So, my time at The Magnetic Theatre and their 3rd Annual One Act Play Festival ended on November 13th. Tooth or Dare (about a couple’s run-in with a pissed-off Tooth Fairy) was a lot of fun to do. The audiences seems to really like it and we got voted to be in the Best of the Fest! performance on the final Sunday. Out of the 20 short plays that were presented, only six were voted in to do the final performance. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.
In the last few weeks, I have made a return (somewhat) to doing theater-y kinds of things after not having been onstage in well over three years.
After 30-plus years at the helm, the Executive Director of the local theater is retiring. A couple of weekends ago, there was an event at the theater to celebrate his time there. Part of the event was a retrospective of his time in charge and I was asked to sing a duet from one of his favorite shows he directed (I was in the original production). I must say that it did feel really weird to sing that song while holding a microphone. I’m only used that on karaoke night in the local bar. Ha, ha.
Here’s the group of fine folks that spoke and performed that evening.
And, I am currently in rehearsal for the short play Tooth or Dare that’s part of The Magnetic Theatre‘s 3rd Annual One Act Play Festival. It’s been fun to rehearse so far and I had forgotten how awesome the discovery process is during rehearsals. Plus, it’s been pretty light duty (as far as a time commitment) since our piece runs about ten minutes. Only three more rehearsals over the next two weeks and we are up and running. Tooth or Dare is part of the Schedule B performances if you are in the area and are inclined to come support live theater.
Talk about feeling down and out and unfocused. I am in a funk (!) … but somehow managing to make it through. That is until my bank account gets depleted from all my “I am depressed and gonna buy things to cheer me up” purchases.
Meanwhile, here are some recent happenings.
Chip went in for a full mouth extraction two weeks ago. Yeah. Poor little guy no longer has teeth. This picture was taken when first we got him home. He looks so cute in his all-drugged-up state. He didn’t look so cute a few hours later when he was drooling blood everywhere. The first few days of his recovery were stressful but he bounced back pretty quickly considering his age and the fact they pulled 19 teeth. It really is for the best. His teeth were so bad that his jawbone had started to rot as well. So no more teeth for Chip and (more importantly) no more death breath for us to smell!
And here’s an adorable picture of a pup and his favorite dad the night of the surgery. They slept like that for quite a while as I giggled my way through Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (a great stress reliever of a movie).
Jon and Carrie (and their kids) came into the area to visit! They have been in Colorado for quite a few years now. So, it’s always great to get to see them.
A little over three weeks ago, the remnants of Hurricane Fred caused catastrophic flooding in the county. The Cruso area and the town of Canton were again hard hit. The pictures above are of Cold Creek Road where my sister lives. Fortunately, her house did not get flooded … but it did damage the bridge onto her property (seen in the top photo). The scary thing about these photos is that this small creek became a monster that destroyed a two-lane road. Yeah. There used to be a road where that new streambed is. Unfortunately, five people were killed in the flooding, and scores of people have lost their homes. This week a major disaster declaration finally came down from the federal government. I am hoping the community can recover quickly. Nature is awesome and totally terrifying.
![[title of show]](https://i0.wp.com/www.theboywonder.net/wp-content/uploads/title-of-show.png?ssl=1)
Finally seen out in the wild is the logo design I did for Asheville Community Theatre’s Graphic Design Project. Yay!
Now … bring on FRIDAY and the WEEKEND!
Sheesh. It’s been over three weeks since my last post.
I know this is directly tied to the wild mood swings I have been dealing with all year. Happy. Sad. Happy. Depressed to the Point of Stepping into Oncoming Traffic. It’s been a fun month.
I did finally get off my lazy ass and get the ceiling in the bathroom painted. Trust me. It REALLY needed it. Now it doesn’t look like a crack den in there.
The newest addition to my vinyl listening arsenal is an Audio-Technica Disc Stabilizer. An annoying amount of new records have been showing up dished (or bowled as it’s also referred to). So, I got this to ease my worry or ruining my stylus or damaging the grooves on the record.
And, I am excited to have snagged a Super NES Console Ornament from the local Hallmark store. I was there the first day this ornament was on sale (July 11) and managed to buy the last one. Good thing as it appears to be sold out online now as well. 
A couple of weeks ago, David and I went to see the first big post-COVID shutdown show at the theater. We kinda had to go because we are good friends with the director and know several people who were performing in it. I haven’t been to the theater since I turned my keys in last July and have had nonexistent contact with any of the staff there since then. Combine that with the major slight last month, which meant that I really DID NOT WANT TO GO. I was so wound up about being there that I almost had an anxiety attack at the top of the show. Ugh. And, I ended up talking to and playing nice with the one person I did not want to see after the show. Triple Ugh.
Needless to say, when we got home, I couldn’t stop myself from pouring over the program with my red pen looking for any design problems or errors. What I wasn’t expecting was the sheer number of typos, grammatical issues, and stylistic inconsistencies I found … which means NOBODY proofread the damn thing before it was printed.
For the record, it can be hard to go to sleep when you have a dog straddling your torso.
This week sees the wrap-up of Asheville Community Theatre’s Graphic Design Project. I have been plugging away at design ideas for [title of show] and have narrowed it down to three different logo treatments. I am dead curious to see which one will win the race. Hopefully, I will know when we meet up Thursday night to present our designs.
Life is still … plodding along. But there have been some distractions along the way.
Yes. I bought a kiddie pool. And, yes. It’s for me. When the temps get hot, you will be able to find me laying drunk in the cool, cool water. I have already warned the neighbors.
Yes! It’s the limited edition release of StudioCanal’s 4K restoration of Basic Instinct. The timing couldn’t be better since my Lionsgate Blu-ray from 2007 has shit the bed and won’t play past the first promo trailer on the disc. This is seriously one of my favorite movies. It’s so perfectly trashy and awesome.
Yes. I finally fixed the bottom step (that was rotting to pieces) off the back deck. The price of lumber had been making me delay this task. So, I got crafty and found some old lumber from a picnic table I dismantled a few months ago. Quick work with a hand saw and a few nails means a sturdy new step is now in place! And, yes. I was dumb and didn’t take a “before” picture.
The tracklisting on No Gods No Masters, the new Garbage album, is slightly different on the vinyl versus the CD. Aren’t you happy that you now know this useless bit of information?
And now for the “I’m Done” portion of this post …
It’s always great to see your design work lifted and then solely credited to another person. This really made my eye twitch when I saw it last Friday. Granted, the person that is credited did drop new photos into this design, but they in no way should get the sole credit and all the kudos they were getting in the comment section of this post.
I quit working at this theater last summer because I was overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. Nobody there could ever seem to remember I was on staff even though they had no problem piling extra design work on me anytime they needed it. It really sucked. So, I quit. Fast forward a year and they still can’t seem to remember the work I did or the time and energy I put into it … and it still REALLY SUCKS.
After a week and half of me stressing out totally over going to New York City in the current world situation … we went to New York. The idea of loosing the money on the theater tickets and hotel was just too much to bear. So we headed out last Thursday.
The nearly empty plane should have been a sign. Seriously. There were ten people on this 70 seat plane.
We arrived in New York City to the news that Broadway had closed down and we were not going to get to see any theater. Well, shit. We Uber-ed into the city, checked in the hotel and got settled.
You gotta love this beautiful view from our room. Ha, ha.
We decided to walk around some before dinner. The city seemed busy, but not overly so. Here are the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center. Not nearly as many as there usually are.
I love this They Live themed billboard at the corner of 7th and 48th in Times Square.
We had an incredible dinner a OBAO on 9th in Hell’s Kitchen. Yum.
After dinner we walked around the Theater District and I tortured myself by going by the now darkened theaters of the shows we were supposed to see. Seriously crushed to not be able to see Hangmen.
We went back to the hotel, but I was craving donuts. So, I went back out and got some at the Dunkin’ across 8th. Jelly Filled and Chocolate Covered with Sprinkles!
We also found out on Thursday that all the museums had shut down as well. There went our backup plan. Dammit. So, we Uber-ed into Brooklyn and had an early lunch at Junior’s. It’s my kind of place!
We caught a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. I now know I would give my left nut to have an Alamo Drafthouse close by. Such a cool movie theater chain.
Since we were close to the Brooklyn Bridge, we decided to walk that way back into Manhattan. It was a really beautiful day to be out and about!
And then we just kept on walking. We navigated up into the West Village and had drinks at The Stonewall Inn. Then we went around the corner and found my old friend, Ian. I hadn’t seen him in years, so it was great to show up unannounced and surprise him. For the record, this picture is not a good example of social distancing.
Then we continued our walk up to 44th and had pizza at John’s Pizzaria. I guess that was the one good thing about Broadway being shut down. We were actually able to get a table there with no wait. Once back at the hotel, I decided to go out one last time to see Time Square. I might have stopped at the Junior’s Bakery on 45th and gotten a slice of Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake. Yum (again)!
We were supposed to be in the city until Sunday but had decided to change our flight to Saturday just to get out of the city early (and away from any carriers). Delta let us switch with no added fees and we were able to upgrade to first class for cheap. So fancy!
We did end up loosing to money on the hotel for Saturday night. Oh well. We made the best of it but the trip was a bit of a bust. Had we know one day earlier that Broadway was going to go dark, we would have cancelled the trip. Double oh well.
We were very proactive in regards to our safety with lots of hand washing and sanitizing and touching as little as possible … especially our faces. As a precaution, we are self-quarantining for the next 14 days since we were out and about in (what I suspect is) a fairly active contagion zone.
Hopefully, this mess will pass through quickly and with as little death and disruption as possible. Everyone stay safe (and stay socially distant)!
A spring trip to NYC has been planned! It’s been ten years since I have been to the city … so I am really looking forward to it.
And, I am pretty excited that we already have tickets to two Broadway shows (The Book of Mormon and the newest Martin McDonagh play, Hangmen).
So, we finished up Stardust yesterday at the theater. We had sold out houses all weekend and it’s nice to know people seemed to really like the show. Though I can’t say I will miss it too much as I am super ready to get my weekend nights back.
Meanwhile, the freelance gig is taking a few years off my life. I had a stress headache all day on Friday and into Saturday. Ugh.
The weekend went by too fast and now the work week is underway. Let’s see if we survive it.
So, I found out Friday morning that I didn’t get cast in the show I auditioned for last Monday. It’s a little disappointing but ultimately works out for the best because it means I don’t have to go to a rehearsal tonight (or tomorrow or Wednesday) after seven days of doing a show locally. Plus, it means I can plan a trip to see Dr. Phibes and Co. in July. Yay!
We opened Stardust this past weekend. All singing! All dancing!
Top Hat and Cane = Me Singing About Mules, Pigs, Fish, and Stars.
I wish our fans where blue instead of pink to match our accessories (and the ladies). Don’t those sock garters look SEXY?
This is a cool photo of us singing a medley that has harmonies I still don’t know very well.
On Saturday, I treated myself with a trip to the record store where I found a copy of The Heart Throbs‘ Cleopatra Grip on vinyl. It’s a Czech pressing which I find interesting. How did a vinyl pressing of a 1990 record from England released in an Eastern Bloc country make it to the mountains of WNC nearly 30 years later?! Regardless, I am stoked as I love this album. It was a mainstay in my post high school soundtrack.
I also made Jell-O shots on Saturday. These are made with Grape Jell-O and Sugarland‘s Peanut Butter and Jelly Moonshine. Time to throw a faux frat house party!
And … this is the best thing that happened all weekend. Breakfast at Clyde’s!
Even though the boyfriend has been out of town for a week now, things here have been quite busy.
Even though it was a rainy weekend, I managed to be social with five friends over the three days. I did get a mega nap in on Saturday afternoon. I need more mega naps.
I got sucked into doing a show for a friend and we are currently in tech week for that. So, only two more rehearsals and we open. It’s a 1940’s nightclub show. So, there is no plot. It’s just the cast singing different songs. I have a solo (complete with top hat and cane) and sing on three other group numbers. Backstage has been a bit crazy this week with 22 people sharing one dressing room. Calgon, take me away!
You might be able to find me …
Meanwhile, I auditioned Monday at ACT for their production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole. At this point, I am not thinking I am going to get cast (which is fine) and am currently awaiting my rejection letter so I can get some things planned for July.
Yesterday, someone hit up the “Some Theater History” post from way back in 2010. That got me thinking that I needed to update that list since there were now eight years worth of shows that needed to be added. New stuff is in italics and I have added years to many of the acting and tech credits as well.
This is probably boring as shit to most people, but at least it’ll be good to help me remember this stuff when I am old and demented. Hell … the way my memory is now, there are probably a few missing entries already.
DIRECTING:
Rumors: A Farce (1999)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2001)
Rope (2003)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Baber of Fleet Street (2004)
Closer (2005)
Little Shop of Horrors (2005)
The Full Monty: The Musical (2006)
Cabaret (2007)
Floyd Collins (2008)
Rabbit Hole (2009)
Seussical (2010)
– Deathtrap (2011)
– The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2011)
– The Pillowman (2012)
– The Light in the Piazza (2012)
– Avenue Q (2013)
– Other Desert Cities (2014)
– Urinetown: The Musical (2014)
– Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (2016)
ACTING:
Camelot (Ensemble), 1989
Witness for the Prosecution (Carter), 1990
Annie (Ensemble), 1992
A Christmas Carol (Ensemble), 1992
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Bazzard), 1993
Only Human (Pete Garrett), 1993
Charley’s Aunt (Charley Wykeham), 1993
Oklahoma! (Ensemble), 1993
The Rainmaker (Sheriff Thomas), 1994
Annie Get Your Gun (Charlie Davenport), 1994
Diamond Studs (Robert Ford/Ensemble), 1995
The Secret Garden (Ensemble), 1995
Lettice and Loveage (Surly Man), 1996
Carousel (Ensemble), 1996
Into the Woods (Jack), 1997
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Brother), 1997
Treasure Island (Ensemble), 1998
The Diviners (C.C. Showers), 1998
Lend Me A Tenor (Bellhop), 1998
South Pacific (Ensemble), 1998
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), 1998
The Elephant Man (Ensemble), 1999
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Ensemble), 1999
The Complete History of America (Abridged), 1999
A Little Night Music (Henrick), 1999
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), 2000
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood (Logan), 2000
Children of Eden (Ensemble), 2000
The Three Musketeers (Ensemble), 2001
Titanic: The Musical (J. Bruce Ismay), 2001
The Fantasticks (Bellomy), 2002
Cryano (Ragueneau), 2002
Guys & Dolls (Benny Southstreet), 2002
Parade (Leo Frank), 2002
Social Security (David Kahn), 2003
Oh Coward! (Ensemble), 2003
Wit (Jason Posner, M.D.), 2003
Coyote on a Fence (Bobby Reyburn), 2004
From the HART (Ensemble), 2004
Antigone in New York (Policeman), 2005
Glengarry Glen Ross (Williamson), 2005
Ragtime: The Musical (Ensemble), 2005
Orpheus Descending (Dog), 2006
Art (Yvan), 2007
Showstoppers (Ensemble), 2007
Minor Demons (Deke Winters), 2008
Bat Boy: The Musical (Dr. Parker), 2008
HONK! (Drake), 2009
The Producers (Roger Debris), 2009
Early One Evening at the Bar & Grille (Shep), 2010
The Little Foxes (Horace Giddens), 2010
– Death and the Maiden (Gerardo), 2015
– Company (Alan), 2015
– The Fox on the Fairway (Richard “Dickie” Bell), 2015
– 12 Angry Men (Juror #4), 2016
– Into the Woods (The Baker), 2016
– God of Carnage (Alan Raleigh), 2017
– Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Gordon), 2019
– Stardust (Ensemble), 2019
TECH CREW:
Foxfire (Sound Operator), 1992
Brighton Beach Memoirs (Lighting Operator), 1993
The Diary of Anne Frank (Stage Manager), 1993
Ordinary People (Stage Manager), 1994
The Crucible (Stage Manager), 1994
Steel Magnolias (Sound Operator), 1995
A Streetcar Named Desire (Sound Operator), 1995
Ragtime (Lighting Operator), 1996
Picnic (Lighting Operator), 1996
The Gin Game (Sound Operator), 1996
Raney (Tech Director), 1997
The Sisters Rosensweig (Lighting Operator), 1997
Blithe Spirit (Stage Manager), 1997
Lone Star/Laundry and Bourbon (Stage Manager), 1998
Hedda Gabler (Lighting Operator), 1998
An Inspector Calls (Lighting Operator), 1998
The Sound of Music (Lighting Operator), 2000
The Women (Lighting Operator), 2000
Painting Churches (Lighting Operator), 2002
Working (Mulitmedia Operator), 2004
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Stage Crew), 2004
The Vagina Monologues (Lighting Designer), 2006
Grace & Glorie (Stage Manager, et al), 2006
Walking Across Egypt (Lighting Operator), 2009
Falsettoland (Lighting Operator), 2013
– Love, Loss and What I Wore (Lighting Designer & Operator), 2016
I woke up late this morning and that discombobulated the whole day. Ugh.
And it’s not like the weekend was super busy to make me exhausted so that I slept through the alarm. It was actually pretty lazy. I mostly just a lot of sat around and watched stuff.
Here are Some Things that Happened Over the Weekend:
– Saw Red at the theater.
– Drank some Lagunitas Brown Shugga’. It’s a damn fine beer.
– Started watching Penny Dreadful. So far, so good.
– Walked around the Lake.
– Took a nap!
– Watched Hell Fest. Mindless but fun.
– Watched The Strangers: Prey at Night. Annoyingly stupid at points.
– Did a very, very small amount of freelance work.
– Watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Amazing animation!
– Bought four hex bolts and Blueberry Cobbler Cheddar Cheese.
– Watched Crooked House. A fairly descent who-dunnit.
Thank goodness we had some sun on Saturday. Any break in the monotony of the dreary, rainy weather that has become the standard here is like a life line. We went from Dreary, Rainy Friday to Sunny Saturday to Cold, Gross, Rainy Sunday. Today was also cold and gross. Quadruple Ugh. I am over it!
Isn’t talking about the weather exciting?
Meanwhile … here is something pretty for you to purchase.
Waxworks Records has released CRUISING Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Score. It’s a 3-LP colored vinyl edition of the complete soundtrack to William Friedkin’s controversial 1980 movie. The package is designed by Aesthetic Apparatus and looks amazing. Get it!
Word on the street is that Arrow Video is going to be releasing Cruising on Blu-ray sometime in the near future. I am pretty pumped about that! Check out the trailer …
This past weekend, I finished up the first show I have done in two years. Dead Man’s Cell Phone (by Sarah Ruhl) went off pretty well and the cast had a lot of fun.
So, here another round of … Dressing Room Selfies! With only two men in the show that were on stage a different times, the dressing room was a pretty empty place. Apparently, the major takeaway from these is that I was either sleepy or cold on any given night. Enjoy!
And, whenever the photographer gets around to sharing the photos of the show, I will post those as well.
