Time And Technology Changes

I strikes me, as I sit here waiting for a large format printer to produce various faux newspapers for the Tibbits Summer Theatre (2014) production of Guys And Dolls just how much has changed over the passage of years that I have been involved with theatrical properties.

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was mocking up newspapers by cutting and pasting (or perhaps more accurately, cutting and Spray 77-ing) various things printed on a regular sized printer and/or dummied up via a Xerox machine.

Not that that is a bad thing. Such skills are worth knowing, both for historical context and for the design potentials that they inspire. Because knowing old techniques can help a designer stretch themselves. At least, I believe so. After all, if I had not known about the 'old school' technology of continental parallels, my design for a set of touring shows could have been much more difficult. That said, having image manipulation programs like Photoshop (and I don't mean the CS versions, but even old school ones like I use - Photoshop 6) and/or GIMP, etc makes portions of the creative process much more streamlined. Leaving more time to devote to the actual 'product'.

So...Old school. New school. Combined, they make a 'win/win'.

More later.


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On Milestones And Deadlines

On an early-ish Sunday morning here at the theatre, following a late-ish Saturday night of strike and properties painting, I find myself considering deadlines. Or perhaps the term milestones might be better.

Last week I had a phone interview for a gig in New Jersey which, were I to get it, would run from just after the completion of the gig here in Michigan until early December. It would be a cool gig and it is with a producing organization that I have experience with. I'd be about an hours train ride from NYC, which is always a plus, and the primary shop hours (excluding load-ins, strikes, etc) are Monday through Friday, with weekends off. And it would (excluding costs of living such as housing, since they do not include company housing in their contracts) allow me to continue saving money to get back to UAF and finish the 11 credit hours I still need to get my BA.

But...

It would also put me yet another semester behind where I had planned to be by now. Another set of milestones missed. Frustrating. And at times depressing as well.

To get back to UAF and complete that part of my educational plan, I need to be able to meet some deadlines. Such as:

**Paying off my outstanding balance owed to the university (~$1,000), which will allow me to register for the Fall semester. -- This one should not be an issue because that is one of the major things that my Summer gig is about.

**Transport up to Fairbanks....Still searching for the cheapest flight(s) I can get. Hopeful that Kayak.com and.or Frontier Airlines will be of help there.

 **$6,200 by Sept 5, 2014 - $2,100 to pay for tuition, $350 to pay fees, $500 for books/materials, $750 for meal plan, and $2,500 for housing (Fall semester)

**$550 by November 28, 2014 - for 'Winter Break Room Supplement' (ie: cost of staying in my housing during the break between semesters)

**$6,200 by Jan 16, 2015 - $2,100 to pay for tuition, $350 to pay fees, $500 for books/materials, $750 for meal plan, and $2,500 for housing (Spring semester)

11 hours. It seems like such a short time/small number.

It has been said that faith is hard. And I will agree with that. But I do have faith. Not always in myself - but then, what artist honestly does? Rather it is faith in a dream. A dream which I see flickers of almost every day as I interact with theatricians just starting out in their artistic adventures. And I can't help but want to keep going. To succeed. So...yeah.

Thanks everyone. For reading this. For your faith. For your support, in whatever form it has taken or may take in the future. While I am often loquacious, there are some things I find I just cannot properly express, and my gratitude is one of them.

Thanks. More later.


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                                              My school related fundraising site:
                                   Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum

              A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise. 

                                             My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
                                                     Semi-Random Shavings 

Visual Cues, The 'Uncanny Valley', And Artistic Perfectionism (A Ramble On Things Artistically Philosophical And Such)

Disclaimer: I had intended for this next entry to be a reflection on my feelings involving A Chorus Line and my nostalgia and insights regarding that subject. But this morning something else came across my mind and I find myself having it take precedence...

I spent a fair part of yesterday working with newsprint and fabricating pseudo-bundles of newspapers for use in Guys And Dolls, which is the next show on the schedule here at the Summer stock where I am working. I applied newspapers to dance/rehearsal cubes that are enhanced by some cut up foam from 'pool noodles', to give the bundles some visual variation and roundness, using wallpaper paste to adhere the foam. Then when it dried I applied some lines between the curves, so that it would (hopefully) provide the appearance of stacked papers. While they are still in process (the units need a seal coat, to have binding twine attached, etc) I looked at them last night and thought "Man...those lines could be straighter...". That was, I think, my perfectionism talking.

This morning I came in and didn't pay much attention to them at first, since I wanted to get things organized for the days projects, etc. I looked up from the list(s) I was working on and the units just happened to catch my eye. And they really didn't look bad at all. They looked, even in their partly completed state, like a couple of piles of newspapers. I found myself reflecting on the fact that in honesty had the lines been 'straighter' the illusion might not have worked as well. Which got me thinking about why...

[Granted, I currently have no research to support this hypothesis....]

Audience members have, in general, been out 'in the world' for all of their lives. And so they have developed all sorts of mental standards regarding the visual cues which confront them on a daily basis. And when things break from those standards, the audience's attention/focus is disrupted. In the world of robotics and/or computer animation this sort of thing is referred to as 'the uncanny valley'- that is (to quote from Wikipedia):

       "... The uncanny valley is a hypothesis in the field of human aesthetics which holds that when human features look and move almost, but not exactly, like natural human beings, it causes a response of revulsion among some human observers. ..."
            [Full article found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley ]

So when an artist/designer finds themselves working to make a piece 'perfect' they may, inadvertently, be taking their audience out of 'the world of the performance'.

We talked a bit about this sort of thing during both my Directing For The Theatre class and my Collaborative Process class at UAF, so I am really not breaking any new ground here. But as one who faces certain perfectionistic impulses having this potential insight may well aid me in dealing with the related inertia/delays that often come with perfectionism. And since I know that there are others out there who can also face such things, I thought it might be worth sharing.

It is also always good to recall something that one of my art teachers pointed out: generally, your work isn't viewed at 8 inches away, but rather 36 inches (or more). Which in the theatre is something that I have taken to calling 'the 12 foot rule' - most front row seats will be, at minimum, 12 feet or more away from any scenic piece at any given time. So if you add all sorts of uber-detailing, it will potentially vanish and become a single massed image. We used a similar rule back at Waukegan West High as regarding make-up applications and, especially for those of us who played many old man roles and thus needed lots of wrinkles, bold lining always sold the effect better than more realistic work. I had somewhat forgotten that. But it makes so much sense in so many other applications as well.

So I will now be making a more concerted effort to remind myself to follow the classic suggestion found in a line from the musical The Fantasticks - paraphrasing, Henry (the old actor) says to El Gallo "Oh please...don't judge this too harshly. You need to see it under light."

A fine truth, that all of us perfectionistically prone individuals might do well to remember.

More later.



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                                              My school related fundraising site:
                                   Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum

              A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise. 

                                             My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
                                                     Semi-Random Shavings 

A Little Update...About A Little Update...

It may seem a bit recursive, but I just wanted to share that I have posted an update to my educational fundraising website Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum . If you click on the name/link it should take you to that most recent update.

Still hoping to make things happen and get back to UAF for the upcoming academic year, so that I can complete the 11 hours that remain towards my undergraduate degree by the Spring of 2015.

Thanks.

(A more artistically reflective entry, about how it feels/felt to work on a production of the show whose script was the first one I ever saw in NYC, is in the works...and, with fortune, should be coming soon.)


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                                              My school related fundraising site:
                                   Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum

              A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise. 

                                             My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
                                                     Semi-Random Shavings 

By Way Of Extrapolation, My First Real Lesson In Production Research - And Tangentially About U.S History.

(Disclaimer: I am writing this well away from any source - if such even exists - of my personal historical files. So any errors in dates should be attributed to that lack....)


Long ago...or seemingly so...during the Summer of celebrations surrounding the 200th anniversary of the birth of the United States of America, I stumbled upon an opportunity to perform in a pair of rep shows at the Zion Park District.

We performed on platforming set up along one side in the city ice rink. I recall how before performances, due to a lack of central air conditioning in the venue, they turned on the cooling coils beneath the bare cement floor. Without added water it did a fair job of cooling the space and became only slightly slippery due to condensation.

The shows being presented were Oklahoma and 1776. 

I don't recall if my character for Oklahoma had a name (I doubt it, it was basically a chorus/ensemble  part). But for 1776 I had a name: Judge James Wilson. Now it must be said that, circa 1976, there was no internet with Google and such to conduct production and/or character research on. It was all about going to the library. Yes, that building with all the books. And perhaps finding something of value in one of the encyclopedias there.

Well I admit, with learning lines, and lyrics, and choreography, and being a teenager I did basically zero research. Not proud of the fact, but true. No matter, the show went well and the costume which was fabricated for me by a family friend - this was, after all, a park district production, so any costumes had to be provided by the performers - went into my budding theatrical wardrobe.

Time passed. Though not so much. I was still young and living with my parents and we went on a family vacation, which included a stop in Philadelphia. And while we had visited Independence Hall on other family trips there, this time we took part in one of the guided presentations. And when it was nearing its end, the guide asked if there were questions. Being flush with my knowledge of Judge Wilson from my performance, I asked (as I recall) about him and where he would have sat, etc. The guide asked if I was a descendant. I replied no, I had played the role in a production of 1776. Well, apparently the guide had no use for that production, as they apparently presented it across from Independence Hall every Summer and the banging of the sliding vote tally board annoyed him. But not so much as the historical inaccuracy, including the authors portrayal of Judge Wilson who was, it seems, absolutely nothing like the character in the musical. He (the guide) then suggested that if I wanted to know more about the real James Wilson, that I should go down the street to the sites archives, since some of the Judges papers might be stored there. While a bit embarrassed, I was also enthralled by such a suggestion. So I asked my folks if we had time to stop there. My dad, being the person he was, was dubious that they would even let me in. But since I convinced him that all that they could do would be say no he let me go and check. When I got there there was only about an hour or so left in the day before they closed but the archivist/librarian, after hearing my explanation, said sure and let me check in the card catalog(s) to see if there holdings related to Judge Wilson being stored there. My dad, still a bit befuddled by the process, left me there and he and mom went off, with us planning to meet outside at closing time. The card catalog held one entry: the daily diary of Judge Wilson. So I requested it and, sure as the sunrise carved on the back of Benjamin Franklin's chair down the street, the archivist brought it out to me. A small (vest pocket sized) hard-covered book, bound in worn brown (almost Cordovan) leather. On opening it, I was surprised, as I had never heard the term 'diary' used to describe a persons schedule book/account ledger before. I had expected it to hold entries with recollections and such. Instead were notations about the times of meetings, and lists for the grocer, and other seemingly mundane things.

And it was a wonder. It made this person, who I had previously only known as a creature out of a musical theatre piece, so very real to me.

On a later vacation with my parents we visited New York City and that included a visit to the Statue of Liberty. It had been renovated as part of the bicentenary celebrations and there was a new (to us anyway) museum in the base which talked about how immigrants to the U.S. had impacted our culture. And included, representing Scotland, was James Wilson. Once again I was transfixed, listening to a recording of a voice actor speak as the Judge and tell how it was the standard of the time to memorize legal statutes and how, once he was here in America, he (and others) used this memorized knowledge to form the groundwork of the U.S. legal system. Once again, a person who was so very different than how I had portrayed him.

While I don't think that I realized it then...or admittedly even until much later...I attribute those as my first steps into the world of dramaturgy.

And the rest, if you will excuse the pun, is history.

More later.


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                                              My school related fundraising site:
                                   Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum

              A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise. 

                                             My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
                                                     Semi-Random Shavings 

Summer Schtuff, And Other Things - An Update

Well....it's been a while. Though, when looked at in relation to other posting lapses, not as long as some. So there's that.

Disclaimers and such aside, this entry is basically an update of what has been happening in the last couple of weeks.

First, we have opened the first theatre for young audiences show (here they are performed under the banner of 'Popcorn Theatre'), a production of Treasure Island. It seems to have gone over well. I am, in fact, writing this as the final performance is underway, since I need to be here as the curtain rings down so that I can work on the strike.

Second, we also have opened the first mainstage show, a musical revue comprised of music by Burt Bacharach and Hal David entitled The Look Of Love. It was interesting to work on as it was, at least in parts, a 'new work' and as such the properties process was an organic one, with things being added and subtracted as the rehearsals progressed. And should I go to University of Iowa to seek my MFA such experiences may come in handy there, since that program lists the development of new works as one of its emphasis.

Next up will be A Chorus Line, which will be followed by Guys And Dolls, and finally Alone Together. And in the Popcorn Theatre there will be Beauty And The Beast, and then Jack And The Beanstalk.

Beyond Summer stock issues, I am still on the hunt for funding for the 2014-2015 academic year, be it scholarship(s), sponsorship(s), loan(s), or gift(s). The pay I'll accrue from this Summer will be a start, but even so I'll still be very short on funds. So I've been dealing with that angst and anxiety.

Sigh. So any assistance is greatly appreciated. I have been attempting to figure out some way of providing 'rewards' to anyone who helps provide funding...Thinking about what sort of sketches or artwork I might provide. Still uncertain about that sort of thing. If you have suggestions, please let me know.

And I am still *very* excited about some projects I have in mind for this coming school year...The big issue (besides actually being able to pay for school) is that I am afraid I have too many ideas/projects to accomplish in the time/space allotted. One of the projects will almost certainly be scheduled for the Spring, since I *may* attempt to do a thesis project on it. The other three? Well...in candor only two of them are currently in as close to a pre-production state as I would like. All of these would take place in the UAF Green Room which IMNSVHO is a promising, but currently underutilized, venue. Beyond those? Well, Antigone still beckons me with its siren call. Even if it wouldn't be the Jean Anouilh version which I like so much. I'd love to do that as a 'fuller production' in the Lab Theatre, perhaps under the auspices of the SDA and Winter Shorts. We shall have to see.

Photo call for Treasure Island is underway. So strike is in the offing. As such, I'll close for now. More later...

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                                              My school related fundraising site:
                                   Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum

              A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise. 

                                             My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
                                                     Semi-Random Shavings 

Quick, Like A Circus Monkey!

This entry will be short-ish, rather than one of my more standard rambles. The reason is that I am awaiting the beginning of a production meeting here at the Summer stock where I am working.

That disclaimer aside.....

I'm eager to do some more work on one of the projects that I have in mind for the upcoming academic year. I am reticent to share too many details as of yet, though I have let some things out via other sources (such as Facebook, etc). Part of the reason for my reticence is I 1) want things to be 'just so' and sort of impress folks when I finally share and 2) I find myself (perhaps unreasonably) concerned about having credit for project ideas taken out from under me. It has happened once or twice on previous occasions and as they say, once bitten and all. Anyway...

As I mentioned, I find myself very eager about this project. At least as eager, I think, as I was when I was in process with The Veldt. And that was kind of a big thing for me. This project holds excitement for me in part because I see it as one production amongst a potential new series that would take place in a venue that is currently unused/underused and yet holds so very much potential.

Meeting time. More later.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                              My school related fundraising site:
                                   Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum

              A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise. 

                                             My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
                                                     Semi-Random Shavings