And … We Opened

Dead Man’s Cell Phone opened Friday night. We had great houses for the first weekend and have been held over for this coming weekend. I warned all my friends that the show was weird (because it is). Even though we got a lot of nice compliments, I don’t think anyone really liked the show because of said weirdness. Oh, well.

Dead Man's Cell Phone Cast
This is a fun group of people! I am also “all smiles” because I had just eaten a Pimento Cheese & Bacon Panini. Yum!

Some Other Random Happenings:
– Took Kat & Greg to Biltmore.
– Bought the Indie Exclusive Blue Vinyl of The Twilight Sad‘s new album.
– Took a nap.
– Finally watched (and napped through) Kong: Skull Island. Meh.
– Had a potato Soup and Cornbread lunch with Carrot Cake for dessert!
– Went to the dentist for a cleaning.

Such fun!

And … We Opened

Opening Night … Plus IWBLTATT

So, the week has been consumed by work and dress rehearsals. We open Dead Man’s Cell Phone tonight! Come on down and see us!

Pictures of the production will be posted soon.

Meanwhile …

The Twilight Sad‘s new album IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME is finally out after nearly six months of anticipation (and three singles). It’s every bit as good as I was hoping it would be. Get thee to your local record store (or use your favorite digital service or online service) to get it!

It Won/t Be Like This All the Time

Opening Night … Plus IWBLTATT

Currently

The weekend was a bit busy and this week is proving to be so as well. I am in tech week for a show at the local theater. It’s my first show in two years! And word on the street is that we have sold out for opening night. Fun! Hopefully I will have some photos a little later on this week … and something a little more interesting to say. Now it’s time to go iron some shirts for dress rehearsal. Such fun.

Meanwhile … watch and enjoy!

Currently

Flashback [Avenue Q Edition]

The Boyfriend and I went this past weekend to Asheville Community Theatre‘s production of Avenue Q. I really think it is one of the most genius musical ever written and it was fun to see it live again. It got me thinking about the production I directed at our local theater exactly five years ago (September 20 – October 6, 2013).

I didn’t post anything about the show back when we did it. I was in a bit of a funk about this blog and got very bad about posting things. Bad of me, I know.

I have never been a fan of saying “best cast/best show I have ever worked on.” All shows are different and to say “this one’s the best” seems to be dismissive of other shows/casts you have worked on/with. That being said … Chuck (the Music Director) and I managed to assemble the perfect cast. Everyone matched perfectly with their characters and worked really hard at mastering the puppeteering. They made directing the show so easy.

There was some stress about the set. The Executive Director of the theater got freaked out about the infamous “pussy” line about three weeks out from opening and we had a row about if it should stay in the show or not. Thankfully, I prevailed (somehow) and it did end up staying in the show. And, I got yelled at by the him because I blasted the editor of the local paper because they didn’t give us any coverage going into opening weekend. But, those are the things you deal with when putting on a show.

We had THE BEST TIME EVER doing this show. I cried during the finale of the final performance because it was over. I could have watched these fine people work their magic on that stage for so many more weeks.

Here’s the cast and crew …
Avenue Q presented by HART Theatre

You see a crap-ton more photos (142 to be exact) by clicking the “continue reading” link …

Continue reading “Flashback [Avenue Q Edition]”

Flashback [Avenue Q Edition]

Updating Update

So, I survived the Thursday Physical. I was fully expecting to get bad news but, apparently, I am doing pretty well as I near 47. The doc was pleased with my weight loss and my blood pressure/cholesterol/blood sugar and all that jazz were in acceptable ranges. My balls checked out as well. Yay! I was informed that at 50, I will start getting prostate checks and colonoscopies. It’s such fun getting older.

Saturday was pretty damn busy. We went to Asheville to one the many Halloween stores. I actually bought my costume for this year … though I am still feeling a bit freaked out about the cost of it.

Robin Costume
Appropriate … no?

Afterwards, we hit up Blue Ridge Pride since one our friends bands was playing the main stage.

Modern Strangers rocked the crowd.
Modern Strangers at Blue Ridge Pride 2018

Meanwhile, the obligatory religious nuts told everyone they were going to hell.
Blue Ridge Pride 2018

It’s interesting to see how big this pride festival has gotten. I went one of the first years this was organized (back in 2006) and it was pretty underwhelming. The festival was so small it was in an empty storefront at the Westgate Shopping Center. This year it was huge with three stages, a ton of vendors and a lot of homos and homo supporters hanging out and having a great time. It’s cool to see Pride going strong here in the mountains.

After putting in that appearance at Pride, we rushed back to Cullowhee to catch the WCU School of Stage and Screen‘s production of Cabaret. The show was pretty good and the orchestra (under the direction of Kristen Hedberg) really rocked. I must confess I was worried about being hyper-critical since I directed a production of Cabaret 11 years ago.
Cabaret at WCU

Yesterday, I was stupidly lazy … though PT and I did manage a walk around Lake J. I did also manage to finally watch Robert Altman’s Images (a really sweet film). And … I ate too much bacon. And … I also snagged blackberry cobbler from my dad. Now I just need to do 2 more hours a day on the treadmill to work all that off.

And in sad news, we found out yesterday that Reta Scribner passed away on Saturday (after not being in great health for quite a while). She did a crap ton of shows with us at the theater (starting in 1994) and was seriously one of the sweetest people you could ever hope to meet.

Here we are at a New Year’s Eve party back in 2008.
Reta Scribner

So long, Reta. You will be missed!

Updating Update

Week-ity Weekend!

I am finally felling human again after 10 days of a cold/sinus infection/what-the-fuck-ever. Last Thursday/Friday I was running a consistent fever and ended up at Urgent Care late on Friday to get it looked at. They put me on 875mg of Augmentin twice a day for ten days. Such fun. I ended up on the sofa pretty much for the whole holiday weekend and got uninvited from a cookout (even though the doctor said I wasn’t contagious). Oh well. I really was craving a grilled burger. Instead, I went and got greasy take-out pizza to make myself feel better.

What’s going on this weekend, you might ask?
– Seeing that show I didn’t get cast in tonight. Hopefully it will be great!
– Going to Noble Cider‘s tap room on Sunday with Shortlegs.

I’ll have to see what other kind of meanness I can get into.

Meanwhile:
The new album from Ghost drops today! I received the digital files from my CD pre-order yesterday … and let me tell you, it’s an awesome collection tunes that throw back to 80’s metal and prog rock. Get it!

Week-ity Weekend!

And … Rejected

So, I auditioned for The Full Monty … and I didn’t get the part. It’s been a long time since I have auditioned for a show, and I had forgotten how much it sucks to be turned down. Social media doesn’t make it any easier when the director and actors (who got in the show) start posting all over the place about it.

Audition Timeline:

Monday: Auditioned in the first group and got told to come to the Callbacks on Wednesday

I felt pretty good about my audition and being asked back.

Tuesday: Was stressed all day about going to the Callback

Wednesday: Was stressed all day and went to the Callbacks with about 10-15 other people

After the callbacks, I felt like I didn’t have much chance of getting in the show (for various reasons).

Thursday: Got a call from the director saying I had not been cast.

I initially felt okay about not getting cast but as the day wore on that changed over to feeling pretty depressed. Yeah. I was way too invested in getting into the show and that can always lead to crushing disappointment.

Friday: The cast list hits social media and I get an email from the stage manager about not getting in the show with a cast list attached.

Saturday Night: I run into the music director at a show and he tells me I auditioned well but lost out because it was decided to “cast to type” … which confuses me (considering I was the right age for the role and this was really not a character you need a “type” for … IMHO).

This post is not meant to be bitchy about the theater, people, or their process. I know how the audition game goes considering the amount of shows I have directed. The auditions were run really well and I didn’t feel like they were inconsiderate of my time. And I did think it was really awesome of the director to call me personally. It takes a certain amount of balls to call someone you are not offering a part to. I know I have never been able to bring myself to do it. I always just send out a “Thanks for Auditioning … But” e-mail.

I will say Friday and Saturday felt a little like being constantly bitch slapped. Every time I got on the computer (and when I went to that show), it kind of felt like I was having the fact I didn’t get in thrown in my face. Again, that’s not the fault of anyone. It’s just the wonderful world of social media and small towns.

I debated about blogging about the auditions. You can’t always be cast when going up against other people. I am just typing my feeling down to try and get them off my chest.

Anyhoo. Now I know that I won’t be running around like crazy for two months and will have plenty of time to sit home and stare at the walls. 😛

And … Rejected

Dressing Room Throwback

Back in 2015/2016, I got in the mood to take selfies in the dressing room during the shows I worked on. I was onstage twice more but didn’t do any dressing room photos because one of the shows was stressful (Into the Woods) and I was just lazy during the other (God of Carnage).

It’s been over a year since God of Carnage and I am itching to get involved in a show sometime soon. [Fingers Crossed]

Helpful Hints:
Vest = Company
Nerd Glasses = The Fox on the Fairway
Suit = 12 Angry Men

Dressing Room Throwback

12 Years Later …

Upcoming Auditions
Remember 12 years ago when I showed off a stripper thong as we were in the pre-production phase of The Full Monty at the local theater? Well, I still have this stripper thong that was bought as a test for the show. I tried it on once to see how/if it would work and it’s been tucked away in its original mailer ever since the show went into rehearsal.

“Why are you bringing this up?” you may ask.

Well … Asheville Community Theatre is going to be doing The Full Monty in June of this year. Auditions are at the end of the month and I am currently planning to put my name in the hat to be one of the guys. I really wanted to be in the show back in 2006 but ended up co-directing instead (except for that final performance). Jonesy is planning on auditioning as well, and it would be really cool to be in the show with him (if we both get cast). So, here’s hoping I impress the director(s) with my signing/dancing abilities and they decide they want a middle-age, chubby fellow as one of the guys that goes all the way.

12 Years Later …

Updating Update

I do realize that with the blog break (i.e. I was lazy and let Instagram take over) there are a lot of events that got missed. I do hope to post some about the theater stuff I have worked on over that time (and going back to 2012) … especially since it’s been a big part of my life for a while.

If my memory is spitting out the right information, I haven’t really posted at all about (or very little about):
The Light in the Piazza (Director, 2012)
Avenue Q (Director, 2013)
Other Desert Cities (Director, 2014)
Urinetown: The Musical
(Director, 2014)
Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike (Director, 2016)
*****
Death and the Maiden (Actor, 2015)
Company (Actor, 2015)
The Fox on the Fairway (Actor, 2015)
Twelve Angry Men (Actor, 2016)
Into the Woods (Actor, 2016)
God of Carnage (Actor, 2017)

Sheesh. That’s 11 shows in five years.

Updating Update

What’s New: “Piazza” Edition


And … we are underway! I am, yet again, directing HART‘s fall musical. This time it’s “The Light in the Piazza” (by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas).

We had auditions at the beginning of August and it’s literally taken us four weeks to get to really rolling. Guys are always an issue with doing theater around here. We didn’t have enough guys (or the right age guys) show up. So, the Music Director and I spent about a week and a half just trying to get the principals cast and then another couple of weeks trying to get the ensemble all filled out. It’s been the worst time I have ever had trying to get a show up and running. I hate having to run around and track people down for parts. It stresses me out and makes me anxious. But, we finally did get all the roles filled out with good folks.

Now, it’s dealing with scheduling. Various folks have conflicts and that’s made the last two weeks fun. Plus, our lead guy won’t be in until next week.

We are one month out now from opening … so hopefully I won’t screw it all up. There are  still sets, costumes, lights and sound to worry about. Gah!

What’s New: “Piazza” Edition