Ok, so you really can't blame me for not posting more often on my blog. For one thing, I'm not sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day with only about two hours worth of work to do, so I don't have the abundant opportunity or the desparate need to fill up time that I once had. For another, its difficult to know what exactly to do with my blog during these turbulent times of change. I never wanted it to become an online journal: "Then I did this, then I did this, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow so I can do this..." I wanted to use it to write about whatever in a semi-artistic format, like personal essays or whatever. Problem is that now that I'm so far away from everybody who reads this, its the easiest and most effective way to keep everybody posted about what I've been up to in my fabulous new life. So, I'll be working on combining these two roles of the blog in future posts. For now, more general stuff about my new life. If you're interested.
We've started to settle into a temporary routine with classes and everthing. It's only temporary because most of our program we're going to be a lot busier than we are now. Once we get into a play, everything will be different. No word on when thats happening yet. The big play of the semester, Brecht's "The Good Woman of Szechuan" or "of Saskatchuan" as we call it, is being directed by a lady from Romania. The auditions were taped and sent to her, only now they aren't exactly sure where she is. Guess she kind of disappeared in Romania somewhere. So casting for that show is being put off, and I really don't know when we're going to know anything more about it. An MFA director held callbacks last night for her final project, a bizarro little play called "On the Verge," and those were frustrating. It seemed entirely unnecessary to keep all 10 graduate actors there for almost four hours when 1-only one or two of us will end in that show, tops, and 2-she's only going to have to have another callback anyway after she finds out who is being cast in Good Woman, which has first pick. We were all pretty frustrated with the flagrant lack of respect for our time, which sounds really snooty and all but honestly something like that would never happen the professional world.
Somebody asked how my roommate and I are getting along (I think that was you, Ben). Well things are going just fine with me and Actor Jock. It's pretty amazing how similar parts of our lives have been. We both went to Ricks for a year before going to the Philippines, we both spoke Cebuano there, and we both developed vericoceles there. Only mine was bad enough to get operated on and removed, and his wasn't. He still has it. At the same time, we are so wildly different in interests (except for theater), temperment, acting styles, worldviews, politics, philosophy, that the other people in our class can't really figure out how we work living together. It's easy really, we just sort of back off and let each other alone when we're at home. It works out well. Today is his birthday, actually, and he apparently decided to celebrate by strolling about the apartment naked after his shower, which was a bit of a shock when I came out to get some breakfast but hey... it IS his birthday, so whatever.
I feel like I have way too much free time to play video games. I mean, I'm taking acting classes so its not like I have a lot of homework or anything. I have a few books to read, some exercises and stretches to work on, and thats about it. One exciting new development at this school is the arrival of two new acting teachers from the University of Washington, one of which will soon become the new acting program director. They teach a fascinating method of movement and acting based on the work of this Japanese guy Suzuki that they mentored with for many years. I'll have to show you guys some of this stuff some time, its wild, but its really helping me in ways I can't quite describe. It's just a whole different approach that we Westerners would never think of. But I love it. But then I love the Japanese. Who doesn't?
I've made good friends with the only MFA actor from the class ahead of us who is still around. He's a bit older than me (the guy at Barnes and Nobles thought he was my dad) so he's very fatherly and protective of the new students, and he's really helped show me around and adjust here. We went and saw Little Miss Sunshine, which I HIGHLY recommend to all, and the Illusionist, which I do NOT recommend. I've read some good reviews for it, which totally baffles me because the whole thing seemed sloppy and mediocre to me. Good actors acting badly. Poor script. You get the picture.
Ok, well thats enough for now. Until next time, keep it real folks. Oh, be sure to check the pictures from the trip out here that I posted a few scrolls down. I have more, but these are some of the most interesting, and you can see my new roommate, Actor Jock.
We've started to settle into a temporary routine with classes and everthing. It's only temporary because most of our program we're going to be a lot busier than we are now. Once we get into a play, everything will be different. No word on when thats happening yet. The big play of the semester, Brecht's "The Good Woman of Szechuan" or "of Saskatchuan" as we call it, is being directed by a lady from Romania. The auditions were taped and sent to her, only now they aren't exactly sure where she is. Guess she kind of disappeared in Romania somewhere. So casting for that show is being put off, and I really don't know when we're going to know anything more about it. An MFA director held callbacks last night for her final project, a bizarro little play called "On the Verge," and those were frustrating. It seemed entirely unnecessary to keep all 10 graduate actors there for almost four hours when 1-only one or two of us will end in that show, tops, and 2-she's only going to have to have another callback anyway after she finds out who is being cast in Good Woman, which has first pick. We were all pretty frustrated with the flagrant lack of respect for our time, which sounds really snooty and all but honestly something like that would never happen the professional world.
Somebody asked how my roommate and I are getting along (I think that was you, Ben). Well things are going just fine with me and Actor Jock. It's pretty amazing how similar parts of our lives have been. We both went to Ricks for a year before going to the Philippines, we both spoke Cebuano there, and we both developed vericoceles there. Only mine was bad enough to get operated on and removed, and his wasn't. He still has it. At the same time, we are so wildly different in interests (except for theater), temperment, acting styles, worldviews, politics, philosophy, that the other people in our class can't really figure out how we work living together. It's easy really, we just sort of back off and let each other alone when we're at home. It works out well. Today is his birthday, actually, and he apparently decided to celebrate by strolling about the apartment naked after his shower, which was a bit of a shock when I came out to get some breakfast but hey... it IS his birthday, so whatever.
I feel like I have way too much free time to play video games. I mean, I'm taking acting classes so its not like I have a lot of homework or anything. I have a few books to read, some exercises and stretches to work on, and thats about it. One exciting new development at this school is the arrival of two new acting teachers from the University of Washington, one of which will soon become the new acting program director. They teach a fascinating method of movement and acting based on the work of this Japanese guy Suzuki that they mentored with for many years. I'll have to show you guys some of this stuff some time, its wild, but its really helping me in ways I can't quite describe. It's just a whole different approach that we Westerners would never think of. But I love it. But then I love the Japanese. Who doesn't?
I've made good friends with the only MFA actor from the class ahead of us who is still around. He's a bit older than me (the guy at Barnes and Nobles thought he was my dad) so he's very fatherly and protective of the new students, and he's really helped show me around and adjust here. We went and saw Little Miss Sunshine, which I HIGHLY recommend to all, and the Illusionist, which I do NOT recommend. I've read some good reviews for it, which totally baffles me because the whole thing seemed sloppy and mediocre to me. Good actors acting badly. Poor script. You get the picture.
Ok, well thats enough for now. Until next time, keep it real folks. Oh, be sure to check the pictures from the trip out here that I posted a few scrolls down. I have more, but these are some of the most interesting, and you can see my new roommate, Actor Jock.
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Connie