Ok, this is a short post cause I'm super tired from the hand picked and packaged pain relieving tea that Mic made. Chamomile is my friend.
The scene for the shirt and ties went great. I'll have a video of it in a few weeks.
To hold you over -----------Here is a video of the flash mob we did today!!!!!
Yay.
more tomorrow!
Ryan
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Load in Load in - But, to hold your attention - More pictures!
So - Today is the second day of load in. We were only there 2 1/2 hours, but there was so much sit and wait, then hurry the hell up, that it felt like a day.
Here are the list of things I did, and a few things that happened.
- Screwed in 1, thats right, 1 screw.
- moved a platform 1/2 inch. thats right, 1/2 inch.
- helped move 4 masking flats and 2 walls across the stage
- head-butted Havalah with a hard hat on, just before Will turned her into Shawn's pet robot.
Here's a picture of Havs and I
2 1/2 hours. hahah. I shouldn't complain. I could have been working all day, or at a rehearsal - so I wont. :)
A bunch of the apprentices are doing a flash mob to promote Dracula tomorrow.
A flash mob, for those of you who don't know is when a group of people seemingly come out of nowhere and start dancing in unison, or singing - like a a musical in real life. They're real life musical numbers, basically.
So, Devin Olsen and Rebecca Haden, 2 of the apprentices choreographed a zombie dance to Lady Gaga's "Teeth" and we're doing it downtown in front of Panera tomorrow at 1:30.
It's gona be great. I get to be a zombie. A dancing Zombie. Does life get better?
It will be videotaped, and on you tube soon. When it is, I'll have the link for you.
Lets see - Oh, tomorrow, Dinah and I do our scene at 8:45 am for a bunch of shirt and ties. So, that should be fun. I think I could do just about anything with it and they'd all applaud. Thats me being very stereotypical, but a guys got to do what a guys got to do to NOT be nervous about a corporate gig. so SUE ME. :)
Lets see.... Oh, here's a picture that just went up on facebook:
Thats me - Mr. Briggs. Without my hair done, of course. Just getting into character, raising the fisty cuffs to Simon Kendall, the actor playing Doctor Seward. At one point in the show, Dr. Seward goes after Dracula, but doesn't have a weapon, so he puts up his fisty cuffs and the audience laughs every time. "Like THOSE are gona do anything"
Last but not least - Here is an old photo.
This is a picture of all the apprentices with Annie Lanzillotto with the fake horse outside Actors Theatre named Genine Risk, which was our motto for the week of the solo mio workshop.
Annie is the one with the red, shor sleeved button up shirt in the middle, just under the horse.
Love you Annie!
ok, later folks, bedtime - early scene tomorrow.
Here are the list of things I did, and a few things that happened.
- Screwed in 1, thats right, 1 screw.
- moved a platform 1/2 inch. thats right, 1/2 inch.
- helped move 4 masking flats and 2 walls across the stage
- head-butted Havalah with a hard hat on, just before Will turned her into Shawn's pet robot.
Here's a picture of Havs and I
2 1/2 hours. hahah. I shouldn't complain. I could have been working all day, or at a rehearsal - so I wont. :)
A bunch of the apprentices are doing a flash mob to promote Dracula tomorrow.
A flash mob, for those of you who don't know is when a group of people seemingly come out of nowhere and start dancing in unison, or singing - like a a musical in real life. They're real life musical numbers, basically.
So, Devin Olsen and Rebecca Haden, 2 of the apprentices choreographed a zombie dance to Lady Gaga's "Teeth" and we're doing it downtown in front of Panera tomorrow at 1:30.
It's gona be great. I get to be a zombie. A dancing Zombie. Does life get better?
It will be videotaped, and on you tube soon. When it is, I'll have the link for you.
Lets see - Oh, tomorrow, Dinah and I do our scene at 8:45 am for a bunch of shirt and ties. So, that should be fun. I think I could do just about anything with it and they'd all applaud. Thats me being very stereotypical, but a guys got to do what a guys got to do to NOT be nervous about a corporate gig. so SUE ME. :)
Lets see.... Oh, here's a picture that just went up on facebook:
Thats me - Mr. Briggs. Without my hair done, of course. Just getting into character, raising the fisty cuffs to Simon Kendall, the actor playing Doctor Seward. At one point in the show, Dr. Seward goes after Dracula, but doesn't have a weapon, so he puts up his fisty cuffs and the audience laughs every time. "Like THOSE are gona do anything"
Last but not least - Here is an old photo.
This is a picture of all the apprentices with Annie Lanzillotto with the fake horse outside Actors Theatre named Genine Risk, which was our motto for the week of the solo mio workshop.
Annie is the one with the red, shor sleeved button up shirt in the middle, just under the horse.
Love you Annie!
ok, later folks, bedtime - early scene tomorrow.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Playwrights - The Apprentice Anthology Project - The Apocalypse
Oh!
I haven't talked at all about meeting our playwrights, and I'm in the mood to type, so here I go.
So, the apprentices have their own show in the Humana Festival called the Apprentice Anthology Project.
Each year, the theater commissions a group of playwrights to write a play for the apprentices.
This year's theme is, The Apocalypse.
Now, the insanely neat thing about this, is it isn't just some playwrights getting together, writing a play, and then us doing it. The playwrights come to Louisville 2 or 3 times throughout the year and get to know the apprentices and workshop scenes with them that they've written, then they come together one last time and put it all together as one big show. They came for the first time last weekend.
Allison Moore
A. Rey Pamatmat
Dan Dietz
Jennifer Haley
Marco Ramirez
Please forgive me, guerrilla advertising here, but you all need to read 3:59 AM: A Drag Race for 2 Actors by Marco Ramirez and Temp Odyssey by Dan Dietz. Cause they're incredible. The Ramirez piece is a ten minute play and Dan's is full length. Ok, Guerrilla advertising done.
They were here for three days and we got to workshop with them 3 days, and drink with them 2 nights. :)
We did a 2 minute, show and tell of what ever we wanted - so some folks did monologues, some danced, Will Steele told them about how he built a house boat, I did my stripper monologue and played a song I'd written in the dressing room the day before - it goes like this (to the tune of "She's Comin Round the Mountain")
"There's a chocolate water fountain on the mountain
for all the little boys and little girls
it sound so neat
and tastes so sweet
that chocolate water fountain on the mountain"
Then we told them a story about the apocalypse. like, what ever it meant to us. Alot of people talked about what the Y2K scare was like for them or personal apocalypses that happened to them, like if someones mom died and it felt like their world was ending.
I talked about the fact that my family has like 2 years worth of food storage in our basement and when we moved to Iowa, WE PACKED IT ALONG IN THE TRUCK. So, when the apocalypse comes - we'll be able to feed ourselves -For a while at least - Until the zombies break in and trash the place before ripping us limb from limb - of course.
That was the first day. The second and third days were actual workshop days. The playwrights went home that night and worked out scenes for specific people. Like, they all discussed who they wanted to write for cause they thought it would fit for them and then wrote scenes for us. Like damn good scenes. Scenes that would take me 15 drafts and a barrel of bourbon to write. And we worked them the next morning. All of us, reading through were like, "Oh, I know this character, I've played something just like it before." or "Yep, thats me, he just took me, and made a character out of it." It was pretty incredible.
So they left, with all sorts of ideas ranging from: giant tentacles taking over New York, Zombies slowing devouring human kind, depicting Shiva and Ramuh as too, very close roommates who're more concerned with eating samosas that destroying and creating worlds, to a mother leaving her 3 children, all under the age of 6 a heartbreaking video documentary on how to live after the rapture happens and she ascends and they're left because they were too young to be baptized. Like she doesn't want to leave them, but knows she has no control over it.
Now they're writing larger scenes and monologues and sketches, and we will work with them again in December. Then we'll meet with them a few months after that when, theoretically, we will have a show.
So - Thats that. Pretty sweet.
Oh, and buying and eight dollar package of peppered, top shelf bacon with food stamps, i.e. the state's money.... That's pretty sweet as well.
Later all!
Ryan
Oh - Here's a picture the photo intern took at one of the playwright workshops.
Thats Victoria Alvarez-Chacon's arm to the left, then me laughing hysterically to my left is Scott Sweezey, then Shawn Michael Palmer the Will Steel the furthest down.
I haven't talked at all about meeting our playwrights, and I'm in the mood to type, so here I go.
So, the apprentices have their own show in the Humana Festival called the Apprentice Anthology Project.
Each year, the theater commissions a group of playwrights to write a play for the apprentices.
This year's theme is, The Apocalypse.
Now, the insanely neat thing about this, is it isn't just some playwrights getting together, writing a play, and then us doing it. The playwrights come to Louisville 2 or 3 times throughout the year and get to know the apprentices and workshop scenes with them that they've written, then they come together one last time and put it all together as one big show. They came for the first time last weekend.
Allison Moore
A. Rey Pamatmat
Dan Dietz
Jennifer Haley
Marco Ramirez
Please forgive me, guerrilla advertising here, but you all need to read 3:59 AM: A Drag Race for 2 Actors by Marco Ramirez and Temp Odyssey by Dan Dietz. Cause they're incredible. The Ramirez piece is a ten minute play and Dan's is full length. Ok, Guerrilla advertising done.
They were here for three days and we got to workshop with them 3 days, and drink with them 2 nights. :)
We did a 2 minute, show and tell of what ever we wanted - so some folks did monologues, some danced, Will Steele told them about how he built a house boat, I did my stripper monologue and played a song I'd written in the dressing room the day before - it goes like this (to the tune of "She's Comin Round the Mountain")
"There's a chocolate water fountain on the mountain
for all the little boys and little girls
it sound so neat
and tastes so sweet
that chocolate water fountain on the mountain"
Then we told them a story about the apocalypse. like, what ever it meant to us. Alot of people talked about what the Y2K scare was like for them or personal apocalypses that happened to them, like if someones mom died and it felt like their world was ending.
I talked about the fact that my family has like 2 years worth of food storage in our basement and when we moved to Iowa, WE PACKED IT ALONG IN THE TRUCK. So, when the apocalypse comes - we'll be able to feed ourselves -For a while at least - Until the zombies break in and trash the place before ripping us limb from limb - of course.
That was the first day. The second and third days were actual workshop days. The playwrights went home that night and worked out scenes for specific people. Like, they all discussed who they wanted to write for cause they thought it would fit for them and then wrote scenes for us. Like damn good scenes. Scenes that would take me 15 drafts and a barrel of bourbon to write. And we worked them the next morning. All of us, reading through were like, "Oh, I know this character, I've played something just like it before." or "Yep, thats me, he just took me, and made a character out of it." It was pretty incredible.
So they left, with all sorts of ideas ranging from: giant tentacles taking over New York, Zombies slowing devouring human kind, depicting Shiva and Ramuh as too, very close roommates who're more concerned with eating samosas that destroying and creating worlds, to a mother leaving her 3 children, all under the age of 6 a heartbreaking video documentary on how to live after the rapture happens and she ascends and they're left because they were too young to be baptized. Like she doesn't want to leave them, but knows she has no control over it.
Now they're writing larger scenes and monologues and sketches, and we will work with them again in December. Then we'll meet with them a few months after that when, theoretically, we will have a show.
So - Thats that. Pretty sweet.
Oh, and buying and eight dollar package of peppered, top shelf bacon with food stamps, i.e. the state's money.... That's pretty sweet as well.
Later all!
Ryan
Oh - Here's a picture the photo intern took at one of the playwright workshops.
Thats Victoria Alvarez-Chacon's arm to the left, then me laughing hysterically to my left is Scott Sweezey, then Shawn Michael Palmer the Will Steel the furthest down.
1st day of load in
First of all, a note on names - I'm trying to use everyone's first and last names when ever i reference them, so that anyone who is reading this, will have some sort of chance to keep them straight.
So, today is Monday, which usually would mean I have the day off, but not today!
Well, I had most of the day off.
So I got to sleep in till around 11, then I met with Amy Attaway and Dinah Berkley to rehearse our little, corporate scene for the managers at Humana, then i went to LOAD IN.
So, LOAD IN, is where we tear down the set from the show that closed, (Kite Runner) and Load in the set for the next show in that space (Irma Vep) Its scheduled as a 4 day process, but everyone says it never takes that long.
So I was on the Lighting load in today. So I was about 40 feet in the air on the grid for about 5 hours hanging lights, circuiting lights, moving lights....basically everything that had to do with lighting, i was doing it.
There's this idea about load ins that make them sound so daunting and terrible, but I always like them. Its something new and something I don't get to do very often, so I really enjoy it.
Its like when I get to work in the shop on a show - I don't get to build things with my hands very often, construct things. So I really enjoy every bit of it.
So, I don't know how long this load in will take, but I'm alright with it. :)
So, back to the scene I'm working on. A representative from a company in town here, Humana, who is the main, monetary supporter of the Humana Festival, approached Michael and Amy about having the apprentices perform a scene for several of the managers at Humana as part of an education program they're running. So Amy contacted Dinah and I Saturday, and we are doing this ten minute scene for a group of managers at this education conference. The SWEET part is, they're paying us $600 which is going straight to the apprentice fund for our showcase. So, memorizing a scene quick fast for $600? - Yeah, I'm in.
Also, found out Nathan Scheetz, and Sarah Ulloa are coming to see my show with Cory Johnson on 10-22-10! can't wait!
Packers playing the Bears right now. Go goggo BEARS!
Ok. I gotta go memorize stuffz!
Later! Ryan
So, today is Monday, which usually would mean I have the day off, but not today!
Well, I had most of the day off.
So I got to sleep in till around 11, then I met with Amy Attaway and Dinah Berkley to rehearse our little, corporate scene for the managers at Humana, then i went to LOAD IN.
So, LOAD IN, is where we tear down the set from the show that closed, (Kite Runner) and Load in the set for the next show in that space (Irma Vep) Its scheduled as a 4 day process, but everyone says it never takes that long.
So I was on the Lighting load in today. So I was about 40 feet in the air on the grid for about 5 hours hanging lights, circuiting lights, moving lights....basically everything that had to do with lighting, i was doing it.
There's this idea about load ins that make them sound so daunting and terrible, but I always like them. Its something new and something I don't get to do very often, so I really enjoy it.
Its like when I get to work in the shop on a show - I don't get to build things with my hands very often, construct things. So I really enjoy every bit of it.
So, I don't know how long this load in will take, but I'm alright with it. :)
So, back to the scene I'm working on. A representative from a company in town here, Humana, who is the main, monetary supporter of the Humana Festival, approached Michael and Amy about having the apprentices perform a scene for several of the managers at Humana as part of an education program they're running. So Amy contacted Dinah and I Saturday, and we are doing this ten minute scene for a group of managers at this education conference. The SWEET part is, they're paying us $600 which is going straight to the apprentice fund for our showcase. So, memorizing a scene quick fast for $600? - Yeah, I'm in.
Also, found out Nathan Scheetz, and Sarah Ulloa are coming to see my show with Cory Johnson on 10-22-10! can't wait!
Packers playing the Bears right now. Go goggo BEARS!
Ok. I gotta go memorize stuffz!
Later! Ryan
Sunday, September 26, 2010
My best Drac performance yet, Inspired by focus, and some Solo Mio Ideas
Today started out rough. I woke up thinking about Ashley, and couldn't really stop thinking about her until I got to the theater, which usually means - bad day. Today was different.
yesterday, Nathan Scheetz mentioned that she came down from Rochester to see him in Putnam's 25th annual spelling bee. That was literally the first time, that anyone that knows her or is friends with her has mentioned anything about her in almost 45 days. That's a long, damn time. And it just got me rolling, and thinking about everything again; Thinking more that I have been with all the solo mio stuff.
So - I woke up this morning sad, and was listening to Goodbye Waves and Driveways by The Rocket Summer, which was not helping the situation by any means and was prepared for an awful, awful day.
Well, I got to the theater, mind you I got 11 hours of sleep the night before as opposed to my regular 5, and got ready for fight call to do the show. I put down my Zune and said, "Ok rocket summer, time for you to go away if I want to get any work done today" and hit fight call with a vengeance. Then I hit the show with a vengeance, and pushed out the most present performance I've managed yet. I was listening and responding to everything - everything. it was wonderful.
Then we did another show and then I came home and let myself think about everything again, worked on some solo mio/ solo show/ album lyrics and almost went to bed, but figured i better write first cause i missed yesterday.
Also - on the solo mio - I had this crazy idea today
What if I was juggling 3 balls while talking about trying to keep up with lying and multiple lie paths, then I started making balloon animals for the audience while talking about hiding everything, and then finished with a short something about not being able to hide anymore while that famous opera song Vesti la Giubba from I Pagliacci?
If not the solo mio - some of it will be in the full length, for sure.
It came to me when I was making a balloon puppy, which i named Francine, in the green room during act 2 of Dracula.
Just another idea along with spilling merlot all over a white comforter, or slowly loading up a scale until it breaks.
Lots of ideas, appox 50 days left till i perform.
I need a day off like crazy to work on it, but alas, haha, tomorrow we load in Irma Vep.
Night all!
OH! our video from The Ensemble Project is up on YouTube on the Actors Theatre of Lousivill chanell
Here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqXa_vgu7CE
The chick with the Ultimate voice? Thats Kerri. Go girl go.
And don't mind my eyes off to the right, I'm desperately watching Will feet trying to stay in beat with him haha
Also - Here is a teaser from Dracula
http://www.youtube.com/user/ActorsTheatre#p/u/1/FsNusOkLoaQ
Last but not least was a concert held on top of the parking garage at actors at the beginning of september
http://www.youtube.com/user/ActorsTheatre#p/u/11/5BFILtk_z6U
The Pass was fantastic
Adding a dracula Picture in here by Joe Gienert, the photo intern.
This is my favorite light cue in the show.
Ryan
yesterday, Nathan Scheetz mentioned that she came down from Rochester to see him in Putnam's 25th annual spelling bee. That was literally the first time, that anyone that knows her or is friends with her has mentioned anything about her in almost 45 days. That's a long, damn time. And it just got me rolling, and thinking about everything again; Thinking more that I have been with all the solo mio stuff.
So - I woke up this morning sad, and was listening to Goodbye Waves and Driveways by The Rocket Summer, which was not helping the situation by any means and was prepared for an awful, awful day.
Well, I got to the theater, mind you I got 11 hours of sleep the night before as opposed to my regular 5, and got ready for fight call to do the show. I put down my Zune and said, "Ok rocket summer, time for you to go away if I want to get any work done today" and hit fight call with a vengeance. Then I hit the show with a vengeance, and pushed out the most present performance I've managed yet. I was listening and responding to everything - everything. it was wonderful.
Then we did another show and then I came home and let myself think about everything again, worked on some solo mio/ solo show/ album lyrics and almost went to bed, but figured i better write first cause i missed yesterday.
Also - on the solo mio - I had this crazy idea today
What if I was juggling 3 balls while talking about trying to keep up with lying and multiple lie paths, then I started making balloon animals for the audience while talking about hiding everything, and then finished with a short something about not being able to hide anymore while that famous opera song Vesti la Giubba from I Pagliacci?
If not the solo mio - some of it will be in the full length, for sure.
It came to me when I was making a balloon puppy, which i named Francine, in the green room during act 2 of Dracula.
Just another idea along with spilling merlot all over a white comforter, or slowly loading up a scale until it breaks.
Lots of ideas, appox 50 days left till i perform.
I need a day off like crazy to work on it, but alas, haha, tomorrow we load in Irma Vep.
Night all!
OH! our video from The Ensemble Project is up on YouTube on the Actors Theatre of Lousivill chanell
Here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqXa_vgu7CE
The chick with the Ultimate voice? Thats Kerri. Go girl go.
And don't mind my eyes off to the right, I'm desperately watching Will feet trying to stay in beat with him haha
Also - Here is a teaser from Dracula
http://www.youtube.com/user/ActorsTheatre#p/u/1/FsNusOkLoaQ
Last but not least was a concert held on top of the parking garage at actors at the beginning of september
http://www.youtube.com/user/ActorsTheatre#p/u/11/5BFILtk_z6U
The Pass was fantastic
Adding a dracula Picture in here by Joe Gienert, the photo intern.
This is my favorite light cue in the show.
Ryan
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A Quickie
Its 4 am. I've been blues dancing all night. the first round of Solo Mio's were today, and they were incredible. In fact, they blew my mind.
Luther is here this weekend. Which is sweet. he saw Dracula, Kite Runner, and the solo mios so I'm guessing he's pretty theatred out hahah. kind of alot in one weekend.
Did I mention I love blues music? Or rather, I'm starting to love it?
Bought a 10 dollar albm of a live blues band i heard tonight. Can't wait to give it a listen.
Good night, or morning, rather.
Ryan
Luther is here this weekend. Which is sweet. he saw Dracula, Kite Runner, and the solo mios so I'm guessing he's pretty theatred out hahah. kind of alot in one weekend.
Did I mention I love blues music? Or rather, I'm starting to love it?
Bought a 10 dollar albm of a live blues band i heard tonight. Can't wait to give it a listen.
Good night, or morning, rather.
Ryan
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sorry I've been gone!
Hey Everybody, sorry Ive been gone for so long. I got all crazy busy with Dracula and have been putting writing off. I'm gona try and write a bit every day as opposed to these huge posts. just a bit every day, and get into the habit of it.
So - Here we are, I'm writing this goal down - I'm going to write on my blog, at least a LITTLE bit every night.
Done.
So today's entry: Dracula opened and its incredible
Dracula Student matinées
So every Tuesday through Friday we do a show at 10:30 am to a group of middle schoolers and high schoolers. They're out of control. Its incredible. Like, the show is scary, but c'mon, it can't be that scary.
Apparently it is. Because these kids scream their asses off. Like, screams of total and complete terror. And we're provoking it. Its amazing. There is this one fright between Dracula and Van Helsing where some burst of flame shoot off in total darkness about 5 feet away from each side of the audience and its decently quiet until they go off then the kids just SCREAM and then scream again with each on that goes off. 1 2 3 4. its amazing. hahah.
Also - in other news - I'm writing an album. One song down called Dinner with our best merlot and 3 others started. Its gona be great when its all done. ")
Solo Mio's start this friday. I can't wait to see them all. They're 7 minute solo performances that each apprentice has been working on and we see 7 of them this month. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Bye for now. :)
Ryan, Your long lost writer
So - Here we are, I'm writing this goal down - I'm going to write on my blog, at least a LITTLE bit every night.
Done.
So today's entry: Dracula opened and its incredible
Dracula Student matinées
So every Tuesday through Friday we do a show at 10:30 am to a group of middle schoolers and high schoolers. They're out of control. Its incredible. Like, the show is scary, but c'mon, it can't be that scary.
Apparently it is. Because these kids scream their asses off. Like, screams of total and complete terror. And we're provoking it. Its amazing. There is this one fright between Dracula and Van Helsing where some burst of flame shoot off in total darkness about 5 feet away from each side of the audience and its decently quiet until they go off then the kids just SCREAM and then scream again with each on that goes off. 1 2 3 4. its amazing. hahah.
Also - in other news - I'm writing an album. One song down called Dinner with our best merlot and 3 others started. Its gona be great when its all done. ")
Solo Mio's start this friday. I can't wait to see them all. They're 7 minute solo performances that each apprentice has been working on and we see 7 of them this month. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Bye for now. :)
Ryan, Your long lost writer
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