Progress

So - One of my goals when I came out here was to write an album and record it here.
I'm prolly never going to be in a place where I can use professional level equipment, software and staff for FREE - So why not right? - The fun part is that much of the work generation for my solo mio was music - me and guitar, several songs - so - I'm officially moving from solo mio to album. I'm now working on an album. Right now its just me and a guitar and I think it will stay that way unless I really want something else in it. I've got 4 songs in the bag ready to roll and just finished another tonight.

I'm aiming for at least 11 by mid January. I know that sounds crazy, but creativity is a funny thing and its booming.

Update on what's actually going on here -

So little did you all know I was a spot op for A Christmas Story (based off the movie) and we ran for a month and closed last sunday. - hah. Go me for not writing about it, but there wasn't alot to tell, just following people with a spotlight and playing dumb games on my phone in between.

I'm currently in rehearsal for Christmas Carol playing Young Scrooge.
Now, several of us have been talking for the last few days about what kind of a play this is. All of us have had some kind of exposure to Christmas Carol before, but its not till we started working on this show that we finally figured it out. Like how great of a show it is and how important it's message is. The way that this production is telling the story cuts to the chase, cuts all the hallabaloo, and says - "This is a story about being a better person, opening your eyes to the world, and doing your best to give it everything you can." It's pretty incredible.
We had a run today and a handful of staff came from other departments. There were alot of laughs, and a handful of tears. It was pretty great.

So - Thats that - chicken strips in the toaster oven are almost done.
See yall later.

I don't think I ever posted this picture - I think - this is all of us.  - This was in October at the cabin.

Let me Explain -

Ok - so posts have been far and few between.
Let me explain -
Today - I got up at 9, at the theatre at 10 for a Shakespeare monologue showing. 10:15 - 10:45 costume fitting. 10:45 - 1:30 Christmas Carol Rehearsal. 1:30 - 2 prep for solo mio performance. 2-3:30 solo mio performance. 3:30 to 5:15 Christmas carol rehearsal. 5:15 - 5:45 - desperately nap in the green room with the least amount of people in it. 5:45 - 10 Christmas Story spot op duties during the performance. 10:30 - 12 - Try to - Do laundry, eat - something, anything - Drink a beer, Shave, maybe shower, read a book - at least a couple of pages, check facebook, check personal email, check theatre email, then finally at 11:38 - blog.

Dear lord, why did you not make 36 hour days?

This, however, is a better day, because this entire week, AFTER the Christmas Story show, I've been rehearsing my solo mio. so I'd get home around 12, get to bed around 1:30 - and just die for a few hours.
I love my life. The body is an amazing thing.

So - my solo mio went up today and it was great. I mean great. Its beautiful. I'm so damn proud of it. - If I can manage it - I'm going to post all the drafts - there were 6 from start to finish, but for now - Here is the final draft, the script. here is the script.

There's 4 characters - and I did them all. Each character addresses on side of the audience. its a thrust stage so there is audience on 3 sides of you. And the "ME" character always addresses the front, along with "Ryan"
The only movement, aside from my head turning back and forth was a step down stage every time "Ryan" spoke.
Thank you Rachel Paul, my director, for showing me how simplicity is beautiful.
Ok folks. Good night.

Honest Air – Last and 100 Final Draft – Ryan Westwood Solo Mio                               November 18, 2010

Me:        Make a decision

Lies:       Stop right now. Don’t say a word. Leave the room. Get married, and be happy. All you have to do is lie.

Ryan:     Dad, I’m so tired. I just don’t know where I’m at anymore.

Lies:       Why are you saying this to him? You’re not going to tell him because our plan is perfect. It’s flawless. You’re going to forget this. So just dig a little deeper, bury it down a little further, and it will disappear.

Truth:    You are not going to forget this. You think about it when you get up in the morning, you think about it all through the day, and then you dream about it at night. It is not going to disappear.

Ryan:     Dad, I don’t know if I can tell you this.

Lies:       I know you want to tell someone. It’s natural. It’s a natural reaction to a natural action that several normal people have taken and worked through. It’s normal. So just work through it like everyone else.

Truth:    Normal? It’s normal to lie to your fiancé on a daily basis? Well that’s a new one. See I thought that normal people, healthy people, people who are in love were honest with each other - But that just me.

Ryan:     Dad, do you lie to mom? I don’t mean like, little things. I mean – do you ever lie to mom? Yeah I didn’t think so.

Lies:       Look, you love her right? You know what’s gonna happen if you tell her? You’re gonna break her heart. You know how much she’s gonna cry? Don’t break her heart. You love her too much.

Truth:    If you love her then you’ll accept the fact that you’ve already hurt her - That the damage is already done. And every day you sit here and lie, you twist that dagger a little more. So make this a break up instead of a divorce – or a custody battle.

Ryan:     Dad, I need you to tell me that Ashley and I will not work out.

Lies:       Whoa whoa whoa what are you doing? You will not fuck this up. You stop right now.

Ryan:     Dad, I need you to tell me before I change my mind.

Lies:       Do you realize what you’re doing? If you tell him you will never marry her. It’s over. Game Over. She is your soul mate. If you don’t marry her, you will never be happy.

Truth:    Ryan, you’ll never be happy until you’re honest with yourself, and everyone else. Now I know you don’t have the courage to tell her, but you do have the courage to tell your dad and once he knows, courage won’t be a factor and you’ll have to tell her.  I know you want to do it. So do it.

Ryan:     I know you don’t understand this Dad. But as soon as I tell you we are done. Ashley and I are done. Wedding done. And I want to tell you but I can’t do this by myself and I know you don’t want to promise me something that you can’t control but just trust me and do what I need you to do so I can tell you.

Lies:       Listen, before you do this – Think about what you’re giving up. The perfect girl, the perfect plan, the perfect life.

Truth:    Ryan, there is nothing perfect about waking up next to a wife that you lie to every day for the rest of your life.

Ryan:     Dad, if you love me, tell me that Ashley and I will not work out.

Me:        And he told me.

                And I told him.

                And I told her.

                And I took in the first breath of Honest Air I had tasted in two years.

                And I’ll never forget how sweet it was. 

Good Night.

Good night Ashley. Good night.

Halloween Pictures

Hey yall,

Its super late but I thought I'd post a few halloween pictures.

Will and I went as Rockem Sockem Robots. I was Sockem, He was Rockem.

Good - Freaking - Night. Nothin like wearin a box all night.

Im the guy in the Blue.
Marc Bovino, who played Renfield is the Pumpkin on the Right
Simon Kendall, who played seward, is the Pumpkin on the Left
Will Steel is the Red Robot. Rockem.

Back

Ok - I admit it - I'm really bad at keeping promises I make to myself, especially when I get really busy - this blog, I just forget about it - Sorry everyone - Sorry Ryan.

So - Dracula closed. Bye Bye - just like that - Friends move back to New York. :( its funny - what we put ourselves through as actors - we make a new family every 3 months, then we say goodbye to them. then we start over. Its funny really. Why do we do what we do? I guess cause we can't picture ourselves doing anything else.

My solo Mio is kicking off. 2 rehearsals in - I've already re-written it completely. I guess that's how it should be.

So - Get this - for the last month, several of the apprentices have been working on a 1 hour, Romeo and Juliet where both Romeo and Juliet are women AND they performed it on 2 levels of the Actors Theater parking garage. They did it in what is called promenade theatre - Where you walk around on foot, and follow the scenes as they unfold. So - the famous balcony scene was done where Juliet was on floor 7, on a staircase, and Romeo was 2 levels below that leaning out the side of the level, over a wall. Hope that makes sense. It was really intimate, and really wonderful. We were 5 feet away, and on the same level as them most of the time. So the play just unfolded before you. Really neat. Here are some photos.

Kerri Alexander - on the Right - Romeo
Dinah Berkley - on the left - Juliet

Balcony scene - The audience was standing right where the person taking this picture was

Shawn Michael Palmer - left - Friar, Peter Vigari - right- Paris

Dinah - Right - playing Juliet leans out of Romeo's car window begging her to leave so she isn't killed.

That was my favorite scene in the whole show.
The two of them pulled up right into the crowd in this car the scene started - in the car - and then Juliet jumped out of the window, begging Romeo to leave.

So - that's whats going on in this neck of the woods - sorry it took me so long to get back to yall -

Ryan