character choices – The Actorvist

Hello Gentle Reader,

OMG I have tried to complete the post about Kinky Boots for the last 2 months and by this time, I can’t add any of the photos that I want to now that the writing was finally finished. But then I went back and read it, and it was trash. There was no flow to the post and the thread of thought that I initially had doesn’t work because I literally spent 52 days trying to add to it to get all my thoughts out but it was a jumbled mess.

So I am scrapping that post altogether and just moving forward. 😵

The newest project is a fun little farce that is a great way to wrap up a really fun summer! Although, I have to say that I think unless I am rehearsing in an air conditioned hall/space, I don’t think summer shows are going to be for me going forward. 😄

I thought my big ass was gonna pass out with the heat we were dealing with here. Several days in the triple digits when my optimal functioning temperature has a max high of 75 degrees 🤭 made me feel like a polar bear in the middle of the dessert. All I wanted to find was a fridge to crawl inside.

This next project is Ken Ludwig’s Comedy of Tenors. Not exactly a sequel to the hilarious Lend Me A Tenor, but could be considered as one since 4 of the 7 characters are the same just older. With that being said, please note that one is not dependent on the other. And to make it even better is that this is my 6th team up with director Allie B! I may be more of a nuisance to her at this point. She is probably thinking “Why do I keep bringing this fool into my projects?!” as she shakes a fist to the sky. 😂

Of course, Sweet Reader, I am saying all of this in jest. At this point, she is a dear friend and I enjoy the shorthand that we have accumulated over the course of these projects. Nearly a decade ago, I was lucky enough to play Max in Lend Me however, Allie was not the director of that project. As a matter of fact, I have a post about it. It was a great lesson that I learned doing that show. It was one of those things where I was so sure that my way was the right way but found that I can keep my intentions the same but add different actions and the stage picture would be what the director was aiming for.

That lesson has helped me in so many ways. It has given me the courage to ask for clarification when I need it if something isn’t clear right away so that I don’t build up frustration. Not only does it build and feed the collaborative spirit but it really makes me feel like I am freer to try creative choices. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t but being able to feel the impulse and adjust your intentions to it in the moment really lets me live in the world on stage.

Opening night is just a few sleeps away, Kind Reader and we are getting into costumes and mics the next few rehearsals. I wish I still had the glasses that I wore for this character last time, but alas, the frames bent at some point and I could never get them back to the same shape they were before.

Interestingly enough, that is the same feeling that I get when I think back about Max. Being much older and a little wiser, I know that the way I am revisiting this fellow isn’t quite the same. Granted, the character has also done some growing up. So maybe not having the glasses is a good thing. One can still see that squirrely, tense, ambitious dreamer that he used to be but time has altered the shape of his world a little with a balancing act of artist and husband. It is a very interesting emotional arc that I get to play with and shape and I hope that the way I am playing it will pay off for that beautiful ending that this play has.

Well, Dear Reader, I thank you for once again, taking a few minutes of your life to entertain the ramblings of a vagabond actor looking for ways to make sense of this human experience called life. Before I sign off though, I am curious if any of you have looked back and examined where you are now versus where you were 5 or 10 years ago? Have you grown in the areas that you have wanted to? I hope you have accomplished what you have wanted. I know that Max has some unfinished work. As do I.

Until the next time, stay safe and aware. Take care of yourself and those around you.

With fellow Actors: Sean Carson-Hull, Amanda Garley, Shawn Bender

The other day while out at a holiday dinner party, I was introduced as “An Ac-tor” with an exaggerated British comedy voice and a grand arm gesture. I am not sure why, but I felt myself blush…no that’s not quite what I felt. It was more like an electrical charge that began at the top of my crown and shot down my entire body in a hot second. I immediately looked down and said “No. I am more of a performer.”

What the frack?!?

While I may not come off as a shy person, when it comes to this one subject, I tiptoe around it like it’s some sort of horrible secret. I tried to justify it to myself last night that I was just giving the old “Oh, stop..” kind of deal. But that didn’t sit well and when I woke up this morning, I was well and truly pissed off at myself.

Am I ashamed of owning the title? Is it because I am not getting a paycheck for most of my work yet? No, that doesn’t seem right. I think it may be because one of the first things people want to know is “Have I seen you in anything?” and “What have you done?” First, I don’t know if you’ve seen me, I have better things to do than spy on you. Second, I’ve done a ton of stuff and we both have better things to do than for me to try and recount them all. Also, people seem to think that if your an actor you only do dramas or other serio-social plays. I love to do it all. Singing, dancing, and creating character choices are what make me incredibly happy. I love to make people laugh. I like to think I am pretty good at it. Not good enough to be a comic, but good enough to portray some thing that someone else has written. I can carry a tune. Yes, occasionally a note drops out of my bucket, but the majority of the tune is there. And while I may not have the ideal “dancer build” I can’t help but to move. I also like to think that I have great rhythm so dancing is just one of those lucky things I found out I can do.

But the one thing that ties all 3 things together is that you are still “acting” if you are really into it. When I sing a song, I begin to live in that little world I am singing about. Sometimes, I can actually see details in it. That’s always fleeting though. When I dance, I lead with my heart, because that’s all I know how to do. It’s one thing to dance an upbeat number with a big cheesy grin, but if you were to dance to a piece to the melancholy music of the Schindler’s List score that big grin would be inappropriate.

In closing, I’d like to apologize to myself. I am so sorry for not openly accepting the title. I promise that going forward, I will happily wrap my arms around it.

Hello. My name is Jery.

And I am an Actor.

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