Shhhhh...I can't hear the theatre...

Synetic won everything. Even the awards they didn't win...I'm sure it was a mistake on the part of the presenters. So what now? Should everyone in Washington just give up and stop having spoken words in their plays? How would Synetic do with a new play? Do you think Paata and Irina could make a magical silent production with a story no one has ever hear before? I liken this to my criticism of Passion of the Christ. I thought that Passion was a very well shot movie, even a well made movie, but if I did not already know the story - I would have had no idea what was happening.

I'm not suggesting that Synetic is not deserving of their awards, but I think it is time for people to stop being amazed by 2/3rds of a show. Lets see if they can win something when the actors speak - and not for nothing, but remounting Hamlet after it had already won two years ago was pretty classless. However, there were several people from my own cast from last year who's behavior could also be described as classless - so I really shouldn't be so quick to judge.

I think that the solution lies in making a separate award: The Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Synetic Theatre Production, Performance, Design, and Ensemble. Yep, that will solve everything - it could also be called "The Modern Dance Award," but I like the more straight forward title.

Face Battle

I think I'm losing a battle. I think I am going to have to join facebook. I think I might have to shoot myself.

There is a particular idea floating around work, which is legit and could be cool - but in order for me to be a good manager I am going to have to be able to review this ideas implementation - as well as monitor it's content. That means facebook.

I have never been much for popularity contests, and facebook just seems like one to me. I did run for class president once - I was the Ross Perot of that election. I found that my base was the disaffected, easily amused, and just plain crazy - though a case for me as a "change candidate" was well articulated by one of the vice-presidential candidates (she lost too though.)

Anyway.

Yeah, so my long enduring line of "I'm over 30, I'm too old for facebook..." may be going the way of the dodo. But on the bright side, I can now look forward to being virtually anti-social.

But no final decision has been made - it's still possible to figure a way out of this one.

An Elite Candidate

In a recent discussion about blog apathy, I said, "my blog only really works for me when I am pissed off." So here we go.

Barack Obama is no more an elitist than George Bush, Adrian Fenty, Jack Murtha, Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Russert, or you. I am really sick and tired of all this bull shit. You want an elitist? How about someone who has spent over 20 years in the United States Congress - someone who has never had a real job, who has sucked a living from the teet of America under the auspicious of "public service." Do ordinary, small town Americans all relate to flying fighter jets? No they just think it's cool, and dangerous. You know what's dangerous - growing up in Indonesia - that is fucking dangerous.

Now, I am willing to stipulate that Obama committed a cardinal sin of presidential politics - he told the truth. So sue him. Rural America is bitter, and nothing proves that more than the last 8 years. These people are so bitter, they put a jack ass in office that made their lives worse - and everyone else's - and they did it twice just to spite the rest of the country. Granted, the current 3 choices are all better than the current Moron in Chief - but I feel as though they may go on a fuck it up again.

What is wrong with a little straight talk? Sound familiar? There is some kind of ignorance in this country that I don't understand - harsh truthful answers from a republican is straight talk, from a democrat is elitism? BULL SHIT. We should throw a party in this country anytime a politician comes even close to the truth - like if they trip on it while cashing bundled donation checks, I'm totally fine with that. Like George Allen - he told the truth about his racism, and I thought he was to be commended for that - but then he lied about it again and that squirmy fucker got what was coming to him.

When people are economically depressed, and they habitually do not receive help from their government - regardless of party - then the find something else to vote on. In small town America, it's God and Guns - this is not new information, nor is it elitist. It is elitist to narrow ones decision to just those two issues. I am a voting elitist though, I narrow my decision to Dollars and Sense.

I part with this - A president should inspire us to make the best of ourselves, our lives, our country. But no one can do that if we constantly keep ourselves down, by denying ourselves the possible.

And McCain puts me to sleep.

Older Now

I'd forgotten how annoying actors are. Now I've been in a bad mood for about two months. I know, the first thing most might say is," Hairyape, how can you tell?" But I've just been saddled with some real unfulfilling artistic experiences as of late. This usually leads to a bad mood for me.

But further to my point. I went to a birthday party last night for an local actress, who is lovely, strange, and we share a name - which I find interesting, and strange. Now, I'm not close friends with her, or her friends, but I have hired her (and some of them) and it was my first night completely free of my unfulfilling experience, and another actress who was attending had asked me for some footage for her reel, which I had - so I went.

I've had a beard for about 6 months, and now that the show had finished, I shaved it. So I get to said party, say happy birthday, and then spy the asking actress. So I walk up to her, and she stares at me with a very vacant, and uncomfortable look. I know she has no idea who I am, so I call her by her name, announce mine and tell her I have something for her - producing the DVD. It's all smiles and small talk there after. It's just really annoying to have to do that for someone I have employed. I can say in my life as an actor I have never failed to recognize a director I have worked for. Moreover; what she was asking for was not really easy. It's only about 5 minutes of footage, but the movie hasn't been released yet, and it's in HD - which means I have to process the projects into a single HD stream, then down convert it to the standard NTSC format - then post roll it to DVD. It takes about 2 hours...for 5 minutes of footage. I'm glad to do this for people I like, but not necessarily for those who can't recognize me.

She's young though and I forgive her, unfortunately I met "new" people. Honestly, I don't know why they came and talked to me. I think they knew just as few people at the party as I did. We had time in Richmond in common, and if we had stuck to that conversation I think things would have been fine. Two of them were actors, one male and one female. The female seemed nice, and fairly interesting. The Dude, may have been the most annoying actor I have encountered in quite some time. Primarily a screen actor, he proceeds to waste 20 minutes of my time with a long, convoluted, and ultimately stupid movie pitch. Something about a extra on a movie set who is also a ninja. Then asked me who I knew for almost 2 hours straight. And someone really needs to get the message that you don't disrespect the National Players to the face of a National Player - everybody knows that Players doesn't pay well - but you can't judge if you don't tour. If you haven't been on stage at an Equity Theatre in this town - chances are you are not going to be cast as Hal in Henry IV.

Just a little bit of self awareness is all I'm asking from actors. Just a little bit. A bit of understanding that the people you are auditioning for are not wrong if they don't cast you. I've been cast and not cast by friends - it doesn't change our friendship - or how I feel about there work. There is an English director who has never cast me, but I love auditioning for him, we have really great conversations. This is a business, it can't be personal - the work can, I mean once you have the job do with it what you believe you should. If you think every show you are in is the greatest thing ever, fine. If you think every show is a job and you will do your job, equally as valid. But it's really not about you. And for the love of God, think before you speak, name drop, or poo poo.

This is really odd coming from me; I have history of pissing people off with the truth. Maybe I'm just older now.

A Succinct Argument

I came across this last night.

We don't know what the next President is going to face. If we choose someone with vision, someone with guts, someone with gravitas...who's connected to other peoples lives, and cares about making them better. If we choose someone to inspire us...then we'll be able to face what comes our way. And achieve things...we can't imagine yet.
-Toby Ziegler

I can't think of a better barometer for choosing a President.