God (or whomever) loves to make a liar out of me

Ha ha, so remember when I said no more acting until I was done with my book? That very week, I was approached to fill out an incomplete cast in one of the One Acts... and then as soon as that was done, I got begged to fill out another incomplete cast... for the very show that made me realize I needed to get serious. Did I say no? I sure tried. Shit.

But, now to brag a bit about how successful a month as an I artist I have

had. First, the visual art, the sculpture I mentioned awhile back, SOLD!!! And apparently, there have been lots of inquiries about it, people disappointed that it sold already, and wanting to know if I make them regularly. Hilarious. Take a look at it. I LOVE how a snarky piece about women being slaves to fashion, featuring a freaking HANGING... is in demand. Oh, and that red dot? That would be the SOLD sign...

And, the OAP festival went really well for me as a director. One of my plays was awarded the Golden Cow (yeah, really!) for Best Production, my lead actress was named Best Performer, AND the other script I directed won Best Script. So, my script didn't win anything, but I am over it. The production left quite a lot to be desired-- the actors were kinda all over the place... Oh well.

Now, I am winding down from the invasion of family, and should be able to dive back into writing, especially once school begins. I am so close to being done I can TASTE it...

Daylight Savings Blows

I got out of my routine for almost three weeks! First there was the writing workshop, which I will talk about later. Then there was the trip to Texas... which I will talk about later. And then there was the whole 'I-chose-to-travel-outside-my-time-zone-right-when-Daylight-Savings-hit,-and-now-have-no-freaking-clue-what-time-it-is-now-that-I-am-back' thing. Which I won't talk about later, because I am going to talk about it now.

Yeah, so all last week, the first week back, neither the Boy nor I had any clue what we were doing. We were sleeping ridiculously late every day, we could not quite figure out what day it was, and we dragged like a Stanley Kubrick film. It was a surreal week, lemme tell you. The Boy actually napped a few afternoons, just because he was so confused and tired. Poor us.

But the trip to Texas was the best I have ever had since moving to Yankee land. Really. I crammed in a lot-- the first full day there, I spent with my parents, but crammed in four other sets of relatives, and also traveled from San Antonio to Temple. I got to see family and friends that I hadn't seen in years. Some are college buddies that I have seen fairly recently-- one I saw in February, and another last summer, and the last a few years ago, although we have spoken on the phone. Two sets of family I had not seen since my wedding-- almost ten years ago.

And, then I managed to also see two friends that I had not seen since high school... Both knew me back in the sixth grade. I hated Temple, and Central Texas, and really cut the chords as fast as I could. But, Facebook reunited us. And so I got to have lunch with Karen in Waco, and then hit the zoo with my folks and the Boy (I saw two rhinos!). And I got to go have a grown-up evening in Austin my last night in Texas, dinner and then karaoke, and had a great time singing old show tunes with Dylan, several college buddies and the two bridesmaids from my wedding. We did every show tune we could think of and also did a lot of Queen, and the requisite 80s crap. Good times.

Before the trip, I attended the writing workshop. I loved it. Not only was one of my best friends attending as well (so we got to carpool), but it was just a great time. I have a lot of concrete steps to use in my editing process, and.... as part of a writing exercise, I wrote a short story that kinda floored the rest of the class.

Lest it appear that I am bragging, let me hasten to share something that FINALLY sank in. I have been writing constantly for years. I thought I had just done it here and there. I thought that because I didn't count the play writing I have done for my classes. But I have written TONS of scripts. Enough that I really ought to collect them, edit them, and publish a collection of children's scripts. They've all been produced, and many of them re-written. So, was I able to spit out a nice short story that didn't require much explanation? Yep.

Anyway, the workshop was a great refresher for me as a writer, in that it reminded me of the basics of writing, and all the little elements I should be thinking of and working on. I also got some really new ideas, and I am excited to be using them as I work on my book.

My next blog, I will simply share the short story I wrote. I like it, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Bad, Naughty February!

February wasn't a good month for my Plan, apparently.

I didn't walk regularly. Now, there were some weather issues, and health issues, but still. I took no recharge breaks either. And, I have gone no further in figuring out what I am NOT going to do than setting a date for either resigning from my board or going inactive (June!).

However, I am pleased to report that I did finally finish the body of the book, and even added a prologue/short story. I don't know if the short story will be able to stand alone, but I am pondering it. Is there editing to do? You bet. I am also having to figure out some formatting issues. I plan to read the whole thing aloud in my final edit, before I get copies to my peer reviewers. I think I have them all picked out.

Additionally, I have a trip planned to Texas for the middle of the month. I need to see my grandmother. It has been four years since I last saw her, and I haven't visited my folks in about as long... I will also be seeing some high school and college classmates during the trip, which will be cool. It will also be a bit weird, methinks.

Let's see, anything else to report. Oh, yes, the 10-minutes one act play festival. I was asked by my boss if I would submit a script for this festival, and of course I said yes. I found out yesterday that submitting a script would mean not acting in any of the plays; and that it all has to be 'family friendly'... whatever the hell that means.

Rant time! Yay!!! I am so FREAKING sick of 'family friendly' theatre in this county. WHY does everything have to be family geared? Are adults second class citizens? I like dark humor, and language, and 'adult situations'... but can I see that on a stage in this county? NOT BLOODY LIKELY.... And it is not just the theatres.... it is everywhere... I cannot TELL you how many times I have gone to my favorite bar, after nine PM, and found CHILDREN there with their parents!!!!

I have reviewed grants for arts funding for the last five years. There are a handful of theatre companies that apply for funding.... and in their FREAKING mission statements they state 'wholesome, family friendly entertainment.' Guess how many list 'morally suspect, adult themed entertainment'.... NONE.

Either I am so far out the norm that I am definitely going to hell, or there is an UNTAPPED market in this county. I hosted a play reading (Anti-Valentine's Day was the theme), and it was an afternoon of Christopher Durang one-acts. We all had fun.

Maybe I should just create my own theatre company, and put in the mission statement: To foster an irreverent, mildly salacious culture and entertain grownups.

Okay, rant mostly done. Now I need to look up a website for creating voodoo dolls before writing my 'family friendly' script.... with zombies....

On the other hat

So, one of my many hats is theatre teacher. I am a certified teacher in secondary theatre and speech. I taught for 3 years at a high school in Texas, before leaving to go pursue my acting career (and fleeing my psychotic coworker in the theatre department). I did a national tour with a very respectable theatre company, and did television extra work, and got a start on my Actors Equity membership. Once I arrived here in Virginia, I substitute taught while applying for teaching jobs. I did an interview. Unfortunately, I laughed when they told me the theatre budget. I thought they were joking. They weren't.

Now, I teach theatre classes at an arts center, with the parks and recreation system. I built an amazing program starting in 2002, until the birth of the Boy. I took a few years off from teaching... and the program died. It kinda made me feel like a failure-- a program that cannot survive without its creator is a personality driven program, in my book. Oh well. I did go back, and have built it again. The scale is much smaller, and so are the number of hours I teach. Before the Boy, I would teach 8 courses over the three month session. Now, I teach one or two only.

Childcare is expensive.

Plus, I am doing lots of other things too, remember... like writing a book, acting part-time, art modeling, volunteering, and doing that whole wife/mother thing...

Anyway, I have a great summer planned. A high school melodrama class, and a touring class for elementary and middle school kids. I mention it now because I have to have all the promotional materials done long before summer... like this week. No problem? Yeah. I am good.

And I love to teach. I particularly love not teaching in the school system. I like that the kids who show up get so much more than playing theatre games and learning tongue twisters. We do the fun stuff, and then we do the real stuff-- rehearsing and performing a show. Some of my classes are more advanced than others. My touring class, if I may be permitted to brag, is fucking awesome. I rehearse the kids for 2 weeks, we perform a few times, and then hit the road. They learn load in, adapting to different spaces, load out, traveling. And they are pros by the end.

Yeah. I love this gig. I love teaching kids theatre. I have an awesome boss-- the BEST boss in the whole world. He supports me. I would not be able to be as successful as I am without him behind me. I am lucky. I am thankful. I better stop procrastinating and finish the stuff I owe him.

On the other hat (the writer one), today, I wrote down lots of notes about the scenes I have to write. I am excited to start tomorrow... and glad I took the time to write down my ideas for once. True, I remember many... but I know I have lost more than a few.

OH! And Plan 2 news! I have developed a routine! Twice a week, I am going with a girlfriend/neighbor to the rec center. The walking is going nicely, and my knee didn't stiffen up much tonight at all! Woohoo! On the downside, all this crappy 'wintery precipitation' the last few days has meant that I have not really been able to go out and walk the Dog. But, I am sticking to the Plan!

(And I really enjoyed the Plan 3 event on Sunday. Boy and Husband went to the Natural History Museum... and I stayed home and wrote!)

Walking and Theatre

Well, today was the first day on the treadmill. As expected, my right knee stiffened up. But, I took it easy, and don't see that doing this is gonna be a problem. I have been really good the past week and a half about at least getting out with the Boy and the Dog, so I should be on track for good walking soon. I have missed walking. The weather has been a bitch in the last few months, but using the gym at the local rec center seems to be a good solution. When the weather warms, and the days are longer, I can get back into the neighborhood, and hit the trail again. Yippee. (Plan 2, going well!!)

Now, theatre. I have been fortunate for the last several years, to be part of a traveling murder mystery theatre company. There were 5 or 6 shows in repertory. A client would book the show, the producer, Laurie Dunlap would then book the necessary actors. We would show up 2 hours before the show, load in, do the show, load out, get a check, and drive home. This was the perfect gig for me- a stay at home mum who really didn't feel able to take off long periods of time for rehearsals, etc. Not lazy, just focused on the Boy.

Well, the perfect gig died. Rather, Laurie contracted a horrible blood cancer, and passed away in less than 6 months. There was confusion, I guess, about how to keep the company alive, and it is gone. I valued this gig-- it kept my skills up, it got me out of the house, I got paid, and I enjoyed almost all of the company members. And, most importantly, it allowed me to continue being a working actor.

Last gig was in August. I miss it. I have grieved. I am trying to figure out if I want to get back into it all-- headshots, auditions, driving forever... I love acting. I love auditioning. But it was so nice, so convenient, not having to do all the looking for a job.

A friend (who does audition, and drives forever, and gets paid) has been encouraging me to get out and just do it again. Get a new headshot done, update the resume, and at least do the local cattle call auditions. He actually has a gig in mind for me. (I wish HE was the casting director!!) If only I could just go audition for it.... But in this area, you cannot just go audition for a show. No, no, you have to be invited to audition... and in order to get that invite, you have to be seen...

It all makes me wonder... am I really wanting to be a working actor? I have lots of excuses and reasons why not. I am clearly not ready to just throw in the towel, and STOP acting. I need to either do the work: get a headshot done, update the resume, and get to the cattle call... or I just need to let it go for now.

Not deciding tonight. There are other factors to consider in the equation--an invitation to join a similar company that is forming; and a long-simmering idea of forming my own theatre company.

But enough for now. I am currently an out-of-work actor. It sucks. But at least I am walking again.