No, seriously. It really is.
The ChicagoNow theatre blog, The Fourth Walsh (no relation), has opened voting for the 2010 Honor Awards, "presented to 10 winners in 10 categories for his/her exceptional contribution to the Chicago theatre experience last year." Yours Truly has been nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor for my work in Neverwhere at Lifeline Theatre last summer.
This is the first time I've ever been nominated for a theatre award, and I promise you I am completely letting it go to my head. As thrilling as the nomination is, however, I would still really like to win. And you can help! Just follow this link to vote. Voting closes February 21st.
And I have still more exciting news to come!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Coming Soon...
I have an exciting thing coming up. I can't tell you what it is yet. But I completed a big step the other day, and I'm very excited about it. It's a whole new thing for me. Theater-related. You'll see. Soon. I promise.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Mandy and I saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Steppenwolf last night. I'd seen the play before, and read it. It's one of those plays that everyone involved in theater is familiar with on some level. But in spite of my knowledge of the play, this show brought me to the point where I was holding my breath because I didn't know what would happen next. It was amazing. Exhilarating. Insane. I've seen this play before. I know the big twist at the end. And still, when the moment happened, there was a whole audience with a "Holy shit!" expression on its faces.
This is the second time I've seen Tracy Letts, who played George, on stage. I saw him last winter in American Buffalo, also at Steppenwolf. With both shows, I left the theater knowing that I want to do that. What I saw, just then? I want in on that. How do I make that happen?
No, seriously. I'm open to suggestions.
This is the second time I've seen Tracy Letts, who played George, on stage. I saw him last winter in American Buffalo, also at Steppenwolf. With both shows, I left the theater knowing that I want to do that. What I saw, just then? I want in on that. How do I make that happen?
No, seriously. I'm open to suggestions.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Money: It's a Gas
I don't understand money.
No, that's not it. I don't understand finance. For example, I got into a short-lived Twitter-based argument with a complete stranger over a link to a petition demanding that the FCC protect net neutrality and prevent Comcast from blocking Netflix. I will freely admit it's not an issue I fully understand. My argument was this: Netflix provides online content I want to access. I pay Netflix a monthly fee to be allowed to use this content. Comcast provides the means of accessing online content, and I pay them a monthly fee for that service. If Comcast blocks access to the content I want, what am I paying Comcast for in the first place? My worthy Twitter opponent schooled me (seriously; he said, "Get educated.") with this link.
I confess I don't understand everything I read there either. But basically the gist seems to be that Netflix somehow costs Comcast extra to provide it to its customers, and so Comcast wants Netflix to pick up some of the costs. Makes sense, I suppose. Of course, either way it means something is going to get more expensive for me, the consumer. I'll either have to pay Comcast extra, or Netflix will raise its fees instead. Probably both. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how much longer Netflix can keep doing what it does. Netflix does not create anything. It's just a middle man. It was one thing when it focused on mailing out DVDs, but its stated intention is to become primarily an online service. But it doesn't make the movies, so eventually somebody's going to find a cheaper way to do it. It might even be Comcast itself -- they already have fairly expansive "On Demand" content; if they could create their own library to rival Netflix, there would be no need for Netflix at all.
Then the other night I watched Michael Moore's film, Capitalism: A Love Story, and now I'm all like, "Corporations. Fuck 'em." Businesses are like bottom-dwelling sea creatures. They do one thing: Take in money. The products a business produces are merely lures to attract the money. Anything else (Paychecks, insurance, etc.) is a by-product. There's more to this rant, but I'm at work right now so it's hard to focus.
I've been thinking a lot about money ever since we bought a condo. I get nervous because this is a level of financial responsibility for which I have not been tested. Furthermore, I have been tested for lesser levels of responsibility in the past and I did not do very well. I have spent the last decade trying to fix that, and I think I've done pretty well so far, but this is the first time I've really taken it out for a drive. And so I'm sweating a little.
I think I had a point when I started writing this, but I've lost it somewhere. I don't like money. I don't like worrying about it. I don't like needing it. But I don't know what to do about it.
No, that's not it. I don't understand finance. For example, I got into a short-lived Twitter-based argument with a complete stranger over a link to a petition demanding that the FCC protect net neutrality and prevent Comcast from blocking Netflix. I will freely admit it's not an issue I fully understand. My argument was this: Netflix provides online content I want to access. I pay Netflix a monthly fee to be allowed to use this content. Comcast provides the means of accessing online content, and I pay them a monthly fee for that service. If Comcast blocks access to the content I want, what am I paying Comcast for in the first place? My worthy Twitter opponent schooled me (seriously; he said, "Get educated.") with this link.
I confess I don't understand everything I read there either. But basically the gist seems to be that Netflix somehow costs Comcast extra to provide it to its customers, and so Comcast wants Netflix to pick up some of the costs. Makes sense, I suppose. Of course, either way it means something is going to get more expensive for me, the consumer. I'll either have to pay Comcast extra, or Netflix will raise its fees instead. Probably both. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how much longer Netflix can keep doing what it does. Netflix does not create anything. It's just a middle man. It was one thing when it focused on mailing out DVDs, but its stated intention is to become primarily an online service. But it doesn't make the movies, so eventually somebody's going to find a cheaper way to do it. It might even be Comcast itself -- they already have fairly expansive "On Demand" content; if they could create their own library to rival Netflix, there would be no need for Netflix at all.
Then the other night I watched Michael Moore's film, Capitalism: A Love Story, and now I'm all like, "Corporations. Fuck 'em." Businesses are like bottom-dwelling sea creatures. They do one thing: Take in money. The products a business produces are merely lures to attract the money. Anything else (Paychecks, insurance, etc.) is a by-product. There's more to this rant, but I'm at work right now so it's hard to focus.
I've been thinking a lot about money ever since we bought a condo. I get nervous because this is a level of financial responsibility for which I have not been tested. Furthermore, I have been tested for lesser levels of responsibility in the past and I did not do very well. I have spent the last decade trying to fix that, and I think I've done pretty well so far, but this is the first time I've really taken it out for a drive. And so I'm sweating a little.
I think I had a point when I started writing this, but I've lost it somewhere. I don't like money. I don't like worrying about it. I don't like needing it. But I don't know what to do about it.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Dresden Dolls
My lovely wife and I took in the Dresden Dolls concert at the Vic last Wednesday. It was quite extraordinary. Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione are a pair of dynamic performers. It's amazing that two people could create such a HUGE sound, but they absolutely filled that place - which is doubly impressive considering that their opening act, Mucca Pazza, is a full-on marching band. I'd never heard of them before, but they were a total riot. And they're local, so odds are good I'll have a chance to check them out again.
I also learned an important lesson at the show: The Droid Eris smart phone doesn't take pictures for shit. Either that, or I just don't know what I'm doing. It's probably a little of both. Anyway, here are a couple of the almost adequate pics from Wednesday:
Mucca Pazza:
Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls (no, seriously - see what I mean about this camera?):
I also learned an important lesson at the show: The Droid Eris smart phone doesn't take pictures for shit. Either that, or I just don't know what I'm doing. It's probably a little of both. Anyway, here are a couple of the almost adequate pics from Wednesday:
Mucca Pazza:
Friday, November 12, 2010
A Lull in the Action
I'm writing again. It's been a while. I'm out of practice. It's not NaNoWriMo, although I miss that. I'm telling myself I'll do that next year, but I'm finding it difficult to plan that far in advance.
No, this is a whole new writing adventure for me: Adapting. This is what my theatre company does; we adapt books into plays. But it's not something that I, personally, have ever attempted before. I've written a couple of (shitty, shitty) one-act plays before that will never ever see the light of day, and I've written one full-length screenplay that will also never see the light of day. Scripts have never really been my thing, but adapting has certain advantages. It feels like training wheels.
I don't want to talk to much about the specifics of the project yet because I don't know for sure that it even IS a project. I've pitched the idea to the ensemble and the response so far seems enthusiastic. I've worked some details out with another member of the company who is interested in directing, and soon the ensemble will discuss it. If all goes well I'll get a green light, which basically just means I have to write it. It does NOT mean it's actually getting produced, which is fine. After all, what if I hand in a script that just totally blows?
But rather than sit around and wait for the green light I've decided to get started. The sooner I have a first draft, the sooner I can get started on the second one. And besides, I have a few weeks with nothing better to do. My last show closed a few weeks ago, my next one doesn't even start rehearsing until next month. There are some meetings and discussions between now and then, but nothing too time-consuming. I really can't think of a better way to spend my time.
In other news, the diet has stalled. Not ended. Just stalled. I reached that first goal and then life intruded, and I lost focus. Backslid a little bit. I'll get it back, though. I'm not worried. I'm slightly more concerned about my exercise routine, or lack thereof. I started on this program that is supposed to help you do a hundred push-ups, and two hundred sit-ups. And I started walking three miles every morning. That lasted a week. I need to regroup and start again with that. I have to play a warrior bunny this spring, and I need to look the part!
It's been a fairly pleasant break between shows, but there is still that itch in the back of my brain, freaking out that I'm not in rehearsals or performances for anything right now. But things will get busy again soon enough. I'll do my best to enjoy this while I can -- mostly by catching up on The Wire on Netflix, and waiting for the next episode of Boardwalk Empire.
No, this is a whole new writing adventure for me: Adapting. This is what my theatre company does; we adapt books into plays. But it's not something that I, personally, have ever attempted before. I've written a couple of (shitty, shitty) one-act plays before that will never ever see the light of day, and I've written one full-length screenplay that will also never see the light of day. Scripts have never really been my thing, but adapting has certain advantages. It feels like training wheels.
I don't want to talk to much about the specifics of the project yet because I don't know for sure that it even IS a project. I've pitched the idea to the ensemble and the response so far seems enthusiastic. I've worked some details out with another member of the company who is interested in directing, and soon the ensemble will discuss it. If all goes well I'll get a green light, which basically just means I have to write it. It does NOT mean it's actually getting produced, which is fine. After all, what if I hand in a script that just totally blows?
But rather than sit around and wait for the green light I've decided to get started. The sooner I have a first draft, the sooner I can get started on the second one. And besides, I have a few weeks with nothing better to do. My last show closed a few weeks ago, my next one doesn't even start rehearsing until next month. There are some meetings and discussions between now and then, but nothing too time-consuming. I really can't think of a better way to spend my time.
In other news, the diet has stalled. Not ended. Just stalled. I reached that first goal and then life intruded, and I lost focus. Backslid a little bit. I'll get it back, though. I'm not worried. I'm slightly more concerned about my exercise routine, or lack thereof. I started on this program that is supposed to help you do a hundred push-ups, and two hundred sit-ups. And I started walking three miles every morning. That lasted a week. I need to regroup and start again with that. I have to play a warrior bunny this spring, and I need to look the part!
It's been a fairly pleasant break between shows, but there is still that itch in the back of my brain, freaking out that I'm not in rehearsals or performances for anything right now. But things will get busy again soon enough. I'll do my best to enjoy this while I can -- mostly by catching up on The Wire on Netflix, and waiting for the next episode of Boardwalk Empire.
Monday, October 11, 2010
279.8
A milestone. I haven't weighed below 280 since 2001. I've dropped just over five percent of my total body weight since I started.
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