is never easy, even with a beautiful white Christmas greeting me there. The push and pull of family seems to get more intense as I grow older, not less. Maybe it’s circumstantial, maybe it’s just life, but being home and not spreading myself thin seems impossible.
Before I left I had the great news about booking my next off-Broadway show. The pressure and weight that I had been carrying was suddenly lifted with a simple call. This news was a wonderful Christmas present not just for me, but also for my family. They have been amazingly supportive and loving. However, quietly they were worrying and nervous. It’s a blessing to have such a support system, but it can also be an added pressure.
This trip was busy and scheduled within an inch of it’s life. Partially because for the first time in a while I had something to really celebrate with my family. It has been a difficult span of time and my family and I needed this celebration time together. I didn’t really realize that until tonight.
I had TWO beautiful Christmas celebrations and time with many friends, old and new.
On this eve of Twelfth Night I wanted to reflect, one last time, on what a truly wonderful holiday this was, and how 2013 has all the signs of momentum in a positive direction. I am a lucky person who is grateful every day.
… and one last time, Merry Christmas 2012-2013 everyone.
The last six months have not been easy. Going through a dry spell, as an actor, makes you question what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. I’ve had dry spells before, but none like this. I think it was harder this time around because of where I live, NYC, and because I had been working consistently. Work does beget work and while I was in the struggle to find something it often felt as if I would never work again.
I decided to combat my lack of acting work in many ways.
First of all, I started working out and taking care of myself physically more than I ever had before. This was a natural way to combat depression and has the upside of making me feel better than I have in a long time. Losing 30+ pounds gives you a lot more energy, believe it or not. (Also running in 2 5Ks and running 7:30 min/miles gave me a pride I have never felt before)
Secondly, I started to focus more on auditions and submissions. Each one is a step in the right direction, small as it may be, and leads to something else. Keeping these small steps in focus is not easy, but I found it very important and, at times, inspiring.
Lastly, I decided to focus my creative energy towards writing. It was a great outlet that I have always enjoyed and I am excited to have had the time to dedicate to it.
I think of this unemployment time as a journey to get to the next destination. Sometimes the car stalled, sometimes the train was delayed, and sometimes I felt like I took the wrong direction. But all of it was movement, in one form or another. The entire time I had to keep reminding myself that I was only one phone call away from the next destination on my journey.
This week seemed a perfect milestone in the the overall journey when I, ran my best 5K yet, received that phone call with an acting job offer, and had a reading of my web series which I recently finished writing. It has been overwhelming and exciting to say the least.
There are many steps ahead on my overall journey, including some kind of campaign to raise funds in order to shoot my web series. For now I’ll go visit family over the holidays and celebrate how fortunate we all are. Then, I’ll head back to NYC and start the next leg of my journey…. in a MUSICAL. I’m nervous, excited, and eternally grateful.
This is my favorite time of year in NYC. From the early Fall leading up to Christmas the weather and attitude of the city is something that I can only describe as magical. It is the time I am reminded how wonderful this city, and on a broader scale- humanity, can be. The past few weeks have brought some unpleasant news that seems to have had a major impact on many people in this country. In spite of the tragedy surrounding the events and the sadness that has ensued, I have been struck, once again, how humans really are inherently good. We may all look at the world differently, one person’s “God” is another person’s “love”, and some may try to misguidedly explain why this happened, but at the core of almost every reaction to this event is one essential truth- we are all inherently moral people who want good to prevail.
I truly think the best way to honor those lives lost is to live my life the best way I can. This is a reminder to to be kind to everyone and lead with compassion. There is no “reason” why this happened. It’s a random act of senseless violence. However, what MUST be remembered is that for every atrocity that is perpetrated there are millions and millions of acts of kindness, big and small. The best thing I can do to move forward and honor those lost is to perpetuate those acts of kindness and compassion.
Maybe it’s the celebration of the the past year, the memory of Christmastime past, or the promise of something exciting and promising in the new year, but there is a magic in the air that is undeniable. It’s a magic that we all feel, regardless of religion or belief. The magic of love and hope.
Merry Christmas.
Happy Pride NYC!!!!
I realized the other day, for the first time really, that I’m no longer a new New Yorker. I’m “living the dream”, ha ha, as they say. It’s a good feeling to have. It’s also a good reminder that no matter what I achieve, I will always be driven to do more. This is a good drive to have, as long as I am also able to keep perspective on what has been achieved.
I started rehearsals yesterday for my next show and I have to say that it is as exciting as ever to be going to work on a gig in NYC. I hope that feeling never changes.
I still appreciate looking up and seeing the Empire State Building, or the Chrysler Building.
I still enjoy the subway.
My heart still breaks at the poverty and homelessness.
The one thing I have always feared and I think is a real danger for anyone, especially in New York, is being “over” anything in life. Losing your appreciation for something or someone is not only cynical but leads to a very numbly lived life. This loss is a sign of not living in the present. As nice as it is to feel a non “New” Yorker, there are many feelings of mine that will never change, and for that I am also grateful.
What a wild ride the past month has been. I have been challenged and rewarded in many ways and I feel so lucky to have been a working actor for the past six months. I wouldn’t be surprised if things cooled off for a bit now, although I am committed to continue the search for the next thing.
I am so grateful to be back in NYC again. I enjoyed my time away with fresh air, snow, trees, space, and cheap food and liquor…. but now I’m back and feeling refreshed and ready for what’s next.
A few days after I arrived home the Lucille Lortel Awards (off-Broadway awards) were announced and, drum-roll please……..
The Misanthrope, my last NYC show, was nominated for Outstanding Revival. - In some pretty impressive company, I may add. I am so proud to be a part of this show. It was such a great group of people to be working with. It was a great thing to be a part of….
The Awards will be hosted by Zach Braff and Samantha Bee. I hope I am able to go, it should be fun.
It’s a very rewarding thing to feel this kind of pride. It’s about a group of people making something together and being recognized for that work. I think that’s a special thing that doesn’t happen as often as an individual being singled out for something specific. A performance is a living and breathing being that is only as strong as it’s weakest length.
… the collective cast and crew created a being that people enjoyed spending time with. To me, that’s sounds like a little bit of magic.
That’s definitely something to be proud of….
I have been seeing some amazing shows since I got back to NYC. I can recommend all of these and Peter and the Starcatcher. It’s an exciting time in NY Theatre…. So many amazing things happening.
