The 24U

Monday. A day off.

Almost.

All's Well That Ends Well has one week left in its run. If I never have to wear medical adhesive for a fake mustache again, I will die a happy man. On Saturday's performance, a friend of mine gave me a note about what I was doing in the background on stage, saying that I was being too loud in my peas and carrots dialogue.

Firstly, no one, ever, is watching what is going on upstage of anyone who is talking. It's definitely one of those parts where you gotta say to yourself "Ok, I'm rarely , if ever, driving the scene here. Let's just go onstage and not distract people." But if I am playing an ancillary character in a show, I do get very excited about being able to create something that can be really ridiculous and interesting for me to play that absolutely no one knows or cares about. Because trust me, it gets fucking boring up there after a while. Last year, I was in a show where I played a servant who fell asleep standing up. That was my choice after a while. It came from a very real place.

CSC is one of the few resident ensemble companies in the US, and I feel very blessed to be apart of it. I believe that it is one of the only ways to develop a theatre for a community, serve that community, and be comfortable knowing each other on stage and feel safe to risk, fail, and risk again. However, 4 months in, there are downfalls. Your co-workers are your friends are your family are your drinking buddies are your confidants are your bosses are your roommates. Incestuous describes all too well what it's like. And, hell, if this was a artist commune where we all did acid and benzedrine and stayed up late writing manifestos (hereafter " 'festos ") and creating new exciting challenging pieces of art, that would be just dandy. But a classical theatre company (read also: business) lends itself to some inherit limitations, insecurities, and a general shield that can permeate and perhaps stifle a creative flow. At least, I feel like I'm not part of the flow. Maybe it's like Reaganomics trickle-down theatre. I'm gettin the juicy run-off of the higher-ups... I want the fruit that's at the top of the tree, man.

I'm going to work now with less of a censor over me now. I'm living in the now, the idealism, the pragmatic, the 24, and not trying to adopt a specific set ethos that can permeate the theatre. Maintain my beliefs, be open to others', and kick ass.

I'll leave with you with some of what I want to work with. Buckley live.

Until then.