Definition of Excellence

If you read this blog at all, you know that I am an actor in the Richmond, VA theatre community. I have been acting here for over 39 years. Right now our community is in turmoil over the "ousting" the founding artistic director of the Firehouse Theater Project or FTP. Yesterday I was on Facebook, and I saw several of my friends' statuses? Stati? whatever, devoted to Joe Inscoe, a local, PROFESSIONAL actor, and some appeared to be almost in defense of him. I couldn't imagine what had happened, so I began searching. Finally I found a comment that said Joe had posted a comment on a thread in response to a story in Style Weekly. Immediately I pulled up Style on the web and read the story, and then I began reading the comments.
The most recent offering from FTP was Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Joe played Willy Loman. I had never seen Death of a Salesman or read the play. I treated my oldest daughter, an aspiring actress herself, to tickets to the night before closing as an early Christmas gift. We both were absolutely riveted by all the actors, but Joe tackled a very difficult role and delivered a mind blowing performance! I do not give out praise lightly, especially when it comes to acting. As I read the comment thread yesterday, someone saw fit to openly criticize Joe as an actor. This was the initial comment that started the firestorm of defense from the Richmond Theatre Community for one of our own: My husband and I just moved here. We saw "Death of a Salesman" I can understand the board want to go tier One. I realize the actor was a local actor in the lead, but what if he were top notch and brought in. It would have been so much better. A community theater is good and if you want to raise the stakes you bring in a good actor. She went on to dig the hole deeper.  Put a casting notice in any New York trade publication for actors. I appreciate the board wanting to raise the recognition of the company. In the lead you sometimes have to have a real actor. I am not saying local actors are not good. I am saying this production would have benefited from a professional actor. To get donors you have to have good actors in the major roles.
I have this to say, HOW DARE YOU! I realize that everyone has their own opinion, and not everyone will like an actor's performance in a show. I'm fine with that. I welcome difference of opinion, but to make the blanket elitist statement slamming one of the finest actors here, in fact anywhere, well, angered me. I had always been a fan of Joe Inscoe's work, and living in the same town, you would think we would have had several opportunities to work together. Unfortunately for me, that was not the case. I did not have the opportunity to work with Joe until 2010 when I was cast as Mrs. Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol with Theatre IV. Joe was Scrooge. I have to say I was a little intimidated. Joe had done countless roles in Movies and Television. I had fallen, I am ashamed to say, to stereotypical judgement of TV and movie actors. I thought he would have an ego and barely have the time to talk to little people like me. I couldn't have been farther from the truth. Joe is one of the most humble and gracious actors I have ever worked with. He has a laundry list of credits working with some of the most renowned actors and directors of our day, but he still takes the time to speak to his fans, share bits of wisdom, and he takes his craft very seriously. My role in A Christmas Carol did not allow me to have any dialogue with Joe. We had one moment where we got to interact, and I cherished it! I found myself watching him work from the wings. It was like taking a master class for free. He never stops being the character. You will never catch him in an off moment on stage. Every action and reaction is spot on. Putting his stellar acting skills aside, he is a warm, wonderful person. He is one of the kindest people I know. He always has time to speak to anyone who bends his ear. I love him dearly, and so does Richmond, and I would be honored to be able to share the stage again with him, and I look forward to the next time I have the privilege of watching him on stage no matter where he is from!

From Stage to Screen

Christmas day hosted the premier of one of the most anticipated films of the year, Les Miserables. I have to say that I was a little afraid to see this film as I adore the stage production. I saw the show on tour more than 20 years ago, and I immediately went out and bought the Broadway soundtrack. I have listened to the music over and over again. Clips that had been prematurely released on Youtube had not impressed me, and I wanted to love this movie as much as I loved the stage production. My girls and I went to the 10:30 PM showing on Christmas night. I LOVED IT! I was totally wrapped up the entire 2 1/2 hours. I wept several times. I have to say, even though I love the stage show, I have never been as moved as I was by the film, and there's a reason for that. That reason is stage and film are different, and that is what people are failing to see. You cannot watch this film and try to compare it to the stage show. There is no comparison because they are two totally different animals.
Back in 1998 I was given the opportunity to play a co-starring role in an independent feature film called When Love Walks In. I had never acted on camera before. All of my acting experience was on the stage. The first day of shooting was like learning to act all over again. I blew the sound man's eardrums with my projection. I was constantly moving out of the shot with my larger than life gestures. Luckily the director and producers were extremely patient with me, and by the end of shooting, I learned how to be a film actress. I also ended up winning an award for my acting. I shared that story to point out the fact that if I had judged film acting after my first day on set, I would have hated it because I was comparing it to acting on stage. Again, there is no comparison. They are two different breeds. There are qualities I appreciate in both.  And that is the same way I feel about Les Miserables. To be sure, there is nothing like sitting in the theater as the house lights go down and hearing the opening strains of the overture. The power, the energy that charges the room as you hear the prisoners sing, "Look down. Look down. Don't look 'em in the eye..." and you are swept into the production. The music is beautiful! The voices are amazing, but there is still a distance. By the very nature of most theatrical productions, especially epic ones like Les Miserables, there is no intimacy. There can't be. Many times you are so far away from the stage you can barely make out the actor's facial expressions let alone see a tear fall slowly down their cheek, but that is the nature of the stage.
Make no mistake, the film is different. It is epic! But it is film. I get the feeling from reading posts on Facebook and some reviews that people expected to see the play on film. That's impossible! You have to watch the film and appreciate it for the art form it is. I defy anyone to watch Anne Hathaway sing "I Dreamed a Dream" and see the desperation in her eyes and how defeated she is and not be moved, and if you can keep a dry eye after you watch Eddie Redmayne sing "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" in tribute to his friends who "meet no more", you are stronger than I. Ironically, "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" has never been one of my favorite songs from the musical, but I could watch the film version over and over again.     This post is not a review of the film. I just got sick of seeing people trashing the film because it's not the play. It can't be, and if you can grasp that concept, I think you can enjoy the film and embrace the differences. I loved it, and I want to see it again, and for this hypercritical person, that's saying something.

ZuZu's Petals

I have been remiss, as the last two weekend days have been jam packed with Christmas errands and such, so, today, on Christmas Eve, I will share my favorite, the one I absolutely must see.
CHRISTMAS EVE: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
I don't even remember the first time I saw this, but I was an adult. In fact, the first time I saw the story, it was not this movie. It was a made for TV movie starring Marlo Thomas and Wayne Rogers called It Happened One Christmas.(Note to Self: Find a copy of that version someday) If you've never seen It's a Wonderful Life, and I'm sure there are not many who haven't at least caught bits and pieces when switching channels in the wee hours of Christmas Eve, you owe it to yourself to watch it from start to finish. It has been remade in all shapes and forms. Every sitcom and TV drama has done an episode based on this movie where the hero or heroine sees what his world would have been like if he'd never been born. Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, the all-around great guy that everybody loves in a fictional town called Bedford Falls. Through circumstances beyond his control, he finds himself in extreme financial trouble, and is contemplating suicide when an angel, Clarence, comes to his rescue. As they begin to talk, Clarence grants George the wish of having never been born, and George is able to see just what would have happened. I won't spoil things for you by telling the ending, but this has always been one of my favorite quotes: "Remember, George. No man is a failure who has friends." This is THE classic Christmas film, and as many times as I've seen it, I never fail to cry at the end. Because even through all of my trials and disappointments, I really do have a wonderful life.

Can You Hear It?

Day 5: THE POLAR EXPRESS

First let me start by saying I absolutely LOVE the book by Chris Van Allsburg. I read it to both of my girls every year and always choked back tears at the end struggling to get the last lines out. Because of my deep love for the sweet story, I was super hyped about the movie! As has become a tradition in our household, we try to see a movie, in the theater, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, usually a Christmas movie. There was no question in 2004 when The Polar Express was released which movie we would be seeing that year. Now, at the risk of my oldest daughter disowning me, I will share with you that I did not like it as much as I wanted to. The book is short, but it tells a sweet story and certainly makes its point. In fact I wondered even before I saw the movie how they were going to stretch this story into a feature length film. There are characters and scenarios that are added to the plot to give us a film rather than a 30 minute TV Christmas special. At this point, you may be asking yourself why I have this film on my Christmas movie tradition list. The movie, itself, is visually stunning! It was the first film that I remember employing the animation process called live action performance capture technique. Eventhough you know you’re watching an animated film, the characters look almost like real people. Tom Hanks plays most of the male characters from the little boy who’s grown too old for such silliness as Santa Claus, to the Conductor of the train to the North Pole, the one who most resembles Hank’s physical appearance, to Santa himself. The same, sweet message is there that is in the book, it just takes a little longer to get there. If you’ve never seen it, you owe yourself the visual treat at the very least. If you’ve never read the book, you’ll love it.

"SANTA! I know him!"

DAY 4: ELF

What makes a movie a classic? Well, I used to think classic films had to be old and only in Black and white, but I've come to believe that a classic is any film that is watched over and over again and delights the viewer each time. Elf is one of those movies! Elf was released in 2003, and I actually saw this one for the first time in the theater, rare, as I hardly ever go to the movies anymore. I went with my girls, ages 11 and 8 at the time, for a Christmas treat. The movie stars Will Farrell as a "human raised by elves" who sets out on a quest to find his human father after he discovers by accident that he is not "biologically" an elf. If you know Will Farrell from Saturday Night Live and movies like Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, and those characters weren't exactly your cup of tea, don't shy away from Elf. Farrell is so innocent and sweet in his portrayal of Buddy. His childlike discovery of everything in the "real" world is touching and endearing! Don't get me wrong, this movie is not short on laughs. There were moments in the theater where I was openly guffawing. The elevator scene in the Empire State Building struck me so funny, and I laughed so long, that I'm sure I was disturbing the patrons around me. The supporting cast around Farrell is wonderful, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, and James Caan. A true sign of a classic for me is the fact that I will quote it randomly when situations bring those lines to mind. I can't tell you how many times scenes from this film bring a smile to my face. Make this a new classic for your tradition and always remember, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" 

I must have one of those dresses!

Day 3: WHITE CHRISTMAS
I have to say that I came to this one later in my life. I can't remember the first time I saw it, but I know I was in my mid to late 20's. I love the song White Christmas, and nobody sings it like Bing, but I had never seen the film. This has everything a movie musical could have. Great music, great dancing, beautiful costumes! Put together a powerhouse cast of Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, and how can you go wrong? There are no surprises here, it's your classic movie musical plot. Bing (Bob Wallace) and Danny (Phil Davis) meet while serving together in WWII. They form an entertainment partnership, along their travels they meet the Haynes sisters, Judy, played by Vera Ellen and Betty, played by Rosemary Clooney. The stars align and they end up traveling to an inn in Vermont where the Haynes sisters are booked for the Holidays. Instead of finding beautiful snow covered mountains when they step off the train, it's like springtime, and the inn, that just happens to be run by the boys' old army commanding general, is hurting for business. Now, if you are a movie musical fan, you know the solution to every problem is to put on a show, and that's just what they do. Add to that the classic boy gets girl, girl totally gets the wrong information about something boy does and boy loses girl, boy gets girl back scenario and some great dance and musical numbers, Sisters, The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing, Mandy, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep and Rosemary Clooney does an amazing job on Love, You didn't Do Right By Me, and you have White Christmas! It's not for everybody, but if you're a fan of anything I just mentioned above, you can't miss this one as part of your holiday tradition! Oh, and just to let you know, ever since I saw this film years ago, I have wanted a Christmas dress like the one the Haynes sisters wear in the final number. SIGH....someday!

And at the other end of the spectrum....

Day 2: SCROOGED

As much as Scrooge is classic, traditional English Dickens, Scrooged is not. This movie was released in 1988 with Bill Murray playing Frank Cross, an Ebeneezer Scrooge type character who is the head of a huge television network. Greed and the lack of building relationships and caring for your fellow man are still the running themes, but we are thrown into a totally different world. As you can expect from a movie starring Bill Murray, there are plenty of laughs, but don't think it's played totally for comedy because that's just about the time you'll be surprised as you're shedding a tear. This cast is packed with stars: Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Robert Mitchum, Carol Kane (my personal favorite as Christmas Present), Buddy Hackett, Bobcat Goldthwaite, and Alfre Woodard, just to name a few. So many times when someone tries to reinvent a classic, it comes off stale or just plain bad, but not this story by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. It's so inventive and fresh. Christmas past is played by David Johansen in the form of a cigar smoking cab driver that transports Frank through his past. Christmas present is played deliciously ditzy by Carol Kane as a fairy princess type who can really pack a punch and the scene between Frank Cross and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in the elevator is priceless! If you're not that into Dickens traditional telling, you'll love this rendition. It promises laughs. Few people have a way with comedy the way Bill Murray does, but it will warm your heart as well at this season.

Let's go to the movies!

Christmas Eve is a week from today. I have a ton of stuff to do, and it will all get done even if I am still driving around next Monday for the last, final thing I need. Because life has been so hectic, I have not been able to do something I love at this time of year, watch my collection of Christmas movies. I have caught a some bits and pieces of a few standards on television, and actually made a point to sit down to watch one, but there are some that I never miss, and so I thought in this last week I would pass on a pick a day to you. So, pop a big bowl of popcorn and settle in front of the TV and try to see some of these before the holiday is over.

DAY 1: SCROOGE

It is no secret that there are countless renditions of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" out there on film. They run the gamut from Silent film to Cartoon animation. This 1970 musical version starring Albert Finney in the title role is one of, if not the best! I first saw this in the theater at the age of 7. I had been invited to a classmate's Christmas birthday party, and we were all taken to the movie. I remember sitting in the theater alongside my other second grade friends with a scarf I had worn to the party strategically placed near my eyes so I could cover them during the particularly scary scenes. As I grew older, I would catch it on television occasionally, and then the invention of the VCR and videotape. I was able to find a copy several years ago on VHS. I hope I can soon find one on DVD as I am sure my VHS will wear thin with time, and this is one I want to preserve. The score is amazing with songs like Father Christmas, December the 25th, and Thank You Very Much, but what makes this version of the classic tale so enthralling is Albert Finney's portrayal of Ebeneezer Scrooge. When this film was released he was only 34. You would never believe the Scrooge you are watching is a man in his early 30's. I remember watching the film years later and realizing that the actor playing the dashing young Ebeneezer in Fezziwig's shop was actually Albert Finney, the same actor playing Scrooge. He won the Golden Globe that year, and deservedly so. 

If you've never seen it, you are missing out. Don't write this one off as just another rendition of "A Christmas Carol". It's not. And after you've seen it, don't blame me if you find yourself singing, Thank You Very Much while you're wrapping your Christmas presents.

I Come to Thee

I sat at my desk and began to really worry about my lack of reaction to what happened today in Connecticut, and I realized it was not a lack of reaction. I am numb, almost like people are right after they hear of the death of a loved one, and they seem fine, almost normal, and it's shock, really. their bodies and minds cannot process the loss, and so they don't. The longer I sat, the heavier my heart felt, and then I began to blink away tears, and try to keep it together because I am at work, after all, and I need to answer the phones and life goes on, right? And, so, as I often do now, when something stirs an emotion in me, I write about it here on my own virtual analyst's couch.
I will not trivialize this tragic event with my ramblings of why or inane words of comfort that seem like they came off of a dime store greeting card. I cannot tell you why this happened, no one can. We could spend thousands of years trying to make some sense, and we would still be searching for an answer. Evil exists, sorrow exists, pain, fear, grief, they all exist. We will never be able to change that no matter how hard we try. I cannot fathom what these poor people are going through right now. I have never lost a living child. I did lose my first baby to a miscarriage, and that was awful, I cannot tell you how I would handle losing either one of my girls right now. I truly do not know how I would function, but I also know that if a tragic event did occur I would be surrounded by love and support and the prayers of my friends and family.
I once had to sing for the funeral of an infant who passed away at 6 months because of a tumor. It is truthfully one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. One of the songs I sang at that funeral was the classic hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour" Today, as I sat at my desk numb, those lyrics came to me:
I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord, 
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford, 
I need Thee, 
O, I need Thee, 
Every hour I need Thee, 
O, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
No one can change what happened today. In the blink of an eye, people's lives were changed forever. The only hope I can offer is that I believe God is there for all of them, and for all of us. And as we all see these reports that we never forget how important it is to spend each day letting our children and family and friends know how much we love them.

Excuses, Excuses

Recently, a very dear, dear friend of mine was publicly insulted by someone who made a very rude comment. The comment would not be considered in any civilized group of people with a modicum of manners or respect to be acceptable in any way, shape or form. The incident was posted on Facebook, and several people commented with outrage and reassuring comments, but as always seems to be the case when people exhibit bad behavior, excuses were made. They've had a rough time of it. They didn't mean anything by it, it's just their way of joking. They didn't have the easiest childhood, and on, and on, and on! This seems to be the trend not just with this occurrence but with EVERYTHING starting with the smallest infractions on the playground to the mass shootings that take place. Barring mental illness causing a person to act unacceptably because of a chemical imbalance, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR TREATING SOMEONE ELSE BADLY or hurting them or their feelings. Recently I have seen several posts from parents about their children and their problems with attitude or disrespect, and so often it's followed with, "It's just the age." Pardon my french, but BULLSHIT! Yes, it is true that puberty screws with all of us and our hormones. We may all want to behave badly, but we still know right from wrong. We have cognitive thought. We know the proper way to treat others, and we can make the conscious choice to still treat others with respect because that's what civilized people do. I'm sure there were times I felt like giving attitude to my parents, but it was not tolerated. I never tolerated it in my own children, and my philosophy was, they might talk back to me or give me attitude, but they won't do it but once! I don't care why you were rude, mean, disrespectful, murderous. There must be consequences for your inappropriate actions. Several years ago, a young man was getting ready to move away to take his shot at becoming famous. He confided to me that he was afraid of how the industry and the surroundings would affect him. I replied to him that YOU decide the person you are going to be. Yes, there will be temptations, and bad choices to make everywhere. That's just it! They are CHOICES! If we start out teaching our children that when they make the wrong choices, when they behave badly, when they don't try that they have an excuse to blame it on, that's what they will always do, because that is the easiest path to take. You know what? We all have suffering in our lives. Everyone goes through trials and tribulations. RISE ABOVE IT! I know it's hard! Believe me, I do!, but the alternative is wallowing in it or excusing it away. I know this sounds like a pretty harsh, unfeeling post, and I tend to see things in black and white. I'm not saying that issues that people have do not need to be addressed, but they cannot be used as excuses to treat others with anything less than kindness and respect. We've excused bad behavior for too long, and we are suffering for it as a society. We're digging a hole we will never be able to crawl out of.

The First

Today is December 1, 2012. I woke up this morning thinking that I needed to write a post about the Christmas season and anticipation and waiting and advent, and then I got on Facebook, as I often do first thing on a Saturday morning, and I saw another first and changed my whole blog writing plan. This will not be a post about Christmas, but it is about waiting and the end of it. This date in 1955 a courageous woman did something that sparked an entire movement that in the end brought about tremendous change to a group of people who had been waiting for it for hundreds of years. The woman was Rosa Parks. At the age of 42, younger than I am now, she decided enough was enough. She was riding a bus in Alabama and she refused to give up her seat in "the colored section" to a white person who was having to stand because the "white section" of the bus was filled. She was arrested for Civil Disobedience, and the Alabama Bus Boycott followed. She has now become the iconic symbol of the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. It's funny. When I've heard her name mentioned in relation to this incident, I always pictured this very old woman who resembled Cecily Tyson in the role of Jane Pittman, and I incorrectly thought she was sitting in the White section, the dangers of learning history in this generation of sound bytes and snippets on the Internet. Her age doesn't really matter. What she did took courage! After all, she was following the rules. She was sitting in "her" section. Why should she be asked to stand and give up her seat just because her skin was a different color? In today's world, this seems ludicrous, but this was an every day occurrence for all African Americans. Their lives were filled with signs posted in restaurants, and public restrooms and even water fountains that said, WHITES ONLY. 

Many years ago I took my two girls to see a local production of Ragtime, a musical about different people whose lives intersect  and the way they change each other for good and bad. There is a scene where a group of white firemen are abusive and taunting to a black man they encounter out for a drive in his new car. They end up vandalizing the car and nothing is done about it. When intermission came, both my girls, who were elementary school age at the time, asked me why the firemen were being so mean to the man. I had to explain to them the way things used to be between races. I was so proud of the fact that, in their little world, they had never encountered discrimination or seen someone treated less than human because they were a different color. I was proud of their school and their community that this concept was foreign to them. Now, I'm not saying we live in a perfect world and discrimination was wiped out on December 1, 1955. I am not that naive. I know it is still very prevalent in certain minds in this country, but we are light years ahead of the way we were in 1955, and Rosa Parks helped start that journey of acceptance and harmony. Because of her courage that day and the countless numbers of people that followed her lead, change came, slowly, but it came, and the waiting ended. 

It's Time for a Rant!

Seceding from the union? Really? What the hell? If you do not know this already, there have been petitions started in states to secede from the United States of America. You may think, 1, 2, surely no more than 5. NO! There has been a petition filed from all 50 states to secede from the union and start their own government. When I hear something like that, it makes me wonder if I am in a real life Twilight Zone. Have we become a country so obsessed with ME and what I want that if we don't get our way, we take our toys and go home? This is a democracy! We vote for our elected officials. We have an election, and, God knows candidates campaign before we vote as evidenced by the fortune spent on this year's presidential campaign, over 2 BILLION dollars. I could probably live for years on the amount of money spent on direct mail alone judging by the 3 or more postcards I received in my mailbox daily the last two weeks of the election. The point is, we had an election, just like we do every 4 years, and we had the right to vote for the candidate we preferred. Some people were happy on November 7th and some were not, but to actually consider seceding from the union is ludicrous! When I was a junior in high school, I ran for Senior Class president. I ran a tough campaign. I did, what I thought, were some innovative things to get my name out there. I thought I was the most qualified for the job. I gave a great speech, and I had great ideas for the class. I was smart, and relatively good looking, and I really thought I would be the class' choice. I was not. I LOST, and guess what! I did not switch schools. I did not drop out, I did not spend every waking moment trying to see how I could make the person elected look bad or fail at what he was trying to do for the class to the best of his ability. I might have groused a little when I lost, made a few statements that I knew I could have done a better job, but in the end, I showed up for school in the fall and participated in all the activities for the Senior Class because I was part of the senior class. Now, I know that my senior class and the United States of America are very different, and I'm not trying to trivialize anything here. I can't remember when a presidential campaign has ever had such passionate opposing views, but, people, do you really think you're helping by quitting, just throwing in the towel? The basic point here is that we have to work TOGETHER!!! A very revered statesman of this nation, Patrick Henry, once said, "United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs." If you don't care for Patrick Henry. What about Jesus? "And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand, and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." ~ Mark 3:24 & 25 ~ KJV Let's say you're granted your wish. You are allowed to secede from the Union and govern yourselves. Please be prepared in case anything negative should befall you. Remember the police force that protects you is provided by the very government you are opposing, so while you are training your brand new police force, I hope that no one is in need of the old police force's services, and the roads that you travel on or the PUBLIC transportation you take, I hope that you can afford to lose several days of work if you must rely on those while you are rebuilding YOUR roads under YOUR government and buying several buses or commuter trains, or subways, because the ones you rely on now are provided by the EVIL government you want to leave. And let's hope that no natural disaster takes your home and you must rely on government funds to get you through or God forbid you are attacked by some terrorist and need the aid of the UNITED STATES MILITARY to protect and defend you. Because if you succeed in seceding, did you like that little play on words?, the rest of the world will see this country as weakened and primed for another attack.  My basic message here is this! GROW UP! WORK TOGETHER! That's how we became what we are today. Is the government flawed? Absolutely! but do you think that this is really a solution? Follow the example of the two men who fought so bitterly for the Presidency. If they are willing to work together, why aren't you?

A Storyteller's Job

Last night I had the pleasure, if you can call it that, of seeing "The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh, produced by Cadence Theater Company. Occasionally, one has the great fortune of seeing a play that moves them, or provokes thought, or even changes them in some way. This play does all 3. I did not know what to expect. I had never read the play, but I knew from Facebook status updates that it was dark. The play was in a small stadium seat theater, very intimate, which I believe aided in drawing the audience member into the playwright's world totally. Most of the play takes place in two interrogation rooms. Last night's set was dark and dank as you would expect rooms like this to be. A writer, Katurian, is being questioned by two detectives about the macabre nature of his short stories, most of which end with the harming, and even murder of children. From Katurian's reactions to the interrogation, he obviously has no idea why he has been brought to the station. He has no inkling of any crime that the detectives obviously think he has committed. As Katurian discovers just why he has been brought in for questioning and how soon his world will become as dark as his stories, so do we. The first act was almost 2 hours long, and I was riveted every second. The detectives, played by David Bridgewater and Tony Foley, had the good cop/bad cop routine down perfectly. I have only seen Tony in one other role as Paul in "Barefoot in the Park". Last night's turn was quite a departure, and it was nice to see him in such a serious role. I have seen David Bridgewater in many things. I have always had great respect and admiration for him as an actor. What I love about David is that he is so natural on stage, and I believe every word he is saying as if I have been invited to watch his life. This role was no exception. I had never seen Jonathan Conyers, the actor who played Katurian, in anything before. All I can say is after seeing last night's performance, I hope I get to see him in many more roles! There were some small roles to portray some of Katurian's stories for a mother, father, and children, and I was especially impressed by the performance of the younger members of the cast with the way they handled such heavy material. But the performance that really blew me away was David Janeski's portrayal of Michal, Katurian's older, but brain-damaged childlike brother. I was mesmerized by David's consistency and commitment to the role emotionally and physically. What made this performance so wonderful was the fact that even though the words that were coming out the character's mouth would have made most people almost ill, I found myself feeling great empathy for him, and at times wanting to rush the stage and cradle him in my arms and say, "Everything's going to be all right!" The chemistry between David Janeski and Jonathan Conyers is sweet and very real. I wiped away tears more than once. The play is masterfully directed by Steve Perigard using the small stage to every advantage, sometimes bringing the actors to the very edge and almost into the audience to draw us in. I left the theater almost numb with what I had just seen, but also, strangely uplifted at the way all was wrapped up. I felt as if I watched an evolution of all these characters over the course of the last 3 hours, and as the characters gained insight into themselves and their lives, so I did as well into my own life, and isn't that the storyteller's job? Only two more performances. Go see it! You will not be disappointed!

HAPPY Birthday to me!

Me on my 49th Halloween Birthday

At 1:20 PM today, I turned 49 years old. Birthdays change as you get older. When I was little, especially having a Halloween birthday, my thoughts were of what costume I would wear, and what costumes would be worn to my party, candy, treats, what special cake I would get that had to do with the Halloween theme. As an adult, my birthdays are spent reflecting on my life and how quick the years seem to pass now. Ok, so I still like to dress up, sue me. This past year has been chocked full of wonderful things! I spent the better part of 2012 playing a wonderful role in a play called "Always, Patsy Cline" It ran for 15 weeks last winter and spring, and then because it sold so well, they brought it back for 6 weeks in the summer. It was such a treat to be able to act for most of my 48th year, and I was honored to be nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a musical by our local critics here in Richmond. At last birthday, I was in the middle of directing my first show, Anything Goes, at my Alma mater, J. R. Tucker. The show opened in December, and it was a hit. I had a wonderful experience, and it left me with a hunger to direct again. Along with that show, I adopted a whole new group of children that I love and adore, and have formed special ties with that will never be broken. I watched my youngest daughter turn 16, and shopped for a dress for her first prom. In June, I had the privilege of chaperoning 4 very talented young ladies, one being my youngest daughter, to something called Harmony College, a 4 day session of workshops and coaching sessions and performances with her Beauty Shop quartet. I loved having the time with her, of course, but I also made a new friend, the other chaperoning mom. We roomed together in the college dorm, and became fast friends, as my youngest terms us "besties" In August, I had the bittersweet task of moving my oldest into college. It was very exciting, as she is the first one in our family to attend college, but it was also very sad for me letting go. I was proud of myself as I did not fall apart, thanks very much to my youngest and her support through it all. I have watched the posts on Facebook from my oldest daughter as she absolutely flourishes personally, academically and theatrically. She was cast as the lead in her freshman show, and she was asked to be the Freshman blog writer for the Theatre Department. She is very happy, and that makes things infinitely easier for me. Do I miss her? Of course, but as someone told me, it's the next step in her life, and if she didn't take it, things would not be right. My oldest away at college has also given me some wonderful one-on-one time with my youngest. She has spent much of her life getting slighted as the youngest often does. I even wrote a post about it. So I am glad to be able to give her some attention and really be there for her when she needs me. I attended my 30th High School reunion, and actually had a great time! I was with a dear, dear friend, and loved catching up with everyone else! And finally, just two weeks ago, I got to be an extra in my first commercial shoot. All in all it's been a grand year! For 49, I am extremely happy. I like myself, and who I am. I am proud of my accomplishments, but most of all, I am blessed, blessed with amazing kids, family and friends, but, most especially, blessed with love in my life. I won't receive any big gifts today, no diamond rings, no cars, no extravagant trips. I don't need those things. My life is just fine the way it is because I am truly happy! How many people can say that?

It was a dark and stormy night......

From the time I was very little I have kind of always been fascinated with the SUPERNATURAL, the UNEXPLAINED. Now, before my friends that read these posts that are Christians freak out and think I am talking about the occult or  black magic, no, I have not become a devil worshiper  I am still a Christian. I have a very strong faith. I happen to believe that this fascination can coexist with my deep faith. I have always liked, for lack of a better term, "Ghost Stories" I am not sure why I have this fascination. Perhaps it is because I was born on Halloween. It really doesn't matter, I have always been curious about ghosts and haunted houses, dreams that come true, clairvoyants, psychics, you name it. A friend of mine posted on Facebook that he was writing a blog about one of Virginia's oldest theaters and the "ghost stories" surrounding it. It got me to thinking. What a cool idea, and thus, this post. So, what I would like to create with this entry is a virtual campfire where we all sit around and tell "Ghost Stories" Not the Jason of Friday the 13th fame kind of story. I want to hear your real encounters, those strange things that happened to you that you can't explain, that you long filed away telling yourself there was a logical explanation, but secretly knowing that was a lie to make yourself feel comforted.
I'll start. When I was 10 years old, I was doing a show at a local theater. Theaters are notorious for having hauntings associated with them, but at age 10, I didn't know this. Later I would find that this theater did have a ghost, but when I had my encounter, I didn't know anything about it, so, all of you who are saying right now that I let my imagination get the best of me, I'm shooting a hole in that theory. There was a flat on the set that had a door in it that opened and closed. During the show, it would never stay closed. No matter how we tried to fix it, it would always drift open. I was crossing backstage behind that door, and someone grabbed my waist. I turned immediately, but no one was there. I thought it was odd, but I wasn't really scared until I walked back by the same place on my way back and whatever grabbed me, now pushed me, not hard, not a knock me to the ground push, more of a nudge, I guess, but definitely something physical. You guessed it. When I turned around, no one was there. I high tailed it back to the dressing room. Once I shared my experience, the stories just flowed about the theater's other worldly resident.
What's your story? If you would be so kind as to share by posting in the comment field of this blog, we can all share in the scare.

VA Lottery Commercial: That's a Wrap!

Last Friday was the BIG day. My call to show up on set as a "Background Artist" was 7:15 AM. I had to travel about 30 minutes, and I wanted to make sure I could find it, so my OCD, overly anxious self wanted to leave at 6:00 AM. This meant I was getting up at 5:00 AM, so I could arrive "camera ready" Let me give you a little background on that term. Once I was cast as a "Background Artist" I received a long email with all of my details about Friday's shoot. Call time: 7:15 AM, breakfast was being provided starting at 6:00 AM. The location, about 25 minutes away from me. Parking info, contact info. This was a big one, Wardrobe Notes: "Everyone should bring business casual attire that is seasonal.

 MEN should have a suit or a sport coat and slacks in blacks, tan,  blues or greys. Please bring dress shirts and coordinating ties. Please wear a watch and bring appropriate shoes.

 WOMEN please bring pants, dresses or skirts in blacks, grays, teals,  blues, tans or burgundies.  Blouses and/ or sweaters/ sweater sets are great.  Please bring  appropriate hosiery, shoes and jewelry." This presented a problem for me. I am a single mother. I don't make a lot of extra money. Since I have lost 50 lbs. in the last year and a half, I have one, yes I said, one pair of pants. I have dresses, but since it was a holiday commercial, we needed to be dressed in winter clothes. I was able to scrounge enough of those together, but I wasn't exactly sure what they wanted. And jewelry, PLEASE! I wear the same silver filigree hoops every day, and a watch. I very rarely accessorize anything unless it's a special occasion. Accessorizing is not a ritual the budget conscious engage in. I decided to bite the bullet and buy at least one pair of pants and a sweater to match and some cheap jewelry. The last instruction? Please come dressed and "camera ready" I have never done a commercial before. I assumed that "camera ready" meant hair and make-up needed to be done. Dilemma number two: I have no idea how to make up for the camera. I had a feeling that what I wear everyday was going to be too much. And, no, I do not paint myself up like a harlot, but I do wear dark lipstick and black eyeliner and black mascara because my features are very dark. Luckily I have people that I know who have done this sort of thing, and thanks to Facebook, I put out the feelers on make-up tips. I showed up with down played make-up, and it must have been fine because I was APPROVED by wardrobe. We started shooting around 8:30 AM. Now, as the term "Background Artist" indicates, I and all my other fellow "BA's" are in the background of the shot. This generally means, there is a lot of standing in one place, take after take after take. My first stint of standing (I like that alliteration!) is 3 hours, in heels. I would rather walk a mile in heels than stand in one place for 3 hours. Pretty soon my feet were screaming, but we're not done folks. We are "moving on" to the next set up shot. We broke for lunch around 2PM. Lunch is provided for us, and we are in the chow line, more standing. Finally I get my plate of salad, soft tacos, and rice and take a seat. Ahhhhhhhh! At this point I have to give you another back story. At the beginning of October I had a root canal done, (Bear with me. This has relevance. I swear!) I have a temporary crown in place, and I have been very careful to eat on the other side, not chew hard candy or gum. When I arrived on the set, I decided to partake in the breakfast fare. Bacon, one of my favorites, was one of the items offered. I took a bite of a very crunchy piece and immediately felt something in my gum on the side of my root canal tooth. I though I had scratched the gum, and really paid it no more attention as I had to shoot the commercial. I paid it no more attention until I took a bite of the soft taco, and it felt like a razor blade was cutting into my mouth. I decided to check out what was going on in the bathroom mirror. I had broken my tooth totally in two pieces right down the middle. I immediately called the dentist, and, of course, they want me to come in right then. Any other day, I could have, but today, I am shooting a commercial. It's a Friday, folks, so you know what that means. I can't see the dentist until Monday morning. I still have an afternoon of shooting to do, and all I can think about is my tooth. Luckily, I am not in pain, but definitely anxious, because the afternoon shoot involves cookies, and possibly eating them. We started shooting again around 3:30. Several times I thought I would have to take a bite, but narrowly escaped with the word "Cut" We wrapped at 8:30 PM. A 13 hour day! May I just say, if you have never been on a film set for anything and think it is an EASY job, you are wrong! It is a very tedious process, doing the same thing over, and over, and over, and looking fresh every time, even if you've done it 25 times. I collected my clothes, and when I got in the car to drive the 25 minutes back home at 9PM, I can't ever remember being more tired. Add to that, immense hunger and the broken tooth = one frazzled, on edge, me. Once I got home, I knew I would not be able to eat anything substantial because of aforementioned tooth. I decided on Broccoli Cheese soup from Jason's Deli. I looked online, so my daughter could look at the menu to decide what she wanted, and I placed the call at 9:30 PM. "I'm sorry. We/re CLOSED!" came the answer. I looked at my daughter, and I said, "I think I'm gonna cry." and that's exactly what I did. Poor thing, she was so confused by my wacky behavior, but  she was there for me, as she always is, and hugged me as the emotions of the day gushed forth in the form of gut wrenching sobs. Would I do it again? Maybe. I think I would make better choices: more comfortable shoes, and, oh yeah, I'll make a note to have all my teeth in tact. 

VA Lottery Commercial: Take 3

Well, I heard. I was not cast as a Principle in the commercial. Cue muted trumpet: ♪♫ Wah, wah, wah ♫♪ Oh, well, you win some, you lose some. The good news is that they did ask me to be a "Background Artist" which is apparently the new term for "Extra" I still get paid, and I get to work with a new group of people in a new genre for me. Anyone who is in this crazy business called show business will tell you that a huge amount of it is making connections, who you meet, work with, get your face in front of. You never know who will see you, and even though you're not right this time, if they are impressed with you, you might be perfect next time. So Friday, I will show up at the shoot bright and early, and play for the day with the VA Lottery folks. Sounds like a great way to spend a Friday to me!

VA Lottery Commercial: Take 2

So here I sit in a room full of other hopeful actors at the callback. All of us reading the side over and over again, so as to use that small amount of time we'll have with the director to our advantage. This particular day, they are running behind, so it's an even longer wait than I expect. For me, waiting a really long time at an audition is hard. I lose the edginess that the nervous adrenaline gives me. It's difficult to stay up and ready. Now at this point, I have to give you a little background on me and acting in front of a camera. People who know me and have read this blog before know most of my acting experience is on the stage. Acting for the stage and acting for the camera could not be further apart. On the stage, everything is big. On camera the most subtle move can be picked up and seen. 14 years ago I jumped into the deep end of acting for the camera. Because of a friend's connection to someone who was making an independent feature film, I was cast in a co-starring role in their film. I was pretty nervous the first day of shooting. The people at Paladin Pictures were incredibly patient with me. I'm sure I deafened the sound guy on the first take of the first scene. I was used to PROJECTING for the stage. The director yelled cut, and he came over to me and said, "Terri, that was really great, but we need you to be a little bit quieter." The first scene my character's ring was caught in the sink drain. Take 2: I'm thinking, okay, quieter, not so loud, Terri. ACTION! ....CUT! "Terri, that was really great, but you keep moving out of the shot." Boy, this is a really different world. Luckily, I had already been cast, and I got 6 weeks to learn while filming, and I ended up winning a best supporting actress award from an independent film festival for my portrayal. I haven't done any camera acting since then, so yesterday, when they finally called me in after waiting almost 4 hours, I was given some direction, and the camera started rolling. The director is watching me on a computer monitor. I have no lines. All I have to do is react to a tacky gift I am holding. The entire time I am "reacting" the director is saying, "Less. Less" And all I can think is, "How can I give less? I don't feel like I'm doing anything." We ended up doing it about 5 times. The last thing I did got a laugh, and they looked pleased, but who knows? I'll know by Tuesday, and when I know, you'll know. If I get it, I'm pretty sure my reaction won't be LESS.

VA Lottery Commercial: Take 1

Last week I received a notice in my email about casting for a VA Lottery TV commercial. I get routine emails about film castings, but normally I ignore them because having a regular job prohibits me from being able to attend most shooting schedules. This one was different. It was only a two day shoot, and auditions were quick. Having the wonderfully flexible boss that I do, I asked could she work with me to audition and shoot if I got it. Her response, as it always is, without hesitation, was SURE! I submitted for the commercial, and was thrilled when I received an email giving me a slot to audition. So...last Friday I made the trek to Charlottesville, VA to the casting office with a good friend who was also auditioning. The audition process was relatively painless, and the people at Erica Arvold Casting were wonderful - very friendly and encouraging. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes, and we were back on the road home to Richmond. And now, as every actor dreads after every audition, THE WAIT. The wait for the call for the job or a callback. For those who are reading this who are not familiar with the process, a callback is similar to making first cuts of an athletic team. You made it through the first stage, and now you have to come audition for more people or for the same people, but they might want to see you matched with other people or do something different. I was waiting for a callback. It would be a quick wait because callbacks were being held the following Thursday. The weekend went by, and no call. No big deal. I knew they were auditioning more people on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday's work day came and went, and I had received no call, so I was hoping for extra work at this point. I came home. I cooked dinner and went straight to choir. I did not check my email when I got home from work. I arrived home from choir, and told my daughter that I guessed I hadn't gotten the callback because I never heard from them. I turned on my phone just to see if they'd left a voicemail while I was in choir. There was a voicemail on my phone. I still didn't think it would be from them. I was wrong! My face lit up like a Christmas Tree as I heard, "This is Michelle from Erica Arvold Casting." Luckily that wonderful boss I spoke of earlier read my email that I sent at 9:00PM on Wednesday evening letting her know I needed to go to the callback the following day, and that same response came back. Now....what to wear?

“If you don't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” ― RuPaul

It has become the practice in this country to assign special awareness to different months of the year. February is American Heart Month. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and so on. October has several causes for awareness. Most well known to me was Breast Cancer. Until this morning, I did not know that October was also dedicated to Bullying Prevention. Social and News Media is abuzz with a clip of an anchorwoman addressing a very cruel email sent to her attacking her because of her size. She handles the very hurtful and delicate subject with eloquence and class. I admire her. It had to be hard to read those words initially, but then to share them on television, and I am sure, now, through the magic of viral video, the world, had to take courage. She did it for a reason. To embarrass the writer? No, she never mentions his name. She used it as an example of How words affect us, ALL of us. She used it to tell children who don't realize, that what people like this person say to them doesn't matter. Their words don't change who you are. I have written posts about bullying before. We didn't call it bullying when I was in elementary school. It was called teasing. I was teased about things all through my middle and high school years. I'm not saying I was immune to it. I wasn't. Words hurt, but I handled it in a different way. It didn't bother me as much for one reason. I had been raised to love myself, not in a conceited or vain way, but to value myself as a person. I know my family loved me, and I didn't just love myself, I liked who I was. That's what this post is about.  If October is Bullying Prevention month, let's start with ending the bullying of ourselves. I talk with my daughters about everything in their lives. We have had countless conversations about the scores of kids in their schools who cut themselves, or spend their weekends high, or sleep around because they have zero self esteem. It breaks my heart! Lack of Self Respect is a disease that's running rampant, and it's eating our kids alive! "You is kind. You is smart. You is important." ~ Aibileen Clark from The Help. Such simple words, but oh the validation they provide. I thank God everyday that I never got into drugs in school. I never wanted to. I never had the desire. I thank God that my girls have never even considered it, and in their words, "It's just dumb!" When my girls were 2 and 5, their father left. For the rest of their lives until now he has pretty much been a visitor, not really taking an active role in their day-to-day lives. To many, this seems tragic, and, I guess it could have been, but I decided one very important thing when all of that happened. I decided not to change. I decided I wasn't going to over compensate for the absence of their father by showering them with gifts or letting them get away with things or cutting them slack when it came to behavior with the excuse of, "They're just acting out." I took some heat for that decision, but I knew that if I completely changed the way I had been parenting because of a poor decision their father made, their world would have crashed and burned, and they would not be the amazing strong women they are today. I loved them, and trusted them, and made a point to always be honest with them, even when the truth wasn't pleasant, and, yes, I disciplined them. Shocker: They don't hate me. I have two of the best relationships between children and parents that I know of. I've made the statement before that I wish I could reach out to all those kids who are hating themselves right now for whatever reason, and let them know how very wonderful they are, not just with my words, but from the way I treat them. You are responsible for your own happiness! No one can change who you are with words. Believe in yourself and the amazing creature you were created to be. Stop comparing yourself to others. Be the best YOU you can be. If you're the Best, there is nothing above that. There is no other you, so know one can be a better YOU than you can. It has to start somewhere, and what better place than within our own selves?

One Small Voice

Back in the summer there was a huge hoopla surrounding Chick-Fil-A. I, as I often do, expressed my opinion in a post. The Internet, news media, social media, and print media were filled with those same opinions ranging from Chick-Fil-A was out to get the gay and lesbian population to God himself invented the chicken sandwich. My issue wasn't with the comments that were made, albeit I did not agree. My issue was with the fact that I chose not to spend my money knowing it would trickle down to an anti-gay organization. Many people felt the same as I and decided to no longer patronize Chick-Fil-A. This is not a post to rehash how I feel about Chick-Fil-A. It is a post about how speaking up can make a difference. I know that in my younger days I never really got involved with politics. My attitude was mostly apathetic. What difference can I make? I'm only one person. In the past few years things have changed for me. Maybe it's because everything, every news item, every event is in front of our eyes in seconds. So when the uproar of outrage crashed over this country like a wave in response to Chick-Fil-A, people made their feelings known. Last week, a good friend of mine sent me an article to read. Chick-Fil-A, I am assuming because of public outcry, was pulling their funding from Anti-gay organizations. Yay, Chick-Fil-A! Thank you for listening. Thank you for doing something that I am sure you will take heat on as well, but I feel like it was the right thing. This is a big year for using your one small voice to speak up no matter what side of an issue you're on, folks. Not to sound corny, but we can make a difference, but not by doing nothing or remaining quiet. "Be the change you want to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Ghandi

Thursday's Child Has Far To Go

For the first time in 20 years, I am not spending the day with my oldest on her birthday. 20 years ago today I set my alarm very early to go to St. Mary's hospital to be induced. I was going to have my first child. I didn't know what I was having. I chose to be surprised. The baby chose to stay inside for as long as possible. Originally due on the 7th of September, the wee one decided it was too comfortable inside, and was going to wait it out. Hence the induction on the morning of the 24th of September. It was a LONG day, and when I say long I mean never ending. Even with the induction, which, by the way, throws you into hard labor right away, I still wasn't progressing at all. Finally after about 7 1/2 hours, the Pitocin was stopped, and it was decided that C-section was the safest option for Mom and baby. However, my OBGYN was held up at another hospital, and at 7PM, twelve hours after we had started this journey, we were still waiting. He finally arrived around 8PM, and then I felt like a race car making a pit stop at Indy. They transferred me from hospital bed to surgical bed. Next thing I knew, we are racing down the hall to the surgical suite, and by 8:16, I had a 9lb. 10oz. baby girl. We were prepared with a boy and girl name, depending, so Leanna Michelle was officially a part of our family. The next week was filled with ups and downs as we got used to each other, but pretty soon I got the hang of motherhood, and it was good.
There is a poem that I have always loved, and I have actually sung this as a choral piece:
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Leanna Michelle is a Thursday's child, as is her sister, and as am I. When I was growing up and heard that poem and applied the Thursday phrase to myself, I always thought of it in a negative way like, "Oh, great. I've got far to go." as in I have a long way to go before I can achieve my goals and dreams. Looking at my precious first born, I have learned from her determination and passion and resilience that "far to go" means there is no limit to where she can go. She will go far. Don't believe me? Just ask her! She began her first year in college this year. She is the first in our family to go to college. I am so proud of her. She has only been there for a little under two months, and she is already taking the place by storm. She has been cast as Charlotte in Charlotte's Web, the freshman showcase show, and she is the freshman blog writer for the Theatre Department. You can follow her writings as well here. Today she turns 20. She is no longer a teenager. She is a young woman embarking on a glorious journey to an amazing future. How fortunate I am that I am along for the ride!

One Bad Apple

It seems that one of the hot button issues of this election is a class issue: Who's on the side of the middle class? Who's on the side of the rich? With Social Media, it is no secret how a lot of people feel. My news feed is clogged with postings of how people feel about THEIR candidate. I don't talk much about politics, and I have tried not to make this blog about it. This post will be no different than any other post. I have seen something that has inspired me to tell how I feel. Something has pushed my buttons, and I have to react. Tonight a friend posted something she had seen on Facebook along with her comment of how unfunny she thought it was. It was a phrase that attempted biting humor, and it took a crack at the welfare system, and all the people who use it.

When I read this, I was offended. Why? Because I am one who has received a welfare check and food stamps. I do not drink beer or smoke crack. And I have to say, that every time I went to the grocery store and used the food stamps, I was embarrassed. BUT, if I had not had the welfare system to rely on when I was left with nothing, my kids and I may have starved or been out on the street. Am I saying that the welfare system is perfect? No, far from it, but, just because some people take advantage of the system does not make every person that uses it the low class thug that is being described in the picture above. I don't have all the answers, and I am not trying to tell anyone how to vote. What I am saying is that we need to stop judging each other and stereotyping each other and spewing hate. Until we start working together, it won't matter who wins in November.

4 Shows a day, 7 days a week

It all ended at about 4:15 yesterday afternoon. If you follow this blog, I've written several posts about a show I was doing called "Always, Patsy Cline" with Va-Rep Theater here in Richmond. The first run opened January 20, 2012 and ran until April 29, 2012. Because of the popularity of the first run, the powers that be brought it back, and a re-mount opened on August 10, 2012 and closed after six more weeks running with yesterday's matinee. I have spent the better part of a year adoring "Patsy Cline" through the eyes of my character, Louise Seger, a devout, and by today's standards, maybe even crazed fan of Patsy's from 1957 until Patsy's tragic death in a plane crash in 1963. True to form, I was emotional yesterday. You would think after doing the same part for a total of 21 weeks on an average of 4 times a week I would have been ready to say good-bye. Judging from the tears streaming down my face as I made the final speech about how Louise hears of Patsy's death on the radio, I wasn't. Was this show a good time? Yes. Was it fun for the audience? Yes. Was it fun for me? Yes, but it also made me think. It is no secret that I love performing. I feel honored and blessed to be able to share a talent that I have been given with others. That doesn't mean I don't get tired. That doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt when I miss important family things because I'm performing, (my daughter's college orientation). However, comparing my performing life with Patsy Cline's, mine is a dream. I remember the first time I read the speech that Louise makes about Patsy's death. "...they came on the radio and said that Patsy Cline had died in an airplane crash on her way back to Nashville. She was only 30 years old." I thought, wow, she was only 30? Every picture I had ever seen of Patsy Cline made me think she was older than 30. By today's standards, 30 is so young. She obviously did not have it easy, as was the case of so many starts of that era, Elvis, Judy Garland come to mind. There was no spoiling or pampering. Their managers literally worked them constantly. Patsy makes a speech in the show and talks about going to Las Vegas where she will be doing 4 shows a day, 7 days a week. I have done some 2 show days in my time, and even some 3 show days when I was very young, and I was beat, and I wasn't even the headliner. How does someone sing their heart out for 4 shows and even be able to function? In the play when Patsy and Louise meet at a honky tonk in Houston, Patsy has taken a taxi from her hotel way out to a "big old barn like structure out on Hampstead Highway" She has no entourage, no bodyguards, not even a manager with her. She's working with the house band that she's not even sure knows her music and she's all alone. I've never been "on the road", but I know it's a hard life, especially if you have a family. I never thought about that until I did this show. I never thought about the sacrifices that stars like Patsy Cline made to make a living using their gift. When she died at 30, she left two little ones, a boy and a girl, who probably never really got to know their mother because she was on the road while they were young, and then they lost her. Her music touched so many, but at such a great cost to her. Like I said, it made me think. Mostly how very lucky I am, and the next time I want to whine about how tired I am because I have to do a matinee after getting up early to go to church or go to my real job after doing a show the night before, I'll stop and think what things could be like if I was Patsy Cline in 1961, and be thankful.

It's an honor just to be nominated!

When people hear those words, their first reaction is usually, "Yeah! Right!", but in my case, they really are true! Earlier this week the official word came out from the RTCC (Richmond Theater Critics Circle) of this years nominations for the "Artsies" as they've come to be called. The Artsies are the Richmond equivalent to Broadway's Tony Awards. Each October for the last 4 years, Richmond's theatre community shows up in their fanciest duds to celebrate the previous season with an awards ceremony. It is always a fun time, and as an actor I love getting dressed up and seeing all of my friends that I have worked with past and present. Best of all the money from ticket sales goes to the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund established to help those in the Richmond theatre community who fall on hard of times due to illness, injury, or extenuating circumstances. I'm always excited to see when the nominations come out, but this year I was particularly invested because I have spent the better part of 2012 involved with a wonderful show called "Always, Patsy Cline" produced by Barksdale and a re-mount under the Va-Rep banner. I play the character of "Louise Seger" a devoted fan of "Patsy Cline" played wonderfully by the fabulous Debra Wagoner. "Louise" is a character I could probably play for the rest of my life as long as I could walk. Every moment on stage has been pure joy for me! I am so proud of our little show and everyone involved! That feeling, and having the extreme luck to be working as an actor would be enough for me. I got my first paycheck as an actor at the age of 10. I have been doing this for almost 39 years. I'm not famous. I'm not a millionaire. I love it, and that's why I do it, and every once in a while something comes along, like this show, that makes all the running around and working a regular job all day and going to rehearsal for another 4 hours worth it. This show was one of those. So in that alone, I count myself extremely blessed! Then, this past Tuesday, I saw the link on Facebook to Dave Timberline's Theatre Blog announcing this year's nominees. As I read the list, I saw Debra's name first. So happy and proud! She works her ass off every night singing 27 songs in one show. Well deserved! then I get down to the Best Supporting Actress Category, and I see my name. I was floored and soooo happy. When you are proud of the work you put into a role, and the way a show comes together, it is so nice to see someone else say, "I like it too! Good job!" That's what the nomination says to me. 
There is a story about Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier when they were working on the film, Marathon Man. Hoffman asked Olivier, "Why do we do this?" (acting) Olivier replied, "Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!" That might not be every actor, but it's certainly this one. I enjoy being on stage in the spotlight. I like it when I deliver a line, and the audience laughs. I like taking a bow and hearing the applause. All of those things make it worth it for me, but just once in a while, it's nice to know that somebody "looked" at me and thought I did a good enough job to be recognized for it! 

He didn't just sing in the rain.

I remember sitting at the dining room table having a discussion with my then father-in-law, and the subject of Gene Kelly came up. He said that he couldn't stand Gene Kelly because all he ever did was that one dance in "Singing in the Rain" every time he was on television. Spoken like a person whose only exposure to the glorious movie musical was the little tidbits that were trotted out on Variety shows of the day, all of Gene Kelly's amazing career put into an edited, scaled down version on a 27 inch screen or smaller. I had to disagree with my father-in-law. Gene Kelly was not just this guy who danced around and sang in the rain. Was he an exceptional dancer? Yes, but he was so much more. He was a director, choreographer, actor, singer and don't even get me started on his athletic prowess. Today would have been Gene Kelly's 100th birthday, and I was listening to a story on NPR. Mr. Kelly said once in an interview, "If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando." If you watch any of Gene Kelly's dance sequences in any of his films, that certainly rings true. They are filled with athletic leaps and rolls and slides. At times you watch, and it is incomprehensible how a human could do what he is doing. I remember long ago seeing a clip of him dancing on the thin two by fours of the frame work of a house. No stunt double, no wires, just Gene Kelly being  nimble on his feet and mastering control of the way his body moved. It's astonishing. He did his own stunts in many movies. When you watch that clip, you can't believe the risk. One of the neatest things about living in the age of technology that we do, you can pull up almost anything on your computer in a matter of seconds and see it. A few years ago someone posted a link to this clip of Gene doing a dance on Roller skates. I'm lucky if I can stand on roller skates, he's tap dancing. When you watch it, there are several things that he does that if most normal people were doing them, they would land flat on their fanny. He stays upright and makes it look like he was born with roller skates on his feet.I am sure that every TV appearance Gene Kelly ever made they asked him to do "Singin' in the Rain" He was probably sick of it himself, but he was a true entertainer, and he gave the people what they wanted. Watch any of his films, and you can see he was about making people happy. And to all the haters out there of that famous dance number in the pouring rain, it's a classic. It's well done, and, by the way, when he shot that he had a fever of 103. How many of you could have performed that way with a raging fever? I love Gene Kelly and always have! Thank God his work is preserved on DVD! Because unlike my father-in-law, I can watch Mr. Kelly do that number over and over again!

Eating less Chikin

So, I know this one is going to get me in hot water, but here goes. Yesterday, August 1st, was "Support Chick-Fil-A Day" This was decreed by Mike Huckabee in response to the call to boycott the restaurant chain after Dan Cathy, president and COO, made some statements in a radio interview about "traditional" marriage. People swarmed to the restaurant yesterday in droves to show their support. Well, this girl wasn't in the Drive-thru line yesterday, and let me tell you why. First of all, I'm going on record right now as saying, I love God! I love Jesus! I believe as a member of the group called Christians, that God and Jesus love me, and that Jesus is the Son of God, and he was crucified and died on the cross to save me from my sins, so put away your pitchforks and torches. I hesitated typing the word "Christian" because those zealots from Westboro Baptist Church also call themselves "Christian," and I am definitely not in the same group as them! Many of my friends were at Chick-Fil-A yesterday, and that was their choice and their right to spend their money the way they see fit. I do not condemn them for attending, I'm sure, what they thought was a stand for Christianity. I'm not sure how much money was made yesterday, but apparently a world record was set. That's what I want to talk about, the money! I have heard for well over a year that Chick-Fil-A had ties to groups who are anti-gay. I still went to Chick-Fil-A. The franchises are individually owned, and I didn't think it was fair to punish the "Mom and Pops" who own the individual restaurants because of a stance the Corporation has. In much the same way, I felt for the owners of the independent gas stations who sold Exxon gas when people were boycotting them because of the oil spill. Their livelihoods and the financial support of their families was being threatened because of something they had no control over. I still visited Chick-Fil-A once a week, at least, sometimes more, even when a lot of my friends were saying I shouldn't be giving them my business. Chick-Fil-A has great food! It's always fresh, and the customer service is unmatched! You have no argument from me on that point. I continued to be a loyal patron! Then, about two weeks ago, Dan Cathy gave an interview to the Baptist Press where he addressed the Biblical principles the company is based on. I read the interview. There is nothing in it that actually says that Chick-Fil-A is anti-gay. Here is the part of the interview that addresses the issue of marriage:
              Some have opposed the company's support of the traditional family. "Well, guilty as charged," said Cathy when asked about the company's position.

"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

"We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that," Cathy emphasized.

"We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."The above statement brought down a firestorm of comments, videos, and campaigns from the LGBT community and it's supporters to boycott the chain. I have decided not to spend my money at Chick-Fil-A anymore, but not because a group told me not to. All the press made me do my own research, look up what was really said and mostly where my money was going. I will not address every group that I looked up, but this one statement from one group that received money from Chick-Fil-A, my money, I am sad to say, was enough to make me say, okay, I just don't want to spend my money there if this group is being supported. The group is called The Family Research Council. This is their statement on homosexuality:
                 Family Research Council believes that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed.  It is by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects.  While the origins of same-sex attractions may be complex, there is no convincing evidence that a homosexual identity is ever something genetic or inborn. We oppose the vigorous efforts of homosexual activists to demand that homosexuality be accepted as equivalent to heterosexuality in law, in the media, and in schools. Attempts to join two men or two women in "marriage" constitute a radical redefinition and falsification of the institution, and FRC supports state and federal constitutional amendments to prevent such redefinition by courts or legislatures.   Sympathy must be extended to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions, and every effort should be made to assist such persons to overcome those attractions, as many already have. 

I'm no scholar, but I'm pretty sure that's blatant discrimination! So, just on the chance that my money went to this group alone, forget all the others, I decided to stop spending my money there. Now to address the issue that I know is going to open a flood gate, Yes, I'm a hypocrite. There's a picture circulating of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka appearing that he is making this statement:

Have I stopped spending my money with Chick-Fil-A? Yes. Have I stopped putting gas in my car? No. Why the difference? If I'm going to make a stand for one, I should make a stand for all, right? Well, in theory, yes, I should. But we all know that it would be near impossible for me to make a living without a car, and without gas my car would not run. I guess I feel that I could not live without gasoline, as disturbing as being dependent on OPEC is, and I can live without waffle fries and a chicken sandwich. This is one place I can exercise my right and control where a little bit of the money I spend, and I stress the term "little bit", goes and is used. If that makes me a hypocrite then "guilty as charged"

I know Chick-Fil-A does a huge amount of good. They give millions of dollars to scholarships, and foster care and international ministry. Yay for them! I'm all for them giving money to "strengthen the family" Pass some over to this single mom who struggles everyday to keep her family fed and clothed because her "traditional" marriage fell apart. Shockingly gay couples wanting to be recognized legally in committing to a lifetime of love and devotion and caring for each other as married had nothing to do with it. You're right, Dan Cathy, marriage is in trouble in this country, but my homosexual friends who want to be together and have the same rights as my heterosexual friends under the law have nothing to do with it. Bottom line is I don't hate Chick-Fil-A. I don't hate anyone who went to Chick-Fil-A yesterday. I'm not even telling you that you can't spend your money there. I'm just explaining to you why I'm not.