Author: theactorvist

I love the Theatre. It's my church. It's my joy. I have been performing in plays and musicals for over half of my life, and I would be lost without it. Now more than ever, people are cutting back on everything that is too expensive or unimportant to their lives. As an actor, heck as a person, I don't know of anything that is more important than the arts. Art reflects history. It shows humanity at its worst but also its best. Every day some artistic program is getting cut from a school or a great show goes unseen. Maybe a talented singer isn't able to audition for American Idol. There are a ton of people who live in the South Bay Area of California, who go unseen or unheard. There are many production companies that are just bursting with talent, but people don't see the shows. I will do my best to bring you interviews with local artists of every kind, send out the call for local companies looking to cast people in productions, and much more. Stay tuned because this is only the beginning.

So Funny I Forgot To Laugh…

The other day I had to mail something via snail mail.

Since it was about that time to by some more stamps, I headed down to the post office and bought another book of them.

I didn’t think much about it when I saw that it was the good ol’ stars and bars on it. So I peeled off one and stuck it on the envelope that was to be put into the mail slot. Then I noticed the words on them. LIBERTY, JUSTICE, FREEDOM, and…EQUALITY???

Who’s sick idea was this!!!??

If there is anything that is synonymous with America, Equality is not it!! Let’s think back a little bit shall we?…

Native American Suppression (still happening BTW)

Slavery

Women’s Movement

Segregation

Japanese Internment

It seems that this country can’t exist without some group of people being less than equal to someone else.

Right now there are still groups of people fighting for this so called equality that our USPS falsely touts. Same-sex marriage, women’s reproductive rights, the 99% and undocumented visitors are all in some way fighting to be recognized as equals in a country that is as hypocritical as the people who run it.

I feel horrible that there are people who are trying to decide what’s best for women’s bodies and condemning the women who stand up for themselves. What’s really irksome is that the majority of the people who are pushing this issue are men. How are we, “the people” allowing this to happen? The “funny” thing about this is that these are the same people who scream that the government should keep out of people’s personal lives, but here they are doing exactly what they are crying about.

Speaking of crying, there are all kinds of people crying that people from Mexico are coming here and trying to make a better life for themselves. Some do it illegally, some not, but these people are taking the jobs that “Americans” are too high and mighty for, like janitors or fast food workers. There is nothing wrong with those jobs. It’s an honest living, but people think they are entitled to some fancy shmancy job rather than a short order cook in a greasy spoon somewhere.

Then, there’s the religious right saying the typical ignorant blabber that if same sex people can get married, then people will start to marry animals. Or my favorite is that it would ruin the sanctity of marriage. That is a crock of hot crap. It has never been a sanctimonious event since King Henry VIII, when he created his own church and printed the bible in English for the first time! He created his church just so that he could divorce his wife. Now unless I am completely retarded, I believe sanctity means sacred. Clearly not to this guy. Being in a committed relationship myself for 16 years is better than 75% (possibly higher) of “traditional” couples, and yet, should my partner need to go to the hospital I could be stopped from seeing him. Oh no, someone in that hospital may die. Just sayin’. Luckily our families are both pretty awesome and welcoming of us so I don’t fear it as much. But what about the people that don’t have that same support? How is this fair to them? Marriage is just a word that comes with legal rights. I can care less about the word matrimony. Being a heathen myself, I don’t get caught up in the religious part of it. So what’s the big deal? It doesn’t affect anyone one else, but again, I refer back to the equality situation that this country has always maintained.

Whatever became of that little thing called Separation of Church and State? I think they all conveniently forgot it.

I saw an awesome bumper sticker on a car as I was driving to dance class yesterday. It read “The solutions to our problems cannot be solved by the people that created them.”

I say we overhaul the whole government. Fire the entire lot. Destroy the labels of democrat and republican and simply use the term representative. Burn the law that says a corporation is a person and fine ALL business contributions to congress. Make being a representative a $20.00 an hour position. Then let’s see how many of those MF’ers are gonna want to “serve the people.” Once you are out of the position, you don’t get a nice cushy pension to live off of the rest of your life. You need to find another job or go homeless. Take away the money and the power and then we will find out who will truly serve to better this country and the world rather than force us as a nation into needless wars and privacy intrusion and a state of fear.

Psshh…

Equality my ass!

It’s Alive!!!! Alive!!!

A few months back the battery in my macbook kind of went all explody. This little incident left me with out the capability of using my laptop as such and having to be attached to a cord at all times. But now that I finally got my new battery and it’s all charged up me and Brae shall be mobile and happy.

Yes, in case your wondering, I did name my mac. After my favorite apple no less, the delicious Braeburn.

Just a little nonsense post for the today!

Have a fantastic Tuesday, everyone.

So Late, I Should Get Detention…

Episode 23

Click to listen.

Show notes can be found and will be up on the Show Notes Page Tuesday night.

Probably after dance class.

Hooray for dancin!

This past weekend was filled with lots of dancing and it was ah-MAZ-ing! I got to play around in some classes. Then Zohar School of Dance held a free dance concert for the community to not only encourage and promote dance but to celebrate the love of the Art. There were students from the elementary schools that Zohar works with that were featured as well as a few routines from some of the students of the school.

Not only was there the dance concert at Zohar, we were invited to Western Ballet to perform a few numbers for their concert too! Not bad for a Saturday. It was so much fun to be surrounded by dancers. To see them stretching and performing a variety of genres, was like sort of stepping into the life that I dream of once upon a time.

Then on Sunday, for the sjDANCEco event in Santana Row, we got to shake a leg up on that stage too! While it wasn’t my favorite performance of the weekend, it was still fun to be in the mix with ballerinas and ballroom dancers and to sidestep behind a couple of belly dancers before heading back to work. It’s like what I wish the world were like. So many different acts, but all with one common goal: to share the love of dance. Of course were this to apply to reality, it would be to share the love of humanity. But that’s a whole other tangent.

I have always been a big believer of constantly keeping up with classes for your craft. If you can’t take a class, read books, watch performances, or research it on the web. But do something! Also, I am the first person to say that I am not a dancer. I can move and do it well, but I always feel like I lack the technique required to be a great dancer or to be called a dancer. So I have been working with Daynee Lai-Krauss and Ehud Krauss the founders of Zohar to be the best dancer that I can be. I love that the classes are always fun but challenging. And the other students are so laid back and mellow and fun!

Now, while I’ve been known to shy away from religion, I can’t think of a better word to call Daynee and Ehud, but angels. In the few months that I have been working with them, I have not only found a great studio that I am comfortable in, but they are a constant source of knowledge and support. And it’s not just them. All the teachers that I’ve taken classes from have been to great. I feel like I could be a dancer one day. Maybe sooner than I expected. :-)! With my mindset that I want to be good at everything, I still get frustrated when I don’t understand something very quickly, like a combination that quickly switches direction. But the important thing, as I was telling one of the new people in the class, is that with every thing that you really love to do, especially if it’s a challenge, is to keep on trying. Sometimes, when I get frustrated, I leave it alone and come back to it. That’s all fine and good if it’s knitting or a paper you have to write. But in a dance class, you have not only your teacher, but fellow students who will be happy to break down the steps for you. Your job is to be calm and open enough to accept the help and guidance. I used to have a problem with that, but it’s not as bad now.

Tonight’s class was especially needed after a trying day at the nursery. The combinations across the floor were a little trickier that usual, but it was the most amazing release of tension and stress once I got into the zone. So the moral of the story, kids, is once you find your passion, whatever it may be, make an effort to constantly stay in touch with it. It will be a great source of happiness when the rest of the world is making you weary.

P.S. Zohar is being honored with the Unity in Diversity Award because of their IndepenDANCE programs. The party is being held at 70 W. Hedding St. in San Jose from 10-2:30 on May 1. Congrats to Zohar and Daynee and Ehud! It’s a well deserved award.

Am I being too picky?

I seem to have a reputation…

I don’t mean it in a bad way. At least it isn’t a bad one at the moment. However, if this trend keeps up it may be a curse…

I am a huge Arts cheerleader! I always want people’s creative endeavors to succeed. That includes companies as well. It’s always hard when you walk away disappointed from a production that didn’t have what you were hoping it would. Being the cheerleader that I am, I used to always be eager to help out when needed. I would work it out so that I can be of some assistance to someone somewhere.

For the second time this year, I have already been offered a featured bit in a show that I didn’t audition for. Both offers were for song and dance roles. The first, I couldn’t take because it would interfere too much with my 9-5. And since they have always been to incredible to me, I figured sacrificing a few months to commit to the nursery was the least that I could do.

So when something like this happens, the offers, that is, I look at a couple of things. I like to see what it is that I am getting myself into. I mean, a few years ago, I would have said, sure no problem and pitched in. Now, I am trying to put together a quality body of work and I want to break outside of the casting mold that I seem to fit so snugly into. Part of that requires that I think more carefully about what I commit to.

First, I look at the show. Is it something that I know? If not, I read about it and try and find the soundtrack, if it’s a musical, and/or script. I see if I like it. Is it something that I can see myself not getting bored with? Will by the third week I begin to feel like “Oh gawd, I don’t wanna go to rehearsal.” ? If so, then that puts an end to the search for my answer. However, if I am excited about the role/script, then I proceed to the next level.

Second, I look at the creative staff. The Director, Choreographer, Music/Vocal Director(s), Stage Manager, and the Producer. Have I worked with each one before? If so, what was my experience like? If not, am I familiar with their works? What was my gut reaction to their works? Instinct it the best decision maker when you are ever in a jam. My problem is that I am such a cheerleader that I will overlook my gut reaction and pay the price later. But I am not here to be negative. So let’s move on… Whilst I have been so terrible about keeping everything written down, like I promised that I would, I do keep my ears open about who’s doing what and what others thought. It’s important to learn not only from my own mistakes, but also others, if I can. If I have a gut feeling about any of the above, I step away from the project. If I am happy with the people, I check out one more thing…

I lastly look at the company. What’s their reputation like? Do they have quality productions? Do I have a history with them? If so, what’s that like? If not, what’s the word on how they treat their actors? There’s nothing worse that joining a company only to find that the work you put into the production, on your own time, is not appreciated, or worse, completely ignored. Thus making the production less about a collaboration and more about “do what you’re told” vibe. That’s the crappiest way to experience a theatre.

As I said before, I sadly declined the first offer because I wanted to focus on the nursery. This second offer was different. I looked at my list above, checked my gut feelings, and I have to decline once again. I feel just awful about doing so, but if I am not going to be at my best, I would be a hinderance to their production. That serves neither the show nor myself.

The hard part is actually telling the people that you are going to pass on their production. Especially if you like the company. This is where my fear comes in. Because I’ve now turned down a second offer, will I begin to get a different reputation? I’ve never been one to act like a snob or ego-centric because I feel like that puts an actor at an arm’s distance from the audience when an actor should want to connect wholeheartedly with them. Will people now think of me as “acting as though I am better than…”?

Here’s to hoping that I haven’t burned any bridges.