What a Rare Mood I'm In...

First of all, I have to apologize to all the people that have been eagerly awaiting my next blog (Sorry Mom...)
There are many reasons I haven't blogged all over the place in a couple weeks, such as slight writers block, my internet going all wonky, having 12 shifts in the last two weeks, and just overall laziness, but the main reason I'm gonna go with is a little Eau Claire Children's Theatre performance I'm involved with called "BRIGADOON." For those of you that have not seen or heard of it (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's everybody) I guess it's a classic play, basically revolving around one man's love for a two-hundred-year-old woman. It's a little more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

Here's the situation with me and this play. First of all, I'm an extra. No lines, no solos, I'm not even in any of the dances. If you know my track record in theatre, you know I'm not exactly used to that. It's hard for me to show up to practice knowing that I'm not going to have a legitimate chance to make a giant ass of myself (not that this prevents me from doing so, it just moves it more behind-the-scenes.) The play is also really long and kinda boring (it's made by the same people that did My Fair Lady, so this isn't that surprising.) Plus, we've been practicing this show since the middle of December (we did take two weeks off for the holidays, but still...that's almost three months, a long time by ECCT standards.) So, I've pretty much hated this show from day one, and my hatred has incrementally grown with each passing day.

But now that we've moved from the ECCT building to the theatre for practices, the weirdest thing has happened. I still hate practices, but I actually like the show itself.

For starters, there's the talent involved. With few exceptions, the leads are my friends; from the new (Kevin Sieg, the most hilariously awkward dude in the world, for instance) to the very very old (my dear friend Greg Kernkamp.) I love these people to death. And songs I once thought boring, complete with the kind of lyrics you find in fifty cent greeting cards, come alive in the mouths of our main characters (especially the romantic lead, Tom Anderson. I love that man like one dude should not love another dude.) The costumes and sets are fun (kilts are surprisingly comfortable, by the way,) and as much as I hate the sound of bagpipes, having a live bagpiper on stage is kinda cool. The dances are complex and awe-inspiring (viewed from the proper distance) and a few of the lines are genuinely funny.

If I had written this blog a week ago, I would have advised you to stay away from this play with all your might. But now I'm not so sure. Don't go because of me, though (unless you really want to see me in a kilt.) I'm not downplaying my role when I say I do nothing. If you've got a night free later this week, however, there are bigger wastes of your time than seeing Brigadoon.

For those of you that might go, it's Feb. 28-March 1 at 7:30, March 2 at 1:30. State Theatre, Eau Claire.

Who Killed The Music?

The tale I have to serve up today is one of regret, senseless crime, and the human condition.

About four months ago, my iPod was stolen.

While I was performing Aladdin, somebody went into my dressing room (and I had my own dressing room,) into my BACKPACK, and made off with my iPod. If you know much about me, you know how big an audiophile I am, and pretty much the ONLY way I listen to music these days is via Pod. So, to recap, while I was spending every iota of free time at the State Theatre being painted blue and hoisted by my privates for the entertainment of thousands of Chippewa Valley theatre-goers, somebody stole my most prized possession. How's that for gratitude?

So anyway, I've been deprived of my music for far too long, and being too poor to just go and pick up another Pod, there's nothing I can do about it. I've been jogging back from work lately, and doing that with no music to distract me from the exercise makes it three times as hard for me. Yes, times are tough for this suburban cowboy...

Enter silver lining: Tax return.

I'm getting a boatload of cash back from Uncle Sam, and hopefully soon I will have something to fill that rectangular hole in my heart. Until then, I'm filling my new computer's iTunes with all the songs from CDs I own, CDs my friends own, and straight up Internet theft, so that when I do get an iPod again it'll be just like old times.

Sidenote: I'm listening to The Academy Is right now. I forgot how much of a home run "Almost Here" is. If you've never been, get your hands on this album. It'll change your life.

My Legacy in 8mm

Lately, I've been looking through my old camcorder tapes- footage from Tour Choirs past, ILC plays and musicals, and movie footage from the ILC Witch Project, as well as stuff I made with the brothers Kelly. Not only has it made me wax nostalgic for the carefree times of my youth, but I am also reminded of a shocking fact: Even though I own dozens of 8mm tapes full of content, even though I have written two full-length screenplays, even though I've wanted to make a movie since I was a little kid, I have NEVER shot anything close to a full-blown film. The closest I've come is the ILC Witch Project, and that wasn't even my movie, I just co-wrote, co-filmed, co-edited, and co-starred in it.

This cannot stand.

Starting tomorrow (boy, how many projects in my life begin with those two words) I'm getting it all worked out. Either I'll flesh out one of my screenplays, or adapt and finish my half-written stage play, or I'll build off of one of my billion ideas for movies. It's gonna happen. It's GOTTA happen. Questions remain, however: How long will I allow myself for the scriptwriting process? Should I get a new camera, use my old crappy one, or rent a professional-grade one? Plus, a bunch of little piddly questions not worth mentioning here. At any rate, stay tuned, gentle readers: When the time comes, I'm gonna need actors. And there is no experience quite like making a movie with friends.