2.2.10 (late night in Vegas)
(1)
"--and because"
those linking words.
We've got a show in the morning
and we'll drive half-asleep to the stage
smear make-up
dribble lips loosen chords limber up
(Where do we go from here?)
and I'm enjoying all of this but I feel so half-asleep
Lights lights lights
neon vegas lights
and finding my light the edges are blurry sometimes it's hard to find
She was half asleep when I called her
always on the fringes in the morning and at night we meet
across the timelines timezones time of mine
calling long-distance
she said sometimes the dyslexia makes some things better
45 or 54?
That's great. Just great. So great. Great great.
living long distance
I've been here before--and really I don't mind it
(tethered balloon keeps in contact with the ground.)
All the kids--bright kids. Good kids. Kids kids.
It's like Disneyland for wash-up kids
Caesar'sPalaceDisneyPalaceLuxorParisGrand
full of smoke and the drinking and the kinking and the girls
and the girls selling girls selling girls on the street
snapsnap"nightclub"snapsnap"specialdeal"
selling snapsnap neon lights neon shirts neon love snapsnap
(four miles south of the strip now)
SuiteEmerald. Green Carpet. No new towels. Could be worse.
Apathy incarnate. But everybody wants to feel, wants to
looking for snapsnap
snapsnap something that pops
something that's bright (snap)
that's sheen shiny shimmer shifty shining schnapp snappy
something that (snapsnap) fills the night
that feels so wrong snapsnap so right. (sna--
and it never comes. A city full of seekers looking for a deal
a real deal, a good meal, a deal deal, a budget budget scoring deal!
Airplanes overhead--circling for effect.
Jets. For a show. For us or them?
And what is this all about anyway?
We're somwhere around here--underground garage parking. there it is.
So Many Things
I have no pictures for you, and for that, I apologize. Perhaps sometimes the thousand-words that a picture can convey are still not enough to do justice to the moment of a memory.
Some things in my life seem too good to be true, too sweet to be lasting:
I'm actually being paid to spend all my time in the theatre.
It's been this way for nearly a month now and I still can't quite come to grips with how good it is. The festival gave me a place to live, pays me a decent salary, adds a stipend for food, provides a car that the company shares, and picks up the tab for dinner every evening. I still can't believe it.
On top of that, my fellow actors couldn't be a more kind and considerate group of people to live and work with.
...
Grassroots held a successful workshop last Saturday, and while I was sad to be so far away, I am thrilled to hear that the show went so well, and was glad that I was able to contribute in helping with the cutting and in organizing.
I can't wait to put together a summer show with the troupe--we've got so many talented people on board and in the wings.
...
Got a call on Thursday about a job offer in June--Directing one of the shows with the Noorda Summer Program. Could not be more excited! What a great opportunity to sharpen my skills and get my feet wet.
...
Also getting more and more excited for Study Abroad in July--The Globe has a great season, and I'm eager to see what the other theatres will be offering. I'm also feeling pretty great about working with Scott on Rappacini's Daughter--our brainstorming sessions were electric. It ought to be an amazing experience--a once in a lifetime opportunity.
...
Also, I got straight A's for the first time in College at the end of last semester.
...
Writing all this makes me really nervous--everything really does sound too good to be true. I keep waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under me--can life really be this good? Am I just in some sort of crazy sweet spot in my life where I'm young and naive and nothing will ever really be this good again?
Breathe.
Game plan: Whether it lasts or not, I'll enjoy the sun while it shines.
Watch for a postcard in your mailbox.
I am OK. My car is not.
This Kills Me
In a good way. Check it out:
silla-viento-peces from nick dangerfield on Vimeo.
Also, school is killing me.
In a bad way.
The Virtues of Brevity
I'm trying to come to grips with the fact that there's never enough time to say everything I'd like to have said.
But maybe there's something beautiful about that. Maybe certain things are better left under-said, or unsaid entirely.
That way, there's always more. More to say and more to hear.
Sometimes, enough really is more than enough.
A Good Day
-Directing Class: My favorite class this semester. Also, as far as performance classes go, there is usually ample opportunity for criticism and jockying--but there has been refreshingly little of that in this class. Everyone seems genuinely kind and supportive of one another's efforts. Such a great class.
-Rehearsal: With Jake Suazo, Jaclyn Hales, and Jana Grass. I have secret crushes on all of them. Awesome cast.
-Rehearsal: for 'The Dumb Waiter'. Scott is a great director and our rehearsals are always really productive. Also, acting with Josh French is a blast--I think he's sort of genius.
-Company Call: Scott Stringham and I were announced as co-recipients of the study abroad directing scholarship. We'll be collaborating on an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story 'Rappacini's Daughter' to take to the international Fringe Festival in Edinburgh Scotland next summer. Wahoo!
Also, I officially received an Irene Ryan nomination for my role in 'Twelfth Night' last year.
Last but not least, my final project from Directing was selected as a showcase piece for Company Call. Jake, Jana, and Jaclyn brought the house down with their performance. They say 90% of a director's job is good casting, and it's absolutely true--so ultimately I feel really lucky to have such talented friends.
-Elisa: drove down from Salt Lake to see the performance at Company Call, which is really sweet considering the fact that she's in the middle of studying for finals at med school. That really meant a lot to me.
Four Seasons: After Company Call, Elisa and I went for dinner at Four Seasons Hot Pot and Dumpling. It's a little hole-in-the-wall chinese place on University, and lately, Elisa's favorite. She was really excited because the cook has been away visiting family in China for the last month or so, but has finally returned. We had our favorite: Steamed Buns--and they were delicious. Also, the fact that we're both sort of broke and that our check was only $7.46 went a long way towards making this place a continuing favorite.
All things considered, I'm a pretty lucky guy.
