Old post i found on my computer

Flashback to dracula - I found this post. I don't know if I posted it before so here it is.

Rehearsal for Dracula With Director Bill McNulty

I have so much to learn

So I’m here in rehearsal with a director who’s incredible and directed this show for 15 years at Actors. Intimidated, is more than an understatement of how I feel. It’s been about a week since we began and I just had my first rehearsal where it was me, him, Havalah, and the stage manager and I was finally able to let my belt loose a little bit. Let go of the, “I’m a student, you’re incredible, and I’m not doing anything that you want”, mindset. Its really hard to think of myself as a peer with the folks in the cast. As much as we’re told to, its hard to wrap my head around it.

So I just took this rehearsal to listen. To listen to everything he was giving me, and not feel like I had to get it THAT instant to impress him, or show him that there was a reason he cast me. I had a good hour.

Play the action –

Work with what you want the OTHER character to feel –

Work what you want in the scene –

Those are the main things he kept pushing at us. Those are the things I forget about when I’m in my room running lines and working beats. I start talking and think, Oh, yeah, that’s a good line reading. Or, oh nice, that’s a nice bit.

Bill brought this up, recognized it, and kind of made a joke about it. He said you do all that, but then when you get into the room with the actor and they start giving you something different, you have to roll with it and let it happen. That’s the only way to get something organic and valuable.

He just kept on pushing to keep your action in the back of your head; what is your action in this beat. Once I got it, once we both started just leaving these line reads and these bits at the door and just played off each other with our actions in mind- it started to happen. Work, actual, valuable work started to happen. I started to feel, for the first time today, that I was contributing.

Today’s rehearsal got me thinking about a bigger issue as far as my craft goes –

My process –

One of the things Michael and Amy asked us to do when we got here was, “Articulate your process. How do you create a character? What do you do when you get in a play?” I didn’t really know what to tell them.

I don’t really know what my process is- My process of creating a character and a world in a play. I just memorize the lines, find the beats, think about what the character wants and start rehearsals. I want to be able to actually bring ideas into the rehearsal room, not just know where the beats are.

So, today’s rehearsal was good. It’s the first scene study rehearsal I’ve felt good about. I feel good about it because I was able to drop nervous Ryan for a while and just play around with smart actor Ryan, who doesn’t come out very often. J

More later about fight choreography….. 

Cabin and Flying

Ah, ok. Quick post before I go.
This weekend 27 of us are embarking on ANOTHER cabin trip to a cabin not too far from the last one. The cabin is huge. sleeps 15. gona be great.

Then, for Three 8 hour days next week we are taking a FLYING workshop. Like FLYING peter pan style in the theatre. We'll be hanging from ropes and such  learning FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY.

Website here
http://www.zfxflying.com/

That's the company were taking the workshop from. Awesome folks. Awesome.
Pictures of me FLYING - coming soon.

Thunder

Each year Derby is kicked off by a giant festival called Thunder over Louisville. Basically the whole riverfront area is turned into a state fair. Tons of food, games. And there was an air show going on all day so super loud flybys and all that. The night ended with the most amazing firework show I've ever seen. Super cool.

Kind of a lame post today.

Nap time haha

later

Ryan

Guitar Goals

When I first got here. I set a goal that I was going to write an album, record and perform it. Well, I'm proud to say that all those things are lining up. All the songs have been written, about 14, including ones I'd written previously.

I'm going to record between May 1st and 7th using Actor's Theatre's sound system. (woot) and I just set up my first gig ever. I'm playing at 9pm at Derby City Espresso on Main st. in Louisville Kentucky on 4/29/11.

Amazing. Goal - almost completed. Yay for FINALLY having an album for when I'm out on the street and people ask to buy it. Very exciting.

Almost done

Picture from the Humana Festival opening Party Photo Booth.

 Good party. :) hahha.




Holy cow. I have less than a month left out here. Things got pretty crazy there for a while and time flew by. Fast. Like crazy fast. So -

For these last two weeks I'm working on this project called New Voices. Every year Actors Theatre runs a ten minute play contest that highschool kids from all around Kentucky submit plays to. The plays selected are then fully produced by the theater in mid April. We've just begun rehearsal. I'm in two pieces, The End, and Pass the Canoles.

Pass the Canoles is 5 italian mafia guys playing poker, kidnapping a man, stealing a cat for thier boss, eating canoles, and playing more poker. Its a riot. Super funnt.

The End is about this girl realizing she only has 10 minutes before the earth explodes and frantically trying to finish the book she is reading but she keeps getting interupted by stray phone calls and visits from past lovers. A hoot. It is a hoot.

Then after that closes we have one last workshop. ZFX. ZFX is a rigging company that is coming in to teach us how to work rigs, and how to fly in them. Yes. We will be suspended by harnesses, flying, while our fellow apprentices hold up the other end of the rope. Last year they did a workshop on incorporating flying into jazz dance. This year they are teaching us how to incorporate FLYING into STAGE COMBAT. So - Its gona be freaking awesome.

Summer plans
- Chicago from may 8th-13th
- Davenport from may 14th - 28th
- Mexico from may 28th to june 1st - building a house from the homeless with dad and brother. Amazing.
- Chicago from june 2 - july 31st
- Amana from august 1-Sept 15(ish) - Doing The Woody Guthrie Story with Iowa Artists Theatre Company
- New York   - New update - I'm moving to New York I think. 96% sure. Im going to see how much money I can save up during the summer then move there in the fall. If I don't have enough cash, I'll work a few more months, and then head up there.



Crazy huh?
I can't believe its almost over. Its wierd, thinking that I'm gona be out, waiting tables, and going to auditions so soon. :) For now however, I'm happy working here. Excited about the future, but focused on today. One day at a time.

Ryan


oh. one last thing. If you ever get a chance to be part of a LIVE BAND KARAOKE ---- DO IT. 

Me singing Blue Suede Shoes at Live Band Karaoke two weeks ago.

Promise to Lu

Promised Lu, I'd post a picture of myself today.

There you go Lu.

haha.

Ryan

Tens are over

Hey everyone,

So we closed our ten minute play festival today and went out with a bang. We had a donor night last night where we raised 484.00 for our showcase fund. Which is AWESOME. And tonight we had to turn 30 people away from an already packed house. It was awesome.

I kinda flubbed up a part tonight but it was funny. In my scene I start out with a faux beer in my hand and halfway through the scene I totally dropped it and it spilled everywhere. I just stared at it. haha. finally my scenepartner was like, "pick it up dude!" so I did, and we moved on. But I just froze.

You think of all the good things to do after the moment has passed. At least I do. Like my guy is a total frat boy, man's man. After I dropped it, I should have said, "Oh party foul! Vacuum!" started sucking it up like a hoover. Would have been totally funny, but nope. Just stared at it. ah well.

I really got hit hard by the end of the scene tonight, cause it was closing night. In the scene, I've just decided to let the villan get away so I can go to my best friends wedding and theres this really sweet moment where I grab two beers and say, "to you. I wouldn't miss this for anything" and as I was saying it, I was thinking about doing the scene with him. Like, "I wouldn't miss an opportunity to be on stage with you for anything." And I started to get a little emotional, which doesn't happen alot. After that, he starts to walk off and I come up behind him and say, "Now lets get your sorry ass married." and while that sounds rash, its just thier relationship and he means it with all the love in his heart. and it was just really sweet. Like, "on with the next one man. Lets do this. I've got your back."

It was really great.

So on that note - on to the next one.
Tomorrow - auditions for a scene in our Humana play, "The End" and for one of the actual Humana Shows, "The Devil at Noon". Its for a role where we will understudy an actor, and go on for one show when the actor is out of town. So, its a pretty huge opportunity. I'm pretty stoaked. After that, a quick trip to moline, and then three days of auditioning with the whole company at two or three theaters in Chicago.

Time for a nap. After some work.

See ya.



OH I GOT NEW HEADSHOTS TODAY! THEYRE AWESOME AND i'LL POST A TON SOON.

Back in KY

Hey everyone, So its been a long while since Ive written so I'll catch you up really quick.

Christmas Carol was a hit! I played Young Scrooge.
I put working on my album on hold for about 3 weeks but will be getting back to it mid this week.
Christmas was awesome. It was really nice to just come home and chill. For the first 2 days I did nothing. I left the house for beer and a few cigarettes. That was it. I just sat and watched movies all day. Mmmm good. so then I spent the next 3 days trapsing around Iowa seeing people, went up to Iowa city for a night to see nathan and josh, which was a long awaited, and much need reuniting of the tripod.

Oh - so - the trip out there. I left here at noon on the 24th. There was a storm headed right at us. one of the other apprentices, Havalah Grace Backus,has family in Moline, so she rode out with me. We're cruising along fine till just after Indianapolis. Snow. Then more snow. Then more snow. So, the trip is supposed to take 7 hours, but I was averaging 35,40, and it took 13. I got home a little after 1. BUT, got us there safe. I was glad she was there with me, because if I'd have driven that alone, it would have been white knuckled all the way.

So back in Kentucky, we're mounting our ten minute play festival. We open tuesday. There are 6 or 7 plays that we do one after the other for 4 nights.

My play is called Holy Matrimony! (and other things to do in lieu of saving the world)
Its a two person show about a superhero and his sidekick (who is getting married that day) 10 minutes before the wedding, they get a text message from the Mayor saying that The Blue Butcher has taken over s subway train and is going to light it on fire. So - They have to decide if the sidekick is going to get married, or if they are going to save the train. Its super funny, and bromantic. And I get to do a dive roll in it, so, I'm happy. :)

The next two weeks are going to be awesome. We basically have them off because it worked out that we don't have any crew responsibilities for any of the shows playing right now. So, we're planning a trip to Chicago, Cincinnati, and somewhere in Indiana. :) We're going to do a handful of general auditions in each town - Leaving for Chicago on the 20th, so I've got to get cracking on my monologues.

That's it for now,

Oh wait, I'm cooking my first turkey this week. Wish me luck.

Off to a nap to see if i can shake this cold.

Ryan