By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes
macbeth opened last night.
it's been a trial of patience and frustration, but the show went.
it's not spectacular.
not yet.
don't know if it ever will be, but it has it's moments.
brandon pearson as macbeth is intense, and at times, simply leaves folks speechless.
rebecca johnson as lady m has more than proved her mettle.
how can such a petite sweet woman be so huge on stage?
i don't know, but she is.
the rest of the cast is a mixed bag.
many people are bitter and frustrated with the show.
the set is a monstrousity.
some blocking has had to be changed repeatedly since tech for the set.
the matter of not running the entirety of the show until first dress rehearsal was detrimental to it also.
why this happened, i don't know.
poor planning perhaps.
the fights... well they are a mixed bag too.
i'm not much for stage combat.
i come from a fairly violent family, where contact when play fighting was expected.
my nephews and i beat each other with sticks and pvc pipes growing up, and occassionally we still do.
i was the least rough and tumble of the group too.
so the idea of not making contact is a little hard to wrap my head around.
so i'm sure my fights look shitty, though i'm trying.
the second fight in particular, simply because my partner and i haven't ever been able to fully establish what it is we're doing.
don't get me wrong we have things laid out, the first dozen strikes are there.
sadly... it varies on whether we have to do more than that.
the timing is always off.
the intensity was better last night.
but a large chunk of the cast has grown lackadaisical.
it shows too.
they've been doing the play because they agreed too, or because they want it to pad their resumes.
the play isn't the directors, nor is it the designers any more.
it's the actors play and sadly most don't realize it.
i have, just in time.
we will fumble and stumble along at times.
but by hell we as actors need to take up the trumpet and torch and intensify this show.
bad acting aside (there is some pretty mediocre acting in this show, and i can't say i'm not to blame either), energy alone will make the audience focus, and pay attention.
that's what needs to happen.
tyson was correct in his critism of us.
it was harsh, but he was dead on.
and i appreciate his honesty, and his willingness to lay it out like he did.
he was right; we need to pick it up, we need to give more.
the only actors who are blameless in this regard can't give any more.
because they've given it thier all.
and i'll be damned if i am not enthralled by thier performance.
i gave alot last night.
i'm tired for it too, but i don't care.
i'm going to give more tonight.
i don't care if i'm dead by the end of this show, and sleep for weeks.
i will do what i can to get that energy level up.
both on my end, and inspiring others.
to hell with anybody else, i'm a selfish bastard, and i'm doing the show for me.
dave and the boys.
i'm listening to dave mathews.
i'm rather fond of the musical stylings of dave and his band.
the sheer volume of talent in that group is astounding, especially all the elements beyond dave himself.
i think wow.
now the last couple of albums i haven't heard, i know that they had started going towards a more pop sound, a few songs on "these crowded streets" were very pop, but the majority weren't, and i loved that album.
i've also noticed that pop has moved a little towards dave's sound, gravelly voice, a little jazz/blues.
i don't listen to these other bands, because quite frankly they don't compare.
i've caught a video here, a song on the radio there, niether of which i seek out.
the current album i'm listening to is "crash"
which is probably my favorite, i love all the slow songs, and the fast songs.
it's the only album that makes me want to find the company of the fairer sex and spend the day in intimate distraction with them.
today would be a good day for it, it's cold and snowy.
it would be preferred.
"Where Are You Going
Where are you going,
with your long face pulling down?
Don’t hide away,
like an ocean
But you can’t see,
but you can smell
And the sound waves crash down
I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, oh that’s for sure
But I do know one thing for sure
Is where you are,
is where I belong
I do know, where you go,
is where I want to be
Where are you going,
where do you go?
Are you looking for answers,
to questions under the stars?
If along the way you are growingweary,
you can rest with me until a brighter day
It’s okay,
where are you going,
where do you go?
I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, oh that’s for sure
But I do know one thing for sure
Is where you are,
is where I belong
I do know, where you go,
is where I want to be
Where are you going,
where do you go?
Are you looking for answers,
where do you go?
Where are you going?
Where do you go?
Let’s go."
-dave matthews band, "where are you going?"
snow, snow, everywhere, and it really pisses me off.
it snowed.
i've got mixed feelings about that.
i don't mind the snow, once it's on the ground and the streets have been cleared relatively.
but as it's coming down, it and i are bitter enemies.
i don't think it realizes this.
and as i'm a weak mortal, with very little power -either political, scientific, or blackmarket- i can do nothing more than shake my fist at the sky in anger and curse the weather gods that are indifferent to my plight.
so there are clouds in the sky, heavy fat clouds unhurridily spread themselves out over the moutains, going where i know not for sure.
though i'll wager it's towards the midwest.
those poor bastards.
the got alot of snow.
funny how that works, figured we'd get more.
but nope. it's always the midwest.
another storm is coming.
man, if it wasn't for the snow, winter would be ok.
(see, i don't mind the cold).
so i've been weighing heavily the decision to audition for lyric this summer.
and i've decided against.
i'd love to work in a more proffesional setting, not that acting through the university doesn't have it's more proffesional moments depending on the show and the director.
my decision is due to several factors.
one is the fact that i simply have no time to prepare: the auditions go up mid week after macbeth, and that show (and the one act i'm in, and the scene i'm helping a buddy of mine with) dominate my life until it's over.
second on the preperation, i have no head-shots off hand and as the applications are due this week, no time to get any.
i can't afford to take the time off of work, so i'm stuck on that front.
the second reason i've decided not to audition is, well simply, my summer was pretty much ate up this last year with being sick.
nearly all of july, and all of august i was out.
i missed a family reunion, and a wedding that i would have rather not missed.
this year i intend to make it to all summer familial activities, i'd also like to do a bit of traveling, if possible.
nothing major, vegas of course, and a jaunt around southern utah perhaps.
i need to have a refreshing summer, and though i love acting, i think by the time april is over, i'll need time away from it for a while.
i'm not so sure doing theatre all summer would be what i need.
with all that said, i'm pretty happy with the decision.
no if i can manage to get through macbeth, and get some writing done on top of it...
i'll be happy.
